my eldest pulling my middle dolly,
his idea,
to give her a ride she would enjoy
I am proud of him
these past 3 years have brought him so much closer to his siblings
because he spends so much time with them
of course it is hard some days when we all get on one anothers nerves
but don't we all?
I get on my own nerves let anyone else that has to deal with all the time
I can't stand dealing with myself!!!
I wouldn't trade this times for anything!
when we are not too cool for him
when he can be seen in public with us
it is wonderfully wonderful
one of our pastors news letters he sent out the other day.......
my heart aches with such heaviness for our youth
for our wee ones
and for us
for all of us
who are entrenched in worldly things
that lack meaning and depth and purpose
............................................................................................
I am sitting here right now with my seven-year-old son, Josh, watching Bugs Bunny reruns from when I was a kid. Peppy Le Pew and that poor cat? It never gets old. In one way it feels like some things never change. My kids love so many of the things I loved growing up.
Then I read a recent article in Maclean's magazine, "Inside the dangerously empty lives of teenage girls". Dr. Leonard Sax, a medical doctor, psychologist, researcher and author outlines in frightening detail the significant shifts that both teenage boys and girls are experiencing.
Here is what he reports from his recent research. Many teenage guys are lazy and unmotivated. They sleep in and easily blow off their school work. They are lost in their violent video games and pornography. They are comfortable abusing alcohol and drugs at parties. They expect girls to give them sexual favors in exchange for acceptance in the social scene.
Many girls on the other hand live under the shadow of anxiety, with 20-25% acting out their anxiety by alcohol and drug abuse, cutting or burning themselves, and developing an eating disorder. They will hide in their rooms with their computer, facebooking all night. They edit their photos to make themselves look thinner, remove blemishes and try to create the perfect image. They will offer up those sexual favors to guys, almost always one way and completely detached from love or a sense of relationship, just to fit in with the popular crowd. They deal with many symptoms of anxiety disorders and yet, when you see them, they look beautifully put together and confident.
As I talk with my own son, Nathan, who is thirteen and my daughter, Rachel, who is eleventeen, they confirm that this guy isn't making this up. My youth staff says they see this everywhere.
Is this the part where I as a parent and pastor start to rant against the evils of Facebook, movies, video games, the porn industry, and how our culture that is wreaking havoc? Is this where I ramp up the guilt on the parents for not doing more to protect their kids? You know, all that I feel is this deep, deep love for our kids. My heart hurts.
If this doctor is right--and all the evidence I hear suggests that he is right--could it be there is a new kind of poverty in Canada? Could it be right in our homes? As I read this report I feel like we are suffering from a poverty of the soul. It is the poverty of love and identity and healthy close relationships.
Maybe it is a form of generational poverty. Parents may be so busy trying to make it with the nice house, good job, the comforts and status markers of success that their souls are bone dry. They are exhausted and living with constant stress. The cupboards of their hearts are empty and their children are emotionally starving. Heart disease of all kinds sets in.
I am struck by Jesus' very first words when he started his public ministry: "God's Spirit is on me. He's chosen me to proclaim the message of good news to the poor. He sent me to announce freedom to prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to set the burdened and battered free. He sent me to announce, 'This is God's year to act!'" (Luke 4:18-19)
The incredibly great news of Jesus is that God's love is completely inclusive and totally holistic. He loves you and me and our kids to the very core of who we are. He wants to rescue us, not just from sin, but also from isolation, brokenness and despair. As a church family, we are launching into a series called, "Say What? Getting, Living, and Giving the Good News". As I reflect on the pandemic of emotional and relational poverty hitting our world, I echo Jesus' words, "This is God's year to act!"
I look over at Josh watching the Bugs Bunny and Tweety show. Maybe things have changed. Maybe this world is different than the one I grew up in. Maybe we need to truly get, live and give the message of Jesus like never before.
............................................
I think if we spend half as much time thinking about
how to keep our families together
and keep our childrens hearts
as we do obsessing about what organic foods we eat
or what sports they"should" play
we'd have some different looking families and kids
it is never too early to start training our kids
but it can be too late
don't wait until it is too late....
my heart aches with such heaviness for our youth
for our wee ones
and for us
for all of us
who are entrenched in worldly things
that lack meaning and depth and purpose
............................................................................................
I am sitting here right now with my seven-year-old son, Josh, watching Bugs Bunny reruns from when I was a kid. Peppy Le Pew and that poor cat? It never gets old. In one way it feels like some things never change. My kids love so many of the things I loved growing up.
Then I read a recent article in Maclean's magazine, "Inside the dangerously empty lives of teenage girls". Dr. Leonard Sax, a medical doctor, psychologist, researcher and author outlines in frightening detail the significant shifts that both teenage boys and girls are experiencing.
Here is what he reports from his recent research. Many teenage guys are lazy and unmotivated. They sleep in and easily blow off their school work. They are lost in their violent video games and pornography. They are comfortable abusing alcohol and drugs at parties. They expect girls to give them sexual favors in exchange for acceptance in the social scene.
Many girls on the other hand live under the shadow of anxiety, with 20-25% acting out their anxiety by alcohol and drug abuse, cutting or burning themselves, and developing an eating disorder. They will hide in their rooms with their computer, facebooking all night. They edit their photos to make themselves look thinner, remove blemishes and try to create the perfect image. They will offer up those sexual favors to guys, almost always one way and completely detached from love or a sense of relationship, just to fit in with the popular crowd. They deal with many symptoms of anxiety disorders and yet, when you see them, they look beautifully put together and confident.
As I talk with my own son, Nathan, who is thirteen and my daughter, Rachel, who is eleventeen, they confirm that this guy isn't making this up. My youth staff says they see this everywhere.
Is this the part where I as a parent and pastor start to rant against the evils of Facebook, movies, video games, the porn industry, and how our culture that is wreaking havoc? Is this where I ramp up the guilt on the parents for not doing more to protect their kids? You know, all that I feel is this deep, deep love for our kids. My heart hurts.
If this doctor is right--and all the evidence I hear suggests that he is right--could it be there is a new kind of poverty in Canada? Could it be right in our homes? As I read this report I feel like we are suffering from a poverty of the soul. It is the poverty of love and identity and healthy close relationships.
Maybe it is a form of generational poverty. Parents may be so busy trying to make it with the nice house, good job, the comforts and status markers of success that their souls are bone dry. They are exhausted and living with constant stress. The cupboards of their hearts are empty and their children are emotionally starving. Heart disease of all kinds sets in.
I am struck by Jesus' very first words when he started his public ministry: "God's Spirit is on me. He's chosen me to proclaim the message of good news to the poor. He sent me to announce freedom to prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to set the burdened and battered free. He sent me to announce, 'This is God's year to act!'" (Luke 4:18-19)
The incredibly great news of Jesus is that God's love is completely inclusive and totally holistic. He loves you and me and our kids to the very core of who we are. He wants to rescue us, not just from sin, but also from isolation, brokenness and despair. As a church family, we are launching into a series called, "Say What? Getting, Living, and Giving the Good News". As I reflect on the pandemic of emotional and relational poverty hitting our world, I echo Jesus' words, "This is God's year to act!"
I look over at Josh watching the Bugs Bunny and Tweety show. Maybe things have changed. Maybe this world is different than the one I grew up in. Maybe we need to truly get, live and give the message of Jesus like never before.
............................................
I think if we spend half as much time thinking about
how to keep our families together
and keep our childrens hearts
as we do obsessing about what organic foods we eat
or what sports they"should" play
we'd have some different looking families and kids
it is never too early to start training our kids
but it can be too late
don't wait until it is too late....
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