My Epic Journey

we are in our second week of the 40 days of worship campaign.  this week we talked about the focus of our worship.  Below is the teaching outline we used on sunday night in EPIC:

Week 2: It’s a Heart Matter

Texts: Matthew 4.8-11; Matthew 6.19-21, 24; 16.26; Matthew 10.37-39

Activity: Time-Warp Archaeology

Welcome to the forty-fifth century! You are an archaeologist, and you’ve just uncovered what appear to be homes from the twenty-first century. Your job is to determine what these mysterious people would value most by carefully examining their dwellings. Fortunately, the homes are perfectly preserved. Keep in mind that you know nothing about the people who once lived in these dwellings; you’re drawing conclusions only from what you observe.

Break up into groups. Discuss the following questions:

1. In your own dwelling, what appears to be the most important room?

2. What appears to be the most important piece of furniture?

3. What appears to be the most precious thing in the dwelling? Explain.

4. If an archaeologist walked into your room thousands of years from now, what would appear to have been most important to you? Why?

5. If you could tell a future archaeologist what’s most important to you, what would you say?

Pick six of the things people value from our list on the board, and rank them from one to six with number one being the most important and number six being the least important. List one value on each card. When you are finished, place your number one value on the top of the ladder, the number two value next, etc. with the number six value on the bottom.

Point #1—Your Priorities Reveal What You Worship (Matthew 6.19-21, 24)

Point #2—What Your Worship Matters (Matthew 16.26)

Point #3—Worship Is About Giving Up the Good for the Best (Matthew 10.37-39)

Worship Experience: Meeting w/Jesus

Imagine that Jesus is seated in front of you.

· What would Jesus say to you about how you use your free time?

· What would Jesus say your priorities are, based on how you spend your pocket money?

· What would Jesus say about your energy and focus based on your conversations with your closest friends?

Pair up with a Prayer Partner.

· Is there a difference between what you say you value most and how you live?

· Are there any idols in your life? If so, how do you feel about that?

· Would anything need to change in your life to make God your first priority? Explain.

· How can you begin to make those changes?

Close in Prayer

This year’s CHILL was designed to help our students become ONE with God and each other.  After our first night’s talk by Tony Pingitore, one our junior girls, Cailin Coane, penned this poem during a SOLO time:

Soul –shaper, heart-breaker,

How long before the dark pain ends?

You said you’d fix me, feed me, show me,

Now I’m waiting for your promise to send . . .

When will the healing begin?

Broken, bruised, and battle-weary,

I came to you to heal my soul

But wounds and scars were rediscovered,

Heartache, sorrow left uncovered

Blood and tears drained out fill up my bowl

When will you give me control?

My own hands broke my heart in pieces,

A scattered life worth less than jagged glass

I glued it together, torn and tattered,

Fragile, weak, ripped and shattered

And watched tears fall as it broke again

And so I offered it to you . . .

You tore me up! You smashed me down!

You ground the points into my suffering

But you take my shame and guilt, my story,

Into a mosaic worth your love and glory

And so now it’s my offering . . .

The artist’s hand knows better than

The work of art could ever know

And so now I take my shattered life

And I finally give you control.

Cailin Coane. February 13, 2010

February 7^th—FUSE Night/Super Bowl

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL??!!!!  I know I am.  I am very excited to have my Colts in the game this year.  Ought to be fun game.  But it would be A LOT MORE FUN if I could watch it with you.  Thanks to Chris Hughes, we can now show the game on the big screens in both the Auditorium and the Multi-purpose room!!!!  So here are the details for February 7^th:

When:  February 7^th @ 6:00 pm –till end of game

Where:  GPCC

Who:  The WHOLE family!!!!!!

What to bring:  if you have a 6^th-7^th grader—dessert.  If you have an 8^th-12^th grader—appetizers/finger foods.

There will be spiritual challenge during half time.

Don’t miss out on the event even if you are not into football, come to hang out with friends!.  It is going to be a lot of fun!