Weekly lesson update 2-27-14

Good afternoon parents! This is the second week of your new family discipleship strategy! I'm so excited to have you on board, and hope that you are finding this site to be a valuable resource.

Last night, the lesson was about being identified with the mistakes and failures of our past. Many people spend their entire lives trying to run away from their past, or hide from it. We subconsciously wear labels that identify us with the things we have done.

For many others, they find themselves labeled by what others have done to them, and they define themselves by the way others have wronged them.

Still others define themselves by their addictions, their habits and their repeated sins.

But Christ has promised us if we are in him, the old has gone and the new has come! We find this promise in 2 Corinthians 5:16-19. Let that passage be your guide for discussion this week.

As promised, this week there will be a video copy of the lesson that you can watch on your computer or smart phone! You can see the video by clicking HERE.

a copy of the powerpoint from last night's lesson can be found by clicking HERE. Below, you will find your daily discussion guide.

REMEMBER: this is only a guide! Lead the conversation wherever God will take it. What matters most is that you are spending time in discipleship with your kids, and praying together with them.

Thursday: 
     If your child was present for youth group last night, ask them what they thought about the lesson. Ask them if anything impacted them specifically. Remember to ask leading, open ended questions, like "What parts of the lesson stuck out to you," rather than closed questions like, "So was the lesson good?"

If your child was not present at youth group, proceed to the following point:
Read 2 Corinthians 5:16-19. Perhaps ask your child to read it out loud. Then discuss the passage with them, sharing your thoughts and asking for theirs.

Pray with your kids out loud. Ask them if they have things in their lives that you can pray for. Show them that you are genuinely interested in the details of their lives!

Friday: 
     This would be a good time to watch the video of the lesson together, especially if your child was not present at youth group. If they were present, and put up a fight about watching the video because they already heard it once, encourage them to watch it with you because you haven't seen it and you want to do it together. If possible, don't let it turn into an argument. The time you spend in discipleship daily will hopefully become a time everyone looks forward to, rather than another chore that's forced on them. The video of the lesson can be found by clicking HERE. Follow along with the powerpoint by clicking HERE.

After watching the video, share your thoughts on the lesson. Were there parts that stuck out to you? Were there things that you didn't understand? It's ok if there are. Be humble. Your kids will appreciate that. Ask them if they have questions, or if they'd like to share what they found most interesting.

Pray with your kids. Verbally thank God for each one of them, and express in your prayer why you are thankful for them.

Saturday:
     Refer to the part of the lesson (Slide 12) that talked about people being identified with their past. Ask your kids if there is something in their past that they are afraid to admit, or something that they feel like defines them. This is a good time to use your parental judgement as well. You know your family history, and probably can think of some things in your child's life that they haven't really talked about, but you know impacted them greatly. This could be a mistake they made, or an event such as a tragedy, a family breakup, or a relationship break up. Talk through those issues. You could even share with your kids something from your past that has defined you wrongly.

Pray. Ask god to give your child freedom from the past, whatever it is that's hurting them still.

Sunday:
     Take your kids to Student Summit! The event is at 5-6:30 in the sanctuary! You do NOT want to miss out on this! Hopefully you'll attend, and have the opportunity to discuss it with them when you pick them up.

Either way, discuss Robert's sermon from church. Pick out a few points and verses to discuss.

Ask your kids if they have anything coming up this week that you can pray for or help them with. Deadlines, activities, personal relationship issues, etc. Pray with your kids that God blesses their week.

Monday: 
     Ask your kids about their day at school and/or work. Ask them to share details, not just "it was good." Ask them "why" questions.

Refer to slide 19 of the powerpoint, which talks about people in the bible who God gave a new identity. Pick one of the characters, read the relevant passages together (if you can't find them, email or text me), and then discuss their lives. What were the mistakes they made? How did those mistakes probably make them feel? How did God set them free from those mistakes and give them a new identity? How can God do the same thing for us?

When you sit down to pray, thank God for the examples in scripture of people that we can relate to. As always, ask your kids how you can pray for them. Ask them also to pray for you!

Tuesday: 
     Read 2 Corinthians 5:16-19 again, and focus on the part that says "not holding people's sins against them." ask your kids if there are sins that they are holding against themselves, and encourage them to give that over to the Lord for good.

Here's a difficult question: Ask your kids if there are any sins YOU have committed that they still hold against you. Be prepared for a difficult answer, and be HUMBLE, not DEFENSIVE. Ask their forgiveness, and give it over to the Lord together.

Pray with your kids. Pray over the things you've just discussed. Pray also for any other needs they may have.

Wednesday: 
     If your child was present at youth group, ask them how it went. Ask them what they learned. Ask them what they liked, or didn't like. If they weren't at youth group, finish discussing anything left from the week.

Pray together.

Like I said last week, I would LOVE to hear feedback from how this resource is impacting your family! Please call, text or send me an email! 

Lesson from Wednesday, February 20

Two weeks ago, I started a brand new series about finding your identity in Christ. So many people try to find their identity in the opinions and acceptance of others, in relationships, in accomplishments, in position, and possessions. But true and lasting identity can only be found in Jesus.

As you can see from the picture, the series is based off of the trilogy of movies about Jason Bourne: The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, and The Bourne Ultimatum. Throughout the series, CIA operative Jason Bourne is desperately trying to answer the question, "Who am I?"

All of us have asked the very same question, and many are still trying to find the answer.

This week, we covered lesson two of the series, and discussed the fact that many people try to find identity in romantic relationships. (Last week was Valentine's Day after all).

