The book of Mark is the shortest of the four Gospels, but it’s packed with one central message—that Jesus wants us to trade up. He wants us to trade what we know, what we think, how we see others for something better. It’s a beautiful trade, because not only do we exchange something for something different, we exchange our lives, our perspectives for something better. It’s a message that’s at the heart of the Easter story, but it’s shown through Jesus’ interactions long before the crucifixion and resurrection.

Series Overview

This Christmas, probably more than any other in recent years, we are hoping that life will get better. We are hoping that life will look differently next year, even if we’re not sure how. We realize that no one person or institution holds a solution, but we’re expecting something different, even if we’re not sure how that is going to work out. Words like hope, peace and love have a new meaning this year, don’t they? We’re waiting to have hope, peace, and love in our lives, in our communities, in our world, even if we’re not sure how it will all work out. And just like thousands of years ago, Jesus is the one who came to bring hope, peace and love to our lives then . . . and now. Jesus taught us how to find hope, bring peace, and initiate love even when our circumstances are less than ideal.

Session One: Hope (December 2)

Christmas is a time filled with great expectations. (Just ask Clark Griswold.) We expect snow to fall on Christmas morning. We expect that Martha Stewart-esque gathering. We expect a gift from that special someone. And for many of us, we expect our lives to look a certain way. But what happens when life doesn’t meet our expectations? How can we have hope in something bigger than what we want or dream? And how can that hope in something bigger really affect our lives—for the better?

Session One Parent Cue: What are some of our family’s expectations around the holidays? Are they usually met or not?

 Session Two: Peace (December 9)

Why is it that Christmas is one of the least peaceful times of the year? Whether it’s the long lines at the stores or the stress of how to even make the holidays happen in this economy, Christmas can easily become something we just want to get through and survive. But peace, true peace, has little to do with what is going on around us. In fact, Jesus came to bring peace to our lives in a way that defies logic, and He also invites us to participate with Him in bringing peace to those around us as well.

Session Two Parent Cue: What makes the holidays not peaceful? What can we do to be intentional about creating “peace” in our home?

Session Three: Love (December 16)

Love is a word that we hear a lot. People love Christmastime. People love carols. People love casseroles, cookies, and candy canes. But when it comes to loving other people, sometimes we are all talk. The word “love” is easy for us to say, but really hard to back up with action. Sometimes loving other people is hard, whether that person is within our family or living half way around the world. It’s why we needed an example, a living, breathing visual for what love in action looks like—and that’s the heart of the Christmas story.

Session Three Parent Cue: When it comes to loving other people, what is your biggest obstacle? What can be done to remove that obstacle?

Click here for Tis the Season Parent Cue Roots

You’ve seen their shiny, happy faces staring at you from picture frames, magazine ads and commercials. They are the perfect family. Every tooth sparkles. Every face beams with joy. And they seem to have everything you don’t. But the reality is, well, they aren’t real. In fact it’s an illusion. There’s no such thing as a picture perfect family. Families are made up of imperfect people—people like you and me. So how do we live and interact with the family God has placed us in? How do we find a way to be a part of it, instead of just surviving and living for the day when we move on? Because no family is perfect. And no person is either.

Session One: Snapshot (November 4)

Does it ever feel like there are families who are more “perfect” than yours? They dress better, have a nicer house, and never seem to have a disagreement of any kind. But when we see these families, we’re not seeing the full picture; we’re simply seeing a snapshot. If we actually lived in that family and dealt with each person on a daily basis, we would probably realize that the perfect family is, well, a myth. The truth is that no family is perfect. We are all just human, and when we realize that we can live in the messiness of our families and learn to find the good, we begin to understand the purpose God has in placing us in our particular family.

Session One Parent Cue: Have you ever thought a family was “perfect,” only to find out how “normal” they were as you got to know them? Did you ever wish you were part of a different family growing up? Why?

 Session Two: Resolution (November 11)

A verbal shot is fired and our gut tells us to fire back. That word, that attitude from someone else hurt us or made us mad, so we want to give some of that back. Been there? How often do we quickly react to something a sibling or parent does or says in a way that raises the level of tension and anger instead of diffusing it? But there is another option! We can choose to stop the madness and think through our words and actions. We can begin to see more clearly that when something provokes us, we have a choice to make before we respond. We can be part of the resolution instead of part of the problem.

