The idea of power can be complicated. Even if you have it, there is always someone else who has more. Or maybe you aren't always sure what to do with the power that you have. Or maybe you have realized that it isn't always as great as you think it was going to be. In this message, we see that we were created to have power and authority. That is who we are as humans. But we are to use our power for good and never to make others feel small, hurt, or oppressed. That is how Jesus showed His power while He walked around on this earth. Jesus really did turn the idea of power upside down.

Most young people are asking a deep question about themselves. They're asking "What difference can I make?" It's easy to think that we're too young or inexperienced to make a difference around us. It's important to notice that God doesn't ask us to do anything HUGE; He asks us to be faithful in whatever is put before us. He has gifted each of us uniquely and the real question that we need to be asking is "Am I doing what only I can do?" When you start to work through that question, then you start to see areas that you can make a difference in the world around you.

We have a natural desire to belong. It is hardwired into us. Asking the question, "Where do I fit in?" is one of life's biggest questions, especially for middle school and high school students. It's like we are constantly having to work to fin in where we want to fit. But the great thing is, that we belong in the family of God because of the work of Jesus. There is nothing that can separate us from God or from His family.

It's easy to feel tremendous pressure to decide who you are as a teenager, but you are still just beginning to discover yourself. It's important to remember that defining who you are is not a destination that you reach, but a lifelong process and no matter how your interests, talents, and life circumstances change, Jesus says that you are enough.

We ask questions all the time, and many times when we want to find answers to our questions we then go to Google. But what happens when you have a question where you get many different answers when you google it? We don't know what to believe. This happens with the question "What does it mean to follow Jesus?" Today we want to tackle that question and look at what it means to be a true disciple of Jesus. When we look at how the first disciples were called to follow Jesus, it can help us understand what the first step is that we need to take and follow just the same.

Whenever you go through hardships in life, it usually comes with some major change. When we face these hardships, we can trust that God is with us and that He is making us stronger through it all. You can work through your pain and hardships which will ultimately make you stronger personally and spiritually.

Whenever we are facing changes in our lives, it is often attached to some fear. Many times the fear that grips us can hold us back from making the necessary changes that we need to make. What's great is that we know that God is with us through all the changes we go through. So it's not about being scared, but about following God even though we may be scared. The things we face may be real, but we can have courage because we have God with us.

We can go through a lot of bad change in our lives. Bad change can be very difficult. Sometimes that change even means that whatever has broken simply cannot be fixed. We may even wonder where God is when we are going through some difficult change. The fact of the matter is, we will face change that is hard. God doesn't promise that He will fix those hardships, but He does promise that He will be WITH us through those hardships.

Middle school and high school students understand change. I mean, it happens on a constant basis. But when everything is swirling in change, we can rest assured that God will always stay the same. So whenever we have change that we may not like, we can know that God is faithful to be constant in our lives because God doesn't change...He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Many have different experiences in their life group. Some struggle to connect with those in their group, while others think it's the best thing in their week. No matter how you feel about your life group, God created us to be in connection with each other. If you put in energy into your life group, you'll get great things out of it. So make this years life groups the best yet, because you get out what you put in.