To get the blueberries something has to get burned.
Hey gang, this is John
In the first week of this series IGNITE Kyle talked about something that really resonated with my life and journey. He mentioned that after the destruction of a forest fire new life is given a chance to grow. Light can now shine through to places that were once shaded by the canopy of the trees. (I’m sure you can already begin to see the spiritual implications.)
It is with this theme in mind that I want to expand and end our series IGNITE. I’m sure that as you think about the anticipation and excitement that fills the SIC (student impact center) on Wednesday nights the last thing that seems fitting to talk about are hard times -keeping with the theme – times were we have been burned. However, as counterintuitive (or backwards) as it may seem, our most difficult and challenging times can be our most formative and life-changing
We will not delve into the theological debate as to whether God creates hardships in our lives intentionally – endless amounts of talks, books, lectures, etc., have yet to settle it and we’re certainly not going to try in one night at Elevate. However, it is very clear that God uses these times to bring us closer to him and do life-changing work in us.
Be For Each Other
1. As a group share times that have been really challenging?
2. Looking back, did any of those times shape who you are today? Did anything good come out of them?
Follow Jesus
1. Jesus makes clear that just because we follow him doesn’t mean we won’t experience hard times. During these times in your life did you feel closer or farther away from God?
2. How can we lean into God during hard times and look for “new growth/life” opportunities in the midst of the fire?
Look Beyond Ourselves
1. Most often God works through people, aka us. Therefore, it is up to us to BE Jesus to our friends, family, and even the World when they are going through difficult times. What are ways we can BE Jesus to other people during these times?
Reflections on last week
1. Last week Paul talked about people in our lives that IGNITED us, and challenged us to emulate (be) that ignition to, and for, other people. How have you ignited those around you in the past week?
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24 comments:
I think this is a really good topic. I think sometimes we tend to forget about God, and stray away from what is right. It is during these times such hardships occur, and they make you realize what is important, God. So basically hardships occur in your life to redirect your attention back to God. Or at least thats what i think.
This message hit home for me. Speaking from experience about how God uses those hardships to show us how much we need Him to carry us, I think this is an amazing topic. I know that when I would go through hard times I would push God away but I've realized in the past few years how much i actually needed Him & how much He was there.
I think growing close to my group as soon as possible is very important, because it is hard to have good conversations when you don't know anything about the other people. Just because we are Christian, doesn't mean we won't experience hardships. Hardships are a great way to grow closer to God because this is when you feel you need him the most. Jesus doesn't give us problems for no reason, there is a hidden reason behind his decision, sometimes it is just hard to find, and you have to search.
After thinking about this topic I like the truth behind it. After having gone through something that was very painful I undoubtly felt like god had betrayed me but as time time went on (like emma) I began to really feel his presence and because of the hardship it almost felt like god and I had a more intimate relationship because I had gone through those tough times.
I agree with what people said about the hard times, I think it is important to look back on those times and realize that even though those times were hard God put us in that situation to help others. I realized that in this past year that something i have gone through that i thought i couldn't use to help anyone actutally came back and i was able to be their for someone in that time of need. To start off the week and letting the kids know that we have gone through hard times and letting them really feel comfortable to share that with us.
I think this is a good message. I think that the hard times, or times you are "burned" are the best chances for God to do something in your life. Those are the times when you need to look to God for help. I think this is an analogy that the kids will be able to relate to.
I like this topic too. I was also thinking that we could also discuss how Jesus went through the same (and often more severe) hardships, and what they did for Him. I also wonder, what would it be like to have a life with no hardship? I'm not sure it would be a good thing. I think it might be kind of empty, like a book with no conflict. Also, how would a person who has had absolutely no conflict in their lives identify with anybody else? They would not. As it is human to err, it is also human to have hardship.
I really like this. I think it so very true that the hard times shape who we are. It is our past and our pain that sculpt our characters. Ever notice how someone who is extremely down to earth often has had very hard things to overcome? Adding on to that, I think that EVERYONE has hard times. It is very easy to say that one person has been through more than another, and yet do we really know? If a loved one of someone dies and another person has all their family still alive, does that necessarily mean the first person has a harder life than the ladder? Neigh. Er, I mean no. I think that by understanding and loving, and sometimes not knowing, we can help people through pain. Sometimes it's the most unbvious things that are killing people's souls. I truly hope my small group is able to open up in time and share, not every little secret, but the hurt of their hearts. I want to be there for them, and show them that the way to God is not always smooth. So many rough edges are present to be smoothed over. It is during times of trial that our faith and our dependence on Jesus should be greatest.
Kristin Groth
I really like this. I think it so very true that the hard times shape who we are. It is our past and our pain that sculpt our characters. Ever notice how someone who is extremely down to earth often has had very hard things to overcome? Adding on to that, I think that EVERYONE has hard times. It is very easy to say that one person has been through more than another, and yet do we really know? If a loved one of someone dies and another person has all their family still alive, does that necessarily mean the first person has a harder life than the ladder? Neigh. Er, I mean no. I think that by understanding and loving, and sometimes not knowing, we can help people through pain. Sometimes it's the most unbvious things that are killing people's souls. I truly hope my small group is able to open up in time and share, not every little secret, but the hurt of their hearts. I want to be there for them, and show them that the way to God is not always smooth. So many rough edges are present to be smoothed over. It is during times of trial that our faith and our dependence on Jesus should be greatest.
