STIX 'N STONES

Do You Have "Junk" That Your Hiding?

Last night in our Sr High 2Twenty Youth Service we did something unique.  Instead of having a typical sermon, we watched one of Rob Bell's "mini-movies" from the Nooma series called LUMP, which talks about the "junk" we often hide in our lives.  Then we broke off into small groups for a time of discussion and Bible study relevant to the topic of the video.  It actually went really well.  I even decided to post the discussion guide that we created for our small groups.  Some of the questions were taken from the booklet that came with the purchase of the Nooma series, while others were ones we came up with ourselves.  If you choose to watch the video (which I recommend), just know that it lasts about 10 minutes.

Lump (Rob Bell - Nooma)

HERE'S OUR DISCUSSION GUIDE WE CREATED:

Question #1 – Have you ever gotten busted for something you’ve done?  If so, what was it?

 

Question #2 – What are some ways that you avoid dealing with the “junk” in your life?

 

Question #3 – You don’t have to answer the first part of this question out loud, but make sure you think about it:

• Do you have anything in your life that you’re hiding or something that you’re ashamed of?  If so, are you ready to deal with it?
• Here’s the portion of the question that you can answer out loud: Instead of hiding something that you’re ashamed of, or that you regret, what’s the best thing to do about?  What are the results of continuing to hide it?

 

*Let’s see what the Bible has to say about these things:

 

James 5:16 – “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”

• This verse tells us there is freedom and power when we confess the things we’re trying to hide.  When we confess to God, He forgives us.  When we confess to another person who is spiritually strong, they can help by to keep us accountable so that we don’t keep getting tripped up by the same thing over and over again.

Romans 8:38-39 - And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. ³⁹ No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

    

Question #4 – Is it difficult for you to believe that God loves you no matter what you have done in your life?  Why or why not? 

 

Question #5 – How can that truth (the fact that God loves you no matter what) help to change the way that you live? 

 

Remember this quote from the video: “May you stop hiding under the covers.  May you let God pull the covers back.  May you embrace him.  May your whole life become a response to the truth that you’ve always been loved, you are loved, and you always will be loved.”

Commandment Cops Video - Keeping The Sabbath

We're doing a series on the 10 Commandments in 2Twenty this summer.  As a creative "splash" to the services, we have introduced the brother and sister duo of Justin & Jess, otherwise known as THE COMMANDMENT COPS!  Here's a funny video they did on the topic of Keeping The Sabbath.

Skater Night

Last night we had Zach Wenrich, Zach Lease and Ryan Lease from Freedom Skateboards at our Sr. High youth service.  They will be at our Middle School service as well on Friday night, 7pm at the 2Twenty Building.  Zach and his team put on a great show!  They did some daring stunts that involved using our adult leaders as "props" to jump over.  I happened to be in on that action as well.  We also had a number of students give their life to Jesus when Zach presented the gospel.

 

2Twenty Texting Competition

In our Sr. High 2Twenty service tonight, we had a texting competition.  The winning small group gets FREE admission to Splash Lagoon at Winter Retreat if they register by Wednesday, February 6th.  The first person to accurately text the phrase, "I am going to winter retreat!" during the service is declared the winner.  The first and last name of the person who sent the text must also be included in the text.

The purpose of the this blog is to announce the winner and the winning small group.  So........here it is!  Sarah Krzewinski was the winner, and she represents Ben Davis' small group!  Congratulations!  If you attend Ben's small group, make sure you register for Winter Retreat by February 6th to receive your FREE admission to Splash Lagoon.  Way to go Sarah! 

A Creative Night Of Prayer

Since this week is our week of prayer and fasting, we had a creative night of prayer during our weekly Sr. High student ministry service last night.  We'll do it again for our Middle School service on Friday.  The idea was inspired by a friend of mine, Donnie Marsh, who has used this format several times in his student ministry. 

We simply opened the night with several announcements, then went straight into 2 "unplugged" acoustic worship songs.  This helped set the tone for the night.  After that we released students to the 10 different prayer stations that were scattered throughout the room.  Specific instructions were provided at each station.  We basically had only 1 "rule."  Just talk to God, not to anyone else.  Students could spend all their time at 1 or 2 stations or go through all of them more quickly.  It was their choice.  There was no set pattern.  While they interacted with God at the prayer stations, our band played live acoustic worship music.  Here's a list of the stations that we offered:

1. Africa Oasis Project - Students watched a video about the need for fresh water in Africa.  They responded with prayer and a giving opportunity.  We had almost $200 given in just one night! 
2. Scripture Meditation - Students read a specific Scripture and prayerfully wrote answers to questions regarding the Scripture as it applied to their lives.
3. The Cross - Here students wrote down sins they were struggling with and then attached their papers to a wooden cross.  Afterwards, they prayed prayers of repentance and freedom, realizing that Jesus can truly set them free!
4. Schools - Students wrote prayers for their school on large strips of paper that were attached to the wall.  Bibles were available use for Scripture reference.
5. Art - We had a mini art gallery where students wrote down faith inspired images that the art reminded them of.
6. Leader Prayer - Leaders were available to pray with students throughout the night.  There was never a moment where ministry wasn't happening on at this station. 
7. Letters of Gratitude - Students had the opportunity to write brief letters of "thanks" to someone who had impacted their life in a significant way. 
8. Prayer Requests - Students could write down their requests and submit them for prayer.
9. Upcoming Events - Students prayed specific prayers for 2 upcoming events, "Awakening" and Winter Retreat.
10. Testimony - Students wrote what God has done in their life through the ministry of 2Twenty.

It was a fantastic night!  It was great to see the students seeking after God.  If you participated in the night, I'd like to hear from you.  Let me know what you liked best about it.   

Talent Show

This past week we had Talent Shows in our youth ministry as a fun way to celebrate Christmas.  Wednesday night was for Sr High (9th - 12th grades) and Friday night was for middle school (6th - 8th grades).  After each night we had cookies and other items for a Christmas Party.

Both nights were great!  It was fun to see so many students display their  talents.  We had some incredible creativity!  Here's a sample of some things that students did:

• Student Band (they wrote their own music!)
• Dance
• Videos
• "Speed Stacking" (cups)
• Intrumental solo
• A lot of humor (through music, drama and singing)

All the acts were screened by our team for 2 consecutive weeks leading up to the events to make sure that the "talents" being displayed were appropriate for the stage.  One of the main "events" was a group of guys who lip-synced a Backstreet Boys song along with all the moves.  It was so funny my stomach hurt from  laughing!

It was also great to see some of our leaders dress up as elves in their own original skit!  What a great time we had! 

O Come All Ye Talented.......