What's Happenin' @ Forward Mid-Week

Below is a brief summary of what talked about tonight. Most of the time we teach through a series for several weeks at a time that way students that miss can get caught back up quickly, and so we can dissect a topic more fully than just a one night deal. Use the overview and questions for both you and your teen to answer and have a dialog that continues outside the church walls and into your homes. Use this opportunity to see what God is teaching your student and also allow your student to see what God is teaching/taught you.

Current Series:

Fast. It’s how our culture likes to do things. Because we lead such busy lives, we have become masters at finding the quickest way to accomplish nearly everything. This need for speed has led us to some of the best inventions ever—things like the drive-thru, the microwave, and movies on-demand. Unfortunately, it’s that same desire for instant results that gave us some not-so-awesome inventions. Have you ever tried instant coffee or instant mashed potatoes? Not nearly as good as the real thing. The truth is, while fast is awesome, there are some things in life that just take time. Maybe that’s why the Bible keeps mentioning this idea of sowing and reaping, or planting and waiting for something to grow. Because while our temptation will always be to look for a shortcut or to focus our attention somewhere that will give us faster results, we run the risk of missing out on some of the best things in life when we don’t work on them over time.

 This Week's Recap:

Week #1 (03.30.2016):Time Over Time

Bottom Line: Time with God over time equals a relationship

We all have things we want to accomplish—like learning a new instrument, or being a great football player, or perfecting a new method of dance. That is, until we realize how much time it’s going to take to accomplish those things. Deep down, we all know that these things take time, but sometimes we wish they wouldn’t. We wish things would happen more quickly. And this doesn’t just happen in our hobbies, or school, or sports. It also can happen in our relationship with God. Maybe you’ve tried the Jesus thing, but you haven’t seen any immediate results. Maybe you went to camp, or listened to a talk, but you haven’t seen any dramatic changes in your life. Maybe you prayed for a whole five minutes, but you didn’t hear God talk back. This week, we’ll look at what we can do when we feel like our relationship with God just isn’t growing fast enough—and what we can do to help it keep growing.

Think about this with me...

Have you ever wondered what your kid is thinking? Like after they toss their jeans (and iPhone) in to the washing machine? Or after they announce at 11pm they have a research project due tomorrow? Or when they decide that shaving one eyebrow is how they’re going to start the next fashion trend? Sometimes it’s funny to see a middle schooler or high schooler try to figure out the world, but we can all admit that sometimes it makes us kind of nervous—and with good reason. Over and over, science has proven that the adolescent brains aren’t finished developing yet. In fact, one of the last parts of the brain to fully develop, the prefrontal cortex, is a really important part. It’s responsible for helping someone avoid dumb decisions by regulating emotions and predicting what could happen.
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If you don’t check your pockets, you could put your iPhone though the rinse cycle.
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If you fail freshman science, you could not graduate on time.
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If you skateboard without a helmet, you could get hurt really badly.
Without a fully developed brain helping kids predict these outcomes, it’s no wonder that they sometimes make decisions that seem crazy to us. After all, if you didn’t foresee any consequence, imagine what you would do. On second thought, don’t imagine it.
Think of it this way. Your adult brain is a lot like a car with an automatic transmission. When you’re driving, the transmission automatically senses when there is danger and changes gears. You don’t have to do anything to make that happen. Until your teenager’s brain finishes development, it works more like a manual. Changing gears is still possible. Avoiding engine damage is still possible. It just won’t happen automatically. It needs to be prompted.

And that's where you come in......Next week we'll look at absolute ways you can help them in this process called life.

Bigstuf Summer Camp (for rising 9th-12th Graders)

Hey parents,

So this year I know many of you have asked about "this Bigstuf camp" and what's it all about.

Well...

How do you put into words one of the most transformational weeks in the year of student?  How do you effectively communicate the connections that are made with Christ, their leaders and their peers?  How do you describe the care and concern that the folks at Bigstuf put into each and every week? This won't be easy, but let's start with who is Bigstuf?

Daily quiet times with the expanse of God's creation as the backdrop

Bigstuf is an organization right here in our backyard of Alpharetta Georgia.  Each year, the team crafts amazing messages & themes, fabulous worship and a great team of interns that pull off the summer.  Then they load up the semis and move into Panama City Beach Florida for over 10 weeks of the summer.  They literally rent out an entire hotel/conference center right on the beach to host tens of thousands of students all summer long.  They provide the full camp experience at a location that has no trouble appealing to teens.

"Bigstuf is June 6-10, and from now till the end of the month, the price has DROPPED to $375!!!"

So that's the nitty gritty of who they are....but what about what they do?

