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OCTOBER 2009

SCARRED: PREPARING FOR THE HURT IN LIFE
OCTOBER TEACHING
The challenge of life isn't avoiding pain (since that's impossible); the real challenge is how to deal with pain when it happens. How to manage and heal from the wounds life inflicts on us. With this powerful three-week series, students will be able to recognize and deal with the most painful experiences in their life. And most importantly, they'll see how God can take their pain and use it to make beauty.

10.07 - SCARRED Week 1: Hurt Happens
10.14 - SCARRED Week 2: Risking to Deal with Life's Hurts
10.21 - SCARRED Week 3: Student Stories

TEN COMMANDMENTS: TALKING POINTS

How many of the Ten Commandments can you name without looking? [Parent: Have the list ready to complete it together.]
Do you remember the story of where and how God gave these ten rules to the Israelites? [Parent: Be prepared to sketch out the backstory from Exodus 19: It had been 3 months since the Israelites had crossed the Red Sea, escaping from Egypt. One of God’s first stops for them was at Mount Sinai, where He gave these commandments.]
Do you think it’s important for Christians to know and understand the Ten Commandments? Why or why not?
Is it worse for us to break these rules than to break others of God’s instructions in the Bible? What “happens to you” if you break one of these commands? Will God hate you or punish you? [Parent: Be sure to emphasize that we are all sinners and can be saved only by God’s grace and forgiveness through faith in Jesus. Help your child to understand that God’s forgiveness for those in Christ covers all of our sin.]
If our Father has already forgiven our sin through our faith in Jesus’ death in our place on the cross—why does it matter that we know about the law? Does God really care if we keep sinning? [Parent: Check out Romans 5 and 6 for good answers to these questions if you want to go deeper.]
What do the first two commands—no other gods and no idols—tell us about God? Why do you think He is so opposed to His people worshipping other gods or looking to other supernatural sources for help?
Most people we know don’t worship actual idols they think of as gods. But what kinds of things do people in our culture tend to put ahead of god? What kinds of things do we turn to for help instead of God?
Paul describes greed as idol worship (in Ephesians 5:5 and Colossians 3:5). How is wanting and trying to get things you don’t need like worshiping an idol?
The third commandment warns against using God’s name in vain. His name has power. To use it in vain means to disrespect Him or to misuse His power. Do you think anyone takes this command seriously any more? How many people do you know who refuse to use God’s name in disrespectful or deceitful ways?
What choices have you made about using God’s name or Jesus’ name for swearing or lying or condemning people? Some Christians don’t seem uncomfortable saying “oh my God” or “Jesus” when they’re excited or angry. Why do you think that is?
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy” is the fourth command to the Israelites. It’s the only one on the list that New Testament Christians are not called to practice in exactly the same way. Why is that? [Parent: Be prepared to explain your understanding of the Sabbath and how your church addresses it.]
Commandment 5 gets repeated almost exactly in Ephesians 6:1-3. What does it mean to you to honor your parents? Should it matter whether your parents deserve honor or not, according to God?
Why do you think this command was important enough to make the list? Do you think it takes more faith in God for some people to obey this command than others? Why?
Commands 6 - 8 are the simplest ones: Don’t murder. Don’t commit adultery. Don’t steal. Do you think God intended for there to be any exceptions to these commands? Why or why not?
The ninth commandment deals with lying, specifically lying in a legal sense to hurt another person. Has anyone ever lied in a way that ended up hurting you? Can you think of any reasons that lying about someone else would ever be justified?
Proverbs tells us that lying is one of the things God really hates. Why do you think He’s so passionate about not telling the truth?
The tenth commandment talks about coveting. How would you define coveting?
One definition for coveting could be to make a choice not to be content because you don’t have what someone else has. Why would God care so much whether we’re content or not, as long as we’re keeping all these other commands? [Parent: Be sure to emphasize that what this list shows, in part, is that God really cares that we are satisfied that He is the one who meets all of our needs, that we don’t need anything apart from what He gives to us. God wants our hearts to be fully satisfied with Him.]
How are we doing as a family at following these commandments? If someone is able to keep them all, does that make them a better person? A better Christian? Good enough to get into heaven? Why or why not? [Parent: Be sure to emphasize that though God is pleased with our obedience, all of us have sinned. None of us can ever earn a place in heaven, because we can’t obey Him perfectly.]
If someone has broken many—or all—of these commands, is that person doomed? [Parent: It would be great to end this conversation by emphasizing again that Jesus was doomed (or “crushed”) in the place of all who have broken these or other commands of God—and put their trust in Him to receive forgiveness for those sins.]
So why does it matter so much that we try to obey God now? Why does it matter that we try to live like Jesus—with the help of the Holy Spirit?

EVENTS
Every month 24.7 hosts several exciting events. Here are a few that are right around the corner. Visit www.theofficial247.com for more details.

10.05   Huddles
10.07   24.7 Scarred
10.11   Huddles
10.14   24.7 Scarred
10.18   Huddles
10.21   24.7 Scarred
10.25   NO Varsity Huddles
10.28   24.7 Guest Speaker // Pumpkin Contest
10.30   Homecoming Family Photos

6th - 8th Grades
The Life of Christ
Jesus is the central focus and figure of the Bible. The Bible predicts His coming thousands of years before His birth, tells of His life and ministry, recounts His death, details His burial, announces His triumphant resurrection, and shows the remarkable changes in the lives of His followers. Knowing Jesus is the beginning and the end of the Christian faith. Through this yearlong study, your students will come face to face with Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Covering topics like self-esteem, relationships, dating, time management, addictions, and money.

Sunday Morning @ 10:30 AM
Lakeside Campus
Huddle Coach: Lisa Cook

9th - 12th Grades
Groundwork
The Book of Luke is one of four New Testament accounts of the life of Jesus, called the Gospels. It is one of three, along with Matthew and Mark, that share similar accounts from different points of view. The Gospel of Luke presents a very personal and human look at Jesus' life and relationships, while recounting events from his public ministry.

Sunday Nights @ 6:00 PM
9th - 12th Grade
Huddle Coach: Ang Cavallo & Angelica Cuellar
Host Home: Ed & Lori Sanetti (map)

BOOK OF THE MONTH:
SCARED PARENTING
Parenting is a school for spiritual formation—and our children are our teachers. The journey of caring for, rearing, training, and loving our children will profoundly alter us forever.
Sacred Parenting is unlike any other parenting book you have ever read. This is not a “how-to” book that teaches you ways to discipline your kids or help them achieve their full potential. Instead of discussing how parents can change their kids, Sacred Parenting turns the tables and demonstrates how God uses our kids to change us.

You’ve read all the method books. Now take a step back and receive some much-needed inspiration. You’ll be encouraged by stories that tell how other parents handled the challenges and difficulties of being a parent—and how their children transformed their relationship with God. Sacred Parenting affirms the spiritual value of being a parent, showing you the holy potential of the parent-child relationship.

COMMING NEXT MONTH:
HOW TO SHOUT WITHOUT SCREAMING

Evangelism. Just the word alone conjures up a multitude of images—and most of them make students squirm. But sharing the Good News of Jesus doesn’t have to be pulpit pounding or televangelist cheesy. In this three-week series, your teenagers will get a practical handle on three ways they can be a testament to spread God’s love.