Why Are Today’s Teens So Violent?

Does it seem like there’s more teen violence today than there used to be?   Every week there is a new story in the headlines that elicits the same response, “We didn’t expect that to happen here,” or “We never thought that child would do that.”   Should we really be surprised?  There is more teen anger; and it’s understandable.

Under the disguise of teen privacy and personal rights, we have left today’s teen without the one thing they should have the right to have – protection. Today’s teen is desperately in need of protection from the myriad of unhealthy influences in their lives.

Picture the world of today’s teen.  The one thing today’s teens desperately have the right to trust… to count on… is the stability of their family.  However, half of them only have one parent in the home.  Their “truster” is broken because their family life is broken.

Picture their environments.  School is supposed to be a safe place; a place created by the community for teens to go and learn.  Instead, school has become such an unsafe environment that most adults would not choose to work there in fear of being injured.  They have metal detectors welcoming students and police or security guards greeting them in the hallways.  The take away for students is that adults don’t really care or, at least, care enough to make the school environment as safe as their work environments.

Another environment where they need protection is cyber-world.  Today’s teen is given the right to communicate with anyone at anytime via a multitude of cyber-devices and often times without any parental supervision.  If I wouldn’t let a stranger come into my house and sit in my teen’s bedroom, then why would I let a stranger do it via the cyber-world?

No wonder teens are so angry.  No wonder they are acting out the violent moves they have played and practiced on the video and internet games.  Many teens are angry, but there is an easy answer for parents – a response.  The response is something everyone can do; it’s called relationship.

The changeable part of the equation regarding teen anger is the schedule of the parent.  Teens need to know that their parents aren’t too busy or absent altogether.  Whether it is a one-parent household or two-parent household, the teen needs a relationship with a parent who will not require them to perform for attention.

Here’s the trick.  Teens will often act like they don’t want a relationship with their parents.  Yet deep down inside, most of them want a relationship with a parent or adult who can show them the ropes and who they can trust with their greatest fears.  One of the obvious reasons the teens make great life changes here at Sheridan House is because they are introduced to adults who care.  Yes, there’s still discipline and accountability, but the adults still care and they express their caring attitude.

Today’s parent can combat teen violence by deciding right now that it’s time for a relationship.  If your teen is older, expect resistance.  Regardless, set the appointments for spending “uninterrupted by anyone’s mobile phone” time together.  Then, choose to listen!

The violence is screaming at teens prompting them to question, “Whose am I anyway!?”  Parents need to be saying, “You are mine.  I love you. I value you… and I’m re-arranging my schedule so we can spend time together!”

Each teen desires and needs to belong to something.  Left alone, it could be a gang or a boy/girlfriend relationship.  If parents decide to be intentional, it should be a family, a church youth group, and ultimately, Jesus Christ.

Spring Break! Make the best To-Do list for your family

Spring Break can be a wonderful time to accomplish things as a family, but that doesn’t always have to mean completing all those projects that have gone neglected around the house.  In almost every household, there’s usually one member of the family who is ready to conquer the “To Do” list.  Yet, the best “to do” to accomplish is to re-connect the family as a unit.  Take time to play games, visit local sites, spend a day at the beach, and entertain each other; rather than allowing the TV to entertain us.

An additional way to make your spring break special is to give back by helping those in need in your community.  Consider spending a day doing a mini missions trip as a family.  Many churches use breaks to offer international missions trips, but a family missions trip doesn’t have to leave the city around you.   There are many opportunities to teach your kids to be selfless right in your backyard.

As a family, volunteer at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen.  Nursing home facilities are also a wonderful place to give of your time.  Elderly people love to see children and many of them don’t have family nearby.  Your church can be another great resource for volunteer projects.  Check with them to see if there are any church members who need a meal delivered to them or need their house cleaned or yard work done.

Creating this experience with your family may take some time to plan, but it is a lesson worth teaching and time well spent.  Involve your children in the process of planning the week to get them even more excited.  Spend some time around the table tonight bouncing ideas off each other.  You may be surprised at how creative they can be.  Remember, excitement is contagious; so if you want your kids to be excited about helping others you must communicate your excitement!

It’s important to have a break in your family’s routine, but the goal should be to finish the week with everyone thinking, “That was a great time we spent as a family.”

ParentingToday.org is a blog developed by Sheridan House Family Ministries dedicating to helping families on parenting in today’s world.  Visit it today at www.parentingtoday.org for additional practical parenting tips.

