The Vine February 2013 - York St Church of Christ

Introducing Salt and Pepper for 2013
Beginning in March 2013 the Salt and Pepper
articles will walk step by step through the core
beliefs of our Christian faith. Subjects discussed will
include: beliefs about God, Jesus, the Church and
what it teaches and why it is here, the Holy Spirit
and knowing God’s will. One article will cover what
we believe as Churches of Christ. These articles will
seek to answer the core questions that people have
been asking for centuries. What is the meaning of
life? What does it mean to be a Christian in this 21st
century? Now that I believe how do I live in the here
and now? Hence the series title, Beyond Belief. My
aim is to write an easy to read owner’s manual to
describe what Christianity is all about.
Ray Veal.
Article for Parents
“Losing it” with Young People: Four things to do When we Stuff it Up
interact with young people get lost in the midst of all
of these pressures and we start yelling, not caring,
ignoring, demanding, dominating and forgetting.
What to do next? Here are four ideas that can turn
the negatives into positives.
I had a strong response to my blog post last
week about not being a perfect parent. People’s
comments made me think more about the issue.
Here’s my thoughts: most of us know how we want
to interact with the young people in our lives. We
want to be kind, patient, respectful and empathic.
We want to listen carefully, respectfully teach them
skills without taking away their independence,
sympathise with their struggles without rescuing
them and be gentle with them even when they are
angry.
But then life gets in the way. It’s 7.30am on
Monday morning and we have a million things to
get done before everyone leaves for school/work.
It’s last lesson on Friday and it’s been a really,
really hard week – and there are still reports and
paperwork to do all weekend. There’s sickness,
financial stress, other kids in the family, relationship
issues – and all of our own stuff overwhelms
us. Our good intentions about how we treat and
1. The most important first step is an apology.
It doesn’t have to be a long grovelling speech, a
simple “sorry guys, I was a bit impatient there”
or “I probably shouldn’t have jumped in before I
really understood what you were saying” is often
all that’s needed. But it is needed. Furthermore,
not only is an apology necessary, it is an incredibly
powerful learning tool. Every time we apologise to
a young person, it sends three vital messages: 1.
All humans make mistakes and it’s okay to make
mistakes, 2. it’s important to make amends when
you make mistakes, and 3. I respect you as having
important rights and want to try to avoid acting
unfairly towards you. These three messages can
have a strong impact on young people at times.
The value of an apology is almost worth stuffing up
for!
2. It is often extremely valuable to share our
struggles with young people when we stuff up. It
is important young people know the pressures
26.