Age of Opportunity Chapter 1: Opportunity or Surivial?

The teenage years are an age of opportunity - a critical time that God uses to expose the heart-condition of parents and youth to bring restoration through the gospel.

Many parents view the teenage years with a "survival" mentality. They just want their families to escape these hectic years in one piece. However, there is a great window of opportunity to shape the heart of a youth so they will follow Christ for the rest of their lives. The teen years expose the reality of Romans 1:25 for both parents and teens: the tendency to exchange the worship and service of the Creator for the worship and service of created things." (16).

The difficulties and struggles simply expose what lies in our character: "There is nothing that comes out of a drunk that was not in there in the beginning". The teenage years expose parents' self righteousness, impatience, unforgiving spirit, lack of servant love, the weakness of faith, and craving for comfort and ease (17).

In the first chapter, the author shares an example of a father exploding in anger at his son's report card. He said, "How dare you do this to me after all I have done for you!". He was angry because his son had taken away things he valued very much: reputation as a successful Christian father, respect, and comfort (18). There was no attitude of ministry, sense of opportunity, or desire to be part of what God was doing in his son's life.

The mundane moments in life are actually doors of opportunity for parents to shepherd the heart of their youth while acknowledging their own sinful tendencies.

Alex's thoughts: I agree with his all the main points- that the teenage years bring sin to light in ways we cannot imagine. And as believers, we have a responsibility to turn away and embrace the forgiveness provided in Christ.

Questions for us to ponder:

• How do you and I view difficulties in life? As learning opportunities or as inconvenient problems?
• What prevents us from seeing all situations in life as opportunities for God to teach us?
• What sins get in the way?

AoO Chapter 2: Whose Idols are in the Way?

It is a waste of time for parents to think about strategies for parenting teens without first examining ourselves (29).

If we are not following, obeying, and trusting Christ, how can we expect our teens to surrender to Christ? If our hearts are controlled by something other than God, then the parenting opportunities God provides will be seen as a constant stream of irritating hassles. Idols cause parents to respond the wrong way to teens. These idols cause bitter words, accusation and anger to replace love, acceptance, forgiveness, and a heart of service.

The author lists out some of the most common idols he sees parents worshiping.

• COMFORT. This is the idea that we secretly want life to be a resort- that we are entitled to peace, quiet, and respect.
  
• RESPECT. Some parents demand respect, no matter the cost.
  
• APPRECIATION. Parents may fall into the "I serve, you appreciate" trap and expect a certain level of appreciation.
• SUCCESS. It's easy to lose sight that children belong to God, not to us- they are not given to bring us glory, but Him.
• CONTROL. Successful parenting is the rightful God-ordained loss of control. Children start out needing complete control, but as they grow older, parents must bring them under God's control.
  

Alex's thoughts: I cannot agree more with the need for us to examine our own hearts. Parents may very well be the obstacle to their teenager's growth! I wish that Tripp would have at least mentioned some other idols prevalent in the US.

• MONEY "The Pharisees who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him" (Lk. 16:14). Those who seemed to be the most devout and religious were in fact idolaters. Pharisees attend worship, pray, and serve, but were lovers of money and not lovers of God. If God did an audit right now of our finances right now, would He see that we served God or served money? We can only serve one or the other.
• PERSONAL SUCCESS/DESIRES In the parable of the sower (see Mark 4), we see that the word of God is preached and there are 3 bad responses and 1 good response (good soil). Only the good soil bears fruit and represents the one who is genuinely saved. The other 3 soils represent those who are spiritually lost. One of the bad responses is the seed falling among the thorns. The seed is choked out by the cares of this world and desires for other things

1 John 2:15 sums these up: "Do not love the world and the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him"

Questions for us to ponder:

• What idols are you/I prone to worship?
• Do we have a desire to get rid of these idols? What causes us to hold onto them?
• What are the most important things in our life? Do you/I love the world and the things in the world?
• How do our idols affect our parenting ability?
  
