UPRISING STUDENTS:

Week 2, No Limits Discussion

  ·       With God, there’s no limit to what you can do.  Do you ever feel like everyone expects too much of you? Like the pressure of it all is just too much and it makes you feel like you shouldn’t even try? Or maybe you feel like no one expects much of you. No one pushes you or believes in you. Either way, facing the expectations of others can feel paralyzing. And, in that way, we have a lot in common with Moses. God had given him a task that felt way outside the limits of his ability, way outside of anything he could do on his own.

Moses felt underprepared and overwhelmed. He was ready to quit. But in his most anxious and fear-filled moment, God said something to Moses—one phrase—that changed the way he saw himself and everything around him. And it has the power to do the same for us!

 

 

UPRISING PARENTS:

Week 2, No Limits Discussion

 Is your teenager encouraged or pressured by you? Find out, and talk about how you can encourage more or pressure less.  

 Do you believe in your teen too much? They feel like they have to live with too many expectations and too much pressure?

Maybe they feel like they're believed in too little. Nobody is cheering them on. So why should they even try?

ACTION PLAN: Take time this week and have a discussion about these questions.

 

Come join us this Wednesday for week 2 of No Limits.

UPRISING Students:

·   Big influence starts with a small step.

So, what would happen if God showed up and talked to you—out loud? What would you want Him to say? What would you not want Him to talk about? Now imagine this: what if God showed up and told you that your influence is unlimited? That the impact of your life can and will extend farther than you ever dreamed? Would you be scared? Would you want to run away? Would you have a ton of questions? Absolutely! And that’s what happened to Moses. He probably didn’t think of himself as a guy that anyone would pay attention to, as anyone of real influence, but God saw something in Moses that he didn’t see in himself—the potential to lead. And as we take a closer look at his story, we find that sometimes the only step we need to worry about is the very first one.

  How would you define the word influence?

Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing. ― Albert Schweitzer

 

UPRISING Parents:

Series Summary for No Limits:

When you were little, what did you dream about becoming? An astronaut? A ballerina? A professional wrestler? Whatever it was, chances are it was something that you felt was important. Something big.  That’s the thing about little kids— they dream big because no one has told them that they can’t do something yet. They literally have no limits.  But it’s different when we get older, isn’t it? In middle school and high school we start to see the areas we lack for the first time. We’re not the most popular or influential. We aren’t the most talented. And eventually we start to wonder if we can ever do or be anything significant. The big-dreaming days of our childhood feel long gone under the weight of our all-too-limiting reality. That’s exactly what happened in the life of a guy named Moses. With a tough past and not many real skills, he had no reason to believe that his life would be used do anything extraordinary. But after a few encounters with God, Moses’ perspective changed completely. He found that, with God, there is no limit to what you can do.

 

ACTION POINT: Is your teenager encouraged or pressured by you? Find out, and talk about how you can encourage more or pressure less.

 

Sometimes what we say and what our kids hear are two different things. Often, it’s hard to know if they could use a little extra encouragement or a little less pressure. Try asking your teenager if they’re pressured or encouraged by you. Use a scale of 1-10, with 1 being not enough encouragement and 10 being too much pressure.  Now use the same scale and evaluate yourself…do you encourage your teenager enough or pressure too much?

Chances are you and your student will have different answers. That’s okay! Don’t let it discourage you! Use it as a conversation starter. Afterward consider showing your student how you answered. No need to make it a formal meeting. And, this doesn’t mean that you have to give in when they say, “I want you to bug me less about my math grade”. It simply shows them that you care what they think and it gives you both a way to get on the same page as you move forward.