Welcome Parents to our student ministry newsletter. This newsletter is a source for you to "be in the know" about what we are doing, teaching, and planning. We also hope to give you a little encouragement/support because parenting is hard and it doesn't come with a manual.
Make sure to check out the EVENTS & IMPORTANT DATES section below!
Important Info:
The Who: High School Students (9th-12th Grade)
The What: Four Day Retreat for High School Students
The When: February 14th @5:00pm - February 17th @12:00pm
The Where: @Harbor Villa Beach House in Rockaway Beach (MVCC will provide transportation to and from event)
The How: Register at https://mvcclive.com/high-school-winter-retreat-2020
We’re all making decisions now that can affect our laters—our futures—whether we like it or not and whether we realize it or not. And while many students may get this intuitively, there’s often a competing idea that what they do now doesn’t really matter in the long run. That’s why, in this series, you’ll be leading students to the secret behind good decision-making: wisdom. Through the wisdom found in Proverbs, you’ll help students learn what it looks like to apply wisdom to their everyday decisions NOW, which can lead them to a better life and a better future LATER.
WEEK 1:Wisdom now can help you miss mistakes later. (1.12)
WEEK 2: A good reputation is good for you now and good for you later. (1.19)
WEEK 3: The end you want tomorrow is connected to what you do today. (1.26)
WEEK 4: Patient people know there’s more to the story. (2.2)
WEEK 5: If you want to be heard, use gentle words. (2.9)
To find the Daily Devotionals for this series in the YouVersion Bible App, just search for the series title in the Reading Plans section of the app.
Today's marijuana is not the same weed that was available when your generation was growing up as teenagers. These days, marijuana carries a much bigger punch.
A new study released in March 2015 found that marijuana today is up to three times more powerful than back in the 1980s.
The research was conducted in Colorado using more than 600 legal marijuana samples provided by recreational retail merchants. Results of the study found that the test samples contained quantities of the chemical that makes people "high" - tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) --of between 20% and 30%. By contrast, the THC levels from marijuana samples tested during the 1980s were all under 10%.
Why the big uptick in the levels of THC in marijuana? The researchers pointed to pot growers crossbreeding different marijuana strains - as users have demanded stronger marijuana -- for the cause of the increase.
Why it matters:
- Cultural acceptance of recreational marijuana use (and specifically within youth culture) is on the rise. Parents should assume that their teenagers will be exposed to marijuana use.
- Teens might be aware of the increase of marijuana potency, but likely do not have any realistic perspective of what more powerful pot means, especially for those teens who have never experimented with marijuana before.
- Parents should take the initiative to discuss marijuana use with their teenagers, to gain insight into the prevailing attitudes and behaviors concerning marijuana among their teen's peers and friends, and to set clear expectations and consequences regarding experimentation and use by their kids.
Check out this simple podcast for some tips and encouragement:
