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| EVENTS:
July 1st: Park and Flower Clean up. Contact Scott for information July 15th: Virtual Challenge Event Join us at East on July 15th for a virtual event. Great speakers, music, fellowship. Live Stream begins at 7pm but we will have more going on before. Watch for details. |
I never thought I would ever have to make up a guidelines sheet!
Student ministry does not have a lot of guidelines, we have a lot of goals and desires. We don’t have a ton of guidelines because guidelines tend to limit and student ministry is not the place where you want to limit people to be part of something.
However, we are in this season of life and as we meet together and covid cases grow in the southwest area of Minnesota we must give some guidelines to what FaithStudent ministry events (SummerWNL and others) will look like. Please look these over and adhere to them as best you can before your student comes to our next SummerWNL or other event.
Our Summer2020 Guidelines:
I am obviously having fun with this, but you all know the CDC guidelines and I hope you follow them when you or your family is sick. We want our students to meet together and have that time of social interaction and exchange faith discussions because it is needed. However, we don’t want our group or your family sick.
However, if you look at the number of mental issues, struggles and abuse cases nationally it is going up and we know that social contact with others is vital for our joy. That is why we are meeting, but we want you to feel the freedom to meet or to keep your distance.
If you have any questions and/or response to our intentions please call me, message me or plan a visit and we can talk about it.
scott@faithchurchaustin.org, facebook.com/FaithChurchStudents, instagram.com/fcstudentmin/
Our weekly emails will be focused on encouraging you parents with resources and filling you all up to disciple your students. How can I pray for you or your students?
Scott Owens
LINKS
Where do we go from here?
I am writing this on a Monday morning conflicted with the world around me. It is the same feeling that I think many of you are feeling and wondering how you are dealing with the actions going on in the world.
I find myself looking for answers in my own mind and in my own spirit, but finding them short of hope. In moments of desperation I am holding on to verses like this one. ‘The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.’ Ps 34:18
Because our society and our state and our nation is very brokenhearted. There is so much going wrong and yet we also see hope and community in how our neighborhoods and their members respond in a beautiful way. In moments of silence I ask questions like ‘Lord, what do you want of me?’ Or ‘Lord, how do I respond?’
My hope with this newsletter is to give you hope if you have felt ‘brokenhearted’ and ‘crushed in spirit’. We have a very diverse group of students and the concerns and worries that attempt to take us over are many, but we have a father in heaven that desires for our struggles to not fall empty. We find Him and His loving arms no matter our background, wealth, color, gender or age.
The Action Step…
We have met the last two Wednesday nights and we attempted to break up the groups into groups of 10 or less. Last week we all met together. we had a great time. I have been communicating with authorities about our meetings as to not draw unwanted attention, but we do want to meet to encourage and bring us together as a family of believers.
Having said that our family needs to come together in love to lift up our nation, state and community. It is not just for the sake of students that need human interaction, but also to be a family that prays for our nation and looks to bless others. What that looks like…I don’t know but I encourage your students to join us.
If you have any questions and/or response to our intentions please call me, message me or plan a visit and we can talk about it.
scott@faithchurchaustiin.org, facebook.com/FaithChurchStudents, instagram.com/fcstudentmin/
Our weekly emails will be focused on encouraging you parents with resources and filling you all up to disciple your students. How can I pray for you or your students?
Scott Owens
LINKS
SUMMER CALENDAR
What are FaithStudents intentions now that the Stay At Home Order was lifted?
I want to be clear about what the next couple of months will look like since the ‘Stay At Home Order has been lifted. This graph you may recognize from Gov. Walz briefings:
Now that we can meet in groups of 10 or less we will begin small groups this Wednesday night. As the limits move we will adjust with them.
In the past we have taken off the month of June and started back up after the 4th of July. With us not being together for the last couple of months we will count that as time off and will meet from May-August when we can.
We will start to meet in small groups at different homes around Austin this week. It is our hope that we can get students into smaller and similar groups to meet and share about life, play some games, take part in discussion and just give students the chance to socialize.