Session Two Parent Cue: Take a recent argument or “loud discussion” you had. Write down what prompted the conversation, and then write down each of your responses. Now backtrack and each of you identify the decisions you made that prompted your responses. Maybe you reacted to how something was said, or one word set you off. Maybe you responded out of fear of what could happen. 

Session Three: Wide-Angle (November 18)

No matter where you go or what you do with your life, your family will always be a part of it. Whether it’s through past memories or current gatherings, your family and how you relate to each other will affect you. While you will be independent and able to make your own decisions someday, your family will always play some sort of role in your life. The seeds you sow now for harmony, understanding, and wholeness can go a long way towards the future growth of healthy family relationships.

Session Three Parent Cue: (For parent) What type of seeds did you sow in your relationship with your parents that may affect how you relate to them now? What do you wish you would have done differently? What were you glad you did? 

Click here for Picture Perfect Parent Cue

Series Overview:

Each one of us faces a battle within, a battle that may go unseen by those around, but inside there is a major brawl. It’s a battle with temptation. And depending on the temptation and its hold on your life, it may be a battle that seems impossible to win. Over the next few weeks in Roots, we will take a look at the temptations Jesus faced in the desert, and identify the driving forces behind the temptations we all face every day. Because once you realize what the pull is behind the temptation, you can find the confidence to follow Jesus’ example and respond as He did.

Session One: The Main Event (October 7)

Bottom Line: In every single temptation you face, there is always more at risk than you think.  In the sport of boxing, the main event is the big fight, the moment where everything is on the line. But for most of us, we are oblivious to the truth that in every temptation we face, there’s a lot at stake as well. When face to face with temptation, the choice feels insignificant sometimes. There are times when it feels like no one will notice, or it’s not really a big deal. But in looking at the temptations Jesus faced, we realize just how much is at stake—not only in His life, with the temptations that were before Him—but in our lives as well, with the ones we face every day.

Session Two: In This Corner (October 14)

Bottom Line: Every time you’re tempted, your confidence in God is at stake, not just your self-control.  When facing temptation, it seems like it’s always about the choice, the decision, the temptation. But it’s always about more than that. It’s not just your reputation or your innocence that’s at stake—it’s your confidence in God. The lure of temptation makes us question whether we can really trust God to come through for us, to be there for us, to provide for us. We begin to think He’s not in our corner, that He’s not looking out for us. But what if we began to see Him there? What if we realized that whatever is luring us away really has nothing to do with what we think it’s about, and there’s a deeper issue, a trust issue, at work? It might completely weaken the pull of that temptation, and it might help us get to the heart of what is really going on.

Session Three: Fixing the Fight (October 21)

Bottom Line: We are tempted to believe we know how God works and how we think we can work Him.  In the boxing world, sometimes things aren’t always what they seem. Sometimes the winner is known before anyone walks into the ring. Sometimes the outcome is pre-determined by a person who has manipulated things behind the scene. Sometimes a fighter takes a dive. Sometimes a boxer throws the fight. And if each one of us were completely honest, sometimes we try to work things as well in our fight with temptation. And who or what we are manipulating isn’t the temptation, it’s God.

Session Four: Hook and Jab (October 28)

Bottom Line: We are tempted to pursue the right thing the wrong way.  Temptation doesn’t always have to be about doing something bad. In fact, sometimes it’s not the end result that’s not necessarily a bad thing, but how we plan to get there. It’s the shortcut, the path, the compromise. And in this fight, this struggle with temptation, sometimes the punches we throw and the ones thrown at us are simply about pursuing the right things but in the wrong way.

Click here for “The Battle Within” Parent Cue

Series Overview:

Many families have a Bible somewhere in the house. As the #1 Bestseller year after year, the Bible has the special distinction of being one of the most commonly owned books. Many people feel like they should have one around, but the question many of us wonder is, “What do we do with it?” Reading it can seem like a daunting task sometimes. We might feel like it is the spiritual homework we never understand or never get around to. Over the next few weeks in Roots, we will be talking with your student about one way to approach Scripture that will bring freedom and life change. A way that will bring the words they read to life.

