Blog Posts by Aaron Osborne

Event Update: Jr. High Epic Fun Night

With each of our Jr. High Friday Night Lives, we strive to create fun, safe environments where our students and their friends can have a great time & also hear about what Christ has done for us.  On January 18th, the Jr. Highers had a blast at our Epic Fun Night. A series of Epic Fun activities were spread throughout the youth building so teens could compete in RC car racing, basketball, dodgeball, sculpting, Mario Cart, foosball, Super Smash Brothers, and more.  The video below gives you a glimpse of all the excitement.  It was a great time for our volunteers to hang out and build relationships with our students and over 40 of their friends that came.

In the middle of the epicness, we paused to watch some epic near-death experiences. In lots of epic movies it always seems when certain death and failure is imminent, at just the right moment salvation comes.  The same was true for us in our spiritual lives.  As Romans 5:6 says, “While we were still helpless, at just the right time, Christ died for the ungodly.”  While we faced certain judgment and eternal punishment, Christ came in God’s perfect timing to die for us. This makes us some of the luckiest and most blessed people ever.

Praise the Lord for His salvation and for the 12 students who indicated they trusted in what Christ has done for them & began a relationship with God that evening.  

If you have a Jr. Higher or know one you want to reach out to, go to www.restonbible.org/breakthru and check out our latest calendar to find our details for our next Friday Night Live.

Event Update: Jr. High Minute To Win It

Back in December, the Jr. High Ministry held our 3rd annual Minute to Win It: Friday Night Live.  Guy Feiri (played by Erik Palmer) hosted our own version of the TV game show as our students played a series of pressure-packed challenges to win prizes.

We had a full room of excited Jr. Highers (with about 50 friends who do not regularly attend RBC) trying to  throw rolls of toilet paper through hoops, making Diet Coke volcanos with Mentos, and bobbing their heads trying to tally steps on a pedometer.

The highlight video below gives you a small glimpse of the excitement.  In the middle of the event, one of our Jr. High Volunteers, Amy Stegeman, shared about her life (you can also watch her story below).  Just like how in the game show you only have a short time to complete a task, she shared about how she has learned that our time here on earth is short. But unlike the game, we don’t win prizes based on our performance, but by believing in the performance of the God who came into this world at Christmas 2000 years ago.

Praise God for the over 20 students who indicated they trusted in what Christ has done for them & began a relationship with God that evening.  

Jr. High FNL: Chocolate Night

Jr. High Friday Night Live events (FNL) are fun, safe events we hold monthly where our teens feel comfortable inviting their friends, and the Gospel and the truth about Christ is clearly presented.

On September 14th, we started off the school year in delicious fashion with Chocolate Night.  We had around 140 students with lots of friends and consumed approximately 10 dozen brownies, 12 Costco-sized bottles of Hershey’s syrup, 15 lbs of M&M’s, 2 lbs of chocolate chips, 12 tubs of chocolate frosting, 24 lbs of Hershey’s bars, 4 pounds of chocolate covered pretzels, and 25 pounds of fruit dipped in chocolate. Now when I say “consumed,” let me explain that probably only 3/4 of that was actually eaten. The rest got smeared all over the students as we played all sorts of chocolate themed games.  (As you might imagine, we are incredibly grateful for the amazing cleaning staff at RBC.)

In the middle of the mess, we also got to share the beauty of the Gospel.  God created mankind in absolutely perfect relationship with Him, but our sin has separated us from God.  No matter what good things we do, we can never make things right with God again.  It is like a bowl of chocolate brownie batter with dog poop mixed in.  No matter how many other good things you add (e.g., chocolate chips, chocolate sauce, whipped cream), no one wants to eat poop brownies.

That is what is so amazing about Christ.  He doesn’t say, “Do good things, and I will forgive you.”  Instead, He gives us Christ’s righteousness when we believe.  Praise the Lord for the many who heard the Gospel and for the 15 students that indicated decisions that evening.  Please be in prayer for our students to fully understand the forgiveness and life we have through Christ.

