Plugged In

Do you know about sexting?

2011-03-28T13:33:00.000-07:00

It is very important to talk to your kids about sexting. For a minor, they can be charged with child pornography for forwarding a pic. Check out what happed to a 8th grader,her family, and her school.

Does your child understand the consequences of take a pic or forwarding a pic?

Sex Talk With Kids: Too Little, Too Late

2011-03-02T11:38:00.000-08:00

Here is an article from 2009 Time. It has some more helpful tips about talking with your kids and research that parents need to have the talk earlier and shouldn't be so vague. Check it out.

Have you talked to your child about sex yet? At what age?
How did it go?
Do you have any tips?

How to Talk To Your Kids about Sex

2011-03-01T13:29:00.000-08:00

The Truth About Sex series is going to begin in Escape tomorrow March 2 (remember your student needs to bring their parent permission slip with them)

Our goal with this series to help students to see God's plan for sex. We also are trying to help you with the responsibility of telling them the Truth About Sex.

I know this can be a very difficult and uncomfortable thing to talk to your kids about sex. But as a parent that is your job. I came across this article on theresurgence.com. I hope this article helps you talk to your kids about sex. I'll be praying for you as you talk to your kids about sex and I would ask for you to please pray for us as we also discuss this topic with them.

The Truth About Sex Series
Escape March 2-23 (Parent Permission Slip Required)
Haven March 13 & 20 and April 3 & 10

Teen Role Models

2011-02-05T13:59:00.000-08:00

Who is your teens role model? (Okay, besides you!) The answer may surprise you. Check out this research study done by the Barna Group on Teen Role Models. Now ask yourself again who do you thing your teens role model is? Or better yet ask them who is their role model.

The Truth About Sex Series

2011-02-01T11:57:00.000-08:00

Each year we do a series on Sexuality/Relationship. One of the reasons we do this is because this is one of the major issues that youth (and adults) are face with daily.

This year we will be going through this series, The Truth about Sex
in Escape March 2-23
in Haven March 13 & 20 and April 3 & 10

We will be having a parent meeting about this series February 16 from 8-8:30p.

This is a 4 week series.
Week 1 The Truth About Sex
Week 2 The Truth About Guys & Girls
Week 3 The Truth About Boundaries
Week 4 The Truth About Forgiveness

This series has a DVD to watch for each session. In this DVD it has real stories from real people. It also has teaching from Doug Fields. Along with watching these DVDs we will dig deeper into each topic.

If you would like to learn more or check out the trailer for the series go here.

As always feel free to contact me.

Skins

2011-01-19T12:38:00.000-08:00

There is a new series on MTV that you should be aware of called Skins. It has stirred up some concern. It is rated TV-MA. Check out this article to learn more http://www.parentstv.org/ptc/publications/emailalerts/2011/0112.htm

Are your kids watching this new show? Should they be? Can we learn something from this show?

Parenting Beyond Your Capacity

2011-01-17T10:18:00.000-08:00

This is an event for parents of children and teens from 3 to 18 years old Saturday, January 29.
This event at Park View in Orland Park and is from 9a-11:30a and is $5 per person. If you are interested in going to this you need to register.

You can learn more about this and register here.

Fast Times at Woodside High

2010-12-06T10:10:00.000-08:00

Education and technology. Two important things for young people. How is it affecting our teens? Should Schools be using technology? Watch this 8min video (from The New York Times website) and leave a comment with your thoughts.

Decline of civility?

2010-11-04T10:00:00.000-07:00

NBC is running a series on The Today Show on the decline of civility. I learned of this from http://learningmylines.blogspot.com/

Check out the video clip from the Today Show.

How are we doing? What are we modeling in the home?The Bible has a lot to say on this topic.

Mixed Messages? The school dance.

2010-10-14T11:52:00.000-07:00

Do you know what goes on at a school dance? What message is our culture communicating to our teens about dancing?