• Is our life bearing good fruit? If not, how do we need to repent?
• Let us take time to do what Paul tells the Corinthian church. He tells them to "examine yourself to see whether you are in the faith" (2 Cor 13:5)

AoO Chapter 3: What is a Family? A Definition

Families spend enormous amounts of time planning for vacations to make sure they have a good time. Imagine if we "sort-of" knew where we were going and didn't look at maps or think about the cost or destination.

But parents often go into raising children this way without asking "What did God intend the family to do?" Judges 2:6-15 paints a sad picture of what happens when parents drop the ball. After the conquests in Canaan, Joshua and the Israelite leaders served God. But then another generation arose that did not know the Lord or what He had done.

God designed the family as the primary learning community. God says, "You live with your children. You are there when they are lying down and getting up. Teach your children since the family is your classroom" (41)

Couple of main points:

• Children are worshipers. The question is: What do they worship? They either worship the Creator or created things (see Romans 1:18-32) There is no neutral territory here.
• Children are social beings. Children are made to be in relationship with people. From birth, a child has a moral responsibility to those around him and he is called to love others as he loves himself. Sin destroys this, and forces us to recognize how we are self-centered.
• Children are interpreters. Children take facts and draw conclusions. Sounds obvious, but true. Tripp shares the example of his daughter yelling from her bedroom "Someone stole my backpack". This is not a statement of fact but an interpretation of the facts. It seemed easier for her to assume that there was a thief in the home than to take responsibility. The author helped her understand this, and when they looked for the backpack, they found it under a pile of clothes.
• Children behave out of the heart. What comes out of a child indicates what's in his heart. "No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.....the good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks." (Luke 6:43-45).

Tripp closes with the "fruit stapling" analogy. Parents want their children to live right. Instead of looking at root problems of sin, selfishness, and no love for God or people, parents often want to fix outward behavior. Fixing behavior without changing the heart is like taking good fruit and stapling it to a bad tree. The problem is that the bad tree remains a bad tree. If the tree is bad, the solution is to fix the tree, not staple fruit.

Questions to ponder:

• How would you describe the mission and goals for your family?
  
• Do we view the family as God's classroom for transferring knowledge of Him?
• What are some ways parents try to "staple fruit"?
  

AoO Chapter 4: What is a Family? A Job Description

The family is a learning community. But how do we make an ordinary moment a teaching moment? The answer is to operate the family the way God intended.

Family as Theological Community
Theology is the study of God, His existence, nature, and works (54). Everything in life is attached to either a right or wrong understanding of God. For example, in Deuteronomy 6:20-25, we see that obedience to God must be rooted in understanding who God is and what He has done. Are rules obeyed because we have to or they're the right thing to do? Moses reminds fathers to tell children that they are "children of redemption." God saved us from slavery (to sin), and we live for Him. Our lives are either rooted in the glory and goodness of God or they are not.

Parents must turn the eyes of youth away from what they desire to what God desires. Teenagers (and the rest of us) tend to forget the reality that God exists! When you ask most teenagers what they want out of life, most would tell you they want to be happy. What's scary is that their definition of happiness changes almost hourly and there is no higher focus than their own pleasure.

Family as Sociological Community
The family is the place where our true natures are shown- where our sinful desires are exposed. The family will teach and model what it means to love your neighbor as much as you love yourself or it will violate that standard. Powerful messages will be taught in the way mom and dad talk, serve, make decisions, and deal with differences.

Family as Redemptive Community
The family is the place where the reality of the gospel will be applied out or denied. When we humbly admit our sins and the need for the Savior, we are able to seek the treasures of God's grace. When God reveals sin in a Christian, there are 2 responses. One is to justify and excuse it (e.g. they deserved it). The other is to admit sin, confess it to God and man, and come under the justifying mercy of Christ. One key is that parents must be willing to admit their own faults. It's easy to be like the proud Pharisee in Luke 18 who says "I thank God I'm not like those other people"

All family members must realize we have no power to love God or people on our own and seek Christ for His mercy. "His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness" (2 Pet. 1:3)

Questions to ponder:

• How is the solution for the problem described at the bottom of page 63 (sons fighting over the stereo) a "fruit-stapling" solution?
• What would you say to your son if he told you it was pointless to be a nice guy since nice guys finish last? (See Psalm 73)
  
• Which of the three types of communities do you find most challenging to implement?
• What changes need to be made so that your family serves the purposes God intended?
  

