Changing Bodies, Changing Minds

If you missed the Age of Opportunity meeting last Saturday, or if you were there and want to review the message again, you can download Greg Somerville’s “Changing Bodies, Changing Minds” and its outline here.

Age of Opportunity this Saturday

On Saturday, October 10 at 7:00 p.m. at the Trainor house, we will have an Age of Opportunity meeting for parents.  We will listen to and discuss part one of the seminar “Changing Bodies, Changing Minds” for parenting in the middle school years (by pastor Greg Somerville). Everyone is welcome to attend, including parents with children of any age.

Link: One Family’s Experience

A few folks have asked for the link to the message that we listened to at the last Age of Opportunity meeting.  The message is called “Reasonable Expectations – One Family’s Experience.”  It’s an interview with the Mahaneys, and it can be downloaded for free here.

Age of Opportunity Recap (3.7)

It was great being with so many parents last Saturday night; thanks for getting together on “spring forward night!”

I wanted to post the document we handed out, in case you’d like to access it.  It’s a helpful guideline for considering the issue of college.  You can view it here.

As we discussed, in all these things we must distinguish between what are biblical principles and personal practices.  Biblical principles don’t vary, but our personal practices through which we seek to apply those principles to our own context can and will vary.  Keeping that distinction in mind is a very important one for matters like these.  If you have any questions, please do let me know!

Grateful for you,

Tab

Age of Opportunity – Tomorrow!

At the Age of Opportunity meeting tomorrow, we will cover the next segment of the interview with CJ and Carolyn Mahaney.  In this installment, we will listen to and discuss issues related to preparing our youth for the college-age years (including how to think about college), our youth’s relationship with the church, and our youth’s relationship with peers.  I think you’ll find it helpful.  I look forward to being with you tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. at my house (805 S. Sparkle Ct. in Oswego)!

Age of Opportunity Recap (1.3)

Hi, everyone… I thought it might serve you to have a recap from our Age of Opportunity parents’ meeting last Saturday.  We covered part of an interview with the Mahaney family, the audio of which can be found here.

The basic theme was that of cultivating relationship and fellowship with our teens.  Here are some of the main points, along with some discussion questions.  Please consider these points and the questions below (including a point of discussion for couples), as you pursue this vital area in your parenting.  Thanks for your example and desire to pursue your teens; I respect you so much for that!

What are your fondest memories as a family?

• Family nights and dinner hour – also, afternoons out and vacations together
• Goal of fellowship together – the memories are because of pursuing relationship and experiencing fellowship together
• Explain that dinner not about merely quickly enjoying food together – but purpose is an unhurried, uninterrupted time to relate and care
  • Note:  practices can and will vary, but we need practices for these priorities (cf. Eph 6.4 – not exasperating, but ‘nourishing’)

How have you sought to capture your children’s affections?

• Constant communication – seeking to take an interest in them, giving them your full attention and really listening… then following up
• Constant encouragement and constant affection
• When corrected, correction was specific and was followed by affection
  • Note:  importance of having their hearts  (cf. Prov 23.26, ‘my son, give me your heart’)

What sins of your own have you become aware of in your parenting?

• One root sin – unbelief… fear and worry – as expressions of unbelief
• Leads to relating out of fear, not grace – and then not encouraging consistently
  • Note:  importance of trusting our trustworthy God – He is faithful!

Questions for application:

• Where are you encouraged in this area of cultivating relationship and fellowship with your teens?  Where would you like to grow in this area?
• To what degree are you currently trusting our trustworthy God for your parenting?
• As a couple: Let’s evaluate our effectiveness in and identify a step forward for…
  • pursuing constant communication with our teens.
  • relating constant encouragement to our teens.
  • showing constant affection for our teens.

Age of Opportunity – This Saturday!

Hi, everyone…  Just a reminder: we’ll have an Age of Opportunity parents’ meeting at my house this Saturday night (beginning at 7:30 p.m.).  We will continue with the “Reasonable Expectations” message series, but now the series shifts into a lengthy interview with CJ and Carolyn Mahaney, along with two of their daughters.  The interview provides very helpful, practical instruction for parenting in the teen years.

I think you’ll benefit from this interview, and I look forward to being with you!

Tab

Age of Opportunity Recap (11.22)

It was a real joy to be with so many parents last Saturday night!  Thanks for coming to be further equipped for this holy task of parenting.  I thought it would be helpful to post a little recap of what we covered.

Why this message?

• We talked about gleaning a discipleship mentality for the teen years – one that goes beyond merely having family devotions (as helpful as that practice is), that we might intentionally seek to discipline our youth.  This is needed because what we do in our parent-youth meetings, while hopefully helpful, is ultimately insufficient.  God wants to use us as parents in a primary way for the discipleship of our youth.
• We discussed how our practices can and will vary, but that we must have practices for our priorities. For example :
  • for the priority of our relationship with the Lord we have practices like having a quiet time, a regular devotional time in which we are reading and meditating on God’s Word and communing with God through prayer
  • for the priority of our relationship with our spouse we will often have practices like a regular date night, to pursue ongoing fellowship and romance within the context of marriage (that’s a practice I would highly recommend)
  • for the priority of our relationship with our teens then, the question to consider is:  What is (or will be) your structure for ongoing discipleship of your youth/teens?

Points from Kenneth’s practice

• HOW – They meet weekly for about two hours; there is not always an assignment, but they have gone through different books.
• PURPOSE – to be the primary influence in their lives, to encourage them to love God and please Him in community
• TOPICS HE COVERS:
  • relationship (monitoring relationships with peers: “Have you had any conversations that you know I would want to be aware of? Anything with questionable attitudes or content?”)
  • devotional life (What are they doing?  Help them to be growing in knowledge of and affection for God.)
  • observations or concerns for me related to mom or home
• HAVING A CONVICTION – Our practice must proceed from our convictions, and convictions are derived from Scripture (e.g. Eph 6.4, Prov 23.26).

RESOURCE:   Here is a link to the questions Kenneth has prepared for use in ongoing discipleship of youth.

Thanks again for pursuing the discipleship of your youth!