No Pressure
I’d like to be VERY clear that there is no pressure or requirement for you student to participate. You may feel comfortable meeting at this time and that is great. I understand if you don’t want to send your students and you have a choice to not allow your student to come and take part. It is never my intention to force or pressure you or your student to attend anything that they don’t want to. It goes the same with any Alongsider or volunteer for them not to attend if they don’t want to.
However, I believe that you would also agree with me that if many others want to meet together and if we can safely in small groups then we should make every effort to come together.
The Action Step…
We will be sending out (facebook, instagram, text and email) where your student can meet and how long the meeting will last. We will not be providing rides as a ministry, but if you want to coordinate them yourself feel free.
If you have any questions and/or response to our intentions please call me, message me or plan a visit and we can talk about it.
scott@faithchurchaustin.org, facebook.com/FaithChurchStudents, instagram.com/fcstudentmin/
Our emails will be bi-weekly through the summer and are focused on encouraging you parents with resources and filling you all up to disciple your students. How can I pray for you or your students?
Scott Owens
LINKS
WNL.Small Groups – This Wednesday at 6:30pm we meet at homes. It’s an hour and a half with games, worship, prayer, a message and small groups focused on how to handle and care for others.
Faith From Home
Here are some options to do as a family. Check them out.
RightNow Media This resource has many studies from book studies to topical that are great to take your family through. Email if you need a code.
I Am Second This is a great testimony website for to use with your students. All of them is a person giving their testimony and pointing to Christ. Length: 3-7 minutes.
Bible Project Huge category of biblical and theme videos that are done really well and you can go over the books of the Bible or a specific topic.
What are FaithStudents intentions when the Stay At Home Order is lifted?
I want to be clear about what the next couple of months are looking like when the ‘Stay At Home’ Order is lifted. During this time with ‘THE ORDER’ we have not met but have been doing zoom on Wednesday night to comply. This graph you may recognize from Gov. Walz briefings:
The next step for social gatherings is Small Family Gatherings of people to open up. I am assuming it will open back up to groups of up to 10 people meeting together. I think they will open up slowly: groups of 10, then groups of 25, then groups of 50 and lastly places of worship. Because of this I do not want to wait until places of worship open up but instead start meeting with groups that we can.
You may disagree with me, but I see church small groups meeting together as Small Family Gatherings and so we (FaithStudents) will start to plan for small groups to meet together when the S.A.H. order is lifted. It is our hope that we can get students of similar groups (11-12 gr boys, 9th-10th gr girls, etc) to find a time and place for them to meet and share about life and what God is doing in their lives in a safe manner. If the group is over 10 then we will look to split them up to comply, but we will not be rigid about this.
No Pressure
I’d like to be VERY clear that you may disagree with me or don’t feel comfortable that this is the time to meet. I understand if you are not comfortable or don’t agree with me on small group meetings and you have a choice to not allow your student to come and take part at this time. It is never my intention to force or pressure you or your student to attend anything they don’t want to. It goes the same with any Alongsider or volunteer for them not to attend if they don’t want to. However, I believe that you would also agree with me that if many others want to meet together and if we can do so safely in small groups then we should make every effort to come together.
The Action Step…
Presently I am finding out which Alongsiders are comfortable meeting with small groups and where we could be meeting. We will move at the pace that is allowed for us from our Governor. If we are allowed to meet in groups of no more than 20, we will; 50, we will. If we don’t have volunteers and places to meet then we won’t. But if we do and we have students that want to meet together we will look to do that most likely on Wednesday nights as soon as we can. We will not take a regular June break, but instead meet up and pray that we can meet as a large group asap.
If you have any questions and/or response to our intentions please call me, message me or plan a visit and we can talk about it.
scott@faithchurchaustiin.org, facebook.com/FaithChurchStudents, instagram.com/fcstudentmin/
Our weekly emails will be focused on encouraging you parents with resources and filling you all up to disciple your students. How can I pray for you or your students?
