YFL HOUSEHOLD TRACK

CFC YOUTH FOR FAMILY AND LIFE

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HOUSEHOLD TRACK

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TALK TITLES

Tired? Have a S.P.A

Coming Home To Your Father

God First. Family Next

Following Jesus’ Footsteps

The Bible: God’s Scrapbook

God’s Love

No Appointment Necessary

In God’s Perfect Timing

Faith in Action

Facing Temptations

Worry No More

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Bloom Where You are Planted

Tired? Have a S.P.A.

Goals of the topic: To affirm the youth that it is normal to be tired

and to experience difficulties in our lives To inspire them that the perfect way to handle

stress is to be with God through S.P.A. (S-scriptures, P-prayer, A- always accept the will of God)

Read: Matthew 11:28

Stress is very normal in our lives. We can experience it through the smallest things like being stuck in traffic on your examination day, or in a long line in a fast food chain. It can be as big as a misunderstanding with your parents or a possible failing grade. No one is exempted from these things. That is why we always want to have a break, a reliever that would recharge us, for us to go on with life.

As each person has a certain personality, our definition of a stress reliever also differs. Boys would resort to playing the computer, while girls would opt for a parlor. Sporty people would choose to shoot the ball in the courts, while reserved ones would find favor in being alone, listening to heart-warming music and writing on their journals.

However, there is something that all of us could resort to, something that is free of charge, and something that is applicable no matter who you are.

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Jesus is the only way to go and He offers to us the experience of S.P.A. He promotes this as a solution at all times to our stresses. Definitely, it is not the S.P.A. in those posh places. It is a S.P.A. with God.

Scriptures – we can always use our Bibles and the daily scriptures to cure our difficulties in life. When we read stories in this book, we get to realize that indeed, the people of God even from long time ago, experienced the same hurt or the same giant we might be facing right now. They had God, and they were able to get through every hurdle there was, and so can we.

Prayer – there is no sweeter date than the one we can have with God. Often times, we seek for the people closest to us to be with us in times of stress. We want to vent out, and we want to talk. But what if they can’t be with us sharing the times when we need them the most? We must be reminded that even if they are there or not, God is always available and He is the best one to talk with. He wants to listen to our very hearts, and He wants to personally comfort and love us.

Always accept the will of God – in our stresses, we seek for relief. We want to divert to a place of happiness rather than loneliness. We want the easy way, and not the hard one, but hard times come for a reason. God wants to teach us something, most especially trusting in Him. He still loves us in situations like these. That is why we must always be ready to accept God’s will. Most of the time, we are stressed because things don’t go our way, but somehow, it is the way to go. It is the way of God. As we pray, we must learn to surrender to the wonderful fact that God has a perfect will for all of us.

Guide questions:

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What are the things that cause you to feel stressed? Who are the people right now that cause you to feel stressed?

How have you been responding to it lately?

Action plan/ output/ assignment: Given your situation, seek for God’s word for you

from the Bible. In the closing prayer, ask everyone to lift up their

stresses. Pray over everyone that they will get to accept

God’s will in their lives.

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Coming Home to Your Father

Goal of the topic: to remind us that despite our sinfulness and

shortcomings, God is our Father who invites us to come back to Him

Read: Romans 8:15-16, Luke 5:11-32, 2 Corinthians 6:18

When you hold up your arms to your heavenly Father, He reaches down to scoop you up. These passages remind us that accepting God’s gift of salvation is not a formal business deal. It’s a picture of a father welcoming home his rebellious child. It’s just like the story of the prodigal son in Luke 5: 11-32.

Just like the ungrateful son, we have run far from God. At some point in our lives, we tried to live on our own, apart from Him. We packed a knapsack, bought a bus ticket, and took off for the lights of the city. Somehow, the plan didn’t work out as we expected, but God, your Father, was waiting up for you when you come home.

With joy in His eyes, God adopted you as soon as you held up your arms to Him. He’s your Abba Father. It doesn’t matter how far you’ve run or how long you’ve been gone. His love doesn’t change. You are His child.

Discussion Questions: What does it personally mean to you to be a

child of God? How can you approach Him as His child?

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Assignment: Have a good confession.

God First. Family Next.

Goals of the topic: To give a reminder of how significant our families

are to use (each member of our family is God’s gift to our lives)

To be able to pray for each member of our family To allow us to express our love for them through

prayer

Read: Leviticus 19:2-4

We have always heard that our families are God’s gifts to all of us. We have different situations in our families, but no matter what these are, God loves us through them. We can never deny our families for they are a big part of us. We are who we are right now mainly because of them.

