Showing posts with label high school ministry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label high school ministry. Show all posts

Monday, September 26, 2011

Lies, Lies, Lies




We are surrounded by lies and deceit.  At least that's what the Bible tells us:

"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places"-Ephesians 6:12.

We are taking our entire year's worth of youth group in both middle school and high school to talk about the lies and deceits that we hear, accept and then make decisions based on.  All of these lies are ruinous to us, and we need to do two things: 1-recognize them as lies, and 2-make decision to seek the truth.

Here is the list of lies that we'll be covering in one way or another this year:

1. God is not enough
2. God is not really involved in my life
3. God should fix my problems
4. God is just like my father
5. Everything that happens is spiritual warfare
6. Iʼve never been exposed to Satanic activities
7. Beautiful people are worth more
8. I have to perform to be loved
9. I need a boyfriend/girlfriend
10.Itʼs ok to go out with a non-Christian
11.Itʼs not really sex
12.I canʼt handle the loneliness of being alone
13.Itʼs ok to be one person at home and a different person with others, especially online
14.If I just had friends, I wouldnʼt be lonely
15.Iʼm my own authority
16.My youth pastor is my connection with God
17.Everyone at church is judging me
18.Of course Iʼm a Christian, I...
19.I canʼt overcome sin
20.In certain situations itʼs ok to break the law or rules if Iʼm not hurting myself or others
21.The benefits of constant media usage outweigh the harms
22.Itʼs not a waste of time, even if it is, itʼs ok...
23.Having a successful career is more important that just being a mother or father
24.What I do now doesnʼt affect the future

Please let us know how we might come alongside and encourage you!


Friday, September 2, 2011

A little about us, part 3- Youth Group

Sunday School

D-Group

And now...Youth Group.  What is it?  Why have it?

For the last 40 years or so, Youth Groups have been a huge part of churches and their programming geared toward kids.  When I was growing up back in the 80's (Dated?), each Sunday night you;d find me hanging out with the youth group of First Presbyterian Church in Peachtree City, Georgia.  We met each week in the homes of other kids; each week was in a different place.  We'd gather for some food, some fun, and a youth group lesson, usually 15-20 minutes in length.  The favorite topic?  Sex, of course.  I remember that the week before "sex night" (that just doesn't sound right!!) we were handed small pieces of paper, a pen, and encouraged to write down our questions, ANY questions that we had and the following week, our poor youth minister got up in from of the group and answered them. 

Guys like Steve Rembert, Thom McArthur, Martin Huggins were awesome; they loved us, put up with our antics, and taught us what it was like to follow Jesus each Sunday night and on trips all over the place.

Our "youth group" has two parts:
  • Our middle school youth group meets on Wednesday nights from 6-8pm.  We have a meal, do a group activity, have a group lesson, and then split into small groups for some deeper discussion.  It takes a special kind of adult to work with middle school kids; they have high energy, lots of questions, and are really coming into their own, developing their identity.  We love middle school kids at Eastview.
  • Our high school youth group meets on Sunday nights from 5:45-8pm.  We have a meal, do a group activity, have a group lesson, and then split into small groups for some deeper discussion.  High school kids are at the point in their lives where they are asking big questions and dealing with big issues; they are wrestling with who they are.  I love the depth of our high school kids at Eastview.
This year, in both middle school and high school youth groups, we'll be talking about the lies that surround them, are told to and about them, are told by them, that they fall for and believe, and then act on.  Lies like:
  • God could never love me.
  • I need a boyfriend/girlfriend.
  • The music I listen to, and the movies I watch don't affect me.
  • It's not really sex.
Each day, kids in our youth group struggle with and fall for these lies.  Satan is the great deceiver, we actually believe that and this year, we will be confronting our students with the truth of the gospel, and most importantly, with the Truth that is Jesus Christ.

Our youth group is designed to be a great place where kids can feel welcome to bring friends and have some good honest conversation about the God that loves them.  This is called "community" and we see in the Bible that Christians are called to it.  We want to talk about with them what Christianity looks like and what it means to be a follower and disciple of Christ.  We are looking forward to starting up next Wednesday (for middle school) and Sunday the 18th for high school!!





Monday, August 22, 2011

Upcoming Dates

We've tried to be as comprehensive as possible so that you  (and we) can plan our calendars and our budgets.  I've also included event costs where possible.   Here are the dates of a number of things coming up...please read this CAREFULLY! 

