Fall Frenzy Retreat Blog
Josh Newton | Oct 23, 2009
Thank you for entrusting us with your children this weekend, we are planning on having a great time of fun, fellowship and digging deep into God’s word. This is our first retreat as a ministry and we are very excited to see what God has in store for us.
The teaching theme of this retreat is “In the end”. We will be looking at what God has to say about life after death, the final judgment and the final battle. We have chosen this topic for three main reasons:
- The Bible speaks frequently of the end times.
- Our culture is saturated with ‘end of the world’ movies, books, conspiracy theories and documentaries.
- Knowing about the end of the world has real ramifications on how we as Christians live our lives.
The three key Biblical passages we will be looking at include 1 Corinthians 15, 2 Corinthians 5:6-10 and various passages from the Book of Revelation.
Here are some questions we will be asking your children to reflect on this weekend. We encourage you to read through and consider some of these questions.
- Do you ever think much about what happens in the end when you die? How should Jesus influence how you view what happens after you die?
- Since Jesus’ resurrection gives us hope for our own resurrection, this gives us courage to live for the kingdom (1 Cor 15:30-35, 58). What are some areas in your own life that God wants you to have courage in as it relates to living for Him? How does knowing you will be resurrected help you have that courage? Are there any friends Jesus wants you to reach out to? Are there any places in the church where God might want you to serve?
- What gives you confidence that you will be with the Lord when you die?
- Why is Paul confident that he will be with the Lord when he dies? Read Ephesians 2:8-9; 2 Timothy1:8-10; Titus 3:4-7.
As you are talking to your kids about the retreat during the ride home we want to encourage you to take a step outside of your comfort zone. Along with asking the usual questions (What did you enjoy most? Who did you meet and become friends with? How many s’mores did you eat?), we challenge you to probe a little deeper into the spiritual aspects of the retreat. Ask them questions like: What did you learn from God’s word? What surprised you? What do you think God was trying to teach you on this trip? During this time, share with your kids what God has taught you about the end times, how you have been encouraged or what you have struggled with in these passages.
Retreats like this can create mountain top experiences where students are extra aware of spiritual things, I want to encourage you to take advantage of this and ride it out with your student. Feel free to be vulnerable and express things you are still wrestling with in the text. If your child asks you a question that you do not know the answer to, it is okay, and probably even helpful to tell them you do not know.
Please pray for us this weekend, that our students and leaders would have a great time, that everyone would be safe and healthy and that we all would grow closer to Christ and to each other.
Again, thank you for all you do as a parent and know that we are praying for you and your children, our prayer is that they would be impacted on this trip and that you both would be encouraged and strengthened in your faith.
Comments:
- MaryBeth said:
I\‘m reading it but I just happened to find it, I didn\‘t know you were even doing this. Good stuff though!
Josh, This is really helpful information for parents. Thanks for doing it! Are there any parents out there reading this??