Welcome! Welcome to Teen 4 Christ - a place where you will find ideas and suggestions for growing teens who love God, have a passion for serving God, and know how to rely on God for help and guidance. My name is Joan Rude. I have worked in Christian education for the past 30 years. During that time I have gained a wealth of knowledge about teens and how to help them grow in their faith. This site is a place where I will share successful ideas, lesson plans, and fun activities that have been positively received by the students in our youth groups.
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To The Parents
Scripture is very clear about the role of parents in passing their faith on to their children. In Deuteronomy 6:4-9 we read “ The Lord is our God. Love the Lord your God with all you heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. Never forget these commands that I am giving you today. Teach them to your children. Repeat them when you are at home and when you are away. When you are resting, and when you are working. Tie them on your arms and wear them on your foreheads as a reminder. Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates.” In the New Testament Jesus gives the great commission to “go make disciples.” Ideally this begins at home, however in today’s fast paced world with a very materialistic culture it can seem like a challenging commission. A study conducted by the Barna Research Group found that a majority of parents don’t spend any time talking to their children about religious matters. Sadly we see the results of that when 40-50% of young adults are leaving their faith when they leave home.
Most parents want very much for their children to grow into happy, successful, independent adults. Young people who have a strong faith foundation are far more likely to be successful, to make good decisions, and to handle difficulties and disappointments in positive ways. Teens who know how to rely on God’s strength, power, and wisdom will be able to surmount difficult obstacles unscathed. They will “run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” Teens with a strong Christian faith are more likely to have their priorities in the right place. I have seen teens with a strong faith rise above the petty jealousies and unfounded rumors that bring other teens to the brink of death.
So how do we pass our faith on to our children? I believe there are four main ways that we can help our children grow to have a strong faith foundation..
The first building block in that faith foundation involves modeling Christian behavior. As insignificant as parents of teens may feel, they truly are the ultimate role model for their children. When I think about my faith and the foundation that was established when I was a teen ager I have to admit it was based more on what my parents did than on what they said. We always went to church each Sunday. My mom directed the choir and my dad taught Sunday School. We didn’t talk often about our faith, but my mom shared with me the strong faith that carried her grandparents and parents through hard times. My parents were loving, honest, generous, hard working people. I will always remember the beautiful ways they modeled the gifts of the Spirit. My ancestor’s Bibles are full of underlined scriptures and marginal notes. When I look through their Bibles I know God’s word was important to them. Certainly, one of the main ways we are able to pass on our faith is by modeling Christian behaviors. Actions often speak louder than words when it comes to conveying what is important to us.
The second building block is prayer. Scripture tells us to pray without ceasing. God intends for prayer to be a way of life—a constant connection to God. Prayer not only provides a connection between earth and heaven, but it also gives you the opportunity to edify your faith as well as the faith of your children. Whenever your children or teens are facing decisions or difficulties pray with them. Nothing pleases me more than when my grown children call to ask me to pray for them. Prayer before meals offers a nice routine and a daily reminder of the need to connect to God. Perhaps you could even make this a time for short devotions. The Upper Room provides a nice resource for this. Let your children see you relying on prayer in your life and they will learn to do the same.
The third building block is mission work. According to the writers of Hebrews, faith without actions is dead. Plan family projects that involve serving Jesus by serving others. Maybe you’ll decide to rake a neighbors yard, or shovel a neighbor’s side walk. Perhaps your family could volunteer to usher on a Sunday morning or work together to save coins to support a mission project at church. You could bake cookies and take them to someone who’s shut in or volunteer to go play Bingo at a local nursing home. Have fun thinking of ways to love and support those around you. Make mission work meaningful and fun. It’s surprising how working toward a common goal can bind people together.
The last building block is talking to your kids about your faith. You can turn anything, from listening to a favorite song to watching a ball game, into a time to build kids up spiritually. Talk about your personal journey of faith, but also rely on the great stories in scripture. The Bible tells us that faith comes from hearing and hearing from the Word of God. Scripture edifies our faith. Use scripture as a way to encourage and support your children. When your kids are facing a giant in their lives talk about David and how he defeated the giant Goliath. When your kids feel like they’re between a rock and a hard place talk about God parting the Red Sea so Moses and the Hebrew people could walk across on dry land. When your kids feel like they’ve been sold out by their friends talk about Joseph being sold into slavery by his brothers. Talk with your children about what God is saying to them through scripture. Post scriptures on the refrigerator or the bathroom mirror and talk about how those scriptures apply to life today. If your kids ask tough questions about faith don’t be afraid to say you don’t know the answer, but always be glad to help them search for answers. Take time to talk about where you see God actively working in our world today. Your kids will start to see God working in their lives and they’ll expect God to show up when they call on his name.