While our Mexico mission trip is listed below, there will be a separate post later in the week, addressing not only the two biggest questions that a parent will have about that trip: safety and cost, but also on our expectations for those that desire to join us.  I'll keep you informed!

August 26 (5:30-10pm), August 27 (8:30am-4pm)
  • Student Ministry Team Retreat
    • This is for all members of our student ministry team, as well as parents and other interested adults.   
Wednesday, September 7
  • E-KLUB/Middle School Youth Group starts
    • 6-8pm
 Sunday, September 18
  • High School Youth Group starts
    • 5:45-8pm
Friday, September 16-Sunday, September 18
  • All-Church Retreat at North East Iowa Christian Service Camp
    • For all: students, parents, members, non-members 
Sunday, October 16
  • Eastview Harvest Party
    • Following Sunday services
    • Zieser home, Center Point
    • All are invited
Monday, October 31
  • Trunk or Treat at Eastview Christian Church
    •   6-8pm
Thursday, November 3 - Sunday, November 6
  • "The Event" at Ozark Christian College
    • This is our annual mid-year high school trip to visit a Christian College; it's a mini-conference, college visit and relationship-builder rolled into one event.  
    • Cost will be $90/student; this covers all event registration, food, lodging, and transportation. 
    • $30 deposit and registration form (available soon) due by Sunday, October 16.
Wednesday, November 16
  • Thanksgiving Celebration at Eastview
    • 6-8pm
December, Christmas event- Date and Times to be announced

Saturday, February 11, 2012
  • Spaghetti Dinner/Dessert Auction/Talent Show
    • Because of this HUGE fundraiser, we can help kids get to camp, events like CIY: Believe and everything else that we do.  
    • Speaking of CIY: Believe...
Thursday February 17 - Sunday, February 19
  • CIY: Believe is our annual mid-year middle school trip, and they won't want to miss it.
  • We're going back to St Louis for an amazing time of worship, great speakers that share with middle school students in mind and some solid relationship-building between our students and adults.  
  • Cost will be in the $150 range, which covers event registration, hotel lodging, food, fun...everything!  
Early July, 2012
  • Mexico Mission Trip to San Luis Potosi, Mexico
    • While this trip is open to any of those entering high school and above for the 2012-2013 school year, it is not for everyone.  We will have several informational meetings in November (you just need to attend one) to discuss this trip, the issues and, expectations surrounding it, in detail
    • Assist with several different Vacation Bible Schools in and around the city of San Luis Potosi, Mexico.
    • Trip cost in 2010 was $1000/participant.  While we will make every effort to maintain this level, transportation cost is the largest variable.  
Summer Camp Dates, 2012 (all costs were the 2011 early-bird camp year cost, and subject to change)

June 10-15:     Middle School Camp #1      $155

June 17-23:     High School Camp #2          $185

June 24- 27:    3rd, 4th, 5th Grade Camp      $125

June 29-30:     2nd, 3rd Grade Camp            $35
 
July 8-13:        Middle School Camp #2       $155

July 15-19:     4th, 5th Grade Camp              $125


July 22-28:      High School Camp #2           $185

Please contact me either by phone (319) 393-9570 or email (jmulholland@eastview.net) with thoughts, questions or concerns.  We are looking forward to another excellent year!

Thursday, January 13, 2011

And...we're off!

Our new semester has started and we're off with a bang.  Our middle school group is hearing the story of God, we're teaching the Bible from a different perspective, one story at a time, building on the previous week's story.  So far, we've covered Creation and the Fall of Man, next up if the story of the first murder, starring Cain and Abel.

In our high school group, we started our "Gospel According to the Office" series and this past Sunday we had a great discussion about judgment and self-righteousness.  Up next, we'll be taking about the role of denial, reality, and excuse-making in our relationship with God.  It's going to be great.

We've got more kids than ever and covet your prayers.

Also, forms for the Colorado trip (high school) are due Sunday, and CIY: Believe forms are due next Wednesday.  We've got a lot of things going on besides our normal youth group schedule, and we'd love for your kids to join us!  As always, contact us with questions!

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Coming soon: The Gospel According to the Office

Starting in January, our Sr High group will begin material called "The Gospel According to The Office."

As I stated in my December 2010 church newsletter article, this show is extremely popular with our students.  So, we're going to use it to communicate the Gospel to them.

