08/24/2014: CROSSOVER-UNDER CONSTRUCTION

I can think of a thousand things God created that are not good - to name a few mosquitoes, spiders, snakes, brussel sprouts. If we turn back to the beginning of the Old Testament in the book of Genesis, God said that everything He created was good. When He created the heavens and the earth they were good. When He created the birds, fish, horses, giraffes, duck billed platypus all of them are deemed good. The first time we see that something in God’s creation that is not good is in the second chapter of Genesis. “Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that man should be alone.” (Genesis 2:18). It is not good because the man did not have a human companion created for him yet. God created man to be in relationship with each other. He created us to have friends. 

FRIENDS is the 2nd ‘F’ word in our series. God created us to be in community with each other. We built upon that idea as we discussed the challenges of having deep, healthy, long lasting friendships. If God created us that way, why is it so stinking hard to have healthy friendships? Here are the 4 challenges that we came up with:

1. Your friends are Sinners (If you are looking for a perfect friend you will never find one).
2. Your friends are Different (We have church friends, boy friends, girl friends, social media friends, school friends)
3. Your friends are Influences (More than any other people in our life, our friends have a greater impact in shaping who we are. Proverbs 12:16) 
4. Your friends take Energy (Jesus sets the example in JOHN 15:12-13 of what a friendship really looks like)

Remember these by the acronym SIDE - sinners, influences, different, and energy.

Our small groups helped facilitate the conversation about friends. The hope for small groups is to be an avenue of creating healthy, deep, long-lasting friendships that God designed us for. 

Questions for Digging Deeper:

• If a person has over 1000 friends on Facebook or over 250 followers on twitter, or collects a ton of likes on Instagram what does that say about that person? Can a person have that many followers online and still feel lonely?  Revisit this video we watched a couple months ago as a group.  
• How has social media redefined friendships?
• Define the word friend? What is a friend? How do friends function? Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
• What examples do we have in the Bible of friendship? 
• What are the biggest challenges to friendships? Think of a personal example. 
• Who are the friends you have that you need to let go of or pull closer towards?
• READ John 15:12-15. What does Jesus’ example of friendship look like? How does His example of friendship have bearing on your life?

Hannah Bryant (high school ministry volunteer)

Hi I'm Hannah Bryant

I lead the tenth and eleventh grade girls group. We are a pretty crazy, fun group! My husband I moved back to this area in December. We are working on fixing a house that we bought a few months ago. I enjoy cooking while dancing and listening to music. That is probably one of the most enjoyable things for me. I also enjoy camping and hiking. I love reading books almost anything other than sci-fi or horror. Movies that I enjoy are on the side of sentimental. I love working with the students because I like to see them find their passions. I know that Jesus radically changed my life and I like to see how he is affecting them.  

08/17/2014: CROSSOVER-UNDER CONSTRUCTION

The message on Sunday was the second week in our series CROSSOVER-UNDER CONSTRUCTION. The major theme of the night was the first "F" word Faith.  

Middle school service went as planned but that evening the high school kids arrived to the church and the power was out.  The first reaction is always a little anxiety but very quickly the whole group relaxed and ran with it. It was great to meet with the High School students with everything stripped down to 1877 style church. We had the worship led acoustically, which sounded phenomenal and the message was done with the aid of candle light. Andy said it was the best high school service he had been a part of since coming to the Bridge and I completely agree that the simplicity of it all was powerful.

The conversation was kick started with a statistic - 88% of those who attend the church will drop out after they leave High School. We asked the students if that was shocking and why? Most said it was due to their friend groups pulling them away from church. Others addressed the superficiality and gimmicks of youth groups. We so often don’t deal with some of the tougher questions concerning the faith. 

Our goal is to reclaim youth ministry from this idea that bigger is better and that entertainment is the core. We want Jesus to be the core. It all starts with Faith. Andy talked about why we should believe, what we should believe, and how we should believe.  

The main point of the night was faith is hard. Why is faith so hard? 

VERSES: 
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1
“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” James 4:8

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 
• What are the greatest hurdles to Faith? 
• Why do you believe in Jesus? 
• We all know people who don’t believe. Even as a believer I have had some doubts. Why do you or your friends not believe? Is it rational, experiential, a bad experience, a good experience, or not really interested? 
• Do you think if a person took faith serious and sought after God that they would find Him? 
• Read James 4:8. How can we find God? How can we draw close to Him?

Dale Jones (high school ministry volunteer)

I grew up just down the interstate in Sugar Hill, GA.  I grew up being involved in various youth groups but really started to embrace my own faith when I got involved with Young Life in high school.  I transitioned within about six months from a visitor to a student leader, it challenged and excited me in ways I had not experienced in my faith before.  I met my husband Kyle in high school and was unbelievably surprised and delighted to find him as early in life as I did.  We got married in 2008 and have an adorable little dog that we spoil like crazy, his name is Divot.  Kyle and I have been volunteering with the high school ministry here at the Bridge for six and a half years now and it’s been an amazing journey.  I’m so thankful that we’ve been able to serve together.  We’ve been through 2 date/time changes and 3 pastor changes and 1 name change so call us crazy or committed or both.  I truly see God at work in the students here and spending time with them in our high school service is one of my favorite parts of the week.  Jesus is the best thing that has ever happened in my life and I want to do anything I can to help students explore their own faith and build their own relationship with their Savior. 

I am an IT Manager for T-Mobile so while I spend a lot time on conference calls and being in a cubicle I get to help deploy game changing projects to production which can be really exciting.  I also love being able to mentor and grow the members of my team. I am a total nerd for things wireless related and I love being part of such an exciting and dynamic industry.  My hobbies outside of work include dancing, photography, listening to music, reading, crafting, and blogging.  I grew up dancing and was blessed to get to be a Georgette (member of the football dance line) while I attended the University of Georgia.  Go dawgs!!! 

My favorite bands are Imagine Dragons, City and Colour, Emery, Linkin Park, Echosmith, No Doubt, Paramore, and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis.  I’m not a movie buff like my husband but if you ever need a book recommendation I’ve got your back!  

Kyle Jones (high school ministry volunteer)

I'm a language arts and technology teacher by day, and a complete music and cinema nerd by night (or all the time really). I've worked with our high school students for nearly seven years now. Wow! I've loved every moment; God has given me a big heart for teenagers, which is why I volunteer and teach. I'm married to the beautiful and impeccable Dale Jones who is also a high school leader. I have a cool little dog named Divot. (He's a cockapoo, but don't say that to his face; he gets upset.) I'm currently working on a doctorate degree in English education, and much like our ministry proclaims, I believe Jesus is the best thing that ever happened! Alright, quick stats--Favorite Books: Ender's Game, The Reason for God, Child of God, To Kill a Mockingbird, Lord of the Flies... Favorite Movies: The Goonies, Vertigo, Cool Hand Luke, The Neverending Story, Django Unchained, Dumb & Dumber, It's a Wonderful Life (I could go on forever probably)... Favorite Bands: Thrice, Emery, Echosmith, Imagine Dragons, Incubus, Mumford & Sons, Van Halen, and I love some Billy Joel. I'll finish by explaining that the most important experience and trait I think we can give any of our children is to empathize. Jesus is the greatest example we've ever had of what true empathy looks like.