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Week 1: Where's Your Treasure  (December 3)

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Week 2: Follow Me, But Leave Your Stuff (December 10)

 

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Week 3:

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Week 4:

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Hey Mark and Miles -

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We have a new series for the remainder of October.  It's called Jesus and Forgiveness.  I think it will give us some good things to talk about.

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Thanks again for being willing to help teach our high schoolers

on Sunday mornings.  I'll continue to pray for you each week and am always happy to answer questions or help with anything else you need. 

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Here is old stuff that I didn't erase, in case you want to look at it again:

This page has a few things which will hopefully be helpful to you. 

I'll update it fairly regularly to give you some additional tips or

things to think about.

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I will give you a lesson which is pre-written each week, but you have freedom to add or take-away things as needed and as God's Spirit leads.  One thing to keep in mind: Years from now, they will not remember the lessons you taught, but they'll remember you, and how you treated them, and your love for God.  

Think about how you can make the text we are teaching from really apply to them.  Use stories and illustrations.  And let them get to know you and your story.  Get to know them as best you can in the limited amount of time you have.  (I have some pictures below of some of our HS students.)

Feel free to use these lesson as they are, or just use them as a starting point for anything you want to teach.  And with everything, help them apply it to their lives.   (There is a pdf file and a .doc file, and they have the exact same info, just in a different format.)

Week 1: Forgiveness Starts with Jesus  (October 8)

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Week 2: Forgive to Be Forgiven   (October 15)

 

Week 3: Forgiveness Without Limits (October 22)

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Week 4: Forgive Like the Forgiver (October 29)

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Old stuff:

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Week 3: Dealing with a Difficult Relationship    (September 24)

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Week 4: Relationship Number 1    (October 1) 

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A few additional things I have shared with teachers in the past - you can read if you want to:

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Keep the mood of the morning light and enjoyable and remember that fun is the universal language of teens.  You're fighting an uphill battle because they come in tired from staying up too late on Saturday, and many of them are not morning people anyway. 

 

Smile.  Be encouraging.  Be enthusiastic. 

 

Be creative in how you handle things.  For example: If you ask a question and no one responds, one way you could respond is to say something like, "I'm not afraid of silence.  I can wait all day."  But a different way to respond might be something like: "Oh goodness, you guys forgot how to talk."  Or "Okay, everyone is too tired to talk, let's do this differently."

 

Then do something which will be easy for them to respond to...like maybe saying:  "Okay, quick quiz: best restaurant in Bryan/College Station?"  And let them respond.  Or any other super-easy question which is sure to get a response out of them.  Then say something like, Okay now that I know you guys can talk...(and ask the question again (maybe rephrase it in a different way.)) 

 

Another example to get them talking: If you go to Bryan HS, say, "I do."  And let them respond.  Then: If you go to CSHS, say "I do."  And on through the high schools.  This gets everyone saying something.  And you can have fun with the people who do not seem to be proud of their school. etc.  And then ask what schools you missed...and you'll catch the Navasota and Brenham students and other schools. 

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Anything like that which kind of catches them off-guard seems to help.  Generally speaking, they're not as great at talking about Bible things or faith things as I would like them to be...so I try to be creative in how I help them talk about those things.   (And we have a few students who will always answer - and the challenge with them is to keep them from answering every question.  I so appreciate their willingness to speak up, but we have to help everyone else speak up too.)

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Everything below this line is older stuff.

Take the High Road

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Two meanings:

1) in an interaction or situation with someone else, choose the course which is honorable and treats the other person well. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/take-the-high-road (Example?)

2) follow the ways of God

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Wide and Narrow Road - Matthew 7:13-14

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Here are some websites with some helpful info:

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Activity:

https://egadideas.com/1990/01/narrow-and-wide-gate/#google_vignette

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Scripture Meaning:

https://bible.org/seriespage/32-two-pathways-one-leading-life-matthew-713-14

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An outline which might be helpful:

https://www.southernhillslife.org/get-connected/resources/sermons-and-podcasts/sermon/2022-09-04/two-paths-enter-by-the-narrow-gate-matthew-713-14

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Discussion Questions:

https://studyandobey.com/inductive-bible-study/matthew-studies/matthew-713-23/

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Graphics and a video - the video has a good point, it's not an awesome video, but the last sentence helps sum it up well. (I can get the video in an mp4 file if you want it.) https://ythmin.com/narrow-path-preaching-pack/

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And here is an article which you can read if you have time and want to: https://www.youthpastortheologian.com/blog/the-gospel-is-narrow-and-broad

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Lesson for July 16:  John 15

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Lesson series for June and July: Knowing God

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Week 1 (June 4)

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Week 2 (June 11)

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Week 3 (July 2)

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As always...

