YOUTH BLOG 2015

For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. (Romans 1:21 ESV)

WHY THIS MATTERS? I'm not going to lament that our current culture has a massive problem with doubting God. This is not this generation's fault. This concept (or struggle) isn't new at all... there have been the doubt of God since the beginning. But because you live in this present age, you must understand this doctrine at its basic level. Who is God? What is He like? What does He love? And why does any of this matter? Lastly, how does the doctrine of God determine how I live, love, and learn?

DISCIPLESHIP: As with everything, as a leader, your role is to help those you disciple understand doctrine and theology. But before you teach, you must know and understand. Take careful time to study the material...and then explain it to your disciple(s). But this topic will go far beyond just knowing about God, like all doctrine, it'll help shift and shape how you live. IF God is real (and we believe He is), THEN this understanding should affect every single thing you do in live.

DUE DATE: January 31, 2016

Christian Beliefs: Chapter 2: What is God Like?

• Be able to explain all the characteristics of God in this chapter.

Can We Know if God is Real? - Nabeel Qureshi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qq_I8ZcUgio

• Listen/Watch this clip from the Answering Doubt Conference
• Allocate time to really pay attention and take notes
• What are some of the points that were brought up?
• What are some further questions you might ask him?
• What are some areas of disagreement?

Systematic Theology: Chapter 9 Section C Traditional "Proofs" for the Existence of God

Good evening youth leaders,

The holidays are over and today is the end of Sunday. For most of ya'll, it's back to the grind...back to school...or back to the routine. And the initial feel is that you're tired and you're only looking forward to Christmas. But let me continue to remind you of a couple of things:

1. As Christians, we have the most to be thankful because we know the SOURCE of all blessing. So even though thanksgiving is over, let us always be grateful..if nothing else let us remember our salvation and the gospel that is so sweet. Your youth group will need to be reminded this as well.


2. This time of the year is the most crucial. Why? because we are in "holiday" mode, which means high levels of academic stress is bookend by two major holidays so our minds and hearts are either super focused on grades, grades, grades or play, play, play. It's hard, if not really hard is interject a healthy pursuit of Christ in the middle of this. And I know the parents on this team are also guilty of pushing our kids this route too. But if I can remind you with a huge quote from a pastor/theologian: "It would be a tragedy to teach our kids to gain the world at the expense of losing their soul". Leaders, let us NEVER be in this position where this might possibly be true. Let us always push our students to do well in academics, family, and play...but always keep the pursuit of holiness as primary.

1. The Middle School lockin is this saturday. Leaders, please talk with may as to how you can help out.
2. Gracewood is this saturday. Please confirm with alice for your duties.
3. The leadership meeting is re-scheduled for THIS coming sunday. We need to meet and talk through december and january since we're not meeting til end of january. Please be ready with things ya'll need to discuss and questions. Also, as for the project...i think what i'm going to do is have different leaders/mentors grade and look over the projects rather than just me. If you have forgotten what the project was please refer to facebook or the blog or earlier emails. If you need help, please let me know.
4. Again, if you need to talk this week and/or schedule a meeting with me...please let me know how i can serve you, equip you and/or pray for you.

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! (Ps. 107:1)

Thanksgiving 2015 is upon us. While some of ya'll are anticipating the break from school, practice and homework we want to remind you of something huge that could make this break even better. Stop real quick and ask yourself "WHO" are you thankful for? I know a lot of times we're going to get asked "WHAT" but I wanted to change it up real quick.

WHO are you thankful for? And try to think of someone in light of influence. Yes, we're all thankful for people who give us stuff or do things for us. But there are certain people that love you enough to sacrifice time and energy to influence you. They have shaped your character and foundation. WHO are those people?

Now, some time this week...send them a text or a message thanking them.

This past week the youth and their parents had a parents picnic outside the parsonage in the CBC parking lot in perfect weather. There was lunch provided filled with sandwiches, chips, pie, and taco soup. This picnic really gave the youth and parents the opportunity to be able to connect with each other and to get to know each other better a little more. There was a quiz among different teams that tested the knowledge of the different generations and how well each generation knew of the other. There were also discussions about what inhibits family growth and connection and also time devoted to pray as a family. The game that was played was telephone to test the "communication" among the youth and parents as well as guys vs. girls.

