InWord Online - Thanksgiving Through Thick and Thin

Thanksgiving Through Thick and Thin

November 2011

In This Issue

1. From Barry: Thankfulness Through the Thin

2. TRY THIS: The Epicenter of Thanks

3. Media Presentation: The Power of Thanks

4. Free Session: Philippians 4

5. Free Session: Adventurously Expectant

6. InWord Online: Real Content. Real Tools. Real Free.

7. Check Out InWord!

"God is good." It's easy to say when times are good--when a healing takes place, when a job offer comes through, when the biopsy comes back clear. But what about when times aren't so good? When the biopsy is bad, or the healing doesn't come? God is no less good when the news is bad. It's just that, well, to be perfectly honest, it doesn't seem that He's as good. Could there be a teachable moment in this for our teens this Thanksgiving season?

1. From Barry: Thankfulness Through the Thin...

Scripture and history are packed with examples of God's people giving thanks through the thin times. Scripture is full of folks who stayed grateful even when life did not turn out like they planned. Times were tough even during that first Thanksgiving for the Pilgrims.

[read more ]

2. TRY THIS EXERCISE: The Epicenter of Thankfulness

Colossians 3 contains a pocket of thankfulness that's driven by this simple phrase: "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ..." Use this devotional exercise out of Colossians 3 to help your teens tap into the deep well of gratitude that can change the way we react to the hard things life throws our way.

[view/download PDF of exercise ]

3. Media Presentation: The Power of Thanks!

Need a refresher on the power of thankfulness and gratitude? Use this Scripture presentation either for quiet reflection or as a worship tool with your students, or both.

[view/download video presentation ]

[view/download PowerPoint presentation]

4. Free Session: Philippians 4

Blooms, Candles, and Lemonade

One of the first steps to thankfulness through thick and thin is simply this: being content with where you are. This may not be as easy as it sounds; even the Apostle Paul had to "learn" it, as you'll see in Philippians 4 (from InWord's study, Learning to be Like Christ: A Teen Study in Philippians).

[view/download pdf of session ]

5. Free Session: Adventurously Expectant

(persponal and group)

InWord Resources had the privilege of producing a personal Bible study on the 2011 Youth Specialties convention theme, "Adventurously Expectant." Straight out of Romans 8, this is a foundational biblical concept we wanted to share with our InWord friends. Whether or not you're attending either of the conventions this fall, you'll benefit from this resource. You can download the study here. Student guides are included and feel free to pass the study along to youth ministry colleagues and parents!

It's not too late for the Atlanta Youth Specialties Convention!

6. InWord Online: Real Content. Real Tools. Real Free.

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7. Check Out InWord!

Be sure to check out InWord at www.inword.org for loads of tools, ideas and resources to help you and your students experience God's Word. Our mission is to help feed the hunger that God is creating in our teens.