Parenting, Youth and the Kitchen Sink

Parenting, Youth and the kitchen Sink September 2016 From time to time, something will capture your attention, and take over your life. It may be a book. You begin reading, only to not be able to put it down until you finish. For some it could be a video game, like Minecraft. I can watch our kids be so engrossed in it day after day. For me, recently it was the Summer Olympics in Rio. I had no desire to have it consume me or even interest me at all, but then on a Saturday afternoon it was on and while I was toiling around the house, it caught my attention and I was engrossed in it! What is it about the Olympics that’s so engaging? Is it the unique sports, yes! Is it the amateur athletes who spend all their time working for this really brief moment for gold, yes! Is it the wall to wall coverage that kept me constantly engaged, yes! The Summer Olympics is a big stage for these athletes to be on. They have captured the attention of not only me but by many in our world including teenagers. Teens can really identify with these amateur athletes. After all, very few teens will ever compete and be successful on the professional stage. These events allow the teenagers to be willing to showcase abilities and gifts in a variety of sports rather than the sports considered to the “popular” or “main stream” sports. Also, and even more importantly, what are we to do, and especially those Christian athletes who have the type of forum that the Olympics provide? They have the opportunity to glorify God. I came across this article leading up to the games from “The Gospel Coalition” https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/6-christian-athletes-to-watch-at-rio-2016. I wish I would have read this a little sooner and been more focused on these athletes and their witness, but fortunately, I did not have to read this article beforehand to see and hear the witness of Christ take place. David Boudia was listed in the article above, but not his partner Steele Johnson. Fortunately, although Steele was not on the Christian radar, he certainly is now along with his diving partner. Here is what happened in Rio, http://religionnews.com/2016/08/07/steele-johnson-and-david-boudia-have-faith-in-their-diving/. Teens, all of us, have the opportunity to witness. Sometimes it is on a grand stage, sometimes it is with 25,000 others at the National Youth Gathering (NYG), sometimes it is in the back yard, at school, at home, in the car and there is always opportunity! The summer Olympics really captured my attention, but it was made even better when the witness of Christ was shared! God’s Blessings, Pastor Seabaugh

Parenting, Youth, the kitchen sink June 2016 Well, as the title suggests, be warned and be prepared! The next newsletters will focus on parents, youth, and the kitchen sink. As, I have pondered what to write about and what direction to go in, this one seems to be the most timely and needed! This journey will be challenging and at times filled with both sadness and joy! Obviously, I don’t have all the answers for everything that is taking place in the dynamic of parents, youth, and the kitchen sink, but like always, we will use God’s Word and other supplementary resources to guide us along the way! I do invite parents and youth, and the congregation to offer topic suggestions and/or questions that can be addressed here! I will also have an identical blog with this information so that you can access the topics and correspond with me that way also at http://gooshepyouthfuel.blogspot.com/. Let’s get started! I want to begin on a sad note from a group known as youth encounter ministries http://www.youthencounter.org/. While not a LCMS youth effort, they did provide some useful tools and useful events for youth. As a matter of fact, a few moons ago, we hosted a youth encounter event, but not well attended. In my previous stop at Redeemer in Pensacola we hosted a mission group on an annual basis. That be said, here is the news: Youth Encounter Closing its Doors Posted on February 29, 2016 by Meg Sawyer After 51 years of successful and fruitful ministry, Youth Encounter is shutting down operations and closing its doors at the end of April. Youth Encounter will finish its current event season on April 3, 2016 and then host two Feed the Need programs before ceasing operations. Several factors have contributed to this situation, including declining numbers of youth in the church, an increasingly competitive market for the attention of youth, and a challenging fundraising landscape. Youth Encounter has seen participation numbers and overall support decline for the past 10-15 years, creating debt and an unsustainable business model. Maybe this is a great place to start! After all, next month, 23 youth and adults from Good Shepherd will be hosted by our LCMS Youth Ministry at the National Youth Gathering http://www.lcmsgathering.com/ in New Orleans. Maybe this a great start since the LCMS has another youth endeavor known as http://higherthings.org/. Maybe this is a great start to realize that youth ministry is a challenge and joy, as most things are! Maybe this is another reminder that the “good ole days” are just that, and new models and accepting today’s realities is in order! This is a good start for much more discussion down the road! God’s Blessings! Pastor Seabaugh