The Ultimate Superhero...The Ultimate Superhero (Roots - Lesson 1 of 6) Objective: Students will...

The Ultimate Superhero (Roots - Lesson 1 of 6)

Objective:

Students will understand that Jesus died on the cross for their sin, rose from the grave, and offers them salvation.

Key Thought:

Jesus is the ultimate superhero!

Note to Parents/Guardians:

Do you recall the greatest crisis in which you ever found yourself? Do you remember the helplessness you felt? Perhaps in your crisis your inability to change the circumstances was not just a “felt” need, maybe it was truly the situation. In your teen’s lesson, the ultimate crisis is explained as being lost in sin. The sure end of that sin is spiritual death and separation from God for all of eternity. Our souls are tied to the proverbial train tracks, the heavy machine is barreling down toward us. The only hope, as it was introduced in the lesson, is a superhero who will come and save us. The conversation you are going to have with your teenager about this lesson is the most important talk you’ve ever had or ever will have...bathe it in prayer. This will be a time for you to “follow up” on the clear presentation of the gospel that has been given. Jesus is the superhero who saves us God’s punishment for our sins. He did this by taking the punishment upon Himself through His cruel, innocent death on the cross. First, be sure that you have received His free gift of salvation yourself, and once you know that, have this conversation with your teenager. If you are unsure what the gospel message is, there is a great 8-minute video at the link below. Watch it for yourself, and maybe even watch it later with your teen to begin your conversation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzIP4SjhZzg Discussion Questions: Following are the questions the students discussed during their small group time: Follow-up with your teen about what he or she thinks about each. 1. Has there been a time in your life when you put your faith in Jesus Christ alone to forgive

your sins and give you eternal life? 2. Who do you know that needs to know Jesus? 3. Write or say the names of specific people you are thinking of. If you are thinking you need to

know Jesus, talk to your small group leader. 4. Create a plan together to share whit them who Jesus is and what He has done in your life.

Life Changing Habit (Roots - Lesson 2 of 6)

Objective:

Students will understand how to develop a daily habit of time in God’s Word (Quiet Time).

Key Thought:

Make a habit, you make your life.


The focus of this lesson was for students to develop a good habit of reading God’s Word. Some people call it Quiet Time, some call it devotions, or God and me time; whatever you choose to call it, it’s having a time of Bible reading and prayer. Having it on a regular, frequent basis has proven to play a huge role in spiritual growth. Your teen was encouraged to choose a consistent time of the day, find a quiet place, set a specific goal (how often and how much to read), and tell a good friend about those goals (for accountability). Mom or Dad, to be very honest, the way your teen is learning to (or not to) interact with God’s Word is primarily coming from you. If you are having a Quiet Time, great! Your teen likely already knows that you are, and encouraging him or her will be a natural process. If you are not committed to a time of reading your Bible and having time alone with God, you will find it very difficult to have this conversation. If you are willing to make this a commitment in your own life, we suggest doing it for a week or two, and letting your teen know you intend to do so. Make it a family journey to set these goals and see spiritual growth in each other. Word of Life (the makers of your church’s youth ministry curriculum) has a fantastic resource to help your teen develop a quiet time. In fact, it can work for your whole family. Check it out below: http://wolstore.org/collections/quiet-times

Discussion Questions/Activity/Video to watch, etc. Following are the questions the students discussed during their small group time: Follow-up with your teen about what he or she thinks about each. 1. If there was a way for you to become a better person than you are, it was offered to you free,

but it would take 20 minutes of work a day, would you do it? Why or why not? 2. Back to the Bible ministry did a survey of 150,000 people and found that those who engaged

with the Bible 4 days a week or more saw a huge difference in their ability to handle life. Interesting, that the difference between 3 and 4 is quite different; those that did less than 4 days did not have the same result. The study further revealed that people who attended church regularly and were involved in a small group did not receive the same benefits as those who engaged at least 4 days a week with the Bible. This study shows that engaging with God's Word brings life transformation.

3. What are some of the main excuses you have heard or used as to why you do not have a Quiet Time?

Tell It Like It Is! Roots - Lesson 3 of 6)

Objective:

The students will understand how to be confident and prepared to share their testimonies as opportunities arise.

Key Thought:

Go with what you know!


1 Peter 3:15, which is the memory verse associated with this lesson, tells us to “always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you.” During this lesson your teen was taught the basic elements to confidently share his/her faith, and challenged to do so. The following are the four elements that were shared to help you with your conversation. 1) What my life was like before receiving Christ as my Savior. 2) The circumstances that led me to receive Christ as my Savior. 3) How my life has changed since receiving Christ as my Savior. 4) One of the verses upon which I base my salvation is... So, Mom or Dad, why not take a few minutes to work your own story through this grid! It doesn’t have to be long or eloquent, just...your story. Once your story is done, set up a time to take your teen out for a burger and share your story in depth. You can demonstrate how thankful you are for the Lord being a part of your life. This is exactly what Deuteronomy 6 is talking about. As a resource and encouragement, we are listing this biblical passage below as your resource for this lesson. Even though it was originally written to Israel, it really is God’s plan for us as we strive to parent our teens’ faith. Deuteronomy 6:4-9 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

Bring Out the Big Guns (Roots - Lesson 4 of 6)

Objective:

The student will understand the necessity of having Scripture committed to memory so they can resist sin when temptation comes.

Key Thought:

If you are tired of failing, bring out the big guns.


Does it ever scare you to think of the consequences of the decisions your teen will make? For instance, when you see teen pregnancy statistics or the number of people who go into extreme credit card debt, or see marriages crumble. What if I told you there was a pill that costs $10 each, but it lasts for an entire week and that if you begin giving it to your child at 2 years old, your child’s brain will continually be altered and he or she will be 90% less likely to give in to temptations over time. That would mean a sacrifice of $8320 if you gave the pill one a week between the ages of 2 and 18. Would it be worth it? Would you make that sacrifice? During the lesson this time, the leader taught about how God’s Word, when it is memorized, is like that pill (only free of course). The key verse was Psalm 119:11 which says “Your word I have hidden in my heart that I might not sin against You.” God’s promise is that storing His Word in our hearts is so powerful, it can actually renew our minds and help us to resist temptation. The great thing is that it’s not just for teens, it’s also for parents. So, how about making some form of Scripture memory a part of your parenting plan? Why not choose ten passages of Scripture and challenge your son or daughter to a contest (with a super cool prize, of course, because this is important). Don’t forget to be encouraging and help each other out along the way. So, go ahead, make up a few note cards with your first passage, stick them all around the house (mirrors are a great place), get ready, get set...GO! To help you along, here is a link that takes you to a list of Word of Life’s current memory verse packs. Your student is using the Student Ministries Verse pack, which comes in KJV, NKJV, ESV, NIV and NASB: http://wolstore.org/search?q=verse+pack Discussion Questions Following are the questions the students discussed during their small group time: 1. When struggling with things in your spiritual life, what have you done to try to deal with it? 2. With which one of the lies listed in the lesson do you struggle the most? 3. What do you think about the following statement? Quote from Video: “Scripture memorization helps me hit the devil in the face with a force he cannot resist to protect myself and my family from his assault. What are you hitting him with? He is millions of times stronger than you. And he hates you and your family...how anybody walks through this devil ruled world without a sword in their hand is beyond me.” John Piper

Your Spiritual Life Coach (Roots - Lesson 5 of 6)

Objective:

The students will desire to use the Creative Discipleship program to help them grow in their walk with God.

Key Thought:

Amplify your growth with a spiritual life coach.


Word of Life, the organization that writes the teen curriculum used at your church, has developed a program called Creative Discipleship. During your student’s lesson, he or she learned about how they should walk and live as a believer. The point of the lesson was to help students see how things like Scripture memory, serving others, and having a Quiet Time daily devotional can help them to grow closer to God and stronger in their faith. Consider expanding the conversations you have been having with your student about having a personal quiet time and sharing your testimony. Why not create your own incentives, or use Word of Life’s systematic incentives (explained below) and tools to memorize God’s Word, serve other people and become more faithful to reading the Bible and praying regularly? Word of Life’s Director of Local Church Ministries, John Collins, explains in the 7-minute video below how the Creative Discipleship Program works. We’d love for you to encourage your teen to take part in Creative Discipleship as a tool to help him or her grow spiritually. If by chance your church’s youth ministry is not using the Creative Discipleship Program, ask your youth leader if they would consider incorporating it or how you can use it for your own family. https://vimeo.com/101640298 Discussion Questions Following are the questions the students discussed during their small group time: 1. In what area of your life have you excelled with the help of a teacher or coach? 2. If you could change one area of your spiritual life and make it better, which one would it be and why? 3. If I would commit to help you in an area of your spiritual life and become your “spiritual life coach,” would

you be willing to allow me to help you?

Good Intentions to Great Results (Roots - Lesson 6 of 6)

Objective:

Students will learn that spiritual growth comes from being accountable to other Christians and will begin an accountability relationship with another believer.

Key Thought:

From good intentions to great results!


This is one of those topics that you are going to have to cover with your teen based upon where your relationship is right now. In this lesson your teen learned about biblical accountability. Ideally you have worked this lovingly into your relationship with your son or daughter since birth, but we all know that our sinful children also have sinful parents and when you put the two together, “ideally” can get thrown out the window. Let’s begin by getting you on the same page as the lesson your teen learned. First, in order to have an accountable relationship, two people must have mutual faith and mutual respect. Encourage your son or daughter to have two or more accountability partners to help with his or her spiritual walk. Express your interest in being one of them, but acknowledge that you completely understand that sometimes he/she would like to talk to someone who is not a parent. You’ll need to remind your child that having a peer or two as accountability partners is fine, but it really helps to have another adult or two that they can go to. So...what is the purpose of accountability? The bottom line is that accountability challenges us in our weaknesses and encourages us in our strengths. This is someone who has God’s glory in our lives as their highest priority. In 2013, a guest writer for Desiring God Ministries, Trillia Newbell, wrote a short but pointed article on the power and characteristics of accountability. This is a great resource for you to understand the subject better. After reading it, have a good conversation with your teenager and encourage accountability in your own relationship. http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/why-accountability-matters

Discussion Questions/Activity/Video to watch, etc. Following are the questions the students discussed during their small group time: 1. In what other areas of your life have you experienced accountability? 2. Have you been in an accountability relationship before, and was it different than what you’ve learned today

about the goal of a biblical accountability relationship? 3. What is one new thing you have learned from this lesson that has encouraged you to begin an accountability

relationship? 4. What, if anything, would keep you from beginning one this week?