Now I'm not saying that dancing is wrong or that teens can't go to school dances. I went to school dances. The issue is how are our teens acting and are we helping them to live and act in a God honoring way.

Check out this article (from the source for youth ministry) that will give you a glimpse into the public school dance and let me know what you think.

Keeping it Legal-File Sharing

2010-10-14T11:18:00.000-07:00

One of the issues that most youth (and adults) overlook is stealing. Yes if you ask them if stealing is wrong they would tell you yes. If you asked them if file share is wrong they would tell you no, which is true but not in the sense that they are thinking of.

To better understand this issue check out this link to commonsensemedia.org (the video is very helpful too). Let's be good examples to our kids and teach them what is right.

Bullying

2010-10-12T12:26:00.000-07:00

There has been some tragic stories related to bullying in the news. Over at Psychology Today they posted an article "7 Ways to Support Teen Bullying Victims"

If you are a parent you take a moment to read over this article. It will help you watch for signs of bullying as well as give you ideas on important things that we need to teach our children.

You can't control your child's every decision but you can help your child understand that they shouldn't bully others.

Let's help our children put in to practice Jesus' command to "Love your neighbor as you love yourself" Mark 12:31

What we can learn from Lindsay Lohan

2010-09-29T10:06:00.000-07:00

Lindsay Lohan is now a 24 year old adult and has an out-of-control life.

What can we learn from Lindsay Lohan? How can we help our children not to go down the same path? We need to be proactive parents.

Check out this article on Lindsay and think about what we may need to change. Also remember to pray for Lindsay. What Lindsay Lohan Really Wants To Know

I read this article on CPYU [Center for parent/youth understadning]

Boom Boom Cards-Serve as a Family

2010-08-02T11:55:00.000-07:00

Boom Boom Cards are a great way to encourage people to serve others. Of course you can do intentional acts of kindness with out buying these cards but I would encourage you to buy the family kit. These cards provide you with the ideas and give you a way to view your progress. Check out the kit here.

One of the cool features of these cards is you can register your deck on their website. This means when you do an act of kindness you can pass the card on and keep track of where it goes.

Jesus tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves. I believe these cards can be a great tool to encourage this and help you live this command out as a family.

Video Game Violence

2010-07-29T15:06:00.000-07:00

Check out this article from USA Today about Violence in video games.

What do you think about this article?
Are you aware of what games your child is playing?
Are they playing age appropriate games?

Do you think their is violence in the Mario video game that is rated E for everyone?

Children Resources

2010-07-19T12:11:00.000-07:00

This post is for those of you that have younger children. I've come across a few resources that are great for little ones. So I thought I would share some of these great resources.

www.seedsfamilyworship.net-These songs help your little one (and you) memorize scripture and build a biblical world view.
Seeds Family Worship partnered up with Igniter Media to give us Seeds Worship Tracks: Encouragement. They take the songs and add animation along with the words. This isn't your normal DVD. It is design to be used for worship in children's ministries. That means their is no play all. It only plays one song at a time and then you have to select the next one.

And then their is Jelly Telly. From the creators of Veggie Tales. They allow you to watch a free episode each week. If you would like to get a new show each day there is a monthly subscription.

Hope you find these helpful.

This Generation Video

2010-05-13T12:12:00.000-07:00

This video well give you a glimpse into what many of our youth today believe and into the world they live in.

Do you find this to be true of your youth?
What do you think we can do to better understand them?
What do you think we can do to help them?

Real World Parents-Book

2010-05-04T09:59:00.000-07:00

Being a parent is difficult. How do you raise your child to love Jesus?

Well I don't think that their is a magic formula but Real World Parents: Christian Parenting for Families Living in the Real World by Mark Matlock looks like a great resource to help give you suggestions and ideas.

If that name sounds familiar to you it may be because Mark is the speaker for the Planet Wisdom conference that we have taken the youth too in the previous years. Check out this review of Real World Parents by Greg Wilson

Pastor Dad

2010-04-13T14:44:00.000-07:00

As parents it is our responsibility to teach and model to our children what it means to be a follower of Christ. Dad's are the head of the house and need to be Pastor Dad. Here is a free e-book to help us figure out what that looks like with practical suggestion. This is a great read for Dad and Mom.
Get the Free e-book here.

