8/14/11 Announcements and Prayer Requests

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Sunday, August 21st--Parent/Teen Meeting in the MPAC (Pots class will not meet)

REQUESTS:

Back to School week--Remember all the kids, teachers, college students, and moms & dads

Natasha's students--One who is going to court this week due to some trouble he got in over the summer; One who is undergoing testing due to damage to his liver from ADHD medication

Family of Ann Moore--as they mourn her loss

Mike--revealed that he is a secret alcoholic, please remember him and his family

Wes Gardner--Will's dad, has begun drinking again

Doctor who works with Cindy--going to Iraq for 3 months to serve the people there

Cindy Griffiths--getting a blood transfusion on Thursday

Kathy Lawhon--is getting better, her billirubin as of this morning was 13; Drs. are talking of letting her go home. Please pray that she will be able to start chemo soon.

Clothing Sale--remember all the ladies on the clothing sale who will be serving our community this week.

Pam--friend of Jan's; has begun chemo for her cancer

Jan--continued healing of her hip

Billy & Metta Johnson--as they continue to learn to cope with Metta's rehabilitation; also for their son Cody who is also struggling with drug addiction...Please pray that they will all turn to Jesus!

Robert Williams' uncle-- in the hospital very sick but says he is "ready to go" Please pray for God's will to be done.

Ms. Chandler--job issues

Principal who was killed--please remember her family as well as the young man who killed her and his family

What it's all about!!

Brayden...Elizabeth...Stephen...Phillip...Will...Sara...Brynn...Chandler...Shea...Bailey...Casey...Lindsey...Sarah...Zachary...Christian...Marcus...Christian...Payton...Andrew...Will...Hanna...Ethan...Molly...Todd...Camerin...Katie...Trey...Dee...Abbie...Derek...Quan...Caleb...Austin...Cory...Rachel...Cody...Austin...Kayla...Rachel...Amy...Ashtyn...Drew...Abby...Logan...Kathryn...Derek...Tyler...Elizabeth...David...Tyler...Audrey...Tyler...Madison...Marissa...Emili...Meghan...Serena...Natane...McLane...Stephen...Elijah...Melanie...Cody...Kaylen...Andrew...Chase...Camille...Jonathan...Kristen...Allie...Trevor...Sean...Hannah...Alexa...Macy...Sophie

Teachers:

Natasha...Brenda...Linda...Terri...Toni...LaTisha

8/7/11 Prayer Requests & Announcements

REQUESTS:

Teachers & Students--returning to school

Kathy Lawhon--battling pancreatic cancer, presently in the hospital due to billirubin being too high. Stents were placed into her liver ducts and she is in a lot of pain, but the stents are working!

Patricia Carlson--in hospice

Family of Faye and Jim--friends of the Booths, in the death of Faye

John Caufield's mom--possible fractured foot

Dana Gaston--loss of her mom

Edith Clark--mom is really sick

Melinda Calahan--loss of her brother

Betty Ward--broken arm

Terri--friend of Carol's; no longer sober, please pray for her to get back to a life of sobriety

FIT Home--for someone in our class to take the lead on taking care of this unit with the class' help

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

August 21st--Parent/Teen Meeting in the MPAC (no Pots class)

Escozul Cancer treatment from Andy

Each Sunday I have someone new ask me about the Escozul treatment (from Cuba). I thought I would pass along a website to you.

I am not in any way saying that this is something that works. But, as I have said before - it seemed to work for the lady I knew in Nicaragua.

http://www.escozul-cancer.com/en/escozul-questions.html

Andy

Teen Survival in a Sex-Crazed Culture

http://www.heartlightministries.org/blogs/markgregston/2011/07/29/teen-sexual-promiscuity/

Today’s sexually-charged culture not only invites kids to inappropriate sexual activity and experimentation, it sets up an expectation of it. Those who are abstaining, even at a very young age, are now the exception rather than the rule.

