Parents of Athletes: How to Prepare Your Student for Middle School Athletics

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Subject Line: How to Prepare Your Student for Middle School Athletics

Dear Parents,

As your child uncovers new interests and hobbies, some of them might discover they like sports. From t-ball to soccer to cheer, sports give students a chance to learn teamwork, character, and exercise.  As they develop, they may want to keep going in middle school.

But sometimes, parents aren’t sure of how to prepare them for the next level, athletically and spiritually. Our latest parent video gives you very specific steps to help your child in a good direction. Just click the link below to get started.

https://vimeo.com/parentministry/review/504848321/bfbec28d0a

As your church, we are thankful your family is in the community taking God’s light and love! We are praying for you and continue to support you. Please let me know if you ever need anything.

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Subject Line: For Parents of Athletes

Today’s video is for a specific group of parents- raising children who play sports. Proverbs 16:3 asks us to “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” Did you know God cares about you and your family? As your child discovers what they like and dislike, you may discover God gave your child the ability to play sports. 

Because He is loving and kind, He doesn’t ever force Himself into our lives. We have the privilege to invite Him into all areas of our lives, including sports. To learn how to do this, we have a brief video that shows how sports is more than a game. Click the link below to get started.

https://vimeo.com/parentministry/review/504848321/bfbec28d0a

As your church, we continue to support you through the parenting journey. Please let me know if you ever need anything.

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Parents, if you have a child in sports, we have a quick and encouraging video for you! Learn how to prepare your child for middle school sports starting now! Check your inbox for more.

If your child is involved in sports, your family can make a difference in the community. In less than five minutes, learn how in our new parent video. Check your inbox for more.

Calling on all parents of athletes! Sports of any kind can be more than competition and ribbons. We have an encouraging and inspiring brief video to show you how. Check your inbox for more!

If you have a child in elementary school who is interested in playing for their middle school, our new parent video offers 3 practical steps to encourage them in a good direction. Check your inbox for more.

VIDEO SCRIPT

If you have a son or daughter that loves to play sports, then you know about the games, and you know about the intensity and the hard work and the competition. First, it starts out when they’re three, four, and five, and they’re super cute little jerseys, and they’re on the soccer field, and they’re just running all over the place. And it’s like herding cats, or they might be the little boy that’s out in the center field who’s way more interested in a wildflower than he is in the baseball that just rolled by.

But eventually, they move from that super cute little age into the recreational leagues. And at that point, it gets a little more intense. The parents get a little louder, the coaches get a little stronger, and the competition gets a little thicker, and you have the recreational leagues. And then after that, they can sometimes move into the travel leagues. And that’s when you begin to cut very large checks, and the competition gets super intense, and the parents get really loud.

And so, as a parent of an athlete, one of the things we wanted to give you today was how you can begin to prepare your student for middle school?  So we’re going to give you three things you can do today to prepare.

One, research. Look into the middle school that your child plans on attending. Go check out their program, check out, and say, “Hey, what does it look like? What’s the level of competition? Do I know any parents who are there?” Attend a ball game and talk to the parents and say, “Hey, how does this work here at this program and at this level?”

Because here’s what you want to avoid. One day your daughter wakes up, and she says, “Mom, tomorrow is middle school soccer tryouts.” Oh, you respond, “Great. I’m so happy for you. You’re so excited, and you celebrate with her, and then you roll into the tryout, proud of her for going for it.

But you roll up into a tryout where all these other girls have been doing soccer, traveling together for three and four years, and you just didn’t know.

And so you have to tell your daughter, “I’m so sorry, I didn’t know. So one of the ways, as a parent of an athlete, if your child is beginning to express an interest in sports, is to begin to research the middle school program and where they’re planning on attending.

The second is support. If your child makes the team begin to decide as a family, how are we going to support this coach? How are we going to support this program?

Because as Christ-followers, one of the things you and I are called to do is we’re called to be in the world, not of it, but definitely in it. And he leaves us here because we have the ability to have influence and make a difference and offer love. And so decide as a family, if your child makes the team, how are we going to support this program, decide before you ever get there?

And third is next, make a decision. What kind of parent am I going to be among the other parents? Am I going to be the parent that constantly complains that my kid’s not getting enough playing time? Am I going to be the parent that talks about other parents’ players? Am I going to be the parent that is constantly encouraging even if my kid’s getting playing time or not playing? Am I going to be the parent that speaks positivity into this culture and into this environment? And this matters as parents of athletes, how we as Christ-followers handle ourselves, because in Galatians Chapter Five verse Twenty-two and Twenty-Three, it says, “The fruit of the spirit is love and joy and peace and patience and kindness and goodness and faithfulness and gentleness and self-control.”

