A few pictures of us playing paintball…

Just thought you might like to see…

There are a few more pictures on the student blog…

7 Ways to be a more Effective Parent

Let’s face it. Deep Down we all want to be better parents.  We know we have not arrived at the status of “super-parent” and that we can always do more.  I know that in my life, I think I have it easy.  I have a two year old daughter who loves her mom and dad and will listen most of the time.  But I also know that eventually she will become a teenager, and some of the respect and priority that she gives us now (let’s face it- she really can do hardly anything without us) will be gone.  And I still want to be an effective parent.

I found this article about learning to be a more effective parent of teens.  It doesn’t matter where you are in the parenting spectrum, we can all learn to be better at it.  Click here for the article

See You at the Pole- This Wednesday

Encourage your students to take part in the National See You at the Pole!  It will happen at school on Wednesday morning around 7am.  Millions of students, faculty, and teachers all over the country will gather around the flag poles at their schools to pray for their student body, their school, their county and their country.

 I think it would be amazing to have students from Sycamore Creek Church take part in See You at the Pole at every school in the county!  But that may take a little effort and prodding by their parents (that’s you!)

They don’t have to prepare anything, they don’t even have to pray out loud.  All they have to do to show their support in prayer is show up Wednesday, September 26th, at 7am at their school.

For more information on See You at the Pole, click here!

Cell Phone vs. Bible

Got this thought in an email the other day, just makes you think…

 I wonder what would happen if we treated our Bibles like we treat our
 cellphones?
 What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?
 What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?
 What if we flipped through it several times a day?
 What if we used it to receive messages from the text?
 What if we treated it like we couldn’t live without it?
 What if we gave it to kids as gifts?
 What if we used it as we traveled?
 What if we used it in case of an emergency?
 This is something to make you go ..hmm…where is my Bible?
 Oh, another thing. Unlike our cell phone, we don’t ever have to worry
 about our Bible needing to be charged because it’s message is
 timeless,or being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill. Pass
 this on to everyone you know that has a cell phone. Makes you stop &
 think “where are my priorities?” And no dropped calls

Paintball Activity Info

We are looking forward to a great turn out for Paintball on Sept. 29th.  Below is all the info about the activity:

When: Saturday, Sept. 29th
Time: 9:30am to 4:30pm
Where:  Meet and Return to Sycamore Creek
Cost:$40 per person (includes, paint, rental, lunch, air fills- Price based on Mega-splatterpark activity pack with additional $5 to offset other expenses If your student wants to bring their own gun, select the half-pack or full pack option, then add $5
What to bring:  Old clothes and a change of clothes for after games
All students will be required to have a SplatterPark Release form and a  completed sccyouthreleaseform2007.pdf- (click on the forms to download them.)

Students can pre-register this Sunday at Cross Current. If you have any ???, please email Scott at sstem@sycamorecreek.org

We are looking for drivers/chaperones for this event (especially if you have a van or large SUV).  Let Scott know if you can help out.

Bible Reading Challenge

This past Sunday at Cross Current, we continued our series on Habits. We talked about the habit of Bible Reading.  Did you know that only 34% of American Christians read their Bible during the week?  I challenged our students to take the next step in their Bible reading habits.

If they never read the Bible, I challenged them to start.  if they read it occasionally, I challenged them to step up to a regular reading time.  and if they read it regularly, I challenged them to invest more time studying and applying it to their life.

Good Scott!  So Why are you telling me?  Well, I am not around the students as often as parents are.  So I wanted to make you aware of what the students have been challenged to do so you can encourage them in it.  Let me give you a few suggestions:

1. Ask them if they are reading their Bible?  Don’t get mad at them no matter their answer.
2. Challenge them to step up and do more. If you are challenging them at home, and we are challenging them at church, the impact will be multiplied.
3. Accountability- Ask them every day if they have done it.  Warning- If you do this, assume that your student will ask you if you are doing it too!
4. Let them “catch” you reading your Bible.  You may not think so, but you still have a great impact on what your teen does.  if they see you reading the Bible, it will encourage them to do so.
5. Praise your student whenever they succeed.