"Submit your story/testimony to BluefishTV"

Be in the new Francis Chan DVD Kit.

We need faith based testimonies from students to adults for Bluefish TV.

Right now, we need stories of teenagers who are struggling with the hard issues of life...

with doubts, fears, and struggles that they face.

Stories will be used for a video-driven Bible Study for small groups and youth groups.

You will get a free copy of the final video as a gift if your story is used in the DVD Kit.

Contact Clint Loveness: Bluefish TV Producer

email: Clint@Bluefishtv.com

310-804-9193

http://BluefishTV.com/

Creating Videos that Help You Teach

Please forward this message out to other people and add it in your Church bulletin.

The topic's that we are looking for can be found on this link.

www.lovenessfilms.com/submit-faith-stories/

 

Courage with Francis Chan

A 4-part Video-driven Youth Bible Study - Do You Have What it Takes?

Produced by Bluefish TV

                    

Made to Make a Difference with Max Lucado 

A 4-part Video-driven Youth Bible Study - Can You Really Change the World?

Produced by Bluefish TV



Here are the Topic's that we are looking for this week.

Grace featuring Francis Chan

Session One: Grace is a Gift

The unique and unparalleled message of the gospel in Jesus Christ is that because of God’s grace—God’s unmerited favor toward sinners who deserved His wrath—we can be saved and have an eternal relationship with Him. As Christians, it’s so important that we have an accurate understanding of what grace is, and what it is not. And when we come to terms with what God’s grace to us really means, we can’t help but be blown away by how much God loves us. God gives us the most remarkable gift of all—the gift of being His children and inheriting what is His.

Stories:

• Teens on the street answering, “How do you get into heaven?” and “What is grace?”
• Teens who disappointed their parents either because of some sin that they’ve done or because they feel that they can never measure up to their parent’s expectations. This could be the girl that got pregnant or did drugs (tattoo, cheating, bad grades, alcohol), or the un-athletic boy who loves art but whose dad was the High School quarterback and homecoming king and therefore he does everything he can to earn his parent’s approval, but always falls short.
• Teens that have blown it (sinned) “so bad” that they think God could never forgive or love them. So this sin needs to have the element of “I’ve really messed up, I’m beyond grace.”

Session Two: Grace and Works

What is the relationship between grace and works? You will never be good enough to earn God’s approval; you will never be good enough to add to what Christ did on the cross; you will never be good enough to make up for the mistakes you’ve made. Therefore, you cannot have pride or self-righteousness in the works that you do. Does that mean works are bad? No. Grace motivates you to do good works, but you aren’t working to gain approval and therefore running yourself ragged, you have peace knowing that you are serving God.

Stories:

• Teens that get their affirmation in life out of accomplishments. They exist to gain the approval of the coach or their parents (could be grades, athletics, drama, etc.) and have achieved this success, but still feel empty inside. Or, their activities could all be related to church, but even here, they are doing it to get the approval of the youth pastor or their parents, and they just feel burned out.
• A super good teen that has a “bad” sibling who has messed up the family situation and takes all the parents attention (think the Older Son in the Prodigal Son…the good one who stayed at home with his dad). This “good” teen may walk on eggshells or be really resentful of the situation.
• Teens who have been caught up in the “comparison” game. Maybe they’ve finally understood what God’s grace is all about, and as they look back they realize that they thought they were okay before God because they didn’t smoke, drink, or swear, were on the honor roll, or the best athlete…compared to the other kids, they were “good.” How did their pride impact their life?
• Teens who have major guilt issues over past sin. Again, this sin needs to have the element of needing to prove oneself by constantly striving to do good, to do better, to make up for that past mistake.

Session Three: Grace and Freedom

There are always those who will use God’s grace as an excuse to sin. But that’s false grace. God’s grace doesn’t take away truth (right and wrong). In fact, God’s grace and the indwelling Holy Spirit makes it so that the believer won’t want to continue to live in sin. When the Holy Spirit lives in us, something real happens. By God’s grace and through the power of the Holy Spirit, we now have the freedom to not sin or seek the approval of men, but to passionately pursue serving and pleasing God.

