HS Small Group 1/6/09

We kicked off the 2009 year with our small group ministry in 2 big ways this week:

1. The group reached the size & capacity this past fall where we felt confident splitting the group.  Sam has kept a Monday night group at his house and I have taken the small group “plant” and started a Tuesday night group tonight.
2. To help keep momentum going now that the groups are half this size they were, we began the Gospel Journey MAUI DVD-curriculum from Dare 2 Share!

We dove into our MAUI experience tonight in episode 1 of the curriculum which asks the question: “Is there a higher power?” which also led right into another BIG question in life, “How was all this created?”  It was a little slow going at first but the teens began to open up and share their thoughts and opinions about these questions and a variety of others related to this topic.

I was pleased with their willingness to respond and interact, but was a little burdened by a trend that was represented by most of the teens in the room – a reluctance for anyone to say that we can, in fact, know truth with any level of certainty.  These are not teens who don’t go to church or are living a life outside of a relationship with Jesus.  On the contrary, these are kids who know the Lord Jesus Christ, attend on a regular basis, and invite their friends with them.  Several of them felt that even in answering questions about creation vs. evolution or if is there a God or not that everyone can have an opinion but we can’t know with certainty.  At the core of this dilemna, the struggle concerning if there is absolute truth.

As we dialogued they began to see through scripture that we can know with confidence answers to these questions and more.  The good news in all of this: these teens are willing to wrestle with their faith and their doubts in a youth group setting and still seek out scripture as a source for answers.  To be honest, it was refreshing not to get the “Sunday School” and “Pat” answers to these questions we dealt with.  I feel like I can be a more effective Youth Leader having a realistic handle on where these kids are at and what they are going through.  The responsibility I now have is meeting these kids where they are at and helping them find answers to their questions.

Pray for me, Robbin, and Jake as we lead this group as well as the teens we have the opportunity to minister to: Steven, Andrea, Shawn, Brandon, Mason, Tyler, Stephanie, Riley, Marissa, Matt, Breanna, Michael, and the rest of the teens that will join us along this journey!

HS Small Group 11/3/08

I love our small group that meets on Monday nights.  It is amazing and the teenagers are incredible.  Strong relationships are being built and the kids are becoming more and more relaxed and open as we discuss each week.  Something cool happened tonight as I had the opportunity to speak with 4 young men on 4 different occasions tonight.  Not only will it give you a glimpse into our group and how diverse it is, but it will also give you 4 young men to be praying for.

1. Brandon.  He is a little more mature in his faith but still growing and the cool thing is he has a desire to grow.  Brandon is wrestling through finding the balance of having lost friends that he can be a positive influence to without allowing their negative influence to distract him from his relationship with Christ.
2. Evan.  This might be the boldest evangelist in our group, but he might not know it yet.  Pray for Alex, Evan’s friend who doesn’t know Christ, as they have begun spiritual conversations that Evan is trying to wade through, but sometimes feels like he’s drowning.  Evan knows he is saved, but doesn’t feel like he knows enough to share with his friend.
3. Avery.  This is the young teenage boy who gave his life to Christ a few weeks ago.  He is excited every week at Bible study and has that new Christian excitement about him.  I have tasked his older brother Lee to take the time to dive into the Word with Avery as he begins to grow in his faith.
4. Michael.  He is the newest addition to our small group and brings a totally new and fresh worldview to the table.  He is fairly well educated, eloquent with his words, but lost when it comes to all things Christ.  We had an incredible conversation tonight and I loved hearing his heart and diving into his beliefs.  Whiel we disagree on just about everything, he agreed to begin reading the Gospel of John this week, a chapter a day, and I have made the commitment with him.  In addition, he has agreed to continue to come to small group with his friend, Marissa, so we can continue our spiritual dialogue.  Pray for us as we dive into scripture and begin a journey of discovery.

So there are 4 snapshots of our group and the dynamics involved.  Doing life with teenagers can be messy, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.  Thanks for your prayers and continued support as Sam and I continue to invest in the lives of these teenagers.