Broken to Remove Our Sin (Broken - Lesson 1 of 4)

Objective:

Students will see the extent of Christ’s love for us and will be challenged to enter into a love relationship with Him.

Key Thought:

Christ was broken for our brokenness.


This lesson will likely be a bit more difficult for your teen to grasp, since it runs counter-cultural to common thinking. Typically, when we think of someone with great power, we think of that person as dominant, lording over others and usually putting self-first. The exact opposite is true in the life of Christ as your teen found out in this first lesson in a series about Christology (or the study of Christ). As an illustration, can you think of a significant time in your child’s life when you or another loved one made a significant sacrifice for him or her? Maybe it was mom’s pain in labor, or maybe it was dad not taking that new job in another state, or the braces instead of a much-wanted purchase. It typically won’t take long to think about something that you gave up. Here is the catch! As you present this to your teen in this conversation about Christ’s brokenness for our salvation, be sure to WAY LESSEN the value of whatever it is that you gave up, and really “talk up” the value of what your child gained. The goal here is not to have a “Woah is me, look what I have given up for you” pity-party. In fact, the exact opposite is true. It might sound more like, “All I had to give up was one measly little kidney, and I had my beautiful daughter alive and healthy, of course that was an easy choice!” Your teen learned from Philippians 2:6-11, that Christ endured weakness, suffering, and humiliation all because He loved us and desired for us to live in eternity with Him. We sometimes glaze over the actual cost of the cross, and the rejection Christ took upon Himself for us. Make much of your love for your teen in this conversation, and of course make much more of the love of Christ. Indeed, no one has ever loved us like Jesus. Discussion Questions: Take a few minutes and ask these pointed questions. 1. Is there another sacrifice that a friend or family member has made that you might have used

for this illustration? How does that remind you of the sacrifice Christ made? 2. If “Christ died for us while we were still sinners” (Rom. 5:8), and if “there is none good no

not one” (Rom. 3:10-12), then what was Jesus motivation for sacrificing so much to rescue us? ANSWER: He loved us – John 3:16

Broken to Relate to Our Struggles (Broken - Lesson 2 of 4)

Objective:

Students will understand that Jesus relates to their struggles, and they will be encouraged to take those struggles to Him in prayer.

Key Thought:

Jesus offers hope and help in our struggles


Have you ever thought of someone who is over you and felt like they cannot relate you your circumstances? Maybe he or she has never done your job, but they are responsible for telling you how to do it. Or maybe it is a politician who rights the tax code, but has never struggled to pay a bill a day in her life? In this week’s lesson, your teen learned a specific passage that tells us that Jesus is not that kind of leader. That passage was Hebrews 4:15 which says that we do not have a High Priest (Jesus) who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses” It goes on to tell use that in every respect has He been tempted as we are, yet He was completely without sin.” One thing we are sure you have noticed about your child (and you too) is that we do not appreciate fake-ness, and we highly value authenticity. Think about the times you have asked your teen to do some work and perhaps he or she was not too excited about doing it. Then consider how much more motivated the student was when you did the work alongside him or her. We all value the relationship that comes along with someone walking in our shoes. A valid argument could be made, that God becoming flesh was enough. He literally walked on dirt and lived in in the flesh…just like us. But to truly sympathize with our weakness, He went a gigantic step further…He endured temptation. Follow up on this truth with your teen and use the opportunity to help deepen that connection between Christ’s heart for your child and your child’s heart for Christ. Discussion Questions: Consider using the following discussion questions with you teen: 1. Why is it important that our Savior was tempted in the same ways we are? 2. What is the connection between Jesus’ authenticity shown in verse 15 and how we are

commended to approach Him in verse 16? 3. What is an experience that you have been through, that has uniquely prepared you to help

someone experiencing the same thing?

Broken to Rise as Our Savior (Broken - Lesson 3 of 4)

Objective:

Students will understand the biblical evidence for the resurrection of Christ and be challenged to believe it.

Key Thought:

Jesus had to be raised in order to redeem. Note to Parents/Guardians:

In this week’s study, your teen saw some opposing views to the idea of a physical literal resurrection of Jesus. They learned of the “Swoon” theory, which states that Jesus was not really dead, but that He simply fainted. They also heard about a theory that said that the disciples wanted so badly for the resurrection to be true, that they hallucinated due to the power of suggestion. They also learned about logical and historical reasons that these could not be true. You may or may not feel equipped to talk apologetically (that just means answering for your faith) about the resurrection, but your teen should be somewhat more able to give evidences for the resurrection. Take some time and just have a faith conversation with him or her, even if it means that you are doing most of the learning. These conversations about the evidences for our faith can be extremely powerful in the spiritual formation of your teen. Just your interest in the subject matter will speak volumes and bring validity to the importance of knowing what we believe and having reasons for our beliefs, not just “blind faith.” Don’t miss the opportunity to say “If God could defeat death, there is literally nothing He that could overpower Him in our lives as well.” Or something like that J God is truly bigger than our doubts and our diseases and our even our death. Let us be quick to show our teens that God is deserving of our deepest thoughts and our highest praise. An article to sharpen you before your talk with your teen: In the book The 21 Toughest Questions Your Kids Will Ask About Christianity, Alex McFarland wrote a piece entitled “Alive.” Focus on the Family has reprinted it as an article. It has three significant evidences for the resurrection. Pick one or two and spend a few minutes praising the Lord in conversation with your teen about the power of the resurrection. http://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/spiritual-growth-for-kids/evidence-for-the-resurrection

Broken to Receive Us as Sons and Daughters (Broken - Lesson 4 of 4)

Objective:

Students will understand what it means to be a child of God and how He cares for His children.

Key Thought:

God moves us from His creation to His child.


Can you remember the day your child came into your life? Whether that was by birth, adoption or some other means, I am sure that day is engraved in your memory. You will likely remember sights, sounds, smells, colors of clothing, even the smallest details. Connection to family is a very powerful idea. Do you remember the day you became a part of God’s family? A few thoughts that your teen looked at from his or her small group time might be helpful for you as you spend some time reflecting on what it means to be a part of God’s family and prepare for a follow-up conversation from this week’s lesson. Take a few minutes and look up the following passages that were a part of your teen’s lesson this week and thank the Father for the blessing mentioned in each.

Psalm 119:105 His Word to guide us and lead us.

2 Peter 1:3 The power of the Holy Spirit to help us obey Him.

Romans 8:15 Peace and joy rather than fear of being condemned.

Matthew 6:28-33 The promise that He will always meet our needs.

Hebrews 12:5-11 Loving correction to keep us from harm.

John 14:1-3 A home with Him in eternity.

2 Corinthians 1:3-5 Comfort in painful situations. Video Resource: Watch the following video with your child and discuss the similarities between Meredith’s situation and our situation spiritually. (Warning, you will need tissues for this one). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iexJtB57bkY

Win Over Sin in Him! (Break Free - Lesson 1 of 4)

Objective:

Students will understand that because of their sinful nature they are in bondage to sin and can only be set free by being in Christ.

Key Thought:

True Freedom is Freedom from Sin


Mom and dad, in this new series, your teen is learning all about sin. You might say “Ohhh, my kid knows about sin alright…she is an expert!” Haha, we know what you mean! In fact we all are pretty good at, or should we say “not good at” this area. Of course Romans 3:23 tells us that all (yep, even us parents) have sinned. Bummer, right? If you think about it, the fact that we have all sinned and the penalty for sin is eternity in hell, is probably the worst news ever. So, back to the series. Specifically, in this first lesson, your teen learned some definitions for sin. Here is what they learned about some key words for this topic.

• Sin: The lack of conformity to, or transgression of, the law of God • Salvation: Deliverance from the power and effects of sin through the person and work of

Jesus Christ • Flesh: The old, Adamic nature of a Christian that operates apart from the Spirit and is

inclined toward sin. Of course we are always trying to equip you to be at least one step ahead of them (if not many steps).. So, study these truths and the Scripture that goes along with them, then use the discussion questions below to talk it through with your child.

• Sin is a violation against the law of God either in state (Ps51:5), disposition (Jer17:9), act (Rom 7:19), affection (1 Jn 2:15-17), thought (Matt 15:19), or omission (Jam 4:17).

• Sin entered the universe by the first sinner, Satan (1Jn3:8), and God sovereignly permitted sin to enter His creation through the free will Satan, then subsequently by Adam’s free will and act of rebellion; God’s reason for planning this was sensible, yet it will remain a mystery for finite man forever (Dt 29:29: Prov 25:2).

Discussion Questions: 1. What is a sin of omission? (Answer: Something that is a sin because you do not do it). 2. Why would god permit sin if it is a violation against His law? (Our free will to choose God or

sin gives us the freest and cleanest expression of love. If there is a choice besides obedience, that makes obedience that much more valuable when we choose it.)

3. Read Psalm 119:11 together. What does this passage say about how we can keep from sinning?

The Taproot of Sin (Break Free - Lesson 2 of 4)

Objective:

Students will acknowledge that pride is the root of their sin and will seek to live a life of humility.

Key Thought:

More of Him means less of me.


In his autobiography, Benjamin Franklin said “There is perhaps no one of our natural passions so hard to subdue as pride. Beat it down, stifle it, mortify it as much as one pleases, it is still alive. Even if I could conceive that I had completely overcome it, I should probably be proud of my humility.” He sure got that one right didn’t he? The topic of your teen’s lesson this time is all about the root of sin, which is pride. We all have to admit it, pride is like a weed that just won’t seem to die. It desires to choke out generosity and servanthood. It is that selfishness that scream “I deserve!” or “…but I.” In this lesson, your teen was challenged to “Read John 1:1-18 every night this week to increase your view of Jesus. Write out “MORE OF HIM MEANS LESS OF ME” on a notecard and carry it in your pocket. Every time you realize you are being prideful, pull out the card and say “MORE OF HIM MEANS LESS OF ME.” Why don’t you join in on this activity with your teen and let him or her know that you are. In fact, why not read through that passage this evening as a beginning to your faith talk. Maybe even have the phrase already written on a couple of notecards for the both of you. Then work through these couple of discussion questions together. Discussion Questions: Use these to help get your faith talk started. 1. Who is the most humble/selfless person you know? What makes you say that? 2. In what areas do you tend to show prideful tendencies? 3. What are some safe guards you can put into place to help avoid that temptation?

Untangled (Break Free - Lesson 3 of 4)

Objective:

Students will understand God’s forgiving grace and seek to be untangled from their sin.

Key Thought:

You can’t, but God can!