AoO Chapter 5: Parents, Meet Your Teenager

We need a Biblical understanding of teens, but the problem is that the Bible doesn't say anything about teens. The first 7 chapters of Proverbs records a wise father giving advice to his son. These are the tendencies the author observes with teens.

No hunger for wisdom or correction
Most teenagers don't have a natural desire to ask for wisdom. Parents have a responsibility to make wisdom appealing. "Do you make the taste of correction sweet?" We need to win our children for wisdom, and that's not done in anger. Deal with yourself before dealing with your teenager (Matt 7:3-5).

Teens tend to be defensive and take loving concern as accusation. Parents must come with honest questions asked in humility. "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger". (Pr 15:1). Tripp describes some practical steps to do this:

• Clarify your intentions and love
• Help them examine their own defensiveness
• Be faithful in confessing your own sins against teenagers

Keep the teaching moments interactive, not a lecture.

Tendency toward Legalism
Parents need to be skilled in talking about the spirit of the law (what was the intent). There is a difference between inner purity and pharisaic performance of duty. Performing out of duty will lead someone to test the boundary of the law while missing the intent of the law.

Tendency to be unwise in their choice of companions
Friendships are very important, and a person is known by the company he keeps. It's impossible to be uninfluenced by one's friends.

A Susceptibility to Sexual Temptation
For the first time, children desire relationships with the opposite sex, and lust and fantasy often become private sins. Parents must put this subject on the table early and keep it as a topic for open discussion.

An Absence of Eschatological Perspective
Eschatology - a focus on eternity - is not something that comes naturally. Teenagers tend to live for the present moment. The culture tells them: "You are the labels you wear. You are your body size. You are your intelligence (or athletic ability, car you drive, house you live in, or the level of popularity you have)" The culture teaches us to live for the moment and lay up treasure on earth.

Lack of Heart Awareness
"Above all else, guard you heart, for it is the wellspring of life" (Proverbs 4:23). The heart is the control center of life, and what rules our heart will rule our lives. Parents must lead teenagers to look beyond outward behavior and examine the heart. What is the condition of the heart that leads to the behavior? Where has he exchanged the Creator for some aspect of creation (acceptance, a possession, or position).

Tripp shares the story of his daughter coming home with a bad grade in Spanish. When she got home, she had come up with an explanation that completely took her responsibility out of the picture. She was spiritually blind and did not see the real issues of the heart.

It's only when a person knows God that he can know his true nature, and as this happens, his hunger for God increases. These are universal heart-issues: fear of man, materialism, selfishness, lust, covetousness, envy, unbelief, anger, self-righteousness, love the world, greed, rebellion.

Alex's thoughts: These characteristics are true of all people, not just teens! They come straight from our sinful, rebellious nature that does not seek to submit to God. This is where the gospel must be explained clearly- those who are born again have a desire to turn away from sin. Those who are in Christ are new creations- the old has gone, the new has come. Though we are far from perfect, true Christians display a pattern of dying to sin and self.

The Scriptures have strong warnings for those who continue in sin:

• "No one who keeps on sinning has seen him or known him" (1 John 3:6)
• "For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sin, but a fearful expectation of judgment and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries" (Heb 10:26)

Questions to ponder:

• These areas also prompt us to examine our own lives as they are not unique to teenagers. For instance, in what ways are we unwilling to accept correction from others? How do we tend towards legalism? How do let down our guard in the area of sexual temptation? Do we communicate eternal perspective in all of life (or a temporary one)?
• Which one of these areas is the most challenging/difficult for you and your family?
  
• How well do our teens understand what the gospel is? Do we (and our teens) know what genuine salvation looks like?

