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Christlife Posture: Submitting to God's Love and Leading

Topic: Spiritual Surrender in a New Season

 

Suggested Approach: Choose 1 thing from each of the three boxes

OR Choose 1 from Media or Reflection + 1 from Scripture 

Media Excursions    (Watch/read/listen and be ready to discuss Q's)

Still Images/Painting/Sculpture/Photograph

  • All these examples of artwork have the word “Transition” in their title.  Which one most clearly resonates with you or describes what you are experiencing in the midst of transition? #1-Photo (by Ron Christie), #2 Photo (Mark Myhaver), #3-Painting (Kerry Smith), #4 Sculpture (”Transitions-Burnt Offerings" by Harold Rose), #5-Painting (Bjorn Sjogren)

Video Clip

  • Practical Advice for College Students (Desiring God). Interview with Ben Stuart.  Which of these three things have you done? Which one needs attention? What else do you wish the video had touched on?

Song

  • Beautiful Things (Gungor) A transition to something new can be exciting, but it can also be hard.  Let this song speak to you regarding the areas that are difficult right now.  How does the truth of this song help you submit to God’s plan for you right now?

Articles ​

  • Help! I’m a Freshman! (Rebecca Yourison) Which of the experiences this author writes about can you relate to as a Freshmen or Transfer? Though she also encourages upperclassmen in how they should care for Freshmen on campus, how might reading this help you reach out to other Freshmen or Transfers on your campus?

  • 11 Helpful Tips for College Transfer Students (Pammy Levinson) What advice was most helpful for you? What other area do you wish this article had covered? What is tip would you add as a Christian?

Drama Script

  • ME: A campus play about identity (Amanda Stenzel and Brittni Emery) Read through this play. Most of the characters are feeling the stress of some kind of transition. How did each of them cope with the stresses they felt? Which character do you most identify with? What do you wish would have happened in this play? Why?

Reflection Options  

Journal  (Reflect on one or more of these questions)

  • If you are a new college student (Freshman), what has been the hardest thing about starting college? What has surprised you? What blessings can you thank God for in this new season?

  • If you are a transfer college student, what comparisons have you made to the other college you attended? What can you thank God for in this new college environment?

  • What is your ratio of excitement versus struggling in this new season? How have you invited God into that?

Quote Interaction (Interact by agreeing, disagreeing or otherwise engaging with the quote/quotes)

  • Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God. (Corrie Ten Boom)

  • All our difficulties are only platforms for the manifestations of His grace, power and love. (Hudson Taylor)

  • You will have no test of faith that will not fit you to be a blessing if you are obedient to the Lord. I never had a trial but when I got out of the deep river I found some poor pilgrim on the bank that I was able to help by that very experience. (A.B. Simpson)

  • The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety. (George Muller)

Reading and Reflection from the book, Shaping The Journey of Emerging Adults: 

  • Read “Negotiating Transitions” (pp. 191-193). How do you feel about transitions in your life? Are you more like Krista and Chuck or Sarita?  How has your transition to college or to a different college affected your involvement or attendance at church?

  • MENTOR: Read “Abandoning Our Scripts” (pp. 210-212). As you look back over the transitions in your life, what patterns do you see? What do you notice about how God has shaped your story or journey in Him?  

Explore Scripture

Meditate on one or more of the following passages. Always look them up in context.  Take some time to really explore the verse in relation to this topic.  Look for wisdom or encouragement in surrendering to God in a time of transition.   Make a note of what you discover to share later.  See "Learn More About Ways to Study Scripture" below for help in getting the most out of the verse.

  • Psalm 100:3

  • Psalm 118:24

  • Psalm 131:1-3

  • Psalm 139:13-16

  • Proverbs 10:28

  • Proverbs 17:22

  • Isaiah 41:10

  • Jeremiah 29:11

  • Matthew 25:14-30

  • John 10:10

  • John 16:33

  • I Corinthians 14:20

  • Ephesians 5:16

  • James 1:2-17

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