Kid Vid Veto Pledge Total Nearly Doubles This Weekend!

I am excited to announce that the bulk of our Kid Vid Veto pledges seems to have finally come in! When I got into my office this morning and counted everything that came in over the weekend we had nearly doubled what had already come in! WAY TO GO, EVERYONE! We were a little slower to collect it than usual, but now we're on track going from around $800 to nearly $1500 as of today! With our monthly giving so far added in, we are almost exactly half way to our $3200 goal for 2010! Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about! Everyone deserves a great pat on the back and huge CONGRATULATIONS for all their hard work!! I'm proud of all of you!

On that note: I'm also excited to report that this week at District Council we were given a plaque for our giving last year and ended up giving over $3200 in 2009 according to District records! I had us barely making our $3000 goal, but the District office says we actually hit the 2010 goal in 2009. WOW! So we should easily be able to hit it again this year! In 2009 we were 81st in the Nation for giving to BGMC among churches in our size category! Not too shabby! Let's blow it out of the water this year for the Kingdom of God and keep pushing! We've still got $1600 to go by the end of this year!

REMINDER: Because we reached our goal, we'll be having our huge BGMC Goal Party May 28th from 5pm to 10pm complete with the usual food, crafts, games, video arcade, movie room and A BOUNCE HOUSE outside! So be sure to reserve that Friday night. Your kids get all of this for free as their reward. Of course, we're going to need as many parents as we can get to help us chaperone the event. More info will be coming in the next week or so!

Use Generosity to Teach Honor

Honor means treating people as special, doing more than what's expected, and having a good attitude. We work hard to develop honor in family life and are continually looking for new ways to teach it.

One helpful way to teach honor is to be generous as a family. Generosity opens our hearts as well as the hearts of the people who receive from us. Giving doesn't just focus on money. In fact, money is one of the easier things to give. A harder gift is that of time, attention, loyalty, or commitment to others.

Giving can be exciting. Planning the surprise, delivering it, watching the person's response, and enjoying the personal satisfaction of giving all add joy to family life. When a family works together to be generous, something happens in the members who participate. They feel a sense of teamwork. They enjoy the satisfaction of giving, not just individually, but the good sense of family pride.

Giving is fun and doing it in secret can make it even more exciting. Be on the lookout for honor opportunities for your family. Sometimes families will plan an anonymous gift. Hannah, age thirteen, reported that she overheard Mrs. Robertson talk about losing all her encyclopedias when her basement flooded. Knowing that the Robertson family didn't have a lot of money, Hannah's family decided to replace them. They went to several libraries asking for a used set. They paid a small price for a set that was newer than the one Mrs. Robertson had lost. They decided to give the set anonymously, which meant more planning and careful strategy.

Seeing a need and meeting it through an anonymous gift became a meaningful experience for Hannah's family. In fact, Hannah herself saw that her own observation contributed to the family's decision.


This tip comes from the book, Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes, In You and Your Kids by Dr Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN.

AWANA THEME NIGHT: Twin/Triplet Night!

Some pictures from previous years!Tonight is Awana as usual starting at 6:30pm! But remind your kids that we're having a special theme night tonight and have them call their bestest buddy to coordinate clothes so that they look like twins! Or maybe call two friends and be triplets. Tonight they'll get extra points when they check in with a friend or two who is dressed identically to them. So have fun with it tonight and come join us for another exciting club night!

Envision a Positive Future

Take a few minutes and imagine what your children will be like as adults. Some parents have immediate thoughts of terror and doom, but instead, look at the good qualities your children have and imagine how those qualities will benefit them later in life. Then share those observations with your children.

Envisioning a positive future looks beyond the day-to-day discipline and says, "I see qualities in you that are going to make you successful." Statements like, "With that kind of thoughtfulness you're going to make a great husband." Or "Your thoroughness is going to make you a valuable employee someday." When parents learn to view their children this way, they look past the daily grind of parenting to what their children are becoming. What is my child good at? What do I see now that will bring success as my child grows?

We've probably all heard the statement that children believe what we say about them. If a parent tells a child he'll never amount to anything, he's likely to incorporate that into his belief about himself and it may end up becoming true. We can take that same principle and teach our children to see the good in themselves, the specific ways that God has blessed them.

