We had the opportunity last night to hear from Bob Herman, a christian counselor at Winning at Home. He used the diagram below to talk through a negative thought process someone can go thorough and the negative effects and outcome of that. And then he talked us thorough how to approach and walk through a situation in a more healthy, life-giving way. He used 2 Corinthians 10: 5 which says, We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. He also used Philippians 4: 4-7 which says, Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  

Questions to consider: What are you fearful of right now that could lead to anxiety? How can you bring it to God in prayer? What are you thankful for that you can help bring you peace and to find joy in?

We were grateful for the 5th grade boys joining us last night at  IMPACT! They added some fun energy to the group. For the lesson we talked about idols, things we hold very close, things that take up a lot of our time and energy, things we put before our relationship with God. There were 4 categories we looked at, time, possessions, money/things we work for and gifts/talents. Students were challenged to think about which of these 4 categories is their idol and if they are willing to give it up in order to deepen their relationship with God. You could talk with your student about which one they recognize as sometimes standing in the way of their relationship and what they think they can do to make more space for God in their day or week. It's not that these things are necessarily bad or wrong, but when we forget to recognize that all of these things come from God, we don't bring him honor and glory and instead focus too much on ourselves. 

Next week we will have a guest speaker, Bob Herman, from Winning at Home. He will be talking about mental health and will give students the language and tools to have conversations about mental health and to be able to respond to a situation that involves mental health from a Christian perspective. My hope in having Bob share with us, is that students will walk away knowing that youth group and church is a safe place that they can talk about mental health and also know how to handle a situation that may come up. 

Last night the 5th grade ladies joined us for the evening to get a glimpse of what IMPACT is like! They jumped right in and had a great time. For the lesson we focused on our reliance on God and how in times of need we should call out to God instead of trying to do it on our own. We discussed how God's perspective is so much greater than our own and how when we turn to him, he uses his power to meet our needs. In small groups we talked about certain examples of how having Jesus in our lives has changed our perspective. You can have discussion about this and you can talk with your student about one way they can give their fears to God this week and lean on his help? 

Next week the 5th grade boys with be joining us for the evening!

Last night we invited Pastor Scott and Cyndy to join us for the evening. They answered questions we came up with which ranged from questions about Scott being a pastor, his biggest accomplishments, how many baptisms, funerals and weddings he has performed, his most memorable sermon, etc. as well as questions about how he and Cyndy met, how he proposed, and how long they have been married. We ended with questions about some of their favorite things including food, cars, restaurant, football team, outdoor activity and childhood memory. It was so fun to hear more about their lives and to have the opportunity to say thank you for all Pastor Scott and Cyndy have done for us. It was a joyful evening.

Next week the 5th grade girls will be joining us for youth group!