Parent Preview: Exposed! [week.1 crush,crush,crush]

This weekend we start our new series on sexual purity and dating called EXPOSED! In this series we want your students to learn about God's great plan for sex in their lives and how they can make good choices now, about when and who to date, setting boundaries and keeping promises, that will benefit them in the future and lead to a godly, satisfying and intimate marriage. We will expose the lies that the world is telling your students about love and sex, and replace them with the truth from God's word.

Here are the main points and verses that we will be discussing this weekend (3.31), so that you can be prepared ahead of time to have meaningful conversations with your student about what they are learning. Please let us know if there is anything else that we can assist you with to help you connect and discuss this topic with your student.

EXPOSED! [the naked truth about sex and dating]
week.1 - crush, crush, crush

Dating brings up a lot of questions in the minds of students. When can I start? Who should I go out with? What am I supposed to do? Why even date in the first place? Does God say anythign about dating?

All of these are good questions to ask, but unfortunately the Bible says absolutely nothing about dating. Dating wasn't around in Biblical times so instead of trying to cram verses about marriage to fit into dating, we will take a look at the whole picture of God's view on love, relationships and gender to determine what the appropriate move on dating should be. But know that anything you ever hear about the "Bible's position on dating," is an opinion. (Even if Joshua Harris says otherwise.)

Genesis 2:28-25:
18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.”
19 So the Lord God formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would call them, and the man chose a name for each one.
20 He gave names to all the livestock, all the birds of the sky, and all the wild animals. But still there was no helper just right for him.
21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the opening.
22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man.
23 “At last!” the man exclaimed.
“This one is bone from my bone,
and flesh from my flesh!
She will be called ‘woman,’
because she was taken from ‘man.’”
24 This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.
25 Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame.

This passages shows us that women and man are created as equals and are designed to belong together. The woman is strong where the man is weak and vice versa. While Adam looked for a "helper" among the animals that God created, it was obvious that none of them would do, so God decided to create again, someone just like Adam, not just a "helper," but a "companion,"an "equal." Women is the only thing God created to make a perfect creation better.

The GOAL of dating is to prepare for a GOOD MARRIAGE.

Proverbs 4:23:
23 Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

Our decisions determine our direction, which will ALWAYS lead us to a destination. So often, we arrive at a destination and wonder how we got there. As we think about dating this verse has so many implications. If we know we want to arrive at a certain destination, or at least avoid other destinations, then we need to make decisions about our direction ahead of time. Our hearts are going to decide who we date and eventually who we marry, so how are the choices that we make now, setting us up for success in our marriage one day in the future? We need to take the time to make sure that we have a goal in mind, and that our present actions are moving up towards achieving that goal. So we have to ask the questions, in dating, "What am I aiming for?"

In dating, you GET what you AIM for.

Matthew 7:6:
6 "Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you."

This verse sets the standard for dating other Christians, and even then, waiting to date until you know what you are looking for in a mate. The Bible tells us that our bodies are the temple of the holy spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19) so that makes us holy, and we need to protect that holiness, but making sure that the people that we date are on our same playing field, emotionally, relationally, and most importantly, spiritually.

GIRLS:
Your WORTH does not come from your DATING STATUS.

GUYS:
The most MANLY thing you can do is RESPECT women.

1 Thessalonians 4:3-7:
3 God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. 4 Then each of you will control his own body and live in holiness and honor, 5 not in lustful passion like those who do not know God and His ways. 6 Never harm or cheat a Christian brother in this matter by violating his wife, for the Lord avenges all such sins, as we have solemnly warned you before. 7 God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives."

Dating can be a great experience that helps us become more selfless, learn to get along with people of the opposite sex, and help us discover what qualities we are looking for in a person to marry. However, statistics show that the earlier that you start dating the more likely you are to cross a boundary and sacrifice your purity. 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7 tells us that if we hook up with a person that is not our spouse, we are violating not only our own marriage, but someone else's as well. So, sometimes the best choice we can make to ensure our purity is to wait to date exclusively, until we are old enough to know what it means to really be in a relationship that has a goal of preparing for marriage.

SPING BREAK!

It's SPRING BREAK!!!! YEAH!!! And we have a ton of fun activities each day to keep your student excited and connected! So now they have no excuse...

Here is the break down:

MONDAY: Movie and Jordan Creek Century 20 Theaters
Meet at the DEW ZONE at Jordan Creek Town Center and we will have lunch in the food court and then see Penelope (PG). They need about $12 for movie ticket and lunch. Pick up will be at 3:00pm.
TUESDAY: Bowling at Warrior Lanes
Meet at Warrior Lanes (Across Hickman Road from Church) at 12:00 noon to have some fun bowling! Have them bring $10 for bowling, shoe rental, or more for the arcade and snacks. Pick up is at 2:00pm at Warrior Lanes.
WEDNESDAY: Sports Day at Sports Plex West
Meet at Sports Plex West (890 SE Olson Drive, just west of Alice's Road between Hickman and University) at 11:00am and we will have 2 hours of sports (Dodgeball, Basketball, Indoor Soccer and Rock Climbing Wall). This event is FREE!! So have your student invite a bunch of friends! Every student must have a signed parent permission slip, which you can download from the Sports Plex West website. Even though this event is free, if any student doesn't have a signed permission slip, they cannot participate. Sorry, no exceptions.
THURSDAY: Girl's Only Breakfast
Meet at Point of Grace at 9:30a for a free Breakfast in the Hub! Have your daughter bring her friends for they great time of food and community! Sorry guys, girls only!
FRIDAY: XBOX Tournament, DDR, Guitar Hero, Games and Pizza Lunch
Finish out the week hanging out in the Student Zone at Point of Grace from 11:00am to 2:00pm. There will be prized for the winners and a pizza lunch. Bring $3 if your student wants to eat pizza.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call us at 515.987.9595 or email us at students@pointofgrace.com and we will be happy to answer them! Thanks!