Spiritually active parents can have a huge impact on the spiritual lives of their kids. Don't punish yourself if you don't see the fruits of your labors immediately. Keep loving your kids even when they seem unlovable. Pray for them daily. Shepherd them gently and strive to keep communication lines open and honest. Rely on God's transforming power that is inwardly molding all of us into Christ's image. We are all works in progress. The faith foundation you're building will help your children set priorities, weather storms, and develop a vision far beyond this world
Most parents want very much for their children to grow into happy, successful, independent adults. Young people who have a strong faith foundation are far more likely to be successful, to make good decisions, and to handle difficulties and disappointments in positive ways. Teens who know how to rely on God’s strength, power, and wisdom will be able to surmount difficult obstacles unscathed. They will “run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” Teens with a strong Christian faith are more likely to have their priorities in the right place. I have seen teens with a strong faith rise above the petty jealousies and unfounded rumors that bring other teens to the brink of death.
So how do we pass our faith on to our children? I believe there are four main ways that we can help our children grow to have a strong faith foundation..
The first building block in that faith foundation involves modeling Christian behavior. As insignificant as parents of teens may feel, they truly are the ultimate role model for their children. When I think about my faith and the foundation that was established when I was a teen ager I have to admit it was based more on what my parents did than on what they said. We always went to church each Sunday. My mom directed the choir and my dad taught Sunday School. We didn’t talk often about our faith, but my mom shared with me the strong faith that carried her grandparents and parents through hard times. My parents were loving, honest, generous, hard working people. I will always remember the beautiful ways they modeled the gifts of the Spirit. My ancestor’s Bibles are full of underlined scriptures and marginal notes. When I look through their Bibles I know God’s word was important to them. Certainly, one of the main ways we are able to pass on our faith is by modeling Christian behaviors. Actions often speak louder than words when it comes to conveying what is important to us.
The second building block is prayer. Scripture tells us to pray without ceasing. God intends for prayer to be a way of life—a constant connection to God. Prayer not only provides a connection between earth and heaven, but it also gives you the opportunity to edify your faith as well as the faith of your children. Whenever your children or teens are facing decisions or difficulties pray with them. Nothing pleases me more than when my grown children call to ask me to pray for them. Prayer before meals offers a nice routine and a daily reminder of the need to connect to God. Perhaps you could even make this a time for short devotions. The Upper Room provides a nice resource for this. Let your children see you relying on prayer in your life and they will learn to do the same.
The third building block is mission work. According to the writers of Hebrews, faith without actions is dead. Plan family projects that involve serving Jesus by serving others. Maybe you’ll decide to rake a neighbors yard, or shovel a neighbor’s side walk. Perhaps your family could volunteer to usher on a Sunday morning or work together to save coins to support a mission project at church. You could bake cookies and take them to someone who’s shut in or volunteer to go play Bingo at a local nursing home. Have fun thinking of ways to love and support those around you. Make mission work meaningful and fun. It’s surprising how working toward a common goal can bind people together.
The last building block is talking to your kids about your faith. You can turn anything, from listening to a favorite song to watching a ball game, into a time to build kids up spiritually. Talk about your personal journey of faith, but also rely on the great stories in scripture. The Bible tells us that faith comes from hearing and hearing from the Word of God. Scripture edifies our faith. Use scripture as a way to encourage and support your children. When your kids are facing a giant in their lives talk about David and how he defeated the giant Goliath. When your kids feel like they’re between a rock and a hard place talk about God parting the Red Sea so Moses and the Hebrew people could walk across on dry land. When your kids feel like they’ve been sold out by their friends talk about Joseph being sold into slavery by his brothers. Talk with your children about what God is saying to them through scripture. Post scriptures on the refrigerator or the bathroom mirror and talk about how those scriptures apply to life today. If your kids ask tough questions about faith don’t be afraid to say you don’t know the answer, but always be glad to help them search for answers. Take time to talk about where you see God actively working in our world today. Your kids will start to see God working in their lives and they’ll expect God to show up when they call on his name.
Spiritually active parents can have a huge impact on the spiritual lives of their kids. Don't punish yourself if you don't see the fruits of your labors immediately. Keep loving your kids even when they seem unlovable. Pray for them daily. Shepherd them gently and strive to keep communication lines open and honest. Rely on God's transforming power that is inwardly molding all of us into Christ's image. We are all works in progress. The faith foundation you're building will help your children set priorities, weather storms, and develop a vision far beyond this world
STAY CONNECTED!!
Connect! Perhaps you have ideas and suggestions you would like to share with me. I'm hoping this can be a site where we learn from each other. Please be aware that what works for one person may not work for another person and what works for one group of kids may not work for another group. Leading kids to Christ is not an exact science. Growing in faith is a journey, not a destination, so come join me as we grow together in our faith and in our knowledge about how to share that faith with teens. |
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