Sticky Faith Service Guide, Student Journal: How Serving Others Changes You

by Kara Powell, Brad M. Griffin

Overview

So you’re on fire, you want to make a difference, you want to change the world…but how?

Signing up for a service project or mission trip is a great first step. But you probably have a lot of questions. Are you ready for the different cultures you may encounter? How are you going to really connect with the people you serve? And what about when you come home—how do you make sense of all the things you’ve experienced? Will any of it make a lasting difference for anyone?

It turns out that if you really want to change the world, you have to change too. The only way that’s going to happen is if you spend time before, during, and after your trip preparing for and processing your work.

This Journal will help you think about:

• Why you’re going

• The people you’re serving

• Your relationship with your teammates

• How God factors into your service project

• The impact your experience has had on you

• How you can keep making a difference back at home

If you think you’re fired up to serve now, just wait! This hands-on Journal will equip you to serve in a way that sticks—both for you and those you serve.

• How you can keep making a difference back at home

If you think you’re fired up to serve now, just wait! This hands-on Journal will equip you to serve in a way that sticks—both for you and those you serve.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780310524236
Publisher:	Zondervan
Publication date:	02/02/2016
Edition description:	Student
Pages:	144
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Dr. Kara E. Powell is an educator, professor, youth minister, author, and speaker. She is the Executive director of the Fuller Youth Institute and a faculty member at Fuller Theological Seminary (see www.fulleryouthinstitute.org). Kara also serves as an Advisor to Youth Specialties and currently volunteers in student ministries at Lake Avenue church in Pasadena, CA. She is the author of many books including Sticky Faith: Everyday Ideas to Build Lasting Faith in Your Kids (with Chap Clark) and Deep Justice Journeys. Kara lives in Pasadena with her husband, Dave, and their children, Nathan, Krista, and Jessica.

Brad M. Griffin is the associate director of the Fuller Youth Institute, where he develops research-based training for youth workers and has co-authored Sticky Faith: Youth Worker Edition and Deep Justice Journeys. A native Kentuckian, Brad now lives in Pasadena with his wife, Missy, and their three children. After more than fifteen years in youth ministry, he now volunteers at his church.

Read an Excerpt

Sticky Faith Service Guide, Student Journal

How Serving Others Changes You

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By Kara E. Powell, Brad M. Griffin

ZONDERVAN

Copyright © 2016 Kara E. Powell and Brad M. Griffin
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-310-52423-6

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CHAPTER 1

PART ONE

BEFORE: FRAMING

Get your heart, mind, body, and soul ready for all that awaits you on your journey.

BEFORE: GOD AND US

WHY GO?

BIG IDEA

There are a lot of reasons youth ministries engage in service projects, mission trips, and other kinds of justice work. Early on in the experience, it's a good idea to determine exactly why we're going and to state that reason in one clear sentence we can share with others.

THINK ABOUT THIS

You probably do things every day that you don't put much thought into. You might call them "no-brainers" — you just do them, seemingly without even thinking — for example, brushing your teeth, putting on deodorant (hopefully!), breathing, and tying your shoes. Write a couple of no-brainers here:

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

Service projects and mission work shouldn't be no-brainers, though.

So here's a big question: Why am I going?

DO THIS

In the space below, list all the reasons you can think of for why you're going on this trip. Then circle what you think are the one or two main reasons.

* How do you think the people who will host you might feel about these motives?

* Are there ways you could be more sensitive to the reasons God might want you to be involved in this work?

* Why are you going together with others on this trip?

THINK ABOUT THIS

While we often focus on our personal relationships with Jesus, the Bible indicates that the ways we relate to one another are also important.

READ THIS

Matthew 5:13–16 and Matthew 28:16–20

* The verbs in this passage are all plural — they imply "you all" together, not just "you" individually. How does that change the way you think about the relevance of these verses for your service?

Now think about how you might summarize the "best" reason for your trip in one sentence.

We're going to _______________________________________________ (place)

to ______________________________________________________ (what we think we're going to do there)

because ________________________________________________. (why we feel compelled to go)

PRAY

Thank God for the opportunity to serve and bring justice, inviting God to direct your work and your motives with kingdom vision and purpose.

BEFORE: GOD AND US

STICKING TOGETHER IN UNITY

BIG IDEA

When we are part of a unified body, we are more open to the work of God's Spirit in us and more able to allow Christ to work through us as we serve others.

