We have been in a series called 'Break Trail' and will continue to be for the first two weeks of April. If you’ve ever gone hiking before, especially in the winter, you know that “breaking trail” is something you do when you encounter deep snow that’s tough to navigate. When that happens, one hiker usually goes ahead of their group and clears the way so others can follow behind more easily. A trail-breaker is someone who goes ahead, who makes a new way, and who invites others to follow along behind them. In so many ways, that’s exactly what Jesus did for us. He broke a new trail just by existing, but he did so much more than that too. In this series, we’ll read the stories of Jesus breaking new trails as we discover that Jesus never gives up on us, understands our pain, shows us love, is alive, and gives us a mission. Below is our schedule for the next few weeks and the Big Idea for each YAA gathering.
After 'Break Trail' we'll be moving into a series called 'Pass It On'. With social media, just about anyone can be an "influencer" with the right content, good timing, and a little bit of luck. Invent a new dance, share a funny take, catch the right moment on camera, and you could get millions of views. Some "influencers" mostly just use their platforms to get free stuff, but once in a while, you find someone who uses their platform to talk about things that actually matter. Obviously they didn't have social media back in Jesus' day, but in the Bible, the book of Acts is filled with stories about "influencers" who had important things to say. In this 4-week series, we’ll hear their stories, discover that our lives can pass on the good news, and learn how to pass on the good news to unexpected people, to our families, and with humility.
April 6: Jesus is alive (Chick-fil-A for dinner)
April 13: Jesus gives us a mission
April 20: Our lives can pass on the Good News
April 27: You can pass on the Good News to unexpected people
May 4: You can pass on the Good News to your family (Subs for dinner)
May 11: You can pass on the Good News with humility
May 18: Final meeting - Go to Yumi Boba Tea and Pizza at Shellabarger Park
As you can see, May 18 will be our final "regular" Wednesday evening YAA meeting. Throughout the summer we will have special events and gatherings and I'll keep you posted on those; a few are listed further down in this newsletter.