Dear Parents, 

Last night, we enjoyed Sam Adam's delicious chili and had a wonderful conversation about Sarah and Abraham giving birth to Isaac in their old age. As we explored this story in scripture, we focused on the relational nature in which the Lord appeared to Abraham and Sarah. We also discussed how Sarah didn't lose having Isaac because of her doubt. In this story, we see God's relational nature of meeting humanity where they are and doing his work through it, even though humans continue to go against God's intended design. 

We invite you to continue the conversation with your student using some of the ideas below. 

• Read and become familiar with Genesis chapters 15 through 18. 
• Ask your student(s) about their relationship with God. 
• Encourage them to approach God with honesty and vulnerability. 
• Discuss how they can continue growing in their relationship with God through reading His word, listening to the spirit, and connecting to other believers. 

We are thankful for all you do for your student(s)! If you need anything, don't hesitate to reach out. 

Blessings! 

Josh

P.S. - Don't forget to sign-up your student(s) for our fall retreat at Indian Creek on October 20-22. 

SIGN-UP 

For the fall retreat.

Dear Parents, 

We opened our Bibles to page one this week and looked at the creation accounts in chapters one and two. As we read chapter one, we see that God has great power and intentionality in creating the world as we know it by simply speaking things into being. Reading chapter two, we see a more zoomed-in explanation of creation and humanity's role. We discussed as a group how God created humanity to co-work, co-labor, and co-create. We explored what work God calls us to and finished reflecting on how we listen to what co-working, co-laboring, and co-creating God is inviting us into. 

Here are some ideas on how to help your students hear what God is leading them to: 

• Familiarize yourself with what we read together (Genesis 1 & 2). 
• Ask your student how they listen to God's direction in their life. Encourage them to read God's word, pray, and spend time with other believers. 
• Discuss what God is leading them to right now and in their future. Explore the ways God has plans for them right now and how their future hopes and dreams intersect with God's purpose for them. 

If you have any questions, feel free to give me a call or send me a text. 

Please pray for us, and know that we are praying for you!

Dear Parents, 

It's hard to believe the school year has officially started for our youth! As the school year begins, we are transitioning to a sermon-based curriculum. We will study the scripture preached that week during Sunday morning worship. It will be based on the same curriculum as the adult connection groups but tailored to help our students engage the same message in their contexts. The next three weeks will be a series about Sabbath. We have found that many people struggle to truly understand what Sabbath means to us as Christ's followers. The next three weeks will help us dig into these ideas and learn to practice Christ-centered Sabbath. 

Here are a few ways you can help your teenager begin to understand and practice sabbath rest:

• Pray for your teenager and the others walking through this Bible study.
• Look for some of the verses discussed in the follow-up letters and work through them with your child.
• Be open and honest with them about your questions about this concept.

Thank you so much for letting us challenge your teenager in their walk with Christ each week! 

Please pray for us, and know that we are praying for you!

Dear Parents,

Hello! Believe it or not, we just passed the third lesson of our four-lesson look at what Jesus had to say about engaging with culture. Lesson 3 was titled “Making An Impact.” In this lesson, we helped students learn that as Christ-followers committed to the Gospel, they must be willing to bravely impact culture, especially those who the world has cast aside as having little or no value. We helped challenge students to identify the “outcasts” in their world who are most in need of Christ, and to commit to engaging with them with the purpose of sharing the Gospel.

We looked at the following Scripture passages:

• Matthew 9:9-13
• James 1:27

Please take a few minutes this week to read these passages.

Next Steps . . . 

During the next week as you have time to talk with your teenager, remember that one way that will help him or her to understand and apply what they have learned is to explain it to someone else. Use the following questions to guide your conversation:

• This week your teenager was challenged to do something very specific. They were challenged to look around their school and identify people who the world has cast-aside, falsely labeling them as “not valuable.”
• Then, your teenager was challenged to make an effort to reach out to this individual, even if it is a small gesture, to show this person the love of Christ. 
• Follow up with your teenager to see where he or she is on this. If he or she needs help identifying someone, help him or her. Maybe your teenager needs help following through on showing this person kindness. Encourage your teenager to be bold and to impact his or her world by reaching out to those who have been marginalized by our culture.

Thank you for all you do. If you have any questions about anything, please don’t hesitate to text or call me.

Dear Parents,

Greetings! We just wrapped up our second lesson in our four-lesson look at what Jesus had to say about how we, His followers, are to engage with our culture. This week’s lesson was titled “Different Than The Rest.” In this lesson, we helped students learn that Jesus wants His followers to be countercultural in their humility, living in the world as servants of others. Your teenager was challenged to identify any actions or attitudes in his or her life that represent culture’s definition of success through selfishness, and to commit to embracing Jesus’ idea of success through serving others. It was a really meaningful time of Bible study and discussion.

We looked at the following Scripture passages:

Mark 10:35-45

Ephesians 4:2

Please take a few minutes this week to read these passages.

Next Steps . . . 

During the next week as you have time to talk with your teenager, remember that one way that will help him or her to understand and apply what he or she has learned is to explain it to someone else. Use the following questions to guide your conversation:

• Ask your teenager if he or she can summarize what they learned in Bible study this week. Focus as much on the application of what was learned as you would on the knowledge itself.
  
• Ask your teenager if they had a chance to think about their attitude when it came to achieving or succeeding at the things he or she is passionate about. Encourage honesty: could he or she think of times when he or she sought success over the well-being of others?
  
• Encourage your teenager that humility and serving others are really tough characteristics to master, especially since they go against much of what our world says about how to get ahead.
  
• Brainstorm with your teenager ways they can serve some specific people in their life, showing humility to this individual and putting this person’s needs above their own.

Thank you for your support as we partner together to help our students grow closer to Christ. If you have any questions about anything, please don’t hesitate to call me.