The lessons will give you a starting place each week

and you can use them as much or as little as you would like.  

Many times, the discussion questions from the lessons are

helpful for me in having questions to ask our students. 

 

If you want power point, it is available and I can have it ready for you each week.  If you want to make your own power point, that's fine too. 

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I will be teaching the same thing to our middle schoolers, so it will be good to be teaching the same scriptures at the same time. 

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I have put some suggestions for who teaches each week.  Feel free to change this as you want.  Or feel free to work it to where you both teach part of the lesson on any given week.  As always, any weeks when you both can not teach, let me know.  We can easily combine the classes and I can teach. 

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Here are the lessons:

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Jesus and Tough Times Overview:

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What teenagers doesn’t experience tough times? Whether it’s the relatively run-of-the-mill relational issues that plague high school- ers or bigger issues such as divorce, or the death of a loved one, teenagers have their share of struggles. Knowing where to turn in troubled times can be a challenge. How refreshing, then, to know that Jesus spoke extensively on the challenges we face, and how we can bring our cares to God in trying times.

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Jesus and Tough Times will help you teach your students that when they experience tough times, they should express their emotions to God in real, honest ways; that faith in Jesus and His ability to lead them through trials is what will get them through tough times; that Jesus stands ready to offer comfort to them in the midst of their tough times; and that when Jesus ultimately delivers them from tough times, their response should be thankfulness and praise.

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As you look at the lesson, you'll see a lot of info (Bible background,  etc.) before you get to the lesson.  Look for the words "Lesson Plan" to find where the lesson begins.  AND...the teacher prep videos are usually pretty good, so feel free to use them.

 

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Week 1: The God Who Listens  (May 7) - Charles

      Leader's Guide (doc)

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Week 2: Faith in Tough Times  (May 14) - Miles?

     Leader's Guide (doc)

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Week 3: Comfort in Tough Times (May 21) - Monty & John H
    Leader's Guide (doc)

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Week 4:  What To Do When It's Over   (May 28) - John, John, Monty

     Leader's Guide (doc)

   

    

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Teaching Outline: Colossians Chapter 3

 

Openers:

  • Talk about a time where you were dressed for something that people either made fun of you or you were misinformed about the dress code of a place you went to.

  • Talk about a time where you had your mind set on something and it back fired in your face.

  • Talk about a time where you were struggling with something in the verses below and tell your students how you dealt with it.

 

 

Set Your Mind on Things Above

Colossians 3: 1-4

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

 

Kill What’s Killing You

Colossians 3:5-10

5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

 

Put On The New You

Colossians 3:10-17

10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

 

12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

 

15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

 

Respect Those Who Are In Charge of You

Colossians 3:18-25

18 Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

 

19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.

 

20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

 

21 Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.

 

22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 25 Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism.

 

(Depending on your group, it might be a good idea to give a little more context on what slaves were in those times and what wives submitting to their husbands means)

 

Action Steps:

  • Make a list with two columns: one side with a list of things you have your mind on the things on the earth, one side with the things you want to focus more on with the things above like it talks about in the passage.

  • Talk to your leaders about what things you need to put to death in your life.

  • Make a list of the things listed in verses 5-10 that maybe you need to focus on getting rid of.

  • Think of ways you can actually clothe yourself in Jesus. Think of some practical ways.

 

Thought of the Week:

How you clothe yourself will label what you stand for.

 

Questions:

  • Why do you think it tells us to keep our mind on things above? What is the benefit to this?

  • Do any of the things listed in verse 5 stick out to you in your life? What about verse 8?

  • What do you think it means to put to death these things?

  • Is there anything in your life right now that you feel you need to put to death? Why or why not?

  • Do you think it is going to be hard or easy? Why or why not?

  • What does it mean to be renewed by the Creator? (v. 10)

  • Do you really believe you can be renewed like it says you can? Why or why not?

  • What do you think it means to put on the new you?

