09/21/2014: CROSSOVER-UNDER CONSTRUCTION

We finished up our series Crossover Under Construction. The final “F” word for the series was Forgotten. Forgotten is one of the most unfortunate tags we can place on a student in the youth group. People can slip through the cracks. I don’t want that to be the characteristic of any of our students. God makes the promise in Isaiah 49:15-16 that He never forgets His children. In fact, we are tattooed on His hands. During the Old Testament times, slaves were tattooed or branded with their master’s name. In this passage the opposite is true, the master brands Himself with the name of the servants. God identifies with us. When God works we are on His mind. God never forgets you. 

Being flawed individuals we often forget. The challenge this week is to be like God. Remember those who have slipped through the cracks. Reach out to anyone you think you may have forgotten or neglected. We want them to know God cares for them and so does the Crossover student ministry. Text, call, email, DM, tweet, do whatever you have to do reach out to make people feel remembered and not forgotten. 

DON'T FORGET: This Sunday is the Corn Maze event! Students need the following items:

• Signed Permission Form
• $12 for the Admission Fee
• Some additional cash for dinner at the Corn Maze
• Please be at the church by 2:45 PM on Sunday so we can leave on time - we expect to be back by 7:30 PM for parents to pick up students from the church.  

09/14/2014: CROSSOVER-UNDER CONSTRUCTION

All of us have been forced to do things that we don’t want to do. We've been forced to eat our vegetables, forced to go to school, forced to dress certain ways, act certain ways, forced to go places we don’t necessarily want to go. 

The “F” word for tonight was FORCED. The topic of discussion centered on this question- “Should parents force their kids to go to church?” We divided the group into 2 opposing sides and debated the question. One side had to come up with their best arguments saying yes parents should force their kids to go and the other side had to argue no parents shouldn't force their kids to go. 

The debates went really deep. The Yes side argued for the parents responsibility to raise up their children as God desires and designed. Also, they pointed to the positive effects of their being forced because now they have a relationship with Jesus Christ. They were glad someone made them come because now they know Jesus. The no side argued that making kids come to church, especially when they don’t want to only creates resentment and even hatred towards God, the Bible, and the church. No one can force you to know Jesus, it is something you have to discover for yourself. I don’t think we landed on a clear winner for the debate. Both sides had some really strong points and I was super impressed by how engage they were with the question.

After the debate we looked at Deuteronomy 6:4-7. It looks like in the passage God is forcing Israel to love Him. God wants us to love Him, but it sounds kind of odd to say God forces us to do so. In any romantic story, the 2 parties have to have mutual consent before it can be considered true love. It is a decision we have to make to love or not to love. No one can make you love God. Jesus doesn't make you love Him. 

But He does give us good reason to love Him. Paul states it succinctly in 2 Corinthians 5:14-15. Go back and look at that passage during the week. See how deep the Savior’s love is for you. He will never force you to love Him, but He will sacrifice everything to show that He loves you.

Discussion Questions:

• What is an example of something in your life you were forced to do out of love (study, go to church, spend time with family, etc)?
• Did something positive come out of that situation?
• How can we adjust our attitude to view the situation differently if we feel forced to do something?
• Should parents force their kids to come to church? Why or why not?
• If someone were to say to you, “Forcing me to come to church makes me hate God” what would you say to that person? 
• Why would being forced lead to feeling hate towards God?
• Read Deut 6:4-9. Why does God want us to love Him?
• Whether you are forced to come to church or aren't, list some of the reasons why someone would be forced to come. 
• Do you think Jesus is being unfair or unloving when He tells us we should love God more than anything else? 
• If you had children would you force them to come to church?

Crossover Bible Reading Plan

There are paper printouts in the back of the Crossover room if you would like a paper copy to use for your personal or family bible study.

Jesus once said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but every word that comes from
the mouth of God.” (Matt 4:4). Pause and think about that for a second. You can’t just
live on a steady diet of what the world provides (TV, Music, Video Games, Social
Media). In order for you to grow you have to feast on the Word of God. Is the Word
part of your daily routine? Here are some simple pointers and a plan on how to read
the Bible.

