“Did Jesus really tell us to turn the other cheek?” That was a question that was asked by one the girls on the writing team a couple weeks ago. That question led to a very interesting discussion and an examination of God’s Word.
Well, after a month or two thinking and dreaming about a project that these girls could do to showcase their writing talents, they decided that there were a lot of teens they knew that needed some guidance. They said that people their age dealt with many issues, like: relationships, family issues, school issues, and even battles with drugs and alcohol. After doing some research and discovery the girls made up their minds to make a Web page where kids their age can go for advice. It is brilliant really. Their dream is that students email their problems and they get a response posted on the website that other kids can read. They really wanted their writing to help people which is awesome to see.
A couple of weeks ago, we were talking about what kind of advice we would give if someone had a real problem. I asked the girls where they go if they need help or advice. Most of them said, “a friend” or “my mom”. But, I wanted them to see what God says about wisdom, so we opened up to Proverbs and read about Solomon and his quest for wisdom. Then I had the girls write a response to a problem that I had written. However, I told them that it was important to give godly advice, not worldly advice. The girls gave some good responses. Because the problem had to do with a friend disrespecting another friend, we turned to the New Testament where Jesus is teaching his followers to “turn the other cheek”. You should have seen the looks on those girls’ faces. They were floored. “So he would just let them hit him again?!?” They could not believe how Jesus was asking us to respond. We talked about how God’s kingdom is upside down from how the world works. I’m sure that them understanding that and living that out is a process, but I felt like they took an important step.
In the weeks ahead we will start putting the website together and the girls are really excited about it, but I pray that as they give advice to their peers that it would be motivation to find real wisdom.
Well, after a month or two thinking and dreaming about a project that these girls could do to showcase their writing talents, they decided that there were a lot of teens they knew that needed some guidance. They said that people their age dealt with many issues, like: relationships, family issues, school issues, and even battles with drugs and alcohol. After doing some research and discovery the girls made up their minds to make a Web page where kids their age can go for advice. It is brilliant really. Their dream is that students email their problems and they get a response posted on the website that other kids can read. They really wanted their writing to help people which is awesome to see.
A couple of weeks ago, we were talking about what kind of advice we would give if someone had a real problem. I asked the girls where they go if they need help or advice. Most of them said, “a friend” or “my mom”. But, I wanted them to see what God says about wisdom, so we opened up to Proverbs and read about Solomon and his quest for wisdom. Then I had the girls write a response to a problem that I had written. However, I told them that it was important to give godly advice, not worldly advice. The girls gave some good responses. Because the problem had to do with a friend disrespecting another friend, we turned to the New Testament where Jesus is teaching his followers to “turn the other cheek”. You should have seen the looks on those girls’ faces. They were floored. “So he would just let them hit him again?!?” They could not believe how Jesus was asking us to respond. We talked about how God’s kingdom is upside down from how the world works. I’m sure that them understanding that and living that out is a process, but I felt like they took an important step.
In the weeks ahead we will start putting the website together and the girls are really excited about it, but I pray that as they give advice to their peers that it would be motivation to find real wisdom.
--Mark Larson, Writing Team Coordinator
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