Shoal Creek ParenTeen - Parent Interviews - Kristen Ivy

One of the best ways to learn is to reflect on someone else's experiences. Kristen Ivy is an executive director for "Orange", an organization committed to helping churches and families partner together in the spiritual development of children and students. She regularly blogs at "The Parent CUE" and has some great insight into living out real faith in real life.

Kristen shares from her own personal experiences and answers a few questions that we could all benefit from. Follow this link to find out what she has to say about...

1 - How do you make sure you’re the parent you want to be in the midst of your demanding job? 

2 - As part of the Orange team, I know you’re committed to families and churches partnering together in the spiritual formation of kids.  As a parent, how have you tried to support your own church’s children’s ministry?

3 - What has parenting taught you about yourself that you wouldn’t have learned otherwise?

Student Families - Getting Connected At Shoal Creek This Week

Whether you're new to Shoal Creek, or have been in the loop for a while, here are several upcoming ways for your family to get or stay connected:

Crash Student Hangout coming up Sat Nov 1st - Details and RSVP Here
Latest ParenTeen Post "Parent Interview with Chap Clark" can be read here.
End Human Trafficking Event - Documentary showing of "Nefarious: Merchant of Souls" - Details Here
Crash Small Groups meet on Wednesdays starting at 6:30pm and ending at 8:15pm. Meet in the Underground (white door in back of church parking lot).

Here's a rundown of what's available to students at Shoal Creek, and how we communicate to student families throughout the week.

1. Every Sunday we offer a "BUYA" service in an area we call The Underground for the 6th-12th grade students. We cover the same topics as the adult services, but apply the concepts at a student-relevant level. Our Buya services are the same times as the adult services:  9:30am and 11:00am. Hope your student can come join us!
2. Every Sunday we offer a "CRASH" service for the 9th-12th grade students that attend Shoal Creek. We will cover the same topics as the adult services, but apply the concepts at a high school-relevant level. Our Crash service is offered only at  the 11am service. Hope your high school student can join us!
3. On the City there are two parent groups that you can ask to join depending on what age group of student you have. If you have a "Buya" student (6th-8th grade), then search for the "Buya Parents" City group. If you have a "Crash" student (9th-12th), then search for the "Crash Parents" City group and ask to join. Justin Talley posts content about upcoming events, info, and relevant articles weekly.
4. Wanting any more information about what Shoal Creek offers for students? Contact Justin Talley, or start following our Shoal Creek Students Twitter account--@SC3Students--to be connected with the latest happenings. 
5. Email Justin.Talley@shoalcreek.org if you'd like to get his weekly Friday email that updates families on upcoming info/events.

The Weekend Link-tastic!

Here's a list of several links, post, articles I came across this past week that I hope my inspire, motivate, or encourage you on your spiritual journey--enjoy!

On why God allows suffering to exist in the world. This could be an especially helpful primer to Shoal Creek's upcoming Sunday message.

5 Lies Christians Are Told - From Relevant Magazine

Tweet of the Week - From @dsimmy82

"where grace and mercy collide, Your love comes alive..." https://t.co/LtfH4s1hZM @Glory_Revival
— David Simmons (@dsimmy82) October 23, 2014

Shoal Creek ParenTeen - Parent Interview - Chap Clark

One of the best ways to learn is to reflect on someone else's experiences. Chap Clark has extensive experience in being not just a parent of teenagers, but a cultural expert on teenage life. I have read his book, "Hurt: Inside the world of today's teenagers", and followed him for several years. He's has proven to me to be an example worthy of being reflected over.

Chap shares from his own personal experiences the answers to a couple of questions that we could all benefit from. Follow this link to find out what he has to say about...

1 - Given all of your research and experience through the years with teenagers, what do you wish you had known about parenting when your kids were younger?

2 - You've written books about dads and daughters as well as dads and sons. What's one word of advice you would give to fathers about their relationship with their daughters, and one word of advice you'd give about their relationship with their sons? 

Student Families - Getting Connected at Shoal Creek This Week

Whether you’re new to Shoal Creek, or have been in the loop for a while, here are several upcoming ways for your family to get or stay connected:

Student Family Halloween Bash Prep and Decorating Night – A BIG “all-call” for any student families that can help us make rice krispie treats and decorate for one of Shoal Creek’s biggest events. Details about how to help here.

Crash is starting a new Sunday service for the high schoolers THIS SUNDAY, the 19th, in the Attic, at 11am.

Shoal Creek offers a FREE 3-week Personal Finances course for high school students - Details Here

Crash Small Groups meet on Wednesdays starting at 6:30pm and ending at 8:15pm. Meet in the Underground (white door in back of church parking lot).

Here’s a rundown of what’s available to students at Shoal Creek, and how we communicate to student families throughout the week.

