I cannot believe that the summer is wrapping up and the new school year starts in just a few short weeks away. I pray that the positive lessons and decisions made at summer camp were not lost due to COVID. Please encourage your teen to continue to grow spiritually, rather than focus on negative aspects of the summer.  I was glad we were able to take that time of spiritual enrichment, but that isn't where it ends. We are continuing our Sunday school lessons on Sunday mornings at 9:30am and also our Wednesday evening teen service at 6:30pm. In addition to these regularly scheduled weekly meetings, we also have the Men's Advance Conference this month and there will be more retreats coming this year. Another important element of spiritual growth is our personal daily quiet time. It time for teens to order the new year's quiet time books. Cost is $21 (yes this is less than previous years) and the deadline to order is August, 15. Books can be ordered (HERE).
Our end of summer trip to Six Flags, St. Louis is planned for Tuesday, August 10th. Be sure to have your teen signup ASAP.
Add the date of August 25th to your calendars for our annual parent meeting. We will be discussing our plans for this coming year. 

> August 6-7 - Men's Advance
> Tuesday, August 10 - Six Flags Trip
> Sunday, August 15 - Deadline for Quiet Time Orders (ORDER HERE)
> Wednesday, August 25 - Parent Meeting

May Divorce Never Be With You ~Matthew 19:6
Objective:
Students will learn a biblical approach to divorce and be challenged to respond appropriately to those who have been impacted by divorce.
Key Thought: 
Be the force against divorce.
Lesson Summary:
This lesson was part of a four-part series called “Deal With It: A Biblical Approach to Tough Topics.” In each of the four parts of this series, we will discover the biblical approach to some rather difficult topics. In this lesson, we took the principles from Scripture and applied them to the topic of divorce.

Before a discussion of divorce, we discussed God’s view of marriage. Not only did the students learn how God instituted marriage, but how God feels about divorce.

It is very likely your student has experience with divorce, either in their own family or a friend’s family. With that being said, your student learned how to help others going through a divorce.

Finally, we stressed the importance of building a godly Christian character so your student can prepare himself/herself for marriage in the future.

Ask yourself this question, “When was the last time I talked to my child about divorce?” Maybe it is time to talk about divorce, your feelings about it, and your hopes for your child in their future marriage. If possible, have an open dialogue about the topic. Be sure to include God’s view of it while discussing the reality of our world. This is a golden opportunity to talk about marriage with your child and how he/she can prepare to be a good spouse. If divorce has touched you personally, strive to create a culture in your home where you and your child can have an open discussion about divorce and learn to lean on God and each other for strength. For some fantastic parental advice on how to talk to your teens, visit www.axis.org 
for parent guides or to sign up for the free Cultural Translator email.

Finding Joy in the Valley ~Psalm 23:4
Objective:
Students will discover the comfort in God’s promises when facing the death of a loved one and build confidence in helping others who are dealing with death.
Key Thought: 
Death is not an end, but a beginning.
Lesson Summary:
This lesson was part of a four-part series called, “Deal With It: A Biblical Approach to Tough Topics.” In each of the four parts of this series, we will discover the biblical approach to some rather difficult topics. In this lesson, we took the principles from Scripture and applied them to the difficult topic of death.

We introduced the students to the Great Shepherd who walks through the valley of the shadow of death with them (Psalm 23). We challenged the students to help others who experience the death of a loved one by doing something practical, by being sensitive, and, when needed, being quiet.

We challenged the students to look at death from their own perspective. Are they ready to face death one day? Do they know Jesus as Savior? What are they doing to prepare themselves for the valleys in life?

Death is a difficult subject. It’s understandable why this is a topic not regularly discussed in car rides to school or soccer practice, but it is not a subject that should be ignored. If possible, have a conversation with your teen this week to discuss how your family can make a plan to take some practical steps to be a comfort to those who have lost a loved one. Here is a list of suggested ways that your family can help when the need arises.
Let this be an opportunity for your family to demonstrate the love of Christ to those who have experienced the loss of a loved one. For some fantastic parental advice on how to talk to your teens, visit www.axis.org for parent guides or to sign up for the free Cultural Translator email.

Where is the Hope? ~ Romans 8:28
Objective:
Students will learn a biblical approach for dealing with tragedy and be encouraged to express daily trust in God’s love.
Key Thought: 
The greatest tragedy is not learning from it.
Lesson Summary:
This lesson was part of a four-part series called “Deal With It: A Biblical Approach to Tough Topics.” In each of the four parts of this series, we will discover the biblical approach to some rather difficult topics. In this lesson, we took principles from Scripture and applied them to the difficult topic of tragedy.

The very first tragedy was in the Garden of Eden. Sin was introduced to mankind and tragedy followed right behind. Since then, tragedies have become a regular part of life. You cannot escape tragedy, but you can allow it to teach you powerful life lessons.

Students learned how to find hope in the middle of tragedy, to learn from their tragedies. This learning and transformation process that happens in tragedies can be life-changing. When we understand the love God has for us and choose to trust Him, tragedy becomes a learning activity. We focused on Romans 8:18-39 and discovered the unending love of Christ even in the midst of tragedy.

Tragedies will happen, but tragedy does not have to mean a tragic life. At the end of the lesson, your teen was given a card to write out what he/she has learned or is learning from his/her greatest tragedy. Take some time to walk through this exercise with your teen.
In addition, consider sharing some of the toughest times in your life with your teen and the lessons you have learned along the way. This could have a powerful impact on your teen as he/she faces the days ahead. For some fantastic parental advice on how to talk to your teens, visit www.axis.org for parent guides or to sign up for the free Cultural Translator email.

What Can You Do? ~ Luke 6:27-28
Objective:
Students will learn what the Bible says about the behavior of a bully and will be encouraged to respond to bullies and the victims of a bully in a Christ-like way.
Key Thought: 
If you see something, do something.
Lesson Summary:
This lesson was part of the four-lesson series called “Deal With It: A Biblical Approach to Tough Topics.” The goal of the “Deal With It” series is to do what most are afraid to do with a difficult topic, deal with it. Tonight’s topic was bullying/cyberbullying.

Bullying is commonplace in today’s culture, especially for students. Unfortunately, it’s not just something they face at school, but also on computer screens and text messages. Because of cyberbullying, it is something that many students are dealing with on a regular basis.

So how can your student handle a bully? We challenged your teen in this way, “if you see something, do something.” Using Luke 6:27-36, we challenged your teen with how to respond in a Christ-like way to someone who bullies. Using Luke 10:25-37, we challenged your teen with how to respond to someone who has been the victim of bullying.

This is a great opportunity to talk to your teen about bullying. Has your student ever experienced bullying? Ask them. If not, ask if they have ever seen it happen. Work through a plan to use when he/she knows that bullying is happening. Standing up to a bully and showing a bully love are some tough asks, but God can really use your student to make an impact with these two actions. For some fantastic parental advice on how to talk to your teens, visit www.axis.org for parent guides or to sign up for the free Cultural Translator email.