Below is a highlight video from all the chocolate festivities and a special interview we had with world renowned chocolate artist, Ned Wonka!

 

Summer Review: Youth Missions in Croatia

This summer, a team of 20 students and adults went to Slavonski Brod and Nova Gradiska, Croatia to work with RBC missionaries Garret Prestwood and Darko Mikulic and the Pioneers Team that Tony Pedroni, RBC’s Shepherd Groups pastor, used to lead. In these cities, we did a Kid’s Club (think outdoor VBS) for younger kids, and ran camps where we taught Croatian teens how to play baseball.  God was amazingly gracious to us, bringing out the perfect number of participants and providing us with great weather, even though the forecast was bleak. The videos below will give you a glimpse of what these events looked like.

Through these events, we were able to build relationships with many Croatian students. In the evenings, we would meet up with the friends we had made in the town square and hang out in small groups. It was in these times, I saw the Lord so powerfully work. Our team would regather late at night, and the stories were just amazing of how this student got to share their testimony of how God has changed their life with two Croatians, or how a Croatian opened up about the struggles in their life and we got to share about the hope we have in Christ.  Every night we seemed to have another five stories of God at work.

I have had the privilege of being a part of many overseas missions trips, but I have never before seen the Lord open up so many opportunities for His Word to go forth in personal one-on-one relationships as I saw this year in Croatia. We were truly blessed to be a part of God’s plan and work in that country. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement along the way.

Please continue to be in prayer for the many seeds planted in Croatia, the new believers to be connected with the body of Christ, the students still exploring their faith with the long-term missionaries there, and for our teens to catch a vision that conversations about God can happen not just when we travel halfway around the world, but wherever God has placed them.

The Simplicity of God’s Word

 

At BreakThru, our Junior High ministry here at Reston Bible Church, we provide simple journals for the Jr. Highers to use to spend time with God.  The journals provide a reading plan, a couple of questions to get them to think about what they read, and some space to write out a prayer to God.  This is nothing amazing in concept, but it has been incredible to see what God is doing through them. Just last week, I got an email from a mom telling me how her son uses the journal almost every day, and she has been amazed as she has seen God’s Word at work in her son’s life.  This email isn’t unique, as I receive something similar at least once a month.

A lot of times I am tempted to think that if God’s Word isn’t properly “packaged” and turned into something that grabs a teen’s attention, they won’t get anything out of it.  But that mindset is like caring more about the wrapping paper than the actual present.   God’s Word is “living and active” and is powerful to change lives.  We can get distracted by all the glitz of the latest Christian book or podcast sermon.  But whether I am an 11 year-old boy or a seminary professor, the Bible speaks and transforms all who will listen.

Jr. High Fall FNL Events

Jr. High Friday Night Live events (FNL) are monthly fun, safe events where our teens feel comfortable inviting their friends and the Gospel and the truth about Christ is clearly presented.

On September 16th, we had Jello night, where we threw Jell-O, shot Jell-O, swam in Jell-O, and ate Jell-O.  It was a blast, but also a total mess. We also got to talk about the messes in our own lives (e.g., divorced parents, lying to fit in), and the God who has come in human form into our mess, to renew and restore by dying on a cross for all of our sins, and rising from the dead to give us everlasting life.  We had over 60 friends attend and over 10 indicate decisions for Christ.

On October 14th, we put on our own version of Minute to Win It.  Erik Palmer hosted a series of games from the TV show for an excited crowd of almost 200 Jr. Highers (about half were visitors).  We also had 20 middle schoolers from Cornerstone School in Anacostia. The teens played games, won prizes, and ate pizza. But as the games puts contestants under pressure to perform, we face a huge pressure to perform in academics, athletics, relationships, etc. Thankfully, God hasn’t left us alone in those pressures, and says our identity isn’t based on our performance (we will never be good enough to get to heaven), but on what He has already accomplished for us by dying to pay the penalty for our sins and rising to give us life. Please pray as we follow up with over 20 visitors that indicated decisions for Christ that night.

