theEDGE ACTIVATE

theEDGE ACTIVATE!! 

As a part of the “40 Days in the Word” experience at Jacob’s Well, the students will be taking a weekend to ACTIVATE the word in their lives.  This overnight retreat will be a great step for all students to discover the word of God in action.  Please take a look at the registration form below for more details and information.  Feel free to pick up a registration brochure at theEDGE or at the Welcome Center.  OR you may register online at www.jacobswellec.org/middle-school/the-edge What would it look like if our middle schoolers began to allow the Word to come alive in their daily lives?  What would their schools look like?  What would your families look like?  What would their relationships look like?  This retreat could be a turning point for your student.

Ten

Last night at theEDGE we started a new series that is going to change the way we see and respond to God. Below you’ll find your cue to see how you can enter into the conversation with your student throughout this series.

Series Overview

Thirty-five hundred years ago Moses came down from Mt. Sinai with a short list of rules that has shaped the values of people and nations for centuries. We know them as the Ten Commandments, but do we really know them? Many people believe that the rules are a condition for a relationship with God, things we must do to get in His good graces. But just the opposite is true. The relationship came before the rules. And the commandments were meant to not only reveal God’s heart, but to keep His people free.  

Session One: The Rules (January 11)

Bottom Line: Relationship always precedes rules with God.

To many, Christianity is about following a set of rules. And if you asked them “Why?” they would point to a single source—the Bible. Specifically, they would probably mention the Ten Commandments. But what most people miss is the whole context for that list. God established a relationship with the Israelites long before He even gave them the rules. He wanted them to know they were His people. The reality is that following the rules will never make God love us more. In fact, when you try to live them out, you begin to see just how much you need Him. With God, the relationship always precedes the rules. Always.

Session One Parent Cue: The relationship and rules connection is something that you live with in your role as parent/child. Talk about how relationship always precedes rules in your home.   

Session Two: One & Only (January 18)

Bottom Line: The most important decision you make is what you place in the center of your life.

The first two commandments—“You shall have no other gods before me” and “You shall not make for yourself an idol”— are two of the most often forgotten. They have nothing to do with ego—in fact, they have more to do with us. If our lives revolved around God, then all of the other commandments, such as stealing, lying, adultery, etc., wouldn’t be an issue. So what would your life look like if you had no other gods but God?

Session Two Parent Cue: What are some things that are other “gods” in your life? How can we help each other not make those “gods” the center of our lives?  

Session Three: That’s Not My Name (January 25)

Bottom Line: When you use the name of God to dodge the will of God, you will ultimately miss out on God entirely.

Have you ever said God’s name when you were angry or rattled off “OMG”? If so, you may have heard someone talk about you breaking one of the Ten—the one about misusing God’s name. But there’s much more to this command. Just think about it, do you think that’s all God was concerned about? Do you think that was the only reason He put it on such an important list? The reality is that we abuse God’s name when we choose to use it for our own selfish purposes—and that’s a dangerous game that involves more than just a careless slip of the tongue. If we dodge the will of God in the name of God, then we run the risk of missing God entirely.

Session Three Parent Cue: Beyond swearing, what are some examples in history or in our world today of people abusing God’s name. What are some situations when you are tempted to abuse God’s name?  

Session Four: Do Nothing (February 1)

Bottom Line: When we stop and acknowledge how God has cared for us and our world, we realize who is really in control. 

How crazy is your life? Doesn’t it seem like the weeks go by so fast? Okay, maybe not the school day or your shift at work—but the rest of your time, like your free time—how much of it seems to just disappear before you know it? What if you were more intentional with your time? More specifically, what if you spent time each week pausing, reflecting and acknowledging what God has done for you and everyone else the rest of the week? What if you took time to stop, rest and realize that no matter how much you thought you were in control of every minute, He was really in control all along?

Session Four Parent Cue: What has God done for you this week? How can you be more in tune with noticing what He does around you?   

Session Five: Unto Others (February 8)

Bottom Line: God places value on each person, and desires for everyone to be free.

The final six commandments illustrate a key truth about God—He cares a great deal about how we treat each other. In fact, these commandments were so revolutionary at the time because they showed that everyone had worth and value. God gave us these laws, not as some type of admissions test into heaven, but as instructions on how to live and be free in Him. He knows that not only is our relationship with Him important, but so are the relationships He has placed in our lives.

Session Five Parent Cue: Go through the final six commandments (Exodus 20:12-17) and discuss how these commands are about valuing other people. Talk about ways we “steal,” “murder” etc one another, ways that may go beyond our traditional definition of these words. 

Begin Again

A Parent Cue is a way to engage with your child and what they are learning at The Edge.  Below you’ll find a description of what your student will be learning and different ways to engage in how your student thinks and responds to it.

1. Be a Student of What They are Learning

New Year’s is that transitional part of the year.  2011 is over and 2012 is here.  For some people 2011 was a year to forget.  For some people 2011 was a year full of pain, difficulty, and heartache.  Maybe there was a death in the family, maybe there were broken relationships, maybe there were failures, maybe there were struggles and pain.  Some people can’t wait for 2012 because it has got to be better than 2011.  While for other people 2011 was a year to remember.  For some people 2011 was a year full of excitement, health, and happiness.  Maybe there was an addition to the family, maybe there was a great vacation, maybe there were great successes in school or sports.  Some people don’t want 2011 to be over because nobody knows what 2012 has in store.  But with the new year comes the time to begin again.  It is a new start.  With this one week message, comes time to reflect upon the past and cast vision for the future.

2. Be a Student of Your Student

The world of a middle school today is all about speed.  With the speed of technology at students’ fingertips they don’t like to slow down.  In fact, for some students the anticipation of the countdown to the new year is too much.  They cannot even sit still through the 10 second countdown as the ball drops on New Year’s Eve.  Unless prompted, students would never slow down enough to think and reflect upon their experiences.  They would move from one thing to the next without thinking or reflecting.  This week, we are trying to prompt students to slow down, think deeper, and reflect.  If students do this, they will gain insight and grow in ways they never knew they had time for.

3. Action Point

The action point for this message is to help students to spend some time reflecting and casting vision with your child.  The following questions are sample questions to discuss with your child.  Remember, this is a discussion, let them know how you are growing with them.

Reflection Questions:

1. What were some of the best experiences of 2011?  How did they make you feel? What do you think God was trying to teach you through them?

2. What were some of the worst experiences of 2012?  How did you feel about them?  What do you think God was trying to teach you through them?

3. What did you think of our family in 2011?  How does that make you feel?

Vision Casting Questions:

1. What goals do you have for yourself in 2012?

2. What do you want to have accomplished by next year at this time?

3. What do you want our family to have accomplished by next year at this time?