AoO Chapter 6: Goals, Glory, and Grace

Tripp walked into his son's bedroom feeling overwhelmed. He was physically tired and also a tired parent. His son accused him of being unloving, unkind, and lacking in understanding. He seemed to argue with every point. He was unresponsive and also deliberately irritated him. Somewhere in the conversation, Tripp loses his temper. In his anger, he spoke some of the most unkind words he had ever spoken. Afterwards, Tripp was then torn between self-pity and conviction- he wanted his son to be hurt the same way that his son had hurt him. Yet, he knew that was wrong. Tripp cried out for God's help and forgiveness, prayed for faith and perseverance. He was never more aware of his own moment-by-moment need for the Lord.

Parents must view their difficult role from the vantage point of the awesome power of God.

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations for ever and ever! Amen" (Eph 3:20).

God's power created the world, holds the universe together, raised Christ from the dead, and defeated sin. We must parent in His power and strength. His awesome power resides in all His people, by His Spirit. God has given us everything we need to live for Him and His glory in this life and the life to come:

"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires." (2 Pet. 1)

Alex's thoughts: How often I forget about the divine power given freely by God and secured through Christ! The more I realize how much I am lacking in faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love, the more I realize I need that divine power.

AoO Chapter 7: There's a War Out There

Tripp recounts a story where his daughter was caught passing a note at her Christian school. The note was offensive, disrespectful of authority, and used language he could not believe would come from his daughter. He was immediately filled with a volatile combination of anger, grief, and embarrassment. He was angry that she would dare to be so boldly rebellious and insensitive. He was embarrassed because he was well known in the Christian community as a pastor, seminary teacher, and counselor. What would people think of him now?

Because teenage years are unpredictable, parents need a clear set of biblical goals as guardrails. Situations like these are sovereignly-given opportunities to shepherd the hearts God has exposed in teenagers. Or, they can become moments where a wedge of distance and anger are driven.

Before describing the right goals, Tripp talks about the wrong goals. The first one is regulating behavior. Most parents fear drugs, alcohol, sex, and dropping out of school, So, they take the role of policeman rather than parent. Rules "lack any value for restraining sensual indulgence" (Col. 2:20-23) because corruption in the world is caused by evil desires (2 Pet 1:4). Forcing rules does not change the heart. Wise parents will help teens to understand their own heart by asking the right questions:

• What were you thinking and feeling at the time?
• Why was that so important?
• What did you want to accomplish?
• What was your motivation?
• Why did you become so angry?
• If you could go back and do something differently, what would you change?

The goal is to show, not tell. This should be done in the love of Christ, who is the Great Shepherd:

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another... (Col 3:12-14)

GOAL 1: Focusing on the Spiritual Struggle
Tripp has said many times to his children, "There is a war out there. It is being fought on the turf of your heart. It is fought for the control of your soul." Two things stop us:

• A tendency to focus more on the world of the seen, than the unseen (e.g. grades, job, college)
• Acultural misunderstanding about the nature of spiritual warfare. Spiritual warfare encompasses all of life: in the body of Christ, the marriage relationship, parent-child relationship, between slaves and masters, and in every place we go. There is a constant struggle against the world, the flesh, and Satan as we desire to live for God. The spiritual armor and the reminder of Satan as the enemy in Ephesians 6 is a summary of what Paul has said up to that point.
  

Questions to ponder:

• Are we, by the things that concern us and the way we solve problems, demonstrating that we understand there is a spiritual struggle?
• Are our lives consistent with what we say we would like to produce in our teenagers?
• What do you think about the list of qualities given by Tripp of the spiritual warrior? Which do you find most challenging for you? For your teen?
  

AoO Chapter 8: Convictions and Wisdom

Tripp recounts the story of him and his wife going away to a weekend conference. His son would stay with a family friend from church. Before his son arrived, the other boys had rented several movies. His son soon realized that the movie contained material he shouldn't be watching. What should he do? He could watch the movies and no one would know. He ended up trying to convince them not to watch it, and they thought he was "being stupid". His son exercised his faith and had to deal with the persecution.

It's one thing to do what's right under the watchful eye of another person. It's another thing to exercise convictions from the heart when only God is watching.