So I want you to imagine with me the bigger picture that if we as parents of athletes are able to walk into these environments that are intense and competitive, navigate a lot of emotional intelligence and social skills, which is a lot of hard work. It’s teaching our student-athletes some incredible discipline. So if you can imagine Christ-followers showing up into these arenas and offering the fruit of the spirit, offering the love that we’ve been given from Christ, that we have a chance to come in and offer to them.

We have a chance to make a difference in our communities because God has chosen to give your child talent and athletic ability. And if he is fortunate or she’s fortunate enough to make the team, then now your family has a chance to go in, to spend some time researching, spend some time deciding how you want to support the program, and then spend some time deciding how you want to be a parent, among other parents. And as a parent of an athlete, it’s just another great way for you to be able to pass down your faith on the go.

Setting Goals: How to Help Young Children Set Goals

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Subject Line: Setting Goals: How to Help Young Children Set Goals

Dear Parents,

Setting goals may seem to be an activity only for adults or teens, but did you know children can learn to set goals too? Even though they don’t have the abstract muscle yet to understand the full concept, they can start small with a few disciplines.

In less than five minutes, learn how to help your child take baby steps to build the confidence they need in themselves. Click the link below to view the video.

https://vimeo.com/parentministry/review/495600202/30ab64437a

If you and your child have success in this area, please let us know! We would love to celebrate with you.

If you ever need anything, please do not hesitate to reach out.

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Subject Line: Did you know your children can set goals?

Did you know children have the ability to do incredible things? They can even learn how to set goals as young as the age of five. Using the old school paper chain, help your child build confidence in himself or herself. To learn more, click the link below.

https://vimeo.com/parentministry/review/495600202/30ab64437a

As your church, we continue to support you through the parenting journey. Please let me know if you ever need anything.

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Setting goals isn’t just for adults or college students! Young children can learn too. Check your inbox for more.

Children, as early as 5 & 6, can learn the small habits of setting goals. Learn more in our new parent video!

Does your child need confidence? Teach them how to set a small, measurable goal, then encourage them along the way. Learn more in our new parent video.

We have a new parent video for parents of young children. Using the old school paper chain, learn how to inspire confidence in your child. Check your inbox for more.

VIDEO SCRIPT

Talking about goals with young children can almost seem impossible because they are so young and are unable to process an abstract concept. But at the same time, setting goals is proven to help young children develop confidence in themselves. So today, I give you two practical ways to help teach children- young children- how to set goals so that they can feel good and confident about themselves.

Number one is you want to help them think through one wish or goal and make sure this is realistic and attainable for younger children like five or six-year-olds.

It might be… “I want to learn how to brush my teeth on my own without my parents reminding me.” Or for older kids, like a fifth-grader heading into middle school, might be, “I would like to try out for my middle school volleyball team or basketball team.”

So help them think through one attainable wish or goal. To do that, have them take some construction paper and write it out on a sheet of paper, have a marker, and write out that one goal.

The second step is to help them think through the steps it will take to achieve the goal. So if they want to brush their teeth on their own, the first step might be…we need to put your toothbrush and toothpaste right beside each other in a drawer where you can reach. This is Step One. Then take a little scratch sheet of paper, and you make the old school paper chain. Begin to take it, and put it together. Write down to put the toothbrush and toothpaste together in a drawer. And that is Step One.

Now make step two. Well, let’s set a little reminder by your bed like a picture or a chart. You make this a step and create it a paper chain, too.

Eventually, make this paper chain, and as they reach each step, they get to take the paper chain off, and you celebrate with them. You did it, Step One! And then when they get to step two, you did it (!) and then step three (!).

When they’re finally doing it on their own, and they’ve reached their goal, you celebrate as a family with your child. Even at the young age of five and six, you can teach your children how to set goals.

As they do this, you want to start small so that it’s attainable for them and it’s realistic. But then, as they get older, you begin to put the wishes and goals up just a little bit further. What you’re doing at this point, as a parent, is you’re training them on how to build confidence in themselves so that they can do it and they can accept responsibility.

You know this as a parent that when they get into middle school and high school, they can’t control whether or not they make their middle school team. They can’t control whether or not they got the role in the play. But what they can control is the fact that they took steps to achieve the availability and access to shoot for the bigger goals and the bigger wishes and the bigger dreams.

When you help young children set goals, you’re laying a foundation for what they can do in middle school and high school. I’ll leave you with this verse. In Proverbs 16:9, it says, “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.”

So imagine as you’re raising your young children, if you begin to teach them, “Hey, let’s set our goals, but let’s hold them loosely because we want to be able to support you as a child, to go for your goals, your dreams, your wishes. But we must always remember that we hold on to them and we can make our plans. But the Lord determines our steps.” These two concrete ways are how you can help your children set goals. It’s just one more way on how you can pass down your faith to your children.

