Jr. High October Series
Looking at the title, I’m sure you can guess that this month we’re going to be talking about Thanksgiving. Something I wanted to make sure I highlighted this year through our teaching was the idea of experience a thankful attitude, including what that exactly means, and how to attain one. Over the next five weeks we’re going to be talking about what it means to be thankful in the way that we talk, act, give, take and pray. I think it’s important for our Jr. Highs to understand that thanksgiving is so much more than a holiday once a year where we reflect on the things that we have, but also carrying the same attitude of thanksgiving through the rest of the year in our attitude.
more infoSr. High October Series
God – it only has 3 letters, but it is the name that is above all names, He is the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. There is no other name that is greater and there is no name sweeter. He heals, He delivers, He sets people free, He loves, He cares, He disciplines, and He Saves. This month we are going to learn more about God and what scripture teaches us about Him. The truth is that many of us, have a warped view of God and we need scripture to unveil truth to us so that we can even catch a glimpse of how awesome, mighty, holy, and powerful God is. Join us this month as we come together to learn about this awesome God and pray that our hearts will be changed and transformed.
Sr. High Parents Update – Oct 10
God With Us
Oct 10 2012
In seeking to understand the God of the Bible in a deeper way, we need to understand that God is always with us. We learn from the Israelites how God was with them and was their guide through the wilderness. The same is true for us today as we seek to navigate our way through life with all the distractions. We need to realize that God is with us and look to Him for guidance rather than the things of this world.
Goals…
- To build relationship and trust with your group
- To wrap our minds around the fact that God is with us
- To remind the students to focus on God and not to get distracted
Conversation Starters…
- High’s and lows
- Some kind of fun things to get them focused
- Did anything stick out from the message that you had questions about?
Dig a Little Deeper…
- “God is with us” … is it easy or difficult for you to wrap your mind around that statement?
- God led the Israelites with the fire and the cloud.
- Exodus 40:36-38
- What do you think it would have been like to see that?
- In what ways does He lead us today?
- What are some ways that you stay focused on God?
- What are some ways that you remind yourself that God is with you?
- Why do you think the Israelites made that Idol?
- Exodus 32:1-6
- What are some big things that are “distractions” or “idols” that teenagers could get focused on rather than God?
- What benefits could there be to gaining a better understanding of God during this series?
Personal…
- You could share a time in your life when you were very aware that God was with you
- You could share about a time when you got distracted and how you got your attention back onto God
Applications…
- Pray with your students
- Discuss some practical ways in which can stay focused on God
Key Scriptures …
Matt 28:20
“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Exodus 40:36-38
“In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out—until the day it lifted. So the cloud of the LORD was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel during all their travels.”
Exodus 32:8
“They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf.”
Exodus 32:20
“And he took the calf they had made and burned it in the fire.”
Exodus 32:1-6
more infoSr. High Parents Update – Oct 3rd
Moses … Alligator Bait
Oct 3 2012
Looking over Moses’ life, we see that God did great things in and through him and that God had a plan from the beginning. We can see that God had a plan for Moses’ life and that He carried out that plan despite the attempt on his life as a child being thrown into the river as Alligator bait. The fact that God has a plan for our lives is just as true for us today as it was for Moses. As we seek to figure out what the future holds for our lives it is important to remember that God has a plan and it is the best plan possible. A huge way to go to a “Whole Nutha Level” is to discover and follow God’s plan for our lives and follow itrather than become Alligator bait.
Goals…
- To build relationship and trust with your group
- To discuss that future and think about it
- To remind the students that God has a plan for their lives
Conversation Starters…
- High’s and lows
- Some kind of fun things to get them focused
- Did anything stick out from the message that you had questions about?
Dig a Little Deeper…
- What are some of your dreams or desires for the future?
- Do you think that your dreams or desires are God honouring?
- What are some benefits or positives of discovering and following God’s plan for your life?
- What are some of the reasons why people may divert from following God’s plan?
- What is the enemy’s pan for your life?
- What are some ways to ensure that you don’t follow his plan for your life?
- It is obviously a challenge to discover God’s plan for your life …
- Is there any advice that you can give to each other about how to do that?
- What about when things do not make sense … how do you stick to the plan?
- What do you think it means to “take control of your life by giving up control?”