It is always a good thing to just think about each member of our family. When we love them, we just don’t love those whom we are close with. Each member is significant. When we share about them, we have the opportunity to be proud of them.

At the same time, the greatest thing we can do to love them is to pray for them. Sometimes, we may find ourselves in a certain conflict with them. Let us not allow it to be that way. God’s plan is for families to be united. It is Satan who wills otherwise. Conflicts are normal, but we should strive to resolve them. At other times, our prayers for them concern some things in their lives that are not okay, without us in the picture. Even in these cases, we are invited to pray for them.

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http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=3&chapter=19&verse=2&end_verse=4&version=31&context=context


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Activity:Divide your paper into three columns. 1st column: Write down the name of all your family members. 2nd column: Write down one thing you love about that family member.3rd column: Write down your prayer concern for that family member.

After the activity, allow each one to share what they wrote.

Action Plan/ Output/ Assignment: Decide to do something concretely aside from

prayer to express your love to each member of the family.

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Following Jesus’ Footsteps Goals of the topic:

To allow each member to draw his or her priorities in life right now.

To encourage each one to work on one’s priorities

To inspire them to have a passion and to have the heart for their priorities as a way to achieve them

Jesus is a role model when it comes to priorities and reaching them.

Jesus set specific goals. - Jesus had a sense of destiny. “He knew where He wanted to go. He knew where people needed Him.” John 4:3

Jesus had developed a passion for these goals. - Jesus had a passion for His mission and goal in life. He went as far as dying on the cross. “And whatsoever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord, and not unto men.” Colossians 3:23

Jesus finished what He had started. - He started His ministry when He was 30 years old. He ended it 3 years after when He was pierced, crushed and crucified. The bridge that linked God to man was complete. Man could approach God without fear. “The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul.” Proverbs 13:19

Jesus gives an example of how to live life to the fullest, fulfilling God’s plans. He models us on how important it is to have specific goals. Setting up goals will guide us in a rightful journey of finishing something good that contributes to the totality of a beautiful life.

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However, He further models the secret to reaching them. We need to have a heart - a passion for these goals. We need to love what we are doing and believe in it, knowing that this is what could make God happy, and what could give us peace. We need to do it for God more than doing it for other people.

Furthermore, God is a living testimony of how to put an end to reaching one’s goals. That is through finishing everything that you have started. With God’s grace and love, we can accomplish everything that He wills.

Guide Questions: Write down in total detail everything you would

like to become, do or have during your lifetime. Write down your dreams in detail in a paper.

Write down your 12-month goal. Write down your 30-day goal. Write down the 6 most important things you will

do in the next 24 hours.

The secret of your future is written in your daily routines.

Action Plan/ Output/ Assignment:Coming from the activity you have done today in this household...

Continue the 24-hour (daily) list of goals everyday.

Continue the 30-day list of goals for the next months to come.

Continue the 12-month list of goals in the next years to come.

See how God becomes faithful to you daily, monthly and yearly as you make Him the very reason for finishing your goals.

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The Bible: God’s Scrapbook

Goal of the topic: to gain a deeper love for the Bible.

Read: Romans 15:4, Psalm 119:9-18

The Bible even more comes alive when we realize that it is God’s scrapbook. Paging through it, you’ll learn more about Him with each turn. It overflows with collages of pictures, stories, poems and letters. You’ll discover a piece of music that David wrote for him and a prayer God received from Job. You’ll get a glimpse of God’s face as He watched His Son die.

What makes the Bible a unique scrapbook is that it doesn’t just commemorate the past – it provides guidance for today and hope for tomorrow. You can find your name and face in its pages. Next to each Bible promise is a picture of you. The same hope, the same gifts, and the same salvation recorded in the Bible apply to you. This scrapbook isn’t a nostalgic keepsake. It’s a living, dynamic, hopeful expectation of God’s plan for the future.

Discussion Questions: What Bible promise is very real in your life

today? What steps can you take so that you will be

consistent in your everyday Bible study / reading?

Action plan/ output/ assignment: Have a deeper commitment to your prayer time

and the use of the Bible everyday.

