If Only...(week 1)

We are starting a new series in MSM and HSM called If Only...

What's your "if only"? Every one of us has one, two or a hundred different scenarios in which we would do or say something differently. That e-mail we wish we would not have sent. That relationship that we should have avoided - or never began. We all have regrets, things we would do differently if given the chance. So if life inevitably brings those "if only" moments, how do we handle the regrets that haunt us? How can we turn the "if onlys" from our past decisions into something more, something that will help both us and others?

Have you ever had something really embarrassing happen? Like, something that happened to you that you wish wouldn't have happened, or something you did or said that you wish you could take back? I think everyone has moments in their life they wish they could rewind, or just take back all together.

My "if only..." statement would would have to be - "If only I would've spent more time with my grandmother before she got Alzheimer's..."

There are many things that happen in our life that we wish we could change or do over, and sometimes we let those instances go unresolved. If we never really deal with our regrets then we'll never get past them.

The Bible talks about a couple of brothers who had a big regret in their life. In fact, now would be a good time for you and the fam to read the story of Joseph. Go ahead and read it...Now, notice what happens in Genesis 42:21 - there's a big regret that pops up in the story. See if your family can find it...

Joseph's brothers were thinking to themselves...if only we hadn't sold our brother into slavery we wouldn't be in this position...Instead of dealing with the regret their whole life, fessing up, and trying to move on, this regret kept creeping up in their life.

Now, maybe you're like Joseph's brothers. Maybe there is something you did or said in the past that keeps creeping up in the present and you don't really know what to do with it. Well, today, if you are able to work on a relationship or talk to someone about it - do it.

Stay tuned to the series, "if only..." you won't want to miss it!

To discuss as a family...

Bottom Line: Yesterday’s regrets affect today.

1. What did you think of the talk this week? What did you hear the speaker say?

2. Have you ever had an embarrassing moment—something you wish you could go back and undo?

3. What’s the difference between something embarrassing that you can remember and laugh about and something that makes you sad or sorry?

4. What is something that made you sad or sorry when you were really little? Can you remember a story?

5. How does regret change as we get older?

6. Re-read Genesis 42:21. Describe what you think Joseph’s brothers were feeling.

7. How can regret from something in your past show up in your present situation?

8. What are ways that we tend to handle regret? What do you do when you start to feel sad or sorry about something?

9. Take some time to reflect on your life. What are some regrets that you have been ignoring or covering up?



CLOSING CHALLENGE:
Remind students that we all have regret. No matter how hard we try to do the right thing, all of us mess up and end up in situations we wish we could undo. Encourage students to continue reflecting on regret throughout the week.

** You may want to also challenge your students to read the story of Joseph. Many of them may have never read the story for themselves and it’s a great story for students who may be timid with Bible reading. Joseph’s entire story can be found in Genesis 37-50. **

On The Lot - Freedom

We all want freedom, don't we? I mean, we are always on a quest to find freedom in our lives. But, I think we go about this whole freedom thing the wrong way...Let me explain...

You see, we think freedom in our lives comes from the lack of boundaries and rules. We sometimes believe that freedom is found when we can make choices that we think are right, or we get to do what we want to do.

In reality, true freedom is found when we DO have boundaries - boundaries that are given to us by God. When we have NO boundaries we usually find ourselves further than we really wanted to go in the first place.

I also think sometimes we focus on what we aren't supposed to do instead of being excited about what we are actually encouraged to do.

Read Genesis 3:1-24.

In the garden Adam and Eve weren't given very many guidelines, and the one they did get they focused on and broke. We are so similar in that we focus on the NOs instead of getting excited about the YESes.

We need to get better at believing God has our best interest at heart. John 10:10 says, "I have come that they might have life - and have life to the full." God wants us to have a full life, we just have to believe that he has the best plan laid out for us.

On the Lot...

NewPointe student ministry had a busy weekend! Busy, but really awesome. Our small groups met here at Dover in The Warehouse and we had a rockin' morning on Sunday. All in all, it was awesome.

Let's face it. We've all been there. We've been frustrated with a friend, teacher, or even a family member and wished we could change them. I mean, seriously...if you're honest with yourself you've wanted to change someone in your life to conform to what you think they should be. But, have you ever thought that maybe you should be the one who changes?