Christmas: 3 Ways to Pass Down Your Faith Through the Birth of Jesus

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Subject Line: Christmas: 3 Ways to Pass Down Your Faith Through the Birth of Jesus

Dear (Insert Parent Name Here),

Christmas provides many opportunities for parents to pass down their faith. One unique way is to discuss the birth of Jesus.

God could have chosen to send the Messiah as a King with an army out of the sky, but He decided on a baby- a helpless child dependent upon God for life. Jesus’ birth reveals dependency as one of the ways to relate with God.

To learn how to share this beautiful revelation with your child, watch our brief parent video. In less than 5 minutes, you can discuss the meaning of Christmas in a whole new way.

To view, click the link:

https://vimeo.com/parentministry/review/473853101/363266b281

I hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday. As always, I am here to support you in the parenting journey. If you need anything, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Merry Christmas.

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Subject Line: Discuss the meaning of Christmas in a whole new way!

Dear (Insert Parent Name Here),

Matthew 5:3 says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The term, poor in spirit, means “needy.” In other words, people have permission to be needy in their relationship with God. As a parent, you have the opportunity to profoundly impact your child by teaching them a fundamental truth- we have permission to be needy and ask God for help.

Because God chose to send His Rescuer in the form of an infant, He modeled by example how to interact with God- always in need of Him. What a way to view the birth of Jesus! To share this with your child, here is a brief parent video to guide you.

To view the video, click the link below.

https://vimeo.com/parentministry/review/473853101/363266b281

May you and your family have a Merry Christmas. If you have any questions or thoughts, please do not hesitate to reach out.

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We have a new parent goodie just in time for Christmas! Teach your child about the birth of Jesus in a new and unique way. Check your inbox for more!

The Christmas season creates the perfect learning lab to teach dependency on God. Our short video gives you 3 easy ways to discuss faith with your child. It’s the gift that keeps on giving!

Check your inbox for a brief, encouraging video that will help you pass down your faith in 3 simple ways: Look, Ask, Believe.

Christmas is the perfect time to have conversations about your faith on-the-go. Check your inbox for a brief, encouraging video just for parents.

VIDEO SCRIPT

Christmas is a very special time where families get to gather together and enjoy the holiday season. It’s an incredible time to celebrate and pass down your faith to your children. And this is a holiday that is celebrated all around the world in many cultures. Coming together to celebrate the birth of Jesus in the birth of Jesus is so unique because it’s an event unlike any other that has ever occurred because this is the way that God chose to send his rescuer for all peoples.

Now, he could have chosen to send an army straight out of the sky and say, I’ve come to save you all. But he chose to send his rescuer as a baby, a helpless dependent, dependent upon the very people he was called to save. It’s quite unique, and it’s unlike any other.

And so this holiday season is a very special time to teach your children about this birth and to pass down your faith in a very unique way. I’m going to give you three practical ways that you can teach your kids on how to celebrate the birth of Jesus in a learning lab.

First is it’s going to be LOOK. And what you’re going to look for is when your kids are in that moment when they’re struggling to do something that they can’t quite accomplish. And maybe it’s there in third grade, and they’re really struggling with a friend on the playground. Look for that moment and in that moment say, “Hey, you know what, I see that you’re struggling.” Give them some good practical advice, but then talk to them about how it’s OK to ask God for help in that moment, that it’s OK to be needy and helpless and dependent upon him, and then teach them about the birth of Jesus in this Christmas season.

So first, look for that opportunity to talk to your child and then second- teach them to ASK. Now, I know this is simple, but in actuality, it’s really hard for human beings to think that God would have the time to listen to us, to hear from us, that our needs would matter to him. So when you teach your children at a very young age that it’s OK- that they have permission to ask for help from God, you begin to teach them a great practice that can become a habit that they’re going to, as adults say, “Hey, this is normal, that it’s OK for me to talk to God.”

Because Matthew 5:3 says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” And that term, poor in spirit, is needy, that it’s OK. You have permission as a parent to be needy, and your child has permission to be needy and to ask God for help.

So first is look for that opportunity to talk to them. The second is to ask. Here’s a simple statement you can say, “Would you say, God, I have a big problem? It is fill in the blank. Would you help me, please?” If they’re struggling with a friend on the playground, you could say to your child, “God, I have a big problem. And it is with Sarah. We’re fighting on the playground, and I don’t know what to do. Would you please help me?”

Then begin to teach them how to do that on a regular basis. So use this learning lab to say it’s OK to be needy and to talk to God. James 1:5 says, “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you.”

So first is look, second is ask, and third is believe.