Parents, this third lesson about sin has the potential to have a lasting change on your teen. For this reason, our parents guide is going to stick fairly closely to what your teen learned in the youth lesson at church. One of the key questions was “How many of you have ever asked God to forgive you of a sin only to commit that same sin again?” The lesson then goes on to explain that Paul had the same problem. Students were encouraged to read Romans 7:18-20 which says “I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. The lesson talked about the “cycle of defeat” take a minute and ask your teen if he or she remembers any of the elements in it. They were 1) I sin 2) I’m sorry I sinned 3) I shouldn’t have sinned 4) I’ll try not to sin again and back to 1) I sin. The point being that we often ask forgiveness and then run right back to the very same sin. We are not able, on our own, to avoid sin. We cannot be holy on our own efforts. The key ingredient that is missing is often to keep growing. We often fail and then give up on trying. The solution is to rely on the grace God supplies to make us righteous. 2 Corinthians 5:21 states that “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Discussion Questions: Take a few minutes to read Hebrews 12:1 with your teen and ask the following questions. (Note: this will go over WAY better if you are prepared to be transparent yourself, maybe even start with your answers on each question.) 1. What could you do this week to lay aside the sin that seems to keep ensnaring or entangling

you? 2. Is there any benefit to getting some accountability for the sin that you keep running to (even if

they’d rather have it be a pastor rather than a parent)?

What Were You Thinking (Breaking Free - Lesson 4 of 4)

Objective:

Students will understand that God desires them to be transformed and will allow God’s Word to change their thinking.

Key Thought:

Whatever controls your thinking controls your living.


It seems like a big rally cry for today is “Follow your heart.” It sounds nice. Usually it means, “Don’t let anything keep you from pursuing your dreams,” or “Stay true to who you are.” As your teen learned in this lesson, for very good reasons, our hearts and their desires are not worth trusting. In fact, the memory passage for this week I Jeremiah 17:9 which says “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” If there is one thing we want is for our children to be happy, The quotes mentioned above have problem been spoken most by parents. We desire to protect them from our pains and make sure they never experience our failures. We want them to have everything we ever wanted. The truth is, God has a perfect plan for our teens. It involves holiness over happiness, spiritual progression over physical possessions, and His will over theirs. The truth is, even as hard as it might be to admit, God loves our children more than we do. God knows what is best for them, even better than we do. God knows that sometimes the only thing missing for a teenager to being the center of God’s perfect will is a heartache. Think of the times when God has broken you from your sin or your idols. Think of how the initial steps of him drawing you back to Himself involves a tearing apart of something you were holding too closely to. When you begin to see God place His desires in your child’s (Psalm 37:4), it makes it a little easier to “let go and let God” in his or her life. Think for a little while and pray to God for the desires of your teen’s heart. As yourself the following questions and then take sometime to formulate your thoughts for a conversation about setting aside your will, and your teen setting aside his/her will and what asking what God might want to do, even if that might be uncomfortable for you both. Thought-Provoking Question for Parents: Use these to prepare your heart for this tough subject. Be sure to take the time to ask God questions, (not just lean on your own understanding here) 1. Is there anything that God might want for your child that you don’t want? What might that be? 2. Are you certain that God has your teen’s best interests in mind (for his glory)? 3. Is there anything you might need to do or say, or change how you say to emphasize God’s

plan more than your own hopes and wishes for your teen?

This Life Isn’t Fair, but the Next One Is (Unequaled - Lesson 1 of 4)

Objective:

Students will learn to trust in God’s justice as they see His perfect and unmatched holiness.

Key Thought:

God’s holiness declares that all things will be made fair.


Do you remember how many times you heard your child when he was younger say “that’s not fair!” Oh boy, those were the days. Do you know why we don’t hear that anymore? Because somewhere along the way we all realized that an expectation of “fairness” is not a realistic expectation. “Life just isn’t fair” becomes our new mantra and move on. This first lesson in our new series about God the Father is all about his attribute of being just. God does not allow things to go unjudged or wrongly judged. He is a righteous judge. One of the key portions of this lesson was about why God is the only one who is qualified to be the Judge. The lesson said “God is holy, which means He is more perfect than anyone or anything. He never plays favorites and always does what is right. Ultimately His holiness means that HE is the standard of what is fair and right.” One of the key applications from this lesson is that our knowledge of God’s perfect justice in heaven can free us from our need for revenge here on earth. We can be certain that God sees all and that He does not show favoritism. While He is merciful and offers the free gift of sin forgiveness, even those sins were still punished when Christ paid the price on the cross. Take some time to consider the 3 thoughts below and talk through them with your teen as a follow-up to this lesson. 3 Thoughts to Consider: 1. If God is all-knowing and just, is there sin I need to repent of to be sure I am not moving

myself further from God’s will? 2. Since God is just and there will be ultimate fairness in heaven, is there someone I need to

remove from the “wrath of me?” Perhaps I should offer the same forgiveness I have been given.

3. How can I begin to show balance between justice and grace in the way I treat people? Are there some people who I should distance myself from because of their actions? Are there people I need to extend n extra measure of grace toward?

Ally Are You Trying to Be a Wise Guy?(Unequaled - Lesson 3 of 4)

Objective:

Students will understand that wisdom can only come through God and they will seek to receive their wisdom from the Bible.

Key Thought:

Treasure the Wisdom of God’s Kingdom


This lesson was about the wisdom God offers. Most of us would agree that we desperately want our children to make decisions that honor God, but are we intentionally pointing them to God’s wisdom found in His Word, or do we tend to want to chime in with our own glorious pontifications? Wouldn’t it be a terrible thing if we gave advice that was the opposite of what God would say in His Word? There is a story told of a little boy who was playing in his sandbox one day when he noticed a very large rock had somehow arrived there. The rock was very much in the way of his playing, so he tried to move it out of the box. It was far too heavy for the little boy to lift, so he tried to pry it with a stick. He sat down and tried to scoot it with his feet, and still the rock would not budge. After two-hours of frustration and effort, the young boy sat crying on the side of the sandbox when his father came around the corner. “What’s the matter buddy?” asked the dad. The boy explained his situation and ended with “I have tried everything!” The father explained to the boy that he had vastly more resources than what he had used. Then, the father stood up, wrapped his much larger hands around the bolder and rolled it out of the box. “All you had to do was ask and I would have moved it easily for you.” If you want to know God and to have His wisdom, that must be done through relationship with Him. With all the fortune tellers, horoscopes, and self-help resources that there are in the world, you would think that a person would have to spend thousands of dollars and jump through a hundred hoops to get wise counsel. Truthfully, God’s plan for giving us wisdom is very simple. In just one verse God tells us how to become wise. James 1:5 says “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” Most parents in this world, will parent their children from birth until the move out and not once ask God to give them wisdom as to what to do, what to say, or how to direct their children. Can you imagine, having a resource like our all-knowing, loving God and never asking for wisdom? Video Resource: Listen to the following 30-minute message on “getting wisdom” by John Piper and consider how what is taught might encourage you in your own journey of seeking God’s wisdom. http://www.desiringgod.org/messages/get-wisdom

More Than a Facebook Friend (Unequaled - Lesson 3 of 4)

Objective:

Students will recognize the reality of God’s love and be encouraged to respond with love for others.

Key Thought:

Real relationships require rare sacrifice.


We don’t usually start off these parent notes with a video, we usually save that until the end. But I think you will be excited that your teen saw this video. So, pause here and go watch this… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRl8EIhrQjQ This lesson would be (as you could see from that video) a great opportunity for you to harp on how terrible cell phones and computers are. Instead, we encourage you to take your time to remember the “good ol’ days.” That is, what do you miss about your time in the 1990’s and earlier when technology had not yet swallowed up society? Don’t bash the “now”, remember it is not your child’s fault that she was born when she was (actually, that’s on you J ). Was there something about the simplicity that you cherished? Was there something about not being so accessible? Some of the memories you have will have to be explained, like only having one phone in the house that people called to get a hold of everyone and that you never knew who was calling until you said “hello.” Was there some depth to relationships that you felt you had because you knew you had better linger a little longer? After all you might not see or talk with that person for a long time since long distance phone calls were so expensive. Was there any value in being able to have a conversation where something came up and no one knew the answer and there was no way to find out until someone went to the library? Be cautious to paint a realistic picture. Consider connectedness and relationships, how have these things changed? If you were to give some advice to your child about the sacrifices that need to be made for deeper relationships, what would that be? Want something interesting? Ask that same question to your teen. Spiritual Application: Use this thought as your end goal for this conversation. God became a man to have a relationship with us. He died to secure that relationship for all of eternity. Do you both have that relationship with God? If not, you should take care of that together right now. If you do, what could you do in your family to be more intentional about building solid relationships? Start now.

To finYou Need to Downgrade, to Upgrade(Unequaled - Lesson 4 of 4)

Objective:

Students will understand that they must make themselves weak (in humility) to receive power in God’s grace.

Key Thought:

My weakness is a canvas for God’s power.


Parents, there is no one better suited to disciples your teenager than you. That is why God made you the parent. This lesson is a great example of why that is true. The lesson this week is about the need for humility to see God’s great sufficient grace. No one knows your teenager like you do, so your opportunity to apply this truth to him or her directly is fantastic. You know if your son or daughter is prideful or perhaps struggles with self-esteem issues. You will know how to properly challenge him or her to a right view of God and self. In 2 Corinthians 12:9, Paul has been asking God to take away a physical weakness that he has and God gave Paul an answer. The answer was simple yet profound, God said “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Can you imagine the difference in your life if you had gained this perspective as a teenager? That no matter what problem came your way, God was sufficient and powerful. That God’s power is made perfect “or complete” in our weaknesses. Think of the stability and confidence in the Lord that would bring. Now, allow this to be your motivation for conveying to your teen this very important and powerful truth. One key thought that was shared several times throughout the lesson was that “my weakness is a canvas for God’s power.” We have included a light-hearted activity below to help you facilitate this conversation. Activity Resource: Take some time to enjoy spending time with your teenager by doing this activity together. We know that this will not work with every type of teen, but many will be willing to do it if you are willing to as well. (We recommend you have some snacks and maybe the teens favorite drink nearby). Take out a couple of blank pieces of printer paper (one for each of you), have some markers or crayons nearby and tell your teen that you are going to do your best to illustrate the phrase “my weakness is God’s power.” So, you will literally try to depict what you see your weakness to be and then how He might show His power in it. This could be done through one picture or a storyline (comic strip style). There is only one rule. What you draw must help communicate the message in a real way. It is ok if it is a little silly, or not artistically well-done. Afterward, take a few minutes and share yours first and then ask your teen share his.

Don’t Tell Me What I Can’t Do (The Unseen - Lesson 4 of 4)

Objective:

Students will understand the vital difference between good and fallen angels and be challenged to submit to God.

