Plugged-In Parent Newsletter (January 2015) by Immanuel Baptist Church

JANUARY 2015

PLUGGED IN

A MONTHLY PUBLICATIONTO HELP PARENTS BETTER PLUG INTOTHE SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT OFTHEIR STUDENT

December Issue THIS MONTH

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HS PARENT MEETING (6PM, 1/7) MS PARENT MEETING (7PM, 1/7) DISCIPLE NOW (1/16-18) GIRLS MINISTRY (1/25

COMING SOON

WHAT IN THE WORLD?? Be sure to check out the article in this month’s newsletter on internet/texting acronyms. Below are a couple that might shock you. Be sure you have set healthy boundaries for your teen regarding their cell phone and social network use. Whether you are paying for the phone bill or not, you take action in helping save your teen from Satan’s snares! 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

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MISSION ARLINGTON DEADLINE (2/11)

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MISSION ARLINGTON TRAINING WILD GAME DINNER (2/26) HS GO TRIP INFO MEETINGS (3/1) DODGEBALL (3/11)

A SPECIAL IN VITATION FOR YOU PR AYER FOR MY TEEN  WAITING

ENGAGE

TWENTY-EIGHT INTERNET ACRONYMS EVERY PARENT SHOULD KNOW

BIG ROCKS

2015 BIG ROCK EVENTS

STUDENT MINISTRY STAFF

Matt Hubbard

Melissa Sponer

Ross Spigner

Amanda Beach

Lead Student Pastor

Girls Ministry Associate

Middle School Pastor

Ministry Assistant

ONE ONGOING RESOLUTION I NEVER SEEM TO COMPLETE:    CONSISTENT EXERCISE SCHEDULE.

ONE ONGOING RESOLUTION I NEVER SEEM TO COMPLETE:    EATING HEALTHIER (I LOVE CHOCOLATE TOO MUCH.)

ONE ONGOING RESOLUTION I NEVER SEEM TO COMPLETE:    NONE. I’VE DONE THEM ALL. I CLEANED MY CLOSET IN ’08 AND DRESSED WARMER IN ’11.

ONE ONGOING RESOLUTION I NEVER SEEM TO COMPLETE:    GET MY HOME COMPLETELY ORGANIZED.

From Our Heart  For this year's DNOW, we wanted to have something special just for you. Many of you are already involved in DNOW, but others may not be for very good reasons. Likewise, many of the students that attend DNOW are not members of Immanuel. So, we want to do something special for you. On Sunday, January 18, all parents of those who are a part of DNOW are invited to join us for a special time of celebrating what God has already done and is doing through their student, particularly as it pertains to DNOW. We will have a special time of celebration in either Horne Hall or on the gym floor (depending on group size). Parents will get a glimpse of what DNOW is about as well as hearing stories of what God did and began in the life of our student ministry. This will begin at 9:00 AM and will include donuts, coffee, and juice. Parents, you will also get to meet other parents are in the trenches of parenting teens as well. You will get to meet some of the significant adults that are investing in the lives of your teens. You will also be encouraged to continue to invest in your teen’s spiritual development. Following this time of celebration and encouragement, we will all attend our Highpoint Contemporary Worship service at 10:30. Families are free to leave together after the service. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us! More details will be up soon on www.ibclrstudents.org. Feel free to pass this invitation to other parents as well. We are praying that this event is not just another student ministry event, but a catalytic event that changes the lives of students, families, our church, and community! Would you prayerfully consider passing this invitation onto other parents as well?

