UPDATE

Cost for leaders on Winter Retreat is $25. Thank you all who are going. Seriously. I'm amazed by your spiritual wisdom and commitment to raising up this next generation.
Meeting Sunday Night for WR. Not mandatory for you guys (it is for the kids). If you can make it, great. But if not, no worries. I can get info to you otherwise.

EQUIP/ENCOURAGE

No video this week. Internet at church is down. I'm at Chick-fil-a. Nobody here wants to hear my leader's update... and it would just be awkward. Will presume the videos next week.

Okay, this year in Discipleship Initiative, we are emphasizing the relationship. Strong relationships are crucial to effective disciple-making. But sometimes conversations are difficult to start with middle schoolers and high schoolers! You get a lot of "Yes" "No" "Yeah" and "Uh-huh" answers.

The key to having an active, two-way conversation is to ask the right questions.

So, Carmen helped me devise this ingenious acronym to help get the talks going:

H - Home. Ask about their home-life, parents, siblings, pets, etc.
E - Education. Ask about school, sports, anything related to their school life.
A - Afflictions/Answers. Ask about struggles, trials, griefs. Then ask how God has been responding in their prayer life on this matter.
R - Relationships. Ask about significant others, friends, co-workers, etc.
T - Thoughts. Ask what has been occupying their mental energy. What have they been thinking about the past week?

Now, don't just ask "yes or no" questions, because you'll only get "yes's" and "no's." Also, this is not supposed to be a rigid list you shake down the students with each week. This is something to help you naturally bring up the topics that will be on your students' "hearts." Yes. Cheesy. Whatever.

Seriously though, our mission statement is "To make disciples that DESIRE Christ above all and make disciples who do the same." God is after their hearts. Only a gospel-driven, Godward, unquenchable, sin-killing, joy-filling desire for more of Christ will ever produce the goal we're after in discipleship: transformation.

So, go after their hearts. Talk about these areas. The details that fill these five areas will help get to what occupies the space of their hearts.

Over the next weeks, I'll take one letter per week from H.E.A.R.T. I really feel that if we weave this into what we're doing, it will help foster true connection and deep relationships between you and the students whom you disciple.

Love you all!

Quentin Self

Oh yeah. I shared these with the parents this week. Didn't want to leave you out.... please don't black mail me with my facial expressions. You'll do anything to make your son laugh.