The First Year Out

There is an event coming up at the end of this month in Newtown, PA, and it is designed for parents of teenagers. Dr. Tim Clydesdale will be sharing about releasing children to their life purpose.  Click the picture to find out more info about this session  and while on the church's website you can find directions as well. It is a bit far and we will not be going as a youth ministry but if any parents are interested it would probably be a worthwile session.

Lesson Loop 5.8.09

This week in our Student Ministry:

Third Place: "The Call of Abraham"
Genesis 12, 15, 17

2 Things about Abraham’s Faith

1. ABRAHAM’S FAITH WAS REAL

• 12) leaves everything to wander with family


• 15) believes he and his wife will have a child (even though their bodies are “as good as dead”)


• 17) commanded to circumcise – just does it.

1. ABRAHAM’S FAITH WAS FLAWED
   
   
   
   • 12) deceives Pharaoh and puts family in harm’s way
   
   
   • 15) believes but then asks for evidence (God performs ritual)
   
   
   • 17) laughs at God’s claims
   
   
   
   

LUCID: Service Series Ice Cream Party


This was the day of reckoning for the Lucid Service Series - and the winner was......

The girls!!!!!!

So the guys served the girls some ice cream and then partook themselves.

I then challenged the students  for a few minutes from Luke 22, where we considered the kind of service Christ calls us to:
"the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves."

Christ says in Luke 22 that we were the ones at the banqueting table, and He served us. Wow!

Lesson Loop 5.1.09

This week in our Student Ministry:

Third Place: "From Babel to Blessing"


Why did they build the tower of babel?

1) To Make  a Name for Themselves (pride)

2) Avoid Being Scattered Throughout the Earth (disobedience to God's command)

Why did God scatter mankind and create diversity

1) To Accomplish His Will (that mankind resisted) (Gen. 1:28, 9:1-3, 11:8, 12:1-3)

2) There Needed to be Various Nations for God to Call Out a Unique People (Gen. 12:1-3)

3) This In Turn Allows God's People to Bless All the Nations (Mt. 28:19; Acts 2:1-6; Eph. 2:1-6; Rev. 7:9-10)

Some final thoughts:

1) You Can't Run from God's Plan (embrace His will)

2) Diversity is Part of God's Plan (love and serve all mankind)


LUCID: "Jesus' Resurrection"  I Cor. 15


We started by discussing how outrageous our claims of Jesus' resurrection are to the world who does not take the Bible seriously.

We looked at a few proofs of the resurrection:

• Empty Tomb

It's tough to explain away this. People have tried, but there has been no satisfying explanation for why that tomb was empty

• Over 500 reliable witnesses

This would be plenty of proof in any court of law today! Over 500 people saw, touched, and experienced the Risen Christ. We know that the apostles are reliable witnesses because they all were martyred for their faith. Would men who were hiding a cover-up really allow themselves to be tortured for a lie?

• Lack of evidence that disproves resurrection

If the Roman officials and Jewish Religious leaders were so passionate about squelching this talk of the "resurrection" (Acts 4), why did they not take the time to find Christ's body and end these "rumors".

We closed by talking about how Christ's resurrection "perfects" salvation.

*If Christ did not rise from the dead…

1) Our message and faith is useless (vs. 14)

2)  We are liars (vs. 15)

3) We are still condemned in our sins (vs. 17)

4) Death is the end. (vs. 18)

5) We are the most pitiful people alive. (vs. 19)

But, thank God He is Alive!! (vs. 20)

Out of Jesus Death Springs Eternal Life!

A Host Of Possibilities

I recently finished "The Host", the latest offering from Stephenie Meyer, author of the uber-popular Twilight series. I'm not feeling inspired to write a review at the moment, but if anyone would like to discuss it, drop me a line. It's a totally different animal than her other novels, but it asks some interesting questions about what it truly means to be human: passionate, flawed, and capable of unparalleled depths of feeling as a result of those vulnerabilites.

Lesson Loop 4.24.09

This week in our Student Ministry:

Third Place: "Ending the Silence: speaking the truth in love"


We took a break from our Genesis study and responded to the "Day of Silence" that just happened in our public schools. We specifically considered how we as Christians should respond to this issue of homosexuality, and how Christ would want us to treat those who struggle with this sin.

1) God Created the Template (Genesis 2:23-25)
The template was designed using a simple equation: 1 man + 1 woman = 1 flesh.

2) God Gave a Clear Command (Lev. 18:22)
Since mankind ignored the template which led to rampant sin in Sodom and Gomorrah and elsewhere, God made it crystal clear.

3) God Reinforced His Command (Rom. 1:18-32)
This is not just an Old Testament principle. No, it is God's will for every generation in every culture.

4) Just in Case We Still Didn't Get It (I Cor. 6:9-10)

*God wants us to SPEAK THE TRUTH IN LOVE -If we only speak truth without love, our witness will not be effective. If we only love but do not speak the truth, We are not being faithful with the calling God has given us.


* This requires us to be "wise as serpents and harmless as doves"

LUCID: "Jesus' Suffering and Death"

• JESUS’ SUFFERING — John 19:1-16

Because Jesus suffered, we see His full humanity. Plus, we can run to Him and He will comfort us as a Sympathetic High Priest.

• JESUS’ DEATH – John 19:17-37

Jesus suffered death similar to the way we experience death, and yet His was much different in that He willingly laid down His life. No man took it.

• JESUS’ BURIAL – John 19:38-42

Jesus was buried in the ground, showing He truly was dead, and with Him our sins were buried if we trust in Him!

Lesson Loop

This is what happened during our midweek student gatherings:

Third Place: Growth Groups


This week was a week for HS growth groups, so all the teens met with their respective leader!

LUCID: "More Than Mr. Nice Guy"


We talked about how people tag Jesus with all kind of titles (moral teacher, great guy, sacrificial leader, etc..) but unfortunately most people's opinions of Christ are innacurate.

What did Jesus say about Himself? He called Himself :

The Gate of Salvation, The Great Shepherd who lays down His life and takes it up again, The Son of God, The One who gives eternal life, etc...
Jesus never claimed to be just a good man. He claimed to be God.

The Pharisees figured this out, and that is why they tried to kill Him.

We were challenged to share the authentic Jesus with people and dispel the false opinions of Him.

Interesting Cultural Tidbit

According to Walt Mueller's book "Engaging the Soul of Youth Culture", research has shown that there has been a cultural shift over the last 40+ years.

Here are the top 4 institutions that have most influenced the values and behaviors of teenagers in:

1960

1) Family

2) School

3) Friends/Peers

4) Church

1980

1) Friends/Peers

2) Family

3) Media

4) School

2000

1) Media

2) Friends/Peers

3) Family

4) School