09/07/2014: CROSSOVER-UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Jesus was a master teacher. He has a wonderful ability to use ordinary objects from every day life to teach deep and rich theological truth. Grapes are the most popular fruit on the planet. In John 15, Jesus compares Himself to a grapevine (John 15:1-6) His Father is the vinedresser or gardner and His followers are the branches that are to bear grapes or fruit. Jesus wants us to bear fruit in our lives. 

The only way we can bear fruit is if we abide in Jesus. Abide means to remain, stay, or exist. It is so easy to get frustrated in our faith. We normally don’t want to sit and remain. We go crazy just waiting around. Naturally, we bail on Jesus when really all He wants us to do is remain in Him in order to produce much fruit. We see this scenario played out in a few short chapters in the book of John. Jesus said, “Abide” and He is then betrayed and arrested and the disciples all abandon Him. How often do we bail on Jesus when He simply says “abide”?

Fruit is the “f” word of the week. What kind of fruit are you experiencing or lacking from the list in Galatians 5:22 (The Fruit of the Spirit)? How is Jesus teaching you to remain in Him?

Illustration: Andy showed the students a light bulb and talked about how the lightbulb by itself has untapped potential.  He then holds the lightbulb near the power source but doesn't plug it in.  Often in our faith we go to church and hang out near Jesus but don't fully plug into his desire and intent for our life.  This does bring us closer to the truth but doesn't change the fact that we cannot shine by proximity to faith alone.  It is only when we plug fully into Jesus that we move from untapped potential to shining brightly.  

08/31/2014: CROSSOVER-UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Jesus once said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but every word that comes from the mouth of God." (Matt 4:4). Pause and think about that for a second. You can't just live on a steady diet of what the world provides (TV, Music, Video Games, Social Media). In order for all of us to grow we have to feast on the Word of God. Is the Word part of your daily routine?

"Food" is the 3rd "F" word in our Under Construction series. We camped out in 1 Peter 2:2 and talked about cultivating a loving desire for pure spiritual milk. Milk is good for awhile. It gets us going. We learn the basics of the faith, who Jesus is and what He accomplished for us.

But most of us have been in church for a long time. We need to move past milk into some meat. We can't be stuck in baby mode until adulthood. It is just weird to see grownups drinking from a bottle and wearing diapers. We challenged the students to start a Bible diet plan. Less than 5% of Christians say they read the Bible daily.

It isn't always easy to start something new but here are 3 keys ways to get you going: 1) Make reading the Bible a priority 2) Decide a time of day and a place to read it. 3) Get a game plan.

There are tons of resources for reading plans. From youversion on your phone to Biblegateway on your computer, there are hundreds of easily accessible ways to read the Bible. I have extra reading plans that I passed out during our time together. Come and ask. I'd love to get you started. It would be awesome to see you putting Jesus' words into practice feasting on "every word that has come forth from the mouth of God."

Preston Gant (crossover worship ministry volunteer)

My name is Preston Gant,

I was born in October, the oldest sibling, loving parents. I am a sophomore in college currently at Toccoa Falls College, but then transferring to Kennesaw State University to study business administration. I have been at The Bridge now for about 3 or so years, started leading worship when I got here and have loved it ever since. My story in Christ is began as a baby. My dad was a pastor for a long time and I have always been in Church. Ever since I was able to fully understand God and who he is I have always known that God has had some plan for me. God called me into a huge step when I was about to enter my junior year of high school. That summer I preached my first sermon and from then on have been involved in ministry. Worship ministry is where I believe God wants me and is taking me. My walk with God has had many ups and many downs, my story is one that isn’t so lovely to look at either. However, I believe that the worst of stories make the best of Christians. I’ve seen a lot of change in this student ministry since I've been here and I fully believe that this one will be the best yet.

I don’t necessarily have a cool or exciting job that I can tell you about just yet because I’m currently just looking for jobs as they come since I'm a college student. My favorite movies are the Batman trilogies, Bourne trilogies, and all Die Hard movies. I guess you could say I'm an action junky. Ha! As far as music I'm always blasting Christian music, however, I do love country music and every now an then I’ll turn on the radio to see what everyone else listens too. My hobbies include anything that sounds dangerous, but fun; as well as studying cars. No, I am not married and nor do I have a girlfriend. I am just a regular, un-normal, Jesus loving human being who loves to help lead you students in worship every chance I get.