You can invite others to know Christ. Many of us feel lonely at times. Maybe you’ve lost a friendship, your parents are getting a divorce, or you don’t feel like you fit in anywhere. At Journey, there’s always a place for you! Here, we’ll discover that even Jesus felt lonely and betrayed by friends. We’ll uncover His unconditional love for us and steps we can take to grow closer to Him. Through Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection from the dead, He made a way for us to grow close to God…for eternity!

You pick your perspective. Whether you are in the midst of a difficult breakup, just thinking about who to date, or you still think girls have cooties…it’s time for a change in perspective. The way we look at things can help us move on after a tough relationship, and it can help us keep our focus on the things that matter most. Dealing with disappointment in any part of life can be really hard, but when we change our perspective, we’ll learn how to rejoice and focus on the right things, no matter what we are going through.

We are all obsessed with something, right? That binge-worthy show...that video game...that YouTuber...It's ok to have things we enjoy doing and people we enjoy spending time with, but when they take over our world, it can get a bit extra. This week, we'll learn how our friends and mentors can help keep us accountable when we start to go overboard. Sometimes we just need a little bit of wisdom and an outside perspective!

There’s a lot of pressure related to dating, right??!! To have that Instagram-worthy photo of you and your boyfriend. To find the right girl to go on a Snapstreak with. But what if we stopped worrying so much about finding love and started working on our own heart instead? This week, we’ll talk about love’s greatest qualities, and how you can have them! Not by finding the right person, but by becoming the right person.

Developing habits can be helpful. Learning Algebra, doing pliés in ballet class, practicing your jump shot...something that seems like work at first becomes incredible over time. In a similar way, if we only do spiritual things at church, we’ll never grow. We need to practice our faith! We can learn to connect with God personally through the things we do everyday. When we develop a daily spiritual habit, it can grow our faith into a faith of our own and bring us closer to God. And then we can encourage our friends to do the same!

Sometimes everything can be just fine and then...plot twist...rough road ahead! Even Jesus experienced tough times and deep emotions. We all want to find meaning in the world and understand why these things happen. We don’t always know why they do, but we can allow God to use these turning points to change us. No matter what we are facing–our best day, or our worst–Jesus is right there in the midst of it with us. Weeping or rejoicing right alongside us.

We all want to find our purpose in life. What if we found our God-given purpose, and then went and lived it out? Stepping out and stepping up to serve can grow your faith into an authentic one as you find your unique gifts and put them into action. Don't miss out on joining God in what He is already doing in the world! Like the friends who brought a paralyzed man to Jesus, our serving in faith might just change someone else's life, too!

Real faith doesn't develop on its own when we are by ourselves.  The people around us affect our faith. Bad friends can corrupt us, but good friends help us stay strong and sharpen us into who God intended us to be. The more we surround ourselves with people who make us better, and Christian mentors who guide us in our faith, the wiser we'll become. If you want to move in a better direction, hang out with people who want the same thing!

Sometimes our faith can seem like the real thing, but it's really counterfeit. We aren't supposed to listen to the Word of God and then go back to our everyday lives unchanged. Instead, we should go out and do what it says! And when we do, we'll find that God changes us on the inside, for the better. The more you make your faith your own, the more you'll want to go out and put it into action!