Weekly Update: Things to Remember this December

Believe it or not, December is here. Here is a detailed glance at what is going on with the youth during December. This should answer all your questions:

Sunday, December 6

We will kick off new BFC series entitled "A Voice in the Desert". We are going to take a look at the life of John the Baptist, someone created to point towards Jesus. I also encourage you to come out either at 4:00 or 6:00 that afternoon to watch our children's musical. The kids have worked very hard and the deserve our support!

Sunday, December 13

We are going to have our annual Christmas parties the afternoon of the 13th. We will be splitting up junior and senior high BUT IF YOU HAVE A CHILD IN BOTH GROUPS, we want to make it easy on you. Simply bring them both to the senior high party. The schedule looks like this:

• Junior High Party 2:00-4:00pm
• Senior High & Siblings Party 5:00pm-7:00pm

We will be sending out directions as the time draws nearer. We ask that you please bring a "Dirty Santa" gift for the game that we will play. We hope to see all of you out there!

Sunday, December 20

We are going to go Christmas caroling again this year. We will be traveling to some of our shut-ins and will be sharing the holiday cheer. We will be leaving the church parking lot at 5:00pm for our various destinations. The night will conclude at the Rose household at 8:00pm. Once again, we will be sending directions out to everyone as the day comes closer.

Thursday, December 31-Friday, January 1

We will be hosting New Year's Lock-In at the church for all youth. Festivities will begin at 8:00pm and will end at 8:00am. We will be playing games, hanging out, and doing just about everything but sleeping. We will also be launching our new theme for the year. We hope you will join us!

11/29 Junior High BFC "Anonymous"

Introduction

• Has there been a point in your life that you have sat and wondered if there is a God? Or is there a point that made you question God’s sovereignty or power?
• Is there a point in your life where you sat and realized that there was no way something would happen if it weren’t for God?

Lesson

• Review Esther to this point. Esther becomes queen after winning what was essentially a beauty pageant. Haman gets power, and is against the Jews. Mordecai, cousin of and the person who raised Esther, refuses to bow to him and sends him over the top. Haman gets permission to wipe out the Jews. Esther now in the position to save the lives of the Jews.
• Read Esther 7:1-7. Big, bad, overconfident Haman now is scared for his life. He goes to beg and plead with Esther to spare his life.
• Read Esther 7:8-10. Haman basically dug his own grave.  The fact is when people go against God or persecute His people, and then they are truly digging their own graves.
• Read Esther 8:1-17. A beautiful story of victory and deliverance.
• Read Esther 9:1-10:3. Remember a couple weeks ago we asked you to remember the fact that they, “cast the pur (lot)” to see when the annihilation of the Jews would occur? That’s because the Jews now celebrate, on February 28^th, Purim. The day they should have been wiped out, but instead they stood victorious and delivered.

Application

• Though God was never mentioned in this book, how was it evident that He was at work?
• What did He give to Esther to make her successful and a tool for the deliverance of His people?
• What lessons have you learned from the study of Esther?

11/29 Senior High BFC "God's Beauty Queen"

Introduction

• 5 minutes to prepare a persuasive speech on something you are passionate about. They are to be 30 seconds long.

Lesson

• Review Esther to this point: Esther becomes queen after winning what was essentially a beauty pageant.  Haman gets power, and is against the Jews. Mordecai, cousin of and the person who raised Esther, refuses to bow to him and sends him over the top.  Haman gets permission to wipe out the Jews. Esther now in the position to save the lives of the Jews.
• Read Esther 7:1-7. Big, bad, overconfident Haman now is scared for his life. He goes to beg and plead with Esther to spare his life.
• Read Esther 7:8-10. Haman basically dug his own grave.  The fact is when people go against God or persecute His people, then they are truly digging their own graves.
• Read Esther 8:1-17. A beautiful story of victory and deliverance.
• Read Esther 9:1-10:3. Remember a couple weeks ago we asked you to remember the fact that they, “cast the pur (lot)” to see when the annihilation of the Jews would occur? That’s because the Jews now celelbrate, on February 28^th, Purim. The day they should have been wiped out, but instead they stood victorious and delivered.