Interestingly enough, giving our children a positive vision for the future encourages them to live up to it now. The qualities we focus on end up being the ones they see in themselves and develop.

Envisioning a positive future gives our children hope and direction. It says, "You're going to make it." "I believe in you." It's a way to honor our children. Like giving them a gift that will last a lifetime, a hopeful way of looking at themselves and their life.

After all God does this for us on a regular basis. Verses like Philippians 1:6 give us hope to live now to the fullest. "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."


This tip comes from the book, Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes, In You and Your Kids by Dr Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN.

BGMC Weekend!

This weekend is BGMC Weekend! We've brought in nearly a thousand dollars in pledges for the Kid Vid Veto, but that leaves us with $2000 yet to go so we've still got to bring in those Buddy Barrels every month filled with change and maybe some cash! Remind your kids to bring theirs in this weekend with whatever they've collected. Every little bit helps the kingdom of God and moves us closer to our goal.

And there's only one more month until our Big BGMC Goal party in celebration for last year's reached goal! Put it on your calendar now. It's scheduled for Friday night, May 28th! Besides all the usual fun stuff we have at this giant party, we're planning to have a bounce house this year as well. That's why we put it off for a few months so that we could get some warm weather! We'll also be needing parental help to make this party a success. So make sure to put it on your family calendar! More information will be coming soon!

Talk to Teens about Character

Teens are at an important stage in life where they are developing their own value system. Sometimes teens seem unresponsive to parental leadership but what you say has more weight than you imagine. Take time to identify character strengths and weaknesses and then respond accordingly.

When you see a problem, relating a consequence to the specific weakness can be more productive than just "grounding" a teen.

You might say, "I sense an ungrateful spirit in you, yet you seem to continually want me to sacrifice. I don't mind helping you, but I'm going to say no this time and I'll watch and see if your gratefulness increases for the things I'm already doing for you." This type of response teaches young people the value of gratefulness instead of just considering their own goals and desires.

A teen who lacks thoughtfulness about household chores may need a contract where parents agree to drive to an activity if the teen agrees to clean out the car. This again forces young people to give up demandingness and think of the needs of others. Sometimes teens want to come and go as they please but expect food on the table and their clothes cleaned.

One mom who was raising her fifth teenager said, "Alan is 13 now. When he was in kindergarten he was diagnosed with ADHD. He is often assertive in order to control situations. My husband and I have learned over the years that what we see as areas of weakness can turn into areas of strength later on. Alan is daring, not afraid to try something new. This last summer he went on a mission trip and was the youngest member of the team. He did well and was bolder than many of the adults. They found his assertiveness an encouragement."

Make observations for teens and give them feedback about their character.
"It looks like you're easily influenced by your peers."
"You seem to be having trouble managing money."
"Those words are unkind."

Don't overdo negative observations but helping teens see character weaknesses can be an effective way to help them grow. Look for positive character qualities to affirm as well.
“Thank you for taking initiative to clean up the kitchen.”
“Looks like you’re becoming more conscientious with your schoolwork.”

Giving your teen character-based feedback will be quite helpful over time.



This tip comes from the book, Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes, In You and Your Kids by Dr Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN.

Awana clubs tonight at 6:30pm - Wear tennis shoes!

Another week of Awana clubs is here! Make sure your kids wear some appropriate footwear for game time. We'll probably play outside again since the weather is so nice!

A Fun Way To Teach Children to be Servants

One of the roadblocks to sibling harmony is selfishness. Children want to be first or best. Teaching kids to serve others is an important way for them to learn honor. A servant gives more than half, considers others' needs, and looks for ways to benefit those around him. Children who learn to be servants make better employees, develop meaningful friendships, and enjoy relationships more.

One fun way to teach children to be servants is the "I Cut, You Pick" Rule. It helps children who both want the last piece of cake, or plan to split a chocolate bar. It simply goes like this. When children must divide something between the two of them, ask one child if he would rather cut or pick. The other alternative goes to the second child. This plan motivates the person cutting to be as equal as possible.

