School's been in session for a bit, maybe you're noticing some changes in your child. Maybe their teacher is telling you about some behavioral issue. It could be Attention Deficit Disorder, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. In this episode, Tom & Scott talk about some symptoms and possible treatments.

The Session: AAD/ADHD SYMPTOMS AND TREATMENT

Romans 5:4-5, “Suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” Notice that hope comes from character, which comes from perseverance, which comes from suffering.

Inattentive ADHD, your greatest struggle will come from problems such as high distractibility and feeling zoned out. Due to the challenges you face with focus and attention, you are more likely to avoid tasks requiring sustained mental effort.

Inattentive ADHD makes it difficult for you to complete tasks and stay organized. It can also make you feel impatient or moody. These things can affect your relationships, as well as your performance in school, at work or during activities.

Symptoms and Causes

What are the symptoms of inattentive ADHD?

The symptoms of inattentive ADHD include having trouble or difficulty with the following behaviors:

• Paying attention to the details and/or making frequent mistakes while doing tasks.
• Staying focused on long-winded tasks (like reading, listening to a presentation, etc.).
• Listening to others.
• Following through on tasks or obligations. You can easily lose focus in the middle of a task.
• Managing time and meeting deadlines.
• Performing tasks that need significant brain power, like filling out forms or writing reports.
• Keeping track of common items needed to complete everyday tasks (pencil, wallet, keys, phone, etc.).
• Staying in the moment without distractions.
• Remembering to complete routine tasks (chores, errands, appointments, etc.).

Although everyone experiences problems paying attention and focusing at times, if you have inattentive ADHD, you’ll experience these symptoms so often that they interfere with your daily functioning at school, at work, with friends and family or in social situations.

What are the causes of inattentive ADHD?

The cause of inattentive ADHD is unclear. Research suggests the following may contribute to ADHD:

• Genetics.
• Anatomical makeup of your brain (how certain areas of your brain form and function).

Is inattentive ADHD hereditary?

Studies show that inattentive ADHD can run in your biological family, so you’re more at risk of developing it if someone related to you has it.

School Related Symptoms ADHD/ADD

• Relationship struggles
• Inability to write on grade appropriate levels on paper
• Activity out of their seats in class and very obstinate about returning to their seats
• Not paying attention and disturbing their neighbor sitting next to them in class

Normalizing ADHD/ADD

• Almost everyone has one condition or another. Some people are Dyslexic, some wear glasses, some have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Asperger Syndrome, Tourettes Syndrome , some have Sleep Apnea,
• Christians should be patient and have compassion on anyone who has a condition that makes their life more difficult than someone who doesn’t have one. After all, God created them that way for a reason and a purpose - who are Christians or anyone else to say that they are not worthy of kindness and respect? Everyone should view and treat people with these or other conditions as nothing less than people.

Treatment

• Doing homework (From Scott...this sounded funny to me too. So I grilled Tom about it on the episode. Give it a listen!)
• Sitting through dinner
• Changing activities
• Playing quietly
• Paying attention
• Support groups for parents
• Cognitive behavioral therapy
• Anger management
• Family therapy
• Psychoeducational therapy

Medication

• Relexxii
• Medication’s release neurotransmitters in the brain that help level out ADD
• dopamine and norepinephrine.
• Vyvanse

October is Pastor Appreciation Month. In this episode, Tom & Scott share some ideas on how to bless your Pastor (AND their families) this October...and really, all year!

The Session: Pastor Appreciation Month

1 Thessalonians 5:12–13 (NIV): “Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.”

Pick a different strategy for the week. Do it every day of the week. Do this for the entire month of October. (From Scott: This kinda sounds like Tom's goal setting strategies too)

1 Thessalonians 5:12–13 (NIV): “Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.”

Here are some ways to bless pastors during pastor Appreciation Month

• Pray: Pray for your pastor's spiritual vitality, protection from Satan, and the grace and love of God. You can also pray for their family.
• Give a gift card: A gift card to a restaurant or an Amazon or iTunes card can be a great gift for a pastor.
• Post pictures with the pastor: Share pictures of yourself and the pastor at church events on social media.
• Adopt a local church: Send a care package to another church in your area or serve together with another local church.
• Speak encouraging words: Let your pastor know how the Lord has changed you.
• Write a note: Write a note with encouraging feedback about their sermon.
• Set out a gift basket: Set out a gift basket in the church lobby for members to leave notes and gifts.
• Mow the pastor's lawn: Mow the pastor's lawn when their family is on vacation or ministry
• Connect with the church office manager. Find out your pastors likes and needs and organize a plan to meet them
• Encourage time off and 48 hour getaways!
• Develop assistant pastors who can carry some of the load
• Encourage the pastor to
• Plan for more than Sundays.

Resources

• Remember the pastor's role is 24-7; assign a person or persons to be on-call to help in emergencies. Identify people within the church who can counsel or advise others whether that means listening to problems or pointing them to a professional. Also, before your pastor hits the beach, determine the type of events about which he or she would like to be contacted. (Resource UMC)

• The Gravity Community is an online community of practice for Christians to stay connected and learn together in an environment that's safe for questions and doubts. Join the Gravity Community for connection and support for struggling pastors.

Here's your first reminder! Pastor Appreciation Month is just a couple weeks away! As you think about how to honor the Pastors (AND their families) in your church, Tom & Scott talk about some alarming statistics about why it's important to honor those who serve the Lord and teach you.

The Session: The Pastoral Grind

Proverbs 4:23: "Above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life"

Stress, loneliness and political division are the three items that rise to the surface.

56% of pastors say stress of the job is the biggest issue.

(43%) of Pastor, say “I feel lonely and isolated.

Treatment

Pastors should have a leader outside of his church

• Pastors should have a small group that they attend with their spouse outside of the church they pastor.

• Pastors should have a support group that they can be supported in. It should be a safe place where they can vent pray and be supported. If there isn’t one that you’re aware of then maybe start one and invite a number of other pastors to a luncheon to talk about..

The following statistics are likely a result of not feeding themselves before the Lord. Without safe people to talk about how they feel it is very difficult.

• Only 26% of the pastors said they had regular devotions.

This is very important. So, in their spiritual bank account, they are running on a negative balance, because they are always withdrawing from that account without depositing in to it.

• 70% of pastors suffer from depression

Without close relationships or a support group it is difficult to share and open up.

• 77% of pastors believe they are not in a good marriage. 50% of pastors end up in divorce

Pastors have to prioritize their marriages. They have to be assertive with their church to get the time and space to do it They are a role model to their people.

• 40% of pastors have had an extra marital affair.

Hurting people turn to the pastor who is hurting which is when needs get met outside of marriage.

• 70% of pastors only study the word when doing sermon prep.

They are not exercising their spiritual muscles.

• 70% of pastors do not have close friends

There has to be a personal life. (From Scott….should those friends be outside the church the Pastor serves in?) Tom's answer? YES!

• 35% of Pastors struggle with from sexual sin. This leads to loneliness and divorce.

As Rev. Dr. Glenn Packiam—author of The Resilient Pastor—writes in Barna’s The State of Your Church, “We need sages to advise us, leaders to direct us or hold us accountable, peers to remind us that we aren’t alone, healers to dress our wounds and companions who carry us when we can’t carry on.”