Will My Students Walk Away? (Confessions of a Struggling Youth Minister)
May it be that the next time a group of pollsters crunch the numbers on the faithfulness of our former students they, are astounded and encouraged at the changes God is making!
May it be that the next time a group of pollsters crunch the numbers on the faithfulness of our former students they, are astounded and encouraged at the changes God is making!
If we realize that it is ultimately God who builds the house and not ourselves, we might be surprised how he works in our children’s lives.
Walking alongside a teenager with an eating disorder is an opportunity to get involved in a difficult and messy situation that, through God’s grace, has the potential to become a beautiful story of redemption.
Let us teach teenagers what they believe, the humanity and grace with which to approach someone who believes differently, the discernment to sort truth from error, and a dependence on the work of the Spirit to bring people to new life through the gospel.
In a culture filled with endless options, parents can help teens navigate their FOBO by helping them learn to identify their fear, point them to the God who is greater, limit their options, and teach and model commitment making.
As we continue in our series on prayers for a struggling student, consider this prayer from the perspective of a doubting student. We invite you to step inside the shoes of a teenager who is battling unbelief, and perhaps to even pray alongside a teenager you know is struggling.
The best thing you can do for your teenager who is rebelling is to keep them in church and never stop praying for them.
All the control I could ever exert over my children that I think will bring peace and order in my heart and home is nothing compared to the peace that comes from God: the peace that he established in creation, the peace that Christ gave us through the cross, and the peace that the Holy Spirit uses to continually instruct us.
Experience the freedom that comes from laying your comparisons at the foot of the cross and instead become captivated with the purpose of knowing Jesus more and pointing your children to him.