Today we wrapped up the Sunday morning part of our series on relationships and dating. This week we focused on the value of not rushing the process. God has a plan for each of our lives, and that includes our choices in dating. We encouraged our teenagers to recognize that when it comes to dating relationships, health and balance are found in living according to God’s way, based on what Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 2:22.

I’d encourage you to take time to talk with your teenager this week.  Here are some questions from this week’s lesson that might help fuel conversation:

• What are some healthy, biblical, wise expectations you might have for a dating relationship at this stage of your life?
• What are some examples of ways your dating relationships can honor God? What are some ways your dating relationships can dishonor God?
• How easily can a healthy dating relationship become unhealthy-and how easily can an unhealthy dating relationship turn healthy? What does it take for each of these changes to occur?

If you are comfortable with your teenager, talk about some emotional scars you experienced from a past relationship. Take time to pray with your teenager, asking for God’s strength to remain faithful, pursue healthy dating relationships, and live a life that honors God.

We have 2 more Wednesday nights remaining in our series on dating.  This Wednesday, we will be discussing boundaries.  Please pray that our teens will hear the Word and respond with obedience!  Have an awesome day!

In Christ,

Jeff

Weekly Announcements

1. Touched by an Angel Retreat – This Friday, Feb. 24 thru Sunday, Feb. 26 – Our Parent Meeting is TONIGHT @ 5pm in the gym.  Please make every effort to be there.  Bring your teen’s balance ($55) and a copy of their medical insurance card.
2. Winter Jam Tour - Friday night, March 2 – Leaving FBC @ 5:30pm for the FedEx Forum – Cost is $10 – Concert includes Skillet, Sanctus Real, Building 429, and more!  Contact me if you can go as a chaperone.
3. Guys Night / Girls Night - There was a typo in the newsletter regarding the upcoming Guys Night / Girls Night.  The date is Saturday, March 24 (not March 3).  More info to come.

Today, we continued our series looking at what Scripture says about the topic of healthy dating & relationships. We’re using various passages from the Bible to discuss God’s design for romantic relationships. Our goal is to help our teenagers get a clearer idea of God’s intentions in our relationships and what a Christ-like dating relationship or marriage looks like.

This week, we used Proverbs 18:22 and talked about how God wants to see us experience healthy relationships-including our dating relationships. Unfortunately, our culture sends mixed messages about the purpose of dating, which can confuse young people and make it easier to pursue unhealthy dating relationships. Our groups discussed the value of learning to be patient when it comes to dating, learning to listen to wisdom from God and others, and learning to be satisfied with God’s plan for their lives.

I’d encourage you to take a few minutes this week to talk with your teenager about ways to keep pursuing healthy dating relationships. Here are some questions you could include during your conversation:

• How does patience create long-term satisfaction in a relationship?
• How do you decide how to set boundaries in your dating relationships? Besides reading the Bible, how and where might you find this wisdom?
• How does your relationship with God affect and form your approach to all your other relationships? If your relationship with God is weak, how might that impact all your other relationships?

Take a few moments and pray with your teenager, asking God to help protect your child’s mind and heart from things that might steer your student from God’s incredible plans. Have a blessed week!

For HIS Glory!

Jeff

Announcements for the Week…

• Touched by an Angel Retreat (Feb. 24-26) - There will be a mandatory Parent/Student Meeting on Sunday, Feb. 19th @ 5pm in the gym to sign release forms and discuss packing lists, itinerary, rules, etc.
• Winter Jam (Friday, March 2) - Leaving Fisherville @ 5:30pm for the FedEx Forum.  Cost is $10 per person at the door.  Concert includes several great Christian bands, including Skillet, Sanctus Real, Kari Jobe, and more!  If you can chaperone, please contact Jeff ASAP.

As you might already know, February is a month where we are focused on teaching our teenagers about God’s plan for relationships & dating, both on Wednesday nights & Sunday nights.  This morning in Sunday School, we started the first of three lessons looking at what Scripture says about the topic of healthy dating. We’re using various passages from the Bible to discuss God’s design for romantic relationships. Our goal is to help our teenagers get a clearer idea of God’s intentions in our relationships and what a Christ-like dating relationship or marriage looks like.

Wednesday night, our focus was on God’s design, specifically how God designed man and woman with an attraction toward each other.  We talked about how sin has messed things up, and how Satan uses attraction at times to lead people astray into sin.  We discussed how attraction gone wrong can lead to hurt, lies, lust, pain, obsession, and a list of other problems, looking at the stories of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife (Genesis 39) and David & Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11).  We concluded that Godly attraction always is: directed toward the opposite sex, directed toward the right person according to God’s standards (which we’re talking about this Wednesday), leads to purity and not impurity, and honors the other person and Jesus.

This morning our teenagers examined 1 Corinthians 13 and talked about knowing what they’re seeking, not making excuses in dating relationships, and not settling for a relationship that dishonors God. We have the opportunity to value and love the person we’re dating-and the person we someday may marry.

I’d encourage you to find time to talk with your child about this week’s lesson. Here are some questions from this week that could fuel the dialogue:

• What’s the difference between love and lust? What are some examples of the way our culture promotes lust-and examples of the way it either honors or dishonors true love?
• What are some of your expectations for a healthy dating relationship or marriage? What’s the basis or foundation for these expectations, and how realistic are they?

• Why does God care about our actions and attitudes when we’re either moving toward or in a dating relationship?

Thanks for all your prayers for our student ministry. I pray regularly that God will guide and lead our young people as they pursue and develop meaningful, healthy relationships, and I know that’s your prayer, too!

For HIS Glory!

