January 19, 2011 - "QT"

Tonight the Senior High students looked at the importance of having a daily Quiet Time (time spent each day praying and reading the Bible). They were challenged to live their faith OUTSIDE of the church just as much as they do inside it and they were challenged to not let the church define their faith but rather let it be a PART of their faith. There needs to be more than just coming on Wednesdays and Sundays!

Some suggestions for Quiet Times that were given were:

• -        Pick a time that works best for you each day

• -          Find a quiet place where you are not likely to get disturbed.

• -          Turn off your cell phone, laptop, TV, etc. (You can listen to music if it helps you focus, but turn it off during your prayer time.

• -          Get comfortable (not so comfortable that you fall asleep!)

• -          Have a plan… your plan can be that you are going to just pick a random set of scripture in your Bible or you can follow a plan like B90X that we have in the youth room.

• -          Open and close with Prayer – ask God to bless your time with him and speak to you through it

• -          Read scripture – this is important… even if it just a few verses… READ SCRIPTURE!!

• -          Write your thoughts… put them in a journal (we have some available) or in a notebook… what is going on in your life, what do the verses mean to you that you are reading that day?

• -          Write your prayer requests and then pray for them! Talk to God and ask him to help you know what he wants you to do or ask him to help you trust him in those situations.

THE CHALLENGE:

The Senior High challenge for this week is to do at least 4 quiet times and really try to get into the habit of spending time with God each day individually. It is important that they "own" their faith so that they do not (like 70% of all teenagers) leave the church and their faith once they graduate from high school.