Scott Owens
LINKS
Students Page: http://www.faithchurchaustin.org/gather/students
Facebook: facebook.com/FaithChurchStudents
Instagram:instagram.com/FCStudentMin
Email: chrisgrev@gmail.com
Things to Know
Zoom – Every Wednesday at 6:30pm we meet on Zoom. It’s an hour and a half with games, worship, prayer, a message and small groups focused on how to handle and care for others during quarantine. Login is 558-467-296. zoom.us/join.
Faith From Home
Here are some options to do as a family. Check them out.
RightNow Media This resource has many studies from book studies to topical that are great to take your family through. Email if you need a code.
I Am Second This is a great testimony website for to use with your students. All of them is a person giving their testimony and pointing to Christ. Length: 3-7 minutes.
Bible Project Huge category of biblical and theme videos that are done really well and you can go over the books of the Bible or a specific topic.
”But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed…” Luke 14:13-14
It is our final mini-series coming up called Kingdom Come. Normally we would have 4 WNL’s left and then be done for a month and a half. We would have started up Summer WNL’s at houses in the Austin area starting July 8th and been preparing for Challenge trip and getting some small excursions planned. How things have changed.
I find myself in a lamenting/pensive mood today, but unless it comes from a prophet of God I never really find Laments that interesting so I won’t make you sit through that. We just finished a mini-series on Crisis of Faith and we focused on the parables that Jesus taught. These parables were often supposed to bring a person to a crisis of faith. So it stands to reason that they still encourage us during times of crisis.
Our final series, Kingdom Come, was to be an encouragement and challenge to our students to not live only in this world, but to be very aware of the ‘heaven dwelling’ (2 Cor 5:1-2) that Christ calls us to. So how do we talk about the Kingdom to come with hopeful expectation in the midst of here and now? Maybe, that is all we talk about.
‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.’ Matthew 6:9-10
In the Lord’s prayer he tells his followers to pray to God that his kingdom would come onto earth as it is in heaven. I don’t know if you have thought about heaven, but all of it is His Kingdom. it’s not like 75% of heaven is God’s Kingdom. Also, have you noticed that heaven and earth don’t exactly look like each other. If you have read Revelation it doesn’t look like heaven. However, we (believers) are to look to God and live His kingdom here! Not an easy task, but was it ever supposed to be?
The Action Step…
The Lord’s Prayer.
It is my challenge for you to do the Lord’s prayer once a day with your family. Ask what certain parts mean? I am sure for many of you your students may have it memorized, but what does, ‘hallowed be your name’ mean? Or ‘deliver us from evil’?
Are we supposed to pray for God’s kingdom to come on earth? That is my take, but is it right? what do you think, what do your students think? The joy of parenting is not getting answers from our children, but making them think of the answers for themselves.
Let me know if your family is in need and I will see if I can help: scott@faithchurchaustiin.org, facebook.com/FaithChurchStudents, instagram.com/fcstudentmin/
Our weekly emails will be focused on encouraging you parents with resources and filling you all up to disciple your students. How can I pray for you or your students?
Scott Owens
LINKS
Students Page: www.faithchurchaustin.org/gather/students
Facebook: www.facebook.com/FaithChurchStudents
Instagram: instagram.com/FCStudentMin
RESOURCES
WNL.Zoom – Every Wednesday at 6:30pm we meet on Zoom. It’s an hour and a half with games, worship, prayer, a message, challenges and small groups focused on how to handle and care for others during quarantine. Login is 558-467-296. zoom.us/join.
Daily Devotional – We started doing devotional reading plans off of YouVersion, please join us. We are doing Your Kingdom Come: Luke Series starting today. Please join us.
FAITH FROM HOME
Here are some options to do as a family. Check them out.
RightNow Media This resource has many studies from book studies to topical. It would be great to take your family through these during this time at home. Email if you need a code.
I Am Second This is a great testimony website for to use with your students. All of them is a person giving their testimony and pointing to Christ. Length: 3-7 minutes.
Bible Project Huge category of biblical and theme videos that are done really well and you can go over the books of the Bible or a specific topic and there is questions that go with them.
IS COMPASSION DIFFICULT? IS IT LEARNED OR IS IT PART OF MAKEUP?
