Reminder:

We have a five15 BIG MEETING on Saturday.  Seita is going to speak from James 2:1-13, helping us learn how to not show partiality.  Not sure what that means?  Come find out!

As usual, Pizza and Ping-Pong starts at 5:15pm; the meeting begins at 6:30pm.  See you there!

Categories: five15 blog
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From this morning, plus some others we didn’t get to:

• Page 18 says, “Big dreams come with big challenges.” Write down in two columns: What are your big dreams? What are the big challenges keeping your big dreams?
• The brothers write on page 19, “A campaign—like any movement or revolution—isn’t really a faceless mass. It’s a collection of individuals who join together on the same cause for a reason. It’s ordinary people who decide to step out and be part of something big. That’s when they become extraordinary.” What’s the biggest thing you’ve ever been a part of?
• If you didn’t say the church for the last question, you should have! Do you think of yourself as joined together on the same cause with other Christians to build the church? Or are you here because your parents are here? What would it take for you to own this? What is the reason behind this cause that we are giving ourselves to (the church?)
• On page 21, a girl named Heidi explains, “During this whole campaign, God had been doing amazing things. I think I have grown more in these past few months than the whole year before.” Describe a time in your life when you grow significantly in spiritual ways. What contributed to this growth? What is holding you back from growing now?

From the Official DHT Study Guide:

• Looking back, do you see a season, a book, or an event that changed what you believe or how you live? If so, talk about it. How are you different now?
• One teen told Alex and Brett, “Everyone I know at school is shackled by low expectations.” Could you say the same thing? If so, talk about why.
• Have you ever found yourself responsible for a task that seemed too big for you to succeed at? If so, what happened? Did that experience turn out to be a bad thing or a good thing in your life?
• History shows that youth movements against God-established authority have generally not amounted to much. How do the authors set their message apart from such movements?

Categories: Discussion Questions, Summer Reading '08
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I’m always curious about what other people are reading. What’s on your bedside table? Or if there isn’t much you’re reading right now, what are your plans for summer reading?

The following books aren’t all literary on my bedside table, but here’s what I’m reading. I’m the kind of person who reads several different books at the same time.  Each has a different purpose, and is for a different time and place.

DEVOTIONAL:

• The Bible, by God. Reading Isaiah. Just finished John. About to go back to Psalms. I prefer the ESV, and I’m using The Literary Study Bible this year. Love it.
• A Gospel Primer by Milton Vincent. I need to be reminded of the gospel everyday!
• Praying the Lord’s Prayer by J.I. Packer. Because I want to pray better.
• The Death of Christ by James Denney. An old, classic explanation of substitutionary atonement.

TO GROW:

• Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris. For the Book Club! Fun stuff.
• Christian Mission in the Modern World by John Stott. A topic I want to understand better.
• The Reason for God by Tim Keller. Heard a lot about it, want to see for myself.
• The Institutes of the Christian Religion, Volume 1, by John Calvin. A (perhaps overly-) ambitious summer reading project with my friend Jed. We’re going to try to read the entire unabridged Ford Lewis Battles translation this summer. Yahoo. Anyone want to join us? 1550 pages in 90 days-how hard can it be?

FOR FUN:

• Robinson Crusoe, by Daniel Defoe. I like reading classic literature, and this is a keeper. I was inspired to read this after talking about the real-life Robinson Crusoe, Alexander Selkirk.
• The Perfect Mile, by Neal Bascomb. My sister loaned me this book since we are both runners and I was a miler in high school. Of course, I never came anywhere near a four-minute mile, so this book is fascinating to me.

How about you? Tell us about it!

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17 to 23 year olds: if you are hoping to attend ‘The Clash’ in August and haven’t registered yet, you need to get a move on! Sovereign Grace made this announcement:

The Clash is our worldview conference for young adults. Space is limited, and we expect to reach capacity soon. To ensure a spot at the conference, we encourage young people not to delay in registering. (All attendees must have pastoral approval.)

The Clash will be held August 3-9 at Messiah College (Grantham, PA), and is open to 17 to 23 year-olds from Sovereign Grace churches. Check the conference website for a list of speakers, schedule, and lodging and transportation information.

Note: After 2008, The Clash will move to a biennial schedule, with the next conference held in summer 2010

Categories: Announcements
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Registration for the five15 Retreat has now ended.  It’s not too late, but you’ll need to act fast.  If you would still like to attend, please call the church office and talk to Terri.

Categories: Retreat08
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Yesterday, Mark preached from 1 Peter 2:4-10. What an outstanding message, thinking through Scripture, Christ, and identity. I want to agree with Mark’s recommendation: sometime soon, listen to Thabiti Anyabwile’s message on race from Together for the Gospel. It is outstanding!

I wanted to be sure everyone got the message: if you are not currently reading your Bible on a regular basis, we want to encourage you to start reading the Bible reading plan that Mark introduced at the beginning of the year.

Bonus: if you start this plan (or a similar one) now and stick to it through the end of the year, you will be welcome to attend the pancake breakfast in January that the pastors put on for everyone who reads through their Bible in a year.

Categories: Monday Matters
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Here are the discussion questions from this morning (we didn’t get to all of them):

FOREWARD

• Chuck Norris writes in the foreward, “Today we live in a culture that promotes comfort, not challenges.” What are the comforts that you are most drawn to? What are the challenges you most seek to avoid?  How does our culture communicate this to us?  Have you ever been surprised when someone was surprised at the responsibilities you have as a teenager?

CHAPTER 1: MOST PEOPLE DON’T…

• On page 4, Alex and Brett write, “We believe our generation is ready to rethink what teens are capable of doing and becoming.” Dream big for a moment. What do you think your generation is capable of doing and becoming?
• Read the questions on pages 5-6. What are some of the freedoms that your generation enjoys? What does our culture say is the purpose and potential of the teen years?
• On page 7, Alex and Brett write, “And if you’re a Christian, we’re certainly not telling you that if you work harder or make yourself uncomfortable on purpose, God will love you more. He will never—could never—love you more than He does right now.” Why do you think it is important that Alex and Brett explain this truth?
• Read pages 229-230. How do these pages help answer the question: “Why do hard things?” List some verses that describe the gospel motivation that makes it possible for us to Do Hard Things.

Assignment for next time:

• Read Chapter 2 and the Appendix.
• Start a list of 3-5 things that are hard for you to do that you think God may be calling you to do. Bring it with you next week.

Categories: Discussion Questions, Summer Reading '08
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