Teen Trends
YPulse conducted a survey about 13 to 39-year-olds favorite musicians. Topping the list, surprisingly, was Drake. At the number 2 spot was "none". This is because many young people prefer to listen to a variety of music or because there were too many options. Rounding out the top 5 are Eminem, Taylor Swift, and Justin Beiber. Lastly, sitting at number 6 was BTS, which shows the increasing popularity of K-pop in American culture.
Song of the Week
Steffany Gretzinger, the former Bethel worship leader, has released another album titled Faith of my Father. It continues her trend of releasing music that is less aligned with traditional contemporary worship and more similar to heartfelt conversations with God. The album is dedicated to her father who recently passed on to Heaven, and many of the songs on the album are her take on some of his favorite hymns such as There is None Like You and As the Deer.
Game of the Week
"Hoop Hop Showdown" is a game played by setting up hula hoops or other objects students can jump onto in a path. Students are split up into two teams starting on either side. Starting at the same time, students have to run across the hula hoops to try and reach the other side. When they face-off, the two opposing players must play rock-paper-scissors. The winner gets to continue on while the next person from the losing team must race forward to cut them off. The teams go back and forth like this until a player reaches the opposing team's side.
Sermon Illustration
When was the last time you were hungry... like really hungry? When you don't eat, you get hungry. That is our body's way of telling us that it wants to eat. If someone ignores that feeling, then they get hungrier and hungrier. If they continually ignore the feeling or if they don't ever feel hungry, then there's probably a medical issue that needs to be addressed whether it's physical or mental. At this point, someone else's help is usually needed to get the person back on track. Hungering for God can work in a similar way.
When we don't "feed" ourselves spiritually for a while, we get hungrier and hungrier for God. There are ways that our body tries to communicate that we haven't fed ourselves lately like being more quick-tempered or feeling more down than normal. If people don't feed themselves, they will slowly start to become less healthy, spiritually speaking. If these signs are continually and consciously ignored then there is likely a deeper issue that needs to be addressed. If someone reaches the point where they aren't hungry anymore spiritually, it usually takes someone stepping in to help them get on their feet again.
Matthew 5:6 - Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Encouraging Thought
Just as Jesus feeds thoughs that come to Him, He gives us water that keeps us from ever thirsting again. So many times in Scripture, we are told about the living water. What would it look like for us to go to the well, the source of our rest and refreshment, rather than a secondary source or polluted stream? As followers, we are given that promise of rest and refreshment. Next time you are thirsty, reach for the living water found with Jesus Christ.
John 4:13-14 - Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
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The vision of the Student Leader Weekly is to empower high schoolers (alongside adult leadership) with practical ministry ideas.