Pastor Al Paulauski, From Your Pal Pastor Al

Pastor Al Paulauski

From Your Pal January 2008

Helping your teenager appreciate God's word

The New Year is now upon us and that typically means one thing. New Year's resolutions. Many of us make these in hopes of making the next year even better. They become the goals that we shoot for the entire year. As I was thinking about this, I have come up with a challenge for all parents this coming year. Would you consider making one of your resolutions to be seeing that your teenager learns to appreciate God's Word… learning to see it as more than just a book of nice stories, or some good suggestions for how to live their lives, but rather as God's Word?
One of our jobs as parents is to plant the Word of God into our teenagers' lives. God's Word provides them with a solid foundation upon which their lives can be built. Creating an appreciation for God's Word in our teenagers isn't always an easy task. But, I encourage you to do the best you can. Be persistent, pray, and then let God be God - Who does the work to change lives. The following are some ideas on how to instill an appreciation for God's Word into their lives.

1. Surround your teenager with good resources: Give them a Bible translation that they can understand. There are a number of "youth friendly" translations available, such as the The New Century Version and The New Living Translation. There are also many "student" Bibles available, in a variety of formats that include special notes and articles highlighting how the Bible specifically applies to a teenager's life. I also have available for purchase, for just $10, copies of the "One Minute Bible" devotional guide. It's a great tool to help teens get started reading their Bible.

2. Model your own appreciation for God's word to your children: Do you have a regular devotional time where you read and study the Bible? Do your kids know it? How about letting your kids watch you model your appreciation for God's Word. Don't forget that your actions will teach your kids a lot about how important you believe the Bible to be - probably even more than your words.

3. Create the expectation that the Bible is an everyday guide for everyday life: Too often adults have passed along a poor concept of the Bible: that it is much like a school text to be read and memorized, but without much connection to how it applies to everyday life. You can raise your teenager's level of expectation of the Bible (and their appreciation for it) by demonstrating to them that God's Word is a trustworthy, everyday guide. How? First, know what the Bible says. You don't have to be a scholar, but be a fellow learner, so when they have some questions you'll have an idea what the Bible says. Second, know what the Bible doesn't say. (Those gray areas they like to ask about.) Third, emphasize the good, bad and the ugly in scripture. It's helpful for them to see that the Bible doesn't just contain stories of nice people who always do the right thing. Let them see how the Bible contains stories of real people, many of whom are committed to living lives of faith in spite of their sin and struggles. Finally, emphasize application of the Bible to real life issues.

4. Teach your teenager how to study God's Word: If we, as parents, only tell our children about what they can find in the Bible, without teaching them how to discover and learn from the Bible on their own, they'll become dependent on us, or on others, for their spiritual feeding. As your children grow older, be sure to give them the tools they need to be able to learn from the scriptures on their own. Teach them a simple, Bible study plan where they can look at any scripture passage and ask questions about the passage such as, "Who wrote the passage?, Why was it written? What does the passage say? What does it mean for me today?"

January Youth Highlights

Kroger gift cards

Gift cards will again be available for purchase Sunday, January 6th after the morning service. They are now sold in INCREMENTS OF $5 ONLY and then can be recharged each and every time you visit Kroger's. This also makes it easier when you purchase them as they are only $5 a piece. Why buy a gift card? Because Kroger will donate 5% of our total purchase (after reloads) to us, which we in turn, give to Speed The Light.

Parent's Meeting

Sunday, January 6th will be our next "Parents Meeting". It's a time to reflect on what's been happening in the youth ministry program, a look at the upcoming calendar, and a time for questions. We will again be providing a light lunch for all parents and their children in attendance. Please R.S.V.P to Pastor Al by Thursday, January 3rd.

It is time for our fourth annual "Parent's Pot-Luck Dinner" which will be taking place on Saturday night January 19th from 5-9 pm. at the home of Dave & Melanie Bonello. It will be a time for parents of our youth ministry to connect with each other and Pastor Al in a more relaxed environment. We will also play some games and give you some insight into the upcoming calendar year.

Winter Escape '08

Friday-Sunday, February 1st-3rd , 876 Student Ministries will be conducting its first "Winter Escape" in Hillsdale, Michigan. Students will spend a weekend learning to go deeper with God while having a great time. There will be volleyball, basketball, a climbing wall, tubing and much more. The cost for this year's event is $90 per student and is due by Sunday, January 13th. Students who have already paid their deposit owe $60 by Sunday, January 13th.