March 15, 2012
We started our new series, Scarred, last night at Remix. During this series we are going to be talking about the hurt and pain that we experience in this life. Last night, Ryan's topic was called "Hurt Happens". We know that hurt is inevitable, but being prepared for it and knowing how to manage it can help us heal. After recognizing and dealing with these events in our life, we may even be able to see God's hand in all of it.
Week 1: Parent Cue
What would you say, to date, has been your greatest hurt or pain?
Do you feel healed from this event?
In what ways could you see God's hand during or even after this experience?
March 8, 2012
Last night we wrapped up the current series, Lost in Translation. During the last three weeks at Relevant, we were discussing words Christians commonly use, possibly don't understand, and what they meant to the writers of the Bible. In doing so, we can better understand what may have been lost in translation and recapture and rethink it in a way that could transform us in ways we never imagined. Here's what Ryan discussed last night...
Bottom Line: Salvation isn’t just about being saved for the future but being saved for the present.
Session Three: Parent Cue
Are you confident in your salvation? Why?
What do you think it means to be "saved for the present"?
March 1, 2012
Last night was week two of our series, Lost in Translation. We've been talking about words we commonly use as Christians, but may not fully understand. By going through and seeing what the Bible says about these words, we can learn what all God has for us and wants for us. Here's what Ryan talked about last night...Session Two: What Matters Most
Bottom Line: True righteousness begins when we line our hearts up with God’s heart.
Session Two: Parent Cue
What things do you think you can do to be a righteous person?
What are things that you think God calls us to do to that line up with His heart?
February 23, 2012
We started a new series last night called Lost in Translation. This three week series is about common words that we use to describe our faith, what they mean today and also what they meant to the writers of the Bible thousand of years ago. In doing so, our aim is to let these new definitions teach us more about all God has for us and wants for us.
Here's what Ryan talked about last night...
Session One: Refining the Relationship
Bottom Line: Belief is less about confidence in a set of facts and more about a personal experience with the person of Jesus.
Session One Parent Cue:
What are some personal experiences you have had with Jesus?
Did the experiences change your relationship with Jesus?
February 16, 2012
Session 3: Boundaries
The students are at that age where everyone seems to be dating. Setting up boundaries TODAY, will help them know what they want in a relationship and also help lessen regret in the future. Getting in the Word and seeing what direction God has for us can bring clarity to these challenging issues.
Session 3 Parent Cue
What characteristics do you look for in someone you would date?
What boundaries do you want for a dating relationship?
February 8, 2012
Sign up for MERGE 2012 today at www.relevantstudents.com // The dates are Feb. 24-26. This is our winter retreat and it is a weekend that can change your life. Talk with your small group and get signed up asap because we want to have enough room for everyone. Invite a friend and sign up today!
January 13, 2012
2012 started with a bang here at Relevant. Ryan kicked off the year with a continuation of a series we started last semester, Grow Up. Our team wanted to start the year with a challenge for students, and Ryan hit the mark with his talk. Here's a brief overview of what he discussed.
Session Four: Big Give (01/11/12)
God grows your faith through spiritual disciplines. That’s probably not news for you. Praying and being generous are just things that Christian do. But there’s more than just doing an action because it’s the right thing to do. In fact, in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, He tells us that not only is our heart tied to how we pray and our generosity, but also the growth of our faith.
Session Four Parent Cue: How can you leverage your time this week so that you spend more time with God? What is one way you can be generous this week?
January 10, 2012
The holidays are over and we're anxious to get back in the swing of things here at Relevant. 2012 is already shaping up to be a great year. We're pumped about all the God has laid on our hearts for this coming year.
As far as resolutions and commitments go, we're still stuck on one that doesn't seem to be changing anytime soon. It's our goal to lead teens to a personal relationship with Christ. We want every teen to see that God is relevant, loves us, and seeks each one of us. That's our bottom line, and this year more than ever, we want each week at Remix to reflect that truth.
Hopefully you or your teen will start 2012 with us- we're back tomorrow at 7! See you there!
