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Encourage Green Teens in Christian Stewardship “Going green” has become the rallying cry for many of today’s young people, as they take the initiative to preserve the planet. Schools, celebrities, and media encourage teenagers to be eco-friendly and reduce their “footprint.” Living in an environmentally conscious way is healthy and admirable, as long as teenagers have the proper motives and perspective. The reason we all should take good care of the earth is because God made it and put us in charge of its upkeep. Youth minister Josh Tinley writes that going green actually “can enrich our relationship with God and help us grow spiritually” because such practices “honor what God has lovingly and carefully created.” Environmentalism is a “holiness habit” rooted in Scripture, Tinley says. It ranges from not wasting what God has given us (including our talents) to loving our neighbors, who are fellow creations of God. Most significantly, Tinley proposes that if teenagers can commit to taking shorter showers or joining an environmental club, they also can commit to making time for daily prayer or joining a church youth group. Researchers say that “green teens” tend to be influential leaders among their peers. They live out their beliefs, and other people tend to follow their actions. When caring and concerned teenagers honor God with their eco-friendly lifestyles, they’ll be spreading the good news that our Creator loves and cares for us. In Earth-Wise: A Biblical Response to Environmental Issues, Calvin DeWitt offers these principles for honoring God by taking care of his creation: Protect and nourish everything that God created, just as he daily protects and nourishes each of his children. Honor and worship Jesus, through whom God created all things (see John 1:3). Enjoy and appreciate all natural resources without destroying them. During your earthly life, serve God in everything you do and seek his kingdom above all else (see Matthew 6:33). Be content with what you have and work to preserve resources for other people. Don’t overwork God’s creation, including your bodies. Even God rested on the seventh day. Put your concerns for the environment into practice, and spread the message to other people.   PulsePulsePulsePulsePulsePulsePulse Research shows that green living has definitely taken root among today’s teenagers. - 71% of preteens say “going green” is hot. (Youth Trends) - 53% of online teenagers say they are “concerned” or “very concerned” about the environment. - 15% of those kids call themselves “hard-core” environmentalists who are serious about green living. (Jupiter Research) - In a United Kingdom study, parents say their teenagers influence their green choices as much as the media do. - 76% of kids in the UK study say they will make a real impact on future social and environmental concerns. (The Future Foundation)   Great Questions ...to Ask Your Kids  Use these questions as a springboard for insightful conversations about caring for our planet. 1. Why has the “green” movement become so popular lately? Is it just a fad or here to stay? Explain. 2. Can you be both a Christian and an environmentalist? Explain. What’s the difference between caring for the earth and worshipping it? 3. What motivates you to live “green”? Are you worried about our planet’s future? Why or why not? 4. How are you a good steward of God’s creation? What areas could you improve on, and why?   GOD AND YOUR FAMILY Pray that: 1. God will give your teenagers a healthy respect for the earth and a proper perspective about environmentalism. 2. Your teenagers will use available resources wisely and not be wasteful in any areas of their lives. 3. Your teenagers will appreciate being entrusted with all that God created and be passionate about protecting it. 4. God will help your teenagers witness their faith by how they care for the earth, for other people, and for themselves.   VERSE OF THE MONTH “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things.” (1 Chronicles 29:11) As we read in the Genesis account, God made everything—including people, the crown of his creation. He also entrusted us with a huge responsibility: caring for the land, the water, and the creatures he provided for us. So recycling and conserving isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s our job as caretakers of the earth, which belongs to God.   What’s Up With Kids In the chaos of daily responsibilities, stresses, and activities, do your teenagers “remember to remember” Jesus? Try this life-changing idea from Rick Lawrence, editor of Group Magazine: Every aspect of our world, no matter how mundane, has a message about God’s character and goodness locked up in it. Paul’s declaration in Romans 1:20 about God’s “invisible qualities” proves it. We can wake kids up to those qualities by helping them develop a habit of paying much closer attention to what God has made. This can be a simple daily challenge. At least once a day, wherever you are, consider a blade of grass, a dandelion, a leaf, a flower, a song, a TV show—anything in His creation—and closely study it. Then ask God to reveal to you his eternal power and divine nature through it. This sounds far-fetched until you actually do it. God’s Word is true, not rhetorical. Your kids (and you) will be amazed at how eager God is to describe himself through even the most forgettable aspects of his creation. For example, I just plucked a sunflower to study. I asked God to show me something about him through it. The middle of the flower looks like a head of hair, with so many little black “hairs” that it’s impossible to count them. Then God reminded me that “the very hairs on [my] head are all numbered” (Matthew 10:30). That has nothing to do with some kind of heavenly inventory. God is trying to tell me he knows me intimately, and he’s paying close attention to the details of who I am. He sees me. He loves me. Ask your kids to develop a daily habit of worshipping God by paying passionate attention to how he reveals himself through the world around us. Model this yourself, and talk often of how this practice has led you into worship.   FilmWatch Movie: Watchmen Genre: Action, Drama Rating: R (for strong graphic violence, sexuality, nudity, and language) Synopsis: This is a faithful adaptation of an influential graphic novel. The characters are deeply flawed people who don costumes and try to make the world a better place (at least, as they see it). But this isn’t just another superhero movie—or even another “dark” one, such as the recent Batman films. There’s nothing heroic about these superheroes. Because of this film’s content, parents should take its R rating very seriously. Discussion Questions: If you could have one superpower, what would it be, and why? Is vigilantism ever justified? Explain. Why do people often find comfort in wearing masks? What types of masks have you worn, and why? Would you act more bravely if your identity were hidden? Why or why not?   Known by Their Texts All this worry about the planets future makes me wonder about a time in the distant future when some diligent historian uncovers an e-mail or series of text messages to or from your youth, what would they learn from that snapshot? What would they conclude about your child’s character, faith, or values? 3 John is a personal letter written from one man to another about 2,000 years ago. It’s just a quick note, really, but it tells us volumes about what was essential to these two men. 3 John 1:4 says, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” If you’ve felt that joy, mention it to your kids as a way of encouraging them to keep going. Teenagers, especially, can have trouble seeing beyond the moment right in front of them. We all do. This week I have some questions that are designed to get them and you talking about the quality of the lives we’re building, how others think of us based on our choices, and what it means to live in the truth in a way that leaves an impact. ASK: - Other than your parents, would you say that you have any Christian mentors? - If so, what have you learned from them? How do you think they feel about you? - When you don’t feel good physically, you have symptoms like a cough or stomach ache. What are symptoms that you’re not doing well spiritually, that your soul is hurting? - How should we react when we see symptoms in each other that our souls are feeling down? - If a future historian started reading your text messages or e-mail, what do you think he would think about you? What do the things you write—or that gets written to you—say about your character or your commitments? - Of course, not every text needs to be about your faith, but does it matter how other people think of us based on what we say or do? Does our reputation really matter? - On a scale of 1-10, how do you think your peers would rate your commitment to truth? Would your Christian friends give you a better or worse rating than your non-Christian friends? Why? - If your best friends were telling someone about you, what do you think they would point to as your best qualities? Would they bother to mention your love for God or your generosity or your truthfulness? - How would you describe your own reputation at school is it the same as at church or at work? Do you wish your rep was different? Is there anything that could make it stronger?