Teen Trends
TikTok has been in the news for all of the wrong reasons lately. It's even been labeled a national security threat, which is why some states and colleges are banning the platform. You can read more about universities banning the app here. It will be interesting to see if students will listen, how strictly these bans are going to be enforced, and whether students will even care about the consequences. Keep an eye out for this because the TikTok debate is nowhere near over yet.
Song of the Week
"Wherever I Go" by Anthem Lights is a song that takes a lot of inspiration from Psalm 139. The lyrics reference how it's impossible to run from God's presence, even when we're actively trying to escape it. He's always watching over us and protecting us from danger, even when we don't ask for it or don't know to ask for it.
Anthem Lights is a mostly acapella group that has been on YouTube for years. They are mostly known for their covers of both worship songs and the latest hits, but they've been able to write their own songs as well. You can check out more of their work on their YouTube channel here.
Check out our running playlist of this season's songs on Spotify here.
Sermon Illustration
A lot of teens (and adults) use social media apps like TikTok or Instagram to avoid dealing with their problems. Other things can fulfill that same purpose in our lives like sports, video games, or TV. It gives people something to occupy their minds so that they don't have to focus on their problems. None of these distractions are going to help solve the issues though, they're just delaying the inevitable - an eventual crash and burn. Jonah is the most common Biblical example. However, we often criticize Jonah for running from what God asked him to do, without realizing that we do the exact same thing.
Philippians 4:8 - Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things.
Encouraging Thought
A common devotional question is "What are you thinking about?" While this question can be challenging in itself, a deeper, more difficult question is "What are you avoiding thinking about?". Chances are, those thoughts are coming to the front of your mind now - even as you're reading this. Maybe God is trying to heal wounds from the past you don't want to acknowledge or telling you to reach out to a person that you haven't quite forgiven yet. Even if you're actively running from those thoughts, God is waiting to walk with you through them.
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The vision of the Student Leader Weekly is to empower high schoolers (alongside adult leadership) with practical ministry ideas.