Stories:

• Teens that think it’s okay to sin…God will keep forgiving them.
• Christian teens that struggle with Jesus being the only way. Maybe they have friends who are Muslims, Buddhists, or Atheists, and they don’t want to offend them. Won’t God’s grace cover them as well?
• Teens who struggle with peer pressure, even when they know what they are doing is wrong. Maybe this is the kid who cheats to get good grades to gain the approval of her parents, or the boy that sins (sex, drugs, alcohol, stealing, graffiti, fighting, etc.) because he doesn’t want to look stupid in front of his friends.
• Teens who have experienced the power of the Holy Spirit working in their lives in a tangible way. This might mean a dramatic conversion or salvation from addiction story, or a shy teen being filled with confidence to share the gospel with the class bully. (This is NOT an “I got the Holy Spirit and now speak in tongues” story, since that topic is too divisive.)

Session Four: Grace and Your Mission/Purpose

God saves us by His grace for a purpose—to love Him and to love others. God’s grace should impact the way you treat other Christians (carrying their burdens, not gossiping, keeping them accountable) and the way you treat non-Christian (sharing God’s overwhelming grace with them and loving them). As we look for ways to demonstrate God’s grace to others, it’s tempting to focus on the “big” things (mission trips, soup kitchen, etc.) and forget the “little” things, like being obedient in our everyday lives (witnessing to a friend at school, being generous, praying for others, integrity, etc.).

Stories:

• Christian teens that have held a Christian friend accountable by lovingly confronting them about sin in their lives. Maybe their relationship was damaged at the start, but eventually they came back together again and are now stronger. This could be about alcohol, sex, gossip, cheating, drugs, etc.
• Teens who are leading a double life. They do all the church things, sing in praise band, attend Bible Studies, go on mission trips, but live with persistent sin and acknowledged rebellion in their lives.
• Teens who can’t help sharing Jesus with others. Like the shy girl who invites the popular teen to church, or the teen who starts a Bible study with his basketball buddies, or the teen who stands up for the class nerd and befriends him and shares the gospel. Make sure these stories include the results of their actions.

 Identity with Eric Mason

1 the fact of being who or what a person or thing is

 What defines your identity? Is it what you do? Is it how you look? Is it your possessions? Your relationships? Your job, your accomplishments, your family and friends or the choices—both good and bad—that you’ve made? Who are you?

In this series, Eric Mason will compare the message the world constantly tells teens about their identity with the truth that Scripture teaches. The world tells us it’s all about how you look (in real life and on Facebook), what you have, what you do, and whom you are connected to. But Scripture teaches us that while those things can be important, they do not constitute who you are. As followers of Jesus Christ, our identity is found in Him. We were created in God’s image, bought with the blood of Jesus, and are now God’s children.

 The Bible calls us Saints, Stewards, Soldiers, Aliens, Heirs of God’s Kingdom, Slaves and Servants, Priests, Friends, Ambassadors, and Disciples. That is who we are.

Story Needs:

• Teens who struggle with identity issues related to their bodies and how they look. It’s that girl that struggles with being overweight, or the skinny bulimic. The guy that spends all his time in the gym and buys every “miracle muscle builder” he sees advertised in the magazine. The kid caught up in steroids. Maybe it’s that teen that’s had elective reconstructive surgery.
• Teens who are bullied at school or on social media. We’ve seen extreme cases of kids committing suicide because they were teased on Facebook.
• Teens who have had sex, done drugs and drinking, or lied in order to fit in with their peers. They know it’s wrong, but being part of that clique is more important than integrity.
• Teens who made poor choices and now have to live with the consequences. They feel like they can never get past that bad choice. Maybe it’s the girl that slept with a few guys early in High School and now doesn’t want to live that way, but everyone still calls her the school slut. Or she got pregnant and has a baby and will always be labeled for her “mistake.” Maybe it’s the guy who got caught cheating and lost the trust of his parents and teacher even though he has changed.
• Teens who are consumed with materialism, having the best clothes, the right electronics, the coolest car. What are they willing to do to get stuff? How do they feel when they finally get that thing they’ve wanted for so long?
• Teens whose identity is tied up in accomplishments—sports, academics, music, drama, dance, etc. How do they feel when they are at the top? What happens when they aren’t at the top anymore? How does it affect those who never quite make it?
• Teens who find their identity in their family. Maybe they are from a wealthy, influential, notable family. Is that who they are? Maybe they grew up in a trailer park and hate the family God’s placed them in. You don’t choose your parents, so why is it fair that one kid is born a Paris Hilton and the other a “nobody”?
• On the flip side, we need stories of teens who have found their identity in Christ, and are living that out 100%. These teens boldly talk about their faith at school, they serve locally at the soup kitchen, they go on mission trips, they sponsor kids in need overseas, they invite non-believing friends to church, they use their athletic accomplishments to bring honor to God instead of themselves, etc.

