Where Every Student Belongs

This week’s message challenges students to recognize that following Jesus is not seasonal—it’s a lifelong calling that shapes every part of who we are. Because of what Jesus has done, our lives are no longer our own; we are called to live on mission, motivated and controlled by His love. As students step into new seasons, they are invited to take their next right step with Jesus and actively make...

This week closes our “Against the Grain” series. Tonight, we’re exploring one of the most fundamental of all human needs: friendship. Today, loneliness is the norm; we’re digitally connected and personally isolated. Jesus shows us in John 15 that this was not what we were made for. We were made for relationships with Him and other people that produce a flourishing life, not a life of despair. But...

This week pushes students to see that following Jesus means rejecting the divisions our culture normalizes—like cliques, tribes, classes, races, and biases. While the world groups people by differences, Jesus calls us to love across those lines with humility and sacrifice. When we do, we don’t just get along—we display the unity Jesus died to create. Here are some discussion questions to further g...

**DISCLAIMER** This week’s audio file was faulty. The first 6.5 minutes are difficult to hear. The recording returns to normal after that mark. We apologize for the inconvenience! This week opens our new series called “Against the Grain.” In this series, we’re exploring the nature of the stark contrast a Christian’s life is meant to pose to the life espoused by the culture we live in. This week, w...

This week wraps up the Illusion of Control, discussing the danger of attempting to control our lives through the trap of comparison. Paul 1 Corinthians 15 shows 2 potential pitfalls for falling into the trap of comparison. First, we tend to focus on our weakness; second, we focus on our greatness. The only solution is to focus firmly on Jesus, having our minds renewed in Him and becoming truly con...

Anxiety is something almost everyone experiences, especially when we feel pressure about our future, relationships, or expectations. As our anxiety grows because we try to control things that were never meant for us to control. God invites us to humble ourselves, trust His care, and cast our anxieties on Him because He is both powerful and deeply concerned about our lives. Here are some discussion...

This week introduces the idea that control is often an illusion we use to hide shame. From the very beginning in Genesis, sin led Adam and Eve to hide, blame, and try to manage how they were seen—patterns we still follow today. True freedom comes not from controlling our image or circumstances but from bringing our sin and shame into the light and trusting Jesus to forgive and restore us. Here are...

This week wraps up Your Story/God’s Story, focusing on redemption and restoration through Jesus. Rom. 3:21-26 shows us the tension at the heart of the gospel: God is perfectly just and can’t ignore sin, yet He’s perfectly loving and desires to save sinners. The cross is where justice and mercy meet - Jesus pays our debt so we can be declared righteous. Students need to see that the gospel means we...

In Genesis 3, we see how sin enters the world through misplaced worship and disordered love. Adam and Eve chose their autonomy over trust in God. They believed a lie about God rather than resting in His goodness. Their rebellion fractures their relationship with God, with each other, and with creation itself. We are just as guilty today—but even in judgment, God offers a promise of rescue. Here ar...

Tonight introduces the idea that our lives unfold within the grand story of God’s Kingdom. We can’t truly understand ourselves, our identities, or our purpose if we don’t understand what God is doing in the world. God created men and women out of love - we are His prized creation! We were made to know, love, and enjoy Him, and to partner with His children on a mission to multiply disciples of Jesu...

Tonight we discuss how idols promise satisfaction but always leave us spiritually empty and restless. Through Jeremiah 2 and John 4, Students are invited to see Jesus as the only true source of life, rest, and meaning. The goal is to help Students move beyond intellectual belief toward heart-level trust, repentance, and rest in Christ. Here are some discussion questions to further guide your conve...

Tonight introduces the idea that idolatry isn’t just about ancient statues but about what our hearts love, trust, and depend on most. Students are challenged to see how good things can slowly become ultimate things that promise life but eventually disappoint and enslave. In order to keep from sliding into the spiral of sin our idols create, we have to learn the lies our idols tell (and how to figh...

Tonight introduces the idea that idolatry isn’t just about ancient statues but about what our hearts love, trust, and depend on most. Students are challenged to see how good things can slowly become ultimate things that promise life but eventually disappoint and enslave. The goal of this discussion is not guilt, but awareness—helping students begin naming the idols of their hearts and seeing why J...

Isaiah describes a people stumbling in darkness because they looked everywhere except to God for guidance—much like Students today navigating fear, pressure, and confusion. John 1 shows that Jesus is the promised Light who doesn’t wait for us to find Him but enters our darkness to reveal truth, offer grace, and make us children of God. As Students discuss, help them see that Jesus rescues us  from...

The Colossians were infiltrated by false teachers who intended to misdirect the believers away from the foundation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. These teachers sought to enslave the Colossians with legalism and asceticism. But Paul teaches that true freedom comes from a mind set on things above and a willingness to put to death the things that are earthly in us.  Here are some discussion question...

Paul’s words in Colossians 2:16–3:4 call believers to resist every form of “Jesus + something else” religion. Legalism, mysticism, and asceticism all promise control and spiritual superiority, but they lead only to pride and exhaustion. The Gospel tells a better story — that Jesus’s finished work on the cross has already justified us. Our identity and worth are secure  in Him . Paul urges the Colo...

The Colossians were infiltrated by false teachers who intended to misdirect the believers away from the foundation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The same risk of delusion is prominent in our culture today. A faith that is built solely on a few loosely held ideals won’t stand the test of time or the pressure of our increasingly antagonistic culture. For faith to last, it must be rooted in the trut...

The Colossians were tempted to give Jesus prominence but not preeminence—to include Him among other influences rather than enthrone Him as Lord. We often do the same when we make faith about what Jesus can do for us instead of living fully for Him. Jesus isn’t just part of the story; He’s the center of it all. True peace and purpose come when we surrender every part of our lives to His supremacy!...

This week, Michael Winstead will be bringing the message to help students see that God is the Creator of sex and sexuality, and that His design is good. When we reject God’s design and follow our own desires, it leads to brokenness and loss of shalom. But through Jesus, God restores what sin has broken, inviting us to live in holiness, freedom, and wholeness under His loving rule. Here are some di...