Introduction Sometimes it doesn’t seem like God cares. It is easy to get upset at God and blame Him when things don’t go like we think they should. In the lessons that follow, we will examine the life of a man named Joseph. One bad thing after another seems to take place in his life. Through it all, however, Joseph trusts and obeys God. When we get to the end of the story we see that God was there all the time working in his life. We may not know how God is working or why He allows certain things to happen in our lives. But we can rest assured that God knows what He is doing and whatever He does or allows is for the best. We may not ever fully understand God’s actions or work while we are on this earth, but one day in eternity we will be …show more content…
This fact is clearly manifested as we look back at the life of Joseph. The Vacation Bible School theme is Farm Fresh FAITH. God is faithful and we need to always trust in Him. These lessons should help to prepare teens for a life where things don’t always seem to go right. We need to make sure that our students know that God is good all the time even when we can’t see it.
Lesson 1 – Joseph’s Dreams. This lesson begins with Joseph as a teenager. Joseph began following God and making good decisions early on in life. Joseph experienced great tragedy very early on in life, yet he never used his circumstances as an excuse to do wrong. Even though things looked grim, God was working everything for the good of Joseph. Students need to trust in Jesus and follow him all the days of their lives no matter the circumstances. God has good things in store for those who trust and obey
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There is nothing wrong with these things, but we need to remember that the most important thing is the teaching of God’s Word. Make sure this is what you emphasize. That being said, I have found that teenagers usually enjoy some decorations and even some silly themed activities. The theme of Farm Fresh FAITH should lend itself to some unique decorations and interesting activities. Even though this is the teen class spend some time decorating and planning for some silliness. You just might be surprised how much your teens enjoy this. These things often present opportunities to show your teenagers that you care about them.
Bulletin Board Again, I would again use this to emphasize Romans 8:28. We learn the truth of this great verse through the life of Joseph. You could put this verse on the board and encourage them to memorize it. This is a verse that every child of God should memorize. You could decorate with pictures of different world events. Some should be seemingly bad, while others should be seemingly good. You could use this to emphasize the “all things” of Romans
As I continued to chat with my pastor that day, I really sensed the hurt in his eyes – the anger that comes from an unsolvable injustice, the tiredness of a problem. “What’s wrong?” I finally asked, “Having a bad day?” Sensing that I was truly concerned, he let the truth be told. “I talked with a woman today whose baby died suddenly of unknown causes. As we worked through her grief, she talked about how numerous friends and family, even a religious leader had patted her on the back, shook their heads and said, ‘It was God’s will.’ I find few things worse to say to a grieving parent. Saying nothing at all would be of more help.” It was obvious from our conversation that he had an understanding greater than I about God’s will, and his insight created in me a curiosity and desire to learn more.
Even without God reaching out specifically for us, nature and the world around us can prove to show man God’s ultimate power and authority. God created humans as the superior being on earth, therefore we have the ability to critically
God sees all that happens to us why does he not help us? God loves us
...nstrates that he is an outsider and is cut out of one of the most miraculous moment in the Bible and the Christian faith. By comparing Johnny and Joseph, it shows that Johnny as well is an outsider in Owen’s miracle. Johnny states that he is “still a Joseph” and “was a Joseph then” (439). This reveals the guilt and hopelessness that is keeping Johnny from living a normal life. Although he has regained his faith, his life is being controlled by his depression despite witnessing a miracle. He fails to realize that Joseph is a watcher which is what he resembles. As a protector who oversees everything, wisdom is gained which Johnny gains in the end. However, his depression is affecting him and his relationships which is standing in his way of overcoming his guilt and bitterness
This book has been my interpreter, into the mired maze of youth ministry. From a logical perspective this is a must read for every one not only involved in youth ministry, but the church as a whole. If possible I would like to revisit this book in a year as kind of a case study to see how much I have learned for this course and how my views, out look, feelings, thoughts, and behaviors towards youth ministry have changed or no
In Gutierrez's analysis on the book of Job, the justice of God seems to be the primary issue of his argument. Throughout his argument he justifies that God's way of doing things is outside the comprehension of the human mind. He states that, "God indeed has a plan, but it is not one that the human mind can grasp so as to make calculations based on it and foresee the divine action (73)."
