​Nothing can bring out the crazy in you quite like family. Am I right? Deep down you know they probably aren’t plotting to make your life difficult, but some days it feels like that is exactly what they’re doing. Maybe that’s why we tend to respond to our family the same way we respond to sports or a video game—we strategize. You make a move to get what you want, but your step-brother blocks you. So, you make a different move. And so does he. It’s endless. Literally. Because unlike other relationships in our lives, the one we have with our family isn’t going anywhere. You can quit a sports team. You can leave the marching band. You can graduate and leave your classmates behind. But your family? They’ll always be your family. That’s why it’s such a big deal that we figure out how to live with them now. Thankfully, the Bible has a lot to say about how we live with and treat other people. And while it probably won’t help you figure out how to get your sister to leave the bathroom in under an hour, it can give you some real, helpful advice on how to make the best move when it comes to the people who love you and aggravate you the most—your family.

When our son was little he would always interrupt us and say, “Mom, Dad, watch me!” Then he would do something that he thought would entertain us. It could have been as simple as jumping off one stair. Honestly, it was usually something dumb that didn’t require much fine motor skill. He just wanted us to watch him and his default “get our attention line” was: “Mom, Dad, watch me. Watch this.” But as he grew up we began to notice that he was becoming less concerned about us watching him and he began to more closely watch us. He never said it aloud, but we knew he had moved to the phase where he was thinking, “I’m watching you Mom and Dad.”
There’s no question that parents serve as significant role models to their children. The real question is: What kind of role model are you?
Being an intentional parent forces you to consider what you’re actually teaching your children through how you live your life.
You can’t escape it—your children are stealing parts of your character and they are going to end up looking like you. You’ve heard it said…

•“She’s a chip off the old block.”
•“He’s the flip side of the same coin.”
•“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
•“Like father, like son. Like mother, like daughter.”
•“She sure lives up to the family name.”

Your life is on display and your children are always watching and learning from you—good and bad. An intentional parent understands this reality and considers the messages his/her actions are sending. They become more thoughtful about their own lifestyle and what they’re passing on to their kids.

They’re watching and learning from you…
•How you think
•How you treat others
•How you pray
•How you talk about those who are hurting
•What you do with your finances
•How you make decisions
•How you respond to pain
•What, why and how often you eat
•What you watch on TV
•How consumed you are with social media
•How you prioritize
•How you drive a car
•When you’re happy…when you’re sad
•How you talk about those who are less fortunate
•How you reconcile conflict
•Where you place the value of faith conversations

An Intentional Parent takes the time to seriously consider these and many other messages. A Quick-fix Parent simply relies on the phrase, “Don’t do as I do, do as I say” when it comes to their lifestyle. This is as weak as it is hypocritical.

Not only is the clock of time always running (remember your child’s 18th birthday makes up 6,570 days, is 938 weeks, or only 216 months)…but so is the surveillance camera that’s pointed at your life—it’s “ON” 24/7. Every day you are teaching them something about how they are to live their life.
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Let me be real clear--all parents make mistakes. There is no such thing as a perfect parent. There never has been and there never will be parenting perfection. Intentional Parents know they will make mistakes, but they’re also willing to hold up the mirror and learn how their choices and actions are contributing to their kids.
To connect to a wider community of parents,
check out www.theparentcue.org.

During this series, we are encouraging your kid to own their role in your family and to intentionally take steps that will make their family life better. This is a great opportunity for you to model what that looks like in your family.
This week, try taking one step that could make your family life better—and let your student see you do it.

Maybe for you that means...
•Making a recurring appointment to spend time with your family.
•Reading a book on parenting or family life (we recommend the Intentional Parenting Workbook by Doug and Cathy Fields).
•Asking an older, wiser parent of for advice.
•Apologizing and working on your own role in an ongoing conflict
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Whatever you choose, let your kid see you taking steps to make family life better. Even if they roll their eyes in the moment, they’ll get the idea that these relationships are important to you and you’re willing to work on them. And just maybe, they’ll begin to do the same.

