Don’t text while driving…

No for real!  I know I have been guilty of it in the past.  But a new study from The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute revealed that texting while driving increased your chances of being involved in an accident by 23 times.

Click here to read the entire article

Don’t Just Teach Them, Show Them

There are opportunities that come up throughout life where as parents you get the opportunity to “put your money where your mouth is”.  By that I mean, you teach your kids to do certain things because there are things that you know you want your kid to do.  But then there are times where you get the opportunity to show your teen what to do, instead of teach them.  This is one of those opportunities.

We are participating in Sycamore Creek Church’s 24 Hour Prayer Event on Friday May 8th- Saturday May 9th.  We have been asked to take one of the early Saturday morning hours.  So we as a youth family, are taking the 1am prayer hour. 

Now this provides a great opportunity for parents to show their teen how much they value prayer.  At 1am students are not allowed to be driving on the road in Pickerington (it’s the law!) so here is my challenge to parents

Step up and bring your student and join me for an hour at 1am to pray for the people in our church, the needs of our church and for each other! I know some of you have things to do on Saturday, so if you can’t make it at this time, find a different time!

Don’t let an opportunity to “Put your money where your mouth is” pass you by!

To get where you are going, you have to know the destination

I have been chewing on the thought of what I want a student to be like when they graduate from the student ministry at Sycamore Creek Church.  (I posted my thoughts here).  But as I have thought about it, that question really applies to parents as well.  So let me challenge you to think about this-

“What do you want your child to be like when they leave your home?”

After all, most parents would agree that one of the goals of parenting is to prepare your child for a life outside your home.  But I am concerned that parents don’t think strategically (myself included) about how to get their child to where they want them to go.  And one of the big reasons is that parents may not have thought about what they want their child to be like at that point.

Maybe I am wrong, and you have thought about it.  But if you haven’t, seriously think about the destination.   I mean-

- How do you want your child to handle difficult circumstances?
- How do you want them to handle failure?  Success?
- What character qualities do you want them to have?
- What kind of person do you hope to see looking back at you?

Once you begin to see the destination, you can then begin to figure out the path to get there.  No longer will it be “fly by the seat of your pants” type of thing when you know the destination.  It becomes about reaching that goal and doing everything you can to get your child to that point.

Now I have to go and do the same thing for my kids.  The Destination can be set right now…

One Liners Starts This Sunday!

One-Liners.  Those classic quick response thoughts that we use all the time.  Every one of us has a few of these that we use all the time. Some of my favorite one-liners have to be “Even a blind squirl finds a nut once in a while”, or “your mom!!!” (classic, but don’t use it on your family!), and probably my new favorite one “Ooh, that’s going on facebook!”

But as I thought about it, it hit me- we do this with the Bible too!  We have our go to verses, those verses that we use in situations when we don’t really want to take time to formulate a response.  We say things like “All things work together for good”, or “Don’t judge or you will be judge”.  Classics!

But do we understand these verses?  I mean is there a deeper meaning to some of the most used verses in the Bible? Maybe there is a promise we are missing, or maybe we are using them wrong. 

So over the next few weeks, we will be exploring one verse each week to see what we can learn from some the most famous Bible “One-Liners”.

So if you have a teen, Have them join us at 6pm for Cross Current at Sycamore Creek Church and learn a little bit more about the One-Liners

Maybe you will rethink leaving your kid at home alone for a week…

This is what I am afraid would happen if I left my kids home for a week by themselves…

Middle School Sexuality

A survey by Seventeen Magazine and O, the Oprah Magazine has given us some very interesting insights into the sexual activity of middle school and junior high students.  Yes, that is what I said- middle school and junior high! Now understand we should be teaching our children the biblical concept of sex inside of marriage!  But sex is a huge battleground that a lot of our students are giving in to the pressures and it can cause all kinds of issues, both long-term and short-term.

Here are a few stats from the survey:

- Three-quarters of teen girls who have lost their virginity say they have engaged in sex without protection and that most moms are not even aware of it
- 14% of mothers suspected their teen daughter had engaged in oral sex; nearly 30% of teen girls 15-18 years old have engaged in oral sex
- By age 12, 12 percent of students have engaged in vaginal intercourse, many of which say that it has been done without protection.

Now let’s be honest-many of the moms reading this are scared to death. This shows how important it is to have open dialogue with your teenager…or even earlier!