Family Values 5K – Stepping Out for Children & Families

5k Wrap UpOn Saturday, February 6, 2010, 230 Family Values supporters took their marks on the Sheridan House Family Ministries campus for the 2nd Annual Family Values 5K.  Excited by the challenge to “Step Out For Children & Families,” each participant gladly took on the role of a Family Values fundraiser.  With support from sponsoring community churches, businesses, families, and individuals, the Family Values 5K surpassed the original goal of $80,000 and has raised a total of $105,000 and counting.

The Family Values 5K proved that there is no better time to reach out, help out, and step out to make an eternal difference today!  Not only did the participants make a difference in the lives of the children and families we serve daily, but they also made a difference to the victims of the Haiti tragedy.  Through our partnership with 4Kids of South Florida, the event participants, donors, and volunteers rallied together to supply much needed clothing for the Haitian orphans who will be arriving in South Florida for temporary placement.

Theda Okona, a Family Values 5K supporter stated, “My family absolutely loved being a part of the Family Values 5K.  This was our first Sheridan House event.  We enjoyed seeing your campus and learned so much on the tour of the residential home.  We are definitely looking forward to next year!”

Top Fundraising Champion, Daniel Whiteman, added, “Over the years, I have been a supporter of Sheridan House both on the board and during the construction of the new campus.  However, I have always been on the sideline when it came to fundraising.  This year, Diana and Debra challenged me to get involved in the 5K event.  At first I was reluctant, but then decided – Why Not?  So, I signed up, sent out an email to a couple of hundred friends on my email list and was shocked at how they responded.  Next year, I am going to encourage every supporter I know of Sheridan House to do the same, the results this year were incredibly amazing.  Praise the Lord!”

Sheridan House Family Ministries would like to thank everyone who partnered with us in “Stepping Out For Children & Families.”    The blessings derived from this event were endless.  We are truly grateful for your support and involvement.

Valentine’s Day Offers A Great Parent Training Opportunity.

February is love month…whatever that means.  Valentine’s Day is a holiday celebrated worldwide on February 14th.  It wasn’t until recently that I discovered there are many women who feel pain on Valentine’s Day.  It reminds them that they are alone and makes them feel unloved.

It’s also a challenge for parents.  What does a mom do about Valentine’s Day?  Who does your first grader give a Valentine’s card to – just the kids they like or everyone?  What if they don’t get Valentine’s cards from other children?  How does a parent deal this whole event in a way that helps the child learn something?

What if Valentine’s Day was utilized to talk about doing love acts rather than getting love tokens?  One of the biggest challenges parents face today is to train children to be self-sacrificing rather than self-centered.  One parent said it well, “My twelve-year-olds favorite thought is ‘Me!  Me!  Me!’”

February offers parents a great training tool to teach what love really means to their children.  Rather than commercializing it and making it about how many cupid and heart cards a child collects, use it as a teaching opportunity of one of life’s greatest lessons – showing acts of love.  Imagine how much fun your family would have by using February or “Valentine’s month” to focus on how each family member could demonstrate love to others the best way possible?

Let’s begin with the rational for this effort in training about what love is by learning what it isn’t.  Love is not selfish.  From a developmental point of view: Self-centered people are never happy.  They are never able to indulge themselves enough.  Families filled with self-centered children are not fun to be around.  Everyone is out for themselves.  Each sibling competes to see who can get the most attention.  Self-centered people grow up to be users:  people who use those around them to find happiness.

Families that don’t attempt to train their children about what it means to love other people end up raising adults who function with adolescent mindsets.  When a person’s constant thought is me, he or she is very unmarriageable.  Part of training a child into adulthood is to teach a child to think of others rather than be obsessed with self.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a states, “Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails.”

Christ was asked what the most important thing is for each of us to do.  He responded by saying first and foremost is to love God.  Then He said second was to express that love for God by loving the people around us (by loving our neighbor) (Matthew 22:39).  Why teach our children to learn how to express love to the people around them?  It is a command from God himself.

Another reason this must be taught, is because children today need to learn to separate the action of loving another person from the act of sex.  Sex and love are not synonymous.  In fact, they are quite often in conflict.  Sex can easily be something a person takes rather than gives.