Personal…
- You could share a time in your life when life did not make sense and you trusted God anyways and you saw Him work within that situation
- You could share about a time where you pursued your own selfish goals rather than God’s and what you learned from that
Applications…
- Pray with your students
- Discuss some ways in which you can include God in your decisions
Key Scriptures …
Jer 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
John 10:10
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
Exodus 1 and 2
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Jr. High Parents Update – Oct 3rd
Parents,
This week we started off our new series titled “It’s Turkey Time”. Looking at the title, I’m sure you can guess that this month we’re going to be talking about Thanksgiving. Something I wanted to make sure I highlighted this year through our teaching was the idea of experience a thankful attitude, including what that exactly means, and how to attain one. Over the next five weeks we’re going to be talking about what it means to be thankful in the way that we talk, act, give, take and pray. I think it’s important for our Jr. Highs to understand that thanksgiving is so much more than a holiday once a year where we reflect on the things that we have, but also carrying the same attitude of thanksgiving through the rest of the year in our attitude.
This week we started off with talking about what it means for be thankful when we talk. I discussed the fact that generally we all have a tendency to talk negatively. but being thankful in the way that we talk means to be positive, while expressing what we’re thankful for, and why we’re thankful for those things.
The scripture I used this week was in Psalm 26 when David is talking about how when he is going to the temple to sacrifice, he is so thankful for what God has done in his life that he can’t contain himself. He felt that it was so necessary to sign songs about God and to tell others about what God was doing in his own life.
I challenged our Jr. highs to this:
Be thankful in the way that you talk.
Are you going to be negative in the things that you say? Or are you going to be positive and thankful in the way that you talk?
In small groups we took things a bit further, to continue to talk about how our students could make this change.
Here are the follow-up questions that our small group leaders asked our students:
Question 1: Can you think of reasons that David had to be thankful? Why did he feel compelled to sing and tell others just how thankful he was?
Question 2: What are some ways that you think that you can be thankful in the way that you talk to others? Will people be able to notice a difference from the way that you talk now?
Question 3: How will being thankful in the way that we talk help us to have an attitude of thanksgiving? What does an attitude of thanksgiving really mean?
Question 4: Can you name someone in your life that you can always tell is thankful because of the way that they talk to others?
Our Key Verse was:
“I scrub my hands with purest soap,
then join hands with the others in the great circle,
dancing around your altar, God,
Singing God-songs at the top of my lungs,
telling God-stories.”
Psalm 26:6-7
A second challenge that I made to our Jr. Highs was to encourage them to bring their Bibles to Jr. High on Tuesday night. I also made sure to mention that for students that don’t own a Bible, we’d love to give them one!
This week, follow up with your Jr. High students to see how they received the questions, and what their responses might have been.
Here are three things that you can be praying for this week:
1. That our students would learn what it means to have a thankful attitude.
2. That our students would see the importance of reading their Bibles, and feel encouraged to bring them to Jr. High.
3. That our leaders would be able to encourage our students to have thankful hearts and attitudes, and that they would be able to demonstrate that attitude daily.
Continue to engage your Jr. Highs, and show your love for them through asking some tough questions.
Josh
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Sr. High Parents Update – September 26
Enjoy sin or Enjoy God
Sept 26 2012
We have the choice in our lives whether we will dive into the things of this world and “enjoy sin” or whether we will resist that temptation and “Enjoy God.” Running after God and pursuing relationship with Him involves sacrifice and focus, but there is also enjoyment. Too many times we focus our attention on what we have to give up in order to serve God rather than what it means to enjoy God. There is true fulfillment and enjoyment in relationship with Christ. Let’s look at what it means to enjoy God and take your relationship with Him to a “Whole Nutha Level.” Here are some of the questions that the leaders may have covered in small groups this week.
Goals…
- To build relationship and trust with your group
- To focus the students attention on what it means to “enjoy God”
- To remind the students that “enjoying God” involves sacrifice
Conversation Starters…
- High’s and lows
- Some kind of fun things to get them focused
- Did anything stick out from the message that you had questions about?
Dig a Little Deeper…
- What are some of the big sinful things in this world that are tempting or appealing for teenagers to “ENJOY?”
- What are some of the sacrifices that youth would need to make in order to enjoy God?
- Does it seem sometimes like you are missing out on the fun things that your friends are doing?
- What are some of those things and why do they look fun?
- Thinking of the image of the puzzle … would you agree or disagree that you were created for relationship with God?
- Share with each other some of the things that you enjoy about living for God
- What did you think about the time after the message?
- What sacrifices would you need to make in order to make room for something like that in your everyday life
Personal…
- You could share some things that you enjoy about serving God
- You could share about a mistake that you made in the past and how it was not as fulfilling or fun as you thought it would be
Applications…
- Pray with your students
- Talk through some things that they could do this week in order to “enjoy God”
- Talk through some sacrifices that they could make this week in order to pursue God in a new way
Key Scriptures …
Genesis 1:27
“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”
Hebrews 12:1
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
John 10:10
“The thief comes only to steal kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.”
Matt 7:13-14
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
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