We all like to receive letters. These days they come primarily in an e-mail but in Biblical times, letters were handwritten. The apostle Paul wrote a lot of letters, many of which are included in the Bible. His letters were intended to help the early church sort out what it meant to really follow Jesus. But the Galatians may not have been too excited to get Paul’s letter to them because Paul was mad. The Galatian church was a mess. People were saying that what Jesus did on the cross wasn’t enough. They were looking around them and determining who was in with God, and who was out. So Paul set out to bring some clarity to the situation in the passionate, sound way that only He could. And while this may seem like a great look back in history, we probably have more in common with the Galatians than we would care to admit.

Session One: Jesus + (3-23-11)
If Paul was around today, he would be emailing and tweeting all the time—and for good reason, people needed his help. God had placed Paul in a strategic point during the early church to help bring some clarity to the chaos. And there was chaos . . . a lot of chaos. People were trying to add to the gospel, saying Jesus’ death and resurrection weren’t enough. That it needed a few extra things to help someone “be a Christian” and be “in” with God. That got Paul fired up, and he set out to clear things up. And thousands of years later, Paul’s words are a great reminder for us because it’s easy to think and act as if what Jesus did wasn’t enough.

Session Two: The Checklist (3-30-11)
What does a Christian look like? Stop for a minute and think about that, because aside from the basic belief that Jesus was the Son of God, He died for our sins and rose from the dead, there are some things that most of us would add to that. Maybe our response would be someone who reads the Bible or helps people in need. Maybe it’s someone who prays every day and attends church regularly. Maybe it’s someone who has memorized a bunch of Bible verses and knows a lot about the Bible. But we also have some responses we probably wouldn’t feel very comfortable saying aloud—things like the kind of music someone listens to, what someone wears or what someone says. So what does a Christian look like? The answer is probably a lot more simple than we make it out to be.

Session Three: With Love (4-6-11)
So with all this talk about what it does and doesn’t mean to be a follower of Christ, does that mean that a Christian doesn’t do anything? Not exactly. It’s not always about what you do, but your reason for doing it. For example, are you reading your Bible because you want to love God and others more, or are you reading it to prove how spiritual you are to anyone who asks? It’s the “why” factor. So are you doing what you’re doing because you’re motivated by love—love for God and love for others—or by something else? 

Day After Day- Kristian Stanfill (iTunes | Amazon)
My Reward- Kristian Stanfill (iTunes | Amazon)
With One Word- Shane Barnard (iTunes | Amazon)
Yahweh- Hillsong (iTunes | Amazon)
Jesus Saves- Carlos Whittaker (iTunes | Amazon)

We all want forgiveness, but we’re not always eager to give it out, are we? And for some of us, there are some very big hurts that have a grip on our lives. Things that were done, or not done, that wounded us. Even the very memory of those things brings up the emotions as fresh as they were when they were new. So how do you move on? How do you get past the hurt and pain? And how do you push past something you know you should do to the point where you can finally release it?

Session One: First Things First (2-23-11)
It feels good to receive forgiveness, doesn’t it? When we’ve messed up, when we’ve hurt someone, we want to know that what we’ve done wrong can be overlooked and gotten over. But when we’ve been hurt, when we’ve been wounded, when we’re the one left a little worse for the wear, it’s not quite as easy to extend forgiveness, is it? Still, as difficult as it is to do, there’s a value in pursuing forgiveness. There’s a value in being committed to the process—no matter how long it takes. And it goes beyond something we “should” do to something we have to do for the sake of ourselves—and for our future.

Session Two: Letting Go (3-3-11)
Chances are when we began talking about forgiveness, someone very specific came to mind—someone who did something to hurt you and who you haven’t quite figured out how to pardon. Who is that person that wounded you or disappointed you? When you think of your hurt do you see only the person who offended you? If you’re like most, it’s hard to separate the wrong done to you from the person who hurt you. But what if you began to see him or her as a human being? What if you learned how to name the origin of the hurt? It may help you move forward. It may even begin to help you release the pain.

Session Three: Moving On (3-9-11)
Putting forgiveness into process is daunting. It forces us to deal with some really yucky stuff—stuff that oftentimes feels better left alone. But whether it’s the offense itself, our response, our perspective or learning to relate to someone we would rather avoid, the practice of forgiveness is one we need to learn to involve ourselves in. So what does that actually look like? Is it a conversation? Is it an action? There’s not really a formula for this. And while our actions and words are important, it is our commitment to the process that is crucial and will get us to the place we need to be. 

There’s something pretty amazing about being in love, isn’t there? The butterflies in your stomach. The dreamy gazes. No wonder so many of us are so in love with being in love. But if you look around—in the media, at school, in life—we’ve taken what God created and twisted it, morphed it and configured it into something it was never meant to be—an obsession. When romantic relationships become an obsession, balance goes out the window. We miss out on opportunities and experiences we might otherwise have had. And sometimes we even forget who we are. There’s got to be healthier way to do this. There’s got to be another way than being so lovesick.