Now here are some (sort of) positive stats to encourage you:

- 3 in 5 teen girls said that “the talk” with their mothers has influenced their sexual choices “positively”
- Girls who talk to their moms about sex are half as likely to get pregnant
- About one quarter of the teen girls that talked with their moms stated that the conversation has made them wait

Listen, the whole point is that your teenager is going to find out about sex.  Don’t be the last one to talk with them about it!

If you want to read the entire article about this survey, click here

YEC- One Night Only

We have changed our original plan for YEC!  With Spring sports in full gear, we have realized that many of our students would not be able to attend YEC if we go down a day early.

So in the spirit of YEC, we have adapted our schedule to allow more students the chance to attend.

Here is the new YEC Schedule:
When: Friday, April 10th
We will meet at Sycamore Creek Church at 4:30pm and will return at 1:30am Saturday Morning
Where: Nutter Center at Wright State University
Cost: $20 plus money for a fast food dinner

If you are interested in going, please let Scott know as soon as possible.

What is YEC?
YEC is an event put on by the Southern Bapstist of Ohio yearly.  This year’s theme is “Unchained”.  Students will be challenged to live in Christ’s Freedom.  Looking at the schedule, they have some great stuff lined up.  If you want to see the schedule or learn more about the actual event, click here

YEC- Youth Evangelism Celebration

By student request, we will be again going to the Youth Evangelism Celebration in Dayton, Ohio.  YEC is an event put on by the Southern Bapstist of Ohio yearly.  This year’s theme is “Unchained”.  Students will be challenged to live in Christ’s Freedom.  Looking at the schedule, they have some great stuff lined up.  If you want to see the schedule or learn more about the actual event, click here

Here is what you need to know about our trip-

The DETAILS:
When: April 9th- April 11th (sort of, is 1am considered the 11th?)
Where: We will stay at the Country Inn and Suites in Fairborn, OH and the YEC event will take place at the Nutter Center on the campus of Wright State University
Who: All Students 7th -12th Grade (you can invite friends, too!)
Cost: $50 per student (covers hotel and event).  Students will need money for lunch and dinner on Friday.

The PLAN:
We will meet here at Sycamore Creek Church at 5pm on Thursday April 9th to head to Dayton, OH. We will stay at the hotel Thursday night- swim, hang out, just enjoy each other’s company. On Friday the 10th, we will check out of the hotel at noon (so we can sleep in, yay!!!) and go hang out at the mall for a few hours. After Dinner, we will head to the Nutter Center for the event that lasts from 6:30 to midnight.  After the event, we will get in the cars and come home, arriving at Sycamore Creek around 1am Saturday morning.  Basically, the same plan as last year.

The PREP:
Students can sign up starting this week.  You will have until the 27th of March to sign up for the event.  After that point, the event charges and extra $5 for tickets so it will cost you more.  A $15 deposit will secure your spot.

We also need driver/chaperones for the event.  You will attend the event free of charge, except we will need to use your vehicle

I know we are going to have a great time…and we might even learn something along the way!!!

P.O.D.- Parent Open Discussion Monday March 9th

Parenting.  It has to be one of the most complicated responsibilities known to man. And the only way to learn is through on the job training.  Through your screw ups, through your successes, and just by keeping at it when you want to give up.

Well, what if I told you there were other people who feel the exact same way as you?  What if I told you there are other people who are dealing with the same issues you are?  Wouldn’t it be nice to sit down and discuss some of the things we are dealing with, and get some advice from other people who have maybe been there already?

That is the purpose of P.O.D.  Parent Open Discussions are designed just for parents to talk with other parents. What better way to get help raising your teen than by sharing with those who are doing the exact same thing! 

So join us at Sycamore Creek Church on Monday, March 9th at 7pm for Parent Open Discussion- there are no teens or kids allowed and there is no subject that is restricted.  Come and join us as we all try to raise godly teens!

Cross Current Time Change

Connection.  Dictionary.com defines connection as a circle of friends or associated or a member of such a circle.  Being connected can do so much for a person.  Take our church for example.

Being connected at Sycamore Creek Church lets you know that when things are rough, you have people there to help.  And when things are great, those same people will celebrate with you.  It’s relationships that go deeper than just attending church together.  It’s life. 

And we as a youth group, are missing that.  As I watch students interact, or in a lot of cases, not interact with others at youth group, it pains me.  These students need that connection. 

So starting Sunday Night March 8th, we will be adding a small group element to Cross Current.  And with that, we are going to be extending the time of Cross Current to 6pm – 8pm. 

Our prayer is that students will begin to develop life-long deep relationships with peers and adults that will help them as they navigate life’s journey.

So please make note of the time change for Cross Current.  it will now go from 6-8pm!