Vitals - March 16th

The Spark (Jr. High) - March 16th
Message - "MySpace: Privacy Settings" by Katie and Kurt
Key Points:
God PROTECTS us by teaching us how to make WISE DECISIONS.
What AFFECTS our heart IMPACTS our whole life.
The health of your ACTIONS shows the health of your HEART.
What are some of the things your need to be CAREFUL about letting into YOUR HEART?
For every choice I make, do I ask "IS THIS THE WISE CHOICE?"
Verses Referenced: Proverbs 4:23, Luke 6:44-45, Psalm 139:23-24
Worship led by: Justin Willis and Key to the City
Attendance:
Total: 94
1st Service: 39 (30 students, 9 leaders)
2nd Service: 64 (54 students, 10 leaders)

42 (High School) - March 16th
Message - "MySpace: Privacy Settings" by Katie and Kurt
Key Points:
God PROTECTS us by teaching us how to make WISE DECISIONS.
What AFFECTS our heart IMPACTS our whole life.
The health of your ACTIONS shows the health of your HEART.
What are some of the things your need to be CAREFUL about letting into YOUR HEART?
For every choice I make, do I ask "IS THIS THE WISE CHOICE?"
Verses Referenced: Proverbs 4:23, Luke 6:44-45, Psalm 139:23-24
Worship led by: Justin Willis and Key to the City
Attendance: 41 (32 students, 9 leaders)

EXPOSED! the naked truth about sex and dating

The week after Easter (March 30th) we will be beginning our new series on sexual purity and dating, called "EXPOSED: the naked truth about sex and dating" and we have some things for you to help you decide how to best assist your students as they wrestle with this important yet difficult topic. Our goal for this series is that they would catch the Big Idea: "Purity paves the way to Intimacy." We have a parent letter for you that describes the topics we will be covering during this 4-week series. We will be mailing this letter out, but if you are unsure if we have your correct address, please pick one up at the Habit Shack during a weekend service or email us and we can email it to you. We also have the books and study guides available for preview, that the Life Groups will be going through for the next 8 weeks. Please feel free to contact us via email at students@pointofgrace.com or call us during the week at 515.987.9595. We want to partner with you during these formative years of your child's life and we want to help them discover God's truth that will protect them from the pain and confusion of sexual mistakes. We want them to discover that God wants them to have a great sex life and that the preparation for that begin with the choices they make now. We are excited to see what God will do through this new series: EXPOSED!

Vitals - March 9th

The Spark (Jr. High) - March 9th
Message - "MySpace: Top Friends
Key Points:
EVERYONE wants to know that they have a place that they BELONG.
Friends are people who: LIKE US, ARE LIKE US, WE WANT TO LIKE US.
Real friends don't HIDE, but GIVE their lives to each other.
If YOU were taken out of your circle of friends, would their be any DIFFERENCE?
Your true FRIENDS are the people who SHARE and SHAPE your life.
Verses Referenced: John 15:18-19, John 15:13-15, Mark 2:1-5
Worship led by: Justin Willis and Key to the City
Attendance:
Total: 106
1st Service: 42 (33 students, 9 leaders)
2nd Service: 73 (63 students, 10 leaders)

42 (High School) - March 9th
Message - "MySpace: Top Friends
Discussion Questions:
"What qualities do you look for in a friend?"
"Do you wish you had more friends? Why or why not?"
Key Points:
EVERYONE wants to know that they have a place that they BELONG.
Friends are people who: LIKE US, ARE LIKE US, WE WANT TO LIKE US.
Real friends don't HIDE, but GIVE their lives to each other.
If YOU were taken out of your circle of friends, would their be any DIFFERENCE?
Your true FRIENDS are the people who SHARE and SHAPE your life.
Verses Referenced: John 15:18-19, John 15:13-15, Mark 2:1-5
Worship led by: Justin Willis and Key to the City
Attendance: 61 (53 students, 8 leaders)

Vitals - March 2nd

The Spark (Jr. High) - March 2nd
Message - "MySpace: My Profile
Key Points:
Only God can give us our TRUE IDENTITY, and He calls us His BELOVED.
Being WHO YOU ARE is always more difficult than being who OTHER PEOPLE want you to be.
If we're representing JESUS, how do we LOOK?
Does your IMAGE of who you are match up with your identity in REAL LIFE?
Verses Referenced: Psalm 139:13-14, 17-18, 1 Peter 2:9-10, 2 Corinthians 5:17-20
Worship led by: Justin Willis and Key to the City
Attendance:
Total: 108
1st Service: 49 (38 students, 11 leaders)
2nd Service: 70 (59 students, 11 leaders)

42 (High School) - March 2nd
Message - "MySpace: My Profile
Discussion Questions:
"What is your favorite thing about MySpace (or Facebook)?"
"What is one area of your life that you have exaggerated or lied about in the past?"
Key Points:
Only God can give us our TRUE IDENTITY, and He calls us His BELOVED.
Being WHO YOU ARE is always more difficult than being who OTHER PEOPLE want you to be.
If we're representing JESUS, how do we LOOK?
Does your IMAGE of who you are match up with your identity in REAL LIFE?
Verses Referenced: Psalm 139:13-14, 17-18, 1 Peter 2:9-10, 2 Corinthians 5:17-20
Worship led by: Justin Willis and Key to the City
Attendance: 52 (43 students, 9 leaders)