High School Sunday Morning Series

How to Build Healthy Relationships

This week you are going to pause and to assess how relationships remain healthy. You will view various film clips and use your best judgment to discern where the person is on the Relationship Attachment Model. When you are in a relationship, it is hard to discover where you are and where you are going. So Mrs. Feusse wants you to digest and to decide how to assess your relationships. Come ready to discuss and to question how you determine healthy relationships based on the model presented. I can't wait to discover where you are at.

Pastor D

Middle School Sunday Morning Series

Mother's Day

This Sunday we will take a one-week break and highlight mom's. Everyone alive has a birth mom. You will get to honor you mom in a unique manner on Sunday morning. Come ready to honor your mom.

You can be a good daughter or son. You can grow in maturity. This week I will share my own adolescent mistakes. You will benefit from hearing about my teenage regrets and about my past and present relationship with my mom.

You will get practical help to honor your mother better. Come to stop and make a card for your mom. Who says you can’t take time out to take some paper, crayons, markers, and paste and creatively say thanks to your mom.

Pastor D

Sunday Evening Discipleship

I came across by Charles Swindoll that helps illustrate the point that we are in a spiritual battle. We need to march forward for our King. He has made us his princes and princesses. Just like C.S. Lewis' story the Chronicles of Narnia. You need to armor up and join the battle for God's truth. You need to think the truth. You need to live the truth with love. You need to speak the truth in love.

Before the breakup of the Soviet Union, Christians were routinely persecuted for their faith by the Communist regime. We have many inspiring stories of courageous Christians behind the Iron Curtain who were willing to die for their faith during this difficult period in world history.
One such story involves a house church in a city in the former Soviet Union. The small group of believers who gathered there were afraid to carry Bibles, so they memorized large sections of the New Testament and recited Scripture to each other.
Each week they would arrive at the house at different times, to avoid arousing the suspicions of KGB informers. On one particular Sunday the church members were all safely inside the building, with the windows closed and doors locked. They began the service by softly singing a hymn and praying.
Suddenly, the door burst open and two soldiers armed with automatic weapons walked in. One shouted, “All right, everybody up against the wall. If you wish to renounce your faith in Jesus Christ, you can leave now and no harm will come to you.”
Two or three church members left, then another.
“This is your last chance!” the other soldier warned. “Either turn your back on this Jesus of yours or stay and suffer the consequences!”
Another member left. Two more covered their faces in shame and slipped out into the night. No one else moved. Parents with small children trembling beside them looked down reassuringly. They fully expected to be gunned down on the spot—or, at the very least, imprisoned.
After a few moments of silence, the soldiers closed the door and looked back at the church members left standing against the wall. One of them said, “Keep your hands up—but this time in praise to our Lord Jesus Christ, brothers and sisters. We, too, are Christians. We were sent to another house church several weeks ago to arrest a group of believers. But instead, we were converted.”The other soldier added, “We are sorry to have frightened those who left, but we have learned that unless people are willing to die for their faith, they cannot be fully trusted.”

So live for God's kingdom.

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

Wisdom from Proverbs

"Though it cost all you have, get understanding (Proverbs 4:7)."

I wonder how willing I am to give up everything to get wisdom. I want to understand what God has for me. No matter what season of life you are in--middle school, high school, college, or post-college--you want to know about the future. The Wise One here in this chapter exhorts me to get wisdom.

Pursue wisdom.

Chase after her.

I enjoy the personification of wisdom here in this chapter. The pursuit of a wife is my frame of reference now. As an elementary student this would not speak to me. Girls were yucky. But as I matured, girls were a wonderment. As I moved through the teens and into my early twenties, I did not have relationships figured out. Still God help me understand things--about how relationships grow, how it sometimes hurt you, how it brings great exhilaration, how it can separate, and how it may grow stronger. Then I began pursuing my wife-to-be. As Melissa tells it (she tells it best), I pursued her with unconventional methods. I got to know her through letters and then we began going out to get to each other more testing our trust, reliance, and commitment. I resolved to do whatever it took to "get me this woman." I wanted Melissa for my wife. I would have given up anything for her. I would have spent whatever it cost to win her heart.

Now I see how I need to pursue wisdom. I can hear God say, "Daron, Get wisdom--pursue it like you pursued Melissa." I get it. I wonder if you get it. Pursue widsom. Chase after understanding. For the benefits are:

"Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you (Proverbs 4:6)."

You need to pursue wisdom, to get understanding so you can live for God and not just handle life but really live life to the fullest in God. You can enjoy life. Enjoy life with God.