* What are some of the differences that tend to divide people in your school, family, community, country, and world?

* Why do you think it is so difficult for people to see past those differences and be unified?

* What are some of the differences among your mission team members?

THINK ABOUT THIS:

Jesus seemed to care a lot about unity among his disciples, as well as among those who would follow him in the future. In the Scripture passage you're about to read, Jesus has just told the disciples he is about to be arrested and crucified. He's praying for all his disciples — both then and now (which means he's praying for you!).

READ THIS

John 17:20–23

DO THIS

Draw an image of what unity looks like to you.

* What are some ways you can seek to be unified with your team during your service project?

PRAY

Read the following prayer for unity, pausing every few lines to reflect and pray over its phrases (if you can, read it aloud with another team member or your whole team):

God, we thank you for creating us
to be in relationship with one another.
We confess we often do our own thing,
seek our own interests,
and miss the blessing
of sharing in unity with one another.
Help us depend on you
and offer ourselves to one another.
Unify this team, Lord,
and make us a witness
to your love for the world.
Let your Spirit work in us
and through us as we serve.
Amen.

BEFORE: GOD AND LOCALS

WHAT DO THEY NEED MORE?

BIG IDEA

The gospel invites us to focus on people holistically and participate in kingdom work that serves both spiritual and other (physical, relational, economic) needs.

DO THIS

Quickly list some of your own needs this week — big or small.

* As you think about the people you will be serving, what would you guess are some of their needs?

* Do you think their biggest need will be to hear or learn more about Jesus or to receive some tangible physical support? Why?

READ THIS

Mark 2:1–12

* Does Jesus choose to help this man's soul or his body?

* Do you think there's any significance to the fact that Jesus forgave his sins first, before healing him? Why or why not?

THINK ABOUT THIS

You've been thinking about two types of needs — physical and spiritual. Most people tend to think of these needs as completely unrelated, or even as if they were on opposite ends of a continuum.

As you see from Jesus' interaction with the paralytic, Jesus doesn't see these two types of needs as separate or in opposition to each other. The reality is that God's kingdom helps meet both types of needs. Instead of a line, God's kingdom is more like a circle.

THINK ABOUT THIS

Jesus' death on the cross is the ultimate example of the gospel's power to meet all our needs. His death not only rescued our souls but also impacts our entire lives — including our relationships, our bodies, and our emotions.

We are kingdom people who are called to follow Jesus' example. The Bible calls that justice — following Jesus' example of righting wrongs around us whether they be spiritual, physical, emotional, or all of the above.

In the left circle below, write ways that your upcoming work will impact people's souls.

In the right circle, write ways your upcoming work will impact the rest of their lives.

BEFORE: GOD AND LOCALS

PARABLE OF THE CRACKED ROADS

BIG IDEA

Beyond simply meeting immediate physical needs, justice invites deeper, more holistic, and more systemic solutions.

READ THIS

Parable of the Cracked Roads

Once upon a time, three youth ministries decided to address an unusual — and dire — problem permeating [name of the city or town in which you'll be serving]. Somehow, the streets and sidewalks in this town had fallen prey to alarming cracks that crisscrossed the entire town. These cracks were two to four inches wide and several feet long, making the roads dangerous and virtually undrivable. No one knew the exact cause of the cracks, yet residents felt trapped in their homes and ventured to work, school, and church only when necessary.

In an effort to fix the town's problem, the first youth ministry surveyed the damage and came up with a Quick-and-Easy Physical Solution. Their plan was to use a thin layer of topcoat to cover the cracks and render the roads drivable and the sidewalks walkable. Residents stood and watched as the adult leaders and students poured out of their minivans, mixed up the topcoat, and spread it across the cracks like a layer of chocolate icing on a cake. Pleased with the quick repair, the townfolk hugged the young people and cheered as the youth ministry drove off in minivans.

The topcoat worked.

For a few weeks.

But the weight of the cars, the heat of the sun, and the pounding of the rain soon eroded the topcoat. The cracks reappeared, and residents retreated again to their homes. Some thought the cracks were not as severe as they'd been before the topcoat, but no one could be sure.

The second youth ministry, after examining the town's broken roads, adopted a different strategy. Recognizing that there was a lot they didn't know, the students figured they'd better learn more about the town's needs and neighbors before making things right. They divided up into teams, some interviewing the residents and others visiting home improvement stores to learn about the type of cement that would best address the problem.

