Small groups this week was exciting!  We changed it up a little for a couple reasons; one was the Phillies had their first game in the world series, so we front-loaded the night.  All of the Bible study, prayer time, etc., happened the first hour, so kids that wanted to make the start of the game (at 8:07pm) could get home for it while the rest could stay and have the game time and hang out time at the end of the night.  Here’s the recap of the night, as well as some follow up suggestions for parents to use.

The middle school students covered the ‘Shhhhh! The Power of Actions over Words’ lesson from SYM’s Active Bible Studies.

The lesson is based on the quote from St. Francis of Assisi: “Preach the gospel at all times and when necessary use words.” We talked about how our actions needed to line up with our words, and the impact of how we treat others can have on their view of God. We used John 13:34-35 and Colossians 4:5 as our scriptures for the night.  If you are a parent of a middle schooler, here are some follow up questions you can ask:

• Do you think actions can speak louder than words? What types of actions speak loudly?
• How can you communicate your love for Christ to others through your actions?
• Do you think people know you are a Christ-follower by the way you act?
• Write down the names of three people you know who do NOT know Jesus Christ. Think about the way you act around them; are you preaching the gospel with your actions? Is there anything you can change in the way you act around them? Is there something you can do this week to communicate Christ’s love to those three people just using your actions?

The high school small groups were in the first week of a three week study entitled ‘Making the most of your family life,’ from the Live Curriculum.

It’s all about family life and focuses on important topics like communication and understanding. This week we looked at James 1:19-27 and James 3:1-12, emphasizing three keys to healthy family communication: being quick to listen, being slow to speak, and being slow to become angry. If you’re a parent of a high school student, take some time during the week around the dinner table or in the car to discuss the following:

• What are ways we as a family can be better listeners?
• What are ways we as a family can communicate without becoming angry?
• What are strategies we can employ when we become angry?

Be sure to share any thoughts and experiences you have on the challenges of good communication, and take time as a family to pray for one another and encourage one another in becoming a family with good communication skills.