Application

• Though God was never mentioned in this book, how was it evident that He was at work?
• What did He give to Esther to make her successful and a tool for the deliverance of His people?
• What lessons have you learned from the study of Esther?

Weekly Update 11/23/09

We had an awesome weekend in Lexington for our Fall Retreat. Our kids had an amazing time! A special thanks goes out to all the sponsors, to Bluegrass Christian Camp, to Derek Sloan, who did awesome in leading us in worship, and to all the youth who made this weekend so great. It was awesome seeing the youth realize what marriage and sexuality is supposed to look like. We all left with the desire to have all the little symbols in the wedding mean everything that they are supposed to! Thanks for a great weekend. Now to the week ahead:

Guy's Night Postponed
We are going to have to postpone guy's night to a later date. We tried to squeeze it in before Thanksgiving, but it is looking like that is not going to work. We will reschedule and do it!

No Wednesday Night Live or Sunday Night Ignite
Just a reminder that all Wednesday Night programming is off until 2010. Also, we will not be having Ignite for the rest of the year. We will be doing some events on Sunday nights, but they will not be at the same time as Ignite. Just be watching the updates.

Sunday Morning
We hope you will join us as we wrap up our series on Esther.

Happy Thanksgiving
We hope that all of you will have a blessed Thanksgiving. Make sure to set aside time to realize the great ways in which God has blessed us. We are sure thankful for all our youth. You guys are the best!

Weekly Update 11/16

Wednesday, November 18
We will be having our final WNL of the year this Wednesday. We will come together to play some games and relax. We will meet from 6:30-7:30.

Friday, November 20-Sunday, November 22
The Fall Retreat is finally here! We will leave at 4:00pm and will be finished with the retreat at 12:00pm on Sunday morning. Look for the usual last minute e-mails soon!

Sunday, November 22
For those not attending the retreat, we will be having one BFC on Sunday morning in the Elementary Power Up! room at 9:45. Also, there will not be any Sunday night activities at the church.

Tuesday, November 24
Guys Night @ Jared's! We will hang out, make a campfire, and who knows what else. We will start at 5:00 and end whenever you have to leave, or no later than 9:00pm.

December Events:

• 6th: No Sunday night due to Christmas plays
• 12th: Youth will be helping with the Angel Tree Breakfast
• 13th: Christmas parties at Jared's house. Junior High from 2-4, Senior High from 5-7.
• 20th: Christmas caroling around Bowling Green. Meet at church at 5. End at 8 at the Rose's house.
• 27th: No Sunday night
• 31st: New Year's Lock in begins at 8:00pm.

11/15 Wake Up! BFC "Anonymous"

Introduction

• Name the greatest scene you have ever seen from a movie.
•  What is the greatest line in a movie that you have seen

Lesson

• Review- Where are we? What has just happened
• Read Esther 4:1-3. Look at the genuine reaction of grief and pain in Mordecai’s face. Imagine a Jew knowing about the Holocaust before it happened. This is what Mordecai is facing.
• Read Esther 4:4-11. Esther wonders what she can do about it. She knows that if she goes to the king and says something without an appointment, and if he does not extend his scepter, that person dies. She hasn’t seen him in 30 days. It doesn’t look like he would reach out to her does it?
• Read Esther 4:12-14. Think of the best actor you know of. Picture Sean Connery from “The Rock” or another older actor reciting these lines.
• Read Esther 4:15-17. She knew that she could not do it on her own. She knew that she had to have God on her side, and the prayers of his people. When you enter hard times, or something that you are scared of, do you take the chance to get other people to pray for you?
• Read Esther 5:1-2. Whew.
• Read Esther 5:3-8. Why hasn’t she already asked the king to save her people?
• Read Esther 5:9-14. Haman is on a power trip. Things don’t look good for Mordecai
• Read Esther 6:1-9. Oh Haman, you arrogant punk…
• Read Esther 6:10-14. Why didn’t Mordecai go back home? He knew that it was still going to be a bad day for the Jews. Haman is solely motivated by revenge at this point.

Application

• Do you think that God has put you in a certain situation, economic status, workplace, or school for a certain purpose? Have you asked?
• How did God show up today?