Typically, there will be a video copy of the lesson for you to view on youtube. Unfortunately there was a technical difficulty so this week there's no video. Hopefully next week there will be.

I am attaching copies of last week's and this week's powerpoint presentations so you can see the lessons. The powerpoint for lesson one can be viewed by clicking HERE, and the powerpoint for last night's lesson can be found by clicking HERE.

As I will attempt to do every week, I'll post some ways that you can spend 20 minutes each day spiritually leading your kids:

THURSDAY: This is the beginning of the process. Talk to your kids, maybe over dinner. Let them know that you want to begin (if you haven't already) to invest in them spiritually every day. Tell them how much they mean to you, and your desire to be the best parent you can be to them. Tell them that you plan to invest in them daily, and tell them that you love them.

Pray with your kids. Ask them first if there is anything you can pray for them, and then do it.


FRIDAY: Consider having a family movie night watching The Bourne Identity. I'll issue fair warning here, there is some questionable material in this movie. There is some foul language, and one scene where Jason Bourne and his girlfriend begin kissing, and as the camera fades out it is implied that they are about to sleep together. No nudity is shown, but it's up to you as parents whether you want to watch the movie with your kids. A detailed parents guide listing all questionable content can be found by clicking HERE.

After watching the movie, discuss what you just saw:
- Why was it so important for Jason Bourne to find out who he was?
- Even though you've probably never had amnesia as bad as him, have you ever felt like you're trying to figure out who you are?
- Jason Bourne found his identity by going back to the source (the government). How can we find our identity by going back to our source, God?

A feature you will find every single day on this discussion guide is a prompt to PRAY WITH YOUR KIDS. For some, this will be new territory. For others, this is nothing out of the ordinary. But it is very important that you pray with your kids. If you've never done it before, it may be awkward at first, and that's ok. It will be so worth it in the end, after you build this habit. Ask them what's going on in their lives that you can pray for. Try to make it personal, rather than always praying for great aunt Ruth's hangnail. Tell your kids that you love them, and that you're proud of them.

SATURDAY: Last night's lesson was about relationships. Begin today by reading Ecclesiastes 2:1-11. Talk to your kids about their dating life, perhaps using the following questions:

- Do you feel like having a boyfriend or a girlfriend is a NEED in your life, rather than a WANT? Why or why not?
- Apparently, Solomon was never satisfied, no matter how much he acquired, or how many relationships he had (which was over 2,000!). Why was he never satisfied?
- Read Ecclesiastes 12:13. Where did Solomon finally realize satisfaction was found? (In following God.)

Ask your kids how you can pray for them. Share with your kids how they can pray for you. Spend a few minutes praying together.

SUNDAY: Do your best to take some notes from the sermon on Sunday morning. Write down the scripture passage that was used, and as many of the main points as you can. Then discuss the sermon with your kids. Ask them what they learned. Share with them what you learned. Ask them what they agreed with or identified with, or what stuck out to them. Share your thoughts on that as well. Ask them if there was anything they disagreed with, and why. It's ok if they're honest about this. There's nothing sinful about having doubts. It's awesome if they can share those things with you, and have you direct them lovingly toward the truth. Don't demean them if they have questions or disagree with something. If you need an answer about something, contact me or Robert.

Pray with your kids.

MONDAY: Ask your kids about their day. It's important for them to know how much you care. Really listen and engage them in their stories. If all they say is "fine." Try to ask them some more leading and probing questions. Tell them verbally that you care about hearing what's going on in their lives.

Read Romans 8:5-14. Pull up the powerpoint from Wednesday's lesson, and read the part where I discuss this passage. Ask the following questions:
 - What kind of things do you feel like you have your mind set on? Worldly things, or godly things? Be honest with them about your mind as well.
- How can we as a family, and we as individuals better get to a place where our minds are set on godly things?
- Do you feel like you're completely fulfilled in a relationship with Christ? Why or why not?
- What does it mean to you that you are a child of God (verse 14) if you have come to a place where he is the Lord of your life (verses 9-10)? How does that make you feel?

Pray with your kids. Ask them about things in school, or their activities that you can pray for. Ask them if there are friends that you can pray for.

TUESDAY: read again the last part of the lesson, beginning with the section about why finding identity in relationships will fail.

- Ask your kids if they've experienced someone failing them in a relationship. Ask them if they've ever had their feelings hurt by someone they were dating. Share with them that you've experienced the same thing, even with your spouse (current, or previous).
- Ask them if they understand what it means that only Christ can complete them. Be honest and share with them whether you fully understand it.
- Ask them whether they agree or disagree with the statement "trying to find identity in a romantic relationship is idolatry."  Why or why not? If not, try to guide them to why it is.
- Ask them what they think about "The Challenge" presented at the end of the lesson.

Pray together. Ask them if they feel comfortable praying out loud too. If not, tell them that's ok, but you'd like to work up to that with them.

WEDNESDAY: If your child was present at youth group, ask them how it went. Ask them what they learned. Ask them what they liked, or didn't like. If they weren't at youth group, finish discussing anything left from the week.

Pray together.



PLEASE give me your feedback on this process! I'd love to hear how things went, and I'd love to have your suggestions!

The inaugural post! Why are we the Samurai?

Hello parents! Ever wonder why our youth group is called the Samurai? hopefully this post will help. Contact me with any questions!!

In Him,
Pastor Sweh


WHY ARE WE THE SAMURAI??  <- CLICK!