1. Every Sunday we offer a “BUYA” service in an area we call The Underground for the 6th-12th grade students. We cover the same topics as the adult services, but apply the concepts at a student-relevant level. Our Buya services are the same times as the adult services:  9:30am and 11:00am. Hope your student can come join us!
2. Starting Sunday October 19th, we will have a “CRASH” service for the 9th-12th grade students that attend Shoal Creek. We will cover the same topics as the adult services, but apply the concepts at a high school-relevant level. Our Crash service will be offered ONLYat 11am. Hope your student can come join us!
3. On the City there are two parent groups that you can ask to join depending on what age group of student you have. If you have a “Buya” student (6th-8th grade), then search for the “Buya Parents”City group. If you have a “Crash” student (9th-12th), then search for the “Crash Parents” City group and ask to join. Justin Talley posts content about upcoming events, info, and relevant articles weekly.
4. Wanting any more information about what Shoal Creek offers for students? Contact Justin Talley, or start following our Shoal Creek Students Twitter account—@SC3Students—to be connected with the latest happenings. 

In Our Own Words - Modern Day Reflections on the Bible

 

When Elisha was in his last illness, King Jehoash of Israel visited him and wept over him. “My father! My father! I see the chariots and charioteers of Israel!” he cried.

 Elisha told him, “Get a bow and some arrows.” And the king did as he was told. Elisha told him, “Put your hand on the bow,” and Elisha laid his own hands on the king’s hands.

 Then he commanded, “Open that eastern window,” and he opened it. Then he said, “Shoot!” So he shot an arrow. Elisha proclaimed, “This is the lord’s arrow, an arrow of victory over Aram, for you will completely conquer the Arameans at Aphek.”

Then he said, “Now pick up the other arrows and strike them against the ground.” So the king picked them up and struck the ground three times. But the man of God was angry with him. “You should have struck the ground five or six times!” he exclaimed. “Then you would have beaten Aram until it was entirely destroyed. Now you will be victorious only three times.” 

 2 Kings 13:14-19

When I read through this earlier today, I was struck with a frustration that I've often felt when reading scripture from the bible, especially Old Testament scripture. The frustration I felt came from reading that Elisha ("the man of God" in v.19) was angry with King Jehoash. It frustrated me because in my head, as I'm reading this scripture, I'm thinking, "How in the heck was Jehoash supposed to know that he was supposed to keep striking the ground? It's not like Elisha gave him an preparatory instructions. It's not like Elisha came at all close to giving Jehoash even a hint that his number of victories (and therefore, health, well-being and overall safety) would be determined by how many times he struck the ground. Why should Jehoash be punished for not knowing any better? It doesn't make sense to hold Jehoash accountable for something he wasn't aware of." That was the thought  going through my head as I read it. That same initial thought has gone through my head before when I've read scripture where someone seems to be getting punished for not having the right information available to them.

However, after meditating on that thought and not just walking away from it, though it somewhat offended me, another thought surfaced. That thought was, "Perhaps Jehoash could have known better, but lived life in such a way that it kept him from being able to know better, which in return kept him from being able to provide safety and well-being to himself, and his nation. 

Earlier in 2 Kings Chapter 13:10-11, it is said that Jehoash "...reigned in Samaria for sixteen years. But he did what was evil in the Lord's sight." There is no detail recorded about exactly what that could mean. But none is necessarily needed. What is being suggested is that for at least sixteen years of Jehoash's life, Jehoash chose to live in a way that kept him from being able to know God personally. Jehoash chose to follow other God's and worldviews that were distinctly different, and at odds, with the God of Elisha. Jehoash's lifestyle prevented him from being able to have a closeness with God that might have put inside of Jehoash a spiritual intuition of sorts, an intuition that may have been able to give him a clue that three strikes was not what God was hoping for.

A relationship with God is personal. And just like the relationship I have with my wife, if I'm living closely with her, if I'm attuned to who she is and what she desires, I don't always need her to give me explicit, detailed instructions to be able to act (though my density often requires so). Sometimes I just know what she wants, because I know who she is and what the desires of her heart are.

What this scripture makes me wonder is this:  If Jehoash had NOT been living his life in ways that kept him from being able to know God personally, if Jehoash had instead been seeking to align his heart and desires with God's heart and desires, might have Jehoash then been able to intuitively know that God wanted him to strike the ground as many times as he wanted? If Jehoash had not have been living separated from God, and instead had been living as close to God as he possibly could, would Jehoash have been able to secure countless victories for himself and his people?

That was the thought that disarmed my offense, and where the teaching turned my original thought into this one:  If I want to be able to act in the right way when things are on the line, I must be seeking to know God's heart and God's desires, or else when things matter most, I very well might fail to act in the most beneficial way possible.