Guess what? Life as a follower of Christ isn’t designed to be dull, boring, or sad. In fact, Jesus wants you to be happy! But God’s definition of happiness is quite different from the way our culture interprets and promotes. God doesn’t want us to focus our energy and efforts on pursuing happiness that is defined by our feelings and emotions. Instead, we can seek happiness that is experienced as we follow God’s plan—and as we’re fueled by God’s power.

This inspiring six-week sermon series will challenge your students to pursue God-style happiness through the Beatitudes from Matthew 5. They’ll discover these life-changing principles:

Topics covered in this series include:

• Happiness is found by following God’s path
• Happiness is found through humility
• Happiness is found through passionate love for God and others
• Happiness is found when we forgive
• Happiness is found by nurturing a pure heart
• Happiness is found by going against the flow

This four-week series will help your teenagers gain a clearer understanding of the spiritual realm. We live in a physical world, yet the spiritual realm remains a reality—even if we don’t pay attention to it. Heaven and hell are real places—and our eternal destination is shaped by our decision when it comes to following Christ. Angels and demons may not be visible, but they battle in our world today. Prayer is an opportunity to engage in spiritual warfare to change our world. And God and Satan each have different goals for our lives.

Lessons include:

• Week 1: Heaven and Hell (Matthew 25:31-46)
• Week 2: Angels and Demons (Luke 11:14-26)
• Week 3: Prayer (Ephesians 6:10-20)
• Week 4: God and Satan (1 Peter 5:6-11)

It is no secret that many students in our youth ministries are graduating from church and leaving their faith behind in their late teens and early 20s. Much of what they have experienced or been told often comes into question in the natural progression of becoming an independent adult. This wrestling with the deep theological truths of God however does not need to be, nor should it be reserved for the post-graduate experience.

This study will awaken students to four deep truths about God and their subsequent implications for how teenagers are living. These are not exhaustive studies on these subjects, nor will they answer every question, but they will get students to begin to think about God and themselves in ways they don’t normally do.

Lessons include:

• Week 1: God is Omniscient, Omnipresent, and Omnipotent (Psalm 139:1-16)
• Week 2: Anthropomorphism/Making God Like us Instead of us Like God (Isaiah 40:18)
• Week 3: Trinity/Enjoying and Exploring the Community of God (Deuteronomy 6:4-5)
• Week 4: Sanctification/Moving Toward Holiness (1 Peter 1:15-16)

This two-week series gives your students a chance to understand, experience, and share God’s grace as you examine two stories from the Bible. In the first lesson, we look at the story of how Peter denied Jesus but later received forgiveness and grace. God gave Peter a second chance. In the second lesson, we see how four lepers—who had been rejected by society—demonstrated grace to the very people who had labeled them outcasts. It’s not enough to receive God’s grace—we have the opportunity and obligation to share this grace with others.

You have benefited from God’s grace in your life. You’ve experienced salvation by choosing to follow Jesus, and you continue to receive forgiveness as you go through the process of becoming more like Jesus. Encourage your students in this series to go deeper in their understanding of God’s grace. Help them to experience it and to share it with others.

Lessons include:

• Week 1: Receiving Grace (John 21:15-18, 25-27)
• Week 2: Offering Grace (2 Kings 7:3-11)

These videos can be set to loop behind your announcements, praise and worship lyrics, photos of your goldfish, or whatever you want. You can also use them as stimulating visuals with no text needed to enhance your programs, add a little light or visual distraction, and engage your students.

Includes two motion backgrounds.

We recommend using a high-end presentation tool such as MediaShout if you plan to place text over these videos. Programs such as PowerPoint will allow you to import and play these videos but they won’t let you place text over them.

Formats include .mov (Apple Quicktime) and .wmv (Windows Media Player).

It’s easy to grab your students’ attention with Race This. When the race shows up on screen, students pick a racer and then cheer it on and hope for victory! You’ve seen races like this on the jumbo screen at sporting events, and now you can bring the fun straight to your students.

Race This is a fun and effective way to kick off your program, meeting, or wrap up free time or small group sharing. Use this race as an official part of your program or a fun way to pass the time before it starts.

All Race This! games are compatible with Macs or PCs, so have no fear. Just load them up into your favorite presentation software for smooth sailing on meeting night. Formats include .mov (Apple Quicktime) and .wmv (Windows Media Player).

Here is a brand new countdown to grab your students’ attention and direct it back up front. They'll know when it's time to quit the yammering and start with the paying attention.

This 3-minute video countdown is an easy and effective way to get students ready to move on to whatever is next. No more yelling and waving of the hands. Just drop this .mov file into your video presentation software, such as MediaShout®, PowerPoint®, Keynote®, etc. and enjoy your next three minutes. And save your voice. Formats include .mov (Apple Quicktime) and .wmv (Windows Media Player).