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Reckless Abandon with JD Greear

2012 Youth Series

(The title of an album is not necessarily the first single)

1. Fuel for the Flame (Colossians 1:5-6)

The gospel is that glorious good news that Jesus did for you what you could not do for yourselves. For most of us, that good news of the gospel was like the diving board off of which we jumped into the pool of Christianity. The gospel is not just how we begin in Christ; it’s how we grow in Christ. It is not simply to be the diving board, but the pool itself. As we immerse ourselves more deeply in the gospel, as it saturates more of who we are, all the things that God wants to see produced in us are produced. The gospel changes us in a way that religion is completely unable to. Religion (do’s and don'ts) changes us mechanically. There are two ways to keep a balloon afloat. Smack it or fill it with helium. Religion changes us be smacking us. The gospel is the helium that makes us soar spiritually. The challenge to teens in this session is “are you following religion or Jesus?”

In Christ, there is nothing I could do to make You love me more; nothing I have done that makes You love me less.

Stories could include: Teens who feel that they are “smacked” by the teaching they hear, know they can never live up, feel worthless/unforgiven. Teens who live a “check list”/works-based faith - go to church, don’t swear, give tithe = ok. Teens who have doubts about their faith or feel shallow - why? One positive story - what does it look like to soar spiritually in a teen’s life who is following Jesus and not a religion? (not perfect, relatable)

2. Reckless Abandon (1 John 4)

To follow Jesus to the ends of the earth requires sacrifice. One of the things we notice when we study the Bible is that one of the consistent reasons why people really won’t follow God is fear. What are you afraid of? The only way we’ll ever have the strength to lay it all is to find something of greater value than all of it put together. God has such rich blessing ahead for us. He wants to use us so greatly. Fear is what keeps us from experiencing the place of blessing God has for you! The challenge for teens in this session is to identify what they love more than Jesus (idols) and see that “with God’s perfect love, what else is there to be afraid of?”

You are all I need today for everlasting joy.

Stories could include; What are the idols that take teens away from following Christ? Teens who fear rejection - do things for approval: drinking, drugs, parties. Fear ugliness - do things for appearance: eating disorder, steroids. Fear being alone - need dating relationship/give into sex/sexting/photos. One positive story of a teen who has been rejected or abandoned in their circle/family or mocked for their faith and they reacted with dignity, kindness and relied on Christ to be their joy. Could be a kid who is disabled and can relate how Christ is their source. (not perfect, but include all the struggles with the joy)

3. Radical Generosity (Luke 18)

The gospel, when it’s understood creates extraordinary generosity. Where would you be without Jesus? The Great Commission (making Christ’s name known) is not a calling for some; it is a mandate for all. A lot of Christians are sitting around waiting on God to “call” them to what God has already told them to do. How are you making Christ’s name known to the people around you? Who are you seeking out to let other students in on the good news that was given to you? Students have entrée into circles that pastors and youth leaders do not. The challenge to teens in this session is to live “as you have been to me, so I will be to others.” Responsibility.

As You have been to me, so I will be to others.

Stories could include: Teens who gave into peer pressure instead of being the good influence - gossip/bully/mean. Teens who think obedience/calling is for when they become adults - live it up now. One positive story of a teen who is radically generous, not only in their attitude and lifestyle, but they are living in response to the gift that was given to them in salvation. Traders. (not perfect, but not compartmentalizing and taking God’s grace for granted)

4. Audacious Faith (Luke 8:43-48)

If Radical Generosity speaks of responsibility, this one speaks of possibility. The Gospels present Jesus as someone who overflows with compassion and power for those who will just believe that about Him and ask Him for it. (Luke 8 - healing the women) God doesn’t need us for His mission. He can do more in 5 minutes with 5 loaves and 2 fish than we can in 1000 lifetimes. But our faith is the vehicle of the outpouring of His great power. Those who understand what Jesus was teaching in that miracle literally change the world. The challenge to teens in this session is from William Carey, when he explained that people who changed the world  “expected great things from God, and then attempted great things for God.”

As I pray, I’ll measure Your compassion by the cross and Your power by the resurrection.

Stories could include: All these are positive stories of teens who are attempting great things for God - Traders. They can be the possibilities of what could be. They don’t have to be completed projects and dreams, but they must include definitive actions, prayers, faith and not just “I want to … when I grow up” without any direction now. They also should include the obstacles and struggles teens face: age, economics, disapproval, insecurity, time, peer pressure, cultural norms that the teen is overcoming as they keep coming back to the power of the cross.