Sherwood Oaks has partnered with RightNow Media to bring great video Bible studies and series to the homes of our members and attenders. RightNow Media is like the Netflix of Bible Studies and features incredible content from Andy Stanley, Jen Hatmaker, Francis Chan and many more. To access all of the content on RightNow Media for free, click here. Once you have access, check out these top five studies that will help you connect with your teen by leading you to meaningful conversations.
At #1 we have, "You'll Be Glad You Did" by Andy Stanley.
At some point we all look back and wonder, What if?
What if I hadn't spent my teenage years trying so hard to fit in?
What if I hadn't gotten into so much debt?
What if my marriage hadn't ended in divorce?
What if I had spent less time at the office?
While it's easy to recognize how past decisions landed us where we are today, it's not so easy to predict where our current decisions will land us in the future.
In this 4-part series, Andy Stanley offers powerful and practical advice to students, single adults, married couples, and 40+ers-advice that will leave you saying, "I'm glad I did," rather than "I wish I had."
The #2 spot goes to Jen Hatmaker's "Brave Girl".
What girl doesn't want to have it all together? Whether popular, not-so-popular, quirky, cool, or anywhere in between, every teen girl wants to love, be loved, and find acceptance and meaning in the world around her. Often feeling alone and insecure, she spends her life competing, comparing, and creating drama to prove to the world and herself that she's enough.
But what if she's already enough? What if girls aren't meant to be perfect, butbrave?
In this 5-part series, Bible teacher, New York Times best-selling author, and popular blogger Jen Hatmaker talks honestly with teen girls about the struggle to live for Christ when their lives are full of pressure and temptation. Each session features real-life stories of brave girls and focuses on a different relationship:
- themselves
- friends
- guys
- parents
- God
Sharing Scripture and stories from her own life and experience, Jen offers hope, guidance, and assurance that now is the time to stand strong and build a life of significance.
#3 goes to the youth version of Dhati Lewis' Better Than One.
Growing up, we started friendships with a game of tag or hide-and-go-seek. But in high school, things get complicated. Cliques can feel like the real-life version of getting picked last for dodgeball—the cool kids pick each other, and the rest slump in the corner, forgotten. Even worse, social media rules the hallways. Our popularity depends on the amount of “likes” our latest picture earned, the number of retweets we get, and how many people viewed our Snapchat story. People crowd around us online and at school, but many of us still feel lonely. Depressed, even. Some of us feel so excluded that we don't see the need for friends at all.
It's time for a reality check: we need friends. Not just hang-out friends, but good friends who love, encourage, and challenge us.
In this 4-part series, pastor Dhati Lewis unpacks true biblical friendship. He teaches students how God created us to need people and challenges students to choose godly friends. You'll also watch real-life stories of other teens who struggle with the realities of friendship. This study will empower teens to build solid friendships, to show kindness to nonbelievers, and to be a good friend.
There is so much good stuff here that it's hard to narrow it down to just five! But #4 goes to Eternity* by Francis Chan.
The world tells teens that they should have it all, and have it now. Too often temporary passions are elevated over those things of lasting significance. But what happens when teens are given a clear vision of the future, one that rightly places God at the center, clearly defines heaven and hell, and rightly sees Christ—not them—sitting on an eternal throne? What if all of life was lived through the lens of eternity? Would students not see the greater beauty and joy of loving God and loving others, compared to the empty pursuit of personal pleasure?
Through four sessions Francis Chan unpacks what Scripture says about eternity, debunking misconceptions about heaven and hell. He will inspire students to lay aside what is fleeting and passionately pursue God and His mission in light of eternity.
*Please note that the real-life stories in this series contain mature themes.
Last but definitely not least is our #5 pick, "not a fan." by Kyle Idleman.
Jesus is not interested in mere fans. He doesn't want enthusiastic admirers. He wants completely committed followers. This package includes powerful tools to guide teenagers in your church on a journey from FAN to FOLLOWER.Not A Fan Small Group Study for Teens Includes:
- -Four teaching episodes presented by Kyle Idleman
- -Three testimony episodes shared by young adults who journeyed from “fan” to “follower”
Our hope is that your family can enjoy quality content in your living room that creates meaningful conversation. Don't forget to sign up for a RightNow Media account to access these and other insightful studies.
