43 posts tagged “youth ministries”

Tonight was a night full of fun and rejoicing. We started of with a super fun game of "Balloon Battle". Daniel and I blew up 120 balloons and broke the teens up into four groups. The teams need to protect their balloons while trying to pop the other teams balloons. Needless to say the kids had a blast and balloon shapnal was every where. After games and a AWESOME time of worship lead by Pastor Ben, we headed down to the church sanctuary to witness one of our youth group guys get baptized! He made a commitment before the Lord and all of Canvas to live his life for Christ. It was amazing to be there at that moment in his life. The teens cheered and clap has he was baptized. What a wonderful choice for a young man to take in his life. So proud!

Tonight was week two on the Battle Within. Here is what Pastor Dan taught on:

Bottom Line: Every time you’re tempted, your confidence in God is at stake, not just your self-control.

When facing temptation, it seems like it’s always about the choice, the decision, the temptation. But it’s always about more than that. It’s not just your reputation or your innocence that’s at stake—it’s your confidence in God. The lure of temptation makes us question whether we can really trust God to come through for us, to be there for us, to provide for us. We begin to think He’s not in our corner, that He’s not looking out for us. But what if we began to see Him there? What if we realized that whatever is luring us away really has nothing to do with what we think it’s about, and there’s a deeper issue, a trust issue, at work? It might completely weaken the pull of that temptation, and it might help us get to the heart of what is really going on.

Scripture References: Matthew 4:1-4; Deuteronomy 8:3, 11-14,17

When you stop trusting, you stop obeying. And when you stop obeying, eventually you stop believing.

Tonight was awesome, there was just something special happening tonight. I was standing in this room full of teenagers and we were singing songs of praise to God. When all of a sudden i stopped singing and just sat down and listened. I lost my breath, because as i just sat and listened I could hear ALL and i really mean all of the teens singing. It wasn't a group of teens mouthing the words, it was a group of believes pouring their hearts out to their Savior. I was in awe! Truly in awe of the Lord and what He was doing in this place. I have been in large groups of teens singing praises, but i had never seen so many hearts open to the Lord singing with every fiber of their being. It was truly an amazing moment. I only wish you could have been there to see and feel it. Almost indescribable.

After our Christ centered worship time we continued in our study on doubt. Here is what Dan taught on:

Bottom Line: Faith grows when you learn how to view doubt through both what you know and what you’ve been through.

So what do you do when a doubt is too big? How do you handle a doubt that you just can’t seem to move past? You look back. You draw on the things you do know, the things that God has shown you. The things you have learned about Him in the past, both through information and experience. And you hang on to those things you do know, even when you’re left with questions about the things you don’t. Once we are able to see what God has done and is doing through both our experience and our knowledge, we are better equipped to manage the doubt.

Scripture:
Psalms 13:1-2 & 5-6
Psalms 71:16-17

It was an amazing night and I had a great time with my small group we went about a half an hour of time while discussing this topic. It really hit home to my girls and they had a lot to say and ask. They are awesome. Each and every week I have just grown deeper and deeper in love with these teens and this awesome ministry!

Raise your hand if you’ve ever doubted God. Everyone got their hands up? That’s because it’s human nature to doubt. It’s just in us to ask questions and to reevaluate. A lot of times doubt gets a bad wrap because of its ability to make us negative, and because we think once we start to entertain it our entire system of belief will collapse. But doubt, in and of itself, is not a bad thing. When used in the proper way, doubt helps us formulate an authentic and personal faith. That’s why it’s important to learn to express our doubts to others and to deal with them in the context of Christian community, so that God can work with our doubts to help strengthen our faith.

Tonight we started a new series on Doubt. Who among us don't have doubt? And i know that it's something most teenagers deal with. I am super excited to see what Pastor Dan will be teaching and how this will effect the teens. We started out the night with a fun game of "Human Knots" The kids loved it and all the teams except for one was able to undo their knot. In the end everyone had a great time, even if it was hard.