Key Thought:

Check your pride before you slide!


Parents, your student has started in a new series on Angels and Demons. We expect that this is an exciting series for them because so many young people want to know more about these spiritual beings that work and move among humans. Specifically, this first lesson was about Satan and his demons. It also highlights the choice the “good angels” made to stay and worship God. Here are some truths about Angels and Demons (fallen Angels) and the Scripture that goes along with them. Study these out to help equip yourself for a conversation with your teen. Angels fall into two categories: elect or good angels (Matt 25:31; 1 Tim 5:21) and fallen, or evil angels (2 Pet 2:4). Elect, or good, angels are classified as: 1. Archangels (Dan 9:21; 10:13; Lk 1:11; Jude 9), 2. Cherubim who have the divine obligation of proclaiming and protecting (Gen 3:24; Ex

25:17-21) the sovereignty of God and 3. Seraphim who proclaim and protect the holiness of God and man’s need for spiritual

cleansing (Is 6:1-7); these good angels worship and serve God and are assigned to monitor the affairs of nations (Dan 4:14; 10:21) and minister to the children of God (Heb 1:14).

Evil angels were created (and have fallen) and are therefore creatures and are not omnipresent and not infinite as God is. They function under their leader, Satan who being created as an angel, is also neither omnipresent nor infinite; he was originally created as a perfect and holy angel; his pride (1 Tim 3:6,7) led him to fall through an act of rebellion against God soon after the completion of creation week (Gen 1:31); when he fell, he led other angels to agree with him (now called demons or evil angels) (Rev 12:4); Satan and his angels were cast out of heaven. Discussion Questions: Use the following questions to help get your discussion off the ground. 1. What caused Satan to fall? (Answer: His pride; he wanted to be equal with God.) 2. So, Satan wanted to be his own boss basically. What does that look like in our lives? (be

prepared to answer as well. 3. Proverbs 16:18 says pride comes before the fall, how can we humble ourselves in these

situations to honor God?

The Truth Behind the Liar! (The Unseen - Lesson 2 of 4)

Objective:

The students will understand why Satan is called the father of lies and learn how to guard themselves from falling for his deceptions.

Key Thought:

Satan is his name; lying is his game!


Parents, this lesson is not really something we like to think about, but it is necessary. Do you remember when had that conversation with your kids about talking to strangers? do you remember watching a news story about a child that had been kidnapped? Perhaps you don't think much about that sort of thing now that your little one isn’t so little anymore. You know, you might want to rethink that strategy and tighten up your defenses a bit more. You see, Satan (the subject of this week’s lesson) is like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Pet. 5:8). He is going to run after the slowest and weakest (spiritually) of our herd and that would be our children and teenagers. Imagine, if Satan was able to trip up Adam and Eve when they were using 100% of their brains and they walked daily with God, then you and I are much easier targets and our children who are still new on their spiritual legs would be very easy game without our protection. But how will we go about defeating such a powerful adversary? By knowing God’s Word and Satan’s plan of attack. You and I have an advantage that Adam and Eve didn’t have; we don’t have to be ignorant of Satan’s character nor of his tactics (Read Ephesians 6:11.). All we need to know about Satan’s deceitful plans and how to stand strong against them is found in God’s Word! If you are ignorant about Satan’s tactics, it is not due to lack of information, it’s due to laziness! Don’t believe the lie that knowing God’s Word is not necessary! Remember who got Adam and Eve into trouble in the first place! Remember: Satan’s his name; lying is his game! Remember how Jesus defeated Satan when He was being tempted on the mountain in Matthew 4? He quoted the Scriptures to Him. In Jesus’ mind was a piece of Truth that refuted the temptations (in the form of lies…always) that Satan was using against Him. So, how will you equip yourself with Scriptural tools that you can pass on to your teen so that you will both be equipped to fend off the lying lion? Recommended Book Resource: The following book was written for parents of younger children, but the truths are so easily accessible and so applicable across age groups, that we found it a good recommendation for equipping yourself with the Scripture to battle Satan’s lies. So, check it out on Amazon at the link below. It is called Parenting with Scripture by Kara Durbin and it is under $10. https://smile.amazon.com/Parenting-Scripture-Topical-Teachable Moments/dp/0802408494/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1489722256&sr=8-1&keywords=Parenting+with+Scripture

This Lesson Is Not for the Weak! (The Unseen - Lesson 3 of 4)

Objective:

Students will understand the sinister nature of Satan, his desire to destroy their lives, and employ biblical methods for warfare against him.

Key Thought:

Spiritual warfare requires spiritual armor!


Parents, this week’s lesson was about the “armor of God mentioned in Ephesians chapter 6:11-17. The list of items mentioned in the passage are as follows:

• The Belt of Truth – The belt of truth ties back to last week’s lesson where we saw that Satan is said to be the “father of lies” (John 8:44) and the truth is our weapon against him.

• The Breastplate of Righteousness - A breastplate shielded a warrior’s most vital organs. This is the righteousness of Christ, which God gave us at salvation. It guards our hearts against the attacks of Satan.

• The Shoes of the Gospel of Peace – Shoes were very important in battle especially for advancing. Often there would be obstacles in the path placed by the enemy. The idea of peace relates to grace which brings the gospel which provides ultimate peace.

• The Shield of Faith – There is no question of Satan’s attack. The shield is said in the passage to be allow the believer to “extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one.”

• The Helmet of Salvation – This protects the head which is the seat of the mind, which, when it has laid hold of the sure gospel hope of eternal life, will not receive false doctrine or give way to Satan’s temptations.

• The Sword of the Spirit – This is the Word of God • Prayer – This is regular, intimate, and fervent communion with God in word and spirit.

Each of these are valuable tools for defending ourselves and even going on the offensive (Sword of Truth and Prayer) against Satan. The topic of battling Satan and spiritual warfare can be a little scary sometimes. Believers have no need to be afraid since the battle for our souls has already been won on the cross. It is now for the battle for our lives, testimonies and the souls of other (through our witness) that we fight. Be in deep prayer about the conversation God wants you to have with your teen over the influence and impact Satan desires to have on his or her testimony. Be especially mindful during this conversation if your teen has not yet received Christ as Savior. Article Resource: Our good friend J.D. Greear (who is a Word of Life Bible Institute grad and Pastor in NC) gives some great wisdom in this short article about spiritual warfare. http://www.jdgreear.com/my_weblog/2014/05/how-to-engage-the-demonic.html

Entertaining Angels (The Unseen - Lesson 4 of 4)

Objective:

Students will overcome the conflict between beliefs, stories, and truth by learning what God’s Word says about the supernatural existence and nature of angels.

Key Thought:

Angels exist to glorify God and so do we!


This lesson is our final lesson on Angels and we are about to debunk some myths. This seems like a good time to help deepen your understanding of this topic so that you can speak intelligently about it when you follow up with him or her on this week’s lesson. Here are a few thoughts about angels and the passages of Scripture where we find these truths.

• Angels were created by Christ (Col 1:16) and were present when the earth was created (Job 38:6-7), in an unconfirmed state of holiness (Gen 1:31).

• Angels are finite, spirit beings (Is 6:3; Job 1:6) possessing all the qualities of personality (Lk 15:10; Job 1:6; 38:7; Isa 6:3). Their powers and abilities exceed that of human beings (2 Pet 2:11) and they are innumerable (Heb 12:22), and distinct from human beings (1 Cor 6:3; Heb 1:4) but have appeared in forms like humans (Gen 18:2-3).

• Angels fall into two categories: elect or good angels (Matt 25:31; 1 Tim 5:21) and fallen, or evil angels (2 Pet 2:4).

A few myths: 1) People to not become angels. Angels were created before people. 2) The Bible does not tell us that angels play harps, or that they sit on clouds. 3) There is nothing in the Bible that says everyone has a “guardian angel.” 4) Cherubs are not baby-faced angels. 5) Angels are not male and female. 6) Angels have no halos. 7) There I no such thing as a designated “Death Angel.” There is not nearly enough room here to try to give supporting thoughts to these, but if this subject interests you look to God’s Word for the answers to these types of questions. Recommended Article: Below is an interesting article from which many of the previous list came. Give it a read.

Here is the article: http://listverse.com/2014/11/22/10-things-everyone-gets-wrong-about-angels/

Walking and Talking (True Swag - Lesson 1 of 4)

Objective:

Students will understand that to have a close walk with God they must be honest about their sins, seek God’s forgiveness, and follow His commands.

Key Thought:

Walk in the Light and Speak the Truth


Parents, this week your teen began to learn in a new series on the book of 1 John from the Bible. We would encourage you to use a tool like blueletterbible.com to listen to and read the book of John once a week during these four weeks that your teen will be learning from it. Spend time in prayer asking the Lord how you will guide your teen in learning these truths on the home front. The major points that the students learned this week are that we all should 1) be honest about our sins, 2) confess them to God and 3) follow God’s commandments.

This area of confessing your sins is such a tricky one. We want to be accountable to someone, but none of us want to broadcast our shortcomings. Unless you have been cultivating that spirit with your teen for years now, it isn’t likely that you are going to be able to just jump right into that in this short devotion time. We would encourage you to work toward developing that intimacy with him or her that would lead to an ability to share sin and get godly counsel from you. The end is for you, the parent, to be the number one influencer in your teen’s life for discipleship and godly living.

Try to think of a time when confessing a sin to God or even another person really worked out well for you. Perhaps a relationship was restored, or you could overcome some area of temptation or sin in your life.

Take some time and use the video below along with your own testimony to help your teen understand the importance of grieving over sin and the vast benefits of not hiding it from God and the person they sinned against.

Read the following passages and consider how they might aid your conversation. Numbers 32:23; Romans 6:6; Romans 7:8; James 1:15 Video Resource: Watch the following video (part 3 of a whole series worth watching) with your child and discuss what vertical and oriental confession might look like. Ask, when is the last time you felt godly sorrow about your sin?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8Pu2MYvUMk

The Love God Hates (True Swag - Lesson 2 of 4)

Objective:

Students will be encouraged to hate what God hates and pursue what God loves.

Key Thought:

Love what God loves, not what God hates.


