Have you ever wondered if God hears your prayers, or if there even is a God? Because of Jesus, you can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is a God who loves you. And you don’t have to prove anything to Him, because He’s already crazy about you! The message of Christmas is loud and clear. God loves you so much that He sent Jesus to prove it. The love God demonstrated on that first Christmas is available to you, just as you are. And when you feel just how loved you are, you’ll want to bring that love to others! Because the good news is for ALL PEOPLE!

Sometimes hope can feel like wishful thinking…“I’ll just get disappointed, so why hope?” With God, your future can be better than your now, and you have a role to play in it! God’s the WHO behind our HOPE, and we can count on His promises! He sent His only Son at Christmas to show us that there is always hope, no matter what we face. And when we put our trust in Him, we can bring hope to others and help make the world a better place!

As we gain influence and opportunities to lead, are we becoming the kind of leader whom we’d like to follow? God gives us all the power, love, and self-discipline we need to live the way He says is best. Developing healthy habits and self-discipline are important as we recognize the authority we have now and ways we can use it to love ourselves, others, and God. Power is for lifting up, not tearing down. The power is in loving Jesus and loving people!

In our culture, authority is often questioned as injustices or abuse are revealed. Still, there is value in honoring the authority figures in our lives. This week, we’ll explore how David honored King Saul, responding in a powerful way to a powerful person. He knew that the best way to use his power was for good and that in the upside down kingdom, honor is greater than power.  We, too, can choose to be honorable, no matter what is going on around us.

Power and authority will always exist in our lives, in fact, they’ve existed from the very beginning of time.  Power is complicated. It can be used for good, or for bad. What’s important is how we respond to those in authority over us and how we use our own power to make a difference. This week, we’ll  rethink our ideas about power and authority  in light of Jesus’ example, as He turned them upside down.

Out in the world,  it may be tough for you to find your place, but at Peake Youth, you always have a place where you belong!  Your small group is a safe place for you to be yourself and to share your struggles and joys with other teens and leaders who care about you. This week, we’ll learn about Lydia, a woman who wanted to believe in Jesus, but she wasn’t sure if she belonged.  A brother in Christ encouraged her and reminded her that all people matter to God.

This week, we’ll look at your big questions about identity. We often try to base our identity on what others think of us and how we appear to them. The question we are all asking is “Who am I?” As you study God’s Word and really get to know Jesus, you’ll realize that what we have and who we are isn’t enough. Rather God’s power is perfected in our weakness and He is enough for us. Just like the boy in the story didn't need to prove his measly lunch was enough to feed the 5,000 because Jesus did it for him. Jesus is enough.

As two new disciples found out, God has a life in mind for you that is so much bigger and so much better than the one you are living right now. There are a lot of opinions out there about what following Jesus really looks like and what you have to give up to follow Him. This week, we’ll learn what it really means to follow Jesus and encourage you to take the next step towards following Him with your life. Because when you really understand Who Jesus is, it changes everything.

If accepting Jesus is the only way to heaven – and a lot of people don’t accept Him – then doesn’t that mean that God is sending a lot of people to hell? Why would a good and loving God do this? This week, we’ll ask the question: “Is Jesus the only way to heaven?”

Sadness. Depression. Anxiety. These emotions are rampant in our world and in our hearts. How do we reconcile these dark emotions with the fact that Jesus is the Light of the world? Is there something missing in Him? Or in us? Or both? If God is joy, why am I so sad?