Last night was ice cream sundae night!  Instead of having an opening game time we ate a ton of ice cream!  Sweeeeet.  After that we split up into our different small groups with the high school students continuing their different studies from the Live Curriculum and the middle school kids continuing in their different groups on week two of their four week study on “God’s big story” from the Junior High Live Curriculum.  Here’s a recap if you’re a parent so you can follow up with your middle school child at home or in the car:

This week our middle school small groups continued exploring “God’s Big Story.” This second “part” to the story focused on how Adam and Eve chose to sin in the Garden of Eden, and how their choice led to brokenness in our world.

God gave Adam and Eve the choice of whether they would obey or disobey. This is a reflection of God’s perfect love, because if God forced us to love him, it wouldn’t truly be love. So now the world is broken—filled with pain, trouble, unanswered questions, trials, hardships, and evil. This brokenness is rooted in our sin and the separation we experience from God. Ultimately, this will lead us into the third lesson and the third “part” of God’s Big Story, when God provides a solution to our brokenness and sin.

Each week in our series, we’re giving students two key words to help them remember the big idea. This week our key words were CHOICE and BROKEN. God allowed Adam and Eve to choose if they would obey or disobey, and they chose to sin, and the world became broken.

Here are some questions you might use this week to engage your teenager in some conversation about this week’s lesson:

• In the beginning, Adam and Eve were perfect and sinless. What do you think it would be like to be perfect and sinless?
• Why do you think God would give Adam and Eve the capacity to choose—even though it meant they might make the wrong choice?
• What are some ways your choices have negative and positive consequences on your life—or on other people’s lives?

Thanks for the trust you put in our ministry as you allow your child to spend time with us each week!