  • How can we let the peace of Christ rule our hearts? (v.15)

  • What are some things right now you can do to give glory to God in your every day life?

Charles, Traci and CJ -

New Series.  It's Jesus and Your Faith.

So...Jesus and Loving Others, Jesus
and Culture, and Jesus and Your
Future are past.  Now it's Jesus and
Your Faith. 

I have put an overview the curriculum
writers gave us...and I think it's
pretty helpful. 

Just as with other lessons in these "Jesus and" series, the
leaders guides are much longer than you need...
especially for the amount of time we have.  And the extra
stuff at the beginning (Bible background, etc.) are great, but the main part to focus on is the stuff you'll share with the students. 

Look also for the links to the teacher prep videos in the leaders guides. Those are helpful.

Thanks for your help!!!

Jesus and Your Faith

  About Jesus and Your Faith (pdf)

Week 1 - April 24 - The Answer
      Leaders Guide (doc)
One note: we talked about John 3 a few weeks ago - so the context is slightly familiar to everyone (if they remember)  Anyway, just be aware of that as you teach.
No power point this week - but if you end up using one and want a graphic, let me know.  I am going to create a new "Jesus and Your Faith" graphic instead of using the one on this page.




Week 2 - May 1 -  Be Good Soil
   Week 2:  Leaders Guide (doc)
  Week 2:  Lead in activity (pdf)
  Week 2 Power Point Link: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1HJAkFRGZb9okbxLCaxEBkPdLkhIJEBjy/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=101321749000674608531&rtpof=true&sd=true


Week 3 - May 8 - Do You Believe
    Week 3: Leaders Guide (doc)
    Week 3: Last Word activity (pdf)
    Power Point Link: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1KhvYZoYdaY-U3trx4rncpLabD_C7KkZX/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=101321749000674608531&rtpof=true&sd=true

Week 4 - May 15 -  Rock Solid
    Week 4:  Leaders Guide (doc)
    Week 4 Power Point Link: coming soon

May 15 may be your last week.  We may do a summer kickoff day on May 22.  Not 100% sure yet.  If we do, you are more than welcome to join us, if you'd like.  The invitation is ALWAYS open to you.  

But even if we do not do a kickoff on May 22, we will probably let interns teach or do a combined class or something similar.  We'll talk more as the date gets closer.
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Christmas is here, and a new two-week series will help us point to Christ during this Christmas season.

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I think this will help us put Jesus' coming in a way which will help our students.  I really want them to see the big picture about how God has been at work since the beginning, and Jesus' arrival is so crucial to understanding the story of God's love for humankind.  Feel free to help them see how all people who followed God in the OT would have been looking to the coming of Jesus.  After Jesus ascended to Heaven, we now look back to the life of Jesus, His death, and His resurrection and we see how God brought Jesus at just the right time to save us. 

 

For week 1, I am planning on taking a little time at the beginning with all MS & HS, so you may have a few less minutes than normal.  I'll try to not take too much time.

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As always, many thanks for your help on Sunday mornings by helping our students see God more clearly!

 

Week 1 - December 12 - Our Only Hope

(there is a reference to Harry Potter here - make sure they know that an illustration like Harry is only used to help them understand the story of Jesus - comparing Jesus to any person or story falls so short of who Jesus really is.)

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Week 2: December 19 - Above and Beyond

 

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As always:

If there are any of the lessons you don't love, it's fine to skip them.  You can just use the next week's lesson and it will be fine.  Some of the lessons get can be a little tricky to keep their attention, or maybe you're just not feeling it with the content of a specific lesson... so if you look at any lesson and want to skip it or come back to it at a later date (or not at all) it's totally fine.  Just keep me informed so I can catch up with yall or get back on track at some point. 

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Here is some info from the curriculum writer about how to use this series:  How to use the I Doubt It Series

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Week 1: He Said, She Said, God Said - October 31

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Week 2: Priorities - November 14 (we're skipping Nov 7 because of a HS Retreat)

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Week 3: Experiencing Grace - November 21

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Week 4: What It's Worth - December 5 (we're skipping Nov 28 because of Thanksgiving)

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December 13 & 20 - new series.  I will put lessons up soon.

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Smile.  Be encouraging.  Be enthusiastic. 

 

Be creative in how you handle things.  For example: If you ask a question and no one responds, one way you could respond is to say something like, "I'm not afraid of silence.  I can wait all day."  But a different way to respond might be something like: "Oh goodness, you guys forgot how to talk."  Or "Okay, everyone is too tired to talk, let's do this differently."