EADIN R E L B BI PLANS ‣

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‣ Canon

‣ Topica ‣

90 Days Bible in

PR AYER FOR MY TEEN This is an excerpt on Waiting in “31 Days of Prayer for My Teen” by Susan Alexander Yates (Baker Books). YOU’LL JUST HAVE TO WAIT.” I HATE THAT PHRASE. NOTHING IN ME LIKES TO WAIT. I WANT ANSWERS NOW. I WANT GUIDANCE NOW. I WANT THINGS TO BE FIXED NOW. I DON’T LIKE THE PAIN OF WAITING. AND I REALLY FEEL HELPLESS WHEN I HAVE TO WAIT ON GOD, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO MY CHILD. O LOR D, TODAY I FEEL STUCK. I CAN’T HEAR YOU. I DON’T K NOW THE ANSWER S. I DON’T K NOW WHAT TO DO, AND I FEEL HELPLESS. I WANT TO HELP MY CHILD, BUT I DON’T K NOW HOW. WHERE ARE YOU, O LOR D? DON’T YOU HE AR ME? DON’T YOU CARE? I FEEL LIK E I’M “ON HOLD.” I’M CALLING TO YOU, BUT I CAN’T HE AR YOUR ANSWER S. WHAT IS GOING ON? COULD IT BE THAT I HAVE TO LE AR N TO WAIT? COULD IT BE THAT MY TEEN HAS TO LEAR N TO WAIT? I DON’T LIK E TO WAIT, FATHER. I LIVE IN AN INSTANT SOCIETY. I E XPECT YOU TO WORK INSTANTLY TOO. I K NOW THAT A LOT OF LIFE IS WAITING, BUT IT’S SO HAR D. IT HURTS TO WATCH MY CHILD SUFFER. WHAT IF SHE THINK S YOU DON’T CARE? BUT YOU DO CARE, O LOR D.* IT’S GOOD FOR MY CHILD TO LE AR N TO WAIT WHILE SHE’S YOUNG.* SHE WILL HAVE TO WAIT ON THINGS WHEN SHE’S AN ADULT, SO THIS IS GOOD PREPAR ATION. IN THE WAITING YOU HAVE SOMETHING SPECIAL TO TE ACH HER AND TO TEACH ME. GIVE EACH OF US EAR S TO HEAR WHAT YOU WOULD SAY IN THIS TIME OF WAITING. SHOW US NEW THINGS ABOUT YOU.* I THINK OF HOW YOU WAITED, SENDING JESUS IN THE F ULLNESS OF TIME.* THANK YOU THAT YOU DO WHAT IS BEST AND NOT NECESSAR ILY WHAT IS FAST. THANK YOU THAT YOU ARE WORK ING EVEN WHEN I CAN’T SEE IT, AND O LOR D, R IGHT NOW I CAN’T SEE IT. HELP ME TO K NOW HOW TO E XPLAIN THE “BENEFITS OF LEAR NING TO WAIT” TO HER. ENABLE THE TWO OF US TO COMMUNICATE AT A DEEPER LEVEL THAN WE EVER HAVE BEFORE. SHOW EACH OF US SOMETHING THAT WE CAN SHARE TO ENCOUR AGE E ACH OTHER. MAK E THIS A FAITH-BUILDING TIME IN HER LIFE AND IN MINE. BR ING US THROUGH THIS SE ASON OF WAITING WITH A FRESH SENSE OF YOUR PRESENCE. THANK YOU FOR PROMISING THAT YOU CAN USE EVERYTHING— EVEN WAITING—FOR GOOD IN OUR LIVES.*

CALL TO ME AND I WILL ANSWER YOU, AND WILL TELL YOU GREAT AND HIDDEN THINGS THAT YOU HAVE NOT KNOWN. JEREMIAH 33:3

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2015 / January 1

Parent meeting 11:45am

Happy New Year!

MS / HS worship/meal

Parent  meeting

MS / HS 15 worship/meal

DNOW Prayer   Night 6 - 8 PM

Monarch

DNOW

Horne Hall

Monarch

DNOW

Girls Ministry Event 12 - 2

MS / HS 22 worship/meal

MS / HS 29 worship/meal

COMING SOON

February 4 February 11 February 15 February 22 February 26 March 1

March 8 March 11 March 15

The Gathering Mission Arlington Deadline Girls Ministry Mission Arlington Training #1 Wild Game Dinner 11/12th Grade International GO Trip Info Meeting 9/10th Grade GO NYC Info Meeting Mission Arlington Training #2 Mission Arlington Training #3 Dodgeball (War Memorial) Parent Conference with Dr. Richard Ross

Monarch

ENGAGE

TWENTY-EIGHT INTERNET ACRONYMS EVERY PARENT SHOULD KNOW If you think you are tech savvy all because you know what "LOL" means, let me test your coolness.

purpose could potentially raise some red flags for parents."

since new ones are being introduced every day?