ON WEDNESDAY WHEN WNL MET ONLINE AS A VIRTUAL MINISTRY WE TALKED ABOUT THE STORY OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN AND THE ACTION OF HAVING COMPASSION ON OTHERS. YOU SEE, I BELIEVE THAT THE PARABLES THAT
JESUS SPOKE ARE A GREAT INDICATION OF BEING A PERSON OF ACTION AND FAITH. OTHERS CAN DISCOVER WHAT WE BELIEVE BY OUR ACTIONS AND OUR INACTION.
N THIS STORY (LUKE 10) JESUS IS TALKING ABOUT THREE PEOPLE THAT HAD A CHANCE TO HELP SOMEONE. TWO OFTHEM CROSSED TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD AND DID NOT HELP THE MAN. THAT’S AN ACTION! IGNORING A
PERSON IN NEED, ACTING LIKE YOU DON’T HEAR THEIR CRY OR GIVING AN EXCUSE WHY YOU CAN’T HELP THEM IS AN
ACTION.
THE ACTION IS DISREGARDING! THE OTHER MAN ACTUALLY HELPED THE MAN IN NEED, BECAUSE HE HAD COMPASSION FOR THE MAN.
THE FASCINATING PART OF THIS STORY IS THAT IT IS MADE UP, JESUS IS TELLING A STORY THAT HE MADE UP. NOW IT COULD VERY WELL HAVE HAPPENED AND WE KNOW THIS BECAUSE MANY PEOPLE ARE THERE LISTENING AND THEY
DON’T DISAGREE OR CALL HIM FALSE BECAUSE THIS WOULD NEVER HAPPEN. HOWEVER, DON’T MISS THE POINT THAT WE HAVE CHRIST THINKING UP A STORY TO TELL PEOPLE TO GET THEM TO LEARN A LESSON. JESUS IS FALLING
ASLEEP OR WALKING ALONG THE ROAD AND HE IS THINKING TO HIMSELF, ‘HOW DO I GET PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND THAT COMPASSION IS A CHOICE AND TO FOLLOW ME AND BEING A PART OF GOD’S FAMILY THEY NEED TO BE
COMPASSIONATE?’ HE CAME UP WITH THIS FOR US, SO HOW DO WE TEACH OUR STUDENTS COMPASSION? DON’T TELL ME, ‘I DON’T KNOW,’ OR ‘I CAN’T THINK OF SOMETHING’. CHRIST DID BECAUSE HE TOOK THE TIME. IF WE DESIRE TO TEACH OUR STUDENTS. WE NEED TO TAKE THE TIME TO THINK OF WHAT THAT NEEDS TO BE.
THE ACTION STEP…
ASSESS AND THINK.
I AM GUESSING THAT ALL OF YOU KNOW THERE IS NO SCHOOL FOR THE REST OF THIS YEAR, BUT LET’S CHOOSE TO LOOK AT THIS AS A CHANCE TO THINK ABOUT WHAT OUR STUDENTS NEED TO LEARN. DO YOUR STUDENTS NEED TO LEARN COMPASSION, ETHICS, HOPE, TRUST IN THE WORST SITUATION. ASSESS WHAT THEY NEED TO LEARN AND THINK OF WAYS TO TEACH THEM THAT.
I WANT TO BE IN PRAYER FOR YOU AND WITH YOU. PLEASE LET ME KNOW SPECIFICS.
I’D LIKE TO ASK THAT YOU MESSAGE ME (218.251.1990, SCOTT@FAITHCHURCHAUSTIIN.ORG , FACEBOOK.COM/FAITHCHURCHSTUDENTS , INSTAGRAM.COM/FCSTUDENTMIN/ ) IF YOU HAVE NEEDS.
OUR WEEKLY EMAILS WILL BE FOCUSED ON ENCOURAGING YOU PARENTS WITH RESOURCES AND FILLING YOU ALL UP. VIDEOS ARE ON OUR SITE AS WELL FOR STUDENTS AND QUESTIONS TO LEARN MORE ARE CONNECTED. HOW CAN I PRAY FOR YOU OR YOUR STUDENT?