It's November, the start of another month...or as I like to called, "the beginning of the crazy." This month starts one of the most tiring, stressful, but life-giving parts of the year. God graces us with the change in weather... a simple reminder that after a long, hot summer, there are always things to look forward to. But before you start thinking about Thanksgiving break and Christmas...take this opportunity while it's still a bit calm to purposefully plan your discipleship strategy for this upcoming season. Here's a couple of things you might want to consider thinking about:

1. What are my youth stressing about during this season? How can I encourage them and lift their spirits during this time?


2. What are some ways our family can incorporate some of the core values during the holidays (i.e. service, missions, truth)?


3. Consider scheduling at least 1 one-on-one with each of your youth and plan it together. Maybe go to a movie together, a meal, play/musical, or even serve together.


4. Consider how to integrate the gospel during these holidays while you're gathering together.

It's going to be a great, fun, busy, crazy season. I pray that you don't go through the routine of the crazy and miss out on the chance to learn and grow together.

Introduction:

Hey leaders (and some adventurous test takers), I hope that this was more of a joy than a burden. We've always said that these tests are just pure accountability methods for several reasons:

1) To ensure that ALL of the leadership is actively learning and growing in truth

2) In order for us as a team to make decisions, it's important that we are all coming from common ground theologically.

A thought on "studying":

Most (if not all) of you started studying this information the weekend of the test. I don't bring this up to guilt anyone. I understand that everyone is busy...but the reality was you had a month to prep. I do want to bring this up to challenge this part of your spiritual growth. Do you consider theological training as part of this growth? Do you seek to know more about the nature and character of God and his Church? Don't forget leader, that while you are to serve the Lord, you are also commanded to love him with your mind as well.

Answers:

Part 1:

1. Jesus is telling the parable in Luke 15.

2. The father of the son was NOT in the crowd. It was the tax collectors and sinners, pharisees, and scribes. This is super crucial to understand Luke 15.

3. The younger son asked for his inheritance. It would have been culturally, ethnically, theologically, personally, emotionally, and financially insulting for this to take place.

4. So according to the verse, just before he "began to be in need" a famine hit. However, you can make a case that it was because he ran out of money. I suppose both answers are legit.

5. The older brother is outside of the house at the end of the last parable.

6. The Gospel: "The gospel is shown through the family in this parable. The son is like us who are lost and looking for satisfaction in worldly materials. We turn our backs on God (the father) and yet he still invites us with open arms. We neglect him yet he is forgiving and loving. He has compassion towards us. The good news is that the father brings the son in and celebrates even though he neglected him and insulted him and turned away from him. He was once lost but now is found. God is the father in which he accepts his son in regardless of what he has done" - Brian Yeang

Part 2 (Middle School):

1. The authority of Scripture means that all the words in Scripture are God's words in such a way that to disbelieve or disobey any word of Scripture is to disbelieve or disobey God.

2. The sufficiency of Scripture means that Scripture contained all the words of God that he intended his people to have at each stage of redemptive history, and that it now contains everything we need God to tell us for salvation, for trusting him perfectly, and for obeying him perfectly.

3. The Bible is NOT an example of general revelation.

4. See 2 Timothy 3:16

5. See Psalm 119:1

6. The Bible is important for our basis of belief for many reasons: authority, direction, comfort, ultimate truth, doesn't change, etc.

Part 3 (High School & Beyond):

1. The canon of Scripture is the list of all the books that belong in the Bible.

2. We do not regard the Apocrypha as part of Scripture because:
  a. They don't claim to be on the same level of authority as the OT writings
  b. They weren't considered as Scripture by Jesus or the NT authors
  c. They contained teaching inconsistent with the rest of the Bible

3. The word of God be meant as Jesus (the person) and as spoken words of God such as - our Bible, proclamation, personal address, God's work through human speech.

4. The Authority of Scripture means that all the words in Scripture are God's words in such a way that to disbelieve or disobey any word of Scripture is to disbelieve or disobey God.

5. The inerrancy of Scripture means that Scripture in the original manuscripts does not affirm anything that is contrary to fact.

6. "When we deny the inerrancy of the Bible, we place ourselves above God's words and that we know more than Him. This is intellectual sin." - Michael Ng

7. The necessity of Scripture means that the Bible is necessary for knowing the Gospel, for maintaining spiritual life, and for knowing God's will, but it is not necessary for knowing that God exists for knowing something about God's character and moral laws.

Leaders: we're getting your tests graded right now. I hope you had some fruitful studying with the doctrine of Scripture. For November, we're going to apply what you learned in October.

Attached is November's Study Guide due the last Sunday of the month. Open to everyone else if you want to take the challenge.

