Teen Trends
Piper Sandler, an investing company, has conducted several surveys about how teens spend their money. Chick-fil-A and Starbucks are the number 1 and 2 with 18 and 12% respectively in terms of teens' restaurants. Nike is the runaway favorite clothing brand with 27% saying that it was the best. Another interesting stat is that 9% of teenagers have traded cryptocurrency. Lastly, Amazon is by far the largest online shopping company with over 53% claiming it's their favorite. When reaching out to teens, keep these things in mind. For example, if you invite them for lunch, consider taking them to Chick-fil-A or whether they agree with these stats or have a differnet opinion on their favorites as a conversation starter.
Song of the Week
Nick Cannon, the famous comedian and host, has partnered with Kierra Shepherd to sing a classic Gospel song. They covered No Weapon Formed Against Me Shall Prosper by Fred Hammond. It may surprise a lot of people to see Nick Cannon praising the Lord like he was in this video, however, it is commonly believed that he is a born-again Christian. It's incredible to see God using some celebrities to reach people for His Kingdom.
Game of the Week
Outscord has continued to post videos of games of all sorts. One of their more unique games, though, is called Cupcake Blaster, which is the 4th game in the video. You'll need a few cups, flexible or bendy straws, and cupcake liners. Set up the cups with the opening facing upwards on a table. Then, set the cupcake liners on the edge of the table (opening down) so that they are partially off the table. Then have the players fold their straws so that they can blow air up into the cupcake liners. Have the players blow the cupcake liners and try to land them in the cup. The first player to do this three times (or however many you have set up) wins. This can also be a team game if you want to format it similar to a relay and have multiple people try to do it.
Sermon Illustration
Certain plants like the apple tree seem to benefit from the winter months. In fact, certain types of apples actually require several hundred hours of "chilling" in order to grow properly. For those that feel like they are in the midst of a cold winter season, remember that the freezing temperatures might be necessary to grow to your full potential in Christ. Just hang in there - it's just a season. It won't last forever. It will be worth it once you see the fruit once the Spring season rolls around.
Romans 12:12 - Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Encouraging Thought
Here's a challenging activity for you to help you dive into God's Word and discover more of who He is. Pick a Psalm. It can be your favorite one, or you can let the Holy Spirit lead you to one as long as it's more than a couple of verses. Instead of focusing on what is explicitly said in the Psalm about what God does, try to find the posture of His face or heart behind why He does those things.
An example of this would be if you chose Psalm 139, verse 1 says, "You have searched me, Lord, and you know me."
What He does: Searches us; Knows us
Who He is: Relational; Caring; All-Knowing; Intimate
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The vision of the Student Leader Weekly is to empower high schoolers (alongside adult leadership) with practical ministry ideas.