Scott Owens
Links
STUDENTS PAGE faithchurchaustin.org/gather/students
FACEBOOK PAGE FaithChurchStudents
INSTAGRAM PAGE instagram.com/FCStudentMin
Start Faith From Home
You maybe looking for some resources with your students to encourage and guide them during this season and so here is a couple that I like and ways you can use them.
Saturate Another resource with good articles about discipling your students at home and many focused on this time and quarantine intentions.
I Am Second This is a great testimony website for to use with your students. All of them is a person giving their testimony and pointing to Christ. Length: 3-7 minutes.
Bible Project Huge category of biblical and theme videos that are done really well and you can go over books of the Bible or a specific topic and there are study questions to go with them.
FaithStudents 3.28
”Then you see how every student well-trained in God’s kingdom is like the owner of a general store who can put his hands on anything you need, old or new, exactly when you need it.” Matthew 13:52
I wish I would have done a better job of journaling what shopping was like before, during and after the #coronaseason. Has it not seemed weird when you go to the store. I am assuming that you all have gone to Hy-Vee, Walmart or Aldi at some point in the last 6 weeks, but the mood and atmosphere has been different almost weekly.
The first couple it was a frantic feeling of what will we need and almost uncertainty about what’s coming like a hurricane is going to hit. Next it was avoidance of people and even of being out for a long time or in a store for a while. It was like we didn’t want to be away from home for a while and then there was many other stages. There was the Masks-are-a-thing stage, the I-miss-people-even-the-weird-ones stage and lastly the are-we-still-doing-this stage that some are in.
Maybe you haven’t gone through all those stages and maybe your stages list looks a little different. Feel free to send me your five stages of corona (I’d love to see them). Maybe it looks more like the five stages of grief (Denial, Anger, Depression, Bargaining, Acceptance). However, it is good to know what stages you are going through in this time and to acknowledge this with your family. The reason that is good to do is because your students are probably doing this (or struggling to do this) and they may need help.
The Action Step…
Jehovah Jireh.
The Lord will provide. I want to challenge you to come up with a list with your students of 10 ways that God has provided for you and for your family during these last 5 weeks. Matthew 13:52 talks about the ability that God has to give you just what you need. Sometimes that is not what we think we need but it is what God knows that we need. What has God provided that we need to list and acknowledge? Here is my list, I hope you find it encouraging…
Ten Things God has provided for the Owens’
School Lunches Family Time
Family Devotion Rhythm Rest
Intentional time with all my kids Appreciation for not listening to the news
Warm days outside Ability to get projects done
Connection with old friends Time with Carrie to make her feel important
May God give you reasons, and joy to see that He Provides!
The hope is that we get into a new habit, a new rhythm and even different ways to worship and fellowship as a family. Take the challenge and do one a day or find your favorite, whatever is great just as long as it is intentional.
I want to be in prayer for you and with you. Please let me know specifics.
I’d like to ask that you message me (218.251.1990, scott@faithchurchaustiin.org, facebook.com/FaithChurchStudents, instagram.com/fcstudentmin/) if you have needs.
Our weekly emails will be focused on encouraging you parents with resources and filling you all up. Videos are on our site as well for students and questions to learn more are connected. How can I pray for you or your student?
Scott Owens
RESOURCES
WNL.Zoom – This Wednesday at 6:30pm. It’s an hour and a half with games, worship, prayer, message, challenges and small groups focused on how to handle and care for others during quarantine. Login is 881-560-6638. zoom.us/join.
Right Now Media – We also have access to a huge resource library that you can have access to. If you would like something for your family to go through in this time please let me know.
START FAITH FROM HOME
You maybe looking for some resources with your students to encourage and guide them during this season and so here is a couple that I like and ways you can use them.
Saturate Another resource with good articles about discipling your students at home and many focused on this time and quarantine intentions.
I Am Second This is a great testimony website for to use with your students. All of them is a person giving their testimony and pointing to Christ. Length: 3-7 minutes.
