It seems like more and more our society is discounting the importance of the role fathers play in their children’s lives. Whether it is the promotion of single parenting or the feminist movement, fathers have lost their status as the foundation of the family. This shift has had tremendous ramifications for today’s youth. Countless studies show that when the Father is absent from the home, children are more likely to live in poverty, have lower self-esteem and perform worse in school. With divorce rates at an all-time high, even 50% in the churches, many fathers have been ushered out of the home. It is no wonder our youth are experiencing a moral crisis today. I know how important my father is in my life. My dad is the glue that holds my family together. He is the pillar of strength and wisdom, the example of unconditional love and zeal for the ways of the Lord. Too often though, even in Christian homes, fathers neglect to be the leaders God requires of them.
Parents Turn Off the Television and Tune into Your Family.
Spend quality time with your family and get to know their lives intimately. When you have a close personal relationship with your family, they will honour your guidance because they cannot bear to disappoint you. Also, for at least one meal per day, let’s eat together as a family. This is the perfect time to catch up on what is going on in each other’s lives, and can set the framework for further one-on-one time. Discipline with Love; Never in Anger. “My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in” (Proverbs 3:11-12). Discipline can be as difficult to implement as it is to receive, but we need guidance and correction. Work with us to establish boundaries and appropriate punishments for crossing the line. Consistency is essential in this process; we should know in advance the consequences for breaking the rules. Discipline us with consistency, wisdom, and love. See Hebrews 12:5-11, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”
We Must Lead By Example Teach the Ways of the Lord.
God holds parents accountable to teach their children His ways. Fathers, as heads of the family, it is your responsibility to ensure that your family is God-centred. We need to learn to apply godly principles in our lives from an early age, not just in church-related matters, but also to every aspect of our lives. A Father must Honour His Children’s Mother. It is through your relationship with your wife that the children first learn about relationships between men and women. When your son sees the love and respect you show to his mother, he will learn to treat women the same way when he is older. And your daughters will hold high standards in romantic relationships because we will not settle for anyone who does not treat us as well as our father treated our mother. Do not fight in front of your children. Even teenage children will personalize parental disputes that may have nothing to do with them. Show your wife love and respect and they will emulate this behavior.
You must Show Affection
Hugs and “I love you” are not just for your wife; we need to feel in our hearts that Dad loves us, so do not be afraid to show your daughters and sons plenty of affection. “Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him (Luke 15:17-24). Be Patient and Forgiving Despite your love and guidance, we will make mistakes, and when we do, we need to know that you will be patient and forgiving (Luke 15:17-24). The mark of a loving parent is the willingness to forgive. Lets switch gears a little to how you can minister to many or mentor many. One of the first things Christians need to know is you don’t have to be an ordained Minister to minister! To minister means to attend to the needs and comfort of another. “To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings” (1 Corinthians 9:22-23). Paul gave us some very important principles for ministering to others. For one thing, we must do our best to find common ground with those we come in contact with. It is a big mistake to display a know-it-all-attitude. We must do our best to make others feel accepted. We need to be sensitive to the needs and concerns of others and look for opportunities to tell them about Christ. Paul chose to find common ground with everyone and those with weak consciences in order that some might be saved. However, Paul never compromised the gospel truth, the Laws of God, or his own conscience. Paul was always willing to go the extra mile to meet people where they were. He always kept his eyes focused on the goal of spreading the Good News. Paul’s life focused on taking the gospel to an unbelieving world. These principles should be a part of our personal ministry, for they are just as valid for us today as they were for Paul in his day.
Team Effort is Necessary for True Ministry
Paul explained to the church at Corinth that no one person should do everything. Paul’s gift was preaching, and that’s what he did. He was emphasizing the need for Christian ministry to be a team effort. No preacher or teacher is a complete link between God and His people. Likewise, no individual can do all that the apostles did. Each Christian should be content with the gift or contribution God has given him/her to make, and he/she should carry it out with a whole heart. “I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought” (1 Corinthians 1:10). Paul was pleading to the believers to allow real harmony to exist among them and to be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. Of course, Paul was not saying they had to be exactly the same to be perfectly united. Instead, he wanted them to set aside their arguments and focus on Jesus Christ as Lord, and their mission to take the light of the gospel into a dark world.
What does the word “Mentoring” mean?
And how does one be a successful Mentor? Webster says, “A Mentor is a wise adviser, a trusted teacher and counselor.” This description tells us that not just anyone will be capable of fulfilling the duties of a mentor. Usually, wisdom rides on the head of an older person. Trusting in someone comes with communication over a long period of time. When you find someone who has wisdom, who is trustworthy, and also has the ability to teach good things, you will have found much more than a friend for life, you will have found a “Mentor.” A mentor should be a best friend. A mentor, preferably, should not be a person your own age, but older and wiser when it comes to life. Real friendships involves face-to-face honesty. Real friendships also involve loyalty. What kind of a mentoring friend would you be, if you had the chance? There is a vast difference between knowing someone well and being a true mentoring friend. The greatest evidence of a genuine mentoring friendship is loyalty, which loves at “all times.” In 1 Corinthians 13:7 one reads the importance of being available to help in times of distress or personal struggles. Too many people are fair-weather friends. They stick around when the friendship helps them and leave when they’re not getting anything out of the relationship. Think of your friends and appraise your loyalty to them. Be the kind of true mentoring friend the Bible encourages. Jesus Christ is our Lord and master, yet He calls us His friends. How comforting and reassuring to be chosen as Christ’s friends. Real mentoring involves a loving relationship. We are to love each other as Jesus loved us. Sometimes being a mentor involves the simple practice of listening, helping, encouraging and giving.