Below are highlight videos from both of the events.  Please continue to pray for the seeds that were planted at these events and the new faiths that began.

Summer Camp 2011 Prayer Requests

As you may have heard mentioned in services last weekend, our Junior and Senior High youth are away for our annual Youth Summer Camp. Thank you for praying for us this week.  We desperately need your prayers as we desire to see God move an act in our teens’ lives this week.  Below is are several specific requests and an overview of theme this week so you can pray specifically for our teens to understand the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives and begin to live it out.

Specific Prayer Requests

1)   Safety and Protection – as we travel and as we have fun white water rafting, water tubing, caving, riding a hot-air balloon, etc.

2)   Logistics – we have over 200 people at camp this year.  Pray that all would logistically work out with transportation, meetings, meals, etc.

3)   Open Hearts – many of our teens are apathetic towards God.  Pray that they would be open to what the Lord wants to teach them.

4)   Listening Hearts – pray against any distraction and that the teens stay awake during the messages.

5)   Small Groups to Connect – pray for the teens to connect with each other.

6)   Salvation for the Unsaved – we have many friends and non-believers coming with us this year.  Pray they would each accept Christ’s free gift of salvation this week.

7)   Energy for Staff – pray for supernatural energy for the staff.

8)   Spiritual Refreshment for the Staff – pray for the staff’s personal times with the Lord, that they would be refreshing, and that they would be able to minister out of the overflow of what God is doing in their lives.

9)  Unity among the staff – pray that our entire team of over 40 staff would be united in Spirit to care for and lead out teens.

10)   Discernment for the Staff – many teens come with significant issues (personal or at home).  Pray that our staff would be able to discern how to care for and challenge each of our teens in a grace filled manner.

11)   Below is an overview of our theme.  Pray specifically that our teens would see the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives and begin to walk in it.

Our Theme: SUPER:natural

As believers we have all heard of the Holy Spirit, but how many of us really understand who He is or what He practically does in our life?  Christ Himself says it is for our benefit that Christ leaves and sends the promised Holy Spirit (John 16:7).  We are told if we walk in the Spirit, we will not gratify our sinful desires (Galatians 5:16).  We hear about the Fruit the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) that should develop in our lives of love, joy, and peace and want some of those, but how do we get them?  We hear about living in the power of the Spirit, but far too often tend to lead defeated Christian lives.  We live for the next “spiritual high” but have no clue how to have a sustained walk with the Lord.  We have heard so many truths about God and have so much knowledge, but do we have the basic skills of how to walk in step with the Spirit?

This year at camp, we will be learning about the Holy Spirit and what He does in our lives.  With that in mind, our theme this year is SUPERnatural. Not supernatural in the Ghostbusters way of thinking, but as in SUPER (adj. – above, beyond, stronger than) natural (n. – the way things exist in nature without interference). This is about the power and work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  On my own, I would not walk with God or honor Him, but thankfully He has not left me alone as an orphan (John 14:18).  He gives us the power to live beyond our own natural abilities.

Youth Summer Camp 2011: SUPERNATURAL

As believers we have all heard of the Holy Spirit, but how many of us really understand who He is or what He practically does in our life?  Christ Himself says it is for our benefit that Christ leaves and sends the promised Holy Spirit (John 16:7).  We are told if we walk in the Spirit, we will not gratify our sinful desires (Galatians 5:16).  We hear about the Fruit the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) should develop in our lives of love, joy, and peace and want some of those, but how do we get them?  We hear about living in the power of the Spirit, but far too often tend to lead defeated Christian lives.

