THEME: PLOT TWIST
By: Kara Powell
Category: Decide Personally We all have a storyline for how we think our lives are supposed to go. Maybe for you that story includes straight A’s, a perfect family, or lots of friends. Maybe it’s athletic stardom and college scholarships. Maybe for you it’s just finding someone to date before graduation. No matter what it looks like, we have a script for how we think high school should play out. And that’s great until things don’t work out like we had hoped. Until there’s a change of plans, a let down, a failure or a disappointment. Moments like that are frustrating and can leave us feeling like our whole story is ruined. The Apostle Paul’s life-story was full of twists and turns like these. Moments where no one knew what would happen or if it would ever be okay again. But through Paul’s response, we discover that our most disappointing moments don’t have to be the end. In fact, they may just be the plot twist that makes our story even better. |
SESSION ONE:
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Session One: Life Isn't Over
Bottom Line: Even when there’s trouble, you can trust Him. Wed May 4th Have you ever gotten really involved in a TV show or book series only to be blind-sided by a major plot twist? Things are going totally fine until the main character gets into an awful accident, becomes friends with the villain, or just dies altogether! When that plot twist happens you find yourself thinking, Is this the end? Did they just ruin the entire thing? Is this somehow going to be the plot twist that makes the story even better? As exciting as those plot twist moments are to watch on TV or read in a book, they’re a little different to experience in real life. Our real life plot twists make us feel disappointed, powerless, and wondering how things will turn around for the better. The good news for us is that many of God’s followers in the Bible experienced major life plot twists long before any of us. One such man is Paul, who experienced a series of life altering plot twists just after he met Jesus. And as we look at what Paul wrote about these plot twists in his own life, we’ll see that, even when it feels like the story has reached an unexpected end, God is still moving and we can still trust Him. |
SESSION TWO:
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Session Two: #FOMO
Bottom Line: Because He is with me, I’ll be okay either way.Wed May 11th How is it that social media can provide us with both the best and worst parts of our day? On one hand it’s fun to check in and see what’s happening with your friends or laugh at a funny comment or goofy video. But on the other hand, we’ve all experienced photos online giving us a case of #FOMO (fear of missing out). Whether we realize it or not, there’s something about social media that gives us the idea that our lives just aren’t measuring up. We think we’re missing something in our lives so much so that we start thinking that if only we had it—a new car, a different body, a more popular group of friends—our lives would improve. But you probably know from experience that this isn’t true. You get something you think will make your life better and, in a plot twist, pretty soon you find yourself wishing for the next thing. Suddenly, you’re so focused on what you think you’re missing that you can’t enjoy your life here and now. As we wrap up our series, we’ll take one more look at Paul, this time in one of the most difficult places in his life. And through his story, we’ll discover the key to being okay in every situation—whether we get what we want or not. |