High School Sunday Morning Series

How to Develop Healthy Relationships
You were challenged to consider how to assess where you may be in relationships with someone of the opposite sex. Relationships can be complicated. But with God's truth as your guide you can alleviate some of the pain and the strain. But you both have to commit to God's way. So capture the levels of building a relationship with someone. You can build great relationships. You can.

The tool we offer is one where you consider five key concepts: know, trust, rely, commit, and touch. Ideally, each builds on one another. You can only progress as you get to know someone. With each situation you observe actions, attitudes, and clarify thoughts. You use discernment, you assess where this person is. You must know them well before testing how much you can trust and rely on them. Again, this is only a tool. Process it yourself. You have some options: discard it, implement it, integrate part of it into your life, modify it, or just think more about it. It's up to you to decide how you build relationships. This tool could help.

You need more ways to make this tool your own. So I suggest you evaluate relationships you see on TV, at the movies, or on DVD. Much like you did today. Evlautate what you watch. Use your brain. Think. Think about where you are at and consider where the other person is at. Engage life with some tool for relationship building. Use or lose this tool. It's one way to build godly relationships. It's up to you.

One student outlines "10 reasons why you really do have a choice about your life." God challenges you, "

If you decide that it's a bad thing to worship GOD, then choose a god you'd rather serve--and do it today. Choose one of the gods your ancestors worshiped from the country beyond The River, or one of the gods of the Amorites, on whose land you're now living. As for me and my family, we'll worship GOD." (Joshua 24:15 The Message)

You can choose God's way. So live it!

Pastor D

High School Sunday Morning

How to Develop Health Relationships (part two)





"You need this tool to help you." So said the lady at Lowe's.

Often I am reluctant to payout more money just for a tool to help. I can either pay 'em now, or pay'em later (after struggling and stressing, and swearing--oh yeah, not swearing). You can use the relationship model tool to help you begin to develop relationships. If you are already in a relationship or even with your friends you can use the tool to nurture bonds, not to shackle yourself in bonds. I feel that you need this tool to help you. I hope you come and learn how to use it.

You will begin to learn how to engage your head. This is the part where you get to know someone. The two areas to explore in your relationships are family background and childhood experiences as well as attitudes and actions of the conscience. How you were shaped in your family unit affects relationships. How you developed your conscience affects relationships. How you have matured (or not) impacts relationships. So come and learn how to develop great friendships and to nurture deep relationships. Invite a friend to come.


Pastor D

High School Sunday Morning

How to develop great relationships

I was listening to radiou on 88.7 and this song by April Sixth called "Dear Angel" was playing. I post the lyrics for you because relationships can feel so hurtful and alienating. You feel all alone and hopeless. Instead, God is near. No matter how many times people fail you, God will not! He promises to be with you, to never leave you nor forsake you. He is the best friend you'll always have. Nurture that friendship so that you can avoid feelings expressed in this song. I wonder where you can download it. I tried itunes but came up empty.

Dear angel of mine,

Where do I start to express how I feel?

Well, my love's gone blind.

Now all that I feel is what I hear.

Your words rip and tear, and

through my heart so weak and pure.

Now I find myself wanting to die…

CHORUS

I bleed for the second time tonight

holding the love that's in my mind.

If only my love could be with you.

If only this pain, this pain died too.

So I break you away, away, away from me.

As I sit here alone

thinking about everything that you said.

You know since I'm alone.

Well, maybe after all, I was better off dead.

Cause without you my life's gone down...

What do I do, when I find myself wanting to die?

This song shares how you could feel like dying. But think before you do. Consider the markers for relationships that you are learning on Sunday mornings--know, trust, rely, commit, touch. Where is this person? Could you use the relationship tool to mark where he or she is at? Come learn how to cultivate great relationships with God's help.

Pastor D

Sunday Morning High School

We will proceed with the second-part of our five-part series this Sunday regarding how to develop healthy relationships. Mrs. Feusse had a tough Sunday afternoon. Her daughter Katie broke her leg in a championship game in Cincinnati. I have not got an update but I'm sure there is some recovery time needed.

This week we will unpack a little more about how healthy relationships work. I wonder if you have any movie clips or songs that could depict or describe how relationships are perceived in student life. I have a distant perspective. But you could provide some more insight to help us on Sunday morning. Please offer your suggestions here by posting a comment and adding links to the content you discover online. Thanks.

Pastor D

High School New Series

Starting Sunday, April 29 How NOT to marry a jerk/jerkette

Certified Instructor Mrs. Wendy Feusse will facilitate our discussions regarding relationships. Students often become relationship casualties. This five week series will target how students can learn to manuever through dating relationships before marriage while lessening the risks of injury during the process. The series will be an open class allowing for new students to attend every week. Each session will "stand on its own." We will explore these sessions Sunday mornings starting April 2 through May 27.

Watch this news story and interview by Meredith Viera of young women's view of the term "hooking up." Please read what I posted earlier. More to follow.

Pastor D

Sunday Morning Connect 11am

High School Lesson

Your world seeks guidance for life. When tragedy strikes, you want answers. You want guidance. The free video from bluefishtv.com of the VA Tech Prayer Vigil shows how students want direction in the midst of life's challenges. Yet the culture around you offers many avenues for guidance. One is dreams. In the movie trailer for premonition you can see how your dreams could shape or re-shape the future or any outcome. Where do you get your guidance for your life?

You read a daily reading from a real horoscope. You said it was untrue, a sham, a fun thing to do but you wouldn't follow its insights. You even described it as foolish. But many students look for guidance in life, but seek it in the wrong place where you create more problems. You watched a satirical look at someone who seeks wisdom from a horoscope mini-scroll. Someone has to buy them! Then you created mottos or bumper-sticker summaries of the following Bible verses: Exodus 15:13; Psalm 23; Psalm 25, 5,9; Psalm 31:3; Psalm 32:8-10; Isaiah 48:17. You can get guidance from the Bible! But are you?

I wonder if many times God can't guide you because you are either too busy following something else, preoccupied, or filling your time and mind with way too many things that drown out His voice. I trust you will take the challenge to spend at least five minutes each day listening to God and reading His Word in the Bible. You can do it! I am striving to fulfill my commitment. Today is not over. Make time to hear God's voice. I'd love to hear how God is speaking to you. Please share.

Pastor D