This week at CORNERSTONE we had a chance to practice compassion and receive it too, by spending time with individuals at Rosewood Court.  We did a craft together and played games.

This week you are invited to: 
1. Read the scripture for this week with your child from Matthew 9:35-36.  
2. Ask them what Jesus attitude was toward people with hurts or needs? 
3. Brainstorm one way to show more compassion to this week 

(as a parent let your child be on the receiving end of your compassion this week
and remind them that your actions show what compassion looks like)

Matthew 9:35-36
Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues,
proclaiming the good news of the kingdom
and healing every disease and sickness. 
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them,
because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Helpful Background Information:
This scripture from Matthew is one of several places in the Gospels where Jesus is described as having great compassion toward hurting people. The compassion was often felt toward large groups of people; many of these people were physically sick, and all of them needed spiritual healing, too.These verses give us a taste of God's heart of compassion for our world. Jesus let compassion dictate his schedule, even delaying times of much-needed solitude and prayer so he could minister to the people. As followers of Christ, people aren't interruptions to our agenda; they ARE our agenda! Unfortunately, our hearts are often filled with selfish desire for what we want rather than compassion and concern for what others might need. 
Here are some additional questions you might want to ask your teenager:

• Why is it significant that Jesus demonstrated his compassion through action, not just words?
• Think about the people at your school who might be "confused and hopeless, like sheep without a shepherd." How would Jesus interact with them? How is that different from the way most people at your school interact with them?

Have an awesome week!

October 7, 2015 Small Group Discussion

We are continuing our series on "Walking with God in Doubt and Conviction" and on September 7 we will discuss what to do when we experience doubts about our faith. We will talk about how God isn't afraid of our doubts. We simply need to think about how we react and respond to our doubts and struggles.  God wants us to tell him when we are struggling with doubts.  It is important to acknowledge our doubts and talk about them - sometimes this can actually lead us to deeper conviction.  

In this lesson, we will talk about the story from Mark 9 when a father whose son needed to be healed comes to Jesus and, in the course of their conversation, says, "Lord, I believe! Help me with my unbelief." We will talk about the importance of not hiding our doubt, going to Jesus when we experience doubt, and learning more to help overcome our doubt.

I'd encourage you to find time this week to talk with your teenager about our lesson. Here are some questions you might want to use:

• If you could text one question to God, what would you ask, and why?

• Where do you go or what people do you talk to when you have questions about what it means to be a Christian-or other big questions?

• How do you think God feels about our doubts? Do you think it's OK for Christians to doubt?

​If I can offer any help as you and your teenager have these conversations, please let me know!