busy day in the studio
today was a very busy day in the whtn studio. we did 4 bridges shows today. david manning of change ministries was my guest co-host. he’s a youth pastor - ministry leader - and christian rapper.
david’s got quite a testimony and more than that he’s 100% sold out. today we talked about dating (we don’t believe in btw) and purity, how to handle it if you’re the only christian in your family - and developing your faith. the shows were planned and geared to reach youth - but since they are all Word based they will reach every age.
it’s not easy to raise a teen or be a teen in these days - but God hasn’t lost His power to protect and God equips parents to protect and lead their children. that has never changed. it’s important for parents to fulfill their responsibilities to their children - that includes loving them enough to say NO when NO is the right answer.
i ran away from home when i was 13 years old. the police (yes i said police) found me after a couple of days. they returned me to my worried and frantic parents. for a few moments i thought “oh now my parents will see that i mean business - now they will let me smoke at home and do what i want”. you see i thought i had “showed my parents” and that because i ran away they would let me do whatever i wanted.
i was wrong. i remember clearly my mom saying to me - ” i will not change my rules. i will not let you smoke in front of me or at the house. what you do when you’re out of the house i can’t control but i will never allow you to do wrong in front of me.” that made me angry. i didn’t jump up and down and say thank you. she said she was enforcing those rules because she “loved me”. i thought……please don’t love me so much then.
but she held her ground. so did my dad. the rules didn’t change because i ran away or because i got angry. my parents were wise enough not to compromise out of fear. they loved me enough to let me be angry…….and eventually their hard work and toil paid off. within six months i became i christian - i no longer wanted to smoke or disobey my parents.
david manning shared much of the same kinds of wisdom on the bridges shows today. it’s important for parents to set God’s standards. teens must also be required to obey. God’s Word will always bring blessings into your life.
mom or dad if you’re really going through it right now with your teens don’t give up. pray - set the standards according to the Word and don’t back down. stay strong in faith. God will reward you.
my mother was very wise to say “monica you don’t need me to be your friend. you have enough of those already……….i am not your friend - i am your mother”.
i didn’t get it at the time. i do now and i thank her for wisdom. your teen may not get it right now but they will and they will thank you for loving them enough to hold the standards high.
parents - God is on your side. He will hear your prayers and give you courage to make right choices where your teens are concerned. He will honor you and your children will live out a legacy of godly living.
God never fails. with Him on your side - you can’t either. that’s why the gospel is such good news.
shalom,
monica
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Comments
Thank you Monica, for the great advice and encouragement. Praying that the shows lead many to repentance and a close relationship with God.
~Debbie
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