Mt. Olive Lutheran Church 2001 N. Alpine Rd. Rockford, IL 61107 December 2006     "The one thing your teen desperately needs for Christmas is YOU."   The single most asked question by parents to their teens during the holiday season is, "What do you want for Christmas?" Of course, teens will easily pull out their "must-have" list. Parents then spend hours searching for gifts online or hours looking in stores and standing in lines at the mall. If you read between the lines of your teen's Christmas list, there is one thing that is on the top of their list, even if they aren't aware of it. The one thing your teen desperately needs for Christmas is YOU. Your immediate response may be, "You are CRAZY! That is actually the one thing I am certain that they don't want!" Parenting alone is beyond busy. Now add the rest of your life...work, church, volunteering, friends, etc. At times it seems impossible to accomplish it all. Teens' schedules aren't any better. The problem is our teens are picking up our bad habits that allow the busyness of the day to rob the joy of taking time for each other. As the New Year is quickly approaching, there is a formula that parents need to keep in mind: Time Spent + Interest = LOVE Teens don't just need quality time, they also want it. When you get home from an exhausting day, do you sit in front of the TV to relax or do you engage in conversation and interaction with your teen? The first response is easy, but the second response is hard, yet necessary. Showing interest is giving your undivided attention to your teen. Find out what interests them, and talk about it. The commitment you make to the time and interest you show your teen will translate into love. So this Christmas, give the gift that will cost you some time and leave a lasting impression. Merry Christmas! Take the first steps in making your family time a priority. Here are some ideas for creating family time this Christmas season. 1. Schedule family time NOW. You will not make time for your family during this busy season without scheduling it in advance. This week figure out time for your family to spend with each other. 2. Turn off the "world". Get your family to turn off the TV, computer, or ipod. This will get them out of their own world and become a part of your family's world. You would be amazed how much time your family will have when you take control of these "time stealers." 3. Get your serve on. Find a service project you can do with your family. Check with your church about the needs of a family or individual. 4. There's no place like home. With your teen on Christmas break, try to get home earlier from work each day. This will take some effort on your part, but it is a worthy goal. These polls just might surprise you. If you (teen) had one wish, which of the following would you wish for to create a better life for you and your family? 46% - More time spent together with family. 27% - More money to buy items such as TV's or cars. 14% - A bigger house. 7% - More time in spiritual pursuits - going to church. (horatioalger.org) Do you (parent) spend more or less time with your children/teens than your parents did with you? 61% - I spend more time than my parents did. 19% - I spend about the same amount of time. 17% - I spend less time. 3% - I am not sure. (cf.thebostonchannel.com)

	We all know spending time with our teens is important. Think about these questions to determine how well you know your teen, what he/she would like to do as a family, and what you as a parent would like to do as a family. 1. Have your teen write down five of their favorite things to do while you write down what you think his/her answers will be. Now compare both lists. How did you do? What does this tell you about how well you know your son/daughter? 2. Do you think you take genuine interest in what your teen likes to do? Why or why not? 3. What is one thing you would like to see your family do together this coming year? 4. Do you think your family spends enough time together? Why or why not?		Pray that: 1. God will give you rest and relaxation as a family this Christmas break. 2. God will give you a genuine desire to know, understand, and value what your teen enjoys in his/her life. 3. God will help you make finding time this coming year to spend with your family a top priority. 4. Your teen will see your family as a place of safety, support, encouragement, comfort, and love. Mendy's Ponderings Psalm 46:10, "Be still, and know that I am God..." This time of year, especially, but anytime really it is so hard to just "be still" and be with God. He has been convicting me of this so much lately. At every conference or Bible study I've been involved in He keeps reminding me that I'm not making time for Him. This time of year is supposed to be all about Him, yet we get so busy that we often don't make time for Him. Make a point this Advent/Christmas season to make time for Him as a family. You can do devotions together. Challenge your children to give up one 30 minute time of TV or computer or whatever to spend time in the Word each night or a couple times this week, when trying to set up a spiritual discipline for yourself, don't set yourself up to fail. Start small. Make a goal to read the Bible 3 days this week, and build up from there. I know I've talked about this before, and I'm sure it is still so heavily on my heart because I need to work on it too. My prayer is that we will all grow closer to Him this season. God bless! ~ Mendy
	Did you know... * Up to 67 percent of America's teens say they actually want to spend more time with their parents. That's according to an online survey of 1,250 adults and teens conducted by Opinion Research Corporation. (Boys and Girls Club - bgcgg.org) * According to a study by the New York Times, married and single parents spend more time teaching, playing with and caring for their children than their parents did in the 1960s. (nytimes.com) * While nearly a quarter of teen respondents said their parents don't seem to have enough time to spend with them, the majority of the parents surveyed did not report having struggles with finding enough time to spend with their kids. This disconnect may be the result of parents underestimating the amount of time their kids want and need from adults. (Boys and Girls Club - bgcgg.org) * Family dinners have decreased by 33% over the past 20 years, and family vacations have decreased by 28%. (playingforkeeps.org)

	This page is designed to inform and educate parents and is not meant to endorse any product, music, or movie. Our prayer is that you will make informed decisions on what your student listens to, wears, and sees!
