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Student Ministry - April 2019

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Dear Church Family,
 
We had a blast on our Student Retreat just a few weeks ago! We took a group of 68 people (that’s 54 students and 14 adults) to Highland Lakes Baptist Camp to get away and   focus on the Lord. The goal is to remove distractions and seek the Lord so He can do what He wants to do in our lives. We even take the students’ phones away during the day! At first they hate that, but just 48 hours later they are so happy we did it. It allows them to be focused on what’s happening right in front of them. It allows God to speak to them with less distraction. And God was speaking for sure! At least 5 students prayed to receive Christ, and many others had a deep work done in their hearts.

So maybe that is the key to having a vibrant relationship with Jesus? Maybe we should take 2, even 3 retreats every year so that God can grow us? Well, there’s a problem with this… that’s nowhere near enough retreating for God to do the work that He wants to do in our hearts. We need to retreat to Him way more than just a handful of times throughout the year for us to have a vibrant relationship with God. Think about it. What if you only spent about 5 weekends out of the year with your spouse or children? Those weekends would mean so much, but you would not have a very meaningful relationship with your family. You’d barely know them. You’d constantly be trying to catch up on all the time you missed. None of us would say that is an ideal relationship. So why do we often think about our relationship with Jesus like that? As if we can know Him and love Him well by giving Him a few weekends out of the year, or even just one day out of the week. Do you see that disconnect in our thinking?

That is why I have recently been talking to the students about our need for a daily retreat to the Lord. We can retreat to Him each and every day and encounter the same life-changing Spirit who we are so attentive to when we “get away.” I call this time a quiet time. It is a time that I get away from distractions and focus on God through His word and prayer. We all know we ought to do this. But what if we started thinking about this time as our daily retreat? It’s our time to focus on God and be changed by Christ in us. Wouldn’t you love to have the life-changing experience we tend to have on retreats more often than just once or twice a year? What if God isn’t making changes in your heart because you aren’t retreating to Him enough? This isn’t a work that you must do to win God’s favor. This is you putting your faith into action! Do we believe God can grow us and make us less angry, less anxious, less selfish, less depressed, less afraid, more motivated, more loving, more joyful, more patient, more zealous for good works? Then let’s retreat to Him more often and watch Him go to work in our lives!

 

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Student Ministry - March 2019

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Dear Church Family,
I am so excited to be taking our students on our annual Student Ministry Retreat, March   8-10. This year’s theme is “Image.” Who am I? What is my identity? Who do I see in the mirror? Who does God see in me? These are the questions we will be discussing. It is imperative at this phase of life for students to understand and cherish God’s perspective of themselves. Many people spend way more time considering what they think of themselves or what others think than they spend considering God’s understanding of their Image. Because of this some people have an unhealthy arrogance about themselves causing them to think lesser of others and even mistreat them. Some people think too little of themselves thinking they are worthless and  causing them to be distant and lonely. A healthy perspective, though, is a biblical one. God makes it clear to us exactly what He sees in us, and His message is very encouraging.

As we grow in understanding the love that God has for us, we grow in cherishing His opinion more than anyone else’s. This is such a freeing reality, because it allows us to no longer strive for approval. It doesn’t mean that everyone approves of us now. But it does mean that God approves of us in Christ. He is for us! That is His message. That means that, when we have Christ, we need not be concerned with the opinions of naysayers, bullies, unthoughtful friends, disagreeable family members, or enemies of any kind. God is for us. When He sees us who have put our faith in Christ, He sees His beloved children. He sees Christ’s righteousness. He sees restored hearts who are growing in the Image of His Son, Jesus.

Because of what Jesus did for us through His death and resurrection, “there is now no condemnation for us in Christ.” No matter how many “dislikes” others might give to our Image, God’s “like” outweighs them all! No matter what this life throws our way, we can press on knowing that our God is pleased with us as we place our faith in Jesus. No matter who puts us down, the love of God makes us conquerors, because nothing is as consequential as God’s love for us in Jesus!

This is the message that everyone needs to hear. But this is certainly the message that our students need to hear. In a world that tells them that they are the ones who define truth; in a world that says their opinion is the most important; in the same world that tells them they must fit into a mold; in the same world that bullies them and makes them feel worthless; in the same world that promotes social media celebrities; in the same world that lives and dies by the likes and dislikes; in the same ironic world where tearing someone down in the name of feigned unity is promoted as social justice; in the same world where suicide is the fastest way to become popular… the message that, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” is exactly what we need. Do you believe this?

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