Jeff

Announcements

• Our Super Sunday Spectacular party is THIS AFTERNOON, with flag football @ 4pm and the big game @ 5:30pm.  Guys are to bring a 2-liter drink and girls are to bring cookies or chips.  The church will provide pizza.
• Touched by an Angel – Feb. 24-26 – If your teen hasn’t paid their deposit but are planning on going with us, please contact me ASAP.
• Student Ministry Newsletter – Our February newsletter is out and can be downloaded here.

For HIS Glory!

Jeff

One of the things you probably deal with as the parent of a teenager is obedience. Every household has certain rules and you expect your teen to obey those rules. Your guidelines are based on your experience and what you think is best for your child.

This week our students focused on spiritual obedience in our fifth lesson from the book of John. In John 14, Jesus said that people who love him would obey him and follow his teachings. Here are some questions you can ask your student to help him or her better understand this biblical truth:

• Why do you think it is important to obey the teachings of Jesus? What can happen when we don’t do that?
• How does obedience help us develop a more mature faith and a deeper friendship with Jesus?
• How might the Holy Spirit lead you toward greater obedience throughout the course of a typical day? When would you find it easiest and most difficult to sense the Holy Spirit’s leading?

Have a great week!

For HIS Glory!

Jeff

Weekly Announcements

1. Merge – June 25-29 in Millington, TN – This is our mission camp for Middle School Students.  Cost is $150, with $25 being due today!  If your middle schooler wants to go and you have not paid a deposit, please email Jeff ASAP so he can save them a spot.
2. Super Bowl Sunday Spectacular – Sunday, Feb. 5.  Flag football @ 4pm.  Watching the big game on the big screen in the gym @ 5:30pm.  Guys bring a 2-liter drink.  Girls bring cookies or chips.  The church will take care of the rest.  DADS (& MOMS too!) – Come play some flag football with us!!!

Isaiah 43:25 (NLT) -  ”I—yes, I alone—will blot out your sins for my own sake
  and will never think of them again.”

Last night in youth group, we talked about letting go of the “failure” label that may be hanging over you.  God has offered to forgive your sins and to remove the guilt.  This morning, search your heart and ask yourself if there is some sin that is weighing heavy on you.  Then pray seeking forgiveness from that sin, asking God to give you the strength to turn from it and to remove the guilt.  He promises to do it!

For more, read Lamentations 3:22-23.

For HIS Glory!

Jeff

Welcome back from the holidays!  I hope and pray that Christmas and New Years were great times for you and your family.  I know life was crazy in the James household!  As we enter the New Year, I pray that God continues to work in the hearts and lives of your teenager.

We are now halfway through our Sunday School study of the book of John. Our focus this week was on Jesus’ statement in John 10 that he came to give life and give it abundantly. To help your teenager think through this lesson here are some things you may want to talk about sometime this week:

• A shepherd is responsible for leading and protecting sheep. Why would Jesus use the illustration of a shepherd to describe his relationship with his followers?
• Do you think a rich, satisfying, abundant life includes having all of your needs met? What about having all of your desires met?
• What are some things our family could do together to experience the abundant Christian life?

Have a blessed week!

Jeff

Announcements

1. Calvary Rescue Mission - We’re heading to Calvary Rescue Mission tomorrow night to feed the homeless, and we’d love for your teen to come help us out.  We’ll be leaving the church @ 4:15pm and returning @ 9pm.  Students need to bring money for fast food on the way home.  Email Jeff to get more info.
2. World Changers - A $50 deposit is due TODAY for World Changers (high school mission camp).  For more info, follow this link.
3. Merge - A $25 deposit for Merge (middle school mission camp) is due January 25.  For more info, follow this link.
4. Wednesday Night Youth Group - This week, we’re diving into a 2 week series we’re calling “Labels,” where we will be discussing topics such as racism, prejudice, stereotypes that teens face every single day, focusing on how to see others through the eyes of Jesus.

Want to help pick out verses for the devotionals?  Msg me and let him know!

Jeff

For HIS Glory!

Jeff

Our small groups have finished their six-week study of Genesis. I hope it has been a meaningful study for all of our teenagers, one that will shape their character as they grow in their faith. In the final lesson, we looked at a couple snapshots from the life of Joseph. We learned that Joseph’s attitude was an expression of his faith; his resolve and perseverance in the face of great trials showed how deeply he trusted in God. We challenged our students to show the same attitude in the face of their own struggles, trusting in God to see them through.

You can continue to help your child dwell on this particular topic by finding some opportunities this week to strike up a conversation. Consider using these as a starting point:

• In what ways do our attitudes reflect our faith?
• How do you help lift someone whose attitude is not so great in the midst of a crisis?
• Talk about some negative situations your family has been through. If there were some ways you could have handled it better, use it as a learning experience. If you handled the adversity with great faith, remind your child of why this was possible.

For a modern day example of faith in the midst of adversity, my class (11-12 grade boys) took a look at a video featuring Bethany Hamilton (Soul Surfer).  Check it out here.

As always, let me know if there are specific ways I can pray for your family or for your teenager. Have a blessed week!

For HIS Glory!

Jeff

Announcements for the week

1.  Camp Sign-ups - We have started sign-ups for World Changers and Merge (both in the summer of 2012) and for Touched by an Angel Retreat (February 2012).  Check out these links for more info…

World Changers  –  Merge  –  Touched by an Angel

2.  Youth Choir - In case you don’t already know, Youth Choir has started back and meets on Sunday nights @ 6pm in the Choir Room.  If you’re teen is interested, see Emily Gourley for more info.

3.  December Newsletter - The December newsletter can be downloaded HERE.

4.  Schedule Changes for December -

• Sunday, December 25 – 1 worship service @ 10am; No Sunday School
• Sunday, January 1 – 1 worship service @ 11am; No Sunday School