Parkview Parents

Bible Story:  Luke 15:11-32

This week’s lesson was the story of the Prodigal Son.  The boy who ran away from his father because he wanted to control his own life.  When he ran out of money and was scared and alone, he decided to go home, expecting his father to be really angry.  Instead, his dad threw a big party!  You can watch the video here:

Your Mission:  
The son’s life was changed all because his father never stopped loving him and wanting him back.  His father forgave him, even when everyone else thought he shouldn’t.  His father loved him even though he had made some bad choices.  Even though he had messed up – The son was LOST but after he went home – he was FOUND!

The same is true for us.  Once we choose to follow Jesus – we are found and our mission begins.  What’s our mission from God?  TO SHINE MY LIGHT! (Raise right arm above head with fist closed like superhero.)  So how do we do that?

Jesus wants me to SHINE MY LIGHT by asking Him to be my friend forever.  When we do – he throws a BIG party!  When we decide to follow Him – God is happy!  So ask your SUPERHEROES, what is our mission?  TO SHINE MY LIGHT!  (Raise right arm above head with fist closed like superhero.)

Parents, each week your child will receive a “Mission” card challenging them to “Shine their Light”.   Be sure to fill out and return that card each week to Mission Command Center where we’ll document their story and give them a prize!

Watch the video here

This video was created by Orange.  Find out more about Orange Curriculum at http://whatisorange.org/firstlook/

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We are excited about launching into Life on Mission next week! Along with Parkview’s adults and kids, our students are going to explore what it looks like for them to live in a way that fulfills the mission to which God calls everyone. Teenagers don’t have to wait until they’re adults. They can start figuring it out now!

Make sure your teenagers are plugged into a Life Group at HSM (Tuesday nights for HS students @ Orland), JHM (Wednesday nights for Jr. High students @ Orland), or Mid-week (Wed nights for Jr. High and HS students @ Lockport). It will ensure that they get the most out of the Life on Mission series.

Thanks for allowing us to partner with you in the spiritual development of your teenagers. We can’t wait to see all that God is going to do in Parkview’s student community!

Upcoming Events

A lot is coming up in Parkview Students that you don’t want to miss. You can hear Pastor Nathan tell you all about it here. Or, you can read about it:

Family Worship Night on October 14 and 15. Families from both campuses are invited to Orland to worship alongside their teenagers with the Jordan Howerton Band. While students are in Life Groups, Tim Sutherland will facilitate a quality parenting workshop. Register here if you want to come early and eat dinner together as a family.

Student Ministry Retreats! HSM Fall Retreat happens Nov 7-8. JHM Alive Retreat happens Nov 14-15. Both are great opportunities for your students to grow closer to God and each other. Teenagers from both campuses are invited to attend. You don’t want them to miss out!

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Some kids have grown up hearing the song, “This Little Light of Mine, I’m going to let it Shine!” but do they truly know what it means to shine their light?  Over the next six weeks, our kids will be going on a mission, a superhero mission.  But this mission isn’t from us…this mission comes straight from GOD.

We will search the Bible and look at stories that help us uncover the answer to the question, “What is my Mission from God?”

• Week 1:  Prodigal Son
  Jesus wants me to SHINE MY LIGHT by asking Him to be my friend forever.  ​
• Week 2:  Zacchaeus
  Jesus wants me to SHINE MY LIGHT by being friends with everyone, even those who are different from me.
• Week 3:  The Good Samaritan
  Jesus wants me to SHINE MY LIGHT by loving God and loving others.
• Week 4:  The Great Commission
  Jesus wants me to SHINE MY LIGHT by telling others about Him!  
• Week 5:  Jesus’ life
  Jesus wants me to SHINE MY LIGHT by learning to be like him.
• Week 6:  Jesus’ prayer life
  Jesus wants me to SHINE MY LIGHT by talking to HIM about everything!

It’s going to be one exciting mission that is for sure!  Are you ready?!?

Memory Verse:  “You are the light of the world…Let your light shine in front of others.  Then they will see the good things you do.  And they will praise your Father in heaven.”   Matthew 5:14-16 (NIrV) ​

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This week’s lesson is from Daniel 3. The children in the Backyard and Clubhouse heard the super amazing story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  They learned that God is so powerful that He can Always be with them.  Always.  And, because He’s always there, He’s always got it!  You can watch the video here:

Watch the video here

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Parkview Students is finishing up a series called Branded in which we are talking about culture’s perception of Christianity and how we can fix it. We’re thankful for the great conversation that our students have been having with each other. As parents, we want to be perceived a certain way by our kids – as authentic, trustworthy, and intentional. Below is a post from theparentcue.org that speaks to this very topic. Thank you for partnering with us in the development of your teenagers and we hope these words are an encouragement to you!

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Create a Rhythm

Time. It’s moving fast. It’s limited. We will never have more of it than we already have.

So the issue is not how do we get more, but how do we become more intentional about what we have? How can we manage our time strategically to parent beyond our capacity?

How about taking a look at your family rhythm? Every family has one. Rhythm is how we arrange our time. As we go from day to day, we establish and shape a rhythm that in turn shapes our kids.

Rhythm establishes value. Things that become part of the daily rhythm are the things our families will come to believe are most important. Rhythm silently but significantly communicates value.

There are some things that may be conceptually very important to us as parents, but if we never include them in our families’ rhythms, our kids will perceive them as having little value. For example, exercise might be important to a parent in principle, but if no one ever plays baseball in the backyard, takes a trip to the park, throws a Frisbee, jumps on a treadmill, or heads to a soccer field, why would the kids come to value exercise? If it’s not part of their rhythm, it’s not part of their reality. The same is true for faith. If you want to instill an everyday faith in your kids lives, you have to incorporate faith in the daily rhythm.

Every family rhythm is different, but on a basic level, everyone wakes up, eats, travels, and sleeps. In Deuteronomy 6, Moses taps into this natural rhythm when he encourages his people to nurture lasting faith in their kids. “Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”

He was essentially saying, if you are going to impress these truths in the hearts of your children, you will have to be more deliberate about creating a rhythm within your home.

Have focused discussions during meal times.

Have playful and informal interactions while driving or walking.

Listen and have intimate conversations while tucking your kids in bed.

Encourage the hearts of your kids when you get up in the morning.

So think your family’s weekly rhythm. What does it look like?

Which nights do you tend to eat together?
What do you do when you first get home from work?
What is your nighttime routine to get ready for bed?
What do you do every Saturday morning?
How do you spend Sundays?

What can you do this week to be more intentional in your interactions with your kids during those moments?

Parents have an advantage when it comes to the issue of time. At least until your children are old enough to drive, you have a window of opportunity to maximize a relationship with your children by the way you handle time. The time you spend together as a family should be both interactive and intentional. When both are true, you increase the capacity and influence of your time with your kids.

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