Three kings came to the Kids Klub classes bearing gifts of treat bags, sodas, and brownies. One of my students thought he was being very funny when he asked them if they could also bring him a "golden BB gun." Apparently the "gold" part of the wise men's gifts we had just learned about had stuck with him.
We were blessed with a Toys for Tots donation of several new games and toys . On Tuesday evening, volunteers helped choose and wrap gifts for all of our Kids Klub children.
Frankie spoke to the Teen Night crowd on Friday. Quite a few had not heard her story yet, and those that had still listened intently.
As a bit of background, some of the recent Bible lessons we have had in Kids Klub have included stories about Gideon, Elijah, and Shadrach, Meschach, & Abednego. So keep that in mind as you read what I will call a "Blended Bible Story," courtesy of two of my 3rd grade students who randomly shared this story yesterday evening. It was a little more detailed than this, but this is what I remember:
Boy: Gideon was the leader, and he and his friends were put into the fire, but they didn't burn up because God was with them. He sent his angel.
Girl: Yes, the angel came and hugged them and protected them...well, something like that.
Boy: Then they threw water all over them, but GOD WAS WITH THEM [he emphasized this point].
At least some aspects of all three stories we studied are mixed in somewhere, and the main point seemed to resonate: GOD WAS WITH THEM!
It's a good thing to remember when life gets mixed up and messed up: God is with you.
This week, we took over 20 Kids Klub children to see this Christmas play on two different evenings:
The evening I attended was "eventful" in the sense that our packed van had a flat tire on the freeway, during rush hour. The kids got a little restless as we waited for our "rescue van," but guess what? We still made it to the play a little before it began and were able to quickly find an open section of seats. Bags of snacks and sodas were handed out, and the kids happily devoured those and enjoyed the show.
Circumstances like these are never much fun (especially if you are the driver!), but I thank God for His protection and being able to pray with the kids while we were sitting by the side of the freeway with traffic zooming past. I hope they won't soon forget how He was with us and orchestrated the details so that we could still arrive at the play on time!
If you're a follower of this blog, I am going to assume that you have a heart for children, so please pray for the families in Connecticut who lost loved ones in the school shooting today. It must be tremendously difficult for them to process such news.
Motivational speaker Franchesca Felix spoke to teens at Bible study yesterday evening. At the beginning of her talk, she said something like this: "I'm gonna be real with you and tell you my true story, and what I ask from you is that you listen and be respectful."
"Frankie" grew up on the West side of the Valley, in a poor family; her family was poor because her parents gambled all their wages away. When her parents' marriage dissolved, Mom moved to California, leaving Frankie and her five siblings with their abusive dad. Three of Frankie's cousins, involved in gangs, moved in with the family. One of the them raped Frankie when she was only 12 years old. After that horrible experience, she became a "gangster," wearing baggy, boyish clothes, carrying a knife on her at all times, doing drugs, getting into fights. Soon her world as a teenager became arrests, probation, jail time, group home -- and repeat. At 14, she nearly committed suicide. A teacher and his wife took her under their wing, and Frankie was able to graduate from high school with her class.
Frankie is now a believer and loves to speak to teens at jails, schools, and churches. One of her slides states, "Keep your coins. I want CHANGE." Frankie wants youth to hear her story before they turn to drugs or suicide, before they end up in jail, before they make some of the mistakes she did.
Our teen group wasn't a you-could-have-heard-a-pin-drop crowd, but it came close. Why was this? They could relate to her story. Arizona has the one of the highest teen suicide rates in the United States, and has consistently been in the top 10 since 1985. Nationally, 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 5 boys are sexually abused by the age of 18. When Frankie spoke about attempted suicide and sexual abuse, the teens could relate because far too many of them have "been there." When Frankie spoke about an abusive home, the drug dealer next door, and no money for rent, many of them have "been there," too. When Frankie spoke about a different kind of life, one with purpose and hope, I hope that teens will envision themselves there, too, by God's grace.
For this year's "Bike Party" (what we have dubbed it -- the children just know it as a Christmas party), we were privileged to be able to invite a few extra children than usual. Hurdle number one was getting our group of 14 children checked in and wrist-banded, and then it was off to loads of party fun after everyone was paired with an adult.
A pile of snow to play in, lots of free food, inflatables, costumed characters, a real Black Hawk helicopter, and petting zoo entertained the kids for over an hour. Then, each child was given a bicycle after a short program. Kids also received a new Bible, a frozen turkey, and several bags of food for their families. Going home, we had one van for people, one for cargo, and a pick-up truck besides!
A proud boy going home with his new bicycle and food for his family!
and in the basement of the church, teens were throwing rings,
spinning themselves dizzy,
and hearing the Word.