GOAL 2: Developing heart of Conviction and Wisdom
Tripp starts this section by recounting another story. His son had gotten a part-time job and was asked to do something that wasn't in his job description. They talked about it and his son wanted him to make the decision for him. Tripp did not do that because he believed that the situation was sent by God to develop him. There was no clear-cut right or wrong answer, so Tripp prayed that God would give him wisdom. His son did what he believed was right, after thinking and praying about it. Then got fired!

But, even in the firing, there was chance to talk about life in a broken world, the blessings of doing things God's way, and what it means to entrust yourself in God's care.

This situation was quite different from the movie incident. The first situation (movie) had to do with "clear-boundary" issues. These have a clear right or wrong answer from God's perspective. The other situation is a "wisdom" issue, where there is no clear right or wrong answer. "Wisdom" issues should not be solved like "clear-boundary" issues.

The tendency is to go towards one of two extremes in dealing with "wisdom" issues:

1. Legalism: making everything a rigid boundary issue
2. Foolishness: concluding that anything that is not an obvious boundary issue is unimportant

The author cites 6 characteristics of Biblical conviction. These convictions are needed to deal with "clear-boundary" issues in life:

1. It's based upon and a study of, submission to, and application of Scripture
2. It's predetermined
3. It doesn't depend on circumstances
   
4. It's inflexible
5. It's bold
6. It's always lived out

Tripp cites 10 issues to consider when dealing with "wisdom" issues:

1. Submitting to the authorities God has put over us
2. Giving grace to others
3. Committing ourselves to the truth
4. Serving as ambassadors for Christ (e.g. Would I be able to share the gospel afterward?)
   
5. Seeking wise counsel
6. Living lives of faithfulness and integrity (keeping our word)
7. Trusting in the sovereignty of God
8. Living for what's eternal
9. Examining our heart, desires, motives
10. Living for God's glory

The strategies for developing convictions and wisdom are rooted in principles Tripp has been stating all along:

• See these difficult situations God-given opportunities to develop a Biblical mind
• Resist making the decision for your teenager
• Be persistent in drawing out the heart of your teenager (ask open-ended questions)
• Help your teenager determine if the issue is a clear-boundary or a wisdom issue
  

Alex's thoughts: I really like the "clear-boundary" and "wisdom" categories Tripp describes. They give us a good framework for knowing how to approach situations when they arise.

AoO Chapter 9: Life in the Real World

Tripp starts this chapter by describing two typical responses to our culture: Rejection and Assimilation.

Rejection is illustrated by the "Smith" family. They are dressed very conservatively and talk about a book they are reading as a family. Their children have little interaction with non-Christians to avoid negative influence. No modern music is played, and they do not go to the movies. The TV is for educational programming. The Smith's paradigm is "Come out among them and be separate".

Assimilation is illustrated by the "Jones". The kids wear a lot more jewelry and earrings. The daughter has headphones around her neck and the kids participate in many public-school activities. They all have stereos in their rooms and watch lots of TV. On the surface, the Jones look and act like their non-Christian peers. Their motto is "Be in the world, but not of the world".

Rejection has problems. Everything God made is good, though good things can be abused. Modern music is not evil by nature, but it becomes evil when it draws us into rebellion against God. The other problem is that the core of our struggle is not evil outside us but with evil within. The corruption of the world is caused by evil desires (2 Peter 1:4). Isolationism may lead to self-righteousness- righteousness is equated with "keeping the list".

Assimilation has problems also. Scripture teaches us that nothing is neutral- "He who is not with me is against me".

Tripp uses the pollution metaphor to understand how sin taints our culture. When there are poisons in the air, people wear protection. The protection that we wear is a Biblical worldview that filters out the unseen poisons of the culture. Simply sheltering teens from culture will not work. The key is to open the communication channels and help teens see areas where they have absorbed the pollutants of our culture. This is done through personal examples and pointing teens to Christ. This "Redemptive interaction" is a third response to culture, which is different from rejection and assimilation.