Social Media Trends

2010-03-09T10:05:00.000-08:00

This post is mainly a FYI (For Your Information)

The first social media trend I want to mention is Formspring.me This website is free and its main purpose is to allow people to ask you questions. Seems simple enough. You have two options when asking questions, anonymous or logged in. The thing that you need to think about is what type of questions that are being asked by anonymous people. If the person has no idea who is asking the question this creates an atmosphere for in-appropriate questions to be asked and for cyber-bulling. You can set-up an account to only get questions from people logged in. Just like any thing it can be used for good or evil.

Another Social Media trend is called Charoulette. I'm not aware of any of our youth using this but you still should be aware of it. Here is an article explaining what it is.

I hope this information helps.

Go on the Canoe Trip for Free!

2010-02-18T10:03:00.001-08:00

If you are in our Haven group (9th-12th) you can go with us on the Canoe Trip (June20th-25th) for free! Thats right!

Some people got together and decided to donate generously so that you can go for free. Here are the requirements you need to meet to take advantage of this epic opportunity.

Attend 6 of the 7 lessons of the Good Sex series and participate in the discussion.

Its that simple. The Good Sex series is Feb 14th-March 28th 2010 in the youth room starting at 6:30pm.

Here is a link to the highlight video of the last Canoe Trip.

Good Sex 2.0 Series

2010-02-04T09:35:00.001-08:00

Sex is every where in our culture. Check out lines, billboards, T.V., movies, radio, internet, web in-able devices, etc. They are all communicating a message about sex. Are they communicating a truthful message? Can our youth go through life will out adopting these values?

God created sex and wants us to enjoy it.

God has given us instructions on how we should engage in sex. God tells us to enjoy it but to only do so in the context of marriage, one man and one women. God has set up these boundaries not to be mean to us but to protect us.

We are going to study the scripture and see what God has to say about sexuality and sex. We want our youth to have the true message about sex.

In Haven(9-12 grade) this will be a 7 week series starting Feb 14-March 28.

In Escape(6-8 grade) this will be a 4 week series starting Feb 17-March 10.

We are requiring a Parent Permission Slip for this series.

If you don't want your child to be a part of this series we understand. We look forward to seeing your child again when we are done with this series.

You can learn more about Good Sex 2.0 here.

If you would like to purchase a Student Journal they are $8.50 and you can order them here.

New Element & some time changes

2010-02-03T15:08:00.000-08:00

We have added a NEW ELEMENT to Haven & Escape.

We call it Doors Open.

What this means is that the doors will be open for the youth and their friends to come and hang out in the youth room a half hour before the program starts. God has blessed us with the ability to remodel our youth room through a generous donation. So we want to use the room to the to bring glory to God. Our hope and prayer is that the youth will come and hang out and not just play video games, pool, doing homework, etc but to build health community in a safe place.

Time Changes

Haven will be starting at 6:30pm and going to 8pm on Sunday nights with the doors opening at 6pm.

Escape will remain at the same times but with doors opening at 6:30pm

Haven's time change and doors open will start Feb 14th 2010

Escape's door open with start Feb 17th 2010

Parent Meetings

2010-01-25T12:46:00.000-08:00

Its that time of year again for a Parent Meeting for those in Haven & Escape. Escape's Parent meeting is Jan 27 2010 8-8:30pm & Haven's Jan 31 2010 8-8:30pm.

Every year around February or so we try and have a series on Sex. The topic of sex and relationships comes up through out many of the lesson be we feel that it is important to a series on it each year.

At these parent meetings this is going to be the main focus. We are also going to talk about our upcoming canoe trip and about a new element we are going to add to youth group. So I encourage you to join us at these meetings.

