Redefined- Night 3

We ended 2011 at Relevant with a bang! Concluding our Redefined series last night, Ryan wrapped up the year with the idea that the size of your story depends on the size of your God. 

He retold the story of an angel appearing to Mary to inform her that she would have a child- not just any child, but the Son of Man. Now many of us have heard this story multiple times before, but how many of us have really looked at Mary's response? Instead of protesting, or asking God if there were any other way to handle this situation, she simply said, "I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." -Luke 1:38. 

Mary knew she was just one small piece of a giant puzzle. She didn't let her own wants get in the way of the God's huge plan for her. 

What if instead of questioning God in the times we are uncomfortable or unhappy with a situation, we simply trusted that God was working out our place in the grand scheme of our lives?  

Merry Christmas! We'll see you in 2012!

Redefined- Night 2

With Christmas approaching our minds are pretty much constantly racing. We're rushing from school to holiday parties to work. For so many of us, this time of year has become nothing but a blur of presents, food, and get togethers. The true significance of Christmas is often lost because we've heard the story so many times it just feels like an empty holiday tradition.

But tonight Ryan reminded us that Jesus came to redefine our lives. He told students that so much of the time our minds and hearts are consumed with trivial wants; things that will never fully satisfy or fulfill us. Until we're seeking Jesus above all else, our pursuits are worthless. 

Ryan left students with this idea: Let your life be consumed by one thing...just make sure it is the right thing.  

In the car or at dinner this week, talk with your teen about the sorts of things that consume their life. Worries about their appearance? Their cellphone? Friends' opinions? What would it look like to let go of that stress and be consumed with Jesus? Consumed with strengthening that relationship? Consumed with pursuing God at all costs? 

Let us know your thoughts. Email us at ryan@onechurch.tv or caitlin@onechurch.tv

Redefined...at Christmas time.

The title rhymed- we couldn't pass it up!

Remix was back and better than ever last night. After a short hiatus for Thanksgiving break, we were pumped to see such a turn out for our first night of our Redefined series. Here's a quick recap of what Ryan talked about.

At Christmas, we tell the story about shepherds, angels, and a manger but so often the significance of the story is lost because it seems like just one more holiday tradition. Or we've heard it so many times that we do not hear it anymore. But when Jesus showed up on the very first Christmas, he redefined everything for every single one of us.

Last night we dove into the story of King Herod who felt threatened by Jesus. As Ryan unpacked Herod's story, he explained that following Jesus will cost you something, not following Jesus will cost you everything. This week, take a few minutes to discuss this idea with your teen. What sorts of things will following Christ cost them? Friendships, activities?


Email us & give us some feedback- ryan@onechurch.tv or caitlin@onechurch.tv 

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's Thanksgiving week! 

If you're like all of us at Relevant, we're counting down the hours until Thursday. Remember, there's no Remix this Wednesday, November 23rd. Take the night to enjoy some time with your friends and family. We'll be back in full swing next Wednesday, November 30th. 

As you prepare for the rest of the week, here's a few verses to keep in mind.

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever."- Psalm 136:1

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."- James 1:17

Relax this week! Happy Thanksgiving!

Picture Perfect- Night 3

Tonight Ryan wrapped up our Picture Perfect series. He closed out the talk with a reminder that our families are always going to be a part of who we are. Here’s a brief summary of what we discussed at Remix.

Session Three: Wide-Angle (11/09/2011)

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: 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?  

Let us know how we can better serve you & your family. Email us at ryan@onechurch.tv or caitlin@onechurch.tv

Picture Perfect- Night 2

On the second night of our Picture Perfect series, Ryan dove into an area that plagues us all- that moment an argument starts to surface with a family member. That moment we can choose to hold our tongue, or we can choose to fire back. Here’s a quick recap of what we discussed:

 Session Two: Resolution

Bottom Line: In every interaction you have with your family, you always have a decision to make before you respond.

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, 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. 

It’s our hope that through doing this you and your teen can begin to start a conversation rather than an argument in future situations. Let us know how we can help- email us at ryan@onechurch.tv or caitlin@onechurch.tv 

Picture Perfect- Night 1

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.

That's a brief description of what Ryan jumped into last night at Remix. This is a pretty heavy series, but here at Relevant we're intentional about getting teens to tackle the big issues. It's our hope that throughout this series we can partner with you to help teens sort through any family issues they might be struggling with. 

Session One: SnapshotBottom Line: God has placed you in your family, so find the good in the midst of the messiness. Talk with your teen about the great things that make your family unique. Let us know how we can better serve your family. Email us at ryan@onechurch.tv or caitlin@onechurch.tv 

Nearsighted- Night 3

Wrapping up our Nearsighted series last night, Ryan discussed our mental perspective and in what we choose to invest our time. He brought up the idea that what we choose to think about, participate in, engage in today, shapes the choices we make tomorrow. He also unpacked the concept that the media we consume, the conversations we have, the activities we pursue, all have an impact on who we become.

