Greetings Shawnee Family!
Last night I had the privilege of hanging out with the youth group while Pastor Amberlee and Derek are on vacation.
We played a fun round of “Blanket Volleyball” (see clip below) before we dove into our content for the night.
I was chatting with a friend of mine who is a counselor and she said she is convinced this one of the hardest times to be a teenager. She said teens used to be able to leave difficult things or people at school, but now they follow teens everywhere they go via their phones.
There is a great video (Click HERE to follow the link) that talks about that it is absolutely possible to be addicted to technology. The main speaker in the clip is author, Simon Sinek, and he says, “You have an entire generation that has access to an addictive, numbing chemical called dopamine through social media and cell phones as they are going through the high stress of adolescence.”
I told the teens that my Mom used to always tell me, “Cara, you can choose the attitude you want to have today.”
I hated to admit it at the time, but my Mom was and is SO right!
Last night we talked about the fact that we can choose how to respond to situations in our lives. We may not be able to control what is happening around us, but we can control how we respond and how we see the world.
We read through 8 Scriptures that were all about worry and fear. Those were just the first 8 I could find. God is keenly aware of the fact that in our fallenness: fear, anxiety, and worry are normal things that take place in our lives. Yet, God does not leave us along in our fear, anxiety, and worry.
Scripture says:
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7 NIV)
Throw all your anxieties upon him, because he cares about you.(1 Peter 5:7)(CJB)
- God cares for us! God doesn’t leave us alone in our anxiety. God says, bring it to me. I want to help!
Don’t worry about anything; on the contrary, make your requests known to God by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving.(Philippians 4:6)(CJB)
Studies show that we function better when we operate in a positive state. The problem is that the world teaches us that that norm is negative. Turn on the news, listen to the radio, look through a social media feed, etc. The world is a negative place, but what Christ followers know is that there is hope. What is amazing is that psychology agrees that when we choose to see the world through a lens of positivity, we are better!
I told the teens that for us, as followers of Christ, it is possible for us to put on the mind of Christ! We can see the world through the hope-filled eyes of the resurrected Jesus.
The video on happiness (click HERE for link) was one that my husband sent to me at the end of November. The video is all about happiness and provides some tangible ways to work on happiness. I teased Justin asking if he was just sharing the video with me or was it a hint. He said it was a hint. Not in a mean way at all, but what he was saying is that he saw in me that I would dwell on the negative and it would consume my time and energy. Little did he know that the video he sent me would help me so much.
At the end of the video the speaker said that if a person writes down 3 new things they are grateful for each day and reflects on one positive story from the past 24 hours for 21 days in a row, then the brain begins to be rewired to search the world for the positive and not the negative.
I decided to take up this 21 day challenge. It takes about 2 minutes total a day and I figured I could manage that. So, on December 1st I started writing down 3 “Gratitudes” and a “Story-A-Day.” I have seen a drastic change in my life for the better.
I decided to go one step further and work on disciplining myself to do my devotions and gratitudes before I thought about what needed accomplished that day. Then at the end of the day I reflected on a positive story.
It has been so life giving to me in so many ways. A few nights ago I was reading some of the gratuities and stories from December out loud to Justin. I started to realize more than I ever had before how much I am grateful for Justin and all he does. Many days he is what I am grateful for and I love doing life with him.
Finally, we prayed together and then I made them this challenge. I said that if they wanted to sign up I would buy them a gratitude journal for them to write in from now until January 31st. Just 21 days from now. Some of the students signed up for this challenge and are even okay with me pestering them and holding them accountable! I can’t wait to see what the teens have to say in 21 days.
Why did I share all of this with you today?
Two reasons:
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Cara
PS- Thanks for sticking with me to the end of this email!
- Again, God says to bring it all to God! I love this translation talking about the fact that we do so along with “giving thanks.”
Studies show that we function better when we operate in a positive state. The problem is that the world teaches us that that norm is negative. Turn on the news, listen to the radio, look through a social media feed, etc. The world is a negative place, but what Christ followers know is that there is hope. What is amazing is that psychology agrees that when we choose to see the world through a lens of positivity, we are better!
I told the teens that for us, as followers of Christ, it is possible for us to put on the mind of Christ! We can see the world through the hope-filled eyes of the resurrected Jesus.
The video on happiness (click HERE for link) was one that my husband sent to me at the end of November. The video is all about happiness and provides some tangible ways to work on happiness. I teased Justin asking if he was just sharing the video with me or was it a hint. He said it was a hint. Not in a mean way at all, but what he was saying is that he saw in me that I would dwell on the negative and it would consume my time and energy. Little did he know that the video he sent me would help me so much.
At the end of the video the speaker said that if a person writes down 3 new things they are grateful for each day and reflects on one positive story from the past 24 hours for 21 days in a row, then the brain begins to be rewired to search the world for the positive and not the negative.
I decided to take up this 21 day challenge. It takes about 2 minutes total a day and I figured I could manage that. So, on December 1st I started writing down 3 “Gratitudes” and a “Story-A-Day.” I have seen a drastic change in my life for the better.
I decided to go one step further and work on disciplining myself to do my devotions and gratitudes before I thought about what needed accomplished that day. Then at the end of the day I reflected on a positive story.
It has been so life giving to me in so many ways. A few nights ago I was reading some of the gratuities and stories from December out loud to Justin. I started to realize more than I ever had before how much I am grateful for Justin and all he does. Many days he is what I am grateful for and I love doing life with him.
A page from my journal.
At the end of youth group last night I asked the teens if they would write down 3 things they were thankful for and a story from the day. They did just that and I was so proud of them for sharing out loud.Finally, we prayed together and then I made them this challenge. I said that if they wanted to sign up I would buy them a gratitude journal for them to write in from now until January 31st. Just 21 days from now. Some of the students signed up for this challenge and are even okay with me pestering them and holding them accountable! I can’t wait to see what the teens have to say in 21 days.
Why did I share all of this with you today?
Two reasons:
- I have great hope in our teens. They are amazing. They are fun. They are full of life. They are endeavoring to be Christ in dark places and dark days.
- I hope that you are encouraged and remember that God invites us to bear our burdens to God and that we can also bear heavy burdens together.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Cara
PS- Thanks for sticking with me to the end of this email!
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