Teen Trends
"Turning Red" is a newly released, trending Disney movie that was released on March 11th. The movie follows a young girl going through issues with boys in middle school with most of the conflict revolving around issues with her mom. The movie is lighthearted as many disney movies are but aims to address generational trauma between moms and daughters. Some parents are worried, however, about the rebellious nature of the young protagonist and a couple of small references to menstrual cycles. Overall, the movie aims for parents and young teens to have conversations about the awkward stages of adolescence that many movies skim over. If you decide to watch this movie with your teens, try and see the movie from their perspective as well as your own. Turning Red is a great movie to have informed conversations over with your students.
Song of the Week
Spring Theory is the newest single from up-and-coming singer-songwriter PEABOD. The song features various amounts of pop influences, with a twist of rap. The lyrics give listeners nostalgia for the past and recognize a feeling of tiredness that many people face. However, PEABOD does not leave listeners bereft of hope, rather, he points towards a restoration found in God and His faithfulness not only in our present but in our future. While the song does not fall into traditional worship music that you would find in a church service, it provides listeners a breath of fresh air for personal worship time in the car, while studying, or even enjoying days with friends.
Game of the Week
"Pew Pew" from Grow Games is a great game for all group sizes that gets everyone involved. The game is played without needing any props or preparation, all you need are the rules. Start out by having everyone stand in a circle. A leader will stand in the middle where they can turn around and see everyone. Closing their eyes, the leader will spin around until they randomly stop and point at someone in the circle. That person needs to drop to the ground while the people to their right and left must turn and try to "shoot" each other with finger guns shouting "pew-pew". The person in the center determines who shot first and therefore stays in. If the person in the middle does not duck down quick enough, they get shot and are out. The last two players face off in a traditional texas shoot-out: back to back, take ten steps, and then turn around and shoot. The slower person is out.
Sermon Illustration
Spring is officially here! If you are anything like many of us here at Southern Wesleyan University, your sinuses are getting attacked as pollen is released into the air. It covers everything, from cars to the sidewalk to your clothes when you accidentally brush up against anything outdoors. Pollen might be annoying sometimes, but it's nature's way of providing new growth for all of the beautiful green spaces we have in the world. If it wasn't for pollen, we wouldn't have fruits and vegetables, shade from the trees, or flowers to give to friends.
Sometimes in life, we get annoyed by the pollen people in our lives. Pollen people are always spreading the good news, even when it doesn't seem like it has anything to do with the conversation. However, if it wasn't for people constantly sharing their faith and being open with who they are in Christ, then very few of us would ever receive the good news! Whenever culture is telling you to pull up the weeds and wipe off the pollen, pray instead that you can create new flowers with the Good News you bring instead.
Romans 10:15 - And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"
Encouraging Thought
As we enter into the season of spring, I want to remind you all that God is always ready to restore us. Even after seasons of burnout and depression, when we are weary of the ministry, or when we are exhausted from the hard situations we are dealing with in life, God has a hand reached out for us. Just as it is said in Psalm 23, the Lord refreshes our soul and guides us to places of supernatural peace. My prayer for each of you is that no matter what season of life it is, the Lord promises us that just around the corner there are streams of living water that refresh us, body and soul.
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The vision of the Student Leader Weekly is to empower high schoolers (alongside adult leadership) with practical ministry ideas.