2-19-22 This Week in Faith
/The Grove in February
In Sunday school, we’re finishing up talking about Joseph and the book of Genesis, and starting on the story of Moses in Exodus.
Scripture Memory: Matthew 17:20
Student Ministry in February
The Mix is NEXT WEEKEND- Feb. 25-27: There is still time to sign up and invite a friend to join us. It will be a great weekend for middle and high school students. CLICK HERE to sign up.
Parents in February
If you are joining us for the book club, I hope you are enjoying Habits of the Household so far. If you haven’t started yet, there’s still time to jump in and join us.
Be praying for The Mix this coming weekend. Pray for our students, that they would encounter Jesus and enjoy being together. Pray for our leaders, that they would have wisdom, patience, and energy for the weekend. And pray for the sessions- the worship band, speaker, and leaders- that God would use them to point people to Jesus.
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Hope for our Children
“When we fix our eyes on our own efforts in parenting and on the outcomes in our children’s behavior, we will either puff up in pride at our supposed accomplishments, or wilt in despair as we declare our efforts futile. But when we parent in faith, we declare our belief that only God can do a work in our children’s hearts. Only what he does will last.” It can be so hard to keep our focus on the daily process of pointing our kids to Jesus when it feels like the results aren’t always positive. We can wonder whether or not our kids really get it? Whether they really believe? Whether their faith will really last? But our trust is not in the ups and downs of our kids behavior [although we can get encouraging glimpses of what God is doing on some days, and reminders of how far they have to go in others]. Our hope is in the seeds, big and small, we are consistently planting and God’s ability to grow something beautiful with those seeds.
Click here to read the article by Kendra Dahl.
6 Things Christians Should Know About Gen Z
This is a great article to understand Gen Z a little better. While generational studies always miss some of the nuances of individuals, it can also help understand the challenges and encouragements of a group of people. Understanding who these high school, college students, and young adults are can help us better know how to care for them, encourage them, and point them to Jesus. For evangelism, we may have to prove the credibility of our faith and start further back in the basics to share it with them. For church life, we need to work hard to help them participate and serve. For technology, we may need to help them set limits [but we may also need to unleash them to reach their peers digitally]. I hope this article paints a promising picture for you of how we can engage Generation Z and look expectantly to what God is doing in and through them.
Click here to read the article by Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra.
Modeling God’s Discipline for or Teenagers
Discipline is one of my most challenging, and least favorite, parts of parenting. But it is an important part. It is an opportunity to teach our kids what it means to be under authority, and to help our kids practice submitting to God’s authority. It is good fro them, whether it feels good to us in the moment or not. This article has some good reminders about the importance of discipline and how to do it well.