For part of the study time, we'll be using material from a group in New York City called "Mockingbird."  To see what the lessons look like, go here, and click on the first link.  We'll also be writing material for 5 or 6 lessons.  Since there may be concerns about what specifically we'll be watching, below you'll find an episode list.  And, since I cannot provide a copy of those episodes to everyone and their brother, I suggest that you visit NBC's website, find the "show clips" link, and watch a 2 minute overview of the episodes on question.  You can also visit Hulu and watch full episodes there.  As of right now (1:30pm on Wednesday, December 15) all of the seasons and episodes are there.

Here's the episode list that we'll be using:

Performance Review
Business School
Did I stutter?
The Surplus
The Coup
That's What She Said (this is NOT an episode, but a compilation video)
Christmas Party
The Chump
The Fire
Email Surveillance
Conflict Resolution

As funny as this show is, it is really, really, dumb.  It is also, really depressing and accurately portrays life without God.  To see some compilation videos that demonstrate the absurdity of it, go here and here.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Student Ministry Recapsm week beginning October 31


October 24, 2010                  Middle School/High School Sunday School
  • 15 Students, 2 Adults
  • Theme: Who is Jesus?
  • Bible Story:         John 4
  • Specifically: We answered questions from the 3x7 that the students came up with from their reading.  We read the text and had great discussion.

October 24, 2010                  High School Youth Group
  • 13 students, 4 adults
  • Topic:         Crazy Love, chapter 7
  • Overview: We discussed the questions that arose from the reading of chapter 7.  Most students are doing the reading, only a few did the 3x7 for the week. 

October 27, 2010                  Middle School Youth Group
  • 12 Students, 7 Adults
  • Topic: Whos’ the Man?
  • We discussed John 8:1-11, and what happens when we are forgiven by God.  He expects us to “go and sin no more.”  The discussions in all 3 small groups were great, with some really deep questions asked by our students.  Beginning in January, we’re going to tackle some deeper theological topics and the tenets of the Christian faith.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Student Ministry Recaps, week beginning September 26

It's been a very interesting week.  It is evident that our students are coming to Sunday school and youth groups ready to talk and listen.  What have we been talking about?

Sunday School

We just finished a multi-week series through what are called the "General Epistles", 1, 2 and 3rd John, along with Jude.  Each week we asked the kids to read the book or chapter for the following week.  Also, we've asked them to paraphrase what they've read.  We had mixed results at the beginning with the reading and paraphrasing, but many of the kids have really taken to it.  At this point, more kids are doing the reading than not, and the number of those paraphrasing is increasing.  Starting next week, we'll be reading and studying the Gospel of John and learning Jesus' life and ministry.  Our hope is to introduce them to the Jesus they don't know.

Senior High Youth Group

We're in chapter three of Francis Chan's Crazy Love book.  We had some amazing conversations and sharing going on.  One of the main pieces that we talked about was how our human relationships affect our thoughts and relationship with God.  Again, many of the kids are doing the reading (hopefully before 4:15 on Sunday afternoon), and this has really helped.  Some of the questions are starting to change, revealing some depth that we hadn't seen before.  A main struggle with this group is unity, we have several small groups of 2-3 kids, so we are working on group unity.  Our upcoming SEMP service project will help with this.

Middle School Youth Group

We continue with our Grapple series.  Last night we finished the first section of our semester, called "Who's the Man?" which dealt with the nature of God himself.  Our Bible story last night was from the book of Jonah, and we grappled with the question "Isn't God just mean and cruel?", the main thought being that bad thing happen to people, and how can we trust God through them?  We've also been doing a "Bible Scavenger Hunt" each week, asking the kids a question and then telling them which Bible book that it is in, and having them find it.  So far, we've had kids read the ENTIRE book of Revelation, the book of Acts, and this week, their question is from the book of Ezekiel in the Old Testament.

How you can help us help you

As you can see from above, at each weekly activity, we are asking the kids to do some sort of preparation, it might be reading, paraphrasing, doing a take-home sheet, or whatever.  We are working hard to equip you to minister to your own kids.  As a parent, this is truly one of the hardest things to do.  If you're like me, you feel inadequate (I do...and I'm a minister!).  We're trying to give out simple tools and things that you can do as a family.  Regardless of what we may think, polls continue to state that parents are the most important influence on the faith of kids.  If there are other things that we can help, please let us know.  You can call me at 319-393-9570, email me at eccparents@gmail.com, or...better yet, attend our upcoming "Second Wednesday" on Wednesday night, October 13 at Eastview.  It's an event just for parents and grandparents, we'll be talking specifically about building meaningful relationships with our kids.  W'll be hanging out from 6-8pm.  Would you join us?

