plugged-in parents newsletter (july 2014)

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A publication of IBC Student Ministry. www.ibclrstudents.org © 2014

PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS… REMEMBER A THE TIME WHEN YOUR THOUGHTS WERE WORTH A PENNY? WITH REGARDS TO PARENTING YOUR TEEN, THEY ARE WORTH WAY MORE THAN THAT EVEN IF THEY DON’T SHOW IT. CONSIDER SHARING WITH AND ASKING YOUR TEEN THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS THIS MONTH. MAYBE EVEN OFFER THEM MORE THAN A PENNY!

‣ WHAT DID GOD REVEAL TO YOU ABOUT HIMSELF THIS WEEK?

‣ WHAT DID GOD REVEAL TO YOU ABOUT YOURSELF THIS WEEK?

‣ IN WHAT WAY DID GOD SHOW UP THIS WEEK EITHER EXPECTED OR UNEXPECTED?

July Issue

THIS MONTH

‣ SEATTLE GO TRIP TRAINING (7/13)

‣ HS ESCAPE @ THE ELLIOTT’S (7/11)

‣ VBS (7/14-18)

‣ MS IBC UNIVERSITY (7/13-18)

‣ SEATTLE GO TRIP (7/19-25)

‣ GLOCAL (THURSDAYS)

COMING SOON

‣ HS ESCAPE @ LAKE DEGRAY (8/1)

‣ YOUTH EVANGELISM CONFERENCE (8/7-8)

‣ MEN’S CONFERENCE (8/13-14)

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT SCOTT GEURIN

ENGAGE STUNTING EFFECTS OF HELICOPTER PARENTING

EMPOWER 5 REASONS WHY YOUR KIDS WANT YOU TO SET BOUNDARIES FOR THEM

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A MONTHLY PUBLICATION TO HELP PARENTS BETTER PLUG IN TO THE SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR STUDENT

PLUGGED IN JULY 2014

http://www.ibclrstudents.org

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STUDENT MINISTRY STAFF

Matt Hubbard

Lead Student Pastor

Melissa Sponer

Girls Ministry Associate

Ross Spigner

Middle School Pastor

Amanda Beach

Ministry Assistant


IF YOU HAD A SUPERPOWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE? !FLYING (FREE, FAST,

UNCRAMPED TRAVEL)

IF YOU HAD A SUPERPOWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

CONTROLLED INVISIBILITY (OH THE MIND GAMES THAT COULD

BE PLAYED)

IF YOU HAD A SUPERPOWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE? !

SHAPE-SHIFTING (SO NO MATTER WHAT OUTFIT I BOUGHT

I COULD FIT INTO IT)

IF YOU HAD A SUPERPOWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE? !

SUPER FAST SPEED READING

From Our Heart !A passage of Scripture on my heart this last month is Luke 10:17-20. The context in Luke 10 is the story where Jesus calls seventy-two disciples to go to surrounding towns to preach the kingdom of God. Before they went, Jesus gave them details as far as the “what to bring list” and “what to not bring list.” He also told them to go without knowing of a place to sleep at night. Rather trust that the Lord would provide a hospitable host who would welcome them. Hmmm… I am currently struck by some similarities with our trip to Arlington. We too had the “what to bring list” and we too did not entirely know where we will be staying until we got there. !Even though we do not have the detailed account of how the actual short-term mission trip went for the seventy-two disciples, we know that it was a success. For Luke 10:17 says, “The seventy-two returned with joy saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!’” Jesus seems to be pleased with their excitement but to only a certain extent. Before he redirects their excitement, Jesus confirms that their experience was indeed real. He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpion, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.” Jesus wanted them to know that because of the authority that God had given them, they were indeed successful in advancing the kingdom. !But it is here that Jesus wishes to redirect their joy. He says, “Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” By saying this, Jesus wanted his disciples’ joy not to rest solely in the success of ministry but in the enduring truth that we are children of God. Success of ministry or from a short-term mission trip comes and goes, but there is an enduring joy in knowing that we are children of God. Focusing on the former apart from the latter can lead to instability in our joy. It leads to striving to find joy in our accomplishments rather than the already accomplished work of Christ in us. !Throughout this summer, there are several catalytic events planned that can spark a higher sense of awareness in your child’s walk with God. Already, the middle school GO Trip to Arlington and the high school campout have passed. Still to come this month is IBC University and the Seattle Go Trip. Our hopes in the previous events and the ones to come, what is most noticed in your child is that they are a child of God. !Parents, as you hear reports from your child about the success of an event and as you sense their joy, do what Jesus did. Confirm to them that their experience was real and that God is advancing His kingdom. But, if needed, redirect their joy to the enduring truth that they are children of God. Remind them that this truth is the foundation for other joys in life.




