May 29, 2005
"Staying Connected Through the Teen Years"
Extreme Makeover Family Edition—Part 9
Selected Scriptures
"At 6 years old you can't get them to stop talking, at 16 you can't get them to talk."
1. The connected teen has a connected parent.
"Know the changes that your child is enduring, know the questions that plague him! And know the attack that he is under in our secular society... obsessed with all that is meaningless."
But remember that youth, with a whole life before it, still faces the threat of meaninglessness.
—
Ecclesiastes 11:10 (NLT)
Not "survival mode" but "pro-active, treasure-seeking mode."
2. The connected teen will know who he or she is!
"Unlike past generations, teens today aren't looking for the meaning of life. Instead they're searching for meaning in life, a purpose for living, something that makes their life worth living."
—
Pastor Rick Warren
Give your youth a starting point!
I know that you sincerely trust the Lord, for you have the faith of your mother, Eunice and your grandmother, Lois. This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you.
—
2 Timothy 1:5,6 (NLT)
3. The connected teen knows who's in charge!
"The adolescent will question and seek to determine his authority!"
It is better to be a poor but wise youth than to be an old and foolish king who refuses all advice.
—
Ecclesiastes 4:13 (NLT)
Don't let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor Him in your youth before you grow old and no longer enjoy living.
—
Ecclesiastes 12:1 (NLT)
Be engaged in the ministry of reminding not resigning!
4. The connected teen has a map and a guide.
Yet you say to me, "Father, you have been my guide since the days of my youth."
—
Jeremiah 3:4 (NLT)
Our Guide
When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not be presenting His own ideas; He will be telling you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.
—
John 16:13 (NLT)
Our Map
For the Word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are."
—
Hebrews 4:12 (NLT)