Quote

"Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts." --Albert Einstein

What do you count when you look at your children? (e.g. grades, developmental milestones, minutes without whining, hours without fighting...)

What things do you want your children to develop that cannot be counted? (e.g. love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control...)

Children's Christmas Choir (1st Grade - 14yrs)

Practices have begun for the Christmas Choir that will be part of worship on December 14th.
Practices are as follows:
Wed. November 12, 6:45-7:15pm in room 171
Sat. Novemeber 15, 8:45-10:45am in Worship Center
Wed. November 19, 6:45-7:15pm in room 171
Wed. December 3, 6:45-7:15pm in room 171
Wed. December 10, 6:45-8:00pm in room 171

If you have any questions about this choir please call 303-986-1527.

Blog Safety, at Least a Starter

Blogging (online “diaries” of various kinds and contents) and social networking (websites where users post information about themselves and connect to other users) are increasingly dominating parts of the internet world. Many teenagers and even younger children are interested in or participate in this kind of web usage. The website http://www.childnet-int.org/blogsafety/index.html has some good basic information to help parents start investigating the safety of the way their children use the internet. There is no substitute for parent supervision and good communication between kids and adults, but www.childnet-int.org is a way to understand some of the issues involved and get the conversation started. Don’t wait—talk to your child about how he/she uses the internet today!

A Thought to Ponder

Not from Scripture, but maybe worth a moment's consideration...

"Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so. One day I shall dig my nails into the earth, or bury my face in the pillow, or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky and want, more than all the world, your return." --Mary Jean Iron

Sometimes parenting can seem unglamourous and so routine, the days running together or the battles always re-ocurring. Perhaps an increased respect for the normal can give a new perspective on the continuing process of shaping kids to become followers of Christ.

What Are You Reading?

Reading is an excellent way to spend time with your child. Reading time can accomplish more than just entertainment, however. One website suggests asking some of these questions when looking for a good book:
Does the book have literary value?
Does the book re-emphasize a Biblical worldview or the Judeo-Christian heritage in some way?
Does the book teach, through whatever means, what is moral or just or true?
Does the book encourage to love and good works?
Does the book exemplify warmth, tenderness, courage, humor, and other values and characteristics that we desire our children to be exposed to?
Does the book nourish the intellect and fire the imagination?
Does the book cross age barriers to be enjoyed by all?
Here are the books this website came up with. Look for some old favorites, or try something new!

What's That Song?

If your child has ever come home from church humming something you've never heard, or your insistent toddler wants you to sing somthing you can't make out, maybe a trip to www.kidsownworship.com is in order. This is the website for the curriculum used on Sunday mornings at SGC, and all the songs used in the curriculum are featured for individual download. (Click on this link right here or click on "Order and Download Songs Instantly" and then choose "FaithWeaver/KidsOwn Worship Fall 2008 Song Downloads" from the Music list). Songs are only 99 cents each, and you can custom make a CD of your children's favorites or challenge yourself and them to learn some new tunes. FaithWeaver songs are fun to listen to and many of them contain direct scripture verses set to music. Check it out!

Promotion Sunday Reminder

"Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine."

Don't forget--Promotion Sunday is August 31st! Watch for posted information to help everyone enjoy new classes, new teachers, and new chances to grow in knowing and loving God.

Promotion Sunday

Mark your calendars! August 31st is Promotion Sunday. That's the day all children from 2 years old through 3rd grade move up into new classes for this school year. Children who are 2 as of October 1 will start in the 2 year old class, room 212. Each class after that will move to the next age group/room. Watch for posted information to answer questions about which class your student moves into on the 31st.

Attention, Dads of Daughters

Fathers of daughters have an important role in the way their girls think about themselves and the world. The website http://www.dadsanddaughters.org has lots of information about this special relationship. It is not a website written from a Christian or even a spiritual perspective, but there is some good insight just the same. The Dad’s Quiz provides a good way to check some important parts of your relationship with your daughter, there are some articles for dads who don’t live with their daughters full time, and there is even a section for daughters who want to get closer to their dads. Without the influence of the truth of God’s Word there are some definite gaps in the advice, but it is a good reminder just the same to look carefully at the relationship between father and daughter.

New Ways to Get Them Talking

If your family is like most, it is hard to come up with different ways to talk around the dinner table. This idea (found at this web link) may help. Have each family member bring a small object that's important to them to the dinner table. It can be a toy, a picture, anything. Place all the objects as a centerpiece (to keep little guys from playing with them during dinner!) and let everyone take a turn sharing why they chose what they chose.

Times of Transtion

The school year is wrapping up and everyone is getting ready for summer. In this time of transition it is never too early to look at the culture that our children must maneuver through on a daily basis. One place to help them do that in God honoring ways is The Center for Parent and Youth Understanding or cpyu.org. Check it out for great links and articles about culture and how to help them navigate it with Christ as the focus.

