Would love some fresh ideas!

[Karin12414]

Hey guys,

So the Teen group at our Church is going to be going through some changes because the Youth Leader had to leave us to serve God I volunteered my services to them and am very excited to be working with the teens. My personal goal is to be just a huge source of support and encouragement for them. I remember my teen years being very much a part of the world and feeling like I was trapped in my sinful lifestyle, but I came back to the Lord and have been really getting my life on track. I want to be able to ease their minds and encourage their dreams with REALISTIC advice so they are not just being thrown into the world with no sort of preparation for some of the cruelest parts of it.

I was hoping to ask for some ideas I can bring to the teen group to help get them more involved in Church and their Community. I also would like any ideas as far as Games, Lessons catered to teens, anything at all would be extremely helpful!!!

I am super excited and ready to help these teens KNOW just how great God is to them and how great He has made them

 

[Dave-W]

IMO:

First off, please be real with them. You had struggles and some of them are probably having the same exact struggles.

Let them know from your perspective of coming out the other side what mistakes you made, what worked and what didn't; and what was the fruit of your poor choices.

Only then can they start to chart a proper course to success.

 

[Karin12414]

IMO:

First off, please be real with them. You had struggles and some of them are probably having the same exact struggles.

Let them know from your perspective of coming out the other side what mistakes you made, what worked and what didn't; and what was the fruit of your poor choices.

Only then can they start to chart a proper course to success.

Thank you I totally agree. They had a month long session of testimonial lessons and I actually typed up my testimonial for them. They responded very good from what the old Youth Leader told me.

I do want to be honest with them. I got involved in a lot of different drugs as a teen and found myself chasing after the love of any man that would have me. It was a really dark time, but I am completely changed from that.

I am honestly excited to share my experiences. I am no proud of them, but I feel like I am able to approach things from a different perspective because of them. Being a teen is scary and confusing, I want to reassure them that there is a light at the end of the tunnel

 

[Dave-W]

Amen.

Drugs are a real black hole that can suck you into a very dark place. So are ungodly relationships.

Thankfully I never went down those paths, but that also means I am ill equipped to offer specific help and guidance. You can speak to them in a way I could not.

 

[Dave-W]

I want to reassure them that there is a light at the end of the tunnel

Yes there is.

The one thing I remember as being the most difficult as a young Christian was dealing with a very high libido and being condemned for it. Every one sounded like Job's "friends" who said he must have sinned to have such calamity.

Please let them know those feelings/urges are from God so they are good, and to not let them become their enemy. They are driven by hormones, not lust.

Do a web search on Purity Culture fail to see the fruit of that subtle legalism. .

 

[Karin12414]

Amen.

Drugs are a real black hole that can suck you into a very dark place. So are ungodly relationships.

Thankfully I never went down those paths, but that also means I am ill equipped to offer specific help and guidance. You can speak to them in a way I could not.

That was one of my main reasons for offering my help. I have been praying to God and trying to figure out what He is calling me to do. When they announced that they may need help in the teen room, I felt a huge tug at my heart.
I have been praying about it and I have been feeling more and more that maybe I could be a good source for them. The people helping out now never really had to go through that stuff either. It can make it hard for a teen to feel like anything being said could apply to their situation because it is so far from the typical Bible stories, or they worry about feeling judged and like an outcast, that's how I felt as a teen.
I really would have loved to have someone to talk to that went through even a little of what I went through. It was hard to feel like I was a part of the group when I had a joint or the "guy of he week" waiting for me.
I want them to know that NOTHING they are going through will separate them from God. He was with me through my entire life. Even the darkest times.

 

[Dave-W]

I want them to know that NOTHING they are going through will separate them from God. He was with me through my entire life. Even the darkest times.

Amen. Great testimony!

And it was definitely God tugging your heart!

 

[Dave-W]

It can make it hard for a teen to feel like anything being said could apply to their situation because it is so far from the typical Bible stories, or they worry about feeling judged and like an outcast, that's how I felt as a teen.

One thing my pastor told my wife and I last year was that God did not design us to bear burdens. We are not mules. We are told to cast our burdens on Him. Feeling judged or an outcast is a huge burden. Feeling like you are alone in your struggles is too.


Since that conversation, this verse has become a favorite:

He is mindful of our frame that we are but dust. Ps 103.14

 

[Karin12414]

Amen. Great testimony!

And it was definitely God tugging your heart!

Thank you I really hope I can do some good for His glory in that group.
I'm really excited for the future

Any other suggestions or ideas are very much welcome guys!

 

[Karin12414]

One thing my pastor told my wife and I last year was that God did not design us to bear burdens. We are not mules. We are told to cast our burdens on Him. Feeling judged or an outcast is a huge burden. Feeling like you are alone in your struggles is too.


Since that conversation, this verse has become a favorite:

He is mindful of our frame that we are but dust. Ps 103.14

And it is SO true! When I finally let go and accepted that I was the only one harboring any guilt or bad feelings towards my past, I felt such a HUGE relief come over me. It didn't matter what I did, the only thing that mattered was that I came back home to my true Father.
It was such a great feeling. I felt like the Prodigal Son must have felt when his father welcomed him with such openness and love