Sometimes as adults it feels like we are always setting aside our wishes and desires to allow for another person to have his or hers. As parents, this is all the truer. We want our teens to have what they need and we would usually go without for them to have. Our sacrifice however is something that teens tend to pick up on quickly. For the most part, if you are standing around waiting to see if your teenage boy offers you the last piece of pizza when you’re not looking, you might as well find an apple so you don’t go hungry. This innate sense of selfishness is a part of our sinful nature. We must be taught to put others first. We must experience great love to know how to love greatly. That is why our responsibility as parents carries such weight, we are the ones who show that day and night. The passage that your teen studied this week was 1 John 2 :15-17. The focus was on loving what God loves and not loving the things of this world. The study explained the “lust of the flesh” (I want to experience that), “lust of the eye” (I must have it now), and “pride of life” (I want control) which are all markers of a heart that loves the world rather than God. Take a few minutes and remind your teen of these three “markers” from 1 John 2:16 (They are in bold in the paragraph above), then make a small sheet of paper for each of you and label it with the following chart. Then move on to the application exercise.

Commercial Lust of Flesh Lust of Eye Pride of Life Application Exercise: Sit down with your papers together in front of the television. Turn on any regular broadcast station (ABC, NBC, CBS, etc.) and watch 5 commercials together. As you watch them, list a quick description of the commercial in the “commercial column” and then place a check in the category representing which of the three “markers” that commercial was appealing to. (Note: you may agree or disagree, some may appeal to none and some may appeal to all) Remember, this is much more about the process of learning to spot temptation than it is about getting the right answer. Be quick to praise your teen and ask, “why do you choose that one?” Give him or her chances to think through and communication clearly why each was chosen.

Getting to the Bottom of Love (True Swag - Lesson 3 of 4)

Objective:

Students will learn how to discern false teaching and eject if from their lives while embracing the message about God’s love demonstrated in Christ’s death on the Cross.

Key Thought:

Eject the lie and embrace the love.


This week’s lesson was on 1 John 4:1-8 which is about rejecting false teaching and embracing the love of God. Often, we don’t go to unfamiliar sources for preaching, but we (including our teens) find ourselves being fed false teaching from other avenues, both Christian and secular (non-religious). Consider these common phrases and their fallacy. This same list was shared with your teen as a part of their Bible study. 1. “God just wants me to be happy.”

What is wrong with this statement? Ultimately God wants us to be fulfilled in this life, and truly joyful (John 10:10), but it’s different than what the world means. This statement is used to excuse sin and allow people to selfishly pursue their own desires. In 1 Peter 1:16, God says that we are to be holy because He is holy. Holiness is seeking to live for God’s pleasure and not our own. The proper statement is that “God wants me to be holy!”

2. “Everyone is a child of God.” What is wrong with this statement? This may be a little difficult to understand. Truly, every human is a special creation of God, made in His image, and has value and purpose. But only those who trust Jesus Christ as their Savior are children of God. (John 1:12.)

3. “All religions are equally valid.” What is wrong with this statement? This statement shows the world’s belief that everyone can believe what they want and that’s okay. It rules out “absolute truth.” Is there absolute truth? Yes! God is that absolute truth. He is the Creator and He has set the rules. Jesus said that He is the only way to God. (John 14:6.)

Application Activity: In preparation for your conversation with your teen, ask him or her to think through the music he or she listens to and think of a song that has lyrics that need to be investigated against what the Bible says. Take some time to study them out and see what the Bible says about that line or phrase. Remember: You are teaching your child to be discerning and to compare everything with the truth of God’s Word.

What Do You Know for Sure? (True Swag - Lesson 4 of 4)

Objective:

Students will learn how they can be confident of their relationship with God and be encouraged to take action that will demonstrate this confidence.

Key Thought:

Confidence in God’s Word always leads to confident living.


Parents, one of the key factors in students leaving the faith after they graduate high school is their ownership of their faith. There is a great website at the bottom of the page that can help you equip your teen with tools for a lasting faith. Take some time to think through your family’s own personal reasons for having confidence in the following three areas and be prepared with some stories (especially ones your teen might not know well). Don’t forget that God and His word are alone our best reasons for having confidence in Him. These experiences from your family’s past will just act as faith snapshots from your teen’s heritage of how God and his Word have been there for you. Here are the categories and a few passages to help you think through the topic: 1. Confidence in Eternal Life (1 John 5:10-13)

Why des a confidence in eternal life matter to you? What does this confidence do for you when you consider loved ones who passed away?

2. Confidence in Answered Prayer (1 John 5:14-15) What significant prayers have been answered for you over the span of your life? Is there anything that is bigger than you that you are trusting God for right now?

3. Confidence in Spiritual Growth (1 John 5:16-19) How are you more mature spiritually than you were when you first got saved? What has been the greatest benefit to you from your spiritual growth? If you could only name two factors that have contributed the most to your spiritual growth, what would they be?

Web Resource: The following is the website for the College Transition Initiative which is a ministry of the Center for Parent Youth Understanding. You will find great resources for helping your college-bound teen with finding confidence in his or her faith in Christ. http://www.collegetransitioninitiative.com/

Rebellion Leads to Destruction (Scandal - Lesson 1 of 4)

Objective:

Students will understand that rebellion leads to destruction.

Key Thought:

Rebellion leads to destruction


Parents, in the lesson this week, students began a new series in the book of Hosea. In the beginning of Hosea, God instructs the prophet Hosea to marry a wife who would betray him often. This wasn’t a one-time failure but a pattern of unfaithfulness. Hosea obeyed God’s command even though he knew his future wife, Gomer would commit adultery against him, multiple times. Can you imagine how hard that would be? What if you knew your spouse would betray you, would you have still married him/her? What if you knew for certain it was what God was asking you to do? The point behind this request, was for God to give a great example of his love for the nation of Israel (and ultimately for all who would believe in His Son). This vast love that God shows is despite our deep recurring sin. One of the great sins Israel committed was that of idolatry. God desired to be Israel’s direct ruler. He loved Israel and absolutely knew what was best for them, but they kept desiring a physical king on a throne. God called this adultery and it always ended very badly for them, but God’s love remained steadfast. This home devotional is intended for you to take the time to consider what things might be idols (something you allow to have equality with God in your mind or time) in your own life and in the life of your teen. For some of you it might mean a small course correction and for others it might mean God making a complete change in your life (or your teen’s). The following discussion questions are taken from the small group time in the teen lesson. This is done to help your teenager to have already had to answer the question, so you shouldn’t receive an “I don’t know,” you can push through with “what did you think about when you were asked the question in the lesson? Discussion Questions: 1. What do you most hope to see happen in your future? (Expect answers like wealth, marriage,

some type of professional sports career. Help students see that even if they achieved these things, there’s no ultimate satisfaction in them.)

2. Are any of the answers above examples of idols that might be taking the place of God in your life? (This question is meant to compel students to confront any idols in their lives. Be honest with your life here as well, your transparency earns your right to hear his/hers.)

God Disciplines Those He Loves (Scandal - Lesson 2 of 4)

Objective:

Students will understand that their sin brings the discipline of God.

Key Thought:

Sin invites God’s discipline.


This week’s lesson is the second in our series from the book of Hosea. It has the potential to be a great connecting point for you with your teen because it deals with the idea that God disciplines those he loves. Hebrews 12:7 says that God deals with us like sons and daughters. What child isn’t disciplined by his father? God deals with us as children because once we submit our lives to Christ, we become sons and daughters of God and He becomes our Heavenly Father. Part of the job of a loving parent is discipline. Of course, throughout your teen’s entire life, that is what you have been doing as well. In the name of preparing him or her for real life, you have corrected behavior with the goal of teaching them to understand and respect authority, have appropriate manners, work hard, etc. This could be a great time to help them make the connection with parental-discipline and self-discipline. Consider using this example to help your teen understand the freedom God gives us within His will. God gave us ten commandments that seem to be real “downers” because the all start with “Thou Shalt Not.” And usually parents give the same kind of commands, “Don’t hit your brother,” “Don’t hang around that friend,” “Don’t stay up too late”, etc. The truth is…these “Don’t commands are much more freeing than “Do” commands. Consider this, if the command is a “do,” then that is pretty much the only thing you can do…and you “have to” do it. If the command is a “Don’t” it is much more of a redirection and it leaves a lot of options on the table to do. So, help your teen to understand, that God uses both. There are certain things that we are responsible to do, like “go and make disciples.” There are also certain things that we should not do, like “bear false witness.” In His infinite wisdom, God has chosen to give very clear directions, in His Word, about what a believer should do, say and act like. Just like anything else, if we follow those directions, we will find ourselves in a good place with God and fellow man. If not, there will be consequences. Take a minute to think of a personal application from your family’s experience. Let’s keep it positive and uplifting (no one wants their old forgiven baggage dragged back out). So, what correction you had to make in your teen’s life when he or she was younger? Think of something that has had a demonstrable benefit. Something that if not corrected could have been much worse as he or she grew up. Then, praise your teen for responding well to that correction. Discussion Question: What is one thing that might possibly need correct now, so that you will see the benefits later?

Better Than I Deserve! (Scandal - Lesson 3 of 4)

Objective: Students will understand that God is merciful and treats us better than we deserve.

Key Thought:

God shows mercy to sinners.


Given our heavy emphasis last week on God’s judgment when we sin. It is only right that we show God’s full glory by explaining that He is also all merciful. This balance of justice and mercy shows us God’s perfection. The passage for this week was in Hosea 3, where God told Hosea to marry Gomer knowing that she’d cheat on him. He does. She cheats on Hosea repeatedly but Hosea does not divorce her. Sometime later we hear God speaking to Hosea again. There are three key parallels in this passage that were pointed out in the lesson. Take some time and read the passages and reflect on the truths of God’s love shown to us. Also reflect on how this mercy flows through your family. Consider disagreements, extended family that might need some of your mercy, etc. This is a great way to show the love of God to your children in a very real and powerful way.

Hosea 3:1 Hosea remains faithful to Gomer God is faithful to us Hosea 3:2-3 Hosea purchases Gomer God purchase us Hosea 11:1-4, 8-9 Hosea shows mercy to Gomer God shows mercy toward us.

Now that you have allowed the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart concerning God’s grace and how it has been shown to you, begin by communicating that grace to your teen. What are the areas in which god has shown faithfulness to your family? Tell the story of a relative who accepted Christ when no one thought it would happen or some other great blessing that was unexpected, and how God showed mercy to your family. Video to Watch: Watch the following video and follow the prompts below for your conversation with your teen. On July 17, 2015, Dylann Roof entered a church in Charleston South Carolina and killed 9 people. The response of the relatives of those victims was one of grace and forgiveness. They were on NBC’s Meet the Press with Chuck Todd and had an opportunity to show forgiveness. Watch the video of their interview with your teen and talk about how the incredible grace of these people might bring glory to God. Often, we try to put ourselves in the shoes of the victims, and we empathize with them. In this case however, we are the guilty ones in need of forgiveness and grace. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oE_VHs6Z5VE

Share the Love (Scandal - Lesson 4 of 4)

Objective:

Students will understand God’s love for sinners and their purpose of extending this love to others.