 

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The info below is from our curriculum for this semester.  It's all from a series called Pursuit.  The first part of this we will go through is a 4-week series called "Awestruck."  With this series, we are looking at worship, but I want our students to learn more about worship outside of Sunday morning than to learn about a Sunday morning worship service.  So, helping them see that all parts of life are worship is really important.  The lessons do a pretty good job at pointing students in that direction. 

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This is pre-written curriculum.  I like this type of curriculum in situations where I have other people teaching because it gives you a good place to start from, it's usually well-written, and it helps us have a direction to go for the semester.  And they write it better than I do, usually, and the amount of time it saves me from starting from scratch is significant.  You're welcome to take away or add to with any of these lessons.  Some things will seem to teach naturally.  Others may be more difficult.  Feel free to use these lesson as they are, or just use them as a starting point for anything you want to teach.  And with everything, help them apply it to their lives. 

From the curriculum writer: how to use this series (Word format)

From the curriculum writer: some tips about teaching and about this series (pdf)

Week 1: Better Together  (August 29)

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Week 2: Whispers in the Temple   (September 5)

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Week 3: Honest to God    (September 12)

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Week 4: Giving It All Up    (September 19) 

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If you want to use the TV screens with a power point file, you can.  I like doing this and use it to teach from quite a bit, but you do not have to unless you want to. 

 

If you want to use screens, a few options:

1) I can have a computer in the HS room for you with a few verses and things from this lesson on it if you would like. 

2) You could bring your own computer (or iphone or ipad) and have your own presentation.  It works well to have it hooked up via apple TV, but  I can get an HDMI wire for a direct connection if you prefer. 

 

Examples of graphics they give us for the week 1 lesson are on the right. 

If you wanted to add some scripture references (like the James 4:1-8 reference) or any pictures or anything fun or anything else, you could. 

 

If you use my computer, I could get those things from you in advance or send you what I am using in middle school class.  If you bring your own computer or device, I can send you the graphics the curriculum writers provide. 

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Here is a quick video talking about how everything is the message, not just what you say.  This video is in the context of an evening youth worship service, but it applies to our Sunday morning time really well.  There is some good stuff here. Ignore the part about where it is advertising a teaching series.

Students in 12th grade who will likely be in class on Sunday mornings:

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Tanner Allen

Braden Bomnskie

Stephen Burns

Kaley Burrow

Caroline Coyle

Beth Hammond

Katherine Hughes

Drew Marchbanks

Sjon Pickett

Chad Warden

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Students in 10th grade who will likely be in class on Sunday mornings:

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Virginia Adams

Tate Allen

Clara Bircher

Kambrie Bomnskie

Jadyn Dacus

Elan Fergusson

Vivian Foster

Jack Hanna

Reagan Hughes

Allen Jackson*

Beck Leftwich

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*Allen will answer every question you ask and have a lot to say, if you let him.  He is really smart.  And he is very likable.  He processes a lot of his thoughts out loud, so he will talk the entire classtime if you let him.  It does not hurt his feelings if you tell him to be quiet or let some others answer or just simply say, "not now."  Using hand gestures sometimes accomplishes this as well.  But if you do not help him to keep from speaking up all the time, he will take over the class.

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Picture on the right is of some of our juniors.

Top - from left to right:

Brady Lawhorn, Henry Adams, Gates Leftwich, Tripp Foster, Cal Livingston, Camdyn Dacus

Bottom - left to right:

Patti Livingston, Ashlyn McCulley, Emma Garner.

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In the background:

Bradan Bomnskie (left side facing to the left)

Between Gates and Tripp in the background: Beck Leftwich.

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Students in 11th grade who will likely be in class on Sunday mornings:

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Henry Adams

Camden Dacus

James Duncan

Isabel Duncan

Tripp Foster

Emma Garner

Helen Hindman

Brady Lawhorn

Gates Leftwich

Patricia Livingston

Calloway Livingston

Ashlyn McCulley

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Students in 9th grade who will likely be in class on Sunday mornings:

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Piper Belk

Parker Coyle

Brody Garner

Emily Jackson

Alex Lawhorn

Ty Lingo

Camille Warden

Allison Warden

Emma Wilson

Sofia Zahn

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