Fixing Like the Father
At times, God will call us to lean into our instinct to fix, advocating for our teens as they navigate the rough waters of emerging adulthood.
At times, God will call us to lean into our instinct to fix, advocating for our teens as they navigate the rough waters of emerging adulthood.
In his latest book, What God Has to Say About Our Bodies, Sam Allberry develops an accessible theology of embodiment for the church.
While Christian parents may have grave disagreements with the principles surrounding transgenderism, we have to form children who respect and protect the human dignity of every person.
Apart from personal relationships which prove to us that we are seen, known, and sought out, it’s hard to believe God sees, cares, and acts for us. We need other people to help us believe.
Encourage students to embrace the reality of all people being image bearers of God. Equip them to stand for life and to love as Jesus taught us to love.
Youth need to learn that while they were still sinners, Christ died for them. They need to hear that God so loved them that he gave his Son—who died voluntarily in their place to cancel the debt of their sins.
Romance isn’t the highest form of love. Christ’s full giving of himself to redeem those who were dead in their sins and trespasses, receiving nothing in return, is the highest form of love. Every form of love, even romantic love, is to find its source in that truth.
Loving, respectful pushback from a teen in an unhealthy family dynamic does not mean that this child is being rebellious or ungodly, but rather that they are speaking out against sin and wrongdoing with patience and humility.
A rich theology of embodiment is particularly important for student ministers, whose focus on caring for others often lends itself to patterns of body-dismissal that are perhaps less God-honoring than we might imagine.