God’s Love

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Goal of the topic: to realize God’s great love for us to be able to thank God as a household for His

personal love for each one

Read John 13:1, Ephesians 3:14-19, Romans 8:35-39

God’s Word is the most beautiful expression of love ever written. Shakespeare’s sonnets pale in comparison to the Bible’s description of love. His love transcends every kind of earthly love. His love is stronger than any bond between parent and child or husband and wife. No earthly image can accurately portray God’s love for us.

Galatians 2:20 explains that Jesus loved you enough to die in your place. He chose to accept your punishment so you could spend eternity with the Father. In His death, Christ committed the greatest act of love ever seen by human eyes.

With love so devoted, so sacrificial and extreme, nothing can ever interfere. Nothing can squelch or diminish that love. You cannot fall beyond the reach of that love. You can’t lose it. You can’t change it, win it or control it. His love extends before and beyond time, and He loved you before you knew Him. When you begin to accept His love, you begin the most amazing relationship in your life.

Discussion Questions: In what events in your life did you realize the

immense love that God has for you? Can you trust a loving God with the direction of

your life? How much do you love God in return?

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Action plan/ Outputs/ Assignments: End the household by allowing each member to

say one’s personal prayer allowed in thanksgiving for God’s love.

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No Appointment Necessary

Goal of the topic: to remind each one that God is available anytime

and anywhere to talk with us.

Read: Mark 11:20-24, James 5:15

Maybe it seems too good to be true that you have immediate access to the creator of the universe. You don’t need to ask his secretary if He is busy. You can bypass the lobby, phones, and security guards and walk right into his office. His focus is completely on you, and His time is unlimited.

You would expect nothing less from your father, right? God doesn’t treat you like a stranger or business partner. You are His child, dearly loved and cherished. If you believe that God loves you, then you can trust that he will listen to your prayers.

In Mark 11, Jesus told us not to waste our words in prayer if we do not believe that God will answer us. But if we are confident that He will meet our requests, then be ready! Ephesians 3:20 tells us that God wants to bless us beyond our wildest dreams.

Discussion Questions: Do you pray in confidence or in doubt? What are the things that you are currently

praying for?

Action plans/ Outputs/ Assignments: Pray-over each member’s personal concerns.

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In God’s Perfect Timing

Goals of the topic: to realize that everything in this world happens in

God’s perfect timing to realize that we just have to trust in His timing,

wait and be hopeful that great things are yet to happen

Read: Ecclesiastes 3:1-15, Psalm 27:14

Maybe things in your life seem to pass just so quickly and you often find yourself doing different routines or habits everyday. You may also have experienced those times when you feel like things just did not happen at the right timing which could have made you feel bad and made you regret what just had happened. Everyone has experienced such moments in their lives in one way or another and so it can be labelled as normal, but given such inevitable circumstances, what is expected of you to do?

In Ecclesiastes 3: 1-15, we are reminded by God that everything that He allows to happen in this world we are living in happens at the time that He chooses. God has set the right time for everything – may it be the time when a close friend called you to ask for help or the time when you learned that you got a high score for your quiz. However, there are other times that might be difficult and you might have that experience where you felt that everything was not just in the right timing, BUT believe it or not, that is exactly the perfect timing that God has set for your life. We may not understand why things do happen in this way or in that way but that is simply because God has given us the desire to know the future

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but He never gives us the satisfaction of fully understanding what He does.

This is where faith and hope will come in. Because we will not fully understand what He is doing, all we can do is to accept that everything does happen in God’s perfect timing, that we just have to wait, believe that He is in control, and be hopeful that great things are indeed bound to happen. One sure thing that God does is to make us stand in awe of Him and given that fact, we are to be happy and do the best we can while we are still alive.

Whatever happens or can happen has already happened before and God can make the same thing happen again and again because everything that God does shall last forever. Things may not happen exactly the way that we want them to be or they may not happen at the time we think is the best time, but it all boils down to still trusting that it is God’s timing that’s what is most important and looking at the brighter side of life.

Discussion Questions: What were those times when you felt that

everything was not just happening at the right time?

How do you usually react to such times or circumstances?

How would you want to deal with such times or circumstances now?

Action plans/ Outputs/ Assignments: Decide to do something concretely to deal

positively with such trying times and circumstances.

Write down your Top 5 Steps to help remind you to really trust in God’s perfect timing and hope

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for great things to happen despite the inevitable trying times that you will still have to face today or tomorrow. (e.g. calm down, pray, take a deep breath, think of God’s great plan for me, smile.)

