Student Ministry Blog

…I just lost 5 more pounds… I had a cell phone… I had a pair of Missme jeans… I had the right image or appearance. Last Wednesday’s Refuge topic was about our attempts to find happiness in appearances or material things.  Rather than share thoughts I’m posting a link to a video. It’s produced by Dove. You may have seen this video already, but it sums up the theme of the night. I suggest watching and discussing it with your teen.

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“A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24 “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17 I’d be happy if… I had the right boyfriend or girlfriend… if I fit in with the right group of people… if I wasn’t so lonely… if I were popular…  if I belonged… if I had a better relationship with my parents… if I didn’t fight so much with my brothers or sisters… Acceptance, popularity, a sense of  belonging, desire to be loved… These are powerful influences. Though a teen may think they lead to happiness, if left unchecked, they can lead to pain and regret. Samson discovered this the hard way; it cost him his life. The story of Samson is [...]

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I once heard a man say he was leaving his wife because he wasn’t happy, and hadn’t been for a very long time. He rationalized that God wanted him to be happy. He concluded that the only way to achieve happiness was to end his marriage and move on.  I have a friend who is restless. He moves from one job to another, often having to relocate. His reason, every time he finds the “perfect job” he eventually becomes disenchanted with it and unhappy. He discovers another job that he believes will make him happy and pursues it. It’s a vicious cycle. Isn’t it funny how happiness can be so elusive? Happiness means different things to different people. We might even say that everyone is looking for happiness, but where do we look? Where will we find [...]

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“The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them.” – Thomas Merton “A good spy doesn’t wait for something to happen. A good spy looks to make something happen.” From Spy Kids 4 Chris, a friend from several years ago, has a child with a disability. He shared a story with 350 students I’ll never forget. What made the story compelling was not the adventure or storyline. It wasn’t the plot or the setting. It was simply this, he wept as he explained what it meant to him to watch someone at his church take time to get down on a knee, look his boy in the eye and [...]

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“But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating; for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight.” – Isaiah 65:18. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.” – Galatians 5:22-25   Nothing expresses joy like the smile of a child who’s genuinely happy, at ease, laughing, and living in the moment. Children can’t suppress their joy. It’s evident on their faces, in their language, in their movement. It’s contagious, too. If I’ve had a difficult day, nothing brings me to a better place faster than spending time with my children. Their laughter and enthusiasm for life spread. It’s as if Jenna’s one [...]

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