This year at our our annual Youth Summer Camp, we will be learning about the Holy Spirit and what He does in our lives.  With that in mind, our theme this year is SUPERnatural. Not supernatural in the Ghostbusters way of thinking, but as in SUPER (adj. – above, beyond, stronger than) natural (n. – the way things exist in nature without interference). Thisis about the power and work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  On my own, I would not walk with God or honor Him, but thankfully He has not left me alone as an orphan (John 14:18).  He gives us the power to live beyond our own natural abilities.  Please be in prayer that our teens would understand the role of the Spirit in their lives and experience His power to transform us.

Summer Camp is open to all current 6th graders through those who just graduated from High School.  The regular registration deadline is this Sunday (6/19).  For more information click here.

Friday Night Live

In the Jr. High Ministry of Reston Bible Church, we desire to create fun, safe environments where our teens feel comfortable inviting their friends, and the Gospel and the truth about Christ is clearly presented. This is why we hold our monthly Friday Night Lives. The activities vary each month from our own version of the game show “Minute to Win It” to a Photo Scavenger Hunt, and we use these themes to bring in the Gospel message.

On March 25th, we had a Photo Scavenger Hunt, where the teens went out in teams and needed to take specific pictures of themselves doing anything from smearing ice cream on their faces to pumping gas for a random person. The video below highlights some of my favorite pictures from the night. After we took the pictures, we came back to the church, ate lots of pizza, and talked about the things we are searching for in life. We can look to success, friends, relationships, athletics, academics, etc. to give us value and purpose, but ultimately what we are looking for in life can only be found in Christ, the one who has searched after us. Please be in prayer for the teens that heard about Christ for the first time that night.

This Friday, April 15th, we are having our next Friday Night Live. We will be playing capture the flag and some other fun outdoor games, have a bonfire with s’mores and hot dogs, and just enjoy a fun night together. Below is a parody video we made to promote the event with pictures from the fun we had last year.

While these events are primarily designed for Jr. Highers, we would love the whole church to be involved. If you are a parent of a Jr. Higher, please encourage your teens to invite their and explain the event to their friend’s parents. If you know a Jr. Higher, all are welcome. If you see a Friday Night Live in the bulletin, know that they are designed for any Jr. Higher to come. If you are interested, in volunteering, please contact Aaron Osborne. Above all, please be in prayer for the many teens that will come and hear what Christ has done for them by dying on the cross for their sins to restore a right relationship between them and God.

Welcome to BreakThru

BreakThru Jr. High Ministry at Reston Bible

As RBC settles in to our new campus in Dulles, VA, several things have changed in the Jr. High Ministry (6th- 8th graders). Now that there are separate Jr. High and Sr. High rooms, both can meet during the 11 am service.  With the new location and time also comes a new name – BreakThru.

While the Jr. High years are a key transition time in a teen’s life where they are starting the process of “BreakingThru” from a child to an adult, they are also foundational years in their walks with the Lord.  In Jr. High, teens have the capacity to understand the truths of God, but for the most part are not yet being challenged by all the trials of the world.  This is why the vision for the Jr. High ministry comes from Matthew 7:24-27.  In this passage, Jesus says that anyone who Listens to His words and Acts upon them is like a man who Builds his house upon the rock.  That house stands firm even when the winds and the rain come and slam against the house, because it has a solid foundation.

But just like laying the foundation for RBC’s new facility was hard work, laying a solid foundation in our lives is no easy task. You have to cut down all the trees and brush.  You have to dig down through the loose topsoil.  You have to BreakThru rocks and boulders in the way, till you can lay a level foundation on solid ground.  In the same way, we want our teens to Listen to the Word and begin to Act upon it, and in this process they are building a solid foundation for their lives on God’s Word and His wisdom.

If you are a parent of a Jr. Higher (6th-8th graders), we would love for you to join us on September 5th
during the 11am service in Classroom 3 in the Youth Building, for a meeting where you will meet other parents, get a clear overview of what we do and why we do it, and experience a little of what your Jr. Higher does each week at BreakThru.

We look forward to helping your teen lay a solid foundation for their lives on the rock of Jesus Christ, so they can be prepared for lives of knowing Christ and making Him known.