GOAL 3: Teaching a Teenager to Understand and Interact Redemptively with his Culture

The first step is to know and understand God's truth as a protection against the culture's pollutants. This is done by preparing teens to have a Biblical worldview and not just teaching Bible stories without connecting them to real life. When studying scripture, here are some questions to ask ourselves:

• What do we learn about God, His character, and his plan?
• What do we learn about ourselves, our nature, our struggle, and the purpose of our lives?
• What does God say about what is right/wrong, good/bad, true/false?
• What does the passage have to say about our culture (its values, views, behavior)?

The next step is teaching teens to test what they see from a Biblical worldview. They should give teens opportunities to test the culture against God's Word. This means going to movies and concerts with them, listening to music together, etc... The testing process includes identifying the common ground between our experience and the fallen culture. If we look at our own sin and experience of being sinned against, we will recognize common experience and grief.

The final steps involve deciding and redeeming. Teens must be coached into deciding when they can be redemptive participants or when they must separate from the culture.

Alex' thoughts: I like the analogy of wearing protective gear to filter out pollution. Our main struggle is with our own evil desires, so we must understand those desires and starve them rather than feed them. I have some concerns with this analogy, though. Since there is so much pollution in the culture, I see few cases where we can redeem it. God commands us to "flee temptation". Having the protective gear of a Biblical worldview could provide a false sense of security and expose us to things we have no business experiencing.

Questions to ponder:

• What does it mean to redeem our culture? Do we need to experience the world to have common ground with others?
• Like American football, rugby is a full-contact sport. However, rugby players do not wear nearly as much protective gear as football players. Interestingly enough, the injury rates for rugby players are much lower, and tend to be much less serious. How could our "Biblical worldview" protective gear lead to a false sense of security?
• What should a parent do if he and his teen have tested culture from a Biblical worldview and the teen still wants to rebel against God?

AoO Chapter 10: A Heart for God

All parents want good things for our children: good education, job, marriage, children, home, and a life without tragedy. However, what is the central wish that should be the foundation of everything we want for our children? David captures this:

One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek Him in His temple (Ps. 27:4)

David describes a "heart for God." We cannot let anything be greater than this. The Westminster Shorter Catechism says that the chief goal of man is to "glorify God and enjoy Him forever".

GOAL 4: Developing a Heart for God in Your Teenager
Tripp gives several reasons why homes that profess to know Christ have no desire for God.

1. Familiarity - taking God's truth for granted
2. Lifestyle - busy schedules prevent parents from diving deep into the hearts of their children on a regular basis
3. Hypocrisy - parents may profess to know Christ but deny Him in their attitudes and actions (see discussion on chapter 2: Whose Idols are in the Way?)

What are the signs of a pursuit for God?

• There will be an independent life of personal worship and devotion to God
• Desire for corporate worship, instruction, and fellowship
• Open to discussions about spiritual things
• God affects how they make decisions

Tripp closes with some practical ways that parents can grow their own heart for God as a means for transferring this heart to their children.

Alex's thoughts: I like this chapter, but unfortunately, it has one big shortcoming. Tripp leaves out the biggest reason why people don't have a heart for God: being unsaved. Not everyone who makes a profession of faith is genuinely saved. Those who are saved will have a heart for God, as they are new creations in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17) and have been born again (John 3:3). Someone who isn't born again will not have a heart for God. The scriptures are filled with stunning illustrations that show this.

For example, in Matthew 7:15-24, Jesus illustrates the difference between true and false conversion with several examples. First, the narrow way leads to eternal life, while the broad way leads to eternal destruction. The good tree bears good fruit, while the bad tree bears bad fruit (and will be cut down and thrown into the fire). The true believer does the will of the Father while the professing believer who does not do the will of the Father will hear "I never knew you" from Jesus.

For other parables illustrating the difference between true and false converts, see: Matt 12:33-37, Matt. 13, Matt. 22:1-13, Matt 25, Mark 4:1-20, Mark 12:1-12, Luke 6:43-49, Luke 8:4-15, Luke 12:35-48, etc...

Side note: Remember that we are saved by grace through faith, not be works. The good fruit we bear and the submission shown to Christ is the outward evidence of inward change.