The book of Job describes faith in the heart of suffering and retribution through the life of its protagonist, Job himself. While the book does not demystify or explain why human beings suffer or even provide a justification for the ways of God in regard to human beings, it efficiently probes the depths in which one can remain faithful in such intense suffering. Through the use of this book, Harold Kushner provides a description that is deterministic of why suffering and agony should not be the reasons for the loss of faith even as he himself antagonizes the death of his son at an early age. Job endures extensively a long list of suffering ranging from losing his children, his livestock, and his properties but majorly maintains his strong faith
...e Biblical story weighs heavily on Joseph’s divine dream interpreting ability and the story it provides, focusing on the theme of God caring for His people and fulfilling his divine plan. The Qur’an appreciates this but sees it as a means to the end of the spread of faith to non-believers. The Christian and Jewish version of Joseph’s trials serves a greater literary purpose than the Qur’an’s version, advancing belief by showing God’s abilities and the way they may be manifested in others in order to fulfill his divine plan. However, the Qur’an expands upon the Biblical version by including additional plot points and explicitly portraying Joseph’s goals and how they align with Islamic theology. The accounts differ in functionality, but both are crucial to the holistic understanding of the story of Joseph and some of the fundamental differences between the religions.
She tries to re-creates their frequent discussions which would eventually lead to his own problems, and it is in this context that the story of the “sin-eater” is presented. It was believed that all the sins the dying person had accumulated during his lifetime would be removed from him and transmitted to the Sin Eater (Atwood 1) Joseph may have feel a connection between himself and the sin eater of his generation, as he accumulated all the insecurities, problems, secrets and possible of his multiple patients.
Walt Mueller’s Youth Culture 101, gives his readers a large gathering of pertinent research and information concerning the younger generation and how they are growing up. For anyone in youth ministry, we know that understanding and relating to every student is a difficult process. Mueller seeks to give youth ministry workers understanding and insight into modern day youth culture and how we must address the problems. We will look at Mueller’s points and discuss how his information can be used in our own youth ministries.
The author takes a distinct standpoint from what many people conventionally hold on; for example, he rules out the tendency of people always saying it is God’s plan to suffer, or that everything happens for good. He refutes such sentiments by postulating that God does not necessarily plan for every happening in people’s lives, but that some events happen in life for no reason at all. The author notes that this stance on issues is very essential as it prevents people from denial, as it commonly happens. He argues that there is more peace at accepting things that have happened than blame a third party for the same; this way a quicker path to healing is established. He states that passing the culpability to God increases agony in the victim.
The story of Joseph, the prophet is a pivotal cornerstone for two of the three major Abrahamic religions. In it, both Judaic and Islamic followers have crafted a story which establish God’s ability to intervene and protect his resolute followers. Throughout time, both parties have diverged on the fundamentals of this story to benefit their definition of faithfulness. As such, Both Islamic and Judaic faiths have crafted a story in which the view of God, Joseph, and the other characters present a significant example of the power of God and Allah.
Teens reflect a culture all of their own within American society. The language that they speak, music that they listen to, and many aspects of their lives differ from that of past generations (Linehan 3). Therefore, many people of older generations tend to make judgments and assumptions about teenagers. These assumptions are typically based on the manner in which teenagers speak, dress, and present themselves. Because of these generalizations, faith of many teens is commonly overlooked. In a society where violence seems to be accepted and many teens are lost about who they are, faith can be the one bond interlinking a group of many. Despite occurrences such as the shootings April 20, 1999 at Columbine High School, and other negative aspects surrounding teenagers’ lives, there are still many young people involved and/or seeking a life with faith in Christ.
Joseph as an individual started as a lost, depressed individual with no insight on what is happening in his life which leads to constant flashbacks to his father. The loss of Joseph 's father pointed out the feeling of how many children across this world might feel especially in places where conflict and war are still existent. This story did have a little bit of the plot focused on racism but the idea of being new and unique dominated the
Throughout the Bible many servants’ faith are tested, one of them being Job. Job can be used as an example for everyone, he was a good person, Job had everything taken from him and never lost his faith in God. Thus, the lesson from Job is that bad things do come about, but those bad things should not mold shape someone’s personality for the worst and deter them away from something they believe in. But instead, it should be something to push them even harder and make them want to be a better person and remain loyal to the one who has given them everything, just as he did.