THE PEOPLE THAT MAKE XP3 MIDDLE SCHOOL. Contributing Writers Gina Abbas. XP3 MS Team Sarah Bragg Nicole Dabbs Stephanie Whitacre

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1 SERIES GUIDE Series Guides are designed to give you a quick overview of each XP3 Middle School series. Inside, you ll find a guide to everything you ll need to make this series happen, from start to finish. THE PEOPLE THAT MAKE XP3 MIDDLE SCHOOL Chief Executive Officer Reggie Joiner Executive Director of Messaging Kristen Ivy Chief Operating Officer Reggie Goodin Director of Middle School Strategy Ashley Bohinc XP3 MS Team Sarah Bragg Nicole Dabbs Stephanie Whitacre Contributing Writers Gina Abbas Illustrator Brandon Earnhart Graphics & Video Scott Bragg Ben Grant Beth Helmer Donny Joiner Technical & Web Support Ben Swilley Orange Specialists Brett Talley Jeremy Zach USER AGREEMENT The rethink Group, Inc. gladly grants permission to churches, schools and other licensees to tailor XP3 Middle School materials to fit their unique leadership requirements, locale and format preferences. However, if you wish to edit the content substantively, including teaching scripts, small group guides, and any other content in which biblical principles and concepts are presented, you are obligated to do so within the doctrinal guidelines we ve expressed in our Statement of Faith. These resources are intended to be downloaded and printed for use by the subscribing entity only and may not be electronically transferred to or duplicated by other non-subscribing entities. Any unauthorized reproduction of this material or incorporation into a new work including podcasts or video of this content is a direct violation of U.S. copyright laws. XP3 Middle School and the XP3 Middle School logo are trademarks of The rethink Group, Inc.

2 Limitless LOVE LIFE A SERIES ABOUT POTENTIAL SERIES SUMMARY Speed limits. Data limits. Time limits. Age limits. There s nothing fun about having limits set between us and what we want. And although some limits are good, most of the time it just feels like we d be better off without them. Many of us feel like our lives, our stories, and our futures are limited in one way or another like who we are and who we can become have limits. This was especially true for one of the earliest and most famous guys in the Bible, Moses. Because of who he was, where he came from, and what he did, Moses must have felt like his potential was limited. But God had other plans. And through Moses story we ll discover that when we allow God to direct our story, the possibilities are limitless. PRELUDE Setting the tone for the experience. BACKGROUND PLAYLIST Unstoppable Rebel Remix by The Score (from Unstoppable (Rebel Remix)) Wasting Time by Day Wave (from Wasting Time) Let s Give It a Shot by Boehm (from Let s Give it a Shot) White Noise (R3hab Remix) by Ella Vos (from White Noise (R3hab Remix)) So Close by Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness (from So Close) Express Myself by Ricky Reed (from Express Myself) Alone by Alan Walker (from Alone) Rhythm Inside Toby Green Remix by Calum Scott (from Rhythm Inside (Toby Green Remix)) Good Morning by Grouplove (from Big Mess) Not Going Home by DVBBS (from Not Going Home) Our suggested background playlists for each series are also available on Spotify. SERIES PROMOTION Use the Social Media Plan and the Social Media Artwork for this series to promote what you ll be teaching to your students and parents. ENVIRONMENT Print the Poster file in your Graphic Support folder to hang in your environment. Purchase eight large, square (20 x20 ) air filters and some black electrical tape. Use three air filters to build a triangle and tape them together using the black electrical tape. Repeat this process until you have created eight triangles. Stack these triangular boxes to create a two towers (one on either side of your stage) and tape them all together until the towers are secure (like this). Place a colored LED light inside the bottom of each (like this). Display the Main Slide image or Loop video on your screen (found in your Graphic Support folder). The Font we used for this series is called Copperplate TTC.

3 SERIES GUIDE 2 SOCIAL Providing time for fun interaction. For this series, we recommend 4 games: To the Limit, Take It to the Limit, Limited Seating Available, and The Sky s the Limit, all of which test students limits in one way or another. Check out your Games folder for more details. Additional games can be found in the XP3 Middle School Games Library. - to the - LIMIT limited seating AVAILABLE TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT the sky s the limit TRANSITIONS Moving smoothly from one thing to another. SCREEN GRAPHICS Display the Main Slide image or Loop video from this series (found in your Graphic Support folder) on your screen throughout your program. BUMPER VIDEO Use the Bumper video for this series to transition into your teaching time. WORSHIP Inviting people to respond to God. SET LIST Whether your worship time is led by a kid on an acoustic guitar, a full band, or sing-along YouTube videos, we ve identified a few songs that, we think, will connect well with your middle schoolers and complement the theme of this series. This Is Living (Feat. Lecrae) by Hillsong Young & Free (from This Is Living EP) No Longer Slaves by I am They (from No Longer Slaves) Fierce by Jesus Culture (from Let It Echo (Live)) When The Fight Calls by Hillsong Young & Free (from Youth Revival (Live))

4 SERIES GUIDE 3 STORY Communicating God s truth in engaging ways. TEACHING SCRIPTS In this series, you ll talk about how even though we may be given labels, make bad decisions, have weaknesses, and experience negativity in our lives, with God, our potential and self-worth aren t limited or defined by these things. Bottom Line Week 1: With God, you re not limited by labels. Bottom Line Week 2: With God, you re not limited by your decisions. Bottom Line Week 3: With God, you re not limited by your weaknesses. Bottom Line Week 4: With God, you re not limited by negativity. Note: If you are also an XP3 High School user, this series will align with the XP3 High School series also called Limitless. INTERACTIVES Week 1: You ll use a Prop (a cardboard cutout) to show the contrast between the labels the world placed on Moses versus how God saw him. Week 2: You ll use a Prop (spoiled food) to help students visualize how the things we hide in the dark become worse not better over time Week 3: You ll use Technology (a video) and a personal story to encourage students that God can use them even when they feel weak. Week 4: You ll use an Activity (a contest using Velcro) to help your students better understand how negative words seem to stick to us. TEACHING VIDEOS The Teaching Videos for all weeks can take the place of a live communicator, but the videos for Weeks 2, 3, and 4 won t include the Interactive. TEACHING AUDIO Audio files