10 Truths I Wish I Had Known As A Teenager

One of the main reasons I love that Danny and I work with the youth of our church is that we can be the leaders I wish I had when I was their age. I hate to admit it, but I honestly don’t remember much about my youth group growing up. I remember the drama of who was dating who, what snacks we had that night and what trip we were about to take, but I don’t remember the lessons or the worship services, and that makes me sad.

I want our teenagers to understand is that God is who He says He is and His word holds the answers to all of their questions. I want them to know that they are loved by a holy God who wants the absolute best for their lives. I want them to understand the plan of salvation and what having a relationship with Jesus Christ looks like. I want them to know these truths above all else:

* The God of the Bible, the one who did miracles and created all things, is the same God they experience today.

* Having a relationship with Jesus Christ is so much more important than the friends they socialize with now.

* Of all the billions of people in the world, God decided it needed one of them, and that makes them so special.

* It’s ok to ask the Lord why something is happening in their lives, but they can’t shake their fist and get mad at Him.

* If they listen to their pastor and teachers now, then apply what they hear to their lives, they can avoid serious heartache down the road.

* Jesus must increase and they must decrease, even if that means being humble when they don’t want to be.

* God loves them just the way they are, but He also loves them enough to not let them stay that way.

* Growing pains are normal, whether they are physical, emotional or spiritual.

* They need to be mentally present when they are with the church family, just as much as they need to be physically present.

* Other people are going through trials and problems just like they are, and it’s so important to be caring and uplifting to everyone they meet.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Holland Creme - That Amazing White Stuff In Donuts

Image
I remember going to the grocery store every Saturday morning when I was growing up, and my favorite place in the entire store was the donut case. All the glazed, powdered and filled baked goods drew me like a magnet. My favorites, far and away, were the ones filled with that beautiful white, fluffy creme. At the time I didn't know it was called Holland Creme - I just knew it was the most amazing concoction ever. Ever. Here is my version of this sweet treat. You can make your own fried donuts and fill them, or like I did here, you can cut a crevice into store-bought donuts with a knife and fill them with creme in a piping bag. Either way, you're going to love it. Ingredients: 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup water 1 cup vegetable oil 1 cup shortening 1 cup butter 1 Tbsp vanilla 7 cups powdered sugar 1. Make a simple syrup by combining sugar and water in a sauce pan over medium heat until boiling, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool complet...
Read more

Recovering An Old Card Table And Making It Usable Again

Image
This card table recover project has been on my to-do list for months. I've been using it as my workspace in the craft room for quite some time, and it sees a lot of abuse. Here it is now, with a neutral cover on it so I can take better pictures for my tutorials. There were dents and dings in the old blue covering from metal tools. And yes, I've used my embossing heat tool on it several times, leaving pretty good scars. The padding underneath the blue cover also made it difficult to keep paper crafts flat when adhering them together, so it was time for something new. That's where a simple vinyl tablecloth comes in handy. The process to recover the table is pretty simple, but I learned a couple of lessons the hard way. I share them with you now. First, don't do this on any surface but a carpet. I tried it on the deck int he sunshine to get better pictures, but all it did was tear up the cover. Second, get a second pair of hands to help you kee...
Read more

Crafts For Teen Girls To Make

Image
In our teen girls Bible study, we're studying our way through the Proverbs 31 woman and it's been such a blessing to me, as I hope it's been to them. Every month we spend an afternoon or an evening together studying Scripture, making something amazing in the kitchen and creating something that corresponds to the verse we're in. Choosing the crafts each time can be a challenge for several reasons. It needs to be something they can completely finish (or do most of) because once they leave they're probably not going to work on it themselves - that's just the nature of teenagers. Remember? It also needs to be a project that keeps they're attention, is age-appropriate and is cool enough that they'll want to keep it or give it to someone special. But hey, no pressure on the Bible study leader, right? Here are just a few of the projects we've done together in the year we've been meeting. * This month's craft will be the adorable cross stit...
Read more