The Importance of Patience – Podcast 009

As we’re helping the next generation succeed, we need to encourage them and remind ourselves of the importance of patience. As we look at Nehemiah, we see him exercise patience and wait on God to show him what to do.

Too often we feel the need to push young people into things or press them to have it all figured out. The reality is that patience is important both for them and for those who are trying to help them succeed.

As always, you can get in touch with me (Dennis) on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. I’d love to connect  with you.

 
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Parenting Your 6th Grader

I can’t believe in a few short weeks my middle son is graduating Elementary School. That means I only have 364 more weeks with him before he’s all grown up and moving on to other things besides high school.

Time sure does fly. They grow up so fast. And all that jazz.

I realize that I’ve been through this before with my oldest son, but this feels different. It might be my own stage of life creeping in to give me “all the feels.” I don’t know, but I feel like I can empathize with parents more now that I’m going through this as well. Maybe it’s because we have a rather large group of upcoming 6th graders in our student ministry. Maybe it’s because I’m established at our church now and can really think about these things. I don’t know.

But because we are trying to help families through this at our church, I was reading through a book by Orange called “Parenting Your Sixth Grader” (affiliate link).

Here are four quick takeaways:

  1. By the time you have a 6th grader, there are only 364 weeks left until they graduate. What you do this week is important.
  2. Sixth grade is a phase filled with change and inconsistency. And that’s ok. Just be ready.
  3. Every kid needs: love, stories, work, fun, tribes, and words.
  4. Important Sixth grade conversations revolve around: healthy habits, sexual integrity, technological responsibility, and authentic faith.

The book is really a workbook for parents. It has a lot of space to write in. You can read it quickly, but implementing the ideas in it take time. I’d recommend it as a guide to help you think through the important things during this phase of life.

Have you read this book? What do you think?

Five Things I Learned from Coaching Soccer

This weekend we wrapped up our soccer season at the Y. We had a fun time. It was my first time coaching my daughter, and it was also her first time playing. She is so fast and had a great season. I could see her playing more soccer in the future. I also had the best assistant coach in the history of soccer (Janell).

I’ve had some time to reflect about the season and what I learned, and I thought I’d share it here. There are some life lessons in here that I hope to remember from our first soccer season together.

Life Lessons from Coaching Soccer

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Nuggets of Wisdom for our Kids

Have you ever heard the saying, “The best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time”? I’d honestly never thought of how to eat an elephant, mainly because it doesn’t sound too appetizing, but I understand the principle that to get something big done, you need to focus on a little bit at a time.

Parenting and teaching my children is one of the most overwhelming things I have to do in my life. I understand that the responsibility to train my children in the ways of the Lord rests on my shoulders as a parent, but sometimes it’s hard to find the consistent 20-30 minutes needed to have “family devotions.”

I’m sure I’m not the only one.
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