WRP

Here is a great devotion on the Wheat Ridge web site... part of their weekly devotions.

Check it out. Are you a WRP? I hope so!

Persistence or raw intelligence?

I've posted about this before but here is another shot. Some very helpful information from Search Institute on persistence and intelligence and how each of those affect success in children.  Check out this short post on the topic and then join them for a free webinar on the subject on Tuesday, Nov 19/13.

Search Institute was a recipient of a Wheat Ridge grant back in their early years. Good stuff continues to happen! Take a Wheat Ridge minitour! (smartphone friendly)

Screen time... Help!!

I just received an email from Dr David Walsh at Mind Positive Parenting and he has posted about what Pediatricians are saying these days about screen time for kids.

Very helpful info.  And while the info is helpful, putting it into practice is not so easy.  The stats indicate most families are way past the suggested limits.

First step - do parents know about the suggested limits? And this info comes from people who know something about the affects of media on kid's brains.

Second step - most parents need help to 'move the needle' in a healthy direction.  If 'everyone is doing it' making a change is much harder. 

So perhaps the church can step up to 1) educate and 2) encourage... provide the info and provide a way for parents to help each other take healthy steps in media use. Get creative and if financial help is needed, check out Wheat Ridge grants as an option. And see what others are up to with their grants as well.

The article above give good reasons for making strong efforts on this.  There are some definite negatives that happen with overuse - AND some great things that happen with appropriate use.

Momentum...

I was introduced to the PBS Frontline presentation "League of Denial" about concussions in the NFL.  The subtitle - "The NFL's Concussion Crisis" tells you where they are headed with the coverage.  If you are invested in the NFL (you  make lots of money off it, or you really enjoy it as a fan) then this is hard to hear - and for many, easy to dismiss. If you are not invested in the NFL you probably wonder how anyone can miss the implications, and continue to support the NFL on its current direction (and lots of other sports that damage the fragile brain - I recently talked with a tearful mother about her daughter's concussion from soccer and the damage it has done still two years later).

Momentum.  The bigger the organization or the more you are invested, the harder it is to make a change.

How important is health?  What are we willing to give up to keep it? How high does the incidence of brain damage have to be in a sport to warrant a change?  How can we help people work against the momentum, when the momentum is on an unhealthy path?

Healthy children...

I saw a great post from Tim Elmore on raising healthy, well rounded kids who are ready to be strong contributors.  Check out a post on 'soft skills' that are critical to healthy, whole person living and giving God our best.

Wheat Ridge supports many creative projects that focus on supporting young people. Here's one in Chicagoland.

What's different?

I visit in lots of churches over the course of a year.  Some are growing and lively, and others... not so much.  What's the difference?  I've often wondered about that.  I don't think it has anything to do with age of the members or size of the congregation (and all the churches I visit have Christ at the center).  There are many possible factors, my observations are not scientific and I don't want to over simplify, but here are some thoughts about what I see:

For one thing, I think it has to do with orientation - is the orientation internal or external; is the congregation caring for itself or is it caring for others? The congregations that focus out and care for others seem to be healthier.  They don't wait for people to come to them, they go out and work among the people in their neighborhood; they know their neighbors and their neighbors' needs.

And is the focus on the past or on the present and future?  When the focus is on the past, it is easy to think that the good days seem to be gone. It is important to live in the present and to have a strong hope for the future.

I spoke with one Pastor of a growing church, and one that is engaged in their community in many ways, and he said "we didn't invent any of these things we are doing... the opportunities came to us - and God provided all we needed in order to do them." I'm guessing every community has needs, and opportunities to meet those needs. Some see them and others don't.  Perhaps it is as simple as: the ones who saw the opportunities were looking for them.

Wheat Ridge can be one of the ways that God provides what is needed, and can provide help when congregations want to focus out and get active in the present. Check out their grants and other resources.  And check out how you can help us with our granting ministry.

Parenting resources...

Three excellent resources for negotiating parenting in the 21st Century. (It was tough enough 2000 years ago!)

First, Dr David Walsh has some excellent posts on parenting - this one is on negotiating with teens.

Second, Search Institute (they received a grant from Wheat Ridge back in their start up days) has great resources, one of which is called Parent Further. The recent post on 'grit' is worth the time to read. It helps us get a handle on what we as parents want our kids to excel at for success in the future... academics is not at the top of the list.

Third, Dr Tim Elmore on Three Mistakes We Make With Kids - and how to correct them... 

Check them all out...