11/15 Snooze Button BFC "God's Beauty Queen"

Introduction

• Name the greatest scene you have ever seen from a movie

Lesson

• Review- Where are we. What has just happened
• Read Esther 4:1-3.  Look at the genuine reaction of grief and pain in Mordecai’s face. Imagine a Jew knowing about the Holocaust before it happened. This is what Mordecai is facing.
• Read Esther 4:4-9
• Read Esther 4:10-11. Esther wonders what she can do about it. She knows that if she goes to the king and says something without an appointment, and if he does not extend his scepter, that person dies. She hasn’t seen him in 30 days. It doesn’t look like he would reach out to her does it?
• Read Esther 4:12-14. Think of the best actor you know of. Picture Sean Connery from “The Rock” or another older actor reciting these lines.
• Read Esther 4:15-17. She knew that she could not do it on her own. She knew that she had to have God on her side, and the prayers of his people. When you enter hard times, or something that you are scared of, do you take the chance to get other people to pray for you?
• Read Esther 5:1-2
• Read Esther 5:3-8. Why hasn’t she already asked the king to save her people?
• Read Esther 5:9-19. Haman is on a power trip. Things don’t look good for Mordecai
• Read Esther 6:1-9. Oh Haman, you arrogant punk…
• Read Esther 6:10-14. Why didn’t Mordecai go back home? He knew that it was still going to be a bad day for the Jews. Haman is solely motivated by revenge at this point.

Application

• Do you think that God has put you in a certain situation, economic status, workplace, or school for a certain purpose? Have you asked?

Weekly Update 11/9/09

Verse of the Week: Genesis 1:26
Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."


Wednesday November 11
We will start our first of two discussions on the movie 'Amazing Grace.' We will be talking about standing up against injustice in the world, our schools, and even our churches. We will meet from 6:30-7:30.


Saturday November 14
We want to wish our very own Ryan Eaton good luck as he defends his state championship this weekend in Lexington in the KHSAA State Cross-Country Meet!


Sunday November 15
We will continue our series in our BFC classes on Esther Sunday morning. Then at night we will be having our last Ignite of the year. From 6:00-7:30pm we will join together for worship as we conclude our Mirrors series. We will meet in the Youth Center at 6:00 for games and snacks, then we will go over to the auditorium for worship and a devotion. We hope you will come out!


Friday November 20-Sunday November 22
Just a reminder that we will be having our fall retreat in less than two weeks! If you are not attending the retreat, we will be having a combine BFC that day with both Junior and Senior High students during the 9:45 hour.


Prayer Request
We want to lift up Isaac Baker in prayer. Isaac had a bicycle wreck and did major damage to his knee. They are awaiting word on whether surgery is needed to repair it. He is in a lot of pain, so prayers would be appreciated. 


Have a great week.

11/9 Ignite "Mirrors-Our Abilities"

Devotion-Jared Graves

Intro:

• Who would be the best person to: Save someone from a burning building? Lift a heavy object? Play video games? Take care of small children? Run and get things for you while working? Sing the national anthem?
• We recognize our abilities, but do we recognize where they come from? Do we truly understand what we have been given? Are we finding our true potential and using them to the best of our abilities? Are we allowing the world to dictate what we can and cannot do, or are we doing things with the ability that God has given to us?

Devotion

• Genesis 1:26
• History is full of people who reached their full potential because of faith, or determination
• Moses: Had a speech impediment, but allowed God to use him to set the Israelites free
• David: David was given a specific set of skills that would enable him to strike down Goliath
• Peter: A fisherman, was uneducated. Yet he is regarded as the founding father of the Church.
• Paul: Though he was brilliant we see from various accounts, and a hint or two in the Bible that he wasn’t good looking, and actually appeared to be a rather frail person

Application

• God gave you unique abilities and characteristics. There is evidence of God in each and every one of you. Some of you have a great sense of humor, some can run fast, others can babysit, others show compassion to people all the time. God’s fingerprints and His character is often found when we explore ourselves.
• Do not allow anyone to tell you that you are not good enough. Do not settle for anything less than your best. Press on, keep fighting, because you are going to win a crown whether this world gives it to you or not.