Kristin Groth
I agree that this is going to be a great topic. I agree with Alistair when he said that everyone has gone through some sort of hardship or "Burn from a fire," but the hardships that we go through are MUCH different than the hardships that Jesus went through. It is interesting thinking about what Jesus went through to die on the cross for all of us. We take that for grantid so much and need to be more thankful for it. It would be quite interesting to see what life would be like. Yes, it would be a good thing, but at the same time, I'm not sure if I would like it because having hardships in our lives makes us humans. Without hardships, we would be even closer to being perfect but no one is perfect other than God.
i think that during hard times it can go one of two ways. either you will forget about God, then later when you have rediscovered God you will grow closer to him. or you will use God on your side to battle through your hardship, therefore growing closer to God. so in the end either way you take you grow closer to God.
I am excited to use this discussion with my small group, I feel we could dive into our first deep conversation but we did not have the oppurtunity last week because we were getting to know eachother. I think the perfect thing to talk about in church to get my group to open up is to talk about challenging things in their life. It is so true that their are many challenges in life. Even if you follow Jesus you don't skip through life so easily. I also believe that every leader will get many different answers from the question asking how we can lean into God during the tough times. This question is unique to everybody, there really is no univesal answer.
I hope I posted to the right place on the right time this week because this is so confusing!
-Tommy Tyson
I agree with Tommy, I think this will be a great way to get closer with our kids. I also really like this lesson because it reminds us that in all of the ups and downs of life, God is always there. Whenever I am having a rough spot in my life, it always feels comforting to know that God is right there with you.
<3 Alisa
i like this a lot. the people who usually have harder times opening up are sometimes the ones who can change our lives as well through their hardships. this will really help my roudy group of girls to tone it down a bit now that we're really getting into what this year will come to be.
this message was really something that made me think because last week someone close to me went through something really hard and it kinda stripped everything away for her (all her comfort zones) and she had to deal with the problem. this was hard for her and she came to me. long story short I have been acting kinda as a cruch for her and its really shown me how and why things like this happen.and kinda how to deal with it too. I think the girls will learn a ton!
so excited!
Cauble
I definitely think that hard times are when we grow the closest to God, even if we feel the farthest away from Him we've ever been. I think that everyone faces hardships in their lives, whether it is something really tragic, or they are just confused and having a hard time in life, and sometimes, these can be the times when we need each other the most. You don't have to have something horrible happen in your life to feel sad and alone. My small group when I was in Elevate ("online" as it was called back then) really helped me through some tough times. I really hope that this talk will spark a deep, honest and open discussion in my small group. I really like how we are starting the year with more intense small groups, because I think it is a good way for the kids to being to feel comfortable in the group and know that what is said there, stays there.
Holly M.
Last week I challenged the girls in my group to really "ignite" their lives and bring Christ into their relationships and lives. I told them how important it is, especially starting out at middleschool and making new friends, to really be inclusive and make every person they meet feel special and important. Being for eachother, following Jesus, and looking beyond ourselves is so important in our paths towards God, as well as developing closer relationships and a stronger faith. There are so many hardtimes that people go through that make people lose faith; I want to be a posetive influence in my group's lives and help them to learn from the hardships they go through, rather than lose faith and have negative effects from the hard experiences. Middleschool years can be tough, but its also a prime time to develop a close relationship with God :)
Lucia Carr
This topic is one of my favorite topics every year in small groups. For me, this was the week in which my friends started to trust eachother. Hopefully Jesse and I can bring this trust to our group this week. My group needs to begin to trust eachother in the next few weeks and this topic will start to bring out trust. I agree with graves that hardships are meant to drive us closer to god because they are the times we need god the most. I think these hardships also build character and this greater character can understand and do great deeds.
i think that this is always a tough topic because the questions from the kids can be so difficult to answer. i feel that most of who we are and why we act certain ways are because of the hardships we have faced. they shape us whether we like it or not. they bring us closer to God because they make us realize that we can't do everything by ourself.
when i first read this week's topic i was a little scared. my girls are the ones who for the most part are always giving the happy answers and are always saying life is just "fine." i agree with blake that this week could really be a turning point if we make it that, in really trusting each other. the girls can really open up when they want to and i hope that this can bring a lot more openness and more realness to our relationships with each other and god and to our conversations for the rest of the year. if the girls can all make a real effort in opening up and sharing the hard stuff, my prayer is that this will help them to realize where god has been in their life.
Again, I really love the ignite/fire/burning analogy. I really think it helps my girls understand what we are trying to learn together. I think that everyone will be a little reluctant to open up about times that they've been "burned", but overall I think it will bring our groups closer together. I really like that were not going to over analyze the issue with God intentionally placing hardships in our lives; I think that focusing on how God is trying to become closer to us is what will leave an impact on us all after this Wednesday night.
-A
I would have to agree with everyone so far. For me, in times of hardship, i really don't feel close to god, even though i know he is right beside me. It seems as though he has turned his back on me when i know he hasn't. After experiencing many hardships in my life i began to realize how this can bring us closer to God. I really like evan's thoughts when he said that you have two ways to go. Both will bring you closer to God.
Jack Schechinger
Hey gang.
This is going to create some great conversations tonight. When i think about stuff thats happened in my life that has brought me to rock bottom i used to think, "where is God here? why isn't He helping me out?" until a girl in my core group sent me a card in the mail with the story about the two sets of footprints on the beach and the man asking God why at times there were only one set of footprints and Why God left the man at points in his life, then God responded "When there was only one set of footprints in the sand, that is where i carried you through"
I just love that story it makes me check myself and make sure i thank God for giving me strength.
peace n love.
I think this is a great topic to top off the "ignite" series. I agree that by telling your hardships to someone really develops a trust between you and them. In this way I hope that my group will dig deep and grow closer with that trust. Also, everyone has struggles so they can all relate to the topic which I think will help the group grow more comfortable. Along with that I like how people acting like Jesus ties into everything. This will give my group something to work towards and discuss each week. Looking forward to it!
-Anna
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