December 15, 2011
We ended 2011 at Relevant with a bang! Concluding our Redefined series last night, Ryan wrapped up the year with the idea that the size of your story depends on the size of your God.
He retold the story of an angel appearing to Mary to inform her that she would have a child- not just any child, but the Son of Man. Now many of us have heard this story multiple times before, but how many of us have really looked at Mary's response? Instead of protesting, or asking God if there were any other way to handle this situation, she simply said, "I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." -Luke 1:38.
Mary knew she was just one small piece of a giant puzzle. She didn't let her own wants get in the way of the God's huge plan for her.
What if instead of questioning God in the times we are uncomfortable or unhappy with a situation, we simply trusted that God was working out our place in the grand scheme of our lives?
Merry Christmas! We'll see you in 2012!
December 8, 2011
But tonight Ryan reminded us that Jesus came to redefine our lives. He told students that so much of the time our minds and hearts are consumed with trivial wants; things that will never fully satisfy or fulfill us. Until we're seeking Jesus above all else, our pursuits are worthless.
Ryan left students with this idea: Let your life be consumed by one thing...just make sure it is the right thing.
In the car or at dinner this week, talk with your teen about the sorts of things that consume their life. Worries about their appearance? Their cellphone? Friends' opinions? What would it look like to let go of that stress and be consumed with Jesus? Consumed with strengthening that relationship? Consumed with pursuing God at all costs?
Let us know your thoughts. Email us at ryan@onechurch.tv or caitlin@onechurch.tv
December 1, 2011
The title rhymed- we couldn't pass it up!
Remix was back and better than ever last night. After a short hiatus for Thanksgiving break, we were pumped to see such a turn out for our first night of our Redefined series. Here's a quick recap of what Ryan talked about.
At Christmas, we tell the story about shepherds, angels, and a manger but so often the significance of the story is lost because it seems like just one more holiday tradition. Or we've heard it so many times that we do not hear it anymore. But when Jesus showed up on the very first Christmas, he redefined everything for every single one of us.
Last night we dove into the story of King Herod who felt threatened by Jesus. As Ryan unpacked Herod's story, he explained that following Jesus will cost you something, not following Jesus will cost you everything. This week, take a few minutes to discuss this idea with your teen. What sorts of things will following Christ cost them? Friendships, activities?
Email us & give us some feedback- ryan@onechurch.tv or caitlin@onechurch.tv
Remix was back and better than ever last night. After a short hiatus for Thanksgiving break, we were pumped to see such a turn out for our first night of our Redefined series. Here's a quick recap of what Ryan talked about.
At Christmas, we tell the story about shepherds, angels, and a manger but so often the significance of the story is lost because it seems like just one more holiday tradition. Or we've heard it so many times that we do not hear it anymore. But when Jesus showed up on the very first Christmas, he redefined everything for every single one of us.
Last night we dove into the story of King Herod who felt threatened by Jesus. As Ryan unpacked Herod's story, he explained that following Jesus will cost you something, not following Jesus will cost you everything. This week, take a few minutes to discuss this idea with your teen. What sorts of things will following Christ cost them? Friendships, activities?
Email us & give us some feedback- ryan@onechurch.tv or caitlin@onechurch.tv
November 21, 2011
It's Thanksgiving week!
If you're like all of us at Relevant, we're counting down the hours until Thursday. Remember, there's no Remix this Wednesday, November 23rd. Take the night to enjoy some time with your friends and family. We'll be back in full swing next Wednesday, November 30th.
As you prepare for the rest of the week, here's a few verses to keep in mind.
"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever."- Psalm 136:1
"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."- James 1:17
Relax this week! Happy Thanksgiving!
November 10, 2011
Tonight Ryan wrapped up our Picture Perfect series. He closed out the talk with a reminder that our families are always going to be a part of who we are. Here’s a brief summary of what we discussed at Remix.