 Session One (Wednesday, January 26):

There is nothing quite like the experience of falling in love. Nothing. In fact, some people are willing to do just about anything for the feeling of being in love, for the knowledge that someone values them, finds them significant and worthwhile. Some people are even willing to give up who they are as an individual, give up their identity, just for the sake of a relationship. This week we are going to talk to students about the both the fun and wonderful parts of dating and also the danger of sacrificing who they are and who they are designed to be for the sake of romance

Session Two (Wednesday, February 2):

“Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket!” We’ve all heard the phrase before, some of us have probably even used it a time or two, but when it comes to dating, it can be pretty hard to actually put into practice. We live in a culture where marketing, events and entertainment are driven by romantic relationships, where people are profiled based on relationship status, and where love and romance are a part of our daily conversations. For many students it just seems normal, almost expected to devote all of their time, energy and affection to acquiring or maintaining a dating relationship. This week we’re going to talk to students about finding balance as they learn to fit dating into the many other, equally important, areas of life.

Session Three (Wednesday, February 9):

High school reunions can be either something we eagerly look forward to, or anxiously dread. The reasons for our excitement or our hesitation are usually the same—the people. We’re concerned about who we will encounter from our past and the lasting impression they had on us—for better or for worse—and the lasting impression we had on them. And no relationship has the ability to leave an impression, for better or worse, than a dating relationship. Dating relationships just have a lot of potential to do great good, or harm in the mark they leave. So this week we are going to help students explore dating from the perspective of the one they date. We want to challenge students this week to think about their own responsibility, regardless of where they may have been in the past, to always consider what they can do in the future to make someone’s story better, and to treat them in a way that will be beneficial and positive in the long run.

In Chap Clark’s book, Disconnected, he says that parents are responsible for providing the boundaries necessary to help a child grow into the person God has created and redeemed them to be. That’s a pretty heavy task. It requires first that parents know where the child is—an ongoing challenge in itself. And second, it requires that parents know where the dangers lie, where the areas of caution are and what signals indicate that something might be holding the child back.

In our upcoming Wednesday night series, we will be talking with our students about dating. But more importantly we are talking about balance. In a world where finding a boyfriend or girlfriend becomes all-consuming, we want to remind students that dating is only one of many areas in their lives. Like everything else, it is good in moderation, when it is not taken to extremes. We also want to help them develop healthy relationships, whether those are dating relationships or friendships with the opposite sex, and help them understand the value in leaving a positive impression in the lives of those we come in contact with.

As a mother or as a father, you are in a better position than anyone to know and understand how dating works in your child’s life. Maybe they haven’t dated anyone, but they are constantly thinking about ways to find that perfect someone. Maybe they haven’t been alone since fourth grade. Maybe they’ve been dating the same person for the past two years. Wherever they fall on the spectrum, you are viewing the situation close-up. Their emotions are in it. You, who have more insight and more life experience, can look down the road for them when they don’t have the perspective to do it on their own. Are there dangers ahead? Is there something that might be holding them back from experiencing the life intended for them?

I would like to challenge you to take a few minutes this month to reflect on your child’s situation—especially in the area of dating. Think of ways you can be creative and helpful as you set boundaries and help them navigate the wonderful and risky world of relationships.

Ask anyone who’s ever run into a sliding glass door that was closed, or went for the same baseball as a teammate, or experienced a fender bender at a stoplight—a collision changes things. Whether it’s a bump on the head or a cracked bumper, something is not the same as it was before. The same thing happens when we collide with God or His truth or even other people. We’re changed. But unless we put ourselves in a position to collide, everything will stay the same. So are you ready to change, are you ready to collide? 

Session One: Impact (01-05-11)

Not many people would place themselves in the path of a moving object. Well, not most sane people. But if you understand the principle of collision, then you put yourself out there. You think about what you need to do, who you need to intersect with to make change happen. With whom or with what do you need to collide? Because if you never collide, you’ll never change.

Session Two: Blindsided (01-12-11)

Have you ever met someone who was such a great example of Christ, but that person wasn’t a Christian? It sort of messes with your head, doesn’t it? After all, Christians don’t have a monopoly on caring for people. Not all things that are God’s truth exist exclusively with Christians or in the walls of the church. And if we realize that we can collide with truth in places other than the expected, God can use those collisions to show us new things about Himself and even change us. 

Session Three: Totaled (01-19-11)

Are you a safety boy/girl? Do you like the predictable? Do you like to know the outcome before you dive into something? Do you like to keep things the way they are—predictable? Isn’t that, well, a little boring? Maybe you need to collide with God. Maybe you need to place yourself in His path so that something in your life will change. It’s a collision that will leave you different than the status quo—and that’s a very good thing.

New programming coming to our student and children's ministries in January 2011.

What comes to mind when you think about God? Who do you believe God is? How do you believe God interacts with you personally and with your world? These are questions we are going to be addressing over the next three weeks.

You see, every one of us has a Godview whether we think about it or not. For many of us, it’s just a vague impression formed when we were younger. For some, it’s an image of Someone against whom we have a strong resistance. For others, God is personal and mysterious, offering an adventure to anyone ready to pursue a relationship with Him. While we can never really know everything about God—because He’s that big and that mysterious—the things we can learn about Him shape the way we respond to whatever life brings. That’s why author A.W. Tozer said, "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”

Week 1 (Nov. 3): Microscopic-The most important thing about a person is what they  think about when they think about God.

Week 2 (Nov. 10): Distorted-How you view God determines both your expectations and your responses.

Week 3 (Nov. 17): Panoramic- People who live with an ever-growing picture of God live amazing lives.

Parents, be sure to check out www.collisionstudents.com  We will be posting our notes and some discussion questions from our series. This will allow you to connect with your student and discuss what they’re learning and thinking about.

 
Robbie