A Great Storybook

The Jesus Storybook Bible is wonderfully illustrated and fascinatingly told. It helps the reader understand God's extravagant love for his people and how he he has been loving us from the very beginning. Check out http://sallylloyd-jones.com/JSBB.html for more on the author and this book.

Hannah Montana Craze--Balance It

Click here for a link to an great article about how to talk to our children about choices people make and how we should view celebrities.

GetExpelled.com not bad

Depending on what you and your family talk about this movie release may be great dinner conversation. It is most likely something that 4th through 6th graders would understand. Check out the site getexpelled.com to find out more about intelligent design and the movie release. If any of you go and see the movie SGC Children's Ministry would like to know what you thought.

Upcoming Events:

Father/Daughter Dinner
March 7th 6:30-8:30pm
$5 per ticket ($10 max per family)

Journey Jams
March 14- Swimming in Eggs
April 4- Big Games
May 2-Ultimate Frisbee (6-8pm)

Easter Eggstravagana
Saturday March 15 at 10am
Invite your friends and family to this event!
A light breakfast will be served (Birth-4th grade)

SGC's Got Talent
April 11th from 7-9pm
Pick up an application form in the Welcome Center (starting Mar. 9th)
or call 303.986.1527 for registration.

Pinewood Derby
April 26th at 8:30am
Sponsored by MDK

Mother/Daughter Tea
April 30th from 6:30-8pm
Find out more about Pioneer Girls and join us for the year end tea!
(4yrs-6th grade)

VBS- Son World Adventure Park
June 23,24,25,26,27
8:45am-noon
$18 per child ($35 max per family)
Registration forms available on March 9

Water Day
July 11th from 11:30am-2pm
Bring a sack lunch and a swim suit !

Show Time 08- Summer Musical
Han's Bronson's Gold Medal Mission
July 21st-Aug 3 from 9:30-Noon
Performance at 6pm (Aug 3)

All Church Picnic
August 10th, directly following the 2nd service

The Dove Foundation (nothing to do with cosmetics)

The Dove Foundation is a group that seeks to find quality movies that elevate the human spirit. While this might not be a Christian perspective on movies, it does give a some good choices for enterainment for your family. Check out their winners for 2007 by clicking here.

Get you and your children interacting about God's Word

Check out famtime.com for some great ways to interact around God's word in your home. All they ask if for an email address and you get access to 10 different ways to explore scripture. Check it out.

Massive Resource List

Below is a large list of resources that can be used in parenting.

Key for Resources
· Parents leading a “Christian” family.
· “Fathering” Christianly.
· Directing the spiritual lives of their children.
· General family oriented


Books

Bold Love
Dr. Dan Allender

Every Young Man’s Battle: Strategies for Victory in the Real World of Sexual Temptation
Stephen Arterburn & Fred Stoeker

Every Young Woman’s Battle: Guarding Your Mind, Heart, and Body in a Sex-Saturated World
Stephen Arterburn & Shannon Ethridge

Generation Next
Real Teens
Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions
George Barna

Teenage Boys! Shaping the Man Inside
Bill Beausay

The Body Project: An Intimate History of American Girls
Joan Jacobs Brumberg

How to Really Love Your Teenager
Ross Campbell

The 7 Secrets of Effective Fathers: Becoming the Father Your Children Need
Dr. Ken Canfield

Beside Every Great Dad
Dr. Ken Canfield & Nancy Swihart

Lost Boys and the Moms Who Love Them
Melody Carlson, Heather Kopp, and Linda Clare

Hurt: Inside the World of Today’s Teenagers
Chap Clark

Parenting Teens with Love & Logic
Foster Cline & Jim Fay

Raising Great Kids
Dr Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend

Pushed to the Edge: How to Stop the Child Competition Race so Everyone Wins
Donna G. Corwin

Dare to Discipline
The Strong Willed Child
Bringing Up Boys
Parenting Isn’t for Cowards
Parents’ Answer Book
Preparing for Adolescence
James Dobson

Children at Risk
James Dobson & Gary Bauer

Shaping the Spiritual Life of Students
Richard R. Dunn

All Grown Up and No Place to Go: Teenagers in Crisis
The Hurried Child
David Elkind

How to Get Your Teen to Talk to You
Connie Grigsby and Kent Julian

Raising Adults
Jim Hancock

A Tribe Apart: A Journey into the Heart of American Adolescence
Patricia Hersch

Mom, Everyone Else Does!
Mom, I Hate My Life!
Mom, I Feel Fat!
Sharon A. Hersh

Parenting Adolescents
Kevin Huggins

Common Sense Parenting
Dr. Kent Hughes

Ten Mistakes Parents Make With Teenagers
Jay Kesler

Why Johnny Can’t Tell Right From Wrong
William Kilpatrick

Grace-Based Parenting
Dr. Tim Kimmel

Keeping Your Family Strong in a World Gone Wrong
Making Children Mind Without Losing Yours
Adolescence isn’t Terminal
Bringing Up Kids Without Tearing them Down
Dr. Kevin Leman