Pastor D

WEEZER LYRICS - Island In The Sun

WEEZER LYRICS - Island In The Sun

I was listening to Pandora the online internet radio station and this song played. I googled the lyrics and I was thinking about the concept of living on an island with just one person. How idyllic! I wonder if these guys truly believe that escaping to a remote island would offer a great relationship experience. The lyrics that caught my attention of this fantasy island experience were:

"We'll run away together, We'll spend some time forever, We'll never feel bad anymore"

Relationships are difficult--in my own opinion--more difficult without God in your life. You can fantasize that you'll never feel bad anymore on this earth. But during your life, you will experience pain--sometimes feel it intensely. Yes, you will feel bad. However, that's not the end, or the only thing to try to avoid. In my own life I have experienced bad, awful feelings then been enraptured with great, passionate feelings. Yes, I feel bad sometimes. But to fantasize about repelling all bad feelings sets you up for frustration and eventual cynicism. Every relationship becomes only another heartbreak to endure. Rather than settle and shelter yourself from the coming pain, you can embrace the pain when and if it comes.

God created us to feel the full spectrum of our emotions. Mad-glad; Sad-Happy; Afraid-Confident; etc. We need pain to give perspective and enjoyment to happiness. In fact the Bible shares how one can be sad and mad about life's circumstances yet express joy in God. Check out Psalm 144. Verse 15 says,
"Happy are the people whose God is the Lord!" Your hope can be in God even when the pain of challenging relationships occurs. You can trust in God! So don't wish for a fantasy island where you'll never feel bad anymore but engage in a real relationship with God and with others where you'll never feel alone anymore--no matter if your emotions are up or down. You can rely on God. I wonder what you think. Maybe I don't get Weezer's lyrics. Let me know what you think.

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

Wisdom from Proverbs

This is my favorite chapter. This morning as I read and spent time in silence before God. I asked God to speak to me. As the day ends I've had God remind me of the first verses in this chapter.

"My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity. Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart, Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and humankind (Proverbs 3:1-4)."

For all the things in this world I would want--money, fame, power--God offers long life, peace, prosperity, favor and a good name before God and people. I choose God's offer. Although I forget that his offer is guaranteed. What the world offers is not guaranteed and fleeting. My part in this good life is to obey God's truth, to love others and to be faithful to God and my family. The world's way to take the good life is to lie, cheat, steal, and do whatever it takes to take it for myself. I choose God's way. I want to honor God with my life. He will provide and take care of me.

I can count on Him! You can count on Him too. Just believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you can be saved-you and your household (Acts 16:31). Read the story of how one man found God at the darkest time of his life, even when God's people were in jail. Paul and Silas are in jail and even the jailer got to know God better in spite of their circumstances. You can know God better too. I wonder if you could tell about how you counted on God, how did God take care of you. He takes care of me everyday.

Pastor D

Sunday Evening Discipleship

Bread Series--conclusion this Sunday Night 6:30-7:45pm

The final discipleship session for the school year focuses on God's forever Kingdom. God's people in the Old Testament waited and waited for a Messiah--a Deliverer. They thought when this Messiah comes he would arrive in a big, spectacular way. They thought His coming would instantly, perhaps violently, radically change the world for them. They thought their enemies would be struck down, their lives would become prosperous, and their faith would be embraced by all. They were wrong, God's kingdom didn't and doesn't work that way.

Jesus explained that God's kingdom is like leaven. Leaven is a small, simple ingredient that works itself in and through the dough--transforming the dough and giving rise to the dough for bread to be baked for eating. God's kingdom is like leaven--it's truth works itself in and through you, transforming you and giving rise to a person living out the truth in real life. You can see your role--your place to live out God's radical and revolutionary ways in your own world. Your unique place is one that you can see work slowly and mightily through you. It is a lifetime transformation that God desires. You can pick up new pieces along the journey. You can make a radical impact these final weeks of school. God can do His kingdom work through you. You are his princes and princesses in battle for Him. Go and make a difference for Him!

Join us this Sunday night for a challenge and praise time to ignite your life for living for God this coming week. May it fuel your soul and impact others for Christ!

Tips for Small Groups:

• Praying Together--some students will be uncomfortable praying out loud. Let them know that everyone feels self-conscious when praying out loud for many times. Some people don't get over it. But students can work at it with you. Share how you learned to pray out loud with others or how you still feel challenged about praying out loud with others. Remind them that each one is simply talking to God who is the perfect Father and just wants them to share with Him what's on their minds as we have directed them this evening.
• Prayer Help--Try using a fill in the blank sentence; e.g. I want to thank You, God for _____; or I want You God to help me with _______. You may want them to write out their prayer and then read it back to God. Encourage students to try. This may be the only time they get coaching on how to pray and you get the chance to help one student become a great prayer warrior for the rest of his or her life.

Pastor D

Sunday Mornings Middle School

This Sunday morning at 9:30 you will be looking at some biblical characters. I am going to select two losers...biblical characters that you don't want to be like. Often I can select the men and women of the Bible who did great things or said awesome things. But as I review the wisdom literature of the Bible, you can learn from your mistakes. I do. In fact, you may learn some things to avoid in your own life.