Here are a few helpful links

Learn more about Good Sex 2.0 here

Order the Good Sex 2.0 Student Journal here.

Download the Parent Permission form for Good Sex 2.0 here

Biblical Parenting Conference

2009-12-17T08:57:00.000-08:00

Here is your chance to attended a Biblical Parenting Conference. You don't have to leave home and you don't have to pay anything! Over on theresurgence.com they posted video and audio of the Biblical Parenting Conference they had.

Grab a cup of coffee. Get comfortable. And enjoy a Session.

Please post any thoughts or comments you have about this conference.

SMS Who Am I? Series

2009-12-14T13:53:00.000-08:00

January 17th-February 7th in our Sunday Morning Study we are planning on doing the Who Am I? Series from the Simply Youth Ministry Team. This is a 4-week series that will help students embrace their spiritual identity. There are 4 thought provoking introduction videos for each of the sessions.

Beyond Deception

Beyond Religion

Beyond Vocation

Beyond Sin

This series is geared more toward high school and college age but I think that it will be good to expose and challenge the jr. high to these issues.

Sunday Morning Study Meets in the Teen Room Sundays 9:30am-10:15am and is for 6th-12th grade.

Sunday Morning Study-Teens VS Parents

2009-11-23T14:50:00.000-08:00

In our Sunday Morning Study [SMS] we are going to do a lesson series done by Bluefishtv with Mark Matlock called Teens VS Parents.

We will be going over this series December 13th, 20th, 27th, & January 3rd.

Here are the titles of each of the sessions:

1-The Myth of a Perfect family
2-Living up to Expectations
3-Authority & Rebellion
4-Friend or Foe?

Check out the series trailer.

Sunday Morning Study Meets in the Teen Room Sundays 9:30am-10:15am and is for 6th-12th grade.

Ten Ways-free e-book

2009-11-16T11:25:00.000-08:00

Here is a free resource for parents. Go to this website to get the free eBook from Mark Gregston. Gregston offers Ten ways to turn your teen around.

I haven't read this book yet but if you do or have please let me know your thoughts!

Bad-Behaving Teens May Be Living Up to Expectations

2009-11-11T14:16:00.000-08:00

What expectations are you setting for your teens? Are they living up to those expectations? What are you communicating to your teens? Check out this brief article about some badly behaved teens.

How can we make a difference?

Techincal Virginity

2009-11-09T13:10:00.000-08:00

True Love Waits. What does that mean? I'm a Virgin. What does that mean?

Check out this blog post from my friend Bill Allison from Cadre Ministries.
Are purity rings and abstience pledges working? Are you having this discussion with your child? Why does God care about sexuallity? What can you get away with and Techincaly still be a virgin?

Sex education myths

2009-09-30T09:28:00.000-07:00

Our schools have Sex education class. Are they teaching acturate information? When was the last time they updated the facts? Check out this article about the Sex Education Myths they are being taught. This is a really thoughtful interview.

Are your Kids ready for Peer Pressure?

2009-08-26T12:30:00.000-07:00

Parents need to get their kids ready for peer pressure. Its not a matter of if but when and how your kids will respond. Check out this article for some helpful tips.

Parents had better get their children ready for peer pressure — sooner rather than later

How to Communicate with Your Teens So They Can’t Blackmail You Later

2009-08-19T09:38:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard, "But you promised" or "All my friends have one" Check out this article with some good tips for parents.

Have you tried any of the articles suggestions? What has been your experience? What tips do you have?

Is internet porn the new Sex Ed for Teens?

2009-08-19T09:25:00.000-07:00

Check out this interesting article about internet porn and teens. This article does use some graphic language. Be warned.

What are your thoughts? How are you Educating your teens? What does the Bible have to say about this? Leave some feed back.

'sexting

2009-07-22T09:32:00.000-07:00

It seems that almost every tween has a cell phone now days. A trend that is growing with tweens and teens is sexting.

Be sure to talk to you kids about what they should and shouldn't do with their cell phones.