But parents would drive themselves crazy, she said, if they tried to decode every text, email and post they see their teen sending or receiving.

"It's a lot to keep track of," Greer said. Parents can always do a Google search if they stumble upon an phrase they aren't familiar with, but the other option is asking their children, since these phrases can have diﬀerent meanings for diﬀerent people.

"I've seen some before and it's like 'The Da Vinci Code,' where only the kids hold the true meanings (and most

"Asking kids not only gives you great information, but it shows that you're paying attention and sparks the conversation around their online behaviors, which is imperative."

Any idea what "IWSN" stands for in Internet slang?

It's a declarative statement: I want sex now.

Micky Morrison, a mom of two in Islamorada, Florida, says she finds Internet acronyms "baﬄing, annoying and hilarious at the same time."

If it makes you feel any better, I had no clue, and neither did a number of women I asked about it.

She's none too pleased that acronyms like "LOL" and "OMG" are being adopted into conversation, and already told her 12-year-old son -whom she jokingly calls "deprived," since he does not have a phone yet -that acronym talk is not allowed in her presence.

Acronyms are widely popular across the Internet, especially on social media and texting apps, because, in some cases, they oﬀer a shorthand for communication that is meant to be instant.

So "LMK" -- let me know -- and "WYCM" -- will you call me? -- are innocent enough.

But the issue, especially for parents, is understanding the slang that could signal some dangerous teen behavior, such as "GNOC,'" which means "get naked on camera."

But the issue really came to a head when her son and his adolescent friends got together and were all "ignoring one another with noses in their phones," said Morrison, founder of BabyWeightTV.

And it certainly helps for a parent to know that "PIR" means parent in room, which could mean the teen wants to have a conversation about things that his or her mom and dad might not approve of.

"I announced my invention of a new acronym: 'PYFPD.' Put your freaking phone down."

LOL!

Katie Greer is a national Internet safety expert who has provided Internet and technology safety training to schools, law enforcement agencies and community organizations throughout the country for more than seven years.

She says research shows that a majority of teens believe that their parents are starting to keep tabs on their online and social media lives.

"With that, acronyms can be used by kids to hide certain parts of their conversations from attentive parents," Greer said. "Acronyms used for this

of the time they're fairly innocuous)," she said.

Still, if parents come across any acronyms they believe could be problematic, they should talk with their kids about them, said Greer.

But back to the serious issue at hand, below are 28 Internet acronyms, which I learned from Greer and other parents I talked with, as well as from sites such as NoSlang.com and NetLingo.com, and from Cool Mom Tech's 99 acronyms and phrases that every parent should know.

After you read this list, you'll likely start looking at your teen's texts in a whole new way.

1. IWSN - I want sex now

17. (L)MIRL - Let's meet in real life

2. GNOC - Get naked on camera

18. PRON - Porn

19.TDTM - Talk dirty to me

3. NIFOC - Naked in front of computer

20.8 - Oral sex

21.CD9 - Parents around/Code 9

4. PIR - Parent in room

22.IPN - I'm posting naked

5. CU46 - See you for sex

23.LH6 - Let's have sex

6. 53X - Sex

7. 9 - Parent watching

24.WTTP - Want to trade pictures?

8. 99 - Parent gone

25.DOC - Drug of choice

9. 1174' - Party meeting place

26.TWD - Texting while driving

10. THOT - That hoe over there

27.GYPO - Get your pants oﬀ

11. CID - Acid (the drug)

28.KPC- Keeping parents clueless

12. Broken - Hungover from alcohol

13. 420 - Marijuana

BY KATIE GREER, NATIONAL INTERNET SAFET Y EXPERT WHO HAS PROVIDED INTERNET AND TECHNOLOGY TRAINING TO SCHOOLS, L AW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES,AND COMMUNIT Y ORGANIZATIONS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY FOR OVER SEVEN YEARS.

14. POS - Parent over shoulder

15. SUGARPIC - Suggestive or erotic photo

16. KOTL - Kiss on the lips

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