For most of us, calling is difficult to discern.
Not many of us have the experience of a burning bush, taken up to heaven to sing with the seraphs, or swallowed by a large fish. Continue reading
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A couple of my friends and I are working on a new project, the goal is to create create a place for students to get a daily three minute devotional–something that can be easily read before school. It won’t be tied to my church, in hopes that it’ll be relevant for any student. I’ll post more info about this later once we get closer to the launch.
Each Sunday, we wanted to create a series of questions to help students personalize and respond to what they heard at church that weekend. Here’s our latest version:
1. What was one big idea from church this week? What did you learn? How where you encouraged, challenged, or even confused?
2. God wants to do something new in your life! Refuse to be the same person week after week. What’s one practical life change you can make this week as the result of what you experienced at church?
3. Who did you invite to church today? How did they like the experience? Who could you invite next weekend?
4. As you showed up for church, how was your attitude? Do you feel like you were ready to worship? Ready to engage and participate? What could you do next week, before church, to get your heart in the right place? What would it take to show up with an attitude of humility and surrender?
5. What did you hear God say to you this weekend? Are you holding onto something that you need to confess? Where do you need to seek God’s forgiveness?
6. Tell a friend something you learned this week—it may be awkward, but try it anyhow!!
7. Build an attitude of gratitude: make a list of ten things for which you are thankful to God.
8. Develop your friendships by keeping “short accounts.” Do you need to apologize to someone this week? Is there someone you need to forgive? Have you been holding on to a grudge and need to share it?
I’d love your feedback, what do you think? Do you have any ideas that will better help a junior high or high school student to reflect on their experience with God at your church?
If you liked this article, forward it to a friend. Find Matt on Facebook HERE and Twitter HERE. Get great youth worker resources HERE. Request Matt to speak at your next event HERE.
Consider supporting this BOLD move by Tim Timmons.
One of his songs, the grateful, is the theme song for our ministry. There’s a lot more to Tim than great music.
I love his music, I admire his leadership, I’m impacted by his genuine love for Jesus.
If you liked this article, forward it to a friend. Find Matt on Facebook HERE and Twitter HERE. Get great youth worker resources HERE. Request Matt to speak at your next event HERE.
Sometimes I get tripped up on a single word in my devotions. Earlier this week, I was reading one of my favorite verses, and I had to stop, because I had some difficulty understanding. I LOVE IT WHEN THIS HAPPENS… My natural instinct is to move on, assuming I have enough understanding. When these moments come, and I’m actually faithful enough to slow down and reflect, a new insight or encouragement always follows.
I hope I never get too comfortable with scripture, when that happens, I’ve fully accepted my assumptions and have also fully cut off my chances for new learnings.
Anyhow, here’s the verse:
1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
ALSO was the word that made me do a double take. I was interested because this also is talking about God’s faithfulness, and the better I understand the expressions of his love, the more I will love him.
Focusing in on just the ALSO, here are the two ideas that are linked:
1. He won’t let us be tempted beyond what we can bear…
Also
2. Provide a way out so we can endure…
These seem like the same thing…(you bear the temptation taking the way God has provided). If one thing is being described, then why is ALSO used. It seems like also ought to be used for two different things… E.g. Mike likes apples…also he like oranges….
However, perhaps “bearing” and “taking the way” are two different (although related) things; that is two different expressions of God’s faithfulness…
Now… I haven’t fired up logos on my computer and looked at multiple versions, looked at any Gk definitions, or scanned a few commentaries.
Now, one good test, in my opinion, is the obedience (or significance) test. How will my worship of God be different if it is one thing? How will it be different if it is two things?
The ultimate significance is clear, no temptation is too tough, because God is faithful. Great. Important. Clearly an essential teaching of scripture. But maybe there’s more here I’ve been missing all these years.
So let’s zoom back out to the bigger point: I don’t ever want to get too comfortable with my understandings that I miss new learnings. When my devotional life is on auto pilot, I’ve stopped growing.
If you liked this article, forward it to a friend. Find Matt on Facebook HERE and Twitter HERE. Get great youth worker resources HERE. Request Matt to speak at your next event HERE.