Adventures of Jeff & Thea Ford (‘03 to ‘09)

THIS GENERATION Feb ‘08 - This info. is especially for FBC Students

+++ Shattering Expectation +++

There are many ways to describe Jesus. He was an amazing teacher. He was a ground-breaking leader. He was and is the Messiah; King of Kings; and Lord of Lords. One of the most fascinating things about Jesus was the way he was always challenging the status quo. He often did and said things that surprised his followers and others that he encountered. When Jesus was confronted by the religious leaders of his time with a young woman that had been caught in adultery, he shared words of forgiveness and restoration: “neither do I condemn you; go and leave your life of sin.” Quite often Jesus said exactly the opposite of what was expected of him. He lived a life that shattered expectations.Many of the people that God is calling you to influence and impact will more clearly see Jesus in you if you follow Jesus’ example. As we strive to be faithful to live the lives that God has called us to live, we must be a people that are bold in our words and actions. We will paint a clearer picture of who Jesus really is when we show grace, love, forgiveness, and nonjudgmental attitudes to the world around us.There are many ways to share the love of Christ in Fort Payne, AL. Pray that God would make clear the concrete ways in which you can shatter expectations and share his love. I believe that you have been given an amazing opportunity as a follower of Jesus to live a life of passion and purpose.

Note about the new format of the newsletter: Recently the FBC students and their parents were invited to a Sunday afternoon lunch to take a fresh look at the 2008 youth ministry calendar. During the meeting, I gave every family that attended a really big yellow calendar (if you need one, but don’t have one, please pick one up at my office @ FBC) and some additional handouts. One of the statements on one of the handouts stated that 70% of teenagers surveyed named their parents as their number one influencer. As I have considered my role as youth minister more and more here in Fort Payne, I have come to believe this: We will make a greater impact at FBC when we seek to strengthen family relationships through many of our youth ministry endeavors. So I say all that to say that the back page belongs to the family. Read it. Enjoy it. And share it with your parents and other family members. - jeff

· Sign up for Spring Break Missions with Georgia Mountain Resort Ministries is available until March 1st.

· Sign up for MFUGE ‘08 is now available

· Sign up for a new 7th grade boys D Group is now available. See Jeff or David Locklear for more info. on this one.

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

February 9 – 8th grade trip (arrive @ the church @ 930am, bring 25 dollars)

February 13 – Valentine’s Banquet

Feb 15 through 18 – NC SKI Retreat

Feb 20 – Month A Quarter Meeting

March 9 – SNAC @ Evan M.’s House

March 12 through 15 – Spring Break Mission Trip to Georgia Mtn. Resort

March 23 – EASTER

March 29 – Junior Class Trip

March 30 – youth choir / am worship

April 19 – Freshmen Class Trip

May 3 – Sophomore Class Trip

May 18 – Graduate Sunday

May 23 – FPHS GRADUATION

June 2 through 6 – Senior’s Mission Trip to Orange Beach, AL

June 23 through July 2 – dc choir tour

July 7 through 12 – Mobile, AL MFUGE

See Jeff for more info.

THIS GENERATION – This info. was especially prepared for youth parents

Family Based Youth Ministry – The Influence You Have on Your Teenagers

While many parents often doubt that they have much influence on their teenagers -especially as compared to that of friends or the media — the opposite is actually true. According to studies compiled by Agape Press, “Most teenagers and their parents may not realize it, but a lot of research in the sociology of religion suggests that the most important social influence in shaping young people’s religious lives is the religious life modeled and taught by their parents.” Even in studies on identity, research shows, “that the importance of faith for teenagers closely tracks the importance of faith for their parents. Parents for whom religious faith is quite important are thus likely to be raising teenagers for whom faith is quite important, while parents whose faith is not important are likely to be raising teenagers for whom faith is also not important.” Understanding this truth might be empowering to parents, and sometimes even alarming. But it should not be ignored. The state of teenage religious beliefs in this country should be “understood as largely reflecting the world of adult religion, especially parental religion, and are in strong continuity with it. Few teenagers today are rejecting or reacting against the adult religion into which they are being socialized.”

The influence that parents at FBC Fort Payne have on their teenagers cannot be overstated. Many of my favorite “influencing moments” from childhood involve the lengthy discussions that my dad had with my brother and I about his faith in Jesus Christ. Quite often on Sunday, after we heard the sermon at College Heights Baptist Church in Gadsden, my dad would say on the drive home… “ok, let’s talk about the sermon.” This was a simple exercise that led to a great time of sharing and reflection. May God bless you as you seek to make a positive difference in the life of your teen. I hope I can be an encouragement to you and your family as we journey together in our walk of faith in Jesus.