The Family Table

Dear LEFC Parents,

Here are some items to set the table for disciple-making in your family in the week ahead:

Family Devotions Workshop – Next Sunday!

We are offering a Family Devotions Workshop after worship and Snack & Yack this coming Sunday, April 21^st. Come enjoy a free provided lunch and hear how your family could incorporate regular devotions into your routine. You’ll even have a chance to do a practice run with your family during that time! Childcare is available. RSVPs are helpful, although not required. Contact Jordyn, Holly, or Vicky with questions!

The Gospel Project at Home

Today’s Bible Study is “Peter Learned That Jesus Is For All” (Volume 11: Unit 32: Session 2). Ask your kids what they learned in Kids Bible Class this morning and/or do the family devotional you can find at this link.

Snack and Yack is Back!

When the auditorium empties after worship, girls and boys (grades 3ish-7ish) who listened to the sermon (remember to fill out a handout!) are invited to Pastor Matt’s office for a tasty treat and a brief discussion with one of the LEFC elders and their wives (and sometimes guest preachers?!) about the message.

FCA Night of Worship

Some of the high school students in the West Branch FCA club are planning a “Night of Worship” at the WB Auditorium on Friday May 3rd, 6:00-8:00pm. This may be something you might encourage your teen to attend (or go with them!).

And for dessert…

Our recommendation for family discipleship this week is an award-winning book about ANXIETY written specifically FOR TEENS.

As a teenager, Liz Edrington felt overwhelmed by anxiety. Now that she’s a mental health counselor, youthworker, and writer for Rooted Ministry, she wrote Anxiety: Finding the Better Story to help teens get through it themselves.

When this book won the 2023 TGC Book Award for Bible Study and Devotional Literature, the reviewers said:

“Every day, teens face fearful thoughts: What if I’m awkward? What if I fail? What if I don’t make friends? What if I’m crazy? What if I’m rejected? In this life-giving, clinically sound, and teen-appropriate book, Liz Edrington answers these questions with biblical truth, grounding them over and over in their identity in a God who’s never anxious. Teens will pick up this book out of desperation, and they’ll finish it with a knowledge of God’s redemptive story, an incredible awareness of his presence, and an arsenal of effective tools and biblical thinking to combat their anxiety.

Edrington uses the Old and New Testaments to help teens understand both God’s nature and their own, employing accessible and current language. Teens will learn to couple care for their body’s physical symptoms of anxiety with care for their heart’s symptoms of anxiety. They’ll find a framework to think through this struggle biblically, with their relationship to Christ—not their struggle with anxiety—as their primary identity. Her “anxiety toolkit” gives immediate and practical steps for help in the moment. This devotional is a fabulous resource not only for teens but for anyone struggling with anxiety.”

You don’t have to convince your teen to read the whole book. Just try talking them into reading 2 pages at a time (and then keep it going for a month).

– Video: Author Liz Edrington Talking About Anxiety: Finding a Better Story
– Article: Anxiety and Gen Z: Longing for Deep Peace by Liz Edrington

Pastor Matt has this book in his library and would loan it to your teen to read over the next month or two.

We hope your teen eats it up.

Matt Mitchell, Pastor
Holly Crumrine, Family Table Editor