Change happens. Are you prepared to parent your child through the transition into the teen years? We have the tools to guide you through. Start now. Start here.

In this powerful drama, kids talk about all the things their Christian parents make them do, from saying their bedtime prayers to being “restricted” when misbehaving. Patterned after a current TV commercial, this message really hits home.

Enjoy this honest approach to change in the church

http://blip.tv/play/g9FJ9ph9Ag

>> I’m reposting this article in order to help any reader who happens upon it.

[Orginial by Rebecca Hagelin]
You would think that teenagers growing up in the most prosperous society in history would be abundantly joyful. Even in these economic days of woe, teenagers spend an estimated 200 billion dollars a year on trinkets, toys, music and the latest fashions. My goodness, compared to the rest of the world our teenagers live like royalty.
 
Yet, recent studies show that the rate of teenage depression and mental illness is at an all-time high. And while the general incidence of suicide has decreased in the United States in the past 25 years, it has tripled among young people ages 15 to 24. According to the Centers for Disease Control, suicide is the third leading cause of death in adolescents.
 
A recent study led by San Diego State University psychology professor Jean Twenge reports that compared to high school and college students in the Great Depression era, there are five times as many youth today that suffer from anxiety and mental health issues. 
 
The causes of depression and anxiety can range from a genetic predisposition to a variety of illnesses. And, a pop culture filled with empty messages of “love em and leave em”, a devaluation of human life, the fact that 40 percent of children live in a broken home and an emphasis on materialism is enough to make even the healthiest child wonder if her life really matters. The harsh reality is that children from broken homes are five times more likely to commit suicide than their peers from intact families.
 
Our pop culture is preoccupied with “liberating” children and teens from their parents, churches and traditional morality – the three anchors which contribute to the development of healthy minds and spirits. They have been replaced with the rampant promotion of pornography, a doctrine of sexual experimentation, and a self-centered view of the world as evidenced by parents who think nothing of destroying a child’s world and heart through divorce. Even teens from healthy homes are often afraid to enter the world on their own with all of its ills.
 
Our children are crying – literally – for a change.
 
Real depression and brain disorders are serious illnesses which must be taken just as seriously. The worst thing you as a parent can do if you suspect that your child is suffering from what still remains the most stigmatized of human conditions is to ignore him or tell your child to “just snap out of it”.
 
It’s incredibly disturbing that in this beautiful nation with all of our blessings and the wonders of medical science that people – both adults and teens – with mental illnesses are often afraid to seek treatment. Ignorance, public scorn, and a health system that doesn’t seem to recognize the need for robust mental health services are a blight on America.
 
If you suspect that your child is plagued by depression, find out for certain. Whether due to a genetic condition or the emptiness of our culture, such suffering requires help – and human decency demands it.

Know the signs. According to the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (www.NAMI.org), indicators of depression include:
 
• feeling persistently sad or blue;
• talking about suicide or being better off dead;
• becoming suddenly much more irritable;
• having a marked deterioration in school or home functioning;
• reporting persistent physical complaints and/or making many visits to school nurses;
• failing to engage in previously pleasurable activities or interactions with friends; and
• abusing substances.
 
The brain is a complex organ, still shrouded in mystery. What we do know is that a brain can fall ill just as easily as a heart, or a lung, or a blood system. Medical professionals will tell you that treatment options are vast and include psychotherapy as well as medicines. What they often don’t include, however, is the critical component of spiritual counseling. The most successful treatments are comprehensive in nature and minister to the body, mind, emotions and spirit.  To get help for your child, start by looking into the life-giving resources available at http://www.meierclinics.com/ . 

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Rebecca Hagelin is a public speaker on the family and culture and the author of the new best seller, 30 Ways in 30 Days to Save Your Family. Visit her website at www.HowToSaveYourFamily.com. where you can sign up to receive her free e-newsletter containing the Culture Challenge of the Week and how to fight back. Hagelin is also senior communications fellow for The Heritage Foundation.

This past Saturday our church hosted a Chili-Cook off to benefit God’s people in Haiti. It was an amazing success and I’ve been reflecting on why. I’ve come to some conclusion that I would like to share, so take it for what it’s worth.

(1) I was focused on a clear purpose that was not ourselves. People really do want to make the world a better place and are looking for opportunities to do so with groups they can trust.

(2) It was fun. We had over 23 people make a pot of chili and each person received three tickets in which to vote for traditional chili, alternative chili, and a dessert. You could try as many as you wish, but you could put your ticket into the box of your favorite only once. We tried dozens and asked about special ingredients and level of spiciness. People stayed for hours.

(3) Make a commitment Now! When sign up sheets were passed around the church Sunday morning to volunteer to make chili, the sheets were picked up immediately. If you wait for people to “get back in touch” they rarely do. Make a plea for help and then give them something to do while the iron is hot.

While the cook-off was successful from a monetary and fellowship standpoint, there were some who wrote to the paper to complain that we should be doing more for the local folks instead of sending resources to the Caribbean. I was glad to see the complaints, to be quite honest. It tells me we’re stirring something in their hearts, even if it is venom it has the potential to be released.

This was a community event and all who participated were amazed at the turnout. I guess this is what happens when the Holy Spirit want to use Chili to bring the family of God together in a spirit of compassion and fellowship.