As I skimmed through the Bible, I saw many losers. So I chose two--Saul & Haman. Saul is a great example of what can go wrong when you decide to know more than God. God had blessed Saul's life in tremendous ways yet he decided to disobey. So the challenge for you is to choose to obey. The rewards are worth the risk.

So come join us. You will discover how to not be a loser. You'll be glad you came to learn that lesson.

I want to say thanks to my friends Doug Fields and Kurt Johnston for lettime me use their material for our students. They have such great resources.

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

Wisdom from Proverbs

I have neglected posting my thoughts from God's Word. As this new month begins, I have a couple of thoughts. I concur with the words of Agur in Proverbs 30; " I am weary, God, but I can prevail. Surely I am only a brute, not a man; I do not have human understanding. I have not learned wisdom, nor have I attained to the knowledge of the Holy One (verses 1b-3)." I am weary. This school year has been challenging. But I will prevail. There are many things that I do not know. I am comfortable with admitting what I don't know. The hardest part is moving on from setbacks. I praise God for accepting me as I am. I can do a lot of things well. But I can only do one thing at a time. So this is where I ask God for wisdom. I need His insight. I can beat myself up so easily--telling myself that I have to do more. But God is transforming me. I can go to him for refuge from myself and my high expectations and desire for perfection. Later in verse five Agur says, "Every word of God is flawless, he is a shield to those who take refuge in him." I need refuge. God provides that for me. I praise God that I can be weary but not despairing. He will protect. He will provide. He will take care of me even when I don't understand what's going on.

Today's reading from chapter two, verses 1-5 help me move forward. Rather than pausing to flog myself, I can cry out to God for help. See verses 3 and 5b; "indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding...you will find the knowledge of God." Coupled with knowledge from God is respect for God. Do I truly respect God? I wonder sometimes. He is the Ruler of this Universe. He knows what's going to happen the rest of this day and tonight and tomorrow. So why do I fret about things so much. I can choose to trust rather than worry. I can choose to put my faith in God rather than shut my faith down. I can choose to rely on God rather than merely relying on myself. I can receive knowledge and wisdom. "For the Lord gives wisdom (Proverbs 2:6a)." God will give me wisdom for each day. I will not despar. I will trust. May God encourage you to trust God rather than worry. He can take care of you.

Pastor D

High School Relationships

Sunday Morning Series: How to develop healthy relationships

This Sunday begins our five week study on building healthy relationships. This theme is critical for students in high school. Growing good relationships is a skill anyone needs for creating a great life. All students want great friends. All parents want great friends for their children.

Mrs. Wendy Feusse challenged students to consider a new tool for fostering great relationships in boy-girl friendships. We used a relationship tool where five features were shared: Know, Trust, Rely, Commit, & Touch. Students need to define what selfishness looks like and feels like. We showed two clips. Selfishness rules over all relationships. The only way to overcome this natural tendency is to have Jesus come into your life and to help you overcome it. Without Jesus you have no hope. You can only expect heartache and pain with each new relationship These recurring "awful" relationships keep emerging. Yet with Jesus you will still experience heartache and pain but you'll survive it and grow from it and set the foundations for great relationships.

I was talking after church with a parent who discovered what we were sharing. This parent came up with a good point. Rather than avoid marrying a jerk, avoid dating one! I thought that was a good point. This tool is one way to work through guy-girl relationships but it eventually ends up with each person making up their own minds. I can't wait to hear how this tool will help students foster healthy and godly relationships. Plese post a comment about tools or models that guide your relationships. I wonder what you use. I know that if I had this tool I would have done better in my relationships.

Pastor D

Game Day for Middle School

Students focused on relationship building this morning. I intend to try to get students to get to know names of other students. I hope students get to break down barriers. This will build up connections in the youth group. My focus is to foster friendships at church with Christian friends. Students attend different schoools or have opposite schedules from one another. Sunday mornings may be the only time students see each other during the week. To cultivate relationships I will revise the game day concept. I will begin with a planned opportunity for mixing students so that barriers to relationships can begin to come down between individuals, leading to potential bonding within the group. So I will provide for opportunities for interaction. This takes time out of the hour, but as I hear from parents and students--connection is critical. So I will seek to structure time for students to open up about themselves. I will set aside time that students discover mutual interests and potential links for friendship. I pray that students leave excited about potential friendships within the group.

Your are what your search results return and so are your kids - Blog Maverick

Your are what your search results return and so are your kids - Blog Maverick

Mark Cuban shares how students of tomorrow may interact with parents. He shares how "everything digital that I share online will become an entry in my kids digital profile that will always be just a search away and stay with them forever. Nothing will be thankfully lost in the garage anymore." He goes on to say in regards to relationships that by the time (his daughter) starts dating, I wont need to greet her dates at the door with a shotgun, I will have a digital history of the poor kid and know pretty much everything about him, before I meet him. Read his full comments on his blog.