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VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT !SCOTT GEURIN !MY FAMILY: LAURA (WIFE…3 YEARS) BENTLEY (GOLDEN RETRIEVER)

WHERE I SERVE: LEAD 9TH GRADE GUYS DGROUP (SOON TO BE 10TH GRADE) ALONG WITH VOLUNTEERING ON OTHER STUDENT TRIPS, ETC. I HAVE SERVED FOR: 7 YEARS MY DREAM VACATION DESTINATION IS: FLORENCE, ITALY. I LIVED THERE ONE SUMMER DURING COLLEGE AND ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT.

MY FAVORITE SNACK FOOD: ANY KIND OF FRUIT. GIVE ME A BOWL OF BLUEBERRIES, STRAWBERRIES AND I’M GOOD TO GO.

MY FAVORITE BIBLE STORY: I LOVE RUNNING, SO I LIKE HOW JOHN HUMBLY POINTS OUT IN JOHN 20:4 THAT HE OUT RAN PETER TO JESUS’ TOMB.

!!FAITH CONVERS

ATION

HELPS:

!THE IDENTITY OF GOD

Starter Question:

• Who do your friends' teachers' coaches' etc. say God is?

Transition Question:

• Who do you say God is?

Biblical Response:

• God is Creator' God is Love' God is Just' God is Truth' God

is Jesus Christ

My Story:

• I got a real glimpse of who God is when…

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!!


COMING SOON

August 1 HS Escape @ Lake Degray (tentative) August 6 No Wed. night service August 8-9 YEC (Youth Evangelism Conference) August 13 Wed. night fall programming begins August 15-16 Men’s Conference August 17 Promotion Sunday August 17 Student Share Service in Horne Hall at 6pm August 31 No Sunday night service

!1 2

No Wed night

activities3 No GLOCAL 4

Happy 4th of July!! 5

6No Sunday

night service

7 8 9

Joint Student Worship 6:00-7:15

10

GLOCAL

Local Missions for HS and MS

11

HS ESCAPE

10-2 @ the

Elliott’s

12

13

Seattle GO Training

301 @ 4pm !IBC University

14

Graceland Farms VBS !!

IBC University

15


IBC University

16

Graceland Farms VBS !

Joint Worship !IBC University

17

Graceland Farms VBS !GLOCAL !

IBC University

18


IBC University

19

Seattle GO Trip !

20

Seattle GO Trip ! 21



Seattle GO Trip !

Joint Worship

24

Seattle GO Trip !

GLOCAL

25


27 28 29 30

Joint Student Worship 6:00-7:15

31

GLOCAL

Local Missions for HS and MS

2014 / July


!ENGAGE

STUNTING EFFECTS OF HELICOPTER PARENTING !Children who spend more time in less structured activities — from playing outside to reading books to visiting the zoo — are better able to set their own goals and take actions to meet those goals without prodding from adults, according to a new study by the University of Colorado in Boulder.

The study, published online in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, also found that children who participate in more structured activities, such as soccer practice, piano lessons and homework, had poorer “self-directed executive function,” a measure of the ability to set and reach goals independently.

“Executive function is extremely important for children,” said CU-Boulder psychology and neuroscience professor Yuko Munakata, senior author of the new study. “It helps them in all kinds of ways throughout their daily lives, from flexibly switching between different activities rather than getting stuck on one thing, to stopping themselves from yelling when angry, to delaying gratification. Executive function during childhood also predicts important outcomes, like academic performance, health, wealth and criminality, years and even decades later.”

The study is one of the first to try to scientifically grapple with the question of how an increase in scheduled,

formal activities may affect the way children’s brains develop.