Oh...and devouring pizza!
Down the road was the "First Friday" art walk, so we were blessed by the smaller sized crowd that came to Teen Night and didn't give in to the pressure to ditch Teen Night and attend First Friday instead!
Children at Kids Klub have been memorizing John 14:6, and yesterday evening, we also did a traffic light craft that went along with the verse.
A large bag of these was the reward for memorizing the verse:
One of these days I will send the camera around to all the other Kids Klub classrooms so you can have a peek at what is happening all throughout the church.
As Christmas nears, children are very aware of that fact, and some have been asking if they will be able to go on the special "field trips" we have invited them to in past years. We will be taking several children to a Christmas event on Saturday and also will invite 24 children to see a Christmas production next week.
Ron Luce was the main speaker at the Acquire the Fire conference that several youth attended over the weekend. Ron is preparing to run a marathon -- just over 26 miles -- with the goal of raising funds for his youth ministry, which originated 26 years ago and is passionate about reaching America's 26 million teenagers. Do you see a recurring theme with the number 26?
From the race's web page, here are 26 SHOCKING TEEN STATS:
Drug and Alcohol Use
• Prescription and over-the-counter drugs are the most-commonly abused drug among teens, with one in 12 seniors reporting abuse of Vicodin in the past year.
• About 2,800 teens abuse prescription drugs for the first time every day.
• 22.6% of high school seniors say they've used marijuana over within a 30-day period, compared with 18.7% who smoked cigarettes
• 8.2% of high school seniors reported using amphetamines at some point during the past year.
• 40% of high school seniors have drunk alcohol in the past month, with 25% reporting that they have gotten drunk, 22% reporting binge drinking, and 2% having a drink every day.
Teen Sex
• 48 percent of high school students report that they have had sex.
• 34 percent of teenagers have at least one pregnancy before they turn 20.
• 9 million new cases of sexually transmitted disease occur in teenagers each year.
• Only one-third of teen mothers complete high school and receive their diplomas.
• Nearly half of the 19 million new STDs each year are among young people aged 15–24 years.
Suicide/Depression
• 13 percent of all teen deaths are from suicide, which is the third-leading cause of death for young adults aged 15-24
• The top factors leading to teen suicide include: Divorce of parents; violence in the home; inability to find success at school; feelings of worthlessness; rejection by friends or peers; substance abuse; death of someone close to the teenager; the suicide of a friend or someone he or she "knows" online.
• An estimated 1 in 8 adolescents may be suffering from depression.
Violence/Self-Harm/Eating Disorders
• One in 10 high school students has been purposefully hit, slapped or physically hurt by a boyfriend or girlfriend.
• One-quarter of high school girls have been victims of physical or sexual abuse, which puts them at 50% greater risk of suicide, six times as likely to become pregnant before age 20, and puts them at higher risk for substance abuse, eating disorders, risky sexual behavior and further domestic violence.
• An estimated one in every 200 girls aged 13-19 cut themselves regularly. They are typically intelligent , middle or upper-middle class, and well educated, but likely come from a home where they were physically and/or sexually abused and have at least one alcoholic parent.
• Estimates show that between 2.5 and 4% of teens have either anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa.
• Over half of adolescents and teens have been bullied online, and about the same number have engaged in cyber bullying.
• 1 in 10 adolescents or teens have had embarrassing or damaging pictures taken of themselves without their permission, often using cell phone cameras About 1 in 5 teens have posted or sent sexually suggestive or nude pictures of themselves to others
Video Games/TV
• Almost a third of teens play games that are listed as appropriate only for people older than they are.
• 23 percent of youth say that they have felt "addicted to video games."
• Teens age 13 to 18 year play 14 hours of video games per week.
• Teens who see more sex on television are twice as likely to become pregnant or to be responsible for another person's pregnancy.
• Television increases the risk of teen pregnancy by encouraging lax attitudes toward the need for contraceptive use. Mention of the risks or responsibilities of sex, including pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, and condom or contraceptive use, occurs in only 10% to 15% of programs containing sexual content.
• Kids and teens 8 to 18 years spend nearly 4 hours a day in front of a TV screen and almost 2 additional hours on the computer (outside of schoolwork) and playing video games
Additionally, here are Ron's 26 Declarations to pray over the teenagers of America. I think it's a great resource to pray through over the course of 26 days. Of course, if you are into marathon running, pray through the miles!
MILE 1 - Authenticity: May they be full of authenticity to a world that offers only counterfeit. MILE 2 - Calling: They will know that God has a unique calling on their life.
MILE 3 - Commitment: Their commitment to the Lord will bring about favor and blessing.