Music "File-sharing"

2009-07-22T09:18:00.000-07:00

A popular trend in our world today is using Limewire(Kazaa, Bit Torrent, etc.) to get "free" music. Check out this article about getting this "free file-sharing" music. Jammie Thomas-Rasset must pay.

Do you know how your teens are getting music? What is the difference between stealing and "sharing"? What is your opinion on "file-sharing"? Do you think the amount Thomas-Rasset must pay is fair? Why or why not?

Co-Ed Sleepovers?

2009-07-06T14:10:00.000-07:00

Check out this article about the apperant growing trend of teenage co-ed sleepovers. Read it over and tell me what you think about this.

Parents of teens: celebrate your dorkiness

2009-06-22T10:24:00.000-07:00

Are you a Parent or a friend? Does your teen think your a dork? What should they think about you? Check out this article about your relationship with your teen.

Cyberparenting

2009-06-16T11:55:00.000-07:00

Check out this article for helpful tips about being a parent in the tech savvy world.

How do you deal with cell phones, facebook, etc with your child?

MTV Movie Awards 2009

2009-06-03T10:19:00.000-07:00

MTV puts on a Movie Award show every year. Watching it can give you a feel for trends in youth culture and what teenagers are into and what the media wants teenagers to get into. Here is a article about this years Awards. A Glimpse Of MTV's "Junk"

Is your teen watching?

Big Truths for Young Hearts

2009-05-15T15:08:00.000-07:00

Here is a new book that you may find helpful. Maybe you could even win a free copy.
Learn more about it here.

Parent's Guide To Teenage Development

2009-05-06T14:14:00.001-07:00

The Space Between by Dr. Walt Mueller.
This is a new resource I came across that I figured I should make people aware of. The teenage years are often tough on both parents and children. Dr. Walt Mueller has studied adolescents for more than 30 years and has also gone through the teenage years with his kids. "With empathy and practical tools, this book will help parents understand the changes their teen is experiencing, and help them effectively parent as they explore how to:
Create a smoother adolescent period for their teen
Begin to break through the walls of confusion, fear, frustration, and misunderstanding
Be a positive and proactive bridge-builder into the life and world of their teenager"
If this sounds like something that would help you out I would encourage you to get it, read through it, and let me know if you thought it was help full.

Supernatural

2009-05-05T08:46:00.000-07:00

What's the deal with psychics, horoscopes,vampires,angels,ghosts, etc.? Teens and adults have all kinds of ideas on these subjects and so does our world. We keep seeing the supernatural more and more in TV, Movies, and Books. What is true and what is fake? Can the magic 8 ball really have supernatural power? As Christians should we get involved in these types of things? Is there really any harm in reading my horoscope?

Well Mark Matlock (from planetwisdom) leads us on a study of what the Bible says about these things and how that impacts our life in Don't Buy The Lie. This book is an invert book from youth specialties which means it is written for teens. This doesn't mean that adults shouldn't read it. I think that adults will benefit from this study as well. This book is about 150 pages of actually reading and has some ads for other invert books at the end. Our youth need to know the truth about the supernatural world.

Alarming Middle School Stats

2009-04-14T09:04:00.000-07:00

Here is a post from Church Relevance regarding Middle School and Sex. These stats will break your heart but will help you remember how important it is to talk with your kids about sex and why God tells us to wait. I know its hard but it needs to be done.

Read the post here.

Culture and Me-Review of Flo Rida's Right Round

2009-04-07T13:06:00.000-07:00

We are told in 1 Peter 2:11-12 that we are to be in the world but not of it. What does that look like today? When you look at a lot of things in our culture today it seems to be glorifying the wrong things. This seems to be happening a lot in music. Planetwisdom writes reviews about things in our culture and how it relates to following Christ.

Check out Planetwisdom's review of Flo Rida's Right Round.

Does Your Teen Have a Biblical Worldview?

2009-03-12T14:52:00.000-07:00

How are we doing in teaching our kids to have a Biblical Worldveiw?