Teach your child. “OK, now we’re going to act as if it’s done. We don’t know when he will answer it, but we are guaranteed he will. So let’s act as if it’s done.”

So look, ask and believe. This is the learning lab that you can teach your children as they began to study about the Christmas season as they learn about it and celebrate it, and you talk to them about the birth of Jesus.

This is an incredible time to point out, look how helpless he is like a baby, and this is how God chose to send his rescuer.

How much more are we given permission to be OK, to be helpless and dependent, and to ask for help? So this Christmas season, use this opportunity as a parent to pass down your faith through the learning lab of life. Look, Ask, and Believe.

THANKSGIVING: 3 PRACTICAL KIDS’ ACTIVITIES ON GRATITUDE

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Subject Line: Thanksgiving is on its way! Here are 3 Activities to Teach Your Kids Gratitude

Dear (Insert Parent Name Here),

Thanksgiving is soon approaching, and this U.S. holiday is an incredible season for parents to be able to pass down their faith. In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, it says, “Be thankful in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you, for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” So we have a short video with 3 easy, practical activities you can do with your children to teach gratitude.

To view the video, click the link below.

https://vimeo.com/parentministry/review/473860365/8af097c551

As always, I am here to support you as parents. If you need anything, please do not hesitate to reach out.

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Subject Line: Gratitude Activities for On-The-Go, At-The-Table, and Outdoors 

Dear (Insert Parent Name Here),

This holiday season, find a few minutes to walk outside with your kids and practice the Outdoor Gratitude Activity from this video. In one quick walk with your child, you can teach them how to practice gratitude, which is a part of our faith that we pass down to our children (I Thessalonians 5:18).

To view the video, click the link below.

https://vimeo.com/parentministry/review/473860365/8af097c551

If you have any questions or thoughts, please email me. I am grateful for you.

Cheering you on,

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Check your inbox for more information on this short video!

3 Practical Kids Activities On Gratitude! Check your inbox for a brief, encouraging video just for parents.

Thanksgiving is the perfect time to pass down your faith. Check your inbox for a brief, encouraging video just for parents.

We have a new goodie for you just in time for Thanksgiving! Look in your inbox for more information!

VIDEO SCRIPT

The U.S. holiday of Thanksgiving is soon approaching. It’s full of fall leaves, turkeys, and lots and lots of pumpkin. This is an incredible season for parents to be able to pass down their faith because in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, it says, “Be thankful in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you, for those who belong to Christ Jesus.”

So what an incredible opportunity to be able to pair Thanksgiving with a chance to pass down your faith. So here are three ways that you can involve your kids and activities to teach gratitude.

One is activity on-the-go, which is an activity that you can do at the table. Two is an activity you can do at the table, and three is an activity you can do outside.

First is the one that you can do on-the-go. This is a twist of “would you rather” so you could ask, would you prefer this or that? While you’re driving in your car and you have your kids, you could say, hey, do you prefer math or science? Do you prefer P.E. or lunch? Do you prefer Minecraft or fortnight? You can think about the shows that they like or the movies, the apps that they play. And you can begin to pair them up and think, do you like this or that? And as you’re driving- what you’re doing or the purpose of this is that you’re teaching them how to discover what they really like. And then once you teach them what they really like, then they can practice gratitude. For example, are you grateful you get to get to play the game of Minecraft? What do you enjoy about it? And you begin to teach them how to be grateful.

Second, the activity that you can do at the table for Thanksgiving is to pick up some brown paper, maybe at a moving store, at your local moving store and wrap your table with that brown paper, then throw out some markers and begin to ask your kids to name something they’re grateful for. You can also begin to do something more specific like grab a can of beans, take a Sharpie, draw circles all around it on the paper, and then write mom or dad or the name of their sibling or church or school, and then ask them in that circle to write one specific thing they’re grateful for, about their mom or about their sibling or about their church. Last, they can color all over the paper.

The third activity is something you can do outside. Have them go walk around and pick up some leaves, whether it be red, yellow, orange. Just pick up some sticks, collect just a few items.

If you live in an area where you don’t have fall leaves, run to the dollar store and pick up a few leaves, different colors, and then spread them out around for your kids. Ask them to pick up the ones that are red.

The red leaf represents a person. Is there one person in their life that they’re grateful for? The yellow can represent an event. Is there something that happened this year in their first-grade class that they’re really grateful for? And orange can be a place, green can be themselves, and brown can be any kind of item they’re grateful for. Maybe it’s their love or their stuffed dog.

So it teaches your kids practical ways to be grateful because this is an incredible season, an incredible time to practically involve your kids in gratitude for 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “Be thankful in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” And Thanksgiving is an incredible time where you can pass down your faith to your children by teaching gratitude.