By: Trish Graves Originally posted August 2023 in The Messenger Newsletter It seems like summer flew by, and now your kids are getting ready to head back to school. They will be reconnecting with friends, meeting new teachers, creating new relationships, and quite possibly for them, experiencing new things, things we aren’t ready for.
It only takes a few minutes of watching the headlines to see where our world is headed, and headed there quickly. In my job, we see these new worldviews affecting our kids in a big way. In talking with our preteens, it is evident that our kids are being exposed to things way too young, and they are being forced to make decisions that they shouldn’t have to make. It’s imperative that they don’t make these decisions alone. In the The Disappearing Church, Mark Sayers talks about a list of seven core beliefs that reflect an individualist society, ranging from believing that the highest good is individual freedom and self-expression, to believing that all forms of external authority should be rejected. We are seeing this play out in our kids, preteens and youth. And for many, it’s innocent because they are hyper-exposed to these beliefs through TV, social media influencers, gaming and peers. So what can you do? As a parent, you are the first line of defense. It is up to you to talk with your child and have real conversations every day. During your conversations, see if you can pick up on any of these viewpoints in your child:
Be prepared to hear things you don’t want to hear, and deal with situations you don’t want to deal with. Most importantly, be prepared to offer healing and restoration with these four truths: GOD KNOWS YOU. Hebrews 4:13 says that nothing in all creation can hide from God. There is no place kids and students can go that He cannot see them. He already knows their thoughts and intentions. And even thought He knows everything about us, He still loves us. GOD DESIGNED YOU. Colossians 1:16 tell us that God made everything in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible. Ephesians 2:10 reads “For we are God›s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Even though the worldview would have you believe that you are random, a product of chance, or even a mistake, God says differently. GOD IS ALWAYS WITH YOU. Isaiah 41:10 says “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand.” God promises to be with us no matter what happens. GOD LOVES YOU. 1 John 3:1a tells us “See what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children - and we are! God did not wait for us to love Him, He loved us first. You are loved by God. Guiding your child through these tough times is hard, and we don’t want you to do it alone. Helping your child find their identity in Christ is crucial. We are here for you for support and guidance. Let us know if there is anything we can do to help.
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By: Faith Storck Recently, a friend on Facebook posed this question to her Facebook friends, “I might be opening a can of worms here, but what's your opinion on expecting your teens to attend Sunday morning church with the family?” As I sat there looking through the two hundred plus comments and of course adding my own, it struck me why it wasn’t really an issue of wanting to go to church as a child, nor was it an issue for my own child. Why do you think that was, you may ask? I believe it was a result of serving Jesus.
Written by Faith Storck Featured in Live Oak Church's newsletter, The Messenger Each year I have a verse or word for myself, and/or the ministry that I am working with. For 2024, the verse that I picked out was Isaiah 43:19,“For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.”
It really is funny how God orchestrates things in our lives even when we have no idea what is about to happen. When I claimed this verse for 2024, I had no idea what all was about to take place in my life, and in children’s ministry. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, keep on reading so you know what brand new things are happening here in children’s ministry at Live Oak Church. Back in September 2023, Trish and I were in the office one day and she informed me that she was offered the job to become the business administrator for Live Oak Church. We’ve always joked in the office about how our lives in 5 year segments. In my little cry session with her, I told her I thought I had her for 5 more years in kid min. If you’ve ever had the chance to work with Trish, you know that she has such a heart for the people of this church. She is one of the greatest people that I’ve ever had the privilege of working with/ for. She’s such a great friend, and such a calm presence in the midst of my chaos. I will miss sharing an office with her, and all the laughs, however I am sure she is so glad to have her own office now so she can have some peace and quiet! I know that Trish will be the best business administrator for Live Oak Church, and I can’t wait to see her excel in this role! Faith, “For I am about to do something new.” No, I am not leaving. Don’t think is my resignation letter, as some parents do when I send an e-mail saying I will miss their child (because they are moving up to a new age group and out of kids ministry). After much prayer and many, many conversations, I decided, after being offered this position, to try to fill these big shoes that Trish has left vacant. You see, above all, I want what is best for the children of this church, and I didn’t know if that was me. However, I do want to be a willing vessel for God, and I didn’t want to miss out on something new that God had in store for me and the children of this church. I would covet your prayers as I make this transition, and as we look for someone else to step into my old role. What does this mean for those that have children in kindergarten through third grade? Nothing will change for the time being, until someone is hired to take over kindergarten-third grade. I will still be teaching your children until then. Parents that have children in this ministry will be the first to know when something changes. Until then, anytime you have a question or concern, please do not hesitate to reach out. Parents and Children of Live Oak Church, “For I am about to do something new.” There are some big changes taking place within our facilities. Beginning in January, our nursery hallway will now only have children that are in the infant, one and two year old classes. Our preschool, three and four year old classes will now be held in the children’s church area on Sundays.Our current kids in kindergarten through third grade will now meet in the FLC (gym) on Sundays at 9:30 and 11. (Wednesdays will still take place in the children’s church area.) There will be new places to check your children in, and new safety measures will be put in place.Please make sure you read your e-mails to know what all is happening in the nursery, preschool and children’s ministry in the days and weeks to come. Connect Camp, “For I am about to do something new.” When I picked this verse this year, I also had no idea that this verse would be the theme verse for Connect Camp. I can’t wait to see what brand new things that God will do in and through the kids in our community as they attend Connect Camp. Registration goes live in February, so make sure to stay tuned for more information. I can’t wait to see what brand new things God is going to do in my life and in the kids that are a part of Live Oak Church. This is sure to be quite an adventure, and I can’t wait to see what God has in store! Y'all, I've got a lot of trees in my yard. A lot. It's finally starting to dry up a bit, and there's a lot of yard work to be done. Weeds are sprouting up everywhere and vines beginning to climb up the trees. Actually, there are a lot of vines that have wrapped themselves around my trees and around the branches, almost to the top. It's time, the vines have to go.
I cut the vines at the bottom by the ground, then gave them a tug to see if I could pull them out of the tree. For some, the vine just didn't want to let go. It had wound itself so tightly that I wasn't sure I would be able to pull it down. So I tugged and tugged, because I really needed that vine to come down, and I really didn't want to lose the battle. It wouldn't budge. But then, as if it had a mind of it's own, the vine slowly began to unwind itself and let go. Just like that. And once it started, it just LET GO. Later that evening when I began gathering all the weeds and vines that I had cut and removed, I was amazed at how quickly the vines had begun to die. Once they were cut and removed from the tree, from their source of life, they began withering and turning brown almost immediately. I couldn't help but think about John Chapter 15 where Jesus says "If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. When we stray from the Word, and from our heavenly Father, our source of life, are we like the vine that was able to hold on for a period, then just let go? When we cut off the source of life, how long can we stand on our own before we wither away and die? During this time that we can't physically meet together as a church, I encourage you, if you don't already, to spend time in the Word daily with your family. Make it a habit, so that it naturally becomes part of your daily routine and encourage your kids to do the same! Wow! Two weeks ago we were going about life as usual, kids were in school and being taught by the teachers that we "love and admire" (even more now), we were free to go to the park, go shopping, and play in a soccer game. But today; now that's a different story.
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AuthorsFaith Storck Trish Graves
Business Administrator Live Oak Church Archives
February 2024
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