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Student Ministry Recaps


September 19, 2010         High School Youth Group
  • 13 students, 3 adults
  • Theme:         Crazy Love: Chapter 3
  • Overall:         Watched a recap of “The Last Lecture”, a Zac Smith Video, talked about what it meant to rejoice and to not be anxious.  Discussed the life of Paul and how he was the writer of those words (on rejoicing and anxiety), then watched the chapter video.  
  • We are working hard to encourage the kids to read the chapter before Sunday night.  We're going to change up our schedule a little bit this Sunday.  

September 22, 2010         Middle School Youth Group
  • 15 Students, 7 Adults
  • Theme: Who’s the Man?  Is believing in God lame?
  • Bible Story:         Daniel 3, Matthew 5:10-16
  • Overall:         Games went well, kids were especially worked up.  Had some trouble keeping focus in big group and small group.  We talked specifically about how we need to encourage one another and stand for what we believe in.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Student Ministry Recaps

I want to apologize for not getting these up.  I simply have not made this the priority that it needs to be. 

Senior High Youth Group-Sunday September 12

  • We had 16 students and 2 adults.
  • We introduced the "Crazy Love" series  by reading the preface and chapter 1 as a group.  We spent some time talking about our inaccurate  views of God and how those false views affect our relationship with God.
Middle School Youth Group-Wednesday September 15
  • We had 13 students and 7 adults.  
  • Our second week in a four week series dealing with the bigger question, "Who is God?"....we talked specifically about the gifts that God has given us now.  Our bible story was from Genesis 15 and dealt with the promise that God made to Abram in the Old Testament that Abram would be the father of many nations.  During our small group breakout, we had an awesome time of sharing with our students about the way that God has blessed us with the opportunity for eternal life.  Several of our students got very personal about what's been happening in their lives and we closed with those students praying.  It was a pretty powerful night.
  • We handed out a "Take Home" sheet for this week's lesson.  You can find it off to the right on this page, just click on the "Middle School Take Home" link and download the 9-22-10 sheet.
From this point forward, these will be posted by Thursday afternoons. 

    Friday, April 23, 2010

    Student Ministry Recaps, April 18-24 2010


    Senior High
    April 18, 2010

    Topic:  An exploration of what it means to "fear the Lord."

    Take Away:  Fearing the Lord has to do with being aware of God's ultimate power.  This fear can be a deep respect for that power but can also be a literal fear.  We should use this fear to both honor God and change our lives to grow closer to Him.

    Next Week:  A discussion of the role of music as a part of worship.


    Middle School
    April 21, 2010


    Topic:  Eternal Life.  The story was John 20:1-31. Jesus died, and his followers were very sad.  But then the unexpected happened...he rose from the dead and appeared to his followers.


    Take Away:  God made the ultimate sacrifice when He gave his son to be crucified.  God is all powerful and can do unbelievable things...we need to believe.  the fact that Jesus rose from the dead gives all of us hope.


    Next week:  John is gone..so it is party time.


    E-Klub
    April 21, 2010

    Wednesday night our Operation Space lesson was on the Incredible Impact. We learned how the Bible has an incredible impact on our lives by transforming us. To illustrate the change, we rolled volunteers in toilet paper and watched them burst into a beautiful butterflies. The Bible transforms us as the caterpillar transforms into a butterfly.

    We learned that there are 66 books of the Bible. There are 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament. We are learning a song to help us remember the books of the Bible, in the order they are found. It's helpful to know the order so we can quickly find passages we need.

    Next week we will still be talking about the Incredible Impact. Our skit will continue and we will learn more about the intentions of Virus, and what he plans to do to Earth.

    Friday, March 26, 2010

    High School/Middle School Youth Group Recaps, March 21-27, 2010

    High School Youth Group--March 21, 2010

    Topic: The second week of discussion of the book, Dateable: Are You? Are They? has been awesome. Our students are learning about relationships, character and recognizing lies that have been told to them, their friends, themselves and even those they may have done to others. We talked about how our actions are important and what our actions say about us and how they make others feel. How if their friends ask them to lie for them, they will lie to them. It's great seeing our students talk honestly, openly and looking at their own relationships and expectations.

    Take away: We need to be truth-tellers and truth-hearers in our relationships with others.

