Teen Trends
March Madness started this past week, and it's a big deal, especially since it didn't happen last year. In the work force, it's enjoyed so much that it's said to costs businesses about $13.3 billion per year with distracted employees. March Madness can represent an encouraging bonding experience for your family or teens with an anticipated feeling of Spring and Summer coming! You can use this bracket season with watching games as a time to connect and check in with each other to see how you are all doing mentally and be a safe space for each other. There have already been several upsets, which is oftentimes the most intriguing part of the tournament. If you're looking for this year's cinderella story, your best bets are Oral Roberts (a #15 seed) or Loyola Chicago (a #8 seed). The number 1 seeds this year are Michigan, Gonzaga, Baylor, and Illinois. At the time of writing, however, Illinois has already been knocked out by Loyola Chicago. Check out all of the scores and updated brackets for the men's tournament here.
On the women's end of things, here is the live bracket. All of the 1 seeds, which are USC, UConn, NC State, and Stanford have all advanced. There haven't been quite as many upsets as the men's bracket, but seeing powerhouse teams like the ones listed above and others like Baylor and Louisville clashing in the semis and the championship is always entertaining.
Song of the Week
Another growing worship group based out of Denver, Colorado is Red Rocks Worship. Within the last couple of weeks, the group has released some new songs, but they also cover other worship songs - some newer and some classics. Some of the new songs that have made the rounds are Never Leave, Breathe Miracles, and Now Here while there's other more known songs like Breakthrough. The group claims that they exist to "make Heaven more crowded."
Game of the Week
If you have access to a court or even an open area, a ball (doesn't have to be a volleyball) and a volleyball net, badminton net, or some other kind of net, blanket volleyball is an awesome game that will get everyone involved. You'll need probably at least 8 to play this game. Divide your group and give each team a blanket (or two depending on how many people there are). Each team will have to work together to catch the volleyball in the blanket and fling it over the net. A lot of the rules are similar to volleyball such as out of bounds and not hitting it twice in a row. You can choose to keep the score however you want depending on how much time you have. You can do 3 sets of 11, 1 set of 25, or whatever you want.
Sermon Illustration
We've all experienced loss in varying degrees lately. Whether it's been a loss of the ability to dine in at your favorite restaurant because of Covid or your best friend falling away from the Lord, we've all experienced it in one way or another during this season. A story in the Bible that also deals with loss is the parable of the lost coin (Luke 15:8-10). This short video shows how that scene might have played out. Maybe you're stressed and exhausted looking for what you lost, or maybe you're tired of waiting for things to change. Whenever those thoughts begin to creep in, take them to Christ and remind yourself of the joy of finding what you've lost again. Think about seeing that runaway friend come back to Jesus and use that to fuel your prayers for them. Remind yourself of the ways Jesus has spoken when He seems quiet and hold onto that faith.
Encouraging Thought
Nothing is wasted. Remember our heart's commitment to live for Him because He died for us (2 Corinthians 5:15). Our heart's prayer is that "He must increase, I must decrease" (John 3:30), and "Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." Stand firm. Let nothing moving you. We got this. God put you in this role for a reason. Christ's light will shine through you.
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The vision of the Student Leader Weekly is to empower high schoolers (alongside adult leadership) with practical ministry ideas.