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!
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