MILE 4 - Creativity: Using their creativity, they will bring about new ideas and new concepts.
MILE 5 - Dreamers: They will be dreamers and dream God sized dreams for a vision for their life.
MILE 6 - Energy: Their energy and excitement for life will infiltrate their environment.
MILE 7 - Fearlessness: They will walk in fearlessness, trusting the Lord under every circumstance.
MILE 8 - Forgiven: They will demonstrate forgiveness to others, knowing they are completely forgiven.
MILE 9 - Freedom: They will walk in freedom over everything that once held them captive.
MILE 10 - Grace: Grace will rule their lives and be the power to live the life God intended.
MILE 11 - Integrity: Integrity will guide their steps and their heart.
MILE 12 - Loved: They will know they are loved by the creator of the universe and the Savior of the world.
MILE 13 - Potential: They will realize their potential and let nothing hold them back.
MILE 14 - Purity: They will maintain purity in their relationships.
MILE 15 - Radical: They will have a radical faith that draws others to the life that Christ offers.
MILE 16 - Redeemed: The past will have no hold on them, for they are redeemed by the blood of Jesus.
MILE 17 - Relentless: They will chase God with a relentless pursuit, unyielding to the enemy.
MILE 18 - Rescue: They will rescue the hurting and the lost, loving them as Christ loves them.
MILE 19 - Righteous: They will know they are righteous in God’s eyes because of Jesus Christ.
MILE 20 - Salvation: They will understand their salvation is a gift from God and not something earned.
MILE 21 - Treasured: They will know they are treasured by their father in heaven.
MILE 22 - Thankful: With a thankful heart, they will praise God.
MILE 23 - Victorious: They will be victorious over sin, victorious over the enemy and victorious in life.
MILE 24 - Valued: They will be a valued part of their communities, making a difference and uplifting others.
MILE 25 - Unlimited: God is unlimited and therefore, nothing is impossible.
MILE 26 - Zealous: They will be zealous for God
The predominant message for Black Friday seems to be "Get out and shop!" In whatever you're doing today -- working, relaxing, or yes, even shopping -- may these words challenge you to "Get out and make a difference for Christ!"
We need to be involved with the world around us, because we live as Christians with a worldview which is in conflict with the worldview of the society we live in. We should be constantly,winsomely, lovingly pushing Christian truth into the public square. - Chuck Colson
When He saw the throngs, He was moved with pity and sympathy for them, because they were bewildered (harassed and distressedand dejected and helpless), like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the laborers are few. So pray to the Lord of the harvest to force out and thrust laborers into His harvest. - Matthew 9:36-38 (Amplified)
Getting rid of the things that have been holding them back from going forward in a relationship with Jesus.
On Friday evening, Caleb encouraged youth to write down an aspect of the past that they are putting behind them. Those small notecards were put into a bonfire to symbolize teens' decisions not to dwell on the past any longer.
Building a relationship with Jesus.
Yesterday's Bible study focused on how solid human relationships are formed, with parallels to how a relationship with Jesus begins and grows. Teens identified some key components of a good relationship, like communication, respect, commitment, and love.
Caleb talked about getting to know God through reading His Word, spending time talking to Him and seeking Him, and being at a point where you're ready to say, "Yes, I want you in my life, Jesus." Some have already made that important decision; others are still pondering.
P.S. You might notice that in the second photo, there's a white poster on the wall with a cylinder partially filled in with red ink. To date, teens have raised over $60 to contribute towards gifts for the poor through World Vision. The goal is set at $400, which means the pickle jar "piggy bank" needs to grow quite a bit more over the next few weeks!
Why conduct an in-depth study specifically about Hispanic Americans? The Barna Group's website reports:
Hispanics represent nearly one out of every six adults in the U.S. today and demographic projections show this segment is likely to grow in the coming decades. By 2050, it’s predicted there will be no ethnic or racial majority in the U.S. and Hispanics will make up 25 to 30 percent of the population.
In the coming decades, the values, beliefs, behaviors and worldview of Hispanics will increasingly affect the fabric of American life. Understanding the Hispanic audience and their impact is important for anyone interested in reading the times and carefully engaging with cultural and sociological trends.
The complete study is available for purchase through the Barna Group, but "Infographics" like the image above are available on their website and cover a variety of demographics.
The study revealed that respondents' top concerns for Hispanic youth are dropout rates, drug and alcohol abuse, and teenage pregnancy. Those are certainly challenges we see Hispanic families facing every day!
Established in 1991, Aim Right Ministries provides after-school recreational activities, educational tutoring, and moral/spiritual training for at-risk youth and children living in central Phoenix. Working in cooperation with local churches, we desire these youth to be evangelized and discipled for Christ.
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