JUNIOR HIGH SUNDAY SCHOOL

Topic: Don't get caught sleeping
We talked about how Jesus will return, at a time known only to the Father. We talked about how we can be ready for his second coming.

Jesus told his disciples (and us) how to live while they (and we) wait for his return. We're not to be misled by false information or be of persecution. Jesus says not to speculate on the date and time of the Second Coming but to focus on living for God as a witness to peers who are ignoring him.

Our main text was Mark 12:32-37
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+13%3A32-37&version=NIV

JUNIOR HIGH YOUTHQUEST

Tonight we watched a video about a group of people from World Vision who spent 5 days living with a family in Africa and eating as they did (basically 5 days without food). It reminded us to be thankful for what we have but not selfish with what we have. We have an opportunity to change the world!

 Next, we watched Chris Tomlin's, "How Great is our God" - World Edition.

We played some games (Zoom)

We had recess and ate some doughnuts (they were pretty crusty looking)

We had a getting to know you activity.

We ended our time by doing a "Living By Faith" exercise:
Come up with 3 or 4 personal "statements of faith." These might be things you believe about God, about Jesus, about yourself, or about life in general.

1.
2.
3.
4.

Of course faith isn't just about what you believe. It's who you're trusting in. Do some thinking about how your faith will impact your life.

Because of my faith, here's how I will act...
... when I see someone in need:

... when tragedy happens:

... when I face temptations

... when people mistreat me.

CORNERSTONE YOUTHQUEST BASKETBALL

Tonight we had our final night of basketball (next week is our awards ceremony). We had a great night with over 40 boys plus adult and student volunteers. Congrats to our MVC's (Most Valuable Character) who showed optimism on and off the court.

JUNIOR HIGH SUNDAY SCHOOL

Topic: Great Lengths
Text: Mark 12:1-12 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+12%3A1-12&version=NIV

We talked about sacrificial love - Welles Crowther - The man in the red bandanna
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=6929979

For the parable (the Parable of the Tenants) some main points were:
- The owner demonstrated amazing patience - symbolizing God's patience
- Great lengths were taking to send messenger after messenger to reach the workers - far more than we show in our lives
- In the end, the owner sends his son to appeal to the workers - to turn them from their wicked ways. Instead, thinking the vineyard would now be theirs, they killed the son.

Real - Life Connection: Will you respond?
- Write a message from God to you with a specific warning or instructions about what God wants to see change in your life. After you've written it, either ignore it, by ripping it up, or believe it, by taking it, reading it aloud and putting it in a safe spot.

SENIOR HIGH YOUTHQUEST

Tonight we continued our passion from the 30 hour famine by watching a video about a group of people who went to Africa and didn't eat for 5 days to identify with the average family in a rural area.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfUQgT_W3bU&lr=1&uid=fsv3EyjLNEu07AsF_kn1QQ

We played some games and then continued our series, "I Am - Getting to Know God" - Part 2 (When Bad Things Happen).
How can I have a relationship with a God who is invisible?

How can God love me when I've done so much wrong? How do I know God is speaking to me? How can a God of love allow bad things to happen? We talked about these difficult questions.

Our worksheet had us coming up with personal "statements of faith"
We used those statements of faith to talk about how it would impact how we act:
... when we see someone in need
... when a tragedy happens
... when we face temptation
... when people mistreat me

Our main text was Luke 9:23-26
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+9%3A23-26&version=NIV

YOUTHQUEST BASKETBALL

We had an absolutely full house tonight with over 50 boys in attendance. We continued our Character Matters talk by focusing on courage, "... We do the right thing even when it may be unpopular..."

JUNIOR HIGH SUNDAY SCHOOL

Yesterday we looked at Mark 11:12-26
Topic: That makes me mad!

We talked about what it means to possess righteous anger for injustice in our world. We talked abut ways to show compassion to others in our community. We asked ourselves, "am I angry enough about injustice?"

The community around us has real needs and issues that need to be addressed. As Christians we are called to actively respond to the needs of people. When we hear about injustice in the world, we should feel angry. Anger is okay when it is for the right reasons. Are you angry enough? Anger can incite change if it's built on God's compassion and our desire to end injustice. If our anger has not sparked change in us, if it has not helped us see God's compassion and work to heal the world, then we are not angry enough. Anger doesn't always have to be destructive; it can point people to a desperate need for change. We should be angry that people are suffering in the world, and we should allow our anger to keep us proactively seeking God's justice through prayer and faith.