Now, instead of two children arguing about who got the biggest piece, they are both involved in the solution. The "I Cut, You Pick" rule equips children with a tool they can use in many situations to bring peace instead of frustration in relationships.

The technique actually comes from a Bible story of Abraham and Lot. They had too many herds and not enough food so they decided to divide the land between the two huge families. Abraham, being a wise servant of God, said, "I'll cut the land into two pieces and you pick which one you'd like." In the story, Lot chose what appeared to be the better piece but Abraham was rewarded in the end and, most importantly, their relationship was preserved.



This tip comes from the book, Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes, In You and Your Kids by Dr Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN.

Have you taken a moment this week to look over your child's "Road Map" take-home paper from last weekend?

We have another weekend of exciting CW Playhouse Services planned for your kids as we transition to a more specific focus on the life of Jesus in our Young Explorers lessons on Missions. Remember that we are now running full Playhouse services at both SNS (Saturday Night Service) starting at 5:30pm, and SMS (Sunday Morning Service) starting at 10am. But the question is, are you partnering with us to discuss these lessons with your kids at home? Remember that YOU, Mom & Dad, are the primary instructors of your children. It is our job as the church to give you tools and provide opportunity for your kids to exercise their faith and training in ministry. But a couple hours a week at church won't effect your kids much if they're not having that church teaching reinforced at home through intentional time spent in spiritual training and authentic living by their parents all week long.

So be sure to ask your kids for their "Road Map" take-home page every week after service so you can peruse it and see what they've been taught and discuss it with them for 10 minutes. Help them fill in the blanks and sign it for them, then help them not to lose it during the week, so they still have it around to take back to church the following weekend. Maybe you can discuss it again on the way to church the next week too. We encourage your kids to push you from their end to sit down with them and look it over too, by offering them a piece of candy for returning it filled out to Rowdy's Raccoon's Treehouse. So don't let your kids come to church empty handed and watch other kids get that treat, make sure they've got a Bible and a Road Map sheet folded within it's pages when they leave for church this weekend. That's the way to make kids church the most effective tool it can be in your child's life. Anything less increases greatly the risk that your child will sit and be entertained and forget most of what their taught the rest of the week! It can and does happen all the time without parental involvement!

Understanding Attitudes And How To Change Them

Consider what author Charles Swindoll says about attitude: "The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is... more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do... The remarkable thing is that we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it."


"Attitude" is a shorthand term used to summarize many different feelings, thoughts, and behaviors all at the same time. Various triggers provoke attitudes and simply hearing a word or seeing a signal can change a person's perspective. All Mom has to do is say Derek?! with that certain voice, for instance, and Derek knows she is going to ask him to do something. He responds with a disgusted groan.


Victoria gets to school and sees a pink slip taped to her locker again. She doesn't even read it but rolls her eyes and moans, knowing that it's a call to the office. Triggers like these quickly move people into attitudes that in part determine how they’ll respond to a situation.

Attitudes actually have three components: behavior, emotion, and beliefs. Each of these components can be useful in the change process. The behavior is the flag that tells you there’s a problem. Emotion adds energy to the situation and helps to determine when’s the best time to address the issue, and the beliefs tell you what needs to be addressed on a heart level.

Many parents only focus on the first component, behavior, telling kids to "stop pouting," or "Don't roll your eyes at me." Furthermore, these parents tend to focus only on what not to do instead of what the child should do. It usually isn't helpful just to tell a child to "Stop having a bad attitude" without giving more guidance for developing a better response.


Remember that the goal of discipline is not just to make your children less annoying. As you correct your children for bad attitudes, you are preparing them for the future. After all, they will experience similar situations continually throughout their lives.

Look for ways to help your children think differently. Listening carefully to your child can help you identify thinking errors that lead to a bad attitude. What hidden belief might Jeremy, age ten, have? He complains and argues when you ask him to do the dishes? Maybe he believes, "Chores are an interruption to my life and not my responsibility." If pressed, he may also reveal a belief, "All work is hard and unpleasant, and I must try to avoid it." A positive attitude about work comes from several new values such as "Work is necessary in order to brings benefits to me and to others" and "My contribution to family life is a statement of gratefulness for what I have."

