Minimester Highlights

Parents, I hope you’ll enjoy the testimonies of some of our PCA US students as they share about their minimester trips. The students you’ll hear from are Katelyn Teague (sophomore), Lowery DeVore (senior), Cole Rumsey (senior), and Tate O’Neal (sophomore).

If you want to see and hear minimester testimonies and highlights from all the trips taken during that week, check out the two different links - first to the PCA Upper School chapel following minimester week where students share from their experiences with their classmates and/or the minimester highlight testimonies offered during the PCA faculty culture meeting:

PCA Campus Ministry chapels

Minimester highlights at PCA faculty culture meeting

Guest: Lorne C. Book, J.D.

Estate planning - your “estate” includes anything that a person owns in their personal capacity. Estate planning is the process of leaving your family more than a mess (regardless of the size of your estate).

Estate planning isn’t just for you - if your parents are alive, you need to find out if they have a will.

Two categories of estate planning:

1. Death - who is going to own your property after you pass?

Power of Attorney (POA):

1. Durable POA - for financial matters

Life Support Directive - your “end-of-life” care - make the decision before you are unable to make it, takes the pressure off your loved ones to make these decisions during a difficult time

Important addition - to have these tough conversations with family members means that you need to address relational rifts and seek to repair those while you have time. 

When your kids turn 18, they are a legal adult and have the capacity to legally contract on their own - be mindful of those individuals and companies who would like to have access to your young adult. Now is the time to talk to your kids about planning early for the important decisions they’ll get to make.

Lorne C. Book, J.D.

Attorney and Counselor at Law

BOOK LAW FIRM

4425 Plano Pkwy., Unit 103

Carrollton, Texas

T: 214-305-6974

[email protected]

www.booklawfirm.com

Guest: Dr. Connor Bales, Prestonwood Baptist Church, North Campus Pastor

New book: Counted Worthy: A Father’s Perspective on the Theology of Suffering

Connor shares their family’s intimate journey with two special needs daughters - Libby and Hannah. Both girls were diagnosed with the rare genetic disease called Trisomy 16p. 

“Everyone suffers, just not all of our suffering is the same.” Connor Bales

Joni Eareckson Tada says in her book When God Weeps, “This is good news for the suffering soul. The Son of God did not exempt Himself from affliction but lived through it and learned from it.”

Connor Bales: I counsel people who engage with those in suffering to usually say only three things:

1. I’m so sorry - it is critically important that we acknowledge sadness and grief over whatever it is that they are suffering

Other great resources:

Stephanie Hubach - Same Lake, Different Boat: Coming Alongside People Touched by Disability

D.A. Caron and Kathleen Nielson - Resurrection Life in a World of Suffering

Joni Eareckson Tada - When God Weeps

Randy Alcorn - If God is Good: Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil

Guest: Austin Gentry 

10 Things Every Christian Should Know For College: A Student’s Guide on Doubt, Community, & Identity

Best advice: make sure as a parent you’re having meaningful and purposeful conversations with your students about areas where the world will challenge them - SOGI (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity), sex, alcohol, the goodness of God, suffering, death, etc…and you need to begin these conversations probably at a younger age than you might think!

Another resource that might be helpful - Surviving Religion 101: Letters to a Christian Student on Keeping the Faith in College by Michael Kruger

Great point from Austin - parents, you’ve already demonstrated that you’re committed to the spiritual success of your students - let’s keep that going! Those critical conversations need to happen not only before your students head off to college, but while they are on a college campus…and beyond.

If you’re looking for a great podcast for your college-aged or older students, check out LifeTalk, the PCA Alumni podcast hosted by PCA Alumni Director Megan Rogers and PCA Worldview Director Dan Panetti

Guests: PCA history teacher Cindy deLeon, PCA senior Sydney Brown, PCA alumni Dennis Phillips

Cindy deLeon (PCA history teacher):

Black History Month - goes back to 1915 with Carter Woodson

1926 the second week of February set aside for recognition of black contributions to American history because of the connection to the birthdays of both Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln

1976 President Gerald Ford officially recognized February as Black History Month

Black History Month actually enriches American history - it doesn’t minimize the contributions of others, but allows everyone to see themselves in the contributions of history

Dr. Mildred Johnson

Sydney Brown (PCA senior):

Black History Month used to be just another month to learn history, but recently I’ve realized the importance of representation

Dennis Phillips (PCA alumni):

Black History Month was always important to me, but my perspective has changed in the past couple years - I’ve learned how important black history is, especially to American history. Would love to see a time when black history doesn’t have to be separated from the rest of American history.

