Before I update you on a very important topic, I wanted to let you know you can now download our "Daily Dose of Awesome" on the Parent Resources section of our website. These are follow-up readings that relate to the topics we cover at REALife, and they are a great resource to start spiritual conversations with your son or daughter. I hope you enjoy them.
Coming up the weekend of October 16 & 17 we will be having an all-Meck baptism. Baptism is a very important part of the life of a Christian. It is the visible expression of a life commitment to Jesus as Lord and Savior. In the Bible throughout the entire New Testament we see that every new believer was baptized as a symbol of the decision they have made to follow Jesus. In our current culture, many people have lost site of the value of baptism in the life of a Christian. If your son or daughter, or even anyone else in your family, is a Christian but has not been baptized I would strongly encourage you to look more into this event coming up at Meck. I would love to answer any more questions you might have about it, or we also provide a free cd where our senior pastor Jim White outlines a Biblical view on baptism and answers many of the common questions that most people have. Check out the following link for more information or to register. I hope to see you there. I'll be the guy by the pool cheering you on!
http://mecklenburg.org/upcoming.asp
Monday, September 27, 2010
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Getting Involved
I've been at this long enough to experience plenty of interactions with parents that go something like this: "Robby, my son or daughter is going through ________. What should I do?"
First I would like to commend any parent who does this. It shows so much care and humility to go to someone else for help when you realize that you do not have the answer yourself. Too often we think we have all the answers, or worse yet, too often we are embarrassed to let others in on the fact that we have issues. The truth is we all have issues. They're nothing to be embarrassed about...they're something to seek help for both from God and from others.
Most problems we face don't have simple answers, and there is no one-size-fits-all answer to most problems because every person and every situation is different. There is, however, one piece of advice (besides prayer) that I have found to be very beneficial in helping parents deal with issues related to their teens...get involved in their lives.
Find out what they like. Get to know their friends. Find out what their passions are. Find out what really makes them upset. Ask them what honestly goes down at their schools. Watch shows that they like. Listen to their music. Doing these things shows that you care about who they are and what is going on in their lives. And doing this gives you the weight to have the guidance and direction you give them mean something because it is coming from someone who cares about them.
When you get involved in your teens world, don't forget to discuss issues of faith. No matter how much or how little you know about God or the Bible, conversations about faith are something that teenagers need...especially from their parents. If this is something new to you I wanted to give you a tool to help in the process. Each week at REALife I have been giving out what I call "The Daily Dose of Awesome." These are short and simple follow up readings and questions related to what we are discussing during our services. The students will have these at their disposal, and starting this week I will put the same sheet on the "Parent Resources" of our website for you to download. Feel free to use these as a means to foster discussion with your son or daughter about their faith. I hope they are a help for you.
I don't know yet what it's like to be a parent of a teenager, but I do know a lot about a teenager's world. So much of the effort you put in now may not show positive results until years down the line. But please take heart, and know that God sees the effort you put into raising your children, and He will be with you in the process.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
First I would like to commend any parent who does this. It shows so much care and humility to go to someone else for help when you realize that you do not have the answer yourself. Too often we think we have all the answers, or worse yet, too often we are embarrassed to let others in on the fact that we have issues. The truth is we all have issues. They're nothing to be embarrassed about...they're something to seek help for both from God and from others.
Most problems we face don't have simple answers, and there is no one-size-fits-all answer to most problems because every person and every situation is different. There is, however, one piece of advice (besides prayer) that I have found to be very beneficial in helping parents deal with issues related to their teens...get involved in their lives.
Find out what they like. Get to know their friends. Find out what their passions are. Find out what really makes them upset. Ask them what honestly goes down at their schools. Watch shows that they like. Listen to their music. Doing these things shows that you care about who they are and what is going on in their lives. And doing this gives you the weight to have the guidance and direction you give them mean something because it is coming from someone who cares about them.
When you get involved in your teens world, don't forget to discuss issues of faith. No matter how much or how little you know about God or the Bible, conversations about faith are something that teenagers need...especially from their parents. If this is something new to you I wanted to give you a tool to help in the process. Each week at REALife I have been giving out what I call "The Daily Dose of Awesome." These are short and simple follow up readings and questions related to what we are discussing during our services. The students will have these at their disposal, and starting this week I will put the same sheet on the "Parent Resources" of our website for you to download. Feel free to use these as a means to foster discussion with your son or daughter about their faith. I hope they are a help for you.
I don't know yet what it's like to be a parent of a teenager, but I do know a lot about a teenager's world. So much of the effort you put in now may not show positive results until years down the line. But please take heart, and know that God sees the effort you put into raising your children, and He will be with you in the process.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Meck Membership
I posted a note on our Facebook page to our students about church membership at Meck. We have our membership class this weekend called "TEAMlife." If you are not a member, please see how the following note applies to you and your family. If you are already a member, but your son or daughter is not, I want to encourage you to talk with them about what it means to become a member at Meck.
-------------Facebook Note---------------
Hey REALife.