Changing attitudes requires exposure to new ways of thinking. You can provoke your children to more healthy attitudes through dialogue, modeling, and correction. But remember, heart change takes time. We can change behavior quickly, but heart change goes deeper and lasts longer.




This parenting tip comes from the book Good and Angry, Exchanging Frustration for Character in You and Your Kids by Dr Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN,BSN.

Awana clubs tonight at 6:30pm - Wear tennis shoes!

Awana clubs resume for the month of April starting tonight at 6:30pm! See you then!

NOTE: Please help your kids remember to wear TENNIS SHOES on Wednesday nights to club so that we have less foot injuries in game time. If the weather holds, we will probably play outside tonight. Thanks. - PK

Teach Children How to Listen

A very important skill that children will need as adults is the ability to listen. Listening isn't easy. Most people would rather talk. Children interrupt, yell, and talk over each other, often resulting in misunderstanding. Teaching children how to listen can be a way to help them become less selfish.

One mom told how she taught her children to listen. "I use this technique whenever my boys are in conflict over a toy. I sit them down with the toy on the table and say, 'You can play with the toy as soon as you both agree on a plan.' I encourage them each to share an idea and listen to the other's idea. I teach them about compromise, working together, and sharing, but I let them work it out. Sometimes they'll both be stubborn and I'll have them stay there until they can agree on a plan. I coach them along when they need it. They must always report back to me before continuing to play, providing an opportunity for me to affirm unselfishness and cooperation."

It can be fun to teach a five-year-old how to persuade a two-year-old, or help two eight-year-olds negotiate a solution. Conflict is turned into cooperation through listening.

I (Scott) like to joke with children, "Do you know why God made lips for your mouth but not for your ears?" or, "Why do you think God gave you one mouth and two ears? It's because God wants you to quiet your mouth sometimes, so you can listen."

James 1:19 gives children very practical advice. "Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry." As a parent, you have many opportunities to teach this valuable skill.


This tip comes from the book, Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes, In You and Your Kids by Dr Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN.

KID VID VETO PLEDGES!?!

It has been 2 full weeks now since the Kid Vid Veto ended and we have still not had a great deal of pledge money come in. I'm starting to get quite concerned about kids collecting the money. Remind your kids that all their sacrifice was for nothing if they don't follow up by collecting pledge money. I know that I personally pledged several kids and only about half of them have come to me to collect. That concerns me more than anything, so don't let your kids miss out on collecting. Even if the pledges are less, every dollar helps toward our 2010 goal and the big reward party next year!

We've also had several adults who have turned in their total pledge monies to the church without telling us who they pledged. So some of it may have come in for you, but unless you go back to people and find out, we'll never know if we've collected it all. So far $300 has been turned in to the church, but in past years, we've brought in closer to $1000 or more on this fundraiser, so I'm sure there must be much more yet to come in. Keep going after it, kids, for Kingdom work around the globe!

Your kids and the Social Media Revolution

You might hate Facebook - but as a parent, ponder these stats for a minute:

• 96% of Generation Y (18 - 29 year-olds) has joined social networking.

• If Facebook members were a country, it would be the world's 4th largest behind China, India, and United States.

• Celebrities on Twitter have more followers than the population of Norway, Ireland and Panama.

• On YouTube, 13 hours of content are uploaded every minute.

Like it or not, we are raising children in a wired generation. As parents, we must have a consistent strategy on what technology our kids are exposed and under what parameters. Here are 10 Facebook rules to get you started:

1) Parents will know the password and have access to child's page.

2) Parents can customize their child's settings to make profile safer (privacy, visibility, etc).

3) Email of posts, friends, etc. come to family's home e-mail.

4) Parents will have an account on Facebook, and children must add and keep parents as "friends."

5) Children will not add strangers as friends, or use the Facebook "chat" application to talk to strangers.

6) Parents will set a limit on the time that children are allowed on Facebook.

7) The computer will be kept in a common area of the house, such as a living room or play room, where it will always be in easy view.