Munakata said a debate about parenting philosophy — with extremely rigid “tiger moms” on one side and more elastic “free-range” parents on the other — has played out in the media and on parenting blogs in recent years. But there is little scientific evidence to support claims on either side of the discussion.

For the study, parents of 70 6-year-olds recorded their children’s daily activities for a week. The scientists then categorized those activities as either more structured or less structured, relying on existing time-use classifications already used in scientific literature by economists.

Structured activities included chores, physical lessons, non-physical lessons and religious activities. Less-structured activities were free play alone and with others, social outings, sightseeing, reading and media time. Activities that did not count in either category included sleeping, eating meals, going to school and commuting.

The children also were evaluated for self-directed executive function with a commonly used verbal-fluency test.

The results showed that the more time children spent in less structured activities, the better their self-directed executive function. Conversely, the more time children spent in more structured activities the poorer their self-directed executive function.

Because some of the existing time-use categories might not reflect the real amount of structure involved in an activity, the researchers also did

several rounds of recalculation after removing categories that were questionable.

In each case the findings still held. For example, the time-use categories classified media screen time as unstructured, but the degree of structure depended on whether a child was watching a movie or playing a video game. However, when media time was removed from the data, the results were the same.

The study can be found by clicking here.

BY DEBBIE KEELEY, COLORADO SPRINGS GAZETTE

!!!EMPOWER

5 REASONS WHY YOUR KIDS WANT YOU TO SET BOUNDARIES FOR THEM !Do your teenagers really want boundaries? While you will never hear your teens say to you, “Can you please add some more restrictions to my life?” they really do want to know what’s expected of them and what will be the consequences of violating the boundaries that you’ve set. In homes where parents set clear boundaries for their kids’ behavior, kids are actually less likely to rebel–especially when parents take the time to discuss their expectations with them. Why would


WWW.IBCLRSTUDENTS.ORG



http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00593/abstract


your kids want you to set boundaries for them in the first place? Let me give you five reasons.

1) Boundaries provide a sense of comfort. When kids clearly know what is expected from them, the result is a sense of comfort. They don’t have to be concerned about what you may or may not require of them behaviorally–or fear that you will constantly change the rules.

2) Boundaries provide a sense of security. Kids really do want to know what is right and what is wrong. They want

some guidance in navigating life. Teenagers will still test the limits from time to time, but clear boundaries provide the stability and security that will allow them to thrive and become responsible adults.

3) Boundaries mark out the “playing field” for freedom. Imagine two teams playing football–but without the playing field being marked in any way. Imagine the players having no way to tell what was “in bounds” or what was “out of bounds.” In the game of football, a marked playing field is foundational to playing the game. On a marked playing

field, players know where their boundaries are. Similarly, kids want their parents to set clear boundaries for them so they can know their “playing field”–where they can roam freely “in bounds.” Boundaries, in this way, actually create freedom–and teenagers want to be able to experience and grow in their ability to handle freedom within the boundaries that have been created.

4) Most teenagers don’t really want to be totally free and solely responsible for themselves (yet).Kids who have no boundaries and are completely on their own in decision making tend to feel isolated and are at risk for giving into peer pressure. Kids

whose parents have set clear boundaries for them, experience freedom within the boundaries and can use these boundaries as reasons to say no to inappropriate behaviors. Generally, kids who have clear boundaries simply fare better behaviorally and are less likely to engage in at-risk activities than those kids who don’t have clear boundaries.

5) Kids want to gain their parents’ trust.

This trust results from living within clear boundaries. Trust is a vitally important issue for teenagers. They

aren’t dumb. They know that having your trust is the pathway to greater freedom and ultimately to adult independence. Kids who don’t have clear boundaries experience greater difficulties earning their parents’ trust because they are left to themselves to make behavioral decisions that may or may not turn out to be acceptable. On the other hand, kids who have clear boundaries and live within those boundaries understand that they are regularly making deposits into your “trust” account. This, of course, doesn’t mean that kids with boundaries won’t make poor decisions from time to time. Even really good kids violate boundaries occasionally and can learn from

the struggle to earn or regain trust with their parents. Still, with boundaries in place, your kids will have a greater understanding of how to build trust with you.

BY JIM BURNS, PRESIDENT OF HOMEWARD



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plugged-in parents newsletter (july 2014)

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