Faith in Action

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Goals of the topic: to be reminded that faith does come hand in

hand with action to put into practice whatever He is telling us to

do now

Read: Matthew 7:24, James 1: 22-25

In the community where we are in, we may have heard a lot of great teachings from different talks and sharings from our different brothers and sisters. God may have personally talked to us too through our daily prayer time when we read the Scriptures. All those teachings, stories and Scripture readings have well contributed to the kind of faith you now have. You may think that the faith you have is already too strong that it cannot be torn, but we must not lose grip on the truth that faith is nothing if not put into practice.

In Matthew 7:24, Jesus reminded us that everyone who listens to His words and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. This is what Christ has called us to do. This is what is expected of us. Given all the wonderful truths that God has allowed us to acquire in our lives, He wants us to put those truths into practice, to walk the talk or to actually put into action whatever we preach.

This challenge can be found in James 1: 22-25. It was said here that we should not deceive ourselves by just listening to His word. We are called to put whatever we have heard into practice. What God wants us to do is to look closely into His truth that sets people free, to keep paying attention to it and to not simply listen and then forget about it. If we just keep in our minds and our

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hearts this reminder of God, we will surely be blessed by Him in everything that we do.

It is indeed a great privilege to hear and listen to the Word of God. It really feels good to listen to inspiring stories from our brothers and sisters that highlight God’s greatness and promises in their lives. We ourselves feel a different high when we personally feel that God is talking to us, but may all these wonderful things do not remain in ourselves. May we all realize that all those great truths are nothing if we do not put it into action. May we also realize that when we put such truths into practice, we are actually allowing other people to see God’s greatness in our lives and those very actions can inspire them to get to know more the same God who has allowed such great things to happen.

Discussion Questions: What is your faith in God like? What is the God’s personal word to you now?

What are you planning to do with it? What are the concrete action steps that you are to take?

Action plans/ Outputs/ Assignments: Pray for one another in the household. Pray for

the growth of each person’s faith in God. Write down God’s personal word to you and the

concrete action steps that you are to take to put that word into practice.

Facing Temptations

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Goals of the topic: to have the right posture of the heart when

facing temptations to have the right focus on the will of God in

everything that we do

Read: James 1: 12-18, Proverbs 21:2, Matthew 7:21

In the world where we live in today and in the generation where we belong, things are getting more chaotic each day, with all the worldly pleasures that surround us. More and more youth fall into the traps of sin by starting to entertain different temptations. The world today offers so many options that if we will not have the right posture of the heart; we will just catch ourselves off guard and will just find ourselves committing sins that we actually did not imagine doing. Given all these bitter truths of reality, what then should we do?

In James 1: 12-18, we will see that the ones who are blessed and happy are those remain faithful under trials because when they succeed in passing the tests of temptation, they will receive as their reward the life which God has promised to those who love Him. It is also made clear in these verses that temptation does not come from God. We people are tempted when we are drawn away and trapped by our own evil desires. These evil desires will then give birth to sin which further gives birth to death when full-grown.

If we will come to take a closer look at it, temptations come from one’s evil desires. That is why it is so important to keep our heart in check all the time. Our hearts should always be in the right posture so that it would be easier for us to resist temptation in times when

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we will be tested. After all, God knows everything. If we can deceive ourselves, we will never be able to deceive God. We may think that everything that we do is right, but we must remember that the Lord judges our motives. He is the one who proves hearts. He looks into our heart more than anything.

We may be in denial that what we actually long for is already evil but God knows the real desires of our hearts and in whatever state our hearts are in. What then should be the posture of our hearts? In Matthew 7:21, it is said that only the one who does the will of God will enter the kingdom of heaven. This means that only those who do what God wants them to do will be with Him in heaven, and that is not to give in to our worldly desires which can lead us to sin and even to death. We should always be mindful of the will of the Father and assess our hearts every time if what we long for is what He wants us to long for or desire.

We should not forget to align our hearts’ desires to what our dear Father wants us to desire. He only wants what is beautiful and what is for our own good, and so entertaining temptations that can destruct us should never be an option. At the end of the day, may we realize that we really can face temptations the right way if we first put on the right posture that our hearts should have and always think of what the Father wants us to do for us to be with Him in heaven when His time comes.

Discussion Questions: What is the state of your heart now? What are the current desires of your heart? Are

those desires pleasing God? How do you usually deal with temptations? How

will you react to the test of temptations now?

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Action plans/ Outputs/ Assignments: Pray for one another in the household. Pray for

the desires of the hearts of all the members in the household.