I really enjoyed talking with my small group about doubt and the struggles they have in their lives. This series is coming at such a good time in their lives, if they can over come their doubt and fully rely on God as a teenager, it will be a great beginning to their lives. It felt like we didn't have enough time to talk about all that we needed to and I am so glad that we will be doing this series for a few weeks, because i know my girls need it. Please pray for our youth group as we go through this series, let them see How Great our God is and how much He wants to be in their lives.

From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.
Matthew 11:12

It’s easy for all of us to unconsciously slip into the mentality that our words, thoughts and actions only affect us. That it is only our world and our kingdom that is affected. But there is a much bigger picture! Whenever we make decisions in our lives to live in the kingdom of God, we are participating in God’s ultimate plan to bring the kingdom of God permanently to this world. Every time we make “upside down” decisions, we are demonstrating to a watching world what it will be like one day when God makes everything right once again. Every decision matters and affects a much larger picture.

That is what we talked about tonight at youth group. It was our last night in the "Upside Down" series. This series has been eye opening and challenging for the students as well as for myself. Truly making me think about how i live my life and what changes i need to make. We didn't have very much small group time tonight, but that was ok, because Pastor Dan had a great message and even an awesome video for us to watch. The night was powerful.

We started out with a giant game of "Guess Who?" and then had a special guest lead us in worship. Ben Kolarcik, our worship pastor lead us in worship tonight. It was awesome, I love to hear him on Sunday mornings, and it was a treat to have him at Canvas tonight. The kids really enjoyed it as well, it was most defiantly a blessing! Thanks Ben for taking time out to be at Canvas tonight!

Tonight was another powerful night at Discovery Church. It is amazing to see God moving in teenagers lives.

Tonight was Discovery Church's High School Ministries (Canvas) Open House. We had youth group as usual, however the parents got to be included and see how we run our Wednesday Nights.  It was beyond awesome to meet the parents and make connections. To both Daniel and I all these kids are new and so are their parents, so i loved the opportunity to meet their parents now and start building relationships not only with the teens but their parents as well. The best surprise of the night was Russell Wood a teen from our old youth group came with his mom and sister to check out our youth group. He wants and needs a place to fellowship with teens and learn more about Jesus. I was so excited to see him there and I am hoping that he will call Canvas home!

After greeting parents i started our game for the night, "Are you smarter then your teenager?" it was my version of the Newlywed Game, just based on the parent child relationship. The game idea came from Pastor Dan and working with him on it was great. The parents got really into it and had a great time, however in the end shockingly the teens knew more about their parents then their parents knew about them. But there was one awesome father daughter team that just rocked it and knew a lot about each other, you rock Tim and Emma!
After games we had some great worship and then Dan spoke to the teens and their parents and gave a powerful lesson on Deuteronomy 6. After the evenings events were over i had the great blessing of being able to talk to a group of parents. It was amazing! The night went great and I really feel more a part of Canvas each and every week i am there. And now knowing the parents just gives me more connections and a foundation in our new home church. Please pray for these teens and their parents. In today's world there is so much stacked against them. It is my prayer that as a youth leader that i can partner with these parents to help them raise amazing Christ honoring teens.

Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored. Titus 2:3-5

I have so loved being a part of our new church, Discovery Church. and am so pleased to be used by God in their Student Ministries. Daniel and I have dived in and are really loving these kids and the ministry of this church. Well this group is much bigger then our old group. I was used to having about 10 to 15 kids to get to know, care about and disciple. Well now there are about 50. I am excited that we will be starting small groups this week and i will be getting my own little group of high school girls. Instead of trying to connect with each and every kid. So with such a large group and being a new leader it's been a little hard to get to know people. So i decided to invite a few girls to have ice cream and hang out. Well I had hoped and prayed that God would bring at least five girls to Cold Stones tonight. Well God being God he answered my prayer and took my small request and went above and beyond. To my shock and surprise 13 girls showed up just to hang out! I didn't even think that many girls even knew who i was.