Check out this article from RealWorldParents.com about Teens and Biblical Worldview.

It Starts Early

2009-03-03T15:22:00.000-08:00

It's important as parents to be actively involved in your kids lives. It's important, but not easy. You need to start early. Music is a huge part of our kids and culture. Do you know what your kids are listening to?
Check out this article from Curchrelevance.com called "Raping the Innocence of Generation Z".

The Review-from Church Relevance

2009-02-16T13:44:00.000-08:00

Check out some of the intresting things that are going on in young people's lives.
The Review-Cussing, Violence, Porn, and Fonts

Real World Parents

2009-02-12T13:28:00.000-08:00

Here is another website to help with the task of being a parent. Mark Matlock is one of the driving forces behind this site. Our youth group has attended Mark's PlanetWisdom Conferences several times. Check out this resource!

Best Sex Ever Discussion Sheets

2009-02-11T11:13:00.000-08:00

The discussion sheets from the series Best Sex Ever by Doug Fields are now posted on the Parent Page on the youth website. Be sure to talk with your child about the things that we discussed in youth group!

? You Can't Ask Mama about Sex!

2009-02-11T11:07:00.000-08:00

This is a great resource that gives biblical answers to many of the questions people have about sex. Don't forget how important it is for you to talk with your youth about sex. You can pick this tool up here.

Abstinence Pledges

2009-02-04T07:56:00.000-08:00

Here is a great article to help you think about Abstinence Pledges and if they really work. This topic has been popping up in the media.

Check it out.

Best Sex Ever

2009-01-22T09:11:00.000-08:00

We will be adapting Doug Field's series Best Sex Ever for our youth groups.

Our world is obsessed with sex. It's everywhere you look. We want our youth to know that God wants them to have the Best Sex Ever and in order to do that we need to follow His guidlines. In this series we will be honest and blunt, as well as teaching what the God has to say on this part of life. Join the conversation. Ask your child questions and communicate your wisdom and knowledge to them. Don't let them just get their information about sex from the world and their friends!

We will be going through this series in
Haven Feb 15th-March 8th
Escape Feb 11th-March 4th

Parent Meetings at the Church
Haven Jan 25th at 8:15pm
Escape Jan 28th at 8:15pm

The Ups and Downs of Teen Romance

2009-01-21T13:50:00.000-08:00

Check out this article for some interesting stats and to be informed about current trends in Teen dating!

Check it out!

HomeWord

2009-01-21T13:20:00.000-08:00

HomeWord's Mission Statement
HomeWord seeks to advance the work of God in the world by educating, equipping, and encouraging parents and churches to build God-honoring families from generation to generation.

“Train up a child in the way he should go,
even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
Proverbs 22:6

This was taken from there website.
Stop by this website and check out what it has to offer!

D6 Family

2009-01-20T15:25:00.000-08:00

"Most parents want to be involved in the spiritual development of their kids’ lives. They just don’t know where to begin. Parents are involved in sports, homework and hygiene, but many parents find it challenging to connect with their children when it comes to their faith." from D6Family.

Check out this website and see if D6 can help you connect your faith with you children!

Trends that affect Youth and Parents

2009-01-06T12:25:00.000-08:00

Here is an article worth a read. When I was at my youth workers convention I attened this session. Here are some of the things that we are facing.

Trends Facing Youth Ministry

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Welcome

2008-12-02T14:37:00.000-08:00

This is going to be a place for Parents. Those of you that have students attending Oak Lawn Bible Church's Youth Groups (Haven 9th-12th & Escape 6th-8th).

I'm hoping that this will be a place that will keep you Plugged In to what is going on in this ministry as well as pointing you towards helpful tools.

Right now this idea is in the begining stage. Much of the information that will be here is avalible now on the youth web site www.oaklawnbible.org/youth and you can check under the Forms & Info and/or the Parent Page.

I'm hoping this will be a great resource for you!

Youth Director
Paul