As we face February and love month, our children are going to see a lot of diamonds being marketed on television.  They could be left with the opinion that love is something expressed with money – first, with the purchase of a card – years later, with the purchase of a gem.  Love is so much more than that; and it has to be taught.

Love is something that a person does to serve the needs of another person.  Children need to see their parents love each other by serving each other as part of the training process.

It just might be that Valentine’s Day presents one of the year’s great parent training opportunities – a time to teach our children that love is something you do…not something you feel.  If we don’t, who will?  If we neglect to teach this life lesson, we will actually hamper the potential for our children’s future happiness.  They could spend a lifetime waiting to be loved and miss the fact that it is actually their responsibility and privilege to love – starting with the people around them…their neighbors.

The Great February Valentine Contest

Children love point boards and fun contests – especially contests where other people have to go to a centrally located poster board or clipboard and check a document when someone else has done something.  So, here’s a Valentine training idea.

As a family, declare February to be Valentine’s Month and decided to teach what it means to express love by serving each other.  Every time a child helps fold the laundry without being asked or helps unload the dish washer without being asked, etc. they receive a point on the board.  If they actually show enough initiative that they go ahead and do someone else’s task without being asked, they get two points.  However, the key of this exercise is that the other person has to record the act of service.  No one can give themselves credit for showing love.

Here are some thoughts on what a child (and parent) could do for another family member:

  1. Help out with a household responsibility – i.e. washing dishes, making beds, taking out the trash, etc.
  2. Encourage each other with a kind word or personalized prayer.
  3. Volunteer to give up a privilege to benefit someone else – i.e. turn to sit in the front seat, pick out a family movie, etc.
  4. Offer to make a meal for the whole family
  5. Allow a family member to use/borrow/have something that you love so much – i.e. some of your clothes, favorite game, car privileges, etc.

Make up your own list and encourage the kids to become creative.  Have a brainstorming session while eating popcorn.  Make it fun to talk about expressing love.  The purpose is to focus on teaching kids and reminding adults to express random acts of love.  Love is something you do, not something you feel!

January is Parental Half-Time

parental-half-time.jpgIf you are a parent of a school-aged child, January isn’t really the beginning of your family’s year; it is half-time.  Your year began in August as the children started school and all their extra-curricular activities.  The question is – what should you do during half-time?

Coaches utilize the half-time break to instruct and encourage their players to finish strong and be successful.  They evaluate and make the necessary adjustments.   That’s exactly how parents should view the first few weeks in January.

As you reflect on this past year, are there any regrets regarding your parenting or family decisions?  Ask yourself the question, “What would I have done differently with my children this first half of the year?  What got away from us as a family?”

As you review the first half – and you must – was there too much in your family schedule or was it just not enough of the best stuff?  Chances are, it was a little of both; too busy and not making the best use of this year.  This January, take full use of the half-time and finish the year strong.

The most important element in a child’s life is his/her personal faith development.  It will directly affect each and every decision he/she makes and it will ultimately determine who they will become and how they will spend eternity.  Therefore, it is imperative for you, as the parent, to put their spiritual development on the calendar each day.

Some people have developed the habit of waking up early each morning to workout.  Since their personal health and wellness are important to them, they make it a priority.  Show your family that your #1 priority is their spiritual development.  Lead your family each morning as they work out their salvation.  Paul challenges us to work out our salvation God has placed in us when we come to Christ (Philippians 2:12).  Helping your children work their salvation into their daily lives takes time, but it is extremely practical.  Get the family disciplined to eat breakfast together at a table.  While the children are eating, take a few minutes to read a passage from the Bible, and then spend the remainder of breakfast discussing what you just read.  Finish breakfast with prayer.

At the end of the day, be sure to follow-up with each of your children.  Sit on the side of the bed with your children and pray with them before they go to sleep.  Ask them what requests are on their hearts.  Guide them through their prayer concerns and remind them later of answered prayer.

Every great coach has a vision of victory for their players.  As a parent, remember to look at the end of the game.  In the years or months to come, when you are dropping your children off on a college campus, what do you want to make sure they know?

I have to say, there are few parents who wish they had spent more time honing the child’s soccer skills.  I’ve never actually heard a parent say that they were disappointed that their child went off to college and walked away from soccer.  No one has said that college so overwhelmed their child that he/she dropped a sport from their schedule.