Session Three: Wide-Angle (11/09/2011)
No matter where you go or what you do with your life, your family will always be a part of it. Whether it’s through past memories or current gatherings, your family and how you relate to each other will affect you. While you will be independent and able to make your own decisions someday, your family will always play some sort of role in your life. The seeds you sow now for harmony, understanding and wholeness can go a long way towards the future growth of healthy family relationships.
Session Three Parent Cue: What type of seeds did you sow in your relationship with your parents that may affect how you relate to them now? What do you wish you would have done differently? What were you glad you did?
Let us know how we can better serve you & your family. Email us at ryan@onechurch.tv or caitlin@onechurch.tv
November 3, 2011
On the second night of our Picture Perfect series, Ryan dove into an area that plagues us all- that moment an argument starts to surface with a family member. That moment we can choose to hold our tongue, or we can choose to fire back. Here’s a quick recap of what we discussed:
Session Two: Resolution
Bottom Line: In every interaction you have with your family, you always have a decision to make before you respond.
A verbal shot is fired and our gut tells us to fire back. That word, that attitude from someone else hurt us or made us mad, so we want to give some of that back. Been there? How often do we quickly react to something a sibling or parent does or says in a way that raises the level of tension and anger instead of diffusing it? But there is another option! We can choose to stop the madness and think through our words and actions. We can begin to see more clearly that when something provokes us, we have a choice to make before we respond. We can be part of the resolution instead of part of the problem.
Session Two Parent Cue: Take a recent argument or “loud discussion” you had. Write down what prompted the conversation, then write down each of your responses. Now backtrack and each of you identify the decisions you made that prompted your responses. Maybe you reacted to how something was said, or one word set you off. Maybe you responded out of fear of what could happen.
It’s our hope that through doing this you and your teen can begin to start a conversation rather than an argument in future situations. Let us know how we can help- email us at ryan@onechurch.tv or caitlin@onechurch.tv
October 27, 2011
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.
That's a brief description of what Ryan jumped into last night at Remix. This is a pretty heavy series, but here at Relevant we're intentional about getting teens to tackle the big issues. It's our hope that throughout this series we can partner with you to help teens sort through any family issues they might be struggling with.
Session One: SnapshotBottom Line: God has placed you in your family, so find the good in the midst of the messiness. Talk with your teen about the great things that make your family unique. Let us know how we can better serve your family. Email us at ryan@onechurch.tv or caitlin@onechurch.tv
October 20, 2011
Wrapping up our Nearsighted series last night, Ryan discussed our mental perspective and in what we choose to invest our time. He brought up the idea that what we choose to think about, participate in, engage in today, shapes the choices we make tomorrow. He also unpacked the concept that the media we consume, the conversations we have, the activities we pursue, all have an impact on who we become.
As you finish up this week, think about how you spend the majority of your time. When you're traveling in the car, when you're getting ready for school, when you're hanging out with your friends. What are you watching, listening to, talking about? How does that affect your outlook?
October 5, 2011
Tonight was the second night of our Nearsighted series Caitlin stood in for Ryan and spoke about relational perspective. Through James 3, she unpacked how the words that we say have a huge impact on our relationships.
So often we get caught up in gossip without even realizing the full extent of what we’re saying- let alone the consequences it can bring. We don’t think about how much weight our negative words carry and how they can shape another person’s self-esteem and life.
Fortunately, though, we can also give the gift of encouragement and hope with our words. This week take a few moments to talk with your teen about how to consciously think about the words that they say. Here are a few points to think about and discuss:
What if each time you started to gossip about someone else, you prayed for them instead? Why do we feel the need to speak negatively of others? Is it because of our own insecurity? Who has God put in our lives that we can encourage and build up instead of tear down?
