A photoblog of a very happy lunch:

My brothers-in-law and I have a phrase that works well here:
“Every meal a memory!“

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Check it out: messages from New Attitude are now available to download for free!

Step up to the buffet, people!

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The sun washed out the sign a little bit, but it says that the Grande Opening is Thursday! Let’s get a burrito.

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Our friends at New Attitude are about halfway through. They are probably starting to feel the effects of sleep deprivation; let’s keep praying for them. Want to know all the details? Follow along with the Na Liveblog, Tim Challies, Boundless, or The Rebelution.

Keep praying for our friends…

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Last night I announced the Summer Reading Challenge. Here are some important questions and answers about it:

Why do we have a Summer Reading Challenge?
It’s painfully easy for a student (or a parent) to waste the summer watching TV, playing video games, and goofing off. I think most young people actually like a challenge, so here it is. I want to challenge you to use your time wisely (see Ephesians 5:15-16) by spending part of your summer reading. I suppose there are a lot of things I could challenge you to, but perhaps none better than this. Spend your summer reading your Bible and reading good books. It has been said that the person who does not read does not grow. That’s a curse I wouldn’t wish on anyone.

What are the books?
So glad you asked. The main book is The Gospel for Real Life by Jerry Bridges. I’m also offering a bonus book this summer: The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God, by D. A. Carson.

Why these books for this summer?

I chose The Gospel for Real Life because the teaching at the five15 Retreat is going to focus on the key elements of the gospel: God, sin, and the Cross. This book will help prepare us. I think you’ll find it an easy, winsome, enjoyable read. We will all learn from this book.

Mark suggested that I offer Carson’s Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God, because it is a real challenge (it will take most of us longer to read Carson’s 84 pages than Bridges’ 190) and because this is an often misunderstood topic. Read Bridges first, and if you are able to, read this book, too.

I know we sold out of them last night, but we’ll have more in the bookstore on Sunday.

What if I take up the challenge?
Great! Bring it on. Simply get a copy of Bridges and make your way through it this summer. I provided a basic reading schedule at the five15 BIG MEETING last night. I’ll be posting here regularly over the summer so that you can discuss what you’re reading with your peers. If you make it to the end, I’ll reward you with a $15 gift certificate to the bookstore. I’m also offering a bonus book this year: read Carson, too, and you’ll get another gift certificate to the bookstore.

How do I get my reward?
Easy. Finish the book by the five15 Retreat and write a 1-page report about what you learned from the book. Give it to me before or at the Retreat, and I’ll hand you a trip to the candystore—I mean, bookstore.

SPECIAL BONUS: First student to comment who can explain what tolle lege means, how it was used in church history, and why it is relevant to this post will receive a free copy of the new Sovereign Grace CD, Asleep In A Storm.

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New Attitude starts tonight. Let’s pray for all our friends who are headed to Louisville, KY today for the conference. Here are some ways to pray… Ask God to:

• Protect their travel, bringing them to Louisville and back home safely
• Give the main speakers—Josh Harris, Eric Simmons, C.J. Mahaney, Mark Dever, Al Mohler, and John Piper—grace to preach the gospel with clarity and power
• Help them to learn from and apply the messages they hear
• Sovereignly direct our friends to just the right family groups and give them the gift of fellowship
• Refresh them with grace and truth through worship, preaching, and conversation
• Sustain them during the conference, even while they don’t get enough sleep
• Give them grace to rise early and meet with God
• Cause this conference to have an effect that endures long after our friends return home

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Normally I share these thoughts for parents on Thursday because of the catchy alliteration. But here’s something for Friday. In the Green Thumb Parenting class, I provided an answer to a common question: what book should I go through with my kid? Actually, I provided 10 answers. Here are my (current, and bound to change over time) Top Ten books for parents to go through with their teens during the middle school and high school years.

Not every family should necessarily try to plow through all ten books in six years, but I hope that by choosing a few titles from this list, parents will find help in specific areas with their teens. I list them here alphabetically by author:

Growing Up Christian, Karl Graustein. From one of the leaders of Covenant Life School, who himself grew up Christian, this book is an invaluable resource. Packed with real examples and simple tools to make it real for the reader, this book helps students and parents navigate the opportunities and temptations of growing up in the church.

Christian Beliefs, Wayne Grudem. “20 essential truths that every [teenage] Christian needs to know.” From the master of doctrinal clarity. Great for younger teens and pre-teens, too. I was surprised at how many of the kids in my Christian Beliefs class really wanted to know more about election.

I Kissed Dating Goodbye, Josh Harris. Already a classic, Josh’s case for ditching dating remains compelling. Read it more than once in middle and high school for a good foundation for God-glorifying opposite-sex relationships.

