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March 2014 FOR PARENTS OF TEENS

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SPUR KIDS TO ‘GROW DOWN’ With spring’s arrival, talk turns to growth and new life. And as graduation nears,

teenagers come face to face with the prospect of what they want to be when

they grow up. But Ken Castor, author of the new book Grow Down: How to

Build a Jesus-Centered Faith (Simply Youth Ministry), says we’re focusing on the wrong kind of growth. The goal, he says, is to grow down into Jesus

and then draw up from his unlimited resources so we can go out into the

world with an abundance of life (see Colossians 2:6-7).

Contrary to popular belief, “growing up” doesn’t guarantee maturity. And

God actually created people to remain dependent on him. A mature faith is childlike, pure, and trusting—and, as a result, powerful. And the process is

never complete. “God doesn’t care how old you are,” Castor writes. “God

wants every person, at every moment of life, to be learning. A disciple

doesn’t stop growing in Jesus.”

When young people are rooted in Christ, they can draw up his strength to

stand firm against life’s many storms. They’ll start looking like Jesus in how they live and act. And they’ll be able to go out into life with thanksgiv-

ing and fruitfulness. Faith is a collective, corporate experience, Castor

writes. So when parents transfer their faith to their kids, they empower a

new generation to share the Gospel and to encourage one another in Christ.

THE VIEW Group Magazine asked almost 23,000

teenagers about possible impediments

in their faith journey. Top responses

included:

I wish I knew a lot more about

how to actually have a day-to-day relationship with Jesus that made a

difference in my real life.

The greatest pressures I face are all somehow connected to relation-

ships.

Christianity, in the end, is mainly

about being a good person. I have lots of doubts about my

faith and often wonder if every-

thing I say I believe is true. There are many things in the Bible

that I have a hard time believing.

Bad news happening around the world really undermines my faith

in God.

How has your faith changed as you’ve grown up? How might

you need to “grow down”?

What are some ways you’re

rooted in Jesus? How has that

helped you face life’s storms?

What are some intentional

steps you’ve taken to transfer

your faith to your kids?

Author Ken Castor offers nine ways

to “grow down” in Jesus:

1. Pray. Just star t talking with

God all the time in your own

words about everything in your life. Also pray with other Chris-

tians at least once a week.

2. Read the Bible. Star t reading, whether it’s in Psalms, Mark, or

Philippians. Also study the Bible

with other Christians at least once

a week.

3. Talk about your faith. Share

Jesus with people who know him

and people who don’t. Ask God for courage, wisdom, and a heart

for others.

4. Go on a mission trip. Step out and experience what God is doing

in other places among people who

are different from you.

5. Worship. Be sure to worship God every day, spontaneously or

through devotional times. And

gather each week to worship with

other Christians.

6. Appreciate creation. Being in

awe of God’s work helps you re-

member the care he has for you.

7. Serve others. Jesus came to

serve, so a Jesus-centered person

serves, too. Do things without needing to be asked or noticed—

and do them in the name of Jesus.

8. Teach younger people about Je-

sus. That’s a great way to keep

learning yourself.

9. Read and explore. Join a small

group to help grow your faith.

BIBLE FOCUS I pray that you, being rooted and estab-lished in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 3:17-19

THE ROLE OF PARENTS Expert Insights for Parents of Teenagers

By Rick Lawrence

RESOURCE

Growing U (Simply Youth Min-istry) is a discipleship curricu-lum that helps junior highers grow in four critical faith-development areas: Scripture, evangelism, quiet time, and giving. The CD-ROM contains

five small-group lessons for intro-ducing the concepts. Growing U was

created by junior high ministry veter-an Kurt Johnston.

Reports of decline, not growth, are fly-ing about the American church. But

researchers at Focus on the Family are

saying “not so fast” to conventional

wisdom. In a report titled “Millennial Participation and Retention,” they shed

some light on what’s really happening.

Only 11 percent of young adults who say they’ve left their faith report that

they “ever had a strong faith as a

child.” The other 89 percent say they “never had a strong faith in the first

place.”

“Not surprisingly, homes modeling lukewarm faith do not create enduring

faith in children,” the report notes.

“Homes modeling vibrant faith do.

So these young adults are leaving

So these young something they never had a good grasp of in the first place.

This is not a crisis of faith, per se, but

of parenting.”

The simple translation? Kids who grow

up with a weak faith are much more

likely to walk away from it as they get older. The report quotes respected

Notre Dame sociologist Dr. Christian

Smith, writing in Souls in Transition: “Religious outcomes in emerging

adulthood…flow quite predictably

from formative religious influences

that shape persons’ lives in early years… Religious commitments, prac-

tices, and investments made during

childhood and the teenage years,

by parents and others in families and religious communities, matter—they

make a difference.”