As always, if you've got questions of feedback about the series, shoot us an email! We'd love to hear from you- ryan@onechurch.tv or caitlin@onechurch.tv
September 28, 2011
We kicked off a brand new series tonight at Relevant! We've been praying specifically for the past few months for our Nearsighted series. Created and written by our Relevant team, Nearsighted is aimed at helping teens figure out the difference of living for the "here and now" as opposed to working towards God's bigger picture. Here's what Ryan unpacked for us tonight:
So much of the time we focus only on the here and now. Oftentimes, we don't realize that the choices we make today impact our lives tomorrow. God wants us to focus on the bigger story- not just our wants and desires of today. What are some of the desires in our hearts today that are preventing us from seeing God's bigger picture? Are we seeking after what is only momentarily satisfying?
This week talk with your teen about how our choices today have a huge impact on our lives tomorrow. Questions about the series? Email us at ryan@onechurch.tv or caitlin@onechurch.tv
September 21, 2011
Tonight at Remix Ryan gave an eye opening talk about influences in our lives as well as our own influence in others' lives. He discussed how negative influences can quickly steer us off course; but also how positive influences can bring us closer in our relationship with God. Here's a quick recap:
Session Three: Big Team (9/21/11)
Who has had the most influence in your life? Your mom? Your dad? A coach? A camp counselor? There are all kinds of people that play a part in our lives, in our stories. And some of these people have played a part in how you see God. In fact, God has used some of those relationships to grow your faith. We call these relationships providential because they are about having the right people in your life at just the right time.
Session Three Parent Cue: Who are the people in your life who have had a direct impact on your relationship with God? In what way did these people influence, guide or encourage you?
Take a couple of minutes to talk with your teen about examining the relationships in their life. Need a few pointers on how to get the conversation started? We'd love to help! Email us at ryan@onechurch.tv or caitlin@onechurch.tv
September 15, 2011
Last night Ryan continued our Grow Up series. He discussed the idea of how our faith requires action. He presented the idea that simply saying we believe in God isn't enough; we have to do something with our faith. Here's a quick run down of what we talked about:
Session Two: Big Life (9/14/11)
You can know a lot. Maybe you know the stats of every football player in the NFL. Maybe you know the cheat codes to hundreds of games. Maybe you know every Scripture in the New Testament. But unless you do something with what you know, then what you know isn’t enough. Especially when it comes to our faith. God’s truth was meant to be put into action. It was meant to affect our lives, our relationships. And when we begin to live out the truths we know, something happens to us our faith. It begins to grow.
Session Two Parent Cue: What is one truth that you know from the Bible that you can commit to live out this week? Follow up with each other to see how that’s going.
Have any thoughts to add? Any stories about your own spiritual growth when you acted on your faith? We'd love to hear about it! Talk with your teen this week about what real faith looks like in their lives. Send Ryan or Caitlin an email with any comments or questions at ryan@onechurch.tv or caitlin@onechurch.tv
September 8, 2011
Last night Ryan kicked off our newest series, Grow Up. We're stoked about this 6 week series and have been praying for God to really transform lives over the next few weeks. Here's a brief description of what we discussed last night.
Session One: Big Faith (9/7/11)
Your faith in God matters to God. In fact, God is most honored through your living, active, death-defying, out-of-the-box faith. That being the case, He’s committed to growing it. Big. Imagine how differently you would respond to difficulties, temptations, and even good things if you knew with certainty that God was in all of it and was planning to leverage it for good. But in order for all of that to happen, there’s one thing it all hinges on—your trust.
Session One Parent Cue: What area of your life are you most reluctant to trust God? Why?Please take a few minutes to talk with your teen about what real faith looks like in our everyday lives. Questions about the series or how to get the conversation started? Email us at ryan@onechurch.tv or caitlin@onechurch.tv
September 6, 2011
Tomorrow night we start our second series of the year, Grow Up. We're pumped about transitioning from our last series, Through the Window. Over the course of the next five weeks, we'll be examining how to apply what the Bible says to our everyday lives. Here's a quick run down of what we'll be discussing.
Do your students ever wish they could just grow up? Maybe they yearn for the day they will get their driver's licenses. Or graduate from high school. Or go away to college. They don't really want to be kids anymore. They want to be seen as adults. They want to feel like they've moved on, grown up.