You see, the Bible is a great book. Not just because it is full of great historical stories, but mostly (in my humble opinion) because it has power to change our lives. The Bible lays out principles and guidelines for how we should live and love each other. In fact, the Bible has been described as a mirror.

Check out this passage from James 1:23-24, "Anyone who listens to the Word but does not do what it says is like a person who looks at their face in a mirror and, after looking, goes away and immediately forgets what they look like."

The Bible has power to change us into who God really wants us to be. We would never look into a mirror and not fix the flaws we see. We would be so quick to fix a hair that's out of place, or adjust our shirt if it was messed up, but sometimes I think we read the Bible without asking ourselves how we can change.

Talk to the student in your house and encourage them to read the Bible, but also allow the Bible to change them...







QUESTIONS:

1. How would you summarize the main point of what JD was saying? (Answer: We read the Bible to change who we are and how will handle the things that happen to/around us.)

2. Have someone read James 1:23-24:

“Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a person who
looks at their face in a mirror and, after looking, goes away and
immediately forgets what they looks like.” (James 1:23-24 NIV)

3. When you look in the mirror and see that today is a bad hair day or that you have a giant pimple, there are three responses you can choose to have:
#1. You can forget about it and move on.
#2. You can let it make you feel ugly and depressed.
#3. You can do something to fix it.

Which one of these do you tend to do?

4. How is reading the Bible like looking in a mirror?

5. When you read a verse that makes you see something you should change about the way to live, what is your initial response:
#1. Move on and ignore it
#2. Get down on yourself about what a horrible person you really are
#3. Make a serious effort to change

6. Read the following verse from Proverbs 10 and then ask this question: “How is what I am reading going to change my life or alter my course?” Allow students time to think, and give them freedom to have different answers.

“The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.”
(Proverbs 10:9 NIV).


CLOSING CHALLENGE:
This week, continue to read one verse of Proverbs each day. On Monday, pick up with Proverbs 10:10, Tuesday, Proverbs 10:11, and so on.

Now here is the challenge: after reading the Proverb each day, ask yourself: “How is what I am reading going to change my life or alter my course?”

Christmastime is here...

Yesterday in HSM we paused our regular programming to have a little Christmas par-tay! We all came together, hung out, played games, and just paused to enjoy our time together. Check below for pictures from the party.

We want to take this opportunity to let you know about small groups here in HSM. We believe small groups are a huge part of your spiritual growth here at NewPointe. So, during the month of January we are going to open up groups so you can connect with people your age, and ultimately connect with God. You can register by filling out a small groups card in your environment, or by filling out the form online. We would love to get you connected in this way. If you have any questions please email Matt Beres, Student Ministry Small Groups Director at mberes@newpointe.org.








Now, check out the pictures of our HSM Christmas party!

A Christmas Story

I LOVE getting mail. I really love ordering something online and waiting anxiously for it to come in the mail. Sometimes I even track the package and watch it come across the country right into Dover, OH. Seriously, such a small little pleasure in life. Some things, however, I do NOT enjoy waiting for: a return email or text message, dinner to be made, checking out groceries at the store.

There is a man in the Bible directly related to the Christmas story who doesn't really get a whole lot of face time. I mean, you won't see this guy for sale with nativity sets, but he's there - you just have to look for him. Simeon. Have you heard of him?

Simeon was a devout follower of God. He had a great relationship with God and spent a large amount of time praying and reading the Bible. God had promised Simeon that one day he would have the opportunity to meet the Messiah (Jesus) face to face. Simeon held on to that promise for a long time.

Then, when he was 114 years old his promise came true. Just like every day before that he was praying with God and, the Bible tells us, the Holy Spirit "moved" him. Something felt different that day. Something was going to happen. So, he went to the temple and when we walked inside he found Jesus - right there in Mary's arms.

Read Luke chapter 2 as a family for the details on this story.

You see, God has given us all promises in the Bible, but the biggest promise he's given to every single person is the promise of eternal life. Every person can life forever with God in heaven if they ask Jesus to be the forgiver of their sins and the leader of their life. Every person!

Maybe you have already done this, but my question would be...are you living like you have a relationship with Jesus? How would our life be different if we lived every day knowing that we have a relationship with Jesus and he is in charge. For me it would be simple. If I really lived every day believing the Jesus was in control I wouldn't about what others think or say about me as much.

What about you? What would change in your life if you believed that Jesus was coming and his promises are true?



