Parents, I read this artical last week and wanted to pass it along. It seems like everyone has a cell phone...I've seen elemnetry kids talking and texting on them. Parents be wise...talk to your kids about the responsibilities of the digital world we live in!

By Sharon Jayson, USA TODAY
Passing a flirtatious note to get someone's attention is so yesterday. These days, young people use technology instead.
About a third of young adults 20-26 and 20% of teens say they've sent or posted naked or semi-naked photos or videos of themselves, mostly to be "fun or flirtatious," a survey finds.
A third of teen boys and 40% of young men say they've seen nude or semi-nude images sent to someone else; about a quarter of teen girls and young adult women have. And 39% of teens and 59% of those ages 20-26 say they've sent suggestive text messages.
"One of the reasons we wanted to do the survey was to put some sort of structure around the anecdotes," says Marisa Nightingale of the non-profit National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, which commissioned the survey with the Hearst Digital Media site CosmoGirl.com. Chicago-based market research firm Teenage Research Unlimited surveyed 1,280 teens and young adults online Sept. 25 to Oct. 3.

Week one of our Christmas series we talked about Mary. We discussed all of her hopes and expectations...and how God surprised her by inviting her into His story. She became the mother to all of the worlds Hopes and expectations!

I had heard about this last year...but saw it again and was convicted...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVqqj1v-ZBU

Bottom Line: How you view God determines both your expectations and your responses.

Many of us have a distorted Godview because we think God’s primary goal is either for us to be good or for us to be happy. While there may be some truth in those statements, if we see those as His primary goals, then we walk through life with remarkable–and self-made–expectations. Then, when those expectations aren’t met, our faith is shattered and destroyed. This week, we want students to see that following God is bigger than our expectations. Following God requires surrendering control.

Scripture References: Matthew 11:2-3, 11:4-6

Bottom Line: The most important thing about a person is what they think about when they think about God.
No matter who we are, we all have a Godview. And the way we think about God affects how we interact with our world. Many people struggle because they have a negative or distorted view of God. This first week, we will take a look at the life of one of Jesus’ closest followers who struggled for the very same reason. In the end, we want to challenge students to begin to see how their view of God shapes the way they live.
Scripture References: Matthew 16:13-23; John 18:10, 17; John 21:15-19