We all know how that happens physically, but what about spiritually? How do we know we're growing in our faith? How do we know we're moving forward in that area of our lives? The good news is that God is just as passionate about growing our faith as we are. And there are five ways He will use to do that- some involving things that we probably already know, and other ways that we may have never thought about before.
Please pray for us and your students as we start this new series tomorrow, September 7 at 7 pm!
September 1, 2011
In the last session of our first series, Through the Window, Ryan closed with some final thoughts on worship. He unpacked how we can continue to worship God not just on Sunday mornings, but in all areas of our lives.
Session 3: We Are Grateful (08/31/11)
When we see our worship as more than just a few minutes on Sunday morning and learn to be honest with God in our worship, we begin to get a more complete picture of who God is and who we are. But once we have broken into an authentic view of worship and learned that it’s ok to express the deepest parts of ourselves to God, where do we go? How do we move forward and not get stuck in the process of pain and hurt? When we remember the former things—when we remember who God has been to us in the past—we allow God to rearrange our broken window into something new and beautiful.
Session 3 Parent Cue: Do you think you tend to see life through the lens of your pain or through who you know God to be? What are the characteristics of God you have seen when He came through for you in some really tough times? How would seeing God this way all the time change the way you handle more difficult times?
We hope you can find a couple of minutes to sit down with your teen and talk about ways to worship God with all that they do, not just in a church service. Questions? Email us at ryan@onechurch.tv or caitlin@onechurch.tv
August 25, 2011
Last night Remix was back with Ryan continuing our Through the Window series. He discussed different avenues for worship in our lives that we don't typically think of as areas in which to worship God. Here's a quick summary of Ryan's message:
Session 2: We Are His (08/24/11)
Have you ever thought of your anger, pain and sadness as an avenue for worship? We often think that worship is only about expressing our feelings to God when we are happy and life is going just as we want it to. But, God is big enough to hear our complaints too! As a matter of fact, God wants us to be honest with Him—and not just kind of honest, completely honest. Worship is about other people and it’s also about the beautiful, authentic relationship we have with the One who made us and knows us inside and out. Authentic worship is what reminds us that we belong to God.
Parent Cue: What do you think about the idea that even our angry feelings can be used as worship? How does knowing that God can handle that part of you change your view of Him?
Try to find a couple of minutes this week to discuss the ideas presented last night in service with your teen. Questions about the message? Email us at ryan@onechurch.tv or caitlin@onechurch.tv !
August 23, 2011
So I had a crazy idea! I wondered what I could do to disperse small group curriculum for Relevant Student Ministry without the hassle of printing it out for them. I have a terrible memory. So I needed something where I could load up the Curriculum for the entire semester and they could have access to it and not deal with the confusion of making sure they got the right one. And it eliminated me of having the responsibility to email it every time we start a new series!
I looked into several different options. But inevitably I had some trouble finding a resource that wouldn’t cost me a ton of money! So I found it in Drop Box!
I now have the ability to load my entire Small Group curriculum up to one site for the entire semester and all of my small group leaders can easily find what they are looking for. At the bottom I have included some pictures of how your can organize it so your group leaders can locate what series they are on and have the questions accessible.
4 Reasons I would Suggest Drop Box for Dispersing Curriculum
Its Free – We all have budgets. And for the most part we have a limited amount of money at our disposal! So anytime you can find a great resource to use for free. It’s a win!
Its Mobile – Drop Box has an APP!! And you can have as many apps connected to one account, as you want. So a lot of my small group leaders connected to the account I created on their smart phones and were able to have the curriculum right there ready for them to use. All they had to do was download a free app!
Its Easy – It’s as simple as taking the time to upload files and organize them so it is easy to move through! It really doesn’t take much time and can be made as easy as you want!
It Eliminates Confusion – Sometimes curriculum sites can really create a lot of confusion for people that are not familiar with the site! This eliminates that! This allows you to put up only what is pertinent to your volunteers!
Hope you can use this to help you!
