Getting to the Point - how what we talk about relates to our lives:
We
took the last two weeks to cover Session 1 from our Decision Point book and the
primary objectives were:
- To
remind the students that they make hundreds of choices every day and that
every choice has consequences.
- To
help the students become better decision makers.
- To
demonstrate that God's way and the way of the world are very different,
and invite them to choose to walk with God.
In
video
1.1 - Your Choices Matter,
Matthew told the story of a young man that felt he was a victim of one BAD
choice that resulted in him going to prison. But Matthew pointed out it was not
one BAD decision, it was a series of escalating BAD choices.
Some
of you may or may not know about the troubles my oldest son, Eric, has gotten
himself into. Over the last four years
Eric has been in and out of county jail a couple times, been through 3 drug
rehab centers (was kicked out of the 3rd one), and is currently in prison. All of Eric's troubles have come around his
drug addiction. I shared Eric's story
with your kids during the class on 9/19 because I believe it is one thing to
hear a story about "escalating bad choices" in a video and it is
another to hear about a real life example from your teacher that illustrates
the consequences of "escalating bad choices". I also tell the story so kids hear one more
time why they must stay away from drugs and never say yes even once just to
"Try" it.
Telling
Eric's story was all I had planned share in that class about Eric. But, God had
other plans so there was more…
Eric
calls us nearly every night from prison and I had been reminding him for the
last couple weeks that I would not be available to take his call on Wednesday
nights because of teaching CCD. But, every week since CCD started he has
forgotten, has called during class, and I had to ignore the call. So, given I
was telling Eric's story the thought came to me of…what should I do if Eric
calls again during the class I am sharing his story. Should I answer the call
and without any warning try to convince him to talk to the kids personally
about why they need to stay away from drugs or just ignore the call again.
Unfortunately
I have said this before but Eric does appear to have a good attitude and is
preparing himself to make good choices when he is released. So, I decided if he called I would answer the
phone even though I was not sure how I would handle the call if it came and
count on the Holy Spirit for guidance.
Well, the call did come and it came at the perfect time. It was at the end of class while the final
video was playing so I was able to easily slip out of class, answer the call,
and try to convince Eric to talk to the kids. At first he was reluctant because
he said he did not know what to say to them.
I suggested telling them to "Just Say No" so they do not end
up in the same place he is. He was still
reluctant because he said "that was lame". But the song was close to
ending and I needed to get back in class so he said he would.
I
asked the kids to gather around and I let them know Eric was on the phone and
he had something to say to them. I was expecting to hear him tell them to
"Just Say No"; however, that was not what he told them. He told them they needed to make their own
decisions and NOT make decisions just to fit in. Otherwise, they could end up in prison like
he is. I could not believe what I was
hearing. It was as if Eric had been in
class with us all evening and was summarizing what we had been discussing. I truly believe God's hand was all over what
happened with Eric's call that evening and it will benefit Eric as much as I
hope it benefitted your kids.
I
hope your kids talked to you about this story and Eric's call on your ride home
from class on 9/19. If not, ask them
about it at dinner tonight.
Parent Point – A little piece of information relating to adult
living:
As
parents one of the things we find ourselves doing as our children are growing
is educating ourselves on something that is affecting them. I never dreamed one of those things my wife
and I would have to be learning about would be how to deal with a child with a
drug addiction. We have attended many
parent support group sessions, read articles, and listened to podcasts and the
link below is to a page on my personal Blog Site that contains links to a
series of podcasts I found very helpful.
They indicate in this podcast series that one in three Americans will
either deal directly with substance or alcohol abuse or have a family member or
friend deal with it in their lifetime. So, the odds are you or someone you know
either has or will deal with an addiction.
My wife, Patti, and I are willing to share are
experience privately with anyone who is struggling with drug addiction in their
family or in a group session with any or all of you. Let me know if you would like me to arrange a time when Patti
and I could meet with the group of you and share our experiences and lessons
learned.
We definitely do not have all of the answers but hopefully some of the
lessons learned we can share will help you avoid the degree to which we have
had to deal with this problem.
Resource Point – Support for what is said above and where to learn
more:
The
theme for our opening Bible and Catechism reading has been around Gods great
plans for us. There are links below to these readings.
Prayer Point – A small prayer we did in class or we think applies:
Prayer for the
Addicted
God of mercy, we
bless you in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, who ministered to all who come
to Him. Give your strength to (name of the one I am praying for), who is bound
by the chains of addiction. Enfold him/her in your love and restore him/her to
freedom through your grace.
Lord, look with
compassion on all those who have lost their health and have broken
relationships because of their attachment to the object of their addiction.
Restore to them the assurance of your unfailing mercy, and strengthen them in
the work of recovery. To those who care for them, grant patient understanding
and a love that perseveres.
Lord, in your
servant, Venerable Matt Talbot you have given us a wonderful example of triumph
over addiction, of devotion to duty, and of lifelong reverence of the Holy
Sacrament. May his life of prayer and penance give (name of the one I am
praying for) courage to take up his/her cross and follow in the footsteps of
Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Father, we ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Challenge Point – What can we add to help us become better Catholic
Christians:
The
virtue in focus for Session 1 was Patience.
Let's challenge ourselves and our kids this week to look for
opportunities we can use to grow in patience.
News Point – What’s up for CCD in the upcoming weeks:
- If
you have not turned in your registration paperwork, please do so soon.
- Reminder
to install the Decision Point App on your mobile device or visit the
Decision Point Website to watch the videos in Session 2 before next week's
class. This will allow you to ask
them about something that caught your attention in the videos.
- To
find the Mobile App search for: "Decision Point - Catholic App"
- Use
the following link to go to the Decision Point Website for Session #2: https://dynamiccatholic.com/confirmation/program-view/session-2/
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