Guest: Matt Shaheen

Excited to have my Texas State Representative Matt Shaheen share about all things related to the MARCH 1st PRIMARY ELECTION! Early voting has already begun and will be open from Feb. 14-25 - so make sure you get out and vote. Remember, the Primary Election is the opportunity to select your preferred candidate from within your particular political party - so this is not Democrats vs. Republicans, but you’re voting for your preferred candidate in one party and the winner of the Primary Election will face off against the candidate from the other political party in the November Election.

Also, don’t forget that many of these contested elections will have RUN-OFFS - and there is an even smaller voter turnout for these elections - so don’t sleep on the process - get out and vote and then pay attention to the results and see if the candidates that you wanted are going to be in a run-off election later in April or May.

Finally, there has been some redistricting from the Texas State Legislature that went into effect in January - so you need to check before you go vote to see who is representing you! Check out this Who Represents Me site made available from the Texas Capitol. Also, visit the county elections site for your particular county to find out about voting locations and even to download a sample ballot for the primary election:

Collin County residents

Denton County residents

Dallas County residents

As always, we are grateful to live in a free country where we have an opportunity and responsibility to be part of the governing process - elections are important, so be an informed and active citizen and vote! One consideration I use for selecting quality candidates is the advice that Jethro gave to Moses in Exodus 18:20 where he suggested that Moses select leaders who 1) are capable, 2) fear God, 3) are trustworthy, and 4) hate dishonest gain. In other words, look for men and women of character who are able to actually do the job that you are selecting them to do!

Guest: Dr. Jim Denison

Check out Dr. Denison’s latest book:

The Coming Tsunami: Why Christians Are Labeled Intolerant, Irreverant, Oppressive, and Dangerous - and How We Can Turn the Tide

Parents, these are some incredible resources that you ought to check out - from a daily email update on how to see the issues of the day through the lens of God’s Word to several incredible podcasts specifically for Christian parents - check out all that Denison Ministries offers.

Denison Ministries:

• The Denison Forum exists to thoughtfully engage the issues of the day from a biblical perspective. Cultural apologist Dr. Jim Denison offers news discerned differently through The Daily Article, his daily email newsletter and podcast, and through books, interviews, articles, and more at DenisonForum.org

Guest: Tasha Calvert, Prestonwood’s Women’s Minister

Find out more about the Prestonwood Women’s Ministry by visiting the Prestonwood website or the women’s ministry Facebook pages for the Plano and North campuses.

Love the new “motto” for the women’s ministry:

Bible study is not a class you take; it’s a rhythm you keep as a believer.

Also, make sure you stay tuned for the new podcast coming soon.

Guest: Stephanie Yates

Stephanie taught at PCA Plano as a writing coordinator and 7th grade English teacher, then moved to 5th grade and taught before returning to teaching at PCA North Campus.

Stephanie was diagnosed as “anorexic, exercise bulimic” - which is an eating/identity disorder. Her parents divorced when she was young and always identified as a “pleaser.” A boyfriend made a comment about her weight. When things seem difficult, there are times that a person wants to “control” something in their life and controlling what they eat is one default and many young people select.

What’s the difference between being thin, healthy, or anorexic? Looks for signs that things are not “healthy” - wearing baggy clothes to “hide” a person’s real appearance, not eating enough to maintain a growing, healthy lifestyle (consider what they’re involved with), working out constantly, eating by themselves, going to the bathroom immediately after eating, an obsession with body image, etc…

Note that an eating disorder isn’t just something that young women struggle with, many boys and young men struggle with this issue as well.

How do you get help? Here are a few places that Stephanie recommends for help in either understanding more about eating disorders or to actually get assistance with a loved one:

Eating Recovery Center - Plano

Girls to Women Health and Wellness

The Center for Pediatric Eating Disorders (Children’s Hospital, Plano)

Recommendations by Stephanie are not to be considered endorsements that these institutions address issues from a biblical perspective. Prayerfully proceed with getting the needed attention and help that your child needs, but also remember to address the spiritual components that exist as well.

Guests: Kim McIntyre and Jon Lineberger

Zig Ziglar Servant Leadership Award Banquet

Sunday, April 24th at The Star in Frisco - doors open at 5:30 pm, dinner and program at 6:00 pm

Ford Center at the Star, 9 Cowboys Way, Frisco, TX 75034

Attire for the evening: Western chic (boots, jeans, cowboy hat, and a lot of bling!)

Award recipient: Dr. James and Shirley Dobson

The Zig Ziglar Servant Leadership Award Banquet not only honors an individual who represents Zig Ziglar's Christ-like humility and service, but all proceeds from the banquet directly benefit Sponsor-A-Child, the tuition assistance program at Prestonwood Christian Academy.

To financially support the Zig event and PCA’s Sponsor-A-Child, visit: https://www.zigziglaraward.org/supporters 

For tickets to the Zig event, visit:https://www.zigziglaraward.org/zigziglar/zig-tickets