Parenting a New Generation
My child, listen when your father corrects you. Don’t neglect your mother’s instruction.
Proverbs 1:8
I have worked with young people through the ministry of churches for more than a decade. Through the years I have seen or read about many changes in the youth culture. The late sixties and early seventies, for example, were filled with questions and open rebellion against societal norms and institutions. Our meetings would draw hundreds of kids per school to discuss racism, war, and the meaning to life.
Then there was a dramatic shift toward the self. Instead of caring about society or others in need, young people focused on meeting their own needs. They got jobs and spent their money on concert tickets, record albums, stereos, and cars. The “me generation” wanted to be entertained, and it was difficult to get them to discuss much of anything.
Out of this mushroomed the drug culture. Whether seeking new experiences or escapes, looking for pleasure or trying to cover their depression, young people consumed marijuana, cocaine, and alcohol while continuing to focus on themselves and their needs. Today, kids are self-centered but lonely, pleasure-seeking but filled with despair, materialistic but desperate for meaning in life.
We can identify many causes for these problems. Certainly the erosion of public values, the promotion of ethical relativism, and the breakdown of the family were contributing factors. But perhaps we should also consider the role that parenting has played in some of these issues.
A few weeks ago, I went to a wedding. It was a prime example of conspicuous consumption, from the two stretch limos to the lavish reception. The bride’s family is not rich, nor is the young couple. Yet they felt it was necessary to spend thousands on this party for themselves. Later I learned that my friend had told his daughter that she could have $10,000 for the wedding. She spent thirteen and has to pay back the extra three thousand. What a way to begin a marriage!
As a parent, check your lifestyle—does it honor Christ? And consider what you are teaching children in your home, neighborhood, and church. What are they learning about values from seeing yours? Do they work for anything, or is everything given to them? Do they have opportunities to serve others? Do they understand what it means to be a responsible, productive, and selfless Christian and citizen? And think about this: how can you promote positive, godly character in your children in the midst of a society that is pulling them in other directions?
What is the answer to living in this culture and yet being someone who is a “Kingdom-Minded” person? Join me this weekend for our new series, “Everyday”- a new series on how we are to engage this everyday life with eternity written on our hearts!
Trev
Proverbs 1:8
I have worked with young people through the ministry of churches for more than a decade. Through the years I have seen or read about many changes in the youth culture. The late sixties and early seventies, for example, were filled with questions and open rebellion against societal norms and institutions. Our meetings would draw hundreds of kids per school to discuss racism, war, and the meaning to life.
Then there was a dramatic shift toward the self. Instead of caring about society or others in need, young people focused on meeting their own needs. They got jobs and spent their money on concert tickets, record albums, stereos, and cars. The “me generation” wanted to be entertained, and it was difficult to get them to discuss much of anything.
Out of this mushroomed the drug culture. Whether seeking new experiences or escapes, looking for pleasure or trying to cover their depression, young people consumed marijuana, cocaine, and alcohol while continuing to focus on themselves and their needs. Today, kids are self-centered but lonely, pleasure-seeking but filled with despair, materialistic but desperate for meaning in life.
We can identify many causes for these problems. Certainly the erosion of public values, the promotion of ethical relativism, and the breakdown of the family were contributing factors. But perhaps we should also consider the role that parenting has played in some of these issues.
A few weeks ago, I went to a wedding. It was a prime example of conspicuous consumption, from the two stretch limos to the lavish reception. The bride’s family is not rich, nor is the young couple. Yet they felt it was necessary to spend thousands on this party for themselves. Later I learned that my friend had told his daughter that she could have $10,000 for the wedding. She spent thirteen and has to pay back the extra three thousand. What a way to begin a marriage!
As a parent, check your lifestyle—does it honor Christ? And consider what you are teaching children in your home, neighborhood, and church. What are they learning about values from seeing yours? Do they work for anything, or is everything given to them? Do they have opportunities to serve others? Do they understand what it means to be a responsible, productive, and selfless Christian and citizen? And think about this: how can you promote positive, godly character in your children in the midst of a society that is pulling them in other directions?
What is the answer to living in this culture and yet being someone who is a “Kingdom-Minded” person? Join me this weekend for our new series, “Everyday”- a new series on how we are to engage this everyday life with eternity written on our hearts!
Trev
posted by BT at 8:15 AM
1 Comments:
I AGREE TO THE MAX IN THIS COMMENT OF YOURS,UNFORTUNATLY WE LIVE IN A SOCIETY THAT EVERYTHING IS MATERIAL,IS FUNNY HOW MANY TIMES PEOPLE WANTS TO IMPRES PEOPLE,I CALLED THEM PEOPLE PLEASERS,THEY MISS THE POINT ABOUT WHO TO IMPRESS THE MOST,I HAD LEARNED IN THE HARD WAY THAT IT COST TOO MUCH,EVERYTIME I WATCH THE NEWS OR ANY OTHER CHANEL,IT AMAZES ME HOW MUCH NEED IS OUT THERE,SOMETING FUNNY HAPPEN TO ME RECENTLY,WHEN I SAW THE NEWS ABOUT THE MOTHER LIVING HER CHILDREN IN THE CAR AND THEY DIE OF HEAT,THEN SHE WENT HOME BATHE THEM, PUT THEM IN A TRASH BAG AND HID THEM UNDER THE SINK,I GOT IN MY KNEES AND ASK GOD WHY?
HOW COME HE DOESN'T DO NOTHING ABOUT IT,WHY ALL THE PAIN AND HUNGER AND SUFFERING SPECIALLY IN LITTLE CHILDREN,HE ANSWER ME IN MY SPIRIT THAT HE HAS DONE SOMETHING ALREADY,HE MADE ME,I MAY NOT BE ABLE TO SAVE THE WORLD BUT I CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN ONE LITTLE ONE,BY PRAYER AND DONATING,MY LORD KNOWS THAT I HAVE NOTHING MATERIAL ON ME,I ALREADY WAS STANDIND IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE WATCHING IT BURN ALL THE WAY AND EVERYTHING THAT WAS BUILD IN YEARS IT WAS GONE IN MINUTES.
LET ME TELL YOU THE LORD HAS NOT LET GO OF ME HE STILL PROVIDES AND TAKES CARE OF ME,SO I CAN SHARE HIS TRUTH WITH PEOPLE THAT DON'T KNOW HIM AND DONATE A SMALL SEED TO THOSE CHILDREN THAT HAS NOTHING,MY HEART ACHES TO SEE HOW MANY TIMES I SEE PEOPLE IN SUNDAY CHURCH,SOME OF THEM THINKING THAT THAT WAS IT,I WONDER IF THEY HAD FELT WHAT I FELT,THE BLIND FOLD IS GONE AND I CAN SEE,AND UNDERSTAND MORE,SOMETIMES MORE THAN I CAN HANDLE,BUT AFTER ALL THE CIRCUMSTANCES,I'M BLESSED TO KNOW JESUS CAUSE I KNOW THAT AT THE END HE IS MY COMFORT AND MY PROVIDER,AND I KNOW THAT IN EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE I WILL RUN TO JESUS,CAUSE I HAVE NO BODY ELSE.
TREVOR I PRAY FOR YOU, BEEN THE LIDER IN OUR CHURCH,SO MANY OF US UNDER YOUR CARE AND I THANK MY SWEET JESUS THAT HE HAS INSERT IN YOU THAT LOVE FOR HUMANITY,THAT ONLY JESUS IS ABLE TO GIVE.
AND TO GIVE YOU WISDOM AND PEACE.
MAY THE LORD BLESS YOU ALWAYS.
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