The constant bombardment of sexual images and suggestive innuendo in our culture takes a toll on our kids, but it also takes a toll on parents as well. We want the best for our children, but it’s getting harder and harder to keep them within boundaries that will lead to a safe, happy and well-adjusted future marriage and adulthood. So, short of keeping them locked in their room until they are 18, maybe it is time we begin talking about it.

I understand that most of us would rather not discuss this topic; it can be uncomfortable for both parent and child. But the culture is shouting inappropriate messages to them all day long, everyday, so they need to hear the other side of the story, again and again. That’s why I’d like to encourage you to have frank, candid and meaningful discussions (yes, that’s plural) with your teen about what is right and wrong when it comes to their body and sexuality.

We have more than fifty teenagers living with us at Heartlight at any time. As we talk in group sessions I’m amazed by the pressure they have been feeling to give in to promiscuity among their peers. The pleasure, lure of relationship, need to fit in, or the false promise of a badge of maturity have been traditional lures. But for the most part, promiscuity has become less sinister or emotional than that. Kids today think of sex as something as natural to do — even at their age and out of wedlock — as breathing, exercising or eating ice cream. The kids I’m talking about are not the “bad crowd”; they are great teens, mostly from good Christian homes who were raised in the Church. Yet they seem to compartmentalize morality between what’s appropriate at home or church and what’s okay to do with their friends. So let me give you some practical steps to help protect your teen from promiscuity.

Start early. By the time the problem presents itself to you, it’s almost too late to solve it. You may think you still have a few years left before you need to bring up the subject with your child, but you don’t. As young as seven or eight they have friends or classmates who are thinking and talking about sex—or even experimenting with it. So it isn’t too early to start this process when they enter middle school; in fact if you wait until they are in junior high or high school, it’s almost too late.

Start by talking about what is appropriate and what isn’t. Make it clear to them where they should draw the line. Help them to understand that they are in control of their own body and should never be pressured to give up any of that control. And give them license to report to you or other authorities anyone pressuring them to inappropriate behavior, without being shamed for it. Most of all, make it very clear that you will never condemn them for discussing it with you. It is crucial that they not fear talking with you about the changes in their body, their desires, and what their friends are saying or asking them to do.

Repeat the message, over and over. Back in our day, our parents gave us “The Talk” once. I told my daughter not too long ago (she was planning “The Talk” with my granddaughter) that our culture requires far more than just one talk. I told her to plan on having that talk every week for the next ten years! Equipping your child to swim against the tide of sexual permissiveness is going to require ongoing interaction and instruction. Of course it would be easier to do it once and be done with it, but that approach won’t cut it today. Talk regularly about the appropriate boundaries when it comes to their body.

Look for opportunities to engage. When your daughter wants to wear something that’s not quite appropriate or your son wants to watch a movie or television program with an unhealthy message, don’t just shut them down and tell them “No” or “That’s wrong.” Set everything else aside and have a candid conversation (without lecturing or being patronizing) about why certain things are right and others aren’t. “Let’s talk” sends a very different message–one that this issue is very important. Start by asking questions to lead them to think through the issue and arrive at the right conclusion—this form of question asking is far more effective than simply telling them.

Hold the line. Boundaries like curfews and ensuring that your girl is not left alone with a hormone-raging boy are crucial, but you need to plan for the day when they will be challenged. It’s possible that sometime in the history of the world there was one teenager who accepted his parents’ boundaries without question or challenge, but I’ve never met him or her yet! They’re going to push against the restrictions due to their innate desire to connect and fit in with their peers or to be close to someone of the opposite sex. And as difficult as it is, you must hold the line. Maintain those boundaries. Don’t give in. Yes, this means there will probably be some rather heated discussions and consequences for times when they step over the line. You may even have the dreaded “I hate you” line thrown in your face. But don’t give in…keep the rules in place anyhow. You’ll likely learn later on that your teen was actually relieved to have such boundaries.