Questions to ponder:

• Is a heart for God important to you? If so, how is that demonstrated in your life?
• What areas do you need to change so that you and your family will grow your heart for God?
• What are the indications of true conversion?
• The parables Jesus tell should have a two-fold effect: they should cause true believers to examine ourselves and then serve as warnings for us. Take time to study the passages and ask for God's Spirit to teach and enlighten our hearts.
  

AoO Chapter 11: Leaving Home

GOAL 5: Preparing Teenagers for Leaving Home

The goal of parenting is to work yourself out of a job. We want to send off our children knowing that they have everything they need to do what God has called them to do. Parents must remember the gospel throughout this process: it was while we were yet sinners that Christ died for us and it is His goodness that leads to repentance. Parents who follow Christ's example will correct with the gospel of grace as part of the message.

Tripp gives parents 4 verbs to keep in mind:

• Accept: Not acceptance of sin, but acceptance that leads to change
• Incarnate: Reveal Christ (His love, patience, gentleness, forgiveness. See col 3:12-14)
• Identify: We share a fallen nature with our teenagers and we share progressive growth unto holiness with them
• Enter - Participating in a teen's life by listening and asking good questions
  

Parents should study, understand, and model the Biblical maturity that Paul describes in Colossians 1:9-14.

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the LORD and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

AoO Chapter 12: Three Strategies for Parenting Teens

Biblical goals are insufficient for Biblical parenting. Biblical strategies are required also. All of these insights and strategies apply to teenagers because they apply to people in general, especially ourselves!

STRATEGY 1: Project Parenting
We must ask ourselves questions like these: What should we be working on with this particular child at this particular time? How should we work on it? You must have an idea where the teenager has room to grow, where he is susceptible to temptation, where he is struggling, and where there is rebellion. Psalm 36:1-4 provides a model for project parenting.

What significant relationships must he deal with? Who are the voices of influence? What values are being promoted in his world? Where are the places of daily struggles?

Teens must develop wisdom to understand his own heart. This should eventually lead to detecting his own sin and learning to hate it.

STRATEGY 2: Constant Conversation
Hebrews 3:12-13 shows us how easy and how fast our hearts become hardened by sin. Without daily conversation and examination, sin will grow unchecked.

See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.

The turning away refers to a turning away of the heart. The heart always turns before the eyes, mouth, ears, hands, and feet. When someone has rebelled against the Lord (e.g. stop worshiping and submitting to Christ), the heart left long before that. The constant communication is on-going treatment for our spiritual blindness. Again, this means asking good questions, pursuing the heart of the teenager, and bringing the gospel into their lives.

STRATEGY 3: Leading Your Teenager to Repentance
In 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, Paul describes the ministry of reconciliation (being made right with God). Through the gospel, we are brought into a right relationship with God, and now we are God's ambassadors to bring that right relationship to our teenagers. Tripp lists 4 steps he uses:

1. Consideration - "What does God want my teenager to see about himself that he's not seeing? This involves a dialog about the situation, the heart response, the behavior response, the reasons behind the response, and the result.
2. Confession - Parents often make the mistake of confessing for their teens. Without addressing the spiritual blindness, the teen will not see the issue the way God sees it.
3. Commitment - A commitment to God and people to live, act, and respond in a new way. It must involve a turning of the heart and changed behavior
4. Change - True repentance leads to concrete changes in our lives

Alex's thoughts - This chapter and the next one are great summarizes of what Tripp has shared in the first 11 chapters. He starts bringing all the ideas together and shows how they can be applied.

AoO Chapter 13: Small Steps to Big Change

It is never too late to change yourself and bring lasting change to your family. Mountains are not conquered in a single step. Relationships do not change overnight. Tripp provides more practical steps for parents:

• Stay calm - "Man's anger does not lead to the righteous life that God desires" (James 1:20)
• Keep conversation open (see Strategy 2 in chapter 12: "Three Strategies")
• Demonstrate how the Bible interprets, explains, and organizes life - God's Word rules and directs every part of our lives or it does not (see chapter 8: "Convictions and Wisdom" and 10: "Heart for God")
  
• Be willing to show your own struggle (Paul does this for us in 2 Cor. 1:3-11)
• Keep Christ and His work central - It is not enough to speak about Christ, we must demonstrate His life in our life (see 10: "Heart for God" and 11: "Leaving Home")
  
• You're a sinner. Don't act surprised at your teenager's struggle with sin (see 4: What is a Family?")
  
