visit with Living Proof Youth Ministries
August 27, 2008 by xym
Filed under deanna's blog
I went to visit a youth ministry tonight at Elim Church on 79th Street in Chicago. The Youth Ministry goes by the name “Living Proof.” Their youth leader’s name is Jessica Pamon – very “cool” young lady that always has her hair tight! A good woman. The kids there are also great and i enjoyed being there tonight.
Anywho, the subject Jessica taught on was Praise – what it is and the benefits of it. She had the kids break up into two groups and they were to look up her prepared scriptures on praise and come up with a skit to reflect back on what they learned from the scriptures. Quite interesting to watch – only one of the groups managed to pull their skit together (LOL!).
The kids expounded on the subject matter – some enthusiastically and some, well, you know, not so enthusiastically, on what it meant to praise God and the benefits of praise. Shouting unto God, clapping our hands, singing unto the Lord, playing of instruments, etc. were all discussed regarding how to praise God. I thought the “Benefits” part was quite interesting as well. They read scriptures in Acts about how Paul (and Silas) were imprisoned and while there, sang praises to God and the earth quaked and the doors of the prison were opened…awesome stuff dude.
As Jessica fought through this oh so familiar scene for me of trying to NAIL IN the content of her lesson into the hearts of these kids, I sat and looked around at them all. I was like, “I wonder if they are really getting what is being discussed here.” I mean, we just read about somebody singing praises to God and used that praise to escape from prison…dude…that’s pretty serious.
God, just like man (or rather man is just like God, but you know what I’m saying…) loves to receive praise and adoration. He created us to offer it unto Him because He enjoys receiving it from us when we offer it willingly, ernestly, lovingly. But, in His infinite wisdom, He also designed praise to operate as a force in our lives. There is literal power in our praise. Praise REALLY changes things and makes things happen. Their are other powerful forces that the Bible references, like love, faith, joy, etc. But God designed praise to be enjoyable to Him as well as a means to bring about His power in the earth. The force of praise is so powerful, that the Bible says if we don’t offer it to God, the rocks will…my Lord.
So, as I watched these beautiful young kids go around the room and rate themselves on how earnestly they felt they praised God – some gave themselves a 2, a couple said 5…none higher than 5 though – I wondered if they just had a slither of an idea of what power praise could provide in their everyday lives if their answers would have been somewhat different. I pray that their praise to God becomes even more real for them after tonight and that they see the tangible results of its power.
I pray that for myself too. Praise be unto the Most High!
Deanna
how to talk to your parents
Teen Devotions
Having good, healthy, meaningful relationships is hard work. You have to work at it.
You’ve got to want to work at it even when it is difficult to do and easier to not do. This
includes have good friendships, getting along with siblings, and even opening up to your
parents.
Your parents probably fall into one of these categories (have the children fill out
quick surveys that ask them to identify which category both of their parents fall
into):
1. Easy to talk too about anything
2. Hard to talk to and you fell like the don’t understand where you are coming
from
3. Is often judgmental or critical of you when you open up to them
4. Don’t talk to you at all
Just like it’s hard to have good relationships for you, it is also hard for adults. Just
because you get older doesn’t mean things get any easier. In fact, things become more
complex and the responsibility becomes even that much more intense for an adult. You
can, however, have good, open relationships with your parents. You don’t have to live a
life hiding things from them. As a matter of fact, you shouldn’t live a life hiding things
from them. Here are some quick pointers that you can use to start working on improving
your relationship with your parents and open up the doors of communication.
1. Start by letting them know that you want to work on talking to them more. You can
just tell your parents that you want to share more of what is going on with you with them
and would like for you both to begin working on improving this area.
2. Find a time that you and your parents can be comfortable and relaxed together.
3. Make sure no one is focusing on something else while you’re together No paying bills,
playing Playstation, making dinner, or watching TV! Try to look your parents in the eye
when you speak with them.
NOTE: These first three steps might take some effort and patience. Be persistent.
4. If you just want to shoot the breeze try to bring up something they’re interested in. Ask
them questions about their day.
5. If you have something specific you want to talk about let them know exactly what it is.
Don’t beat around the bush.
6. If they react badly to what you tell them really listen to them. . Don’t react badly back
– VERY IMPORTANT!. Let them finish and don’t interrupt. When they are finished, ask
them as respectfully as you can to do the same for you.
7. When you feel like you’ve told them what you wanted to, thank them for listening.
Remain respectful and keep your voice calm even if you’re upset.
8. If you feel like there are still things that need to be talked about set up a time with
them to talk about it another day.
9. Pray to God to help you all continue to work through this.
Tips:
1. Pray first. Ask God for His help and wisdom before you begin talking about something
deep and serious.
2. Show them respect by focusing your attention on the conversation, looking them in
the eyes, and by not being sarcastic or rolling your eyes.
3. Be honest. Honesty builds trust. And life is good when your parents trust you.
4. Stay cool. If you stay calm when things get heated up you’re showing maturity and
your parents will respect that.
5. If you are having a hard time getting out what you want to say, write it down. Send
your parents an e-mail or a letter with what you want to talk about. Writing it down does
not replace talking to your parents, but it can be an easier way to get the ball rolling.
This is not something that just gets better in one day. You will have to keep working at
it, praying, and working. Things will get better. Either your relationship with your parents
will grow, or God will send someone to help you. He will not send someone to you that
will cause division between you and your parents or someone that does not want to do
things God’s way. Whoever God sends to help will be someone that has your best
interest as well as you parents’ best interest at heart.
Click here for a pdf version of this post.
mirror, mirror
August 7, 2008 by xym
Filed under deanna's blog
Young Ladies! I want to invite you to an event that is certain to impact your life in a powerful way. It’s called “Mirror, Mirror” Young Ladies Event. It’s a seminar for young ladies, their mothers or female guardians, or even a female mentor. During this seminar, we will talk about SELF-IMAGE. Man, this is really a huge thing for me because I grew up with such a crappy self-image of myself. Never pretty enough, never thin enough, never good enough, all that jazz. It literally took a combination of the Word and my husband (God’s Word made flesh for me!!!) to break through some of the thoughts and feelings I had about who I was – thoughts and feelings that were not too good – and reshape them into who I truly am; the person God see’s me as.
Click on Event Registration over there on the left and register yourself and/or your youth group. We are going to have a great time!
I hope to see you there!
Deanna