The Dirt on Breaking Up
Justin Lookadoo & Hayley DiMarco

The Dirt on Sex
Justin Lookadoo

Right From Wrong
Beyond Belief to Convictions
Josh McDowell

Understanding Today’s Youth Culture
Walt Mueller

Helping the Struggling Adolescent
Helping Your Struggling Teenager: A Parenting Handbook on 36 Common Problems
Les Parrott

The Family: Unchanging Principles for Changing Times
Dorothy Kelley Patterson

Not Much Just Chillin’: The Hidden Lives of Middle Schoolers
Linda Perlstein

Like Dew Your Youth: Growing Up With Your Teenager
Eugene Peterson

Growing a Spiritually Strong Family
Parenting Today’s Adolescent
Dennis & Barbara Rainey

Uncommon Sense for Parents with Teenagers
Michael Riera

Parenting Without Perfection: Being a Kingdom Influence in a Toxic World
David John Seel Jr.

The Gift of Honor
Gary Smalley & John Trent

Sex Has a Price Tag
Pam Stenzel

The Art of Talking With Your Teenager
Paul Swets

The Pressured Child: Helping Your Child Find Success in School & Life
Michael Thompson

Spiritual Growth of Children
John Trent, Rick Osborne

Age of Opportunity: A Biblical Guide to Parenting Teens
Paul Tripp

Shepherding a Child's Heart
Tedd Tripp

Intensive Care: Helping Teens in Crisis
Rich Van Pelt

Why Do They Act That Way? A Survival Guide to the Adolescent Brain for You and Your Teen
Dr. David Walsh

Parents in Pain
John White


Web Sites

Growing Families International
http://www.gfi.org/index.htm

Focus on the Family resources
http://www.family.org/resources

Walk Through The Bible – Parenting & Family Resources
http://www.walkthru.org/CC_Content_Page/0,,PTID310806%7CCHID615418%7CCIID,00.html

Dr. Tim Kimmel’s site
http://www.familymatters.net/

Family Life
http://www.familylife.com/1-800-358-6329/category.asp?cat=Parenting

Object lesson approach to family devotions
http://famtime.com/

Parent Ministry
http://www.parentministry.org/

The Center for Parent-Youth Understanding
http://www.cpyu.org/

Christianity Today for Teens
http://www.christianitytoday.com/teens/

Christianity Today – parenting
http://www.christianitytoday.com/parenting

Screen It – in-depth movie reviews (requires $$ subscription)
http://www.screenit.com/

List of Christian Colleges
http://www.christiancollegementor.org/

Plugged In – publication by Focus on the Family
http://www.pluggedinonline.com/

The National Center for Fathering
http://www.fathers.com/

Magazines

Plugged In
Helping parents and youth leaders guide teens through the world of popular youth culture.
Focus on the Family

Youthculture@today
A ministry to build strong families by equipping parents, youth workers, and educators to understand the world of children & teens, by equipping teens to deal with the challenges of adolescence, and by equipping both parents and teens to live by the light of God’s word.
Center for Parent/Youth Understanding (http://www.cpyu.org/)

Relevant
God. Life. Progressive culture.
http://www.relevantmagazine.com/

Breakaway (for boys)
Focus on the Family

Brio (for girls)
Focus on the Family

Campus Life
Zondervan

Tis' The New Year

With the season of Christmas in the rear view mirror research regarding giving is just being released. Read the short blip below for some interesting statistics on children and giving.


Kids Want to Give Back
Kids are not as consumer-minded as you may think and 91 percent of kids want to help others, says a newly released study by Just Kid, Inc. The market research firm — who surveyed 2,000 children between the ages of 6 and 14 — offers strategies based on input from children and encourages retailers to provide kids with less selfish purchasing incentives.
Fifty-eight percent of kids choose volunteering over playing video games and 38 percent would rather see money for their gifts go to a worthy cause instead of receiving a present, says Foxbusiness.com. More than half responded that they have the ability to make a positive change in the world while nine percent said that kids who volunteer are "nerds." But, when the children were given a choice between participating on a sports team or a club that raises money for a worthy cause, 51 percent chose the fundraising club.
Although children may express a desire to help others, Dr. Robert Reiner, child psychologist and Executive Director of Behavioral Associates, said it all has to do with parental "modeling." "If a child's parents are interested [in giving back], there is a chance that they will be interested, too," Reiner said. "But if adults can't deny instant gratification, why should we think kids can?"
Copyright © 2007, Focus on the Family All rights reserved. International copyright secured.

Check back soon for upcoming events.