10-15-21 This Week in Faith

/

Thanks to those who participated in our Parent Discussion Group on Wednesday. It was great to see you and talk about parenting together.

  • DON’T FORGET!- Because of the retreat, there is no Sunday school this Sunday and only 1 worship service at 11:00AM. If you’re not on the retreat, I’ll see you then.

  • If you have not picked up a copy of Church is Not Boring by Lisa Updike yet, make sure to stop by the Sunday school check-in counter and get one. It’s a great book to read with your younger kids about preparing for worship and setting them up for success each Sdunay morning. We’ll have a discussion group about it on November 12 & 14.

  • Faith Fall Festival is Sunday, October 24 from 5-7PM. I hope your family is planning on attending. Consider a family you might invite to come, have fun, and connect with people at Faith. You can also participate by donating candy ahead of time [drop in the box in the foyer] or signing up to serve at a station. Middle and high school students are encouraged to sign up and help if they can. CLICK HERE to volunteer or CLICK HERE to sign up to bring baked goods for the cake walk.

  • Middle and High school students are going to the Washington Farms Corn Maze on Friday, October 29 from 7-10PM. The cost is $17 to get in. Hope to see you there!

——————————————————-

The Verse That Helped Me Become a More Patient Parent

Deciding to become a parent means deciding that you will repeat everything important you have to say 1000 times over the course of 18 years :) There have been so many times in the course of my parenting that I think to myself, “Haven’t we already had this conversation?”. And it [sometimes] drives me crazy! But if we step back for a minute and think about the story of God’s people, and even our own lives, we see that forgetfulness is a theme and repetition is the cure. God constantly, and patiently, repeats himself to us because we so regularly forget what’s most important. And it’s through this repetition that God forms our hearts and minds. Slowly but surely, we remember his presence when we feel like we’re alone. We remember his goodness when everything goes wrong. We remember his sovereignty when everything seems out of control. We remember his mercy when we do what seems unforgivable. We remember his love when we feel unlovely and unloved. I am so thankful for God’s patient reminders to me. And it’s that patience that, when I remember it, gives me patience for the things I end up saying again and again to my kids.  

Click here to read the article by Megan Hill.

What My Commencement Speaker Failed to Mention

This is a beautifully written article about the authors experience of suffering over the 5 years since her college graduation. She talks about the difference between thinking about suffering in the theoretical verses seeing and experiencing suffering in the people around us. It reminded me of one of the conversations we had at the Parent Discussion Group on Wednesday night. Scripture tells us that suffering is one of the things that most shapes us into people dependent on Jesus. But for many of our kids, they don’t experience deep suffering as they grow up because they live in a relatively safe community and their family members live much longer on average. There are still ways for us to teach our kids about suffering and the sufficiency of Jesus in the midst of it. Travel to places where suffering is more common. Read stories and watch movies about the real suffering of people throughout history. Maybe most importantly, tell your kids stories about your own suffering and the hardships that family members have walked through. And show them how Jesus has been faithful through those times, even if you can’t give them an answer to why it happened. This is one of the ways we can connect our kids to Jesus and prepare them to walk with him for a lifetime. The article quotes Flannery O’Conner, “Give me the courage to stand the pain to get the grace, Oh Lord. Help me with this life that seems so treacherous, so disappointing.” Make sure your kids know that life will give them many opportunities to pray this prayer. And help them see the ways God has answered this prayer in your own life.

Click here to read the article by Grace Leuenberger.

PODCAST: Ask Alice: A Healthy Approach to Athletics for Teenagers

Sports can be such a healthy and important part of our kids’ lives. But, if we are not purposeful in helping our kids understand the proper place and motivation for sports, they can work against the gospel we are hoping takes root in them. This is a good conversation about how to help our kids [and us] put our kids’ athletics in their proper place. They cover topics like keeping an identity in Christ as an athlete, when it may be time for our kids to take a break from sports, how our kids’ can get real value from their sports experiences, and the role parents play with their kids and coaches along the way.  This is one of those conversations we may not think to have but can have a huge impact on our family’s ability to glorify God through the sports our kids play.

Click here for the interview with Alice Churnock and Mark Rector.