Key Thought:

You ultimately choose the story your life will tell.


This week’s lesson was the last in our series of four messages from the book of Hosea. Some of the lessons have an easy home application and some of them are a bit tougher. To be honest, this one will depend upon you. This lesson deals with the importance of sharing your faith. More specifically, tying together the mercy that was talked about last week and the importance of sharing the great message of that mercy with others. Remembering the situation in Hosea, God is calling Israel to repentance in chapter 14. God appeals to Israel to return in verse 1. To return is another word for repentance. He reminds them that their iniquity (or sin) has caused them to stumble. He wants to make it clear that things are not going well for them because of their sin. In verse 3, God desires to hear from Israel that they will no longer trust in other nations (like Assyria) and in their own military might (the horses). God expresses His desire that Israel trust in Him instead of idols. God wants to see them repent (meaning to change one’s mind or purpose). He wants them to stop trusting in themselves, other gods and nations and trust Him. Likewise, we should have the same mind that we want to see people repent of their selfish ways and recognize the abounding love Jesus showed us all on the cross. Take some time and do some personal spiritual inventory about this issue of evangelism. Have you been sharing your faith? Are there some people you have been burdened by the Holy Spirit to share your faith with and you have not yet done it? Or perhaps this is a strong area of your faith walk, and you are all set to have this challenging conversation with your teen because your lifestyle backs it up. Either way, be in prayer about how your encouragement for him or her will be received. Your personal testimony about sharing your faith with someone will be the very best tool you can use in this conversation, so if you need to, go and share your faith with someone and then have this talk. Discussion Questions: (Parent, you answer these first as you go along) 1. When was the last time you could clearly tell someone that Jesus dies for them? 2. What was the person’s response (if you shared)? (If you didn’t) How did you feel about it? 3. Take a few minutes and pray for a person you both know, that needs to hear the gospel. (Make an opportunity to talk with this person and do it with teen, this will be a huge event in the spiritual formation of your child.)

How can a loving God send people to Hell? (#ibelieve - Lesson 1 of 4)

Objective:

Students will understand that Hell is a choice that people make by rejecting Jesus Christ, and they will be prepared to share and defend their faith.

Key Thought:

God does not send people to Hell, sin does.


This week your teen began a new study on apologetics, which means “reasoned arguments or writings in justification of something.” One of the key questions that people ask when they are doubting God’s existence is “How can there be a loving God and Hell?” or “If God is loving, then why would he send people to Hell?” Your teen learned some important points about Hell. 1. Man is not made for Hell. 2 Peter 3:9 says that “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as

some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

2. Hell was not made for man. In Matthew 25:41, Jesus said that Hell is a place created for the devil and his angels. Hell will be the eternal dwelling for the devil because of his rebellion against God (Revelation 20:10). This is not to say that there are not people in Hell. Sadly, there are, but no one is in Hell because God hates them. God loves them, and provided them everything needed to have a relationship with Him so they could be in Heaven.

Watch the following video of Dr. William Lane Craig explaining the fact that the existence of Hell testifies to the fact that God is good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7MzHYBBPis

Read these points out loud together: 1. What if someone in your family was murdered and in the courtroom, the judge was just about

to sentence the guilty party, when all the sudden, the judge says, “I want to be known as a loving judge, so instead of a life sentence, I am going to find the defendant ‘Not guilty’.” That might possibly seem loving, but no one in their right mind would call that judge a “good judge.” In fact we might even call this an act of hate (not love) …against your family. God’s Holiness (Moral and ethical perfection; the absence of any evil) demands that He is perfectly just (think justice) and perfectly gracious (showing undeserved favor).

2. Without Hell, we do not have punishment for sin (justice). And without Christ’s death on the cross, we do not have a way out of our sin (grace). (Talk this thought and be sure your teen understands this concept).

What about those who have never heard the Gospel? (#ibelieve - Lesson 2 of 4)

Objective:

Students will understand that God is just and fair in His dealings with everyone, and they will be able to give an adequate defense when confronted with the question concerning those who have never heard the Gospel.

Key Thought:

God doesn’t leave anyone behind.


As your teen continued in the second lesson in our series about apologetics, we dealt with the popular skeptic’s question “Will people that have never heard the Gospel be accountable for their sin?” This is the kind of question we typically want to dodge as Christians. We think, either, God doesn’t punish their sin and that shows He is unjust, or He does and that shows He is unmerciful. It is a question that is often used by atheists to refute that there is a God, or at least that there is an all-powerful and loving God. 3 Key passages and thoughts speak to this question: Romans 1:20, which says “For His invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. This verse tells us that God has revealed Himself to through creation. Romans 2:14-15 speak of the conscience within man and How it testifies to a law that is “written on their hearts.” There is a basic understanding of right and wrong throughout the world. These truths are constant and universal. God has placed this basic understanding in the hearts of everyone, and we don’t need a written law to figure it out. So, we know from within that we are guilty people. Matthew 5:6 tells us that a person who seeks after righteousness will receive it. Meaning that God will reveal the saving knowledge of Christ. He has done this repeatedly throughout history. Here are three significant ways he has done so.

• By Divine Revelation (God has worked through visions, dreams, and angelic visitations in the past to declare His truths to those who were seeking).

• By Providing his Word (God’s Word continues to be translated into other languages and sent into the world. His Word reveals His heart, man’s sinfulness, and God’s Savior Jesus Christ.

• By Sending a Messenger (God is faithful to call and send evangelists and missionaries into the uttermost parts of the earth to reach the lost with the Gospel of Jesus.

Video Resource: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=looGLDEke2g

God, Suffering and You, part 1 (#ibelieve - Lesson 3 of 4)

Objective:

Students will be challenged to find God’s goodness in all suffering and help others do the same.

Key Thought:

Even when we suffer, God is good.


Anyone who has ever been through suffering, whether it is the loss of a loved one, the diagnosis of a disease or even something like a tooth ache or a sprained ankle knows that suffering can cause doubt and even depression. It is very common for the sufferer and the people around them to want to help the situation, but not be able to. We sometimes ask God why He is not intervening on our behalf and the silence sometimes even makes us question God. Your teen was challenged with three reasons why we suffer, even though God does exist and God does care. First, we suffer because of our choices. We reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7). Sometimes we suffer because the Lord is disciplining us for a choice we made. (Hebrews 12:6). Other times, we suffer because we knowingly do foolish things and expect God to protect us from our own foolishness. Next, we suffer because of the choices of others. Sometimes they are other’s personal choices, like Uriah dying because of David’s selfishness when he slept with Uriah’s wife Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11). Sometimes we suffer because of the generational choices of our parents and grandparents. This one is very sobering. While each one of us is affected in some way by the decisions of our parents, we don’t have to continue to suffer because of them. That is a curse that can be broken. Through the love and grace of Jesus Christ, you can break the chains of past dysfunction and move forward. (Read Deuteronomy 7:9) God is good to use generational suffering to call the hurting to Himself and give them healing and a better future. Finally, and this is the hardest one to accept, sometimes suffering is God’s choice. Sometimes we suffer for doing good, like Joseph going to prison after he fled from Potiphar’s wife instead of sleeping with her. When we suffer for doing good, it is our faith that gets put on display for the world to see. Sometimes we suffer to bring glory to God. In John chapter 9. Jesus passing by a man who had been born blind. His disciples asked Him why the man was born this way. Jesus said he was born this way that God’s power would be demonstrated through his life (John 9:3). You see, it was God’s plan to be glorified through the man’s blindness. Video Resource: Watch this video from our friends at The Truth Project that helps to illustrate this point. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwwljT_YmSw

God, Suffering and You, part 2 (#ibelieve - Lesson 4 of 4)

Objective:

Students will understand that God has a divine purpose in all suffering and be prepared to faithfully endure and minister this truth to others.

Key Thought:

Don’t be shaken; God is working!


We learned last week that God has many reasons why people suffer. There is some comfort in remembering that God is Sovereign and that He is working a plan in and through us that is often much bigger and complex than we know. In this week’s lesson, which is a part two of last week’s lesson, your teen explored the question “Does God use my suffering?” It is interesting as adults because unless we can see some medical condition or serious loss in a teen’s life, we assume that there isn’t much suffering. It is important to note that the loss of innocence, freedom of responsibility, and their childhood identity is a reasonable “suffering experience” at least in their minds. Also, we should be mindful that even though our child’s suffering seems mild (like a break-up) it is often the greatest loss they have dealt with and therefore brings about significant suffering. We should not dismiss those very real emotions and hurts. We need to help our teen know how to cope with those issues. Take a few minutes to read over 1 Peter 5:10 several times on your own. It is a verse that is so rich in our times of need. If you hide this jewel in your heart now, it will help you to keep perspective in the hard times that are bound to come. We don’t know how short our time of suffering will be, but we can rest assured in the result of God establishing us. Here are two ways your teen was taught that God uses our suffering: 1. God uses our suffering to bring us closer to Him. It leads to repentance, strengthens our faith,

and helps us to relate to Christ’s sufferings for us. 2. God also uses our suffering to give us perspective. Suffering helps us appreciate the goodness

of God. If we know what it is like to suffer, it gives us a great contrast to the blessings we have all around us. Suffering also reminds us that our home is in Heaven, not here on earth.

Application Activity: Randy Alcorn published an outstanding article on Family Life Today’s website on the issue of how God uses our suffering. Take some time to read it then pick a point or two to share with your teen over his or her favorite “Comfort food.” http://www.familylife.com/articles/topics/marriage/challenges/hardship-and-suffering/how-god-uses-suffering-for-his-glory

Worthless (The Payoff - Lesson 1 of 4)

Objective:

Students will avoid the futility of living a worthless life, and choose to live for God’s glory.

Key Thought:

Life without God is worthless, so follow Him.


This week begins a series of four topical messages your students will walk through. This week’s message is likely something you have worked hard to help your child understand since he or she was little. Do you remember when your child didn’t understand value at all? My child once told me she would trade all her toy for the chocolate bar I had. Can you imagine? Maybe retail value of $150 or so in toys that will last for years, just to have a $1 candy bar that would be consumed in 10 minutes or so? She didn’t understand even the most basic rules of economics, that’s for sure. If you were to communicate to your teen what is of utmost value, what would you say? Why would you choose that as your answer? As we get older, typically we think back on choices made and especially time wasted and we wish we could major on the majors and minor on the minors, meaning invest our time what matters most. We don’t often connect our sin with the consequences it could, or even has, bring/brought about. One of the key points that was mentioned in this lesson was that anything, even everything without God is ultimately worthless. Because the temporal, pleasurable, and accepting world around your teen screams so loudly about investing in money, reputation, and comfort, it is an uphill battle to get him or her to be thinking about things that are eternal (not financial, might harm reputation, and certainly are not comfortable) instead. Application Activity: This activity I taken directly from a portion of the lesson from this week. The exercise is so good, we thought it might be beneficial for you to walk your ten through it in a one-on-one scenario to help with some self-evaluation. (Ask the following questions and then answer them with your teen. Don't forget that your transparency is going to directly relate into his or hers.)