Bible Project Huge category of biblical and theme videos that are done really well and you can go over the books of the Bible or a specific topic and there is questions that go with them.
CupOJoe This is a blog from a ministry leader that has a lot of great stuff about discipling ministry students and also your own children.
Faith Students 2:37
”Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” Luke 24:32
I want to challenge you (students) to seek Him, encourage you to do it passionately and together our family can share hope.
This is the purpose of the mini-messages and our WNL.zoom on Wednesday. I am posting a video message on Sunday evenings and the WNL.zoom will be every Wednesday at 6:30-7:30pm.
I shared on Sunday in my mini-message video about Jesus showing up to the twelve and specifically the story about Him walking with two others on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35 and Mark 16:12-13). In this account the two talk about it later and ask “were not our hearts burning within us” (v.32)
It is rare to think about a bonfire during snowy days, but when the bonfire of our hearts gets fed with bigger and bigger logs than the fire gets larger and larger. I don’t want to miss this opportunity in my life and in the life of my children to not throw some bigger logs on the fire now that I have this time to lean into it.
Take the time to assist God in building up that fire in your heart.
The Action Step…
Family Devotions.
Do you spend time together studying the word of God as a family? Now is a great time to get into a rhythm on how you dive into the word together. My encouragement is from Deuteronomy 6:7 ‘repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.’
I encourage you to find some time in the morning so that you can start the day with the Lord. If you want to do it in the evening that is fine too, but what does it look like. here are 5 different options for what you can do as a family:
Awe, Question, Apply – Read a chapter out of the Bible and pick an Awe verse (something that you are in awe of God about), a Question verse (what verse do you have a question about and can someone else in the family answer it), and an Apply verse (what can be applied to your life).
Family Prayer – Spend significant time in prayer and petition. It’s not like we don’t have things to be in prayer about. Together asking for grace in how we talk to each other, for mercy daily, forgiveness for ourselves, and hope during the day.
Watch a Video – there are tons of videos on right now media or the Bible project on youtube. You can find many things and go through a series, you can have some great discussions and see God working in your students.
Quiet Reading – Maybe it is just setting up a time in the day to be focused on Him. 10:30am can be time with God and everyone grabs a bible and spends significant time reading and close the time with prayer.
Worship… Loudly – Do you have five favorite worship songs for your family? If you don’t now is the time to figure them out. Play them and just worship together. Sit, stand, raise hands, don’t, it doesn’t matter, but just worship together.
The hope is that we get into a new habit, a new rhythm and even different ways to worship and fellowship as a family. Take the challenge and do one a day or find your favorite, whatever is great just as long as it is intentional.
I want to be in prayer for you and with you. Please let me know specifics.
I’d like to ask that you message me (218.251.1990), scott@faithchurchaustin.org, facebook.com/FaithChurchStudents, instagram.com/fcstudentmin/) if you have needs.
Great article – 5 Ways to Disciple Your Quaranteenager
Our weekly emails will be focused on encouraging you parents with resources and filling you all up. Videos are on our site as well for students and questions to learn more are connected. How can I pray for you or your student?
Scott Owens
LINKS
Students page
Facebook page
Instagram page
RESOURCES
WNL.Zoomline – This Wednesday at 6:30pm we are doing a WNL.zoom. It’s an hour with games, worship, prayer, message, challenges and prayer time focused on how to handle and care for others during quarantine. Login is 881-560-6638. www.zoom.us/join.
Right Now Media – We also have access to a huge resource library that you can have access to. If you would like something for your family to go through in this time please let me know.
Start Faith From Home
You maybe looking for some resources with your students to encourage and guide them during this season and so here is a couple that I like and ways you can use them.
Saturate Another resource with good articles about discipling your students at home and many focused on this time and quarantine intentions.
I Am Second This is a great testimony website for to use with your students. All of them is a person giving their testimony and pointing to Christ. Length: 3-7 minutes.
Bible Project Huge category of biblical and theme videos that are done really well and you can go over the books of the Bible or a specific topic and there is questions that go with them.