We spent the evening chatting, eating ice cream and learning about each other. It felt so good to be with teenage girls again. I have missed working in youth ministries and have had a saddened heart from not pursuing my passion. I had started to question if this was my true calling, and was wondering if youth ministries was really were God wanted me to be. As I drove home a sense of peace and excitement came over me. I am where God wants me to be, He has given me a gift to speak to teenage girls about His Son and to disciple them and train them to become women after God's own heart. I am excited to see what God is going to do and what His plan for me is in this ministry. Tonight was the confirmation i needed. So now I'm ready, I'm jumping in with both feet, use me God! 

Do everything without complaining or arguing,so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So you too should be glad and rejoice with me. Philippians 2:14-18

Canvas was AWESOME tonight! This group of teens are on fire and ready to learn more, be more and shine like stars for Christ. I am in awe of what God is doing at this youth group. Six months ago there were about 15 to 20 teens now we are averaging 40 to 50 on Wednesday nights! God is bringing teens to Discovery church and they are coming back to hear the word of God. That just takes my breath away! Also there are a handful of kids who meet before youth group just to pray for what will happen that night. No one told them to do it, leaders aren't even invited. They came up with it on their own and spend 30 minutes in prayer before we meet. I just can't get over these kids and how much they want to honor God. And i am so excited to be a part of all of it. Praise God for this group and the honor of getting to know these amazing kids.

Tonight i lead games again, I really hope i get to keep doing this. The kids have so much fun and I love getting to do it! We played "I've Never" with a new twist. We set up chairs in a huge circle, however there was one less chair then there were people. The person in the center would say something they had never done. And then anyone who had done that thing had to get up and find a new chair. The person left with out a chair had to pop a balloon with a task inside and then complete it. The best one was "Sing I'm a Little Tea Pot, with all the motions". The entire room sang with the kid and it made for a hilarious and great moment. At the end of the game the kids wanted to keep playing. This one is so a keeper for another time.

After games we enjoy worship and then a message from Pastor Dan on Philippians 2:15. He challenged all of us to shine for Christ in this dark world. And talked about how it's hard sometimes when you feel like no one can see, but Christ will use you no matter what the situation. The messages that Dan has been preaching seem to be really sinking in with the kids, not to mention how i feel like they are all speaking to me. I left Canvas tonight thinking about how i just can't wait until next week. It is so awesome to be excited and on fire about Student Ministries again. Satan you did not win, God is using me in this place and His kingdom is growing! AMEN! 

"It's your direction not your intention that determines your destination"

Tonight I got the opportunity to lead games at Canvas High School Ministries. We have visited the youth group, but haven't done much yet. So when Dan (Youth Pastor) asked me to do a game for tonight, i was super excited to have a chance to participate and contribute. I did a new game called "Human Etch-a-Sketch".

Here's how to Play:

A number of teams are first formed (at least 5 members per team). One neutral judge then calls out some object (i.e. sailboat, state of Michigan, etc) that all the teams need to form with their bodies.
Team members must lay down and together with the help of their team, form the object together which the judge has called out. The judge decides which team is first in the formation of the object. The judge declares that team to be the winner for that round.

The kids and leaders seemed to really like it. Everyone got really into it and it made for some funny pictures of everyone laying on the ground. After the game we had some AWESOME worship. Sometimes i like to stop and watch people during worship, it's encouraging to see others in awe of their Savior. I was surprised by how many teens were truly worshiping. It was intense and overwhelming. I have really never been in that large of a group of teens and really seen them singing their hearts out. As i looked around the room, I could see God moving and shaping these teens. I look forward to seeing what God does with each of their lives.