                                      ©2016 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

October 5th- Mother May I?
October 12th- Family Feud
​October 19th- Sorry!

​Have you ever found yourself drawn in to a video game, movie, or TV show where you’re rooting for something
or someone that you wouldn’t in real life? Maybe you’re rooting for the villain to prevail or the bad guy to get the
girl. There’s just something about technology that has a way of making us think or feel things that we wouldn’t think or feel in real life. And the same can be said for social media! When we’re communicating with someone behind a screen they start to feel less real. And when they feel less real, so do the consequences of what we do and say behind the screen. That’s where trouble begins. Rather than let ourselves get in trouble, we can choose to apply the right filter to what you do and say on social media. King Solomon—known as the wisest man to ever have lived—points us towards the filter we can use for our choices in the book of Proverbs. And when we approach what we do and say through his filter, we’ll find ourselves avoiding choices that lead to trouble and regret.

Take some time to re-connect! Share a high and a low from your day or the last week.
Tell a funny story (maybe about a wipe-out or that time you ran into a tree) about a time when you probably should have been a little more cautious.

Why do you think people sometimes behave more recklessly online than they do in real life?
How could being reckless on social media possibly get you hurt?
How could being reckless on social media hurt someone else?
What are some ways we can be cautious, instead of foolish, on social media?
Why do you think God wants us to choose caution over foolishness when it comes to social media?

God among us, we gather in the name of your Son to learn love for one another. Keep our feet from evil paths. Turn our minds to your wisdom and our hearts to the love revealed in your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

​One of the best things about social media is that it gives us an instant way to communicate. Think about it! When something major happens in the world, not only can you find out about it right away, but you can also start talk about it as soon as you do! Thanks to social media, you can say anything to anyone at anytime you want. While that is pretty cool, sometimes communicating through social media can cause us to forget that there are actual people on the other side of our screens. And when we forget those other people, we also forget the impact what we say can have on them. We forget to filter our words. This week, we’ll look back at what Paul has to say to his friends in the book of Ephesians. He gives them advice on how to filter their words wisely that, when we apply it to our own lives, will give the things we say the power to build rather than break.

Take some time to re-connect! Share a high and a low from your day or the last week.
What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received? ​

Ephesians 4:29-5:2 NIV​
29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. 5 1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. 

Talk about the last time you saw someone use social media to tear down someone else.
Why do you think it’s easier to say hurtful things on social media than it is to say them to someone’s face?
Why do you think it’s easier to tear someone down than it is to build someone up?
If you see someone you know being torn down on social media, what can you do?
This week, what’s one thing you want to do to build someone up on social media? Keep your eyes open for someone who needs your encouragement! 

CATECHISM CONNECTION
 Read through the 8th Commandment in the Small Catechism.
Why do you think this commandment was included?
How does the idea of building up and tearing down relate to this commandment?

​O God, overflowing with mercy and compassion, you lead back to yourself all those who go astray. Preserve your people in your loving care, that we may reject whatever is contrary to you and may follow all things that sustain our life in your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Take some time to re-connect! Share a high and a low from your day or the last week.
What kinds of social media do you use? (Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Tumblr, Vine, Kik, YouTube, texting?)
What do you love about social media?

What does it mean to be “God’s masterpiece”?
When you believe you’re God’s masterpiece, how does it change the way you use social media?
This week, what’s one thing you want to remember about the way that God sees you? 

CATECHISM CONNECTION
 Read through The Sacrament of Holy Baptism in the Small Catechism. As you are reading ask youth to ask any questions they may have about this section.
Talk about the day your child was baptized and if you remember anything about your baptism. Date, location, sponsors, etc.

​Direct us, O Lord God, in all our doings with your continual help, that in all our works, begun, continued, and ended in you, we may glorify your holy name; and finally, by your mercy, bring us to everlasting life, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Mark the Cross of Christ on each others foreheads as a remembrance of your baptism and say these words...

"(Name) you are a beloved Child of God."