CupOJoe This is a blog from a ministry leader that has a lot of great stuff about discipling ministry students and also your own children.
FaithStudents 3.26
”But Jesus, with a loud cry, gave his last breath. When the Roman captain standing guard in front of him saw that he had quit breathing, he said, “This has to be the Son of God!” Mark 15:39
I want to challenge you (students) to seek Him, encourage you to do it passionately and together our family can share hope.
This is the purpose behind the mini-messages for your students that i have been posting for the last three weeks. One is published on Sunday evenings and the other on Wednesday.
So let me ask – how you are doing? How are you in the midst of an unforeseen global pandemic that has gripped our society so much that something we once looked at as a possible future tragedy becomes our present reality.
To be there for your students I need your help. tell me how I can encourage them and what they are in need of. I’d like to provide some encouragement, challenge and hope in the videos, but if that is all it took for us to get filled with our need of connection then what nee do we have in meeting together.
I know myself well enough to I know how I need to respond that gives me sanity and still holds on to hope and joy. you as well probably know what that looks like for you, but what about our students. How do we help them navigate “This”!? I’d like to suggest an approach I take and it may work for your students or it may not, but that is what learning is about.
Let’s speak into the identity of our children and into who they are in God’s Kingdom!
If you see this situation as a lesson from God and that He is giving us a chance to ‘turn to him’ (Ps 95:7-11) then take this as a time to speak to God’s children who they are in Christ.
If you think this is just over-blown by the media and gotten way out of proportion then teach your child that in the midst of ‘momentary affliction’ (2 Cor 4:17-18) we need focus on the things that are eternal.
Either way we need to focus on listening to God’s goodness, His truth in his Word and praying to him for those that are hurting with compassion. We teach our children by our actions and life (Deut 6) and now is the time for all of us to be that example.
The Action Step…
Thank the Lord.
It is easy for us to be thankful when things are well, when we are around a thanksgiving meal presented to us for feasting, but my encouragement to you (parents) today is to be thankful because the gifts of God do not tarnish and in fact they shine when put around the tragedies of the world. Some options:
Send a letter to a family member and ask your students to write one too.
Open up your phone contacts today and find someone you haven’t talked to in over 6 months and tell them how much you appreciate them.
Get down on your knees today and say a prayer of thanks to God for your health, your family or the future because they are in His hands.
I want to be in prayer for you and with you. Please let me know specifics. I’d like to ask that you message me (scott@faithchurchaustiin.org, 218.251.1990, facebook.com/FaithChurchStudents, instagram.com/fcstudentmin/) if you have needs.
Our weekly emails will be focused on encouraging you parents with resources and filling you all up. Videos are on our site as well for students and questions to learn more are connected. How can I pray for you or your student?
Scott Owens
LINKS
Students page: http://www.faithchurchaustin.org/gather/students
Facebook page: facebook.com/faithchurchurchstudents
Instagram page: instagram.com/fcstudentmin
RESOURCES
WNL.Zoomline – This coming Wednesday at 3:30pm we are doing a WNL.Zoomline. It will only be for an hour with games, message and challenge from Steve Kubas. Login number is 881-560-6638. Invite your students to join the meeting, zoom.us/join at 3:30pm on Wed, Apr 8th. It’s free!!
Older Available – I have some available studies from past years. If you would like to borrow any of them please message me and I will send you a sheet that has all the available dvd studies for you to borrow in the next weeks.
Right Now Media – We also have access to a huge resource library that you can have access to. If you would like something for your family to go through in this time please let me know.
Start Faith From Home
You maybe looking for some resources with your students to encourage and guide them during this season and so here is a couple that I like and ways you can use them.
I Am Second This is a great testimony website for to use with your students. All of them is a person giving their testimony and pointing to Christ. Length: 3-7 minutes.
Bible Project Huge category of biblical and theme videos that are done really well and you can go over the books of the Bible or a specific topic and there is questions that go with them.
CupOJoe This is a blog from a ministry leader that has a lot of great stuff about discipling ministry students and also your own children.
Growing Leaders Another resource with good articles about training your students to be leaders in our culture.
