Monday, February 23, 2009

24t7 Sunday, Feb 22

Our topic last night was friendship.

The types of friends we have can have a big impact on our relationship with God.

we talked about how each of us has a circle of friends. The closer those friends are to us the more influence they have on us and we have on them. God wants us to be friends with Christians but he also wants us to befriend those who are not and bring them to him. the more support we have from our christian friends the more influence we will have on our non-christian friends and the less influence they will have on us.

As parents, make sure encourage your kids to grow in their friendships with their Christian friends so that they can be more effective witnesses to their non-christian friends. Have a great week!

Peter

Friday, February 20, 2009

Next Parent Connection for Feb 18

Grapple Question:
Who Will Be the Ultimate Fighting Champion?

Kids Learn:
Jesus Is My Champion

Dig Into the Bible:
Hebrews 2:5-18

Can you believe the amazing sacrifice Jesus made for each of us? By dying on the
cross, he defeated Satan and took your place so you don’t have to live with sin forever.
When we stop to think about it, we remember how incredible that is. But sometimes
we forget that Jesus deserves to be treated as our champion ever y day. That might
mean mustering your courage to tell a friend or co-worker about your faith or simply
thanking Jesus for his power over sin. Find one way to celebrate his victory today.
Send your junior higher an e-mail or text message to remind him or her to do the
same.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Next Parent Connection Feb 11

Grapple Question:
Why Does Satan Fight Dirty?

Kids Learn:
Satan Knows My Weaknesses

Dig Into the Bible:
Luke 4:1-13

By now, you’d like to think you know your junior higher pretty well. Sure, his tastes in
music are changing, or she’s dressing a little differently now. But you have so much
history together—you know your child’s strengths and weaknesses.
Unfortunately, Satan knows your child even better than you do. He knows if your
daughter struggles with low self-esteem or if your son is tempted by pornography.
And he’s not afraid to use that information to distract kids from their faith. Make a
point to talk to your child today about ways Satan is at work in his or her life. You can
help your son or daughter stay strong in the face of temptation.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Next Parent Connection for Feb 4

Grapple Question:
Is the Devil Even Real?

Kids Learn:
Satan Is My Real Enemy

Dig Into the Bible:
2 Corinthians 11:1-15

Have you ever felt like the harder you try to accomplish something, the harder it
becomes? Not surprisingly, the more we try to tell others about our relationship
with Jesus, the more Satan tries to push us in the wrong direction.
Try this activity with your family: Stand toe-to-toe with a partner of similar height.
Match up your palms with your partners’ at shoulder height. Without moving your
feet, try to push each other off-balance.
Talk about why Satan doesn’t want people to have a relationship with Jesus and
what to do when sharing your faith seems impossible.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Next Parent Connection

Here is what we talked about at Middle School Youth last night:

Grapple Question:
What if God Says No?

Kids Learn:
God Knows What I Need

Dig Into the Bible:
2 Corinthians 12:1-10

It’s pretty disappointing for junior high kids when they really want something but
don’t get their way. (Hey, that’s still hard for most adults!) As a parent, you have to tell
your kids no sometimes—especially if it’s for their physical or emotional safety. Even if
your junior higher becomes upset, you know that you’re looking out for his or her best
interests.
God also has our best interests in mind. He can see the big picture, and he always
makes the right decision that will help us grow in our faith. Share with your junior
higher a time that God didn’t answer a prayer the way you’d hoped—and how you
grew from that experience.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Here, There, and Everywhere

last night at 24t7 we finished up our series on mission called "Here, there, and Everywhere". Our topic last night was God's plan for our future. The Cat in the Hat made an appearance to read the Dr Seuss classic "Oh, the Places You'll Go" After that i talked about how God has a plan for our future and that plan may be something different then what we have in mind right now. The Scripture we used was Jeremiah 29:11-14. I encouraged the Youth to be open to God's plan for their life, to keep an open heart and an open mind to what God may be showing them. for small group time we split up by grades to discuss some questions on the topic. It was really an encouraging night. just the fact that young people are there listening and having conversation shows me they are open to God's plan.

Next week is the Supebowl Party. We are encouraging the kids to see this as an opportunity to minister to their friends and get them in to our building. pray that God opens some hearts through this. Have a great week!

Peter