Have a regular heart-check during your daily prayer time.

Worry No More

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Goal of the topic: to remind and affirm ourselves that the Lord is in

control of everything we are and we have; to remind ourselves to put our faith in Him and worry no more as God promises us the certainty of His beautiful love

Read: Matthew 6:25-34, Philippians 4:4-7We worry about our lives too much. We worry about our relationships. We worry about the responsibilities we are to fulfill. We worry about the many decisions we made and we are yet to make. We worry about the consequences of our pasts, about the circumstances of our present and about the uncertainties of our future.

As we become too preoccupied of the many things we worry about, we get to disregard the beauty of the blessings we receive. We get to not notice the little miracles that the Lord is providing us with every moment we have. We tend to rub off ourselves of the joy that the Lord is allowing us to experience. We focus too much on our anxieties that we lose sight of the happiness that the Lord wants us to have.

The Lord reminds us to let loose of the worries that we are holding tight in our hearts and to be still and restful in His love. The Lord says, “Do not worry about tomorrow. It will take care of itself. You have enough to worry about today. I know everything you need and I will give them all to you.” He wants us to have faith in this promise of His.

Everything that matters to us matters to our Lord and we need not be troubled about anything in our lives. He is in control of everything and He promises us of a “future full of hope”, of a faithful love that will certainly make

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everything wonderful. Lay down all your worries to the Lord. Worry no more for His love will always keep you.

Discussion Questions: What are your worries right now? What among

these worry you most? Why do you worry about these things?

How have you been dealing to these worries lately?

What is God’s making you realize about how to deal with these?

Action plan/ output/ assignment: Have a reflection song related to being restful in

God’s love. (ex. Still by Hillsong) End the household by allowing each member to

say one’s personal prayer, lifting up his / her worries to the Lord.

At the start of each week (on a Sunday night), write down all your worries on a piece of paper. Afterwards, come into prayer and surrender to the Lord all that you have written down. Hand over your problems to God.

Throughout the week, in every circumstance you are to face, always remember and affirm yourself of the promise of God’s peace and love for you. Don't let doubt take over the faith which you welcome each new day.

Bloom Where You are Planted

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Goal of the topic: to affirm ourselves that where we are right now is the perfect place where God planned us to be, to remind us of God’s calling for us to bloom at our best and grow where we are planted – where we are called to serve Him

Read Matthew 5:13-16, Mark 4:30-32

In the parable of the Mustard Seed, the seed represents us as followers of Christ, that by ourselves, we are small, but with Christ in our lives we grow to live in the fullness of His kingdom. We begin as seeds and over time, with proper care, nurturing, teaching and understanding, we bloom into all that God wants us to be.

God wants us to bloom where we have been planted. He can use us right now, in the situation in which we find ourselves in. Unless it is a sinful situation that we need to forsake and abandon, He can always show us His purpose for using that situation for our good and for His glory. When we allow Him to work in us, we start to bloom in beauty. This becomes real because we start to be focused in bringing glory to Him.

God has a calling for each of us, a job for each of us to do, and like the mustard seed, we are called to grow and to be all He wants us to be. We are called to grow in our families, in our community, in our studies, in our jobs, and in every aspect of our life. God tells us, “You have gifts that I have given you, you have interests that I have placed within you, and you have Me in your hearts, so bloom where I have planted you, bloom and do the very best you can whatever it maybe, grow as My child and produce good fruit that will

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bring glory to Me and that will serve as a witness for others.”

To bloom fully as God’s children we must be continually watered with God’s word and love, being nurtured in faith through prayer and service. We must grow in loving relationship with our God by being committed to our prayer life.

We may not always understand why God wants us to be where we are but we must always trust that God plants us to where we can be faithful witnesses so that others might see us bloom into what He wants us to be. Listen for God’s call and recognize that call; and no matter where you find yourself along life’s journey, bloom where you are planted, that you may “make your light shine, so that others will see the good that you do and that they may praise Your Father in heaven.”

Discussion Questions: Where am I planted right now? Where am I

called to bloom right now? How can I respond to this call? What steps can I

take to bloom where I am planted?

Action plan/ output/ assignment: Ask each member to write down the sharing

points of each of their brothers and sisters so that they can remember where each of them are called to bloom and so that they can pray for each other everyday during their personal prayer time.

End the household by allowing each member to say one’s personal prayer regarding his / her life’s calling at the moment.

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