Session One (September 16)

What are some of the obstacles you have faced trying to read the Bible? Maybe the language was too difficult, or the passages were too long or you just simply couldn’t find the time. This week we will be looking at those very real obstacles and working out a new way of reading the Bible. We will break down Scripture into manageable pieces in a way that will let God’s Word act as a light for our path, illuminating each day.

Session Two (September 23)

Knowing is half the battle. Reading the Bible for information is so short of what it can be. But what is the other half? This week we will be looking at the next step in the process of handling God’s Word. Students will be challenged to use the Bible as a mirror to see into their own lives and begin to make changes in the way they live.

Session Three (September 30)

“Don’t tell me what to do!” Is there anyone alive who hasn’t said, or at least thought, these words? This week we will be looking at one of the greatest obstacles to putting Scripture in action. We do not want anyone to tell us how to live—even if it is God. This week, students will be challenged to redefine freedom so that they begin to see how sometimes rules that restrict their choices initially, actually set them free in the long run.

Click here for “On the Lot” Parent Cue

Ask anyone who’s ever run into a sliding glass door that was closed, or went for the same baseball as a teammate, or experienced a fender bender at a stoplight—a collision changes things. Whether it’s a bump on the head or a cracked bumper, something is not the same as it was before. The same thing happens when we collide with God or His truth or even other people. We’re changed. But unless we put ourselves in a position to collide, everything will stay the same. So are you ready to change, are you ready to collide?

Session One: Impact (August 26)

Not many people would place themselves in the path of a moving object. Well, not most sane people. But if you understand the principle ofcollision, then you put yourself out there. You think about what you need to do, who you need to intersect with to make change happen. With whom or with what do you need to collide? Because if you never collide, you’ll never change.

Session Two: Blindsided (September 2)

Have you ever met someone who was such a great example of Christ, but that person wasn’t a Christian? It sort of messes with your head, doesn’t it? After all, Christians don’t have a monopoly on caring for people. Not all things that are God’s truth exist exclusively with Christians or in the walls of the church. And if we realize that we can collide with truth in places other than the expected, God can use those collisions to show us new things about Himself and even change us. 

Session Three: Totaled (September 9)

Are you a safety boy/girl? Do you like the predictable? Do you like to know the outcome before you dive into something? Do you like to keep things the way they are—predictable? Isn’t that, well, a little boring? Maybe you need to collide with God. Maybe you need to place yourself in His path so that something in your life will change. It’s a collision that will leave you different than the status quo—and that’s a very good thing.

Parents, download the Collide ParentCue here!

We are surrounded by the invisibles.

These are people who simply want to know someone cares, someone notices—people who want to know God cares. Some of us would even say we feel that way—invisible to an entire world, daily passing us by. Whether that feeling is a familiar one or not, the reality is that each one of us has felt invisible at one point or another. But we didn’t stay that way. God saw us. He sees the invisibles. And because God took notice of us, we are able to open our eyes to see those around us.

Series Overview

In the Upside Down series, we are going to look at something Jesus talked a lot about—the kingdom of God. Many of the people who heard His message first-hand thought that He was talking about a kingdom where Jesus would be in political power, and that their lives would be easier than their present circumstances under Roman rule. But Jesus was talking about something bigger than that—a kingdom where His desire for broken things to be restored is met. Jesus was talking about ushering in an upside down kingdom.

With the new launch of Roots and Organic, our desire is to help junior high student develop solid roots, those as described in Psalm 1 as being planted by streams of water, bearing fruit in season. On Sunday, April 1^st, we are beginning this journey with a new series called Road Signs. Here is an overview of the next series:

Series Overview

You can’t get to the south beach by driving north, and you can’t get to the top of the mountain if you are walking down it. In the Road Signs series, we will examine the book of Proverbs for wisdom to help each of us navigate the choices life brings because our choices determine the direction of our lives. And it’s our direction, not our intention, that ultimately determines our destination. Where are you heading?

Session One: ONE WAY (April 1)