The Challenge was to live out of a backpack for 40 hours….what the 14 girls that came didn’t realise was that they would also walk the equivalent of a half marathon…with all their gear! This year World Vision 40 Hour Famine turned its attention to the Syrian Refugee Crisis. Our goal was to raise was to raise $2500 so that World Vision could resource an entire class room! It was ambitious and we gave it our all.
Small Group time at ACTIV8 on Friday….discussing Social Media and tips for keeping it real. Digital Technology is a reality in the lives of our young people and it was great to see ACTIV8 grappling with how to keep it positive and keeping ourselves safe. Remember…..”I didn’t steal his shoes.”
Read Mark 3:20-30 VOICES – Everybody has voices, either in their head, or in their life. These voices seek to make us less than who we are. They try and tell us who we are not. It was no different for Jesus. His own family are on their way to “take charge of him” worried that his ministry is not only affecting Jesus but could also make them look bad. The Pharisees are already starting to look bad so they try and label Jesus as evil.
Read Mark 3:7-19 This week Jesus picks his dream team. Have any of you ever played a fantasy football game, or picked your unique special team ? What was it like ? if you were picking the 15 best all blacks ever who would you choose ? Jesus – being God has the ability to pick anyone as his followers. How come he picks these guys ? Two argue some brothers, Peter who often seems like not he sharpest knife on the rack and one of them will betray him. What was Jesus thinking ? If Jesus picks people like this, he might even pick someone like me. Why do you follow Jesus ? (If you do ?) That’s really…
Friday Night and the ACTIV8 youth were all dressed up in the ‘onesies’ and having a blast. There is nothing like 30+ young people making plenty of noise and having plenty of fun all dressed up in their pjs!
On Friday June 10 ACTIV8 made plenty of noise in the Auditorium and looked at “How much a person is worth.” From selling a few organs to selling a person, it was all up for grabs…including 10 chocolate bars for the student who could guess the closest value. Well done Liam – don’t eat them all at once! So how much is a person worth…..the ACTIV8 youth discovered that their value is not in what they can do or who they are but that they are valuable because God made them and no one can take that value away from them!
1 May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us— 2 so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. –Psalm 67:1–2 (NIV) Discuss: what do you think it means for God’s face to shine on us ? Read Psalm 80 – notice the same phrase about God’s face comes up 3 times. What do you think this is saying ? Jesus Christ is God’s “Yes” to Humanity. – Agree ? Disagree ? When we say “Yes” to one thing we are also saying “No” to others. We see this in the 10 commandments – the first is our “Yes” to God, and the others are more of a “No” flavour. One thing…
Chase: Chasing After the Heart of God God is invisible. Yet He is the only thing we can chase that won’t leave us feeling empty. God has carved out a space in each of us that only He can fill. So whether you are running from GWillod or working your tail off to please Him, David’s journey will challenge your view of God. Chase explores the events that defined David’s life and the Psalms that flowed out of those experiences. Through David’s example we’ll discover what God really wants from us. The lessons in this study are simple yet deep and very interactive, offering Bible study, stories, and projects to dig into Scripture and deeply engage the minds and hearts…
It’s Queens birthday and the passage is short. There are two ideas to talk about. The first has to do with marshmallows. This was about delayed gratification. It was the practise of many in Jesus’ time to fast and pray. Fasting is about giving something up for a period of time so that you can have something else. It’s got some similarities to saving for something. It’s a behaviour that expresses our values and even though the passage we’re reading isn’t an endorsement of the practise. I did find myself musing on when we lay something aside, or wait for something and what that says about our values. How serious are we about our faith ? Do we really want…
Friendship isn’t about always being ‘excellent’ with one another. Friendship is about preparing a space for authentic conversation. And sometimes authenticity happens when everything is a bit scruffy. What do you think ?