M&M Discussion

November 8, 2009

Who knows who Michael Jordan is? Did you know that his sophomore year in high school, he was cut from the basketball team? The coach didn’t believe that he was good enough to make the team.  That was a turning point in his life. From that point forward he decided to prove the coach wrong and not only made the team the next year, he not only hit a game winning shot in a college championship game, and not only won six NBA championships. He became one of, if not the greatest basketball players of all time.

Do you think that you can take failures and have those help you succeed?

Have you ever been told that you weren’t good enough to do something? Have you ever failed at something and said that you would never do it again?

Do you think that there are millions of people who are denying their true abilities and gifts because they were told that they were not good enough?

Read together 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Is it possible that God did not give you an ability to do something because He would rather have you serve and excel in another capacity?

Did you catch the fact that everyone has a certain gift in the Church? We all have been given abilities?

Why did God give you certain abilities? If no one answers this way, note that God gave us gifts to point towards Him, and to be a tool for evangelism.

11/8 Wake Up! BFC "Anonymous"

Introduction

• Is there a situation that you look back on and said that something or someone that was considered to be “at the right place, at the right time”?

Lesson

•  Review last week
• Do you have a relative that you look up to?
• Read Esther 2:19-23. Who was Mordecai? We will find out later that this is very, very important.
• Read Esther 3:1-4. Why did Mordecai refuse to bow down before Haman? What does this tell you about Haman?
•  Read Esther 3:5-7.  Just remember this
• Read Esther 3:8-15. Did Mordecai’s actions cause this to happen? No, it just sent it over the top.

Application

• Do you think we have enough Mordecai’s in our Church today?
• What does a Mordecai look like? It is not someone who stands up against taxes. Mordecai wouldn’t be going to tea parties. He wouldn’t stand up on the side of the road and hold signs calling people who have had abortions murderers. Mordecai would be the man who simply did what he was supposed to do, and remembered who his God was.
• Do you think we need more people protesting, or living an exemplary life?
• How did God show up in the story today?

11/8 Snooze Button BFC "God's Beauty Queen"

Introduction

• This turns into Miss Congeniality. The whole reason that Sandra Bullick’s character enters the beauty pageant is to solve the mystery and the threat on the pageant. We find out today that this movie is kind of ripping off the book of Esther. Esther wins the beauty pageant, but now she is in the midst of something more. Something deeper. Something that is showing that God is active in her life.

Lesson

• Review last week
• Read Esther 2:19-23. Who was Mordecai? We will find out later that this is very, very important.
• Read Esther 3:1-4. Why did Mordecai refuse to bow down before Haman? What does this tell you about Haman?
• Read Esther 3:5-7. Just remember this
• Read Esther 3:8-15. Did Mordecai’s actions cause this to happen? No, it just sent it over the top.

Application

• Do you think we have enough Mordecai’s in our Church today?
• What does a Mordecai look like? It is not someone who stands up against taxes. Mordecai wouldn’t be going to tea parties. He wouldn’t stand up on the side of the road and hold signs calling people who have had abortions murderers. Mordecai would be the man who simply did what he was supposed to do, and remembered who his God was.
• Do you think we need more people protesting, or living an exemplary life?
• What attributes was Esther given to help accomplish God’s will?

Weekly Update 11/2-11/8

Verse of the Week: Genesis 1:26, 27
Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness..." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.


Wednesday, November 4
This Wednesday we will watch the final movie for our Fall 2009 series, "Faith N' Flicks."  We will be watching the movie Amazing Grace. The movie is just under two hours long, so we will need to start the movie at 5:30. We will then discuss the movie over the next two weeks. Our Wednesday night programming will conclude on November 18


Sunday, November 8
We had a successful launch of three new series last Sunday. We are looking at the book of Esther in our BFC classes with "God's Beauty Queen" (Senior High) and "Anonymous" (Junior High). We examined Esther 1:1-2:18. Last night we launched a spinoff from our Masquerade series entitled "Mirrors". We focused on Genesis 1:26, how we are made perfectly in the image of God.
Next week we will continue these series, and we hope that you will join us. As always, if you miss a Sunday/Wednesday, you can find the outline of the lessons, discussions, and devotions on our blog (www.movementbgcc.blogspot.com)


Also, for those who have been keeping up with the Bible reading plan, please bring a piece of paper, signed by a parent, indicating that you have kept up with the reading. If you present this paper to Jared this Sunday, you will get rewarded for your hard work!