Eliminate overnighters and unsupervised times at a friend’s house. It used to be that slumber parties and visiting a friend’s house after school was mostly innocent and fun. Today, it is where kids experiment. I can’t tell you how many kids I’ve talked to who said they first started down the path of promiscuity, same-sex relationships, addiction to pornography, or substance abuse at a friend’s house either after school or overnight. And this includes friends from good Christian homes. As individual curiosity increases with the cultural exposure, and with some parents supervising their kids less, experimentation becomes prevalent, especially in the middle school years. So, a word to the wise.

Communicate your expectations. Sometimes parents ask, “Is it reasonable to expect my child to remain pure in this culture?” My answer is, “Yes…but it takes a lot of work to realize.” Expectations alone aren’t enough to help your teen do right, you need to communicate those expectations to them and explain why and how they can and should be different from the culture. The time you spend talking to your teen about these expectations is a wonderful investment in their purity and future happiness.

There is no question that your teen will struggle with the allure of sex. Just plan on it. You simply cannot keep them away from the drumbeat of a hyper-sexualized culture. If they do go too far (and you actually learn about it, which is rare), the important thing is to not explode and turn your back on them. Rather, help them return to doing right without condemning them. Reinforce boundaries and eliminate the possibilities for it to happen again. Make sure they know you will continue to love them no matter what. Nothing can keep a kid from doing wrong more than not wanting to disappoint his or her parents; but if it does happen, never use disappointment or withdrawal of relationship as your disciplinary tactic. If anything, your relationship needs to be strengthened at this time.

We talked about this issue in-depth on our radio program last weekend called “Boundaries and Sexuality.” To listen online look for the program dated July 23, 2011 at http://www.parentingtodaysteens.org.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Mark Gregston is an author, speaker, radio host, and the founder and director of Heartlight, a therapeutic boarding school located in East Texas. Call 903-668-2173 . Visit http://www.heartlightministries.org, or to read other articles by Mark, visit http://www.markgregston.com.

Announcements for the week of 8/1/11

Mission Review Sunday--Next Sunday, 8/7, is our Mission Review day. Please remind your kids to wear their mission tshirt that they received yesterday.

If your child participated in the Panama trip, MS Mission Memphis, MUM Daycare, or Memphis Workcamp and did not get a shirt, let me know.

"The Rebelution"--Teen Conference being held in Kansas THIS weekend. Please contact Reggie or Susan Crawford if you would like to attend. They will be leaving Friday and returning very late on Saturday night. For more details on the conference, click here: http://www.therebelution.com/

7/31/11 Prayer Requests

REQUESTS:

Andy's older brother & family--they are in Honduras on a mission trip. Please pray for Andy's brother to have his eyes and heart opened to missions.

Kathy Lawhon--pancreatic cancer; current prayer requests...that her old medical records are located so that she can get the most effective chemo treatments and for the chemo to begin this week! And, of course, for the cancer to be gone!!

Tricia Lillard--for "hot spots" found in her chest area in her most recent scan. Since spots are too small to biopsy, she will be having another scan in 1 month. Please pray for a clean scan!

Hope Greenwood--Praises for a good report on her eye.

Tucker Maxwell-- safety in his upcoming motorcross races

Dr. Regina in Washington--friend of Avis; now cancer free prayers that she remains that!

Kiffany--going through a lot right now; not willing to accept a place in FIT homes. (more info in email)

Jared Taylor--returning this week from travels abroad; please pray for his safety as he in on free travel right now.

Mary Jenkins--fighting cancer

"Little P"--foster baby of the Lillards will be adopted into her forever home this week.

Karen Shaw--continued healing from her recent surgery and for her to have patience as she is getting somewhat stir-crazy.

Marie Marlin & sisters--moving Mrs. Bobbitt into a full care facility today. Pray that they have peace that this is the right decision for their mother.

SV FIT Home--Please be in prayer over whether our class needs to be the liason for this unit.