One of my favorite childhood memories is watching Star Wars in the theater in 1977. I (along with an entire nation) was awestruck. Nothing like that had ever been done before. We were all sucked into a new world of spaceships, lightsabers, strange creatures, and distant galaxies. But of all the things that caught the average viewer's attention, the amazing technology of the future was doubtless near the top of the list. What would it be like to have robots with personalities, to hover above the ground on a "land speeder," to play "chess" with virtual holographic images, and to have lost limbs restored with robotic parts?

Of course, these very things have been largely realized today. In fact, I noticed that when my own son watched Star Wars on DVD a few years ago, he wasn't amazed by much of anything technological - some of it probably seemed pretty realistic to him. He was mesmerized instead by the fast-flying ships, lightsaber fights, and fun action scenes. We live in a world where technology advances at such a mind-boggling pace that we hardly have time to stop and be amazed by it. We feel this today particularly in the area of "social media" like Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Periscope, and just plain ol' texting. We are (supposedly) more connected, more in touch, in better communication than ever before.

Yet as I think about my son's future, and even about life today, I have to ask the question: What effect does "social media" technology have on the way we view the church? On the way we conceive of life in Christ's body? Much of social media is positive, of course. And the church has certainly leveraged this technology to advance the cause of Christ. Moreover, I can't miss the irony of writing about the adverse effects of technology on a website. Nevertheless, I do have some concerns - and so should you.

Here are a five characteristics of a "Facebook culture" we must reckon with as believers:

1. Short Attention Span/Limited Learning Style

It's difficult to imagine those who absorb information at the rate of short texts and tweets sitting through a 40-minute sermon and engaging in a sustained manner. Now does this mean we shorten our sermons and make them more entertaining? Or does it mean we work harder to train our congregations in the way they learn? Hopefully the latter.

2. Low View of Authority/Overfocus on Equality

One of the most often overlooked effects of social media is how we view authority figures. The internet is the great equalizer - everyone has a voice. We all have a platform to speak our mind, to say our piece. After any article or news story, anyone can offer an opinion. And certainly much of this is good.

But it can also lead to an "egalitarian" view of authority - that no one person's opinion should be valued or weighted more than another's. Needless to say, this presents problems for a biblical ecclesiology that understands the church and the pastors to have real God-given authority in the lives of its people.

3. 'Surfacey' Interactions/Artificial Relationships.

In her book Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other (2011), MIT professor Sherry Turkle observes, "On social-networking sites such as Facebook, we think we will be presenting ourselves, but our profile ends up as somebody else - often the fantasy of who we want to be" (p. 153).

In other words, though people might feel more connected, they can actually be more distant - at least from who they really are. On the contrary, true Christian fellowship demands we engage with people as we really are, so that we can honestly face our sin and grow together in Christ.

4. Lack of Physical Presence

"People readily admit they would rather leave a voicemail or send an e-mail than talk face-to-face," Turkle notes. "The new technologies allow us to 'dial down' human contact"... (p. 15). Modern technology, then, can create an almost non-physical, quasi-Gnostic existence. So it's ironic that one of Christianity's earliest enemies was Gnosticism, which espoused the belief that the physical world was inherently evil and that salvation was largely a release from the physical body.

In contrast, biblical Christianity has always advanced a robust and positive view of the physical. Face-to-face presence matters. Indeed, one day, in the new heavens and new earth, we will have new resurrected bodies and will see our King (and each other) physically. Forever.

5. Low Commitment/Accountability

One of the attractive features of Facebook-style communication is that it requires little of us. It is a low-commitment and low- accountability form of interaction. We control - and entirely control - the duration, intensity, and level of contact. At any moment, we can simply stop. But the Christian life and real Christian relationships don't work this way. We do have obligations to one another - covenant obligations. Put differently, Christianity has a corporate aspect that stands directly against the individualistic and self- determined relational patterns of our modern technological age.

Vibrant Picture

So where do we go from here? Do we abandon technology, move to the countryside, and adopt an Amish-like existence? Not at all. Again, my aim isn't to condemn modern communication technology (which I'm using this very moment). Rather, my point is we must be aware of the challenges it creates for ministry in our modern and postmodern world.

Technology doesn't necessarily create sin patterns; it exacerbates them. In response, we must do something we needed to do anyway: give our people a robust and vibrant picture of the church and their place in it. In other words, we need to give them a full-orbed biblical ecclesiology.

Michael J. Kruger is president of Reformed Theological Seminary's Charlotte, North Carolina, campus, where he also serves as professor of New Testament. He is the author of Canon Revisited: Establishing the Origins and Authority of the New Testament Books (Crossway, 2012). He blogs regularly at Canon Fodder.