    Next week:
    We continue this study next week with talking about their appearances, revealing clothes and physical boundaries.

    A quick reminder....we will not be having Youth Group April 4th Easter Sunday. We want the kids to enjoy that celebration time with their families.


    Middle School Youth Group--March 24, 2010

    Topic: We talked about our need to trust God when He tells us to do things. We talked about the example of Jonah, found in Jonah 1.

    Take Away: God wants us to be obedient to Him. As He asks us to do things, and we do them, we learn that He is trustworthy. We cannot simply say that we love Him with words and then not do what He asks.

    Next Week: We'll be talking about Jesus' desire to heal us, using several stories of Him casting out demons.

    Thursday, March 18, 2010

    E-Klub/Youth Group Recaps, March 14-20, 2010

    High School Youth Group--March 14, 2010

    Topic: Chapters 1-3 of "Dateable": discussion of the nature of high school dating relationships and the tactics guys and girls use in these relationships.

    Take away: High school dating relationships will always end.

    Next week: Chapters 4-6 of "Dateable": the lies teens tell to make high school dating work.


    Middle School Youth Group--March 17, 2010

    Topic: We talked about the ways that God speaks to us, using Daniel 5:1-30 as our story.

    Take Away: god is speaking to us, and will often go to great lengths to get our attention. He wants us to talk about all aspects of our lives with Him.

    Next Week: We'll be talking about God's love for us, as shown in the book of Jonah.

    E-Klub--March 17, 2010

    Topic: Last night we continued Operation Space. Last night was a continuation of things we learned the week before. We will have the same topic for two weeks then move to a new one.

    Take Away: Last night, in our skit, we met a young girl names Sydney. She works at the planetarium. She taught us that there are 100 billion stars in the sky. We also learned that God has a name for all of them. Sydney's boss says that working at the planetarium you need to "leave your Bible at home." Over the next few weeks she will learn that her boss is wrong. She fell asleep stargazing and woke up on a space ship. She is starting her cadet training. Our memory verse for this week is still from 2 Timothy 3:16 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God".

    Next week:
    Next week we will talk about the authority of the Bible.

    Friday, March 12, 2010

    E-Klub/Youth Group Recaps, March 7-13 2010

    High School Youth Group--March 7, 2010

    Topic: Our topic was "The benefit of face-to-face relationships when loving others. We talked about Facebook, texting, technology and cliques that can develop within our group. Scripture used was James 2 and 1 Corinthians 11.

    Take Away: The students were challenged to build personal relationships that went beyond Facebook friends and to look outside of their existing groups of friends and build relationships with others.

    Next Week: We are starting our "Dateable" series...first up? Chapters 1-3.


    Middle School Youth Group--March 10, 2010

    Topic: We talked about the weird instructions that God sometimes gives us to follow. Scripture used was Ezekiel 4.

    Take Away: The students were asked to consider what instructions God may be giving to them, and whether or not they would recognize them as from God.

    Next Week: We'll be talking about being courageous for God, as told through the book of Daniel.

    E-Klub--March 10, 2010

    Topic: We started our new series called Operation Space. Among many things we talked about was how huge our universe is, how to measure it, how fast light travels, and the most important thing, we had a close encounter of the Bible kind.

    Take Away: We learned how truly unique the Bible is. We gave the Bible awards as we named off how one-of-a-kind it is. We learned facts about how the Bible was first copied, how many languages it's been translated into, that it's the most read and best selling book, and how some kings and emperors tried to ban it, burn it, and ultimately get rid of the Bible. Having no success. Our memory verse for this week comes from 2 Timothy 3:16 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God".

    Next week: We will talk about the authority of the Bible.

    Thursday, February 18, 2010

    Youth Group/E-Klub recaps February 14-20, 2010

    Trying to keep these shorter!

    High School Youth Group -- February 14, 2010

    Lesson Theme/Topic: Sunday night's lesson continued with the study of prayer. Several scriptures were used along with the Lord's Prayer from Matthew 6 to give us many examples of how, why and the importance of prayer. A good example presented to the students was ACTS.....Adoration...Confession...Thanksgiving...Supplication

    What they should have left with: This form of praying was studied through scripture and students presented examples of how they can use this in their own prayer life. There was discussion on the obstacles and hindrances to prayer they face. Students were encouraged to use ACTS in the coming weeks when they pray.

    Next week: We will conclude the study of prayer with any questions the students may have on prayer.