Over and over parents have asked me, “What did you do with your children to keep their faith in tact while they were in college?”  My response was and is, “Both of my children actually grew their faith while they were away in college because it was a priority in their lives.”

Paul told his “children” at the Philippian church that they did what they needed to do when he was with them.  Now, he was challenging them to continue to work Christ into the center of their lives when he wasn’t with them.  The same is true for our children when they are away at college and on their own.

This is half-time.  Don’t go back out and play the same game during the second half.  Make the appropriate adjustments.  Go for the win.  So, when the day comes for you to drop your child off at college, you’ll be able to say, “I’m glad I did!” rather than “I wish I had!”

Trust – A New Year’s Resolution

resolution.jpgDoesn’t it seem that it’s practically impossible to turn on the news, read a paper, or surf the internet without seeing headlines that blare, “We’ve Got Trouble.”  I remember vividly the 1960’s American television series Lost in Space when the Robot, acting as a surrogate guardian, would wave it’s arms and say to the young actor, “WARNING!  WARNING!  DANGER WILL ROBINSON.” whenever it sensed a problem.  Some days, it feels like the Robot is following us every waking moment to remind us of all the problems we face in our lives.

I’m sure each of us handles this bombardment of negative news in different ways.  I have a very good friend who gives the impression that he is looking for a concrete bunker to hide in.  You can hear the frustration and panic in his voice when we have everyday conversations.

For me, I typically try to take control – particularly when it comes to economic and financial matters.  It’s as though I tell God, “Please stand by.  I’ll call you if I’m really in a crisis, but I’ll manage this situation.”  However, when I examine my motive behind wanting control the situation, it really speaks to the fear I have that things won’t turn out how I want.

Paul writes in the book of Romans, “…Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
Whenever we fret over life circumstances, aren’t we immediately demonstrating our unbelief in a God who spoke the heavens into existence and who also numbers the hairs on our heads?  For years, I would read the story of Peter denying Christ to the servant girl and wonder how Peter could reject him so quickly and publicly.  However, when we live our life out of fear or anxiety, don’t we call into doubt the very nature of God?   Just as Peter did; don’t we publicly deny Him by our lack of trust?

Each day our actions affirm or convict our belief systems.  It reveals who the central focus of our lives really is – us or God.  It reveals who we place our ultimate trust in – ourselves or God.
As the New Year dawns upon us, it’s often customary to make a New Year’s resolution.  Usually they’re resolutions about losing weight, exercising more, quitting smoking, or other sundry changes.  We usually desire to make improvement that help make us a better person.

How about making a resolution to be a stronger believer?  In the book of Mark the father of a young boy asked Jesus “…’But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.’  ‘If you can?’ said Jesus. ‘Everything is possible for him who believes.’  Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!’”

Rather than, or in addition to the typical News Year’s resolution, why don’t we also ask Jesus to “help us in our unbelief?”  While the world wants us to worry and fret, we must remember that we serve a sovereign God who is in control!

Upside Down Christmas – Is Giving Better Than Receiving?

christmas-girl.jpg“It is more blessed to give rather than receive?”  You’ve got to be kidding!  What kind of a statement is that?  That’s ridiculous!  Of course, it’s more awesome to receive than it is to give – that’s what we’ve been taught all our lives.  That’s what makes us feel good isn’t it; getting more things?

Many often wonder how giving could be better than receiving; but just because they don’t understand it doesn’t mean that it isn’t true.  As crazy as it may sound to some, that statement is true.  We must acknowledge it to be true because it comes from Truth.  Acts 20:35 states, “…You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” (NLT)

Giving is kind of like eating vegetables.  At first, I didn’t want them.  Once I was taught to eat them, I eventually grew to like them.  Then, I discovered that I actually really liked them.  I realized that eating them made me feel better.  I know that I am healthier now because of them – unlike my previous diet of burgers only.

You see, when I spend my life getting, I never seem able to satisfy that hunger.  No matter how much I get, I want more and more… the bigger the better.  My appetite becomes insatiable!  The problem is the more things I have – the more I need to worry about things getting lost, stolen or broken and I end up spending much of my time trying to protect my acquisitions.

On the other hand, when I risk learning the art of giving, I end up doing something that can’t be taken away from me.  Sharing with others is free of baggage, warrantees, and contracts.

