CCYouth version Man vs. Wild

H.A.B.I.T.S (Hang Time with God)

This week we started a new series that can help teenagers develop “HABITS” for personal spiritual growth. Each week, we focus on a different letter from the acronym HABITS. Our focus this time was “H,” which stands for “Hang Out With God.”

In Psalm 1, the psalmist contrasts the way of the wicked with the way of the righteous. The wicked person progressively falls into deeper and deeper sin, while the righteous one enjoys a blessed life. The righteous person is like a tree planted by a stream of water that doesn’t wither and produces fruit. Fruit is the result or byproduct of reading, meditating, and applying God’s truths to our lives.

We believe in the value of parents and teenagers having conversations about spiritual topics. So each week I’ll be sending you some questions that can help generate healthy dialogue with your student. Here are some questions based on our small group meeting this week:
• What are some examples of spiritual fruit that you have seen in your life?
• Have you ever felt like you were “walking,” “standing,” or “sitting” with people who were leading you away from God’s path for your life? What did you do to overcome it?
• What did you learn from meditating on God’s Word this week?

I believe this will be an awesome series that will help your teenager get closer to God. Have a great day!

We also had Pastor Paul and his wife, Suzanne join the youth room for the hour. Thanks for your interest in CCYouth Pastor Paul.

Don’t forget the dates for the beach trip is September 2-5 2011. We desire for every High School student to be a part of this trip. Check out the videos, the pictures, and the information regarding this trip at
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/event.php?eid=244200848947429 or www.ccyouth.org.

The Games

Making the Most out of your Family Part 3

We’ve concluded our family series “Making the Most of Your Family Life”. We looked at Deuteronomy 6:4-9, which explains what it means to fully love God in every area of our lives, especially home life! We challenged students to go deeper with their faith, so, don’t be surprised if your teenager initiates some spiritual conversations in the coming days.

Look for an opportunity to talk with your teenager about our discussion. Here are some questions to help get you started:
• What are some habits you can develop that will help you grow spiritually?
• What do you see as your role in encouraging spiritual growth in your family?
• What do you think it means to love God with all of your heart, soul, and strength?

You might also initiate or suggest some regular times your family can talk about God. When you do spend time together, be sure to take a few minutes to pray as a family. Send me an email or give me a call to share any news on how things are going. I’d love to know!

Some dates to remember; 1) August 24 Family dinner at the church and the “Week of Hope” will share, 2) August 26 & 27 Guys camp-out on Lake Keowee, 3) September 2-5 Beach trip. If you need any other information regarding these dates please see me, facebook or www.ccyouth.org and go to events.

Christ Community Church Tornado Relief

Making the Most out of your Family Part 2

Hey, I have not sent you anything to you in a couple of weeks. Some may think, thank goodness JP isn’t sending anything. We have been very busy with combined ABF’s and then our mission trip to Manassas. We will give a full report (regarding the mission trip) at our monthly meal together August 24. I would encourage you to seek out team members and ask about the trip. (I will start sneaking more pictures and possible videos out, soon.) Other items of interest this Thursday we will tube down the Green River. We will leave from the church at 9AM, the cost is $7.00, plus a bag lunch is needed.

We continued our family series this week by talking about the priority of understanding one another and doing so honestly. Paul offers wisdom in Colossians 3 on creating healthy relationships that are filled with such Christ-like traits as patience, humility, forgiveness, and love. These traits can help teenagers become more understanding toward other family members. Our goal was to help our students examine their families and search for ways to build greater understanding and healthier relationships.

I’d encourage you to take some time this week to read Colossians 3:12-15 on your own and then discuss your observations with your teenager. Here are some possible questions to ask:
• What situations create the greatest moments of honesty in our family, and which situations seem to hinder honesty?
• What can I do help encourage more honesty in our family? How can we work together on this?

Discuss ways you can be more understanding and honest with one another as you seek to better realize what it means to be a parent and a teenager in today’s culture. Talk about how you can pray for one another and take a moment to do so together.

Remember, you’re always welcome to call or email me if there are any ways I can pray for you or your family. Have a blessed week!