Over the last two weeks, your teen has been challenged to evaluate his or her relationship with God. We have exposed our utter failure to effectively pursue God, and we have examined God's unbelievable pursuit of us. It has been a pleasure to sit in the small group discussions. Your young men and women truly seem to desire a relationship with God.

Now is the time for action. It is time to seek God, to know God, and accept the GIFT he has given us: relationship with Him (Ephesians 2:8). We discussed one fundamental action with your teens this week: prayer.

Francis Chan has written a wonderful book entitled Crazy Love: Overwhelmed By A Relentless God. We switched it up this week by watching a short video from his study resource for Crazy Love. You can find this video on You Tube by clicking here.

We watched the video, but instead of Chan's discussion questions, we used the questions below.

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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Chan describes a worship leader who was more passionate in her worship each week. He relates how she never says, "God give me what I experienced last week. Do it again." Instead, she says, "Create something new. Give me a whole new perspective of you." Have you ever asked God to create a whole new experience with you? What would our relationships with God be like at the end of our lives if we approached God this way?

• Note To Parents: An undeniable sign of healthy relationship – a deepening and increasing bond – is growth. Stagnation leads to distance and separation. Our prayers are our opportunity to open our hearts and speak to God. If we live a life of seeking a deeper relationship with God, that is exactly what we'll have. God is faithful.

2. Think back to Chan's story about the prayer he used to pray before every meal. Do you have a prayer you "recite" for God? Why do you do that? Do you think it pleases Him?

• Note To Parents: In Matthew 6, Jesus said, "And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words." Recitation of prayers can be the symptom of several things. One reason is that the one praying doesn't actually know God. Another is that he or she is not praying to God at all – it just an exercise in "checking the box." Probably more common though, is that the one praying doesn't have a healthy relationship with God...the kind God desires to have with us. Sometimes the one praying just doesn't know how to pray – your guidance and instruction may be key here. If you're not sure how to pray either, see how Jesus answered his disciple's request to "Lord, teach us to pray" in Luke 11.

3. Chan's story about the summer camp speaker highlighted the value of just taking some time to be in the presence of God before ever starting to speak to Him in prayer. Do you picture yourself speaking to an actual "person" when you pray? Do you ever stop to think about who you're speaking to? As you read through the Bible, does it reveal new things about God to you...things that you can consider when you are entering his presence?

• Note To Parents: Show your teen some examples of how the Bible reveals things about the character of God...we are talking about this next Sunday.

GOD BLESS YOUR MINISTRY TO YOUR TEEN!

I am always available to each of you.

Mike Childress