Redeem the Time!
Holidays can be times when students have extra time on their hands, and I think we can encourage them to redeem it (Eph 5:15-17). Talk with them about ideas of things they might do over the holiday break(s) to level up a skill or accomplish something fun. Here are some ideas of things we are talking about in our family to help you get started!
Learn a Language (Spanish is a popular choice in our home).
Make a Christmas Music Video.
Write a story.
Design something using Tinkercad to print (3d printer).
Begin crafting Christmas presents (getting creative!).
Build a website (or an app).
Learn a new instrument (or level up on your current instrument).
And more…
Let’s resist the pull of just binge-watching a season of a new show and instead think of ways we can redeem the time during the holidays. Let me know what things your students are going to try in Nov-December!
Monthly Parent Tip: Giving Advice
At a recent conference, I heard an idea that I’m starting to use that I’d love for you to consider. Gen Alpha (2010 and later, according to Fuller Institute) is the generation of my younger 3 kids, and the data shows their #1 value is that they want adults to listen to them in non-judgmental ways. The difficulty is when we need to respond to something they say and offer advice/counsel that might come off as judgmental. Here is what they encouraged. When a young person shares something, first make sure you are actively listening to them. Then when you need to offer them advice (because we often should and do!), do it this way.
1. Share the advice.
2. Ask the question, What in the advice I just shared with you do you disagree with?” Then just listen and don’t react negatively as they critique the advice.
3. Ask one more question,” What in the advice I just shared with you do you agree with?” Again listen. The result is a young person who feels heard and also hears wise counsel. Let me know how this works for you!
How I’m using AI this Month: Budgets
Our church’s subscription to Every Dollar (Ramseyplus) is ending soon, so I’m working on a replacement budget program for me to use. I downloaded a CSV from my transactions from the bank and asked Claude to help me build a similar Budget app and help me categorize the various expenses so I would know how my budget is working out this month. I then asked it if there were any categories that seemed high that I should work on lowering.
What tool(s) do you use for your family’s budget, and how is it working for you?
What I’m Enjoying This Month! Yarnhub Battles!
I’m currently enjoying this YouTube channel on military history. If you enjoy that kind of thing, check it out! https://www.youtube.com/@Yarnhub
Jon’s Game of the Month:
I’m a huge gamer and love playing computer games and board games, especially when they bring people together, as most games should. If you’ve missed my previous games here, they are so far this year:
March: So Clover
April: Just One
May: Nertz
June: The Crew: Mission
August: Flash Point
September: Don’t Llama
October: Earth
So here’s my game for this month!
Spots – Did you ever grow up playing Yachtzee? This is along those lines with a really fun push-your-luck idea with Dalmatians. It goes pretty quickly, and I enjoy it quite a bit for a 30 min light game. If dice and dogs are your thing, you should definitely check this out!
My November question for All Parents is this:
What was your student’s favorite experience they had in 2026 in Youth Ministry, and why?