The neighbors had ideas for road repairs that the youth ministry never would have thought of. As a result, the youth ministry was able to develop a Warm-and-Fuzzy Friendly Solution in which the youth ministry and the neighbors worked side by side filling in the cracks with a customized cement.

The cement worked. For six whole months. But then, to the students' dismay, a new series of cracks began to crisscross the roads. Their new friends told them that even though the Warm-and-Fuzzy Friendly Solution had fixed the old cracks, an entirely new set of cracks had emerged, making the roads almost as hazardous.

The third youth ministry, having heard about the first two well-intentioned-but-failed strategies, knew that neither topcoat nor a brand-new cement would make things right. Like those in the second youth ministry, these students spent several days interviewing neighbors and hearing stories and dreams about crack-free driving as well as the pain and fear caused by the unsafe conditions. Wanting to avoid the mistakes of the first two youth ministries, the third youth ministry adopted a more radical repair strategy.

The students decided to divide into two teams. The first team was tasked with repairing the current cracks. Recognizing that the very foundation of the city's roads was not right, the team members worked with their new friends to jackhammer large sections of road, dig up the resulting rubble, relevel the foundations, and then lay a brand-new asphalt surface for the roads.

In order to prevent the cracks from reappearing, the second team investigated a few deeper and more complex questions. First, the students looked into why the faulty roads had been built in the first place and lobbied at City Hall to change the construction code so defective roads would never be built again. Second, they asked the local people why they'd been unable to fix the roads and then raised funds to provide the training in construction and asphalt-laying that their neighbors would need to keep the roads shipshape in the future.

This Deeper Solution did the trick. Thanks to the new, stable foundation and the neighbors' new training, the broken roads were fixed — for good.

* Chances are your goal in this mission isn't to fix cracked roads, so let's translate this parable to what you will be doing. What are the immediate physical needs of the people you will be serving? How will you try to meet those needs?

* Let's think about some deeper needs of the people you will be serving. What are their emotional, relational, educational, spiritual, and/or economic needs? What deeper structural problems might have led to those needs?

* What might be preventing the locals from meeting those needs themselves?

* What, if anything, could you do to meet those needs?

THINK ABOUT THIS

One way to think about the difference between service and justice is that we serve when we give water to people in need; we engage in justice when we figure out why those people don't have the water they need in the first place and then work with those individuals and communities so they have access to clean water in the future.

Another way to say that might be, "Serve the need, and help solve the problem." Both actions are important, and they are dependent on each other.

Often this kind of justice is known as "social justice" because it's about addressing systemic societal issues.

* What would it look like if your goal wasn't to meet the needs of the locals but to help them discover ways to meet their own needs?

* Chances are you won't be able to finish — or maybe even start — the Deeper Solution during your actual time serving. How does that make you feel?

* What, if anything, can you do once you're back home to help the locals keep making progress toward a deeper solution?

PRAY

In the box below, write or draw your own parable of deeper justice in the community you'll be serving. When you're done, share with God your thoughts, feelings, insights, and deepest dreams for justice.

BEFORE: GOD AND ME

PRAYER PARTNER GUIDE

BIG IDEA

We need a support network to do this work. Hopefully that includes a prayer partner who meets with us before and after our trip.

THINK ABOUT THIS

Chances are good you have adults in your life (parents and others) who care about you. Your journey will be deeper if you ask one or more of these adults to pray for and maybe even mentor you. Think about adults who will listen well, ask good questions, and support you when you're struggling.

Write down a few possible names here:

DO THIS

Ask your prayer partner to meet with you a few times both before and after your service work (check with your trip leader to see if there will be any planned times for participants and prayer partners to meet as a group). Consider using some of the questions below as springboards for your conversations together.

Questions for both of you to answer:

1. Tell me your story. What's important for me to know about who you are, where you've been, and what God is doing in your life?

2. How do other people describe you, or what do you think your friends would say about you if I asked them to describe you?

3. Read John 15:1–5. What does it look like practically to "remain" in Christ from day to day? What do you think it might look like on this trip?

4. Read Micah 6:8 together. When you think of what God requires of believers, what comes to mind? Does the list in Micah seem like "enough"? Does it seem like "too much"? What are some ways you might act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God through this mission experience?

5. Read Luke 9:21–27 together. What do you think it means to take up your cross every day to follow Jesus? What do you think it means for you at your school or at home or at your job? What do you think it might mean during your service work? How do you feel about being asked to make sacrifices for the sake of Christ?

