Student Ministry This Week
HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN VSM
Graduate Sunday, May 20th
Vision Night: This Wednesday, May 16th
Summer Camp Registration Now Open
With summer just around the corner, it's time to start thinking about SUMMER CAMP! This is an incredibly meaningful week, and we want every student to have a chance to participate.
Summer Camp Info
Dates: July 11-15, 2018
Location: Covenant College, outside of Chattanooga, TN
What if there was a week in the year where your whole life could be changed through incredible worship, small groups, climbing mountains, exploring a city, and exponentially growing in your faith? Turns out, we have one of those!! It's called Summer Camp, and we want you to be there. Camp this year is at Covenant College just outside of Chattanooga. It is an amazing experience where our students will make memories that will last a lifetime.
Speakers & Worship Leaders: Our speaker this year is Landon Dowden, a super talented pastor who will lead us well at camp. The band More Than This will be leading worship for us.
Lodging: We'll be staying in the dorms at Covenant College.
Transportation: We will be taking Charter buses to Covenant this year.
Cost: $300 (Deposit of $100 due at registration)
Summary: Camp will be an amazing time with powerful worship, great teaching, memories that will last a lifetime, and the opportunity to exponentially grow in your faith.
VSM Summer Calendar Now Available
Family Devotional Reading
Our words and actions leave an impression on people. That’s no surprise, of course. What might be a surprise, though, is that research has shown that negative, painful experiences leave more of an impression in our memory than positive ones. You likely know this to be true from your own experience. When I was ten-years-old, a classmate walked up to me during lunch—I remember exactly where I was sitting in the cafeteria—and made fun of me in front of my friends. I still remember his name and I vividly remember the feeling of embarrassment. In fact, I still remember every hateful word he spoke to me.
Read Ephesians 4:25-32. This passage holds up our past lives in contrast with our new lives as Christ-followers. Before Christ, we lived lives according to our sinful desires and selfish impulses. As the text points out, before Christ, people stole, people lied, and people let anger grow and fester in their hearts. But for those who follow Christ, who have the Spirit of the Lord living inside, everything has changed: this includes our thoughts, actions, and speech. When believers allow themselves to behave as they did when they lived in sin, when we fail to guard our speech and our actions, we create division within the body of Christ and damage their witness among unbelievers.
Studies have shown that we remember hurtful words more vividly than we do positive, uplifting words, and this means we have to work extra hard to maintain unity within the body of Christ and protect our Christian witness in the world.
1. When do you find it most difficult to hold your tongue or control your actions?
2. What changes might you need to make (such as the shows you watch, the people you spend time with) to better guard your speech and actions?
3. How has your witness (whether in word of deed) positively impacted those in your life? How might your witness positively impact others this week?
About VSM
Email: students@valleydale.org
Website: valleydale.org
Location: 2324 Valleydale Road, Birmingham, AL, United States
Phone: 205.991.5282
Facebook: facebook.com/valleydalestudents
Twitter: @vcstudents