Blog
Middle School
Spiritual Emphasis Week
Spiritual Emphasis Week Day # 1 Summary
Written by 8th graders: Zoey Van Dyke, Evy Post, and Grant Axelson
We are blessed to have Pastor Kyle Brown and worship leader Logan Johns with us this week from Berkley Hills Church. They did a great job today and we loved having them!
Kyle started chapel by sharing a story about how his wife was making spaghetti and they needed noodles. So he drove to the store, but when he got there he got very distracted with doritos, candy, and pop. He checked out and totally forgot about the noodles. When he got home, he remembered that his main goal was to get noodles, so he had to go back and get them. He told this story to show us how we exchange worldly things for God, especially when we are distracted. Kyle talked to us about the kinds of things we put on the throne instead of Jesus.
Sometimes we exchange things like sports, family, friends, food, and electronics and we put them as our focus instead of Jesus. In our lives sometimes we have Jesus on the throne 100%, but other times we only have Jesus on the throne 50 percent of the time. He also explained how we often add worldly things to the throne with Jesus. Kyle reminded us that Jesus is interested in being a full time king in our lives; he does not want to share the throne. Some people completely forget that Jesus is on the throne and they ignore that there even is a God. Kyle reminded us that God shows up all the time. When we look around outside, we can see God’s creation all around us.
The main thing to take away from chapel today is that Jesus wants to be the only thing on the throne. Kyle said that if we think about our middle school theme of being “unashamed” for Christ, then Jesus has to have 100% of us and be on the throne in our lives 100%. He ended by challenging us that if we want to live “unashamed” for Christ, then we should ask ourselves “Who are you Unashamed of and Who is in control of your life?”
Spiritual Emphasis Week Day #2 Summary
Written By 8th Graders: Malia McGraw, Rhys Scholten, Nick Maravalo, and Simeon Klaver
The meaning behind this story is that we should not conform to the ways of the world. Instead, we should be focused on Jesus and following him. You can’t blend in with the world while following Jesus. He told us that we may follow the world, and it may be fine at first, but something will break along the way. Instead Kyle shared that when we follow Jesus, things will not break. It might not always be easy, but it will always be fulfilling. Kyle unpacked the questions;
- How can we follow Jesus’ way?
- Who is leading us?
- Who we are walking with?
Kyle emphasized how even when we think we know what is best for our lives, that God is the only one who truly knows. We need to lean into God and ask him to direct our paths.
Kyle left us with three questions to think about and challenge us.
- Do I really know Jesus’ way?
- Am I walking alone?
- Am I walking with the right people?
Romans 12:1-2
Proverbs 12:26