Giving to others is really an opportunity to do something for Jesus.  He even said when we do things for people in need (He called them the “least of these” in Matthew 25:40) we are really doing it for Him.  This kind of giving should excite us because we have the opportunity to help someone in Jesus’ name and for His glory alone.  When I give like that, no one can take the blessing away.  Whether the recipients express appreciation for my gifts or not is irrelevant, if I’m doing it for the right reasons.

This is a difficult lesson to learn because our culture doesn’t teach it.  That is why it is so important for parents to instill this principle in the lives of their children.  Children that are taught give to others as an act of worship to Christ receive a great gift for life.  As they grow up, they will not be victimized by marketers and advertisers; since they have been taught the great life lesson of learning to be content with what they have been given (Philippians 4:11).

Imagine what Christmas would be like this year if our children were more excited about giving rather than getting.  As you and your family focus on Christ’s birthday celebration, you have the opportunity to turn Christmas upside down.  Start by scheduling a family meeting early in December.  As a family, select the target for your giving.  It could be a widow in your church, a single parent family in your neighborhood, or a charity of your choice (see below for a suggested list.)   Then, get excited about giving to Jesus through your chosen target this Christmas.

If you’ve spent a lifetime believing that it is better to get gifts rather than give gifts, this Christmas season is a great time to take this faith step.  Remember the vegetables?  If you haven’t eaten them in a long time, asparagus will take some getting used to; but once you experience the health benefits, you see the value they have in enriching your life.

When it comes to this year’s Christmas, it’s time to teach our children the joy of another kind of healthy consumption – the joy of giving.  It is a blessing that no one can take away, but it is a hunger and thirst that must be taught.

Home For The Holidays

Loving Our Weird Family Members

home-for-the-holidays.jpgI remember hearing Rosemary say, “Bob, I just need for you to behave!”

It was our first Thanksgiving and we actually had a home for Rosemary’s family to come and visit.  My expectations of what this great family occasion would be like were huge.  I was pretty excited.

However, it didn’t go exactly as I had planned.  Her family arrived and needed my help unloading the cars.  Before I knew it, I realized that I was the only one “unloading.”  They were busy greeting each other and touring our new home.  I wanted to be there for that; but my Type A temperament wouldn’t permit me to stop the task at hand.  Plus, I knew unloading the cars would get me points with my in-laws.

“Oh, Bob!  I’m sorry we left you alone to do the unloading!  You’re such a servant leader.  Thank you!”  At least that’s what I wanted to hear.  Instead I got, “Oh, please be careful with that it’s our family’s antique turkey platter.”  I think I even heard an emphasis on the words “our family’s…”

In her excitement of seeing her family, even Rosemary missed the awesome job of serving I had done; but I got over it!  After all, it was Thanksgiving and I was thankful for family…even if it seemed awkward.

That Wednesday night we watched all their special family movies.  I strategically sat on the floor at Rosemary’s feet, giving her family space on the couch and chairs.  When I got up to get myself some tea I asked, “Does anyone want anything while I’m up?”  I asked in a low voice hoping no one would hear me, but her father heard and announced to the multitudes.  I poured them tea and to my horror, there wasn’t enough left for me.  Worse, no one noticed!

That’s when I went for a walk.  When I came back, Rosemary asked me if I was okay … that I appeared a little abrupt and moody.  She wanted to know if there was something I wanted to talk about with her.

“No,” I responded, thinking I shouldn’t have to explain how “we” were not being appreciated for the work “we” were doing to make this a special holiday.  She should be able to see that.  She should have noticed that there wasn’t any ice tea left.  Instead, I took the mature, high road and said, “I’m okay.  I just needed to clear my head.”

But things just got worse.  The more I felt taken advantage of the more moody I became until I found myself acting like a child.  Actually, I didn’t find myself, Rosemary did.

“Bob, I know my family is sometimes difficult; all families are.  What I need now is help from you as we serve them.  I need for you to behave!”

Wow!  I felt immature.  I realized that I didn’t understand holidays and family gatherings.  Apparently, I was going about it all wrong.  You see, I wanted to be appreciated.  It looked like I was serving, but I was really only doing things to get feedback – to make people realize what a great person I was.  When I didn’t get what I expected, I gave back the worst of me.

Holidays and family gatherings are awkward.  Kids come home from college not feeling like they belong anymore.  Relatives come to visit and stay in a house that isn’t theirs.  All of us bring our decades of old family dysfunctions.  What do we expect?  Same faces with different personalities?

