What's Happenin' @ Collision

Below is a brief summary of what we have been talking about recently.  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.

This Week at Collision

Series Overview

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?

Week 3 (2014-11-19)

So we've looked at some hard hitting points in Jesus' ministry.  Tonight your teen was challenged to evaluate the motivation behind how they spend their time.  We looked at the last of the seven "I Am" statements of Jesus in the gospel of John where he states "I am the vine".  We were challenged that the most important thing we must all do is to remain in Christ.  And that by doing less, we are actually able to do more.

Intentional Interaction

What are some other ways that we try to do more?

Jesus asks us to simple abide in with him.  What's one way you can abide (spend time) with him this week?

What's Happenin' @ Collision

Below is a brief summary of what we have been talking about recently.  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.

This Week at Collision

Series Overview

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?

Week 2 (2014-11-12)

It is one thing to accept the stuff or the work of Jesus.  But it is an entirely different thing to accept the ways of Jesus.  Tonight we discussed how to be like Jesus we must first loose every ounce of ourselves to humility and service....not exactly something our culture is know for.  Tonight may be a difficult night for your teen because it may seem as though this Jesus thing is going after all they hold dear.  The truth is, this Jesus thing wants to push that stuff to the side to show your teen what "life to the fullest" is all about.

Intentional Interaction

What are some other ways that we try to be more?

Why didn’t Jesus try to be more? How did He become less?

What does it look like for us to become less?

 

Did you know we've made making payments SUPER easy?

 Hey parents, did you know you can make convenient payments through our app?  A lot of our parents are using this feature to pay down trip balances as we speak (eh hmm TCTC) and are finding it to be a great option to pay while they are thinking about it.  Instead of remembering the check book and getting a check signed and turning it into Nathan and oops I forgot to and now the check is in my pants pocket and now they are in the washing machine and the check is ruined and I have ink stains on my slacks.......not that anyone here has done that.  The transaction goes through PayPal so you know you can trust it and all transactions are 100% secure.  Nathan receives an email when it posts. And you can even put a little note in there for what it's for.  It's a great option.

Don't have the app? Well you can scan the handy QR code below, but if you're reading this on your phone, you'll have a hard time doing that so go to iTunes or the Google Play Store and search for the "Full Circle App" and download it today.

What's Happenin @ Collision

Below is a brief summary of what we have been talking about recently.  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.

This Week at Collision

Series Overview

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?

Week 1 (2014-11-5)

Tonight we are challenging our teens to stop in this Kairos and evaluate everything by comparing it to the ONLY thing....that's Jesus.  WE are looking at a passage from John 6:25-69 where the crowd is shocked by what Jesus tells them.  Essentially, he informs them that he is not a vending machine; meaning he' not here to give us what we want, when we want it.  One of the first steps of letting God use these Kairos moments is recognizing that he is all that we need.

Intentional Interaction

What does it look like to choose God over desires?

Do you think anyone has successfully received both (God as their only need and their desires)?

What desire do you currently hold that competes with God?

 

Let the Punishment Fit the Crime

I ran across this article recently by Jim Burns and thought I'd share it.

When kids cross the boundaries for behavior that you have set with them, it’s not unusual
for parents to feel any number of emotions from disappointment and sadness to anger.
However, parental overreaction can often come hand-in-hand with these emotions. The
wise parent, however, will do their best not to let these feelings lead to dishing out
unreasonable consequences. When it comes to effective discipline, the rule, “let the
punishment fit the crime” definitely applies!

Let me share some practical ideas for keeping your cool and not overreacting when it
comes time to discipline your kids.

Check Your Feelings. When you feel stressed by your kids’ behavior it’s helpful to
H.A.L.T. in order to pause and gain some perspective. H stands for Hurting; A stands for
Angry; L stands for Lonely; and T stands for Tired. If you notice any of these are present in
your life, you're much more likely to overreact in discipline, and you’ll do well to postpone
your response to the situation – until you’ve had time to sort out your feelings.

Discipline Calmly. When you’re upset, you’re in no shape to discipline effectively.
Disciplining in anger does not get kids to obey. There’s a difference between punishment
and discipline, and the difference is found in self-control. The out-of-control parent
punishes a child out of anger; the parent in control calmly disciplines to correct bad
behavior.

Be Consistent in Discipline. Effective discipline is all about consistency, but consistency is
not a matter of grounding your kid until he or she turns 18. Rather it’s a matter of
establishing clear boundaries for conduct, and appropriate consequences, and then always
enforcing them.

Empathize. Part of building godly character in our children’s lives has to do with our own
demeanor when we discipline. All kids make mistakes. We must recognize that our kids
have feelings. We need to demonstrate Christ-like empathy and respect for them.

Discipline with A.W.E. A parent who expresses affection, warmth, and
encouragement—even while disciplining—helps to maintain a more balanced perspective to
the situation. When consequences need to be applied, both you and your teenager will
benefit when you have created a home environment full of security, care, and love.

Why TCTC

Hey Everyone,

I want to take a moment to reach out to you about the Tennessee Christian Teen Convention (TCTC).  By now I’m sure you’ve heard the hype about this amazing retreat January 9-11.  It is possible that you have heard all the details about the who, what, when and where, but you may not be informed about the why. 

One of the things I have noticed about a typical ministry year (August-July), is that the middle of the year is tough on your student.  Why? Because the stresses and pressure they feel during the year builds and builds and the Christmas break is a much welcomed rest from school.  The pressure your student faces at school is unlike any you or I have ever seen or experienced.  It truly doesn’t matter what grade, your teen faces great pressure in our schools and part of our role as their guardians is to help them “decompress” so that this pressure doesn’t consume them and drive grades and life choices down.

This is why I love TCTC right in the middle of the year.  TCTC provides an opportunity for your teen to re-charge their spiritual tanks and reconnect with their creator and 3500 other teens doing life the same way they are.  Imagine the fresh break your teen can receive at TCTC. Their daily lives before Christmas break: constant peer pressure. What they experience at TCTC allows them to see that they are not alone and that they can do life following Christ because there are so many others in the same position as they are.  When I look at the landscape of the year, this weekend provides a fresh breath of the Holy Spirit in the lives of these teens.

So my plea to all our parents is this: whatever way possible get your teens to TCTC.  I speak a lot about how all these trips are not just costs, but rather investments.  TCTC is one investment that immediately benefits your teen; maybe more than any other trip we take in a year.  Would you consider encouraging your teen to attend?  If I can help in that process, please do not hesitate to ask.  I am here to help.

One last note…
Remember, I never accept financial strain as a sufficient reason to keep your teen from a trip like this.  So if that is a concern for you and your family, please reach out to me ASAP so that we can confidentially partner with you to get this trip into the realm of the possible for your teen.

If your teen is not signed up, contact Nathan now to reserve your spot before the price goes up TONIGHT at 8.  What do I need from you to lock in the cheapest price? Just a txt/email/phone call that your teen is going by tonight at 8 and the $50 deposit as soon as you can.

In HIM
Nathan Holmes
770-500-4337
Nathan@mycornerstonecc.org