In the recent aftermath of the Haiti earthquake, many people have begun to ask why such things can happen. How should a Christian respond? If God is good, righteous and loving then why is there such devastation, death, and destruction through “natural disasters” like earthquakes and tsunamis

Of course some people have been quick to respond with an answer. “Because somewhere in the long ago past, the Haitian people must have made a deal with the devil for which they are now paying the price.” It is divine retribution, the pedants say and profess to have knowledge the rest of us are too ignorant to know, or so the logic goes. Such answers make everything right with the world and calm the fears that something like this could ever happen to people like us, people who are self-proclaimed “righteous ones” and thus separated from the pain of the world. We see, but we do not feel. In this world, every pain can be explained away, every disaster bears the mark of divine judgment, and every broken heart is deserved.

Really? So how’s that working out for you?

A child lies in a hospital bed in any city you like receiving chemo for leukemia that is ravaging her white blood cells. Is this too divine punishment for the sins of her great, great grandmother and father? We see, but we do not feel.

A mother has had to escape an abusive relationship in order to save her life and the lives of her children. Where will she go, what will she do, who will reach out and help her in her hour of need? We see, but we do not feel.

A nursing home is filled to overflowing with aging human beings, mothers, fathers, lovers, professionals, and athletes of all kinds who no longer receive visitors or are even an acknowledgment that they exist. We see, but we do not feel.

Haiti is on the news, images play daily and we are slowly becoming numb to the reality of the suffering the death that fallen like a shroud on this tropical paradise. Death has come to paradise and we get to watch in High Definition. We see, but we do not feel.

Our response has been around since the dawn of time. “His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” [John 9:2] Surely someone deserved to have this happen. We see, but we do not feel.

What is the cause for this effect?

Jesus says that we are asking the wrong question, the question is not why, but how. How will we respond in the face of overwhelming need? With compassion and love or with judgment and indifference?

If we solve the “WHY” question it elevates the burden on us to help. After all they had it coming.

If we engage the “HOW” question it takes us deeper into the rabbit hole and we discover a world of shared responsibility in the human community. It is, after all, the Kingdom of God we are searching for.

Paul said it best,

“We live by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7

So how do we respond to the disaster in Haiti, we feel and we are broken. Our response flows out of our brokenness.

“The church that is content with not growing is saying to the rest of the world “You can go to hell” –Rick Warren

“It’s much easier to act like a Christian than to react like one. Anyone can put on an act. But your reactions reveal what is really in your heart.” –Mark Batterson

“I do not want to be guilty of leading a church passionate about reaching the saved, but fanatics reaching the lost. I have noticed, that every Christian wants to see the lost saved, but not every Christian wants their church to cater to the lost.” –Shannon O’Dell

“I can’t Christianize this culture. The god of this world is Satan – this is his culture. He is the god of this age. I’m to preach the gospel. …. God is calling a people for Himself. I don’t know whom He’s calling, I just have to be faithful and preach.” –Franklin Graham

“Being a leader does not mean that we will never be in situations that make us shake in our shoes; in fact, it means quite the opposite. When a leader allows the fear of a circumstance to trump the fear of God in his life…he ceases to lead.” –Perry Noble

“A leader is a person who is always on the lookout for other potential leaders to discover, develop, and deploy. But if we are not careful, all our energy can leak out to passion stealers, stranding us on a sandbar of mediocrity and ineffectiveness.” –Dave Kraft

“After wrestling with this for years, I’m slowly coming to the conclusion that a church building may not be the best location for church employees to do their work.” –Erik Ullestad

“Have we created a theological ideology that eliminates any discomfort and marginalizes any element that would cause us pain or even death?” –Brady Boyd

“Is the seductive, deceptive lure of some sin such as anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, and sexual immorality, creeping into your heart? Is there anyone you’ve been withholding forgiveness from? Do you secretly celebrate the failures of people around you? Have any secrets that you’re working hard to keep from some of your closest friends?” –Pete Wilson

“In my experience, once it’s clear you’re willing (not just willing, but itching, moving, and yes, implementing) without them, things start to happen. People are rarely willing to step up and stop you, and often just waiting to follow someone crazy enough to actually do something.” –Seth Godin

I recently read a touching story by an unknown author whose simple words held profound meaning. The story goes…

“There once was a little boy who wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six-pack of root beer and he started his journey.

When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old woman. She was sitting in the park just staring at some pigeons. The boy sat down next to her and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old lady looked hungry, so he offered her a Twinkie. She gratefully accepted it and smiled at him. Her smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered her a root beer. Once again she smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word.

As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave, but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the old woman and gave her a hug. She gave him her biggest smile ever. When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, “What did you do today that made you so happy?” He replied, “I had lunch with God.” But before his mother could respond, he added, “You know what? She’s got the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen!”

Meanwhile, the old woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home. Her son was stunned by the look of peace on her face and he asked, “Mother, what did you do today that made you so happy?” She replied, “I ate Twinkies in the park with God.” But before her son responded, she added, “You know, he’s much younger than I expected.”"

This month, consider going with your small group on a trip to meet God in a nursing home. Psalm 71:17 says, “Do not cast me off in the time of old age; Do not forsake me when my strength fails.” Showing nursing home residents the love of God can break through the trappings of their age or illness and release a long-awaited joy. Currently there are one and a half million men and women in nursing homes throughout the U.S.; 60 percent of them never have a visitor.

Don’t worry about what to say. Simply talk about your everyday activities or ask the resident questions about his or her family history, childhood memories, work experiences or hobbies. Even those that are not mentally alert can respond to the warmth of a smile or a reassuring pat on the hand. A simple prayer before you leave reminds residents that God is still with them.

Before you leave, ask for the names of some residents to whom your small group members can write. Encourage your group members to continue building a relationship with a resident through letters and follow-up visits.