1. What do you find it hard to wait on? (food, grades, a phone call, etc.)
2. What is the hardest thing you’ve EVER had to wait on?

3. Do you have a limit to your patience? How long will you wait on the following things before you complain or give up and find another solution:
a. Dinner?
b. Your friend to call you back with plans for the weekend?
c. Your crush to ask you to a school dance?
d. Your teacher to return your research paper?
e. Other things mentioned in question #2?

4. What keeps you from being patient and waiting? (Are you afraid that what you want will never happen, or that you will miss out on something because you are too busy waiting?)

5. Can you remember a time in your life when your impatience cost you something?

6. Simeon was patient because he knew that he could depend on God to do what He said He would do. How does knowing God can be trusted enable you to wait more patiently? How can you lean on God’s promises and on His past faithfulness to help you wait expectantly?

7. How would your life change if you could live like Simeon, completely 100-percent convinced that God is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do?

8. How would you look at temptation differently? Would there really be any temptation?

Can You See Him?...In Your Doubts? (Week 1 of 4)

College. Yes, the next step for some people when they graduate from high school. I was one of those kids. My senior year I applied to two schools - the only two schools I really wanted to attend. One school was in PA and the other in OH. They were very similar, had comparable programs, and both would set me back around the same amount of money. Really, no big difference here.

I applied and was accepted into both during September of my Senior year, but really wasn't sure about which school to attend. So, I waited...and waited...and waited... I was so frustrated during my senior year of high school because I felt like God didn't care about me, what I was doing, and where my life was headed. I was extremely unhappy with Him. I can remember praying and waiting for Him to answer, but it never really came in the way I expected.

Finally, in April of my Senior year I received my answer via a scholarship from Cedarville University. Now, it wasn't anything big, but it was SOMETHING. I took the scholarship and ended up going to Cedarville University for four years - and loved it!

Sometimes in life we feel like God is silent and allow it to push us further and further away from Him. What we really do is begin to blame God instead of looking at ourselves. If you think about it - God has been the same in the past as He is today. He hasn't changed - we're the ones who change our relationship with God. Even Jesus' closest friends had a hard time trusting Him and they spent 3 years with Him on the earth! After all the miracles they saw and the amazing conversations they had with him - doubt still crept in.

I think the best way for us to fight doubt is found in the verse from James 4:8, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." The best way for us to fight doubts is to get to know God really, really well...

This week - encourage the students in your house to develop a personal relationship with Jesus. Maybe a start is to memorize James 4:8 and put it into practice!

Backpack - Reputation (Week 4 of 4)

Everyone has a reputation, or something that you are known for. You might be known as the nice guy. You might be known as the funny guy. You might even be known as someone who puts other people down. Whether we realize it or not we are building a reputation for ourselves every single day.

The question is: What do you want to be known for? When someone talks about you what exactly do they say? Obviously, your close friends would describe you one way and other people who may not know you as well would describe you differently. But, overall how would people describe you?

Our goal, as Christ followers, is to have Jesus become a part of our character and reputation. This week as you go to school and spend time with family and friends think about the reputation you're building. It's more important than you think.





1. Tell about a specific time when you wanted to deny you belonged to your family because they embarrassed you.

2. Have you ever talked or acted a certain way to keep people from labeling you as a church kid? Have you ever straight-up denied your friendship with Jesus like Peter did?

3. Is your reputation weighing down your backpack? On a scale of 1-10, how big of an issue is this for you?

4. What is something about your reputation you wish you could change?

5. Whatever you do, you are building a reputation for yourself. You can give your own name either a good reputation or a bad one. If you have chosen to follow Christ, you represent His name too. What kind of reputation do your actions give to God?

6. If there was a kid from school, who knew you pretty well, and was asked to tell everything they knew about you – what kinds of things do you think they’d say: (1.) About your character (who you are deep inside), (2.) About your faith (what you believe), (3.) About your friends (who you hang out with and how they shape you).

7. Read Proverbs 29:25 together.
Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the Lord means safety. (NLT)

8. As it relates to this scripture, what can protect you from being concerned with basing your actions on what others think? (Possible Answer: Have complete trust that when you follow God, you do not need to worry about what anyone else thinks.)

9. Read Proverbs 3:3-4.

Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation. (NLT)

10. How can you have a good reputation with both people and God?


What steps will you take?

11. During this school year, what goals can you have for making your relationship with God a part (or even more apart) of your reputation?