Here are the takeaways: Kids who develop a strong faith as

children tend to hang onto it as

they grow up.

Simple church attendance is no

indicator of a faith that can weather the storms of growing up. Parents

who are intentional about modeling

and seeding a growing faith in their

kids are the key catalysts. Smith says “the most important pastor a

child will ever have in their life is a

parent.” —Group Magazine

MEDIA SPOTLIGHT

MAINSTREAM MUSIC

ED SHEERAN Background: The 23-year-old Brit

gained popularity while touring with

Taylor Swift last year. (Rumors briefly

swirled that the two were dating.)

Sheeran’s hits include “The A Team”

and “Lego House.” This year, he re-

ceived a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist. Sheeran once performed a

concert to benefit street sex workers,

saying they’re “real people with real

emotions, and they deserve the same

charity work as anyone else.”

Albums: = (2014), + (2011)

What Sheeran Says: Of his appear-

ance, Sheeran says, “I’ve had years of

teasing about my red hair, but I defi-

nitely think it toughened me up. If

you’re ginger, you end up pretty quick-

witted. I do like my hair. It took a while to come around to the fact that it

was quite a unique value point.”

Explore: Sheeran’s single “I See

Fire” appeared in The Hobbit: The

Desolation of Smaug. Watch the video

here: www.youtube.com/watch?

v=uf8Fwiy0BkcVideos are also availa-

ble of Sheeran debuting “Tenerife

Sea,” a song from his new album, at

Madison Square Garden.

CHRISTIAN MUSIC

JASON GRAY

Background: Gray, 42, had a

rough childhood but became a

Christian at age 15. He was a

youth minister for six years be-

fore pursuing a music career. His hits include “Nothing Is Wasted”

and “Good to Be Alive.” Gray,

who’s toured and collaborated

with a variety of Christian artists,

has been called one of the gen-

re’s best-kept secrets. Gray has a

speech disorder, and many of his

songs focus on finding strength

in weakness.

Albums: Love Will Have the Final Word (2014), A Way to See

in the Dark (2011)

What Gray Says: In the

church, people can be “tempted

to think they’ve ‘arrived’ or

found the answers, and so they

cease to be curious or fall into

self-righteousness. These are the

things I most like trying to ad-

dress in my music.”

Explore: A lyric video for Gray’s

new single, “With Every Act of

Love,” is available at

www.jasongraymusic.com/

MOVIES

Movie: Divergent

Genre: Sci-fi, adventure

Rating: Not yet rated (likely

PG-13)

Synopsis: Based on Veronica

Roth’s best-selling trilogy, this film is set in a futuristic dysto-

pia. Tris (Shailene Woodley),

who doesn’t fit into any

“faction,” uncovers a sinister

plot about her society.

You Should Know: As in The

Hunger Games, a love story is

linked to Tris’ journey.

Movie: Noah

Genre: Biblical epic

Rating: Not yet rated

Synopsis: The OT hero

(Russell Crowe) has visions of

a deluge and takes measures to

protect his family.

You Should Know: Producer

Scott Franklin says they had to

“take some creative expres-

sion” with Noah’s story but

tried to stay true to it.

VIDEO GAMES

Divinity: Original Sin—This RPG adventure, which was funded through a Kickstarter campaign, allows players to

make their own combat adventures. (Rating pending; Windows)

Shovel Knight—This throwback to 8-bit classic games also owes its existence to Kickstarter. The fearless hero

wields only a shovel to dig for treasure and defeat enemies. (Rating pending; 3DS, WiiU, Windows)

MARCH 2014 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thurs Fri Sat

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9:45 Epic 11:15 Fusion

Ash Wednesday Fusion Connections 6:30-8:30pm

Big Epic Games @ the CBC Gym 6:30-8:30pm

9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Daylight-Saving Time Begins

2nd Sunday Breakfast 9:45 Epic 11:15 Fusion 12:30 Fusion Jamaica 2014 Team & Parent Meeting

5:15pm Fusion Student Leadership Team Meeting Fusion 6:30-8:30pm

5:15pm Epic Student Leadership Team Meeting

Epic 6:30-8:30pm

16 17 18 19 20 21 22

*New Service Times Begin

9:30Epic 11:00Fusion

Fusion 6:30-8:30pm

Epic 6:30-8:30pm

Epic Ops Laser Tag @ the CBC Gym 6-10pm

Fusion Presents Nuketown Laser Tag @ the CBC Gym 5-9pm

23/30 24/31 25 26 27 28 29

*New Service Times

9:30 Epic 11:00 Fusion

Fusion 6:30-8:30pm

Epic 6:30-8:30pm

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