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Source - Family

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In our culture of dysfunctional and broken families we often have to visit what God's design for family is. The live youth service messages in this Coaching Package take a look at the Father-Heart of God, learning how to care for each other well and intentionally loving family and friends in a way that they can hear and see Jesus.

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For the majority of us, we find our families, as well as our closest friends, to be the toughest mission field. We know all too well, when we share Christ with those we love most, the risk of rejection is high for a number of reasons. However, the reward of spending eternity with them in heaven can't be touched. We know this...our students know this...yet sometimes we both need reminded of it.

In this Source, we give students some tangible ideas on how to intentionally love their family and friends in ways that will enable them to both hear and see Jesus through their actions, attitudes, words, and deeds. My prayer for this resource is that our students will be able to cut through all the uncomfortable thoughts and feelings, and stand in the gap for those closest to them.

In our youth ministry, Oxygen, "family" is a big deal. In fact, we intentionally "do" things each week to make our environment feel less like a "church auditorium" and more like a "family room." And, every once in awhile, we'll even take an extended amount of time to "verbally" remind our students why "family" is such an integral part of our DNA. This Source, "The Family Room," was one of those nights designed to refresh our students' memories on what it looks like to take care of each other well.

Using the visual of a "friendship sandwich" to make the message stick, we look to John 15:12-17 where Jesus lays out what it means to "love one another, just as He has loved us." Drawing upon an opening skit that will make you laugh, a TV family montage that will bring back fond memories, a heart-wrenching story that will fill your eyes with tears, and a fun closing that will not too easily be forgotten, I pray this stirs up or rekindles a desire in your students to live and love in such a way that the world rises up and takes notice.

You'll love this resource! It's a special love gift from my heart to yours from a recent message I shared during our college days, "Experience," with Master's Commission Atlanta. It's for far more than potential college students though, as it's a topic that students of all ages deal with...family. Family can be pretty broken these days, but my reminder to our students is to say, no matter your story or your family, your past does not define you. People can always disappoint us, but there is a Heavenly Father who never will and because of His love, He has placed destiny and purpose on all of our lives.

In this month's Source, "In Search of a Real Dad," I'm pulling parallels from the life of Mephibosheth and the movie Antwoine Fisher, as I take a run at sharing the Father heart of God for all us. It's been so pivotal in my own personal walk with Christ and let me just remind you my incredible youth leader friend, His love carries you to His table.

It's a sad fact that the average American child will spend more time in front of the TV by the age of only 6...than he will spend talking with his father for HIS ENTIRE LIFE. And the truth is all of us unconsciously attach feelings that we have of our own earthly father to our concept of our Heavenly Father.

In this month's Source, "Freedom From The Father Wound," I talk about one of the biggest...if not THE biggest...challenges we face in ministry...overcoming the FATHER WOUND. The majority of our students, and even many of us, have a wound that we received from our earthly father. Even many students that may seem to have a "perfect" family life have things that they have buried deep inside of them. Through some personal sharing, some memorable stories, and key impacting Scriptures, this Source allows students to hear how they are ACCEPTED by their Heavenly Father, regardless of what they have experienced here on Earth.