What Youth NEED

My mentor wrote something like this while I was under his tutelage and now i'm just trying to follow in his footsteps. Yeah, this could be seen as a caricature of youth, but give it a read and then let me know. The following is something i'd like to see youth ministers, pastors, leaders, and volunteers to take seriously.

1. Youth need someone to listen to them. Everyone talks to them, for them, and at them...but if you really ask a youth what they need, they need someone to listen to them. Listen to what they are saying because they are saying it. Listen to how they are saying it. Listen to why they are saying it. There are times to talk but we need to get back to listening.


2. Youth need someone who is there. They need you to be there for the long haul. They are tired of people dropping out of their lives when things get busy or hard. They need you to be there because as their world changes so quickly, they need someone who will won't mirror everything around them that changes.


3. Youth need leaders. As much as they want to relate to you and to know that you're able to relate to them, they need a leader to guide them and disciple them. They need someone who will show them not only how to live, but why that way is the best way. They need leaders who are confident but yet humble. They need you to coach them.


4. Youth need transparency. They don't need you to be perfect. That actually makes them feel worse about themselves (not to mention it puffs you up). Rather, they need you to be honest with them. They're starting to experience the reality of life and so they need you to tell them how it is and not sugar-coat anything.


5. Youth need wisdom. It's necessary and good that we teach youth facts and lessons...but youth need you to teach them how to apply those in real life. They need your wisdom from your life and the wisdom you've gained from others. They need time-tested, historically-grounded wisdom.


6. Youth need opportunities. Give them chances to prove that they can do more than you think. Allow them to take major responsibilities. Provide chances for them to fail in a safe space but also to space to succeed. Expect greater things of them than just what you think and let them prove you wrong. Provide opportunities for them to test their talents and gifting.


7. Youth need discipline. They will often make excuses and blame others for their failure to do something. What they want is to get away with it. What they want is to ignore it. What they need is to be corrected and they need some discipline in their lives. Yes, youth are youth...but help them mature out of being youth and into responsible adults.


8. Youth need the Gospel. More than they need distractions...more than they need a good resume...they need their hearts aligned with Jesus. They need to know that life without Christ will fail them and it will leave them empty somewhere down the road. They need to know that Jesus is enough for them now and later. In the good times and in the bad. They need to hear from you about the beauty and the joy of the gospel. They need to know that it is real, that it is worth it, and it is worth giving everything up for.
   
   

But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine (Titus 2:1 ESV)

BLURB: Hope you're ready for another semester of Sunday School. We start this coming Sunday and we're going all the way to the end of December. Our hope is that you engage with the material and by the time you finish, you will be a bit further along than when you started. If you want to see the syllabus for your class please go here: http://cbchouston.org/youth.html#ss

We meet in the FLC right after English service (11:00 am) and we do announcements and then we go off to our SS classes till 12:20 pm. Alright, now for the part where everyone is anxious to know...wait for it...Sunday school rooms!

• 6th & 7th Grade: Room 212
• Old Testament 2: Room 240
• Church History 2: Room 237
• Bible Study Methods: Room 213
• Comparative Religions 3: Room 230

QUESTIONS? If you have any questions, please let us know: cbcyouthofhouston@gmail.com

Today we held our first youth praise of the school year. The game that we played was Palm Trees and Coconut. The songs that we sang were Time Has Come, Holy Spirit, and Good Good Father. Justin's message today came from Luke 7:36-50. We also had a cardboard testimony which was held by the junior servant team, servant team, and the youth adult leaders.

Hilary Woo and Suyee Lin were interviewed today about their past week. They are seniors in the youth group. Hilary attends Clements High School and Suyee attends Cy-fair High School.

Woo speaks of her September youth praise experience. "The first youth praise of the year was good. It felt weird because everyone else was so small." Woo said.

Talking about her week, Lin shares about a driving incident at her school. "This week at school someone almost hit my car," Lin said. "Everyone at my school is a really bad driver. I was going out of the parking lot and there was originally a car in front of me and then there was a car behind me. The car in front of me decided to switch lanes even though he was super close to me and he almost hit my front bumper."

Woo talks about a driving incident as well. "A car almost hit me too this week," Woo said. "I was parked perfectly in my spot and then these juniors tried to park next to me and they had a lot of trouble and almost hit me."

Watch out for scary drivers at high school guys. Also look forward to Access Kickoff this Friday!!!