Sunday, November 22
This Sunday will be the Sunday that we are coming back from our Fall Retreat. For those who are not going on the trip, we will be having a combined BFC that day during the 9:45 hour. The Bakers will lead the BFC.


Saturday, December 12
BGCC will be hosting the Project PG Angel Tree Breakfast. We hope that you will join us in helping out for the event. We need youth to help carry gifts to the cars of the adults and to help on delivery runs. This is a great way to help these wonderful people have a great Christmas. More details will come.

11/1 Ignite "Mirrors- Our Body"

Devotion- Jared Graves

Genesis 1:26

• “Our image”. What makes us different than all the animals in the world? God took careful time to create everything else, why are we to be held in any higher of a standard? We are made in the image of God. God would choose this body, this form to be the one that He would take when redeeming mankind.
• Your Body. God created you exactly the way that He wanted you to be. We are also the temple of God. It is to be treated with utmost reverence and care.

Application

• You are not too fat. You are not to skinny. You are not to slow. You may not get things as quickly as other people, but that doesn’t mean you are a failure. You are created exactly the way that God wanted you to be. When He looks at you He says, “Very good.”
• This means you don’t have to wear revealing clothing, you don’t have to take steroids, you don’t have to wear your hair a certain way. You don’t have to get tattoos, piercings, eat more, lose weight, or anything else because you ARE GOD’S image. You are beautiful. You are very, good.

M&M Discussion

November 1, 2009

What does beauty look like?

Do you think that God made any mistakes when He created you?

God created you perfectly. The psalmist writes that even when we were in our mother’s womb, God loved us and cared for us. He knows the number of hairs on your head. How does this make you feel?

Do you think that it is important how we treat these bodies that God gives to us?

·      Read Romans 12:1

How we treat our bodies is kind of like how we spend our money. God gives it to us, so we should be good stewards of what He has given to us.

Talk with them about their attitudes towards their bodies. Have an open discussion about it.

11/1 Wake Up! BFC "Anonymous"

Introduction

• What does the word anonymous mean?
• Should a book be put in the Bible if God’s name is never used?

Lesson

• Background of Esther: Written approx 470 BC, One of only two books in the Bible named for a woman. The original language no proper name or pronoun for God appears in it. Why would this be put in the Bible? Our series, “Anonymous” is going to show us that even when God is not mentioned, even when he is not named, He still shows up, and He is still to be praised
• Read Esther 1:1-8, This was their way of preparing for battle. They get battle strategies, and also, if they are going to lose, at least they had fun getting ready for it.
• Read Esther 1:9-12, Big time insult. Xerxes wants to show off his lady and she says no. You do not say no to the king!
• Read Esther 1:13-2:4, Answer to their problem: A beauty pageant!
• Read Esther 2:5-7, What does this tell us about Esther?
• Read Esther 2:8-11, Why doesn’t Esther say where she is from?
• Read Esther 2:12-18, Esther’s beauty and charm wins over Xerxes. She is now queen. Why is this significant?

Application

• How did God show up in this story today?

11/1 Snooze Button BFC "God's Beauty Queen"

Introduction

• In today’s society, it’s not real appropriate to look up to supermodels and beauty queens as role models. However, we are going to look at someone in the Bible who basically won a beauty contest, and then proceeded to save lives and have the upmost character.

Lesson

Background:

• Written approx 470 BC
• One of only two books in the Bible named for a woman.
• The original language no proper name or pronoun for God appears in it.

Read Esther 1:1-8

• This was their way of preparing for battle. They get battle strategies, and also, if they are going to lose, at least they had fun getting ready for it.

Read Esther 1:9-12

• Big time insult. Xerxes wants to show off his lady and she says no. You do not say no to the king!

Read Esther 1:13-2:4

• Answer to their problem: A beauty pageant!

Read Esther 2:5-7

• What does this tell us about Esther?

Read Esther 2:8-11

• Why doesn’t Esther say where she is from?

Read Esther 2:12-18

• Esther’s beauty and charm wins over Xerxes. She is now queen. Why is this significant?

Application

• What attributes was Esther given to help accomplish God’s will?
• What things have God given you to use to accomplish His will today?