Questions for the trip participant to answer:

1. What draws you to be part of this team/experience? What is it you're hoping for or anticipating from this experience?

2. What do you think life is like in the place you're visiting? How do you think it might be different from — or the same as — life here? If you were growing up there, how might you be different? How does that make you feel?

3. What do you fear about this project? Where do you think those fears are coming from? What do you tend to do when you're afraid? How can I pray for you about your fears?

4. How do you hope to be changed by your work? How do you hope others will be changed?

5. How can I pray for you? What are a few specific things I can pray for as you prepare for the trip? What are the ways I should pray for you during the trip? How can I pray for you when you come home? How do you think I can pray for your family?

BEFORE: GOD AND ME

WHERE I COME FROM

BIG IDEA

Before we attempt to serve in another cultural context, it's important to "culturally locate" ourselves.

In many ways, culture is like the social air you breathe: Most of the time you don't notice it much and probably don't think about it too hard, but it deeply shapes the ways you think about yourself, others, God, and pretty much everything else! Families are a great example. The way we approach relationships and traditions can be vastly different from one home to the next on the same block.

THINK ABOUT THIS

As you prepare to interact with people from a culture that may be different from yours, it's a good idea to look at your own cultural location — the ways where you are from shapes who you are. When someone asks where you're from, what do you say?

DO THIS

Here are some prompts that will help you think about who you are and how your background shapes you:

* I was born in ...

* I have lived in ...

* My family is made up of ...

* My parents grew up in ...

* My ancestors came from ...

* I describe my race/ ethnicity as ...

* My house/apartment is like ...

* My parents work as ...

* My family likes to eat ...

* My favorite food is ...

* I spend most of my time ...

* When I can choose, I usually spend my free time ...

* My favorite place to go is ...

* The music I listen to is ...

* The clothes I wear are ...

* My clothes come from ...

* I spend money on ...

* I get money from ...

* How does your story affect the ways you interact with others who are different?

* What are some important things you might want to learn about the cultural location of the people you will serve among during your work?

PRAY

God, I thank you that you've made me. As I interact with people who are different from me, please help me ... [finish in your own words].

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Sticky Faith Service Guide, Student Journal by Kara E. Powell, Brad M. Griffin. Copyright © 2016 Kara E. Powell and Brad M. Griffin. Excerpted by permission of ZONDERVAN.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Summary of changes proposed for the new product:

* An overall shift in the language from “justice journeys” to wording that would be more palatable for conservative churches, while still emphasizing God’s heart for justice for the poor and marginalized throughout.
* Cut exercises that feel outdated in order to make space for new writing, but also consider increasing the total word count by about 5,000 based on the ideas above.
* Invite fresh writers to contribute additional exercises. For example, Brooklyn Lindsey (a YS author) has been using Deep Justice Journeys in her youth ministry. We would like to invite her to add a session on serving with middle schoolers, and perhaps an activity or two. Other potential contributors are listed below.
* Think about alternative content delivery methods and whether additional downloadable/DVD-based resources would be helpful to leaders. Consider video resources that could be companions from the FYI production side, either free or as single-sale bonus products. (?)
* Retool the student journal to create a smaller, less expensive (?) product that leaders can afford and will want to put in students’ hands.

The curriculum may include contributions from the following short-term missions leaders, researchers, and youth ministry practitioners (* indicates a contributor to the original manuscript of Deep Justice Journeys):

* Dr. Dave Livermore,* Executive Director of the global Cultural Intelligence Center
* Dr. Terry Linhart,* Bethel College Indiana
* April Diaz,* Leadership Development Director at Newsong Church in Irvine, CA
* Brooklyn Lindsey, Youth Pastor at Highland Park Nazarene Church in Lakeland, FL
* Mike Park, Student Integration Pastor at Newsong Church in Irvine, CA
* Matt Laidlaw, Pastor of Kids and Student Ministries at Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, MI
* Laura Larsen, youth worker and curriculum developer for YouthFront in Kansas City, MO
* Kurt Rietema,* YouthFront in Kansas City, MO
* Lisette Fraser, FYI writer, Youth Pastor at Glenkirk Community Church in Glendora CA and formerly a youth pastor in Canada
* Jesse Oakes, High School Pastor at Lake Avenue Church, Pasadena CA
* Meredith Miller, FYI writer and former outreach ministry coordinator at Pepperdine University

Also, downloadable extras from fulleryouthinistitute.org (videos, extras).