Lessons for 2012-2013
September – Release
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?
October – Collide
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?
November- Fake ID
It’s an age-old problem—one that begins to plague us around the time adolescence hits and, if we aren’t careful, follows us around the rest of our lives. It is the question of who we are—what makes up our identity, what defines us, what makes us, us. But imagine if, instead of wrestling with these questions in the complexity of adulthood, we started to tackle them in the formative teenage years? What if we took a good, long, hard look at some of the foundational questions during the years that shape us more than any others? Who am I? Where do I belong? What is my purpose? We are going to begin to scratch the surface of identity tackling the difficult to ask—and even more difficult to answer—questions that ultimately end up defining who we are.
December- Unwrapping Christ
Christmas is that feel-good time of year when the lights are up, the holiday music is flowing and the cheer is palpable in the air. It’s also the time of year when we go through the same Christmas routine as always and pass another holiday season without necessarily thinking through how the story of Christmas is meant to change us, not just be a backdrop to two weeks off from school. So, this Christmas we’re going to take a fresh look at the Christmas story with some new insights to help us understand how revolutionary Jesus’ arrival on Earth really was. When we think of the Christmas story this year, let’s be reminded that Jesus is more than we need during the holiday season, and for the rest of the year too
January- Rhythm
In the beginning, God had a rhythm for the world - a way the world functioned in perfect syncopation. There was a rhythm between us and God. Adam and Eve were in rhythm with each other. We also were in rhythm with ourselves. But the rhythm was thrown off, and now we're trying to get it back. This series walks students through the core XP3 principles of wonder, discovery and passion.
February- Storm Watch
Have you ever been through a storm? Oh, sure, we all have been through a real life, weather - related storm of some kind, but each one of us has faced a disappointment, a heartache, a challenge that may not have seemed big to everyone else, but to us is was huge.
Life is filled with storms. Every person is either in a storm now, has just come through a storm, or one is on the way - and you just do not know about it. Some storms can devastate everything around them. Other storms just make a mess. But if storms are inevitable, then how do we weather the ones that come along? And what do we do after the storm has moved through and we are left dealing with the aftermath
March- Illuminate
We’ve read the story year after year. We know that Jesus was crucified, placed in a tomb and resurrected on the third day. And this is important! But when we take a look at the bigger picture of Scripture, we see themes and images that come up again and again to shed even more light on the significance of the Easter story. Just like reading a good book or watching a gripping movie, we understand that the author is trying to turn our attention to something greater than the story itself. Over the course of this series, we look at a few key themes in Scripture—Bread, Water and Blood—to help weave together the greater story of God’s love for us. To take the power of the Easter story and allow it to shine in those places where we need God’s provision, presence and redemption.
April- Picture Perfect
You've seen their shiny, happy faces staring at you from picture frames, magazine ads and commercials. They are the perfect family. Every tooth sparkles. Every face beams with joy. And they seem to have everything you don't. But the reality is, well they aren't real. In fact, it's an illusion. There's no such thing as a picture perfect family. Families are made up of imperfect people--people like you and me. So how do we live and interact with the family God has placed us in? How do we find a way to be a part of it, instead of just surviving and living for the day when we move on? Because no family is perfect. And no person is either.
May- Invisibles
We are surrounded by the invisibles. These are people who simply want to know someone cares, someone notices? people who want to know God cares. Some of us would even say we feel that way? invisible to an entire world, daily passing us by. Whether that feeling is a familiar one or not, the reality is that each one of us has felt invisible at one point or another. But we didn't stay that way. God saw us. He sees the invisibles. And because God took notice of us, we are able to open our eyes to see those around us.