12/3/17 Human Battleship and God's Pursuit Go Hand in Hand

Happy Tuesday everyone! 

This past week in Sunday school, we picked up where we left off, and finished the question "is it wrong to doubt God?" We came to the conclusion that doubt isn't toxic, and is pretty normal for believers. Even some of the greatest church fathers experienced doubt and it drove them to pursue God with greater intensity! 

Next week we will start to tackle the question "Is Hell real? If so, how could God send people there?" We realize that this can be a pretty tough subject, and we hope to handle it in a sensitive manner. The RCA is clear, and they believe that Hell is a real, eternal place. We will allow for discussion of other viewpoints though, and try to present a fair and accurate interpretation of the relevant scripture. 

At IMPACT, we started our time with some quality fellowship, and celebrated having new pool cues! Our lesson was called the Hound of Heaven, and built on the idea of identity that we have been chasing these past few weeks. We talked about seeing one another how God sees us, The "omni's" of God and how he loves us in a special way, and this week we spoke about how God pursues us. Its not always a blinding light like it was with Saul (Paul), but sometimes its a gentle whisper. I challenged them to look for ways that they are being pursued by God this week, and to look for ways that God might be using them to pursue someone else.

We got to  worship again this week, and I love it. From a youth pastor's perspective, this is a big step in the right direction for our youth group. I celebrated a whole year at First yesterday, and looking at the progress we have made this year is unbelievably encouraging. We have new students coming regularly, many more volunteers, a desire to come to events, and personal connections between students. New faces aren't a surprise and they are welcomed with open arms. We are more open with one another, and teaching is designed to help students own their faith. What an exciting time for our youth!