The Enemy Within, Kris Lundgaard. Do your teens understand that there biggest problem is inside, not outside? Any teen can find 100 things to blame his problems on. This book helps him see the big daddy of them all: sin.

Living the Cross-Centered Life, C.J. Mahaney. We’ve fallen short if the gospel is just theory. This book makes it real in everyday life. I think the chapter on legalism is especially relevant for young people. One to re-read every year.

Girl Talk, Carolyn Mahaney & Nicole Whitacre. Written by the most beautiful woman in the world and the best mother-in-law you could ask for, this guide to mother-daughter conversations is unparalleled. Moms, you can put Titus 2 to work at your kitchen table tomorrow with this book.

Don’t Waste Your Life, John Piper. It’s so easy for a teen to waste his teen years. Piper’s message is part of the antidote. Though we have a little different approach to missions, the central message of this book is about living a Christ-centered life, something every teen needs to hear.

What’s the Difference?, John Piper. Our culture is radically confusing and distorting gender roles for our kids. Let’s fight back. A slender volume with exceptionally good definitions and explanations of what are mature masculinity and femininity.

Holiness of God, R.C. Sproul. Perhaps one of the most important books written in the last century. Our teens won’t understand the gospel if they don’t understand God’s holiness. This is the book to do it. A must-read.

How Can I Be Sure I’m a Christian?, Donald Whitney. Some kids who are struggling with assurance need to look less at themselves and more at Christ, but this book will help some to begin to determine if they have genuine saving faith or not.

Parents, I know I haven’t cornered the market on book recommendations. What are your favorites? Whas has worked well and what hasn’t worked well? Let us know with a comment.

Categories: Thursday Thoughts For Parents, five15 blog
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We’ve got a BIG MEETING Saturday Night, but it’s not our normal BIG MEETING. We’re having a cookout. All our graduating Seniors are off to New Attitude, and we’ll be welcoming the rising freshmen with some dogs and sports.

On the menu are hot dogs, watermelon, and some tasty dessert. In addition to welcoming the rising 7th graders, we’ll be announcing the Summer Reading Challenge. And, of course, the sports. Come ready to play: we’ll have volleyball, soccer, ultimate frisbee, and so on. And foosball and ping-pong are always available if you need to chill in the A/C.

Remember: there is no Pizza and Ping-Pong, so the meeting will start at 6:30pm.

See you Saturday night!

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Parents,

I hope you found the Green Thumb in Parenting classes to be beneficial. Thanks so much for your humility and eager desire to grow in parenting your teens.

I mentioned on Sunday morning that I would post a link to this article in response to Paul’s question. This article was written by Abraham Piper (Dr. John Piper’s son). Entitled 12 Ways to Love Your Wayward Child, Piper humbly acknowledges that he was one of those wayward children. He’s following the Lord now, but this article describes how his parents related to him during his rebellion. I share these not so much because we have so many wayward children, but because many children are wayward at some point, even if only in small ways. This article helps model an approach to teenage sin that is redemptive and not self-righteous.

I think this is a great list, but please remember that these are general principles based on Scripture that will need to be adapted to your family’s situation. In particular, numbers 5 and 8 may need the most tweaking. The target here is really a 20-something, so at times it might actually be more helpful for the parents of a teenager to sever friendships that are unhelpful for their wayward son or daughter.

That being said, points 1 (12), 2, 3, and 6 can not be improved upon and are essential for any parent any time correction is necessary.

Here are the 12 ways:

1. Point them to Christ.
2. Pray.
3. Acknowledge that something is wrong.
4. Don’t expect them to be Christ-like.
5. Welcome them home.
6. Plead with them more than you rebuke them.
7. Connect them to believers who have better access to them.
8. Respect their friends.
9. Email them.
10. Take them to lunch.
11. Take an interest in their pursuits.
12. Point them to Christ.

You can read the whole article here.

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Hey current Juniors and Sophomores,

I want to ask you to consider serving five15 in a unique way. Mr. Uribe, Mr. Rossell, and I are looking to assemble a team of students and their parents to help us make five15 happen. I love five15 and I am so grateful to God for all he is allowing us to do in and through five15. But I know that it could be better. And it takes a lot of work just to keep it going.

That’s where we need your help. We’re looking for committed students who want to lead and serve by helping us run five15. We need people who have good ideas AND are willing to put in some time and effort to get stuff done. We’re starting by inviting interested Juniors and Sophomores (next year’s Seniors and Juniors) to come to an interest meeting on Saturday at 5:30 (an hour before the BIG MEETING starts) to learn more. Coming to the meeting doesn’t commit you to anything, but it’s a chance for us to get started and find out who is really interested.

You don’t have to RSVP, just meet us in Room 102 at 5:30 on Saturday night. See you there!

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