• Plan for temptation (see 5: "Parents Meet Your Teenager")
  
• Make accountability your teenager's responsibility - There are always places to hide. An army of people cannot successfully hold a person accountable who does not want the help
• Be a good listener and observer (see chapter 12)
• Don't give in to problem allergy (see 1: "Opportunity or Survival")
• Always keep heart in focus (see 3: "What is a Family: A Definition")
• Do your Biblical homework first
• Always speak lovingly and constructively - communication problems happen not simply because of a teen's character, but also because of our idolatry (see 2: "Whose Idols are in the Way?"
• Be willing to overlook minor offenses - not everything is equally important
• Always deal honestly with your own attitudes (see chapter2)
• Expect, welcome, and respect differences - The goal is for a child to be made into the image of Christ, not ourselves

Questions to ponder:

• Tripp presents a lot of advice all at once! If you could pick 2 to work on, which would they be? Why?
  
• Which piece of advice was something you wish you knew years ago? How can we make sure we don't get discouraged?
• What are pieces of advice you have already taken to heart? How can you encourage a fellow parent through what God has taught you?

Anniversary!

It's hard to believe it's already been a year since we got married. This weekend we're going on a little trip to Fredricksburg to celebrate! Our plans are to hike Enchanted Rock and Inks Lake, and then go stroll the streets a little bit during Oktoberfest and grab some yummy German food.

I'm about to embark on a little foray into fancy Chinese cooking. Whenever we travel, my aunt always brings these delicious braised beef shank sandwiches with cilantro on a shao bing, so I decided that I would learn how to make them.

Even buying the right cut of meat was a trial. I naively thought that HEB would carry the right cut of beef shank, but theirs is already cut up into filets, and when I asked the butcher if he had any more, he went into the back and brought out the actual leg, shrink wraped, with skin, bone, and all. :P A trip to MT led me to what I was looking for, and now it's sitting in my refrigerator, silently mocking me.

I found this recipe that looks pretty good. We'll see how it turns out!
http://www.tastehongkong.com/recipes/stewed-beef-shank/

moustache bunny

A few of Alex's coworkers have a yearly tradition of growing out their beards in the wintertime until sometime in March. They're looking pretty scruffy by then end of it, with full out beards covering their whole faces.

Alex seemed interested in doing it (although there are only two weeks left) because his coworker Kameswar has joined in this year, and Kameswar is a bad influence on Alex ^_~. He's not usually one to be wild and crazy, so to encourage his "wild side," I told him he should try it. I think it'll be cute.

I'm looking forward to the results. Today was his first day of being Moustache Bunny. He really can only grow a moustache, so I'm envisioning some really thick Luigi-like growth that can be calmly smoothed while drinking a glass of wine. Very refined.


But realistically, it'll probably end up looking more like a used car salesman. Maybe he should get a plaid suit to match.


Doesn't my bunny model look happy?

an attempt

So recently I took a day off of work and decided to learn how to knit. It's been really neat to see all these scarves come out of certain people, and it's made me have the itch to want to learn. I had some old knitting needles from when I tried to learn in college, and set out. You'd be amazed at what awesome tutorials there are nowadays on the Internet. Who needs you, $50 class, when I've got Youtube?

So I've been kinda toying with a sort of 101 in 1001 list, so here's a start:

Make/upholster a headboard
Re-upholster a chair
Finish wedding thank yous
Visit 4 Seminaries
Learn to live on one budget
Make a hat from yarn
Repaint a frame a bright color and use it for something
Learn to tile and install a green backsplash in our kitchen
Go on a road trip with Alex
Learn how to use a serger
Adopt a dog (Corgi) and teach said dog to do tricks
Finish our study (hang things on walls/organize)
Memorize Philippians
Read a few chapters from Bible Doctrine or Systematic Theology