As you finish up this week, think about how you spend the majority of your time. When you're traveling in the car, when you're getting ready for school, when you're hanging out with your friends. What are you watching, listening to, talking about? How does that affect your outlook?

Nearsighted- Night 2

Tonight was the second night of our Nearsighted series Caitlin stood in for Ryan and spoke about relational perspective. Through James 3, she unpacked how the words that we say have a huge impact on our relationships.

So often we get caught up in gossip without even realizing the full extent of what we’re saying- let alone the consequences it can bring. We don’t think about how much weight our negative words carry and how they can shape another person’s self-esteem and life.

Fortunately, though, we can also give the gift of encouragement and hope with our words. This week take a few moments to talk with your teen about how to consciously think about the words that they say. Here are a few points to think about and discuss:

What if each time you started to gossip about someone else, you prayed for them instead? Why do we feel the need to speak negatively of others? Is it because of our own insecurity? Who has God put in our lives that we can encourage and build up instead of tear down?

As always, if you've got questions of feedback about the series, shoot us an email! We'd love to hear from you- ryan@onechurch.tv or caitlin@onechurch.tv

Nearsighted

We kicked off a brand new series tonight at Relevant! We've been praying specifically for the past few months for our Nearsighted series. Created and written by our Relevant team, Nearsighted is aimed at helping teens figure out the difference of living for the "here and now" as opposed to working towards God's bigger picture. Here's what Ryan unpacked for us tonight:

So much of the time we focus only on the here and now. Oftentimes, we don't realize that the choices we make today impact our lives tomorrow. God wants us to focus on the bigger story- not just our wants and desires of today. What are some of the desires in our hearts today that are preventing us from seeing God's bigger picture? Are we seeking after what is only momentarily satisfying?

This week talk with your teen about how our choices today have a huge impact on our lives tomorrow. Questions about the series? Email us at ryan@onechurch.tv or caitlin@onechurch.tv

Grow Up- Night 3

Tonight at Remix Ryan gave an eye opening talk about influences in our lives as well as our own influence in others' lives. He discussed how negative influences can quickly steer us off course; but also how positive influences can bring us closer in our relationship with God. Here's a quick recap:

Session Three: Big Team (9/21/11)

Who has had the most influence in your life? Your mom? Your dad? A coach? A camp counselor? There are all kinds of people that play a part in our lives, in our stories. And some of these people have played a part in how you see God. In fact, God has used some of those relationships to grow your faith. We call these relationships providential because they are about having the right people in your life at just the right time.

Session Three Parent Cue: Who are the people in your life who have had a direct impact on your relationship with God? In what way did these people influence, guide or encourage you? 

Take a couple of minutes to talk with your teen about examining the relationships in their life. Need a few pointers on how to get the conversation started? We'd love to help! Email us at ryan@onechurch.tv or caitlin@onechurch.tv

Grow Up- Night 2

Last night Ryan continued our Grow Up series. He discussed the idea of how our faith requires action. He presented the idea that simply saying we believe in God isn't enough; we have to do something with our faith. Here's a quick run down of what we talked about:

Session Two: Big Life (9/14/11)

You can know a lot. Maybe you know the stats of every football player in the NFL. Maybe you know the cheat codes to hundreds of games. Maybe you know every Scripture in the New Testament. But unless you do something with what you know, then what you know isn’t enough. Especially when it comes to our faith. God’s truth was meant to be put into action. It was meant to affect our lives, our relationships. And when we begin to live out the truths we know, something happens to us our faith. It begins to grow.

Session Two Parent Cue: What is one truth that you know from the Bible that you can commit to live out this week? Follow up with each other to see how that’s going.

Have any thoughts to add? Any stories about your own spiritual growth when you acted on your faith? We'd love to hear about it! Talk with your teen this week about what real faith looks like in their lives. Send Ryan or Caitlin an email with any comments or questions at ryan@onechurch.tv or caitlin@onechurch.tv

Grow Up- Night 1

Last night Ryan kicked off our newest series, Grow Up. We're stoked about this 6 week series and have been praying for God to really transform lives over the next few weeks. Here's a brief description of what we discussed last night. 

Session One: Big Faith (9/7/11)

Your faith in God matters to God. In fact, God is most honored through your living, active, death-defying, out-of-the-box faith. That being the case, He’s committed to growing it. Big. Imagine how differently you would respond to difficulties, temptations, and even good things if you knew with certainty that God was in all of it and was planning to leverage it for good. But in order for all of that to happen, there’s one thing it all hinges on—your trust.

Session One Parent Cue: What area of your life are you most reluctant to trust God? Why?

Please take a few minutes to talk with your teen about what real faith looks like in our everyday lives. Questions about the series or how to get the conversation started? Email us at ryan@onechurch.tv or caitlin@onechurch.tv