Student Leader Weekly 2.17

Brent Dongell, Christian Boulton, and Taylor Bumgarner | Dec 22, 2021

Teen Trends

The new Spider-Man movie called No Way Home was released recently, and it raked in the third-highest opening day revenue ever at $253 million. This is by far the highest total since the pandemic. It shows that people are not overly concerned with Covid anymore, despite the rising concerns with new variants. Younger generations that follow the Spiderman franchise are sick of being cooped up and being told what they can and can't do. That massive number also shows that movie theaters aren't entirely a thing of the past, despite the rise of streaming services such as Disney+ and Netflix. Many experts were worried that Covid would bring about the death of movie theaters, but it appears as if that is not the case. There's just something special about watching a newly released movie (therefore avoiding spoilers) with a crowd that's just as excited as you are while eating massively overpriced popcorn. You can read more about the movie here in an article released by CNBC. 

 

Song of the Week

Fresh this week, Lacey Sturm has released a new single titled Awaken Love. The song features an alternative take on worship that is somewhere between Skillet and Evanescence with gritty guitar and beautiful, raw vocals. Awaken Love takes the perspective of someone singing about not only their love for God but God's love for them as well, painting a picture with poetic lyrics. Sturm's song is filled with truth without saying it outright, making it appealing to new Christians who may not be used to traditional worship music. 

 

Game of the Week

Balloon Stomp is a great, easy game to play for any age or size of the group. All you need is an open place, string, and balloons. Have all the students blow up their own balloon and tie it around their ankles. In the open area, students will be trying to stomp on each other's balloons to pop them without getting their own balloon popped. When a student's balloon is popped, they are completely eliminated and can no longer pop other people's balloons. The game is elimination based, which can be played in teams or as the last team standing. If you are playing indoors, I would recommend students either all wear closed-toed shoes or go barefoot, especially if you are playing with super competitive high schoolers. The length of playtime varies but for most groups, there will be plenty of time to do multiple rounds.

 

Sermon Illustration

Being from South Carolina, I hardly ever see snow. On the rare occasion that I do get to see it, my entire family and I absolutely love it because it means no school, snowmen, and snowball fights. However, after visiting family in Ohio, I was reminded about how most people up north don't like snow. They find it ugly after it's mushed down into the ground, it makes driving problematic, and it requires them to layer up with multiple jackets just to walk to their car. 

I wonder how often God gives us something so beautiful and unique, and our first instinct, like my family up North, is to complain about the inconveniences it will cause. Whether it be a new job opportunity, a possible new friend, or a new romantic partner, how often do we begin to nitpick about every flaw or inconvenience? What if we instead took a second to stop and think about the potential for God to do what He does best in this new opportunity? What if we take a second the appreciate the story that the author and perfecter of our faith might be trying to write?

Hebrews 12:2 - Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

 

Encouraging Thought

As we rapidly approach the New Year, there are always talks of our resolutions and goals. Whether it's new workouts we want to try, new diets, or staying on top of deadlines; the list goes on and on. However, few of us will actually stick to these goals. We get busy or miss a day and suddenly all that work disappears as we fall back into old habits. I wonder what would change if rather than making these goals for ourselves, we made them for God instead? It's always good to strive for change, but if our heart isn't in the right place first, then it becomes infinitely harder. God wants us to change, to become more like Him, and walk the path with Him. This year, rather than changing for ourselves, let's change for the Lord and bring glory to Him.

1 Corinthians 10:31 - So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

 

 

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The vision of the Student Leader Weekly is to empower high schoolers (alongside adult leadership) with practical ministry ideas.

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