I love our high school ministry. High school students are so awesome, and I know that for you students its so great to have people your own age to hang out with and discuss issues related to faith. REALife is such a great part of my life.
But I believe very strongly that REALife is NOT a separate ministry in itself, but we are a part of our bigger church family, which we call Meck. The church is comprised of black and white, rich and poor, male and female, and young and old. It's not just the adults at Meck who can make a difference. REALife high school students have the potential to greatly influence the rest of the church and our city. Your energy, passion, and enthusiasm for God is contagious, and that is exactly what our church needs.
If you have been around Meck for a while, or even if you've only been around for a little bit and you just love our church, I want to strongly encourage you to think about becoming a member at Meck. Church membership is a person's way of acknowledging that Christianity is more than just themselves...it means being a part of a larger church family. It's joining a team of people united in reaching the city and Charlotte and the world for Jesus.
If you are interested in looking more into church membership at Meck, there is a class this weekend, Saturday Sept. 18 from 9am-12pm. Attending doesn't require you to become a member, but it does explain what it means in depth. Go ahead and check out the website below and look up the event details of "TEAMlife" which is our membership class. This link will also give you the option to register for the class.
I hope you check this class out. As a member of Meck for the past four years, I can tell you that I love being a part of something so much bigger than myself, and we would love for you to join the team.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Can you hear me now...good.
This summer proved to be an amazing time for fostering community within our high school ministry. It was amazing to go on Facebook and see how much our students continue to hang out with each other, even with less REALife events to keep them connected. I am seeing a beautiful sense of Godly friendship and encouragement happening with our students...I hope you are seeing the same.
I wanted to let you in on the secret to why I feel our students are connecting so much. It all has to do with S'CAMP this summer. Every Thursday night at camp I give the students time to express themselves. I give them a chance to stand up in front of their peers and tell them what God has showed them throughout the week. Every year this turns into such an amazing time of encouragement, but this year was off the hook. Students started sharing about their deep hurts, their biggest worries, their difficult situations, and their desire and need for God. It was truly a special time. But what made it all that much more amazing was that the students listening to the stories being told responded with love and grace. At the end of the time of sharing their stories a large majority of the students said that they felt like they were at this camp with family...that's how connected they felt to each other.
Why am I telling you this? I learned a valuable life lesson by witnessing this experience. Students want to be heard. Your son or daughter wants to be heard, and they want to be heard by someone who will listen and respond with love, grace, and encouragement. High School students are going through a lot. We may think "well, not my son or daughter...they have it all together." That might be the case but here are two things you need to think about. (1) Students are good at hiding A LOT of things from their parents. How much did you hide from your parents when you were their age? (2) Your son or daughter may be doing great, but they have friends who are struggling, and if their friends are struggling, your child will be hurting with them (they are super connected).
One last thing before I go...
Can you think about this question for me:
Is there any reason why your son or daughter would not want to talk to you about what is going on in their life?
This is a big question. Students are afraid of what their parents might think about them after they tell you what's going on. They're afraid of what you might do to them. They're afraid that you won't listen or won't understand. They're afraid...but they need you. They need to be heard, and, in my opinion, you are the best person for the job.
This takes time...it takes effort. If your son or daughter does not already talk to you about their life (serious issues...not just sports), then you will need to build that trust and reassure them again and again that you are a safe place for them to go.
You can do it. I believe in you, and I am praying for you.
I wanted to let you in on the secret to why I feel our students are connecting so much. It all has to do with S'CAMP this summer. Every Thursday night at camp I give the students time to express themselves. I give them a chance to stand up in front of their peers and tell them what God has showed them throughout the week. Every year this turns into such an amazing time of encouragement, but this year was off the hook. Students started sharing about their deep hurts, their biggest worries, their difficult situations, and their desire and need for God. It was truly a special time. But what made it all that much more amazing was that the students listening to the stories being told responded with love and grace. At the end of the time of sharing their stories a large majority of the students said that they felt like they were at this camp with family...that's how connected they felt to each other.
Why am I telling you this? I learned a valuable life lesson by witnessing this experience. Students want to be heard. Your son or daughter wants to be heard, and they want to be heard by someone who will listen and respond with love, grace, and encouragement. High School students are going through a lot. We may think "well, not my son or daughter...they have it all together." That might be the case but here are two things you need to think about. (1) Students are good at hiding A LOT of things from their parents. How much did you hide from your parents when you were their age? (2) Your son or daughter may be doing great, but they have friends who are struggling, and if their friends are struggling, your child will be hurting with them (they are super connected).
One last thing before I go...
Can you think about this question for me:
Is there any reason why your son or daughter would not want to talk to you about what is going on in their life?
This is a big question. Students are afraid of what their parents might think about them after they tell you what's going on. They're afraid of what you might do to them. They're afraid that you won't listen or won't understand. They're afraid...but they need you. They need to be heard, and, in my opinion, you are the best person for the job.
This takes time...it takes effort. If your son or daughter does not already talk to you about their life (serious issues...not just sports), then you will need to build that trust and reassure them again and again that you are a safe place for them to go.
You can do it. I believe in you, and I am praying for you.
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