8) Children will not share personal information (address, phone number, pictures, etc.) with anyone on Facebook that they do not know well.

9) Children will immediately tell their parents if they see anything or talk to anyone on Facebook that makes them uncomfortable; and parents will take immediate action to block or report that material.

10) If the child breaks any of the set guidelines, his or her account will immediately be deleted and a probation period will begin until they re-earn their parents' trust.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION AND REMINDERS!

Tomorrow night, Friday the 2nd of April
is the FIRST Awana Grand Prix Car Workshop
at 6pm here at Prayer House!

It's Family Week!
No CW Playhouse services.
Families worship together on Saturday and Sunday.
Have a Blessed Resurrection Day Celebration!

Remind your kids to keep collecting their pledge money for the Kid Vid Veto!
(I personally sponsored a dozen kids and not one has come to collect yet!
Unfortunately I don't remember who they all are either.)
It's the child's responsibility to make all that sacrifice worth it by collecting pledges!

No Awana next Wednesday!
Make the most of Family Week. Share it with another Family.

There will be no Blueprints next week.
Pastor Kevin will be out of the office for Spring Break.

Saturday CW Playhouse goes to full services
(complete with praise & worship)
beginning NEXT WEEK!

Pastor Kevin & Aimee begin new Connect Group
at their house Sunday nights at 6pm
starting NEXT SUNDAY, APRIL 11TH
on the Master Life Threads & Raising a Modern Day Joseph.
Space is limited so call them to let them know you're coming!
This will be a 3 month series.

Monday night, April 12th is the next ON-GOING Volunteer Training opportunity at 6pm!
New volunteers Risk Orientation is at 5:30pm.

Phew! I think that's everything...

Pepsi Goes One Step Too Far and Parents Need to Go Further.

Even some soft drink companies aren't family-friendly anymore. A few months ago, PepsiCo Inc. decided to release an Apple iPhone application for its Amp Energy drink to appeal to guys out on the prowl. The app, called Amp Up Before You Score, purports to help men pick up any one of 24 types of women, such as the "Sorority Girl," "Cougar," "Rebound Girl" or "Punk Rock Girl." Users can choose the type of woman they have their eye on, and then get coached on facts that might be useful, such as computing a carbon footprint to impress "the Treehugger."

Suggested pick-up lines can be risqué. The app then takes the coaching a step further, encouraging users who "score" to post details such as name, date and comments for their pals via Facebook and Twitter. Disgusting.

This is just another example of a culture swimming in a sea of immorality. Your kid's only chance to stay on the straight and narrow? Your involvement. Talk to your older kids about the true meaning of sex and how and who it should be reserved for.

A study published in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence looked at 750 inner-city African American youth between the ages of 14 and 17. The researchers concluded that sexual behavior among the teens could be predicted with some accuracy based on each child's perceptions of his father's attitudes about sex.

To put this in more friendly terms, these teenagers' sexual activity was strongly influenced by what they knew their fathers' believed about sex. And it was true for fathers much more than mothers. Dads, as I've said, we determine the child's sex at conception, and we have a huge part in shaping the child's sexual expression later on.

First, we should realize that this is our role whether we want it or not. If it's an uncomfortable topic and you avoid talking about it, that's the message you're sending to your child about sex. You don't care about what happens, and she needs to make her own decisions - based on what others are saying and doing.

Or, she could face each day's pressures and temptations knowing exactly where you stand, and drawing on that knowledge to help her choose her course of action. Do you see how important it is for us to be involved?

So how do you give your child a clear message? The old "big talk" method has its merits, but we can't stop there. A one-shot discussion can't possibly cover every one of their questions and there's no way they'll remember everything you say.

An everyday, piece-by-piece method is much more effective. Take advantage of the "teachable moments" that come along in the context of life, and over time, fill in the picture of what you believe. Since it's coming right on the heels of something you saw on TV or something your son heard at school, it's much more meaningful.

Teachable moments happen at the grocery store, at the dinner table, in the middle of a one-on-one basketball challenge in the driveway ... anywhere. Be ready, dad. Make sure your children know where you stand. As they navigate the confusing world of sexuality, they need you as a sturdy reference point.