Watch the video related to youth mentoring
In this interview, Abby Onencan discusses the youth mentoring program that is just one of the many services Ripe for Harvest offers to young people in Kenya. Ms. Onencan, founder and director of Ripe for Harvest, started the non-profit because she saw countless youth in Kenya facing challenges at home, in the job market, and at school – and they had no one to talk to. Ms. Onencan believes that, if youth have a mentor in whom they trust and gain confidence about themselves, they are more …
Help answer the question about youth mentoring
How can I get other cities interested in implementing a proven successful mentoring program for youth ?About Author
John Fagan, Jr is one that likes to have everything in order. First things first Alpha and Omega. I put God first and formost. He is the center of my family (four boys and a wonderful wife Tammie). As for me and my house we will serve the Lord. That is my true motto. Please pray for our pastors, leaders, military men and women, and also all of our public servants. God Bless each and everyone and have a blessed day and year.
http://www.bigticketowealthchristian.com/
Tags: Abby Muricho, Abby Onencan, Advocacy Project, Africa, Camp, IDP, Kate Cummings, Kenya, Mentor, Ripe for Harvest, Vital Voices, Youth, Youth Mentor
I've volunteered with several youth programs, and I've had some pretty positive experiences with all of them. I currently work with several programs. I am an active "Big" in the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization:
http://www.bbbs.org
I'm on my second match, and it's been a lot of fun. Even though at times you may not realize the impact that you are making, it's all of the little moments that make it worthwhile.
I also volunteer through my volunteer center to tutor children at the library and work at the local children's shelter. I've found the most variety through the volunteer center:
http://www.handsonnetwork.org/our-network/
http://www.pointsoflight.org/c.....center.cfm
http://national.unitedway.org
It all depends on the type of time commitment, and what you are looking for in a program. If you are looking for a one-on-one match, then I would suggest that Big Brothers is a very good program. If you are looking for general mentoring opportunities, I think your volunteer center may be able to help you find stuff that will have a shorter time frame to get started. In both cases with Big Brothers, it did take quite a bit of time before I was matched, and a longer time in order to build a relationship with my match.
Good luck!
I lost my job 6 months ago, but I've finally found something I can do at home to make some exta money to help make ends meet. By no means am I rich, but every penny helps. Try it yourself. http://www.goodinternetdeals.com/Work-At-Home.html
You won't get rich but there are lots of jobs available.
It's stressful though — there is high turnover because of the hours vs. the amount of pay.
You can be a mentor without it being your job — lots of kids need mentors.
(At first I thought you were talking about being a youth pastor)
I would start by going to a city hall meeting for the city that you're interested in and see how they operate. After the meeting, talk to the Chair of the commission and see if he or she may be interested in such a program. Then ask them how you can put discussion of this on the next meeting's agenda. You will likely have to give a short presentation of the program and answer questions by council members and other citizens that come to the meetings. It will help if you can get the support of teachers in local schools and make sure that they show up at the meeting to support you.
Hope that helps!
Big Brothers/Big Sisters is a great mentoring program.
Get involved with area schools, churches, youth groups, sports leagues and scout groups. Write to their community service coordinators (or whoever would best fit this description) and ask to be put on a list of organizations looking for help.
In particular, find out who in your community encourages or requires community service. Ask kids to run small grade-level or school/church/team wide drive for the items you're looking for. Do it in advance so you can bank the bulk of the items for the coming year and fill in as necessary. 5 kids with 20 friends each bringing 1 school item equals 10 filled backpacks. Get a whole school involved and you may be able to cover your program for the year and attract new donations.
Also consider getting volunteers involved in more direct ways. People who are invested in a program are more likely to support it financially.
I run a small non-profit and I've been spreading the word about our program to supply gently used sports uniforms and footwear to kids in rural Mexico. I was just contacted by a family whose 4th grader is interested in running a drive at his school as part of a run for class office. Apparently it's a tradition at his school to prove one's leadership through such a project. I know he won't be able to supply a very large part of what we need, but every little bit helps and the publicity we'll get out of it will be very valuable. We'll run a thank-you in the newspaper, put his face on our website and benefit from the word-of-mouth publicity at his school.
you can make them an exact clone of you!
Watch the new episode of Clone Wars, on Cartoon Channel!
You are going to need help to do it. TV stations won't run commercials that don't meet their standards. Hunt down local TV production students or even public-access TV afficionados.
I make my own infomercials for the internet… but making commericals for TV is a different game altogether.,
i would say to talk with a salvation army family shelter director.