	This Pennsylvania based punk rock band, Last Tuesday, has been busy touring all over the world. “Fans of Reliant K, Taking Back Sunday, Midtown, and Jimmy Eat World will not be disappointed with this band.” Their newest album, “Becoming What You Believe,” is challenging the lives of the band members as well as those who listen. Even with the notoriety that is quickly pursuing them, the group still tries to focus on the most important things. Lead singer Steve Gee states, “I am finding myself wanting to share to the hundreds of kids who will get this record, that I am a Christian.” (familychristian.com) Does your teen have a credit card? A recent Junior Achievement poll says more than 10% of the teenagers surveyed had credit cards. That number of teens owning their own card grows as they get older from about 5% of teens ages 13 and 14, to nearly 10% by age 17, to close to 20% for teens 18 and older. (connectwithteens.com)		musicspotlight Albums: "Maximum Panic at the Disco" - 10/2006 "A Fever You Can't Sweat Out" - 9/2005 Background: This 4 member, pop-punk band burst out of Suburban Las Vegas in 2005, fresh out of high school. "Crafting pop-influenced songs with theatrical touches, quirky techno beats and perceptive lyrics, Panic! at the Disco posted some demos online and soon caught the attention of Fueled by Ramen." They became the first band to sign to the label though they had never played a live show. Playing on successful tours such as Nintendo Fusion Tour, Lollapalooza and in U.K.'s Reading and Leeds festivals, the band increased notoriety and found its way to MTV's TRL and Top 40. Their first album has sold over 1.3 million copies and there is talk of Grammy nominations according to billboard.com. (sonicnet.com) What Parents Should Know: Their lyrics contain some foul language and deal with such topics as infidelity, addiction, sex, and mocking "faux" religion. Parent/Teen Q&A: There is a quote in the song, "I Constantly Thank God for Esteban", “Give us this day our daily dose of faux affliction. Forgive our sins, forged at the pulpit with forked tongues selling faux sermons.” Q: What kind of message do you think Panic is sending to their fans with these words? Does this raise any questions in your mind about what they say? Why or why not?
	filmwatch Do you want your teen seeing the following new releases? TITLE RATING RED FLAGS GENRE STARRING DOA: Dead or Alive PG-13 For pervasive martial arts and action violence, some sexuality, and nudity Action Jaime Pressley, Devon Aoki Van Wilder: Rise of the Taj R For pervasive crude sexual content, some nudity, and language Comedy Glen Bary, Lauren Cohan, Anthony Cozens The Nativity Story PG For some violent content Drama Keisha Castle-Hughes, Oscar Isaac Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday           1   2   3 Sunday Morning Worship & Bible study 6:00pm tHis Bible Study 4   5   6 6-7pm Confirmation 7:15pm Advent Worship 7   8   9   10 Sunday Morning Worship & Bible study 6:00pm tHis Bible Study 11   12   13 6-7pm Confirmation 7:15pm Advent Worship Led by tHis 14   15   16 4-6pm tHat Christmas Party 6-8th grades 17 Sunday Morning Worship & Bible study 5:00pm Children's Program tHis Bible study meets after program 18   19   20 6-7pm Confirmation 7:15pm Advent Worship 21   22   23   24 Christmas Eve 9am Worship 7:15pm & 10:30pm Worship 25 MERRY CHRISTMAS 9:00AM Worship 26   27   28   29   30   31 Sunday Morning Worship & Bible study             Deadline to sign yp for Youth Quake is January 1st. Possible Ski trip-- January 15? Watch for Details Next Movie Night will be January 19 -- movie suggestions?