I kinda believe he is right. Relationships are morphing as technology upgrades and innovates. Regardless, as Christians you need to think about how to address these new issues from a biblical worldview. I wonder how you'll address virtual dating. I wonder how you'll speak to virtual sex. I wonder how you'll deal with all that's coming. Whatever may come, God's truth is eternal. Learn God's truth. Obey God's truth. Integrate God's truth into this emerging culture. Volunteer, parent, or student, the challenge is to think biblically in an ungodly world. May we be as gentle as doves, yet shrewd as serpents.

Pastor D

Sunday Evening Equip

Small Group Info and Tips

This Sunday night we will explore how God is our Father. You can call upon Him everyday to meet your needs and trust in His provisions. Your relationship with God should be shaped by these truths. I will email the abbreviated outline for Sunday Night. I learned from last week that I need to make things shorter so that students can gather in small groups.

I want all the students together to create a corporate worship experience filled with music, teaching, and small groups. This short three-week series will fill the gap between the end of the last session and the summer break. I am still experimenting and learning when to integrate and how to integrate all age groups for a corporate experience. I expect high school students to model a walk with Christ so that the middle school students would "idolize" their remarks and actions to foster a legacy of students committed to follow Christ better. I expect the adult leaders to gather with a small group of students and to engage in one meaningful conversation about your walk with God where students "rub-shoulders" with you and peer into your own walk with God right now.

I provide the list of questions for adult volunteers to target their discussions in small groups around the main theme. Yes, you will need more time to get to know them. But try to listen well and rephrase their responses so that you communicate that you really heard what they said.

What if there is silence or a "I-don't-know" reply? Allow for silence. Then ask, "Who wants to help (student's name) with this question?" If there is still no comment. Say, "If you had to guess, what would you say?"

This week I will try to give more time to small groups. You can change, modify, or throw out the list of questions and the proposed scripted lines. But please stay true to the main point for the session. You will wrap up the lesson and help them take God's truth home with them for the week ahead. My prayer is that you will help prepare them to live out God's truth in real life for the coming week. Please offer suggestions by leaving a comment. I'd really like to hear from you.

Other Small Group Tips:

1. Pick 5 minutes one day to pray for the students who will come this sunday night.


2. Show up ready to talk with students discovering what he or she is interested in this week.


3. Seek to actively listen. To be heard is to belong.


4. Take turns praying for one another.

Pastor D

Sunday Evening Equip

The Bread Series



This week we will target how God is the provider for our daily bread. Many people memorize the Lord's Prayer, or DIsciples' Prayer. But I wonder have you spent some time unpacking it and really thinking about what Jesus said. This Sunday night you will unpack these familiar verse differently. Come to engage in learning how God is your Father. You will learn how to relate to Him better as your Heavely Father. Your Heavenly Father provides for you. He cares for you. He loves you!

Pastor D

Sunday Morning Lesson

Students are bombarded with the message that "hooking up" is acceptable. Because the media, peers, and public school staff tell them that it's okay, students need to hear the other side of the story in a positive, nonjudgmental way. This series discusses how to foster great relationships with the opposite sex. Our goal is to let students know God's views of relationships and not feel guilty about relationships gone bad. But students need to know the facts about fostering great relationships. This series will share how to foster healthy relationships and to discern how to recognize unhealthy relationships with the opposite sex. Using recent data, our five-part series will focus on challenging students to "use your head and your heart." The main thrust for students this week is to know the other person and to seek to develop healthy biblical relationships. So I wonder what the media says about girl and guy relationships. I wonder what TV shows or movies portray guy-girl relationships. I wonder if they depict a healthy, biblical model. So come this Sunday and learn how to use a tool for fostering great guy-girl relationships. Hope to see you Sunday!

Pastor D

Simply Kurt: Simple Thoughts

Simply Kurt: Simple Thoughts

Kurt Johnston is the middle school pastor at Saddleback Church in California. He has spoken at Willow Creek conferences where I attended. I appreciate his random thoughts about junior high/middle school ministry. He is right. Students want to be liked! I need to re-visit how I communicate that to students. I also need more people to extend God's love to students. I'll ask God to raise up laborers for His harvest.

Pastor D

Henriet's Blog: I Saw A Kid Do It

Henriet's Blog: I Saw A Kid Do It

You need to keep a heads-up for students like these. Students who want to help other students find Christ. I met with Jared Long today for a meeting at Caribou. I discovered that I am not doing something that I had always done. I have stopped chanting the mantra for student ministries at NWC, "To help students find, follow, and share Christ." I wonder which students you would nominate who have this characteristic of living for Jesus and influencing others for Him--students who want to share Christ.

Pastor D