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LIFE GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDE Wednesday Night, April 28, 2004 “Encouraging Responses to our Graduating Seniors” 5 Minutes Welcome and Prayer 10 Minutes OPEN Why is high school graduation such a significant milestone and rite of passage into adulthood?
Based on your life experiences, if you had one thing you would want to share with our graduates, what would it be? What do you wish someone would have told you upon your graduation from high school? 15-20 Minutes DIG Not only is graduation a statement of achievement, it also points toward “a new beginning.” Why is this an important time for each graduate as they explore the depths of finding God’s purpose for their life?
One of the most tragic character studies of the Old Testament is the life of Samson. What great potential he had as a judge over Israel, however his selfishness became his pillars of destruction.
Please connect that story with some of the most profound and challenging words Jesus ever uttered, “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Mt. 10:39).
In our youth, we are idealist . . . dreamers . . . ambitious. It is true that the gospel message is “revolutionary.” What can we do or say to encourage this group of graduates to march forward in faith believing they can change the world? In the comments made by the fathers to the graduates, why do you think it was that so many of them referenced the moment of their child’s “spiritual birth” as such a “marker” moment? 15 Minutes REFLECT Seeing our seniors stand before our church this past Sunday Night evidenced that many of our children have grown up in non- traditional families. How can we as a church better minister to these children, teens, single parents, and blended families? What do you suspect will be some of the greater challenges for these graduating seniors as they become young adults?
In talking with some of the educators who have worked with these graduates, one of the things so many of them need is affirmation and encouragement to boost their self-esteem. Why do so many teenagers suffer from low self-esteem?
Identify some of the major obstacles and challenges these graduates will have to overcome in their adult lives?
Covenant as a group and individually to respond this week in some encouraging way to these 24 seniors. 10 Minutes PRAYER TIME Spend time in prayer and mention these seniors by name and ask God to bless, protect, and watch over them.
What recommendations would you have for our church as we prepare for future senior recognition events?
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