After worship Pastor Dan gave a great message on "Doing everything for the Lord" even if it's your homework. hehe :) based on Philippians 4:13 "I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me." Earlier in the week Dan had asked all his Facebook and Twitter friends this question, "What regrets do you have from High School?" and during his lesson he read a lot of the feed back that he got from adults. The kids seemed to really listen to what was being said. It is my hope that they take what Dan preached and what the word of God has to tell them about their lives and uses it.

All in all it was a great night. Also i was so excited to connect with four of the girls, we got to chat and get to know each other a little bit. It finally felt like i was a part of the group. I told Daniel as we drove home that I am really starting to feel like this is where God wants me to be. I am so blessed to have been given another great group of kids to work with. I am looking forward to next week and building more relationships with the girls at Canvas.

Romans 12:2 Don't be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God.

We had a great group tonight twelve kids! We started out with a game of "Catch Phrase". It had been a while since we had this large of a group, with finals, prom and graduation preparation. It felt good to have almost everyone there. Tonight was our first night in the series "Set A part for Christ". I will be teaching on what it means to live your life for Christ. That it's much more then just a one time commitment, it's a lifestyle. Here are the four topics we talked about tonight:

Consider your motives.

Take a hard look at the decisions you’re making and ask yourself honestly what motives lie behind them. Are you willing to do whatever it takes to grow in all the ways Jesus wants to transform you, even when that means sacrificing your own agenda? Or are you trying to tack on some Christian morality to a self-indulgent life?

Consider who Jesus is to you.

Yes, He’s your Savior. But do you view Him as a casual buddy with whom you check in once in a while? Or do you see Him as your true love -- Someone you pursue with absolute passion?

Don’t settle for less than the best.

There’s much more to being a Christian than saying the salvation prayer and then fitting Jesus into your life. Jesus wants to be more than just a part of your life; He wants to be your whole life. Instead of trying to fit Jesus into your lifestyle, build your life completely around your relationship with Him. Don’t be content to be a mediocre Christian, slipping Jesus into your life whenever it’s convenient. Decide every day to abandon yourself completely to Jesus, inviting Him to transform every part of your life.

What if I mess up?

Isn't that one of the scariest thoughts? What if I screw up? What if I look stupid? What if I disappoint someone? Christ is never done with you! Hear that, feel that, know that! We are all human, sinners who WILL FAIL! WE can't get this right on our own. If you try to change your life on your own, or try to “fix” things on your own, you will get far. We need Christ to come along side and carry us through this struggle with our self. We nee to admit that we are a sinner in need of a Savior.

The kids all brought note books and took tons of notes. I was surprised at how ready they were to hear this lesson. I really felt Jesus with us tonight. The kids had good input and really hard hitting questions. Yet they were all very open to making changes in their lives. They are really at a place in their lives to grow, and that is a neat thing to watch. After the lesson we had some time of reflection and commitment. I made a "Commitment Wall" in which each week they will take time to commit to changing one thing in their life. The purpose of the wall is to give words to actions and to keep each other accountable. It is my hope that at the end of summer they will see how much God has changed their lives in two months, imagine what He can do with a life time! God is amazing and is really changing hearts and lives! I am super excited to teach this series and to see what God has in store for these kids!

(I had no idea that this Sunday night would be our last time together in the Youth Center, that we have so dearly loved. None of the kids or myself were given the opportunity to say goodbye or have closure. Five years of ministry, love and sacrifice were taken away only a few short days after this youth group. I will cherish the memory of our last meeting and the fun we had together and the last lesson I got to teach in that room. It was a wonderful night that was spent in worship, and study of a Great and mighty God. It is so sad that others thought it best to remove this youth group from the church. Daniel and I's goal was to show Christ's Love to teens no matter what the cost. And to have all of it taken away from us has been heart breaking. No matter the circumstance I know that God is not finished with these teens yet and that He will do mighty things with their lives. PLEASE pray for us and our kids, that this situation will only bring them closer to the Lord and that we will all see a greater meaning in all this.)