Teen Trends
New research shows that children who were exposed to media coverage of violent events such as hurricanes, shootings, and terrorist attacks had symptoms of post-traumatic stress regardless of physical proximity. The study was done with a pool of children, age 11, and the results were concerning. Children on the other side of the continent had PTS symptoms from media coverage of a hurricane in Florida. Long-term effects are still being studied and these children will be a part of the study for the next decade as their brains continue to develop. To read more of the study and report, check it out here on Medical Xpress.
Song of the Week
Creature by half-alive may have been released in 2019, but the alternative indie song has seen a surge in listens in the past couple of weeks after trending on TikTok. The song features synthetic overlays on the vocals and an upbeat tune that is balanced by the bass. The lyrics take a first-person point of view of someone not feeling good enough for God's grace, but through Jesus, they are saved and the overwhelming goodness of that grace.
Game of the Week
The Maze Game is an active, strategic game that with a little bit of setup can be played for as long as you want. To set up, create a grid of squares on the ground as big or small as you want. If you want it to be more challenging, bigger with more squares is the way to go. Once you have your squares, take a piece of paper and draw out a path through the squares as a kind of maze. During the game, students will line up to try and get through. Players have to try and make it all the way along the path without stepping into the wrong square. The catch is, they have to remember where the people ahead of them have already gone. If a player steps on the wrong square or out of order before reaching the exit square, they must go to the back of the line. This game can be played in teams with multiple mazes racing against each other or as single players trying to get through.
Sermon Illustration
A friend, named Abril Avendano, used an excellent analogy in her sermon recently. She talked about when reading Scripture, sometimes, we can try to take in too much at once. It's like at Thanksgiving dinner where almost everyone tends to eat too much. There are always just so many different amazing options. It's better to break it up into smaller helping so that you don't make yourself sick. You can always go back for a second plate of food if you're still hungry. With Scripture, it's better to focus on a single passage if you feel like there's a lot to be learned from it. Be flexible and allow yourself to not finish the chapter for the sake of giving yourself the chance to meditate and apply the Scripture to your life. After that, if you're still spiritually hungry for more, feel free to keep reading and digesting more of Scripture.
Joshua 1:8 - Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
Encouraging Thought
We all know that reading the Bible is an important part of growing spiritually. However, it shouldn't be something that we do to check off a box or to make others happy. Scripture is God's Word, and it is something that we should be excited about. If this is the case for you, and it is for all of us at some point, ask God to help give you a renewed passion for His Word because He will if you ask Him.
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The vision of the Student Leader Weekly is to empower high schoolers (alongside adult leadership) with practical ministry ideas.