    Middle School Youth Group -- February 17, 2010

    Lesson Theme/Topic:
    Wednesday nights lesson continued with our "Scary, Gross and Weird Stories from the Bibel". Our story this week was from Numbers 22:1-41, about a king named Balak, a prophet named Balaam and a donkey that talked. We told the story using this.

    What they should have left with: We talked about doing only what God wanted us to, and the roadblocks that sometimes get in the way of us hearing God's voice, and what we can do about those roadblocks.

    Next week:
    We will be talking about Jael putting the tent peg through the temple of Sisera, the commander of the army that was coming against Israel.


    E-Klub- February 17, 2010

    Lesson Theme/Topic: We talked about living God's way. Our scripture was from Luke 6:17-26; Jesus taught that God blesses people even when life is hard. He warned people about the dangers of wealth.

    What they should have left with:
    Christians do not live God's way to get recognition. We do it because that's how he wants us to live. We also learned that living God's way means that while can can be sad about things, God wants us to be happy with what we do have, and not to focus on what we do not have.



    Thursday, February 11, 2010

    Youth Group/E-Klub recaps February 7-13, 2010

    High School: Sunday Night

    Because of the Super Bowl this past week, we were missing about half of our group. We decided to have a chill-out night; we played a card game called "President/Vice-President". We also had a time of prayer in our small groups. This Sunday night, Monna Kreher begins our study on prayer. The Take Home for this week is to the right.

    Middle School: Wednesday Night

    Last night, we talked about the 10 plagues that God sent on Egypt to convince Pharaoh to let the Israelite people go. Each of the 10 plagues could be related to one of the Egyptian gods which means as God brought the various plagues upon Egypt, he was revealing to the Egyptians that there gods were meaningless. It was also an opportunity to communicate the truthfulness of the Bible. One of the pretty tough questions asked:
    • If God knew that Pharaoh would not let the slaves go until the last plague, why did He stop the others?
    Next week, we'll be talking about Balaam and his talking donkey. Take Home at the right.

    e-Klub: Wednesday Night:

    Wednesday's lesson was from Luke 5:1-11
    Jesus asks Simon to cast his fishing nets into the water, even though Simon had fished all night with out catching any fish. Simon obeyed and caught so many fish that his nets began to rip.

    In all our centers we re-enforced how Simon, even though he'd fished all night, did what Jesus asked him to do. He followed instructions he was given by Jesus. Just as we should.

    In Surprise Station the children had to work together to put a puzzle together with out seeing what the picture was to look like. Then they got to see the picture on the box and they were able to try again. Because they followed instructions, or the picture on the box, they were able to accomplish their goal.

    In Snack-It Cafe the children ate gold fish while hearing the story again.

    In Games the children ran relay races using pop bottles. Again needing to work together as a team and following directions. Then they separated into partners and were given coins. One partner laid the coins out in a pattern. Then they mixed them up and the second partner had to arrange the coins back into the same pattern. Then they traded jobs.

    Thursday, January 28, 2010

    Youth Group Recaps: January 24-31

    What a great week! We had an awesome turnout for both high school and middle school youth nights. God is working in both groups! Don't forget about the take home sheets! They can be downloaded from the link at the right. Help us help you by asking your kids about their progress each week!

    High School

    This past Sunday night, we talked about WHY we should study God's Word as people who want to be followers of Jesus. Specifically, the reasons we taught are:
    1. The Bible tells us the truth
    2. We should know what it teaches firsthand and not depend on others to explain it to us
    3. Personal edification (growth)
    4. To help others
    5. Points us to Jesus
    6. God's Word to us
    7. To know God better
    8. To avoid error.
    We split into small groups for prayer and further discussion. The students opened up about some of things that were being brought out by the series. It is great to hear about what God is telling them.

    Middle School

    Last night, we talked about God's character, and how He always keeps his promises- the ones we want kept and those we choose to ignore. The story we read from is found in Genesis, and deals with God's destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. We talked about how God deals with man's sin, and we had questions about why the earthquake happened in Haiti and many other DEEP questions.

    Each week the leaders are amazed at the thoughtfulness and depth of the questions. We are going to make a slight adjustment over the next few weeks to allow for more of their thoughts and questions.

    A slight programming note, next week I will be gone for middle school night. I begin graduate studies at Indiana Wesleyan next week, and need to travel there for a few days for their integration process. Steve Novak will be leading the lesson time next Wednesday.