• What do you want to be remembered for after this life? • Will your children see you as a hypocrite when they find out what choices you made as a student

compared to what you are asking them to do? • What sacrifices have you made to remain spiritual (given up popularity, lost friends, make less money,

etc)? • Is there something you see in yourself that could potentially become a hindrance to you being

completely sold out for Christ between now and graduation (pride, greed, lust, selfishness, lack of self confidence, etc)?

Answering Wisdom’s Call (The Payoff - Lesson 2 of 4)

Objective:

Students will learn the principle that hard work is encouraged in Scripture and is worthy of reward.

Key Thought:

Without the work, there is no reward.


Depending upon your child, and your own habits, this week’s lesson about work ethics could be an easy reminder, or it might require some repentance on your part. There aren’t many topics better reflect our inadequacies as parents as how our teens deal with the issue of work. One of the greatest plagues in American adolescents is entitlement. Many young people want now what it has taken their parents year to attain. This is often true in levels of position in the workplace, technology, vehicles, respect, all sorts of areas of life. The problem is, many parents have forgotten how valuable the process of building is. Most parents were not given a great deal, and they want their children to have a better life. Many of them give and give and give, without considering the entitlement that is built by a teen not knowing how much work goes into getting something. There were a lot of very helpful self-evaluative questions shared with your teen in this lesson, consider which might be the most appropriate to follow up with your teen on. Sometimes the benefits of these types of questions can be lost in the group setting where a teen can remain semi-anonymous (or at least quiet). Take the one-on-one time to make it personal and productive.

• Do I work with excellence in everything that I do at school? • When I work, do I work simply for completion, or do I work to exceed all expectations,

to complete my work with excellence? • Do I work with diligence? • Do I consider all the details of my work, while also giving it my best effort? • Do I work the same way when my parents are home as I do when they are not home? • Am I easily distracted from work by doing things that I should avoid? • When I am at work do I justify taking longer breaks than what I can take?

Video and Article Resource: The Today show interviewed Amy McCready, author of the book “The Me, Me, Me Epidemic.” This link has both the video of the interview and the article (notes from the interview) which offers some very practical (although not spiritual) tips on helping your child not to feel entitled. http://www.today.com/parents/avoid-raising-entitled-child-5-strategies-really-work-t44576

Take the Stairs (The Payoff - Lesson 3 of 4)

Objective:

Students will understand that: discipline is hard work, and they will be challenged to discipline themselves for the long run.

Key Thought:

Avoid the snares, take the stairs.


This week’s lesson on discipline, follows last week’s lesson on entitlement perfectly. Before you even move forward, take a few minutes and think through the discipline it has taken you to get where you are in your job. If you are new to your job, consider another area of your life that has taken a great deal of discipline, perhaps your education, the rearing of your children, caring for an ailing relative, etc. begin to formulate that story using the question below. Your end product is going to help you to give a personal testimony to your teen about the benefits and blessings of discipline. 1. What was your issue that required a lot of discipline? 2. What were some of the extra factors that made the task more difficult or longer than normal? 3. What was at stake if you had not shown discipline and quit or not done your best? 4. What were the factors that made exercising discipline and taking the hard road your choice? 5. Were there any role models you had seen, either who showed discipline or maybe who didn’t? 6. What was the result after you showed discipline? Were your results immediate? 7. What is the relationship between discipline and patience? Video Interaction Activity: The following clip is only 1:17 long, but it has such a great display of discipline in it. Watch it with your teen and then discuss what the people in the video had to overcome to accomplish this incredible task and what areas of discipline were likely required? (hint: mental, physical fatigue from practicing, the fear of tripping, etc.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTPC-z7qNhI

What’s Mine, Is MINE! (The Payoff - Lesson 4 of 4)

Objective:

Students will understand that where your treasure is there will your heart be also and will learn how to give, save, and spend.

Key Thought:

Make spiritual sense from your cents.


Have you ever been stopped in your tracks by your greed? Has there ever been a time when you had a thought that was motivated by trying to get something from someone? Or where you immediately compared your wants to less fortunate people’s needs? If you have ever visited a third world country and seen true poverty, you immediately recognize the simplicity of life and the complexity of need. Somewhere along the way, you are reminded that you really don’t need about 75% of the stuff you own, maybe more. Being an American is one of the greatest blessing one could have on this earth, millions, maybe even billions of people on the planet want to be what we were born. Likewise, being and American can be one of the greatest curses one could have on this earth. We lean so heavily on our own ability to get. We find joy in our purchases far more often than we find it in God, family or friends. Accomplishment and accumulation and become our affection and our aim. This seems to become a problem that is more and more prevalent in our younger generations as they live giant chasms away from being in true need. Matthew 6 says that our treasures will show where our hearts are. Indeed, if we spend our greatest earthly resource on technology, then technology must be where our hearts are. If clothing, then clothing is where our hearts are. If this principle holds true (hint: it is God’s Word, so it is indeed true), where is your family’s collective heart? Is it invested in the Salt Life with beach houses and vacations? Or the Lake Life with boats and coolers? Is it piled up in account numbers and gains and losses? Have you hung your heart up in closets full of the latest clothing lines? Is there more worth in your cars than in your giving? I am likely to have stepped on some serious toes with that list. The question we need to ask, both ourselves and our teens, is: What is our heart (and our treasure) most heavily invested in and is it eternally minded? Article Resource: Here is a great article from Dave Ramsey about the importance and strategy of teaching your teen about financial matter. You need a balance of teaching our teen the spiritual side of finances and the practical side of saving and not going into debt, etc. https://www.daveramsey.com/blog/teach-teenagers-about-money

Just Talk to Him Already! (Christian Basics - Lesson 1 of 4)

Objective:

Students will learn how to have a personal prayer life and how to make it effective in their daily lives.

Key Thought:

Prayer works with God; just talk to Him!


This week we started a series on the “Christian Basics.” This first lesson was on prayer. The lesson for this topic has been very heavy on the why and how, so we decided to provide you with a very practical guide for prayer. The following is an old acronym that is helpful in guiding prayer. Share it with your teen and encourage him or her to be faithful in prayer for one full week. You will need to set yourself a reminder to follow up on this topic next week (we’ll remind you as well). 1. Adoration means worship. We encourage you to begin your time of prayer by adoring and

praising God. Praise Him for who He is and for all that He has done for you. God delights in your praises!

2. Confession, the next component, means agreeing with God about the things that you have done wrong. It’s a time to express sorrow about what you have said, thought, or done that is not pleasing to Him. Ask God to forgive you for these things, and then believe that He does so freely. When you confess your sins, you receive God’s cleansing and this helps to remove any barrier in your communication with Him (read 1 John 1:9).

3. Thanksgiving basically means being thankful to God. Thank Him for His love, protection, and provision just to name a few things.

4. Supplication is the final component, and this means praying for your needs and for the needs of others, such as friends, family, your pastor, missionaries, government leaders, and persecuted Christians around the world. You may want to pray for such things as God’s guidance, wisdom, and opportunities to serve.

This particular version of the ACTS Model for prayer is borrowed from https://billygraham.org/answer/how-does-one-pray-ive-never-been-taught-how-to-say-a-personal-prayer-or-really-talk-to-god/ Video Resource: We don’t do this often, but occasionally, we have such a good element in the youth’s lesson, that we want to share it with you. So, here is a video form the Skit Guys that was shown in youth group. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmL_GTKU2lE

Embrace the Title of Disciple (Christian Basics - Lesson 2 of 4)

Objective:

Students will see that the highest call of every believer is discipleship and encourage them to be a disciple and disciple others.

Key Thought:

Make disciple your greatest title.


First thing, don’t forget to follow up with your teen about that one solid week of prayer challenge form last week. This second lesson in our Christian Basics series is about discipleship. Sometimes the terms disciple and discipleship can be a bit daunting. We feel like perhaps other people who are more trained or are more knowledgeable, or more committed can be called disciples of Jesus, but we are not “far enough along” to be disciples. The truth is, God calls us all to be followers of His who read His Word, communicate with Him in prayer and tell others of His gift of salvation. We are not to remain babies in our spiritual journey, but to grow in our knowledge of God and His Word. Perhaps even more daunting is the idea that you, not your pastor, will be held accountable for your child’s spiritual growth. So, you are supposed to be teaching him or her about God and his Word. In fact, that is the primary reason Word of Life provides these Parent Guides, to equip you for this important privilege and responsibility. Like anything, if you don’t have a plan and some measurements to determine success, you will likely not continue to move forward, especially in this process because it a long one. There are very few takes you perform that take daily effort for almost two decades (18 yrs.) without a day off. Discipling your children is indeed that very kind of task and it requires a plan. Word of Life’s Teen devotional material is a great start, having them in a good solid Bible Believing church with you (emphasis on with you, not just with their peers) is a huge step. Having certain standards in your home that come from your knowledge of God’s Word will also make a difference. If you are in God’s Word regularly, they will see that it is important. Take the time to model this for them. Book Resource: Brian Haynes wrote a book a few years ago called Shift that helps to outline the path children should take and how the home and the church can be resources working together to bring children and teens through the different significant milestones of their spiritual lives. Here is the link to the book on Amazon, it is a fairly short read, but it will be a valuable tool for you as you endeavor to disciple your teen. https://smile.amazon.com/Shift-Takes-Finally-Reach-Families/dp/0764438980/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1490745215&sr=1-1&keywords=brian+haynes+shift

Get It, Got It, Give It (Christian Basics - Lesson 3 of 4)

Objective:

Students will understand what stewardship is and learn various ways of giving to God and how they can do so now.

Key Thought:

Give without measure your time, talent, and treasure.


Parenting can be so humbling. We try and try to do well, and then someone brings something up and we are reminded of our shortcomings. This lesson certainly has that potential. This third lesson in this series on Christian Basics is about stewardship. This seems to be an area of the Christian life in which we as parents have been intentional right along, or we have dropped the ball in our example to our children. The lesson the youth were taught primarily focused on giving your best to God in three different areas. They are as follows to review with your teen on a more personal level.

