March 2016 Student Ministry
PRAY FOR THE ONE RETREAT - MARCH 4-6
Please pray for our group as we head to Highland Lakes conference center this weekend. This year’s theme is extremely important for each student in our ministry. We have been working hard on finding a way to train our students in apologetics (forming a reasonable defense for our faith) while still engaging the student’s hearts. Our world is growing in hostility toward Christians and we must train our students how to engage this hostility with grace and reasoned thought. At the same time, we want to be careful not to merely give them good arguments for the faith and only engage their mind, but we want them to grow in their love and affection for Christ through this event. We have landed on three main topics: one God, one Word, one Way.
During the first talk we will examine why it is reasonable to believe in the existence of the creator God, the God of the Bible. We will also discuss how we experience and have a relationship with God. The second talk will consider the trustworthiness of the authoritative Word of God and how it should bear weight on our lives personally. The final talk will examine the life of Jesus and why we should follow Him.
Please pray that the Lord would save students, heal hearts, and rejunivate us through this weekend. Pray for wisdom and patience for all the leaders as they engage the hearts of our students and point them toward Christ.
Five Reasons to Prioritize Family Worship
Not too long ago, I sent out an email about a book released by Donald Whitney called Family Worship. In this book, Dr. Whitney encourages families to worship together in the home. The email linked to a five day challenge meant to help families establish a time of worship together. I think it is vital for our families to be talking about the Gospel as a family and spending time seeking the Lord as a family.
In a recent blog post, Dr. Whitney outlined 5 reasons that family worship should be prioritized (original post can be accessed by clicking here):
1. God deserves to be worshiped daily in our homes by our families.
2. There’s no better way to speak the gospel into the lives of your family members every day.
3. There’s no better way to provide a regular time for your children to learn the things of God from you.
4. There’s no better way for your children to see the ongoing, positive spiritual example of their parents in real life.
5. Isn’t this what you really want to do?
I really hope you will consider setting aside time each day or week to worship the Lord and talk about the Gospel as a family.
Much Love,
Mark