I personally have been supporting Bigstuf for over 10 years now because I believe in the mission and vision of this great organization.  They have the ability to pull together artists, speakers and talent to evoke an intense "wow factor" from anyone there, but that's not it, they actually deliver with solid, challenging messages and powerful times of worship.  There is just no other camp out there that can do what Bigstuf does and the way they do it.  When you make the investment (vs pay a price) for your student to attend, I can all but guarantee they will leave Bigstuf with a broader knowledge of who God is and who they are in Him.

Worship with 2500 of your (now) closest friends

 This Summer, I am asking that you send your high schooler to Bigstuf with us, not because it's cheap (can I get an Amen!), not because it's convenient, and not because it's easy, but because I believe in the work that goes on there.  There is just something about that van ride down, the first glimpse of the beach, and the wide eyes of what God is doing in the general sessions that no other camp can create.

We are going to be at Bigstuf June 6th-10th.  From now till the end of the month, the cost has DROPPED to $375.  So sign up TODAY by clicking the link.

If You'd like more info about Bigstuf, check out their website, or talk with Nathan.

Here is sneak-peak at who Bigstuf is:

Here's a sneak -peak at this year's theme (you may have seen this playing in the Forward Hall):

What's Happenin' @ Forward Mid-Week

Below is a brief summary of what talked about this week. Most of the time we teach through a series for several weeks at a time that way students that miss can get caught back up quickly, and so we can dissect a topic more fully than just a one night deal. Use the overview and questions for both you and your teen to answer and have a dialog that continues outside the church walls and into your homes. Use this opportunity to see what God is teaching your student and also allow your student to see what God is teaching/taught you.

Current Series:

 As we build up to Resurrection Sunday (easter), we wanted to do a series that discusses the real events of the cross and the resurrection and discover the faith that is required to be a Christian.  This will be a yearly series that will constantly remind us of our hope in Jesus Christ and HIS resurrection.

 This Week's Recap:

Week #2 (03.16.2016):You can be Confident of this....

Bottom Line:The events of the cross DID happen.

This is a most important week in the life of your teen.  It will most likely take the events of the cross from borderline fairy-tale to absolute certainty. Tonight we will look at the claims that skeptics throw at the cross as well as the factual evidence of the cross and the resurrection of Jesus and prove undeniably, that you can have confidence in the cross.

What's Happenin' @ Forward Mid-Week

Below is a brief summary of what talked about this week. Most of the time we teach through a series for several weeks at a time that way students that miss can get caught back up quickly, and so we can dissect a topic more fully than just a one night deal. Use the overview and questions for both you and your teen to answer and have a dialog that continues outside the church walls and into your homes. Use this opportunity to see what God is teaching your student and also allow your student to see what God is teaching/taught you.

Current Series:

 As we build up to Resurrection Sunday (easter), we wanted to do a series that discusses the real events of the cross and the resurrection and discover the faith that is required to be a Christian.  This will be a yearly series that will constantly remind us of our hope in Jesus Christ and HIS resurrection.

 This Week's Recap:

Week #1 (03.09.2016):Against all Odds

Bottom Line:The events at the cross should have never happened, but they did, and it's something to pay attention to.

This week we talked about how even though the odds were not in Jesus' favor, he still defied the odds in his death and how we can have victory through Christ's victory.  It's because of his death, that ours will no longer sting.

What's Happenin' @ Forward Mid-Week

Below is a brief summary of what talked about this week. Most of the time we teach through a series for several weeks at a time that way students that miss can get caught back up quickly, and so we can dissect a topic more fully than just a one night deal. Use the overview and questions for both you and your teen to answer and have a dialog that continues outside the church walls and into your homes. Use this opportunity to see what God is teaching your student and also allow your student to see what God is teaching/taught you.

Current Series:

Kairos is about time. Not the tick-tock kind of time we are used to living in. Kairos is the beautiful kind of time where God breaks in and changes everything. These are moments when something special happens. They are moments that interrupt our status quo. They are moments when the trajectory of our journeys change forever.

When God breaks in, we must take the change He creates — whatever it may be. We must accept both the work of Christ and the way of Christ. We must trust in what God is doing instead of trying to do it ourselves. And then we must step out in faith and believe that God’s goodness will come in time.
In this series, we will set aside tick-tock time to engage God intentionally and expect him to break into our lives in timeless ways. We’ll be inspired and disturbed. We’ll be encouraged and challenged.  We’ll be loved and changed. The moment is upon us. Don’t you think it’s about time?

This Week's Recap:

Week # 4 (03.02.2016): Time Change

Bottom Line: Live Forward, don't live back

We are all broken, and we all want healing. And in our final session of Kairos, we find that the way of the wounded healer is the way of Jesus. As a result, we look forward to breakthrough by praying for restoration and trusting in resurrection. As we do, we stop falling back and start springing forward.

Intentional Interaction:

Since this is our last night in this series, you may just want to ask your teen what they've gleamed from the past four weeks.