Teen Trends
Loneliness is something that many teenagers and young adults struggle with, but amidst all of the ongoing chaos with the pandemic, those rates are even higher than normal. In a survey from the Wall Street Journal, one-third of Americans feel "frequently lonely" and 28% of people said that they "had experiences increases in the frequency of their loneliness." While loneliness may not seem like a big issue, it can be the beginning of a dangerous downward spiral if it is left unchecked. Let's do our best to reach out and connect with those that are disconnected or lonely, especially as people are in and out of quarantine and isolation.
Worship Song of the Week
One group that hasn't featured on this blog yet is The Belonging Co., which is a worship band that is from Nashville, TN. They are known for writing their own songs and for modernizing older worship songs. Oftentimes, they bring in other worship leaders for various performances such as Kari Job, Sarah Reeves, Cody Carnes, and Danny Gokey, who featured in their most recent release. Last month, they released a single titled "Every Victory." The pastors of the church that the group is from say that the song "is a bold declaration that we are not fighting for victory, we are worshipping from a place of victory."
Game of the Week
The same group that we mentioned last week, Outscord, has posted another video on their Facebook page with 10 more games. A lot of these games can play wearing masks and while social distancing as well, so they would work well during these crazy times. Many of the games from their newest video including flipping cups, bottles, or something like that. There are also some relay-type games that will get more people involved.
Sermon Illustration
Speaking of victory, Christ gives us victory as we live our lives. Admittedly, it's a cliche, but if you stop and really think about what it means, it's really powerful. Christ has empowered us to conquer whatever we face, whatever seems to be insurmountable in our lives. While things like physical health, mental health, relational health, and other kinds of issues effect us now, they stand no chance in the long run because of Christ's victory on the cross and in the future.
Deuteronomy 20:4 - "For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory."
Encouraging Thought
Remember to give yourself time to rest this week. Set some time aside for your Sabbath. You probably have many things on your to-do list, but that's okay. It can wait. Is anything your putting in your schedule more important than meeting with the creator of this universe? Put aside distractions like laptops and phones and pause or take a day to revitalize yourself and tune in to God. After it's done, you'll be ready to check off more of those items on your checklist and feel more connected to God. What could possibly be better than that?
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The vision of the Student Leader Weekly is to empower high schoolers (alongside adult leadership) with practical ministry ideas.