• Give God Our TIME • Give God Our TALENTS • Give God our TREASURES

Often, we only think of giving our money to God, which is appropriate but not sufficient. God has entrusted us with so much more than just money. God has given us talents to serve people for his glory, we can use them to serve other and save them money and time. He has also given us time, which is the most precious thing we have. When we serve others with our time, we are giving it back to God as an offering. Ask the following questions to your teen to begin to determine strengths and weaknesses in this vital area of stewardship. 1. Which of these three is the easiest for you to give away generously? (discuss this, ask why?) 2. Which one is the hardest to give away generously? (once again, dig deeper) 3. Do you usually give what you have and is easiest to give, or do you usually give based upon

the need of the other person? Which one is a more genuine picture of Christ’s sacrifice? Video Resource: This short video is a good illustration of how we often divide up our talents, treasures and time. Watch it with your teen to get things started.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiTcW3AAa64

Individually Gifted (Christian Basics - Lesson 4 of 4)

Objective:

Students will be challenged to discover their spiritual gifts, develop them, and to use them in ministry for God’s glory.

Key Thought:

Unique Gifts for Unique Service


Many church’s do not do a good job of training their congregations about spiritual gifts (the topic of this week’s lesson). For that very reason, we are supplying for you here, much of the same lesson your teen learned so that you can be “up to speed” on the topic before the discussion time at the end. So here are the basics about this basic. The Bible tells us in 1 Peter 4:10 that every believer has a gift! (read) You may not have even realized that was the case! It’s like having a gift you haven’t opened yet, but it already belongs to you. You receive spiritual gifts the moment you place your trust in Jesus Christ to forgive you of your sins and ask Him to be your Savior! He gave you a unique gift for unique service. There are many different spiritual gifts identified throughout the Word of God. They can be summarized into four categories: speaking, leading, service, and temporary sign gifts. There are even some gifts that may touch on more than one category. That being the case, there are many areas to use those gifts. Later in the lesson we’ll discuss specific spiritual gifts and you’ll have a chance to categorize them in one of the categories from this section. Consider these broad categories simply a way to classify the spiritual gifts. Those categories are: Speaking- A speaking gift may be given to a pastor, teacher, or public speaker for example. Leadership- Those who have leadership gifts seem naturally able to guide others. Service- Service gifts may be given to those who truly have a heart to help others in various ways. Temporary (sign)- these are gifts that were only meant for a certain time in the history of the church, and are no longer in operation in the church today. Application Activity: If you have access to two different computers at the same time, use the following link to this free spiritual gift inventory to find out how you might be spiritually gifted. This is just a tool and should be used alone, but with guidance from your pastor and some “trying” of different service opportunities, you may very well deepen your service for the Lord by serving in a capacity that better suits how He has gifted you. This survey will take about 15 minutes to complete, be sure to discuss it together and then schedule an appointment with a pastor to get some more counsel. https://gifts.churchgrowth.org/cgi-cg/gifts.cgi?intro=1

The Stash (Achan) (Your Life in 4K - Lesson 1 of 4)

Objective:

Students will see that they can be obedient even when the appeal of the world offers them everything.

Key Thought:

Sin is appealing, but its consequences are not.


This week’s lesson was the first of four character studies and it covered the story of Achan from Joshua chapter 7. Take some time to familiarize yourself with “Achan’s Sin” as the story is often referred to. Reading this story in the Bible is the best first resource, you might also want to watch this short video to become familiar with the events, it is a children’s video, but it outlines the story well. https://vimeo.com/161925683 This is such a sobering story that reminds all of us that there are often significant harmful effects to us and the people around us from our sin. Even the sins that appear to be “harmless” or “hidden” are sins against a Holy God and they can have drastic impact on others. Your challenge with your teen for this lesson is simply a time to remember the importance of Peter’s admonition from the Lord to “Be Holy as I am Holy.” (1 Peter 1:16). Application Activity: Take some time to talk through the following article about brain science. http://www.livescience.com/21461-teen-brain-adolescence-facts.html It will be helpful for your teen (and you!) to understand how his or her brain is developing. Specifically take note (and help your child take note) of the thinking processes that have not yet developed fully. Consider the following thoughts after you read the article together. 1. one of the last parts of the brain to develop is the part that determines the consequences of actions. It can be

very difficult for a teenager to think through “what could happen.” Part of this is because they don’t have that part of the brain developed, and the other part is because they haven’t lived enough life to have seen consequences play out in a lot of situations.

2. Teens have a much higher tolerance for risk. It literally takes more risk for a teenage brain to feel “scared” or even “excited.” When you couple this with the inability to foresee consequences, you end up with a teen who wants to drive a little fast or do parkour on top of a building, or try a drug, and the consequences can often be much more permanent and devastating than they were able to anticipate.

3. If your teenager struggles with unreasonable amounts of pride or lack of self-worth, these extremes are likely a matter of brain development and are not necessarily sin in and of themselves. These are perspectives that need to e corrected, but they are natural occurrences in a mind that is beginning to see themselves as a part of the rest of society for the first time.

The Stand (Stephen) (Your Life in 4K - Lesson 2 of 4)

Objective:

Students will understand the importance of sharing their faith and be challenged to stand and share Jesus every chance they have.

Key Thought:

The right time is always right now to share your faith.


This second character in our series of character studies is Stephen, one of the first appointed deacons and the first Christian Martyr (someone who died for his or her faith). Stephen’s story gives many strong characteristics of a powerful man of God who was used by God to accomplish much among the early church. Interestingly, it was Stephen’s death that brought about great persecution in the church. In Acts 7, Stephen breaks down the history of God’s people from the beginning. He starts with Abraham and takes it to Jesus. Stephen shares the Gospel through this defense. He did exactly what was needed to allow those who were there to hear the truth of the Gospel. Most of the people with Stephen were enraged at what he said! They didn’t understand and were angry. Their spiritual eyes were not opened. You should read this passage, it is one of the clearest testimonies of God’s working among humanity, and it is the very testimony that cost Stephen his life. A few characteristics that were emphasized in this week’s lesson from Stephen’s life were as follows:

Stephen was a man of character. (Acts 6:3-6) o He had a good reputation (vs. 3) o He had was full of the Holy Spirit (vv. 3, 5) o He was full of wisdom (v.3) o He was a man full of faith (v.3)

Consider the level to which you want your teen to be committed to his or her faith. We have all heard the stories of people who have been tortured and even executed because they would not denounce their faith. Of course, we all hope that sort of thing never happens to us or our loved ones, but how willing are you for your child to be used of God, no matter what God’s plan is?. As parents, we must ask ourselves and God, what would you have me to do with these feelings of loving my child more than you ultimate will. From a practical standpoint, the same challenges are present when we think of our child moving to another country for missions. Are we willing to yield to God’s sovereignty?

Discussion Question: This is not a fun conversation to have, but your teen has already been challenged on this level at youth group, so him or her, what would you do if you were required to denounce your faith or lose your life? Be honest with your answer (I don’t know is ok) but be sure to elevate the importance of God’s will over your own.

Crushing Temptation (Your Life in 4K - Lesson 3 of 4)

Objective:

Students will understand that they give power to temptation in their life but a passion for Jesus can defeat it.

Key Thought:

Desire for God always crushes temptation.


This third lesson in our Character Study series is form the life and book of James. James is such a practical book and it is short. It would make a perfect book for you to use as a devotional for your family. Plan to take 2 weeks per chapter, which would make 10 weeks. You will find it very easy to make discussion questions for your family since it is so practical. Your teen was challenged to memorize some certain “fighter verses” for when temptation starts to bear down. Use your application time to make three 3X5 cards with the following truths on them. Put the lie on one side and write out the verse on the other side. The explanations are just for your conversation during this devotional.

The Lie: You keep falling...you’ll never have victory. The Truth: (Philippians 1:6.) Explanation: We have confidence that Jesus isn’t finished with us yet. He won’t stop helping us gain victory until He returns to gather us to Him! The Lie: You can’t change; this is just the way you are.

The Truth: (2 Corinthians 5:17.) Explanation: When you believe in Jesus Christ, you are made new! The old desires will start to fade away and the new desires, our love for Jesus, will start to grow stronger! The Lie: This temptation is too difficult for you. The Truth: (1 Corinthians 10:13.) Explanation: We all face similar temptations. You are not alone in the battle against temptation. God is faithful, and He provides ways for you to overcome. He is with you and if you turn to Him you will not be overcome by temptation.

Video Resource: The folks over at The Bible Project are doing a great work of helping folks read their Bibles and explaining important truths about God’s Word. Check out their summary of the book of James, it is a video about 8 minutes long and serves s an excellent introduction to going and reading the book for yourself. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qn-hLHWwRYY&index=25&list=PLH0Szn1yYNecanpQqdixWAm3zHdhY2kPR

Salt and Light (Your Life in 4K - Lesson 4 of 4)

Objective:

Students will be challenged to live out their faith to make a noticeable impact on their peers around them.

Key Thought:

Salt and light are meant to be tasted and seen.


This is our final lesson of our “Character Study” series and it is a very important one. It would be safe to characterize this follow-up time as an opportunity to undo a wrong that has been done to the faith of the next generation. One of the most damaging things we have done to the next generation is to tell them that there are two things you never talk about…say them with me…politics and religion. Would you expect that the idea for this phrase would have come from God or Satan? Certainly, this is a message from Satan since God has called us to “let our light so shine before men that they will see our good works and glorify our Father which is in Heaven.” (Matthew 5:16) So, we have some correcting to do with our teenagers (and probably in our own hearts as well). We are called to be light and salt on the earth (Matthew 5), which means that we are to impact the culture around us from the inside (salt) and from the outside (light). We are to share the gospel like it is the only way to know God (because it is!). So, the challenge here is not just to tell your teens that for generations we have been passing on an anti-biblical message (although that needs to be said), we should be strategizing how we are going to let our light shine. Go through the following questions with your teen to help develop a strategy for a family plan to be sharing the gospel. 1. If there was one people group in society that you feel like you would want to help the most,

who would it be? (refugees, foster kids, elderly, homeless, battered women, etc.) 2. Do a google search together right now using that term and your city’s name, example: “crisis

pregnancy Akron Ohio.” 3. Write down two or three resources that come up with their phone numbers. 4. Talk a little bit about what you might hope to do to be a light in that context. 5. Call that place and ask what the process is for volunteering and what the opportunities are. 6. Go do it, together (we recommend that you just jump in with whatever excites your teen) Article Resource: Focus on the family has published a short article that helps to unpack the analogies of salt and light. http://www.focusonthefamily.com/socialissues/understanding-the-issues/biblical-citizenship/salt-and-light

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