Presbyouth

This week in the PresbYouth room, we are talking about what a healthy relationship looks like in today's dating world. We are going to have a number of people joining us: Including Mcartney Labor, a research psychology major at The University of Sioux Falls, Past Nathan and his wife, Jennifer, and The Papke's. McCartney will be speaking about the psychological and scientific side of consent in a relationship. Before you panic, please know that consent, here, refers to more that just consentual sex, but rather encompasses a loving and respectful relationship as a whole. From how one goes about asking someone on a date, to kissing, to making plans, and of course, sex: consent should be playing a role in all of it. McCartney will be highlighting the fact that consent keeps from hurt feelings, manipulation, loss, and heartbreak. I will be relating what she is saying from a psychologist standpoint, to what the bible has to say about it. Then, for the second half of the night, we ...

This week is quite a blessing to us in the PresbYouth Room! I will be gone this week BUT we have some unbelievable people speaking instead of me. Derrick Weaver, a Junior from presbyouth will be speaking to the middle school about Peter's walking on water and our identity and hope in Christ! Correena Spangler, a Political Science, Biblical Study, Psychology, Social Sciences... She does an unbelievable amount of things, from the University of Sioux Falls will be talking to the High School. She will be speaking on recovery, hope, Identity in Christ, Self Worth and the question of the hour: Why do bad things happen to good people. Not only will the presbyouth have the amazing opportunity to talk with these outstanding people, they will also have the chance to think through their struggles and perhaps pain through the form of Art Therapy. They can choose from painting, drawing, and writing. There is a change this will be way out of their comfort zones: Remember: THIS IS GOOD. No...

As we are preparing for Ash Wednesday- The kickoff of all things Lenten, and I hear Pastor Nathan speaking about taking our faith more seriously, I'm reminded of a metaphor I read in When God Writes Your Love Story. Now before you check out because "gross, she's going to talk about love," don't because I'm not going to. Yet. This metaphor is about our relationship with God, not our future partner. It goes something like this: Imagine that you're the captain of a ship and this God guy shows up and says that he would like to be your captain, and initially, you really like this God and allow him the main deck and the helm, but quickly run downstairs and lock up all of the rooms. You need to keep some control of the ship, after all, it's yours!  Soon after locking the door, you here a knock at the door. It's God, asking to let him in. But this is one of your rooms. Maybe it's your relationship room, maybe it's your pride room, maybe it...

Last night, high school youth group went so well that I just had to share. We got off to a bit of a late start due to Middle School going long and also because we were chatty. I started off frazzled because technology once again failed me in my hour of need, but instead of trying to fix it, I decided to simply talk through the lesson and hope for the best. I told my interpretation of Acts 16:6-40 and lost them and then found them and probably lost them again. I got stopped by my excitement in the way Paul lived out his faith. He literally prayed earthquakes! And that broke my heart because we have been so caught up in other things we haven't even been praying at the beginning of youth group. That's not the way things are supposed to be. So I asked the kids to talk with the people around them to come up with ways we can both strengthen our faith and live it out in a more bold way. In other words: How can we pray our own earthquakes? I was so impressed with the conversat...

Here we are: The end of the road in the series: Underappreciated Characters. We end with Lydia of Thyatira, a dealer in purple cloth. Her story, as it takes place in the Bible is in Philippi. At the time, Philippi had no Temple because there weren't enough believing men to make it worth while, but Lydia and a group of other women are found praying by the River. Paul, Silas, and Timothy find her and the women she is praying alongside her and they shared the Gospel with her. Soon after, she and her entire household were Baptized. She invites them to her home as a place to stay while they were in town and it is assumed that her house served as the first church of Philippi. That's about all we know about Lydia. She clearly isn't main character, and to be truthful, I'm struggling to write an entire lesson on her because of it. But she is important. She started a church for goodness sake but what I like about her is that she is a catalyst. For those who are unsure of ...