Student Leader Weekly 3.17

Brent Dongell, Christian Boulton, and Emma Fairchild | Mar 14, 2023

Teen Trends

A recent trend on social media is teens posting pictures of their messy bedrooms, giving a more accurate look into their daily lives. It goes against the stereotype of having a "picture-perfect" facade on social media. Teens have found it unsustainable to keep their rooms clean, so they just stopped caring about appearing perfect. I think this is another example of Gen Z's desire for authenticity and a true connection with others. People desire depth in their relationships, so keep that in mind as you're hanging out with friends. 

 

Song of the Week

Lauren Daigle has released a new song titled Thank God I Do. She is one of the few Christian artists that has had success with Christian music in mainstream circles, which is encouraging. It shows how gifted she is as a vocalist, songwriter, and storyteller. Her latest project is a very raw, real song that names some of the questions that she's been wrestling with. The lyrics are her saying that she wouldn't know where she'd be without the Lord, so she's thankful that she has a relationship with Him (hence the title of the song). That message is relatable to many people.

 

Check out our running playlist of this season's songs on Spotify here.

 

Sermon Illustration

A lot of people love Psalms because the book is so raw and emotional. David, Solomon, and the other artists don't hold back any punches when airing their emotional grievances. They will recall times of great joy in one chapter, but in the very next chapter, they will be asking God to strike down their enemies (Psalm 139 is a perfect example of this). Perhaps this is why so many people resonate with the book. It's another example of people connecting with deep, strong emotions of all kinds - happiness, rage, disappointment, and jealousy to name a few - and how quickly our emotions can change. 

 

Encouraging Thought

It is nice to know that God came to Earth and understands our flesh, our emotions, and our circumstances. Through that understanding, he accepts us with all of those emotions. Our God is a genuine God who wants us to know Him more, and He knows us more than we know ourselves. Nothing is more genuine than God's love for us. As you go forward, let God's authentic love sink into your spirit and remind you that He genuinely loves you.

 

 

*Writer's note (Christian): I wanted to take a second to recognize Emma as a new writer on the team. We're thrilled to have her on board and to hear her story, passions, and insights through her writing. 

 

 

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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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