This holiday season, decide to expect only one thing.  Decide you will serve the weird people in your family.  The weirder they are, the more you will serve.  Here’s the deal though:  don’t serve them, serve Christ.

If I was sitting comfortably and Christ asked me for tea, I’d jump up and get it.  “Here it is Lord; all of it!”

Imagine Him saying, “Thank you my son.  Now take the tea you brought me and give it to your father-in-law.  Matthew 25:45 goes something like when you do this for the weirdest of these you are doing it for me. (I did say “something like”).

When you serve people for the Lord’s pleasure, you will be transforming your holiday into its original title, Holy Day.  Make this Thanksgiving a holy day by serving the people God permits around you; even those difficult family members.  Remember, you might be the difficult family member to some of them.  It all boils down to your heart.  Remind yourself Who you are really serving.

Lives of Significance

The Role of a Behavioral Specialist in the Sheridan House Residential Program

One reason why the Sheridan House Residential Program is so effective is because of role the behavioral specialist plays in the lives of the boys and girls.  Working side by side with their house parents, the behavioral specialists are responsible for monitoring the children’s progress in school, providing feedback to parents concerning the weekend goals while at home, and ultimately mentoring the boys and girls to make wise choices to become the young men and women God has designed them to be.  We are happy to introduce them to you.

fish.jpgEphrain “Fish” Figueroa, the behavioral specialist in Boys House 1, has served at Sheridan House for almost five years.  A graduate of Moody Bible Institute, Mr. Fig has a heart for working with boys.  In fact, he often tells others that based on his background and past experiences he is just like a Sheridan House boy even though he was never in the program.  Married for six years and father to four children, Mr. Fig enjoys the strong sense of family at Sheridan House.  “I feel privileged to be a positive role model for the boys.”  He is honored to see Christ works in the lives of the boys.  “Once the boys are ready to graduate, it is a bittersweet time for them.  They have reached the top of one mountain only to discover the rest of the journey that is before them.  I am thrilled to help them prepare for this journey.”

alissa.jpgAlissa Hafer is the behavioral specialist in Girls House 1, and has served here for almost two years.  Actually, she was an intern for the Girls Summer Program for two summers before joining us full-time.  A graduate of Palm Beach Atlantic University in 2006, she caught the vision for serving here when she attended the grand opening celebration of the new Sheridan House campus.  “When we went to the grand opening, it was clear that the Lord was going to do something awesome in and through Sheridan House.  It was then that I realized I wanted to be a part of it…It is a privilege to speak into the lives of young ladies at the most awkward and sometimes most challenging season of their lives.”

adam.jpgAdam Roberts has been at Sheridan House for nine years.  Serving as behavioral specialist in Boys House 2, Adam graduated from Asbury College in 2001, married later that year, and celebrated the birth of his first child earlier this year.  When asked why he chose to serve at Sheridan House, he stated, “Sheridan House is where you can spend quality time with each individual boy, cultivating relationships, and seeing progress.  In fact, it is exciting to be a part of changing lives.”  A highlight of his time with the boys is “seeing them respond to the fact that an adult actually wants to be with them.”

julianna.jpgIn high school, Julianna Guevara had the assignment to write about where she saw herself serving in the future.  She wrote, “I see myself getting a degree, getting married, and ministering to middle school-aged girls.”  It was also during this time that she first heard about Sheridan House by volunteering to be a part of a service project.    A 2007 graduate of Florida International University, this south Florida native became the behavioral specialist in Girls House 2 soon after she got married over a year ago and is currently working toward a Master’s Degree at Trinity International University.  One of her favorite aspects of serving at Sheridan House is the relationships she has formed with the girls and her house parents.  “Serving at Sheridan House lines up with my passion and ministry.”

matt.jpgFinally, Matt Wells is the behavioral specialist in Boys House 3.  Serving at Sheridan House for almost three years, Matt is excited about being a part of what he calls “front-line service.”  He is a 2006 graduate of Palm Beach Atlantic University and is also pursuing his Master’s Degree at Trinity International University.  “The best part of serving at Sheridan House,” Matt reports, “is reaching into hurting families, providing hope, and sharing truth about Jesus Christ.”  Relating with the boys during the camping trip in Colorado with his new bride has been the highlight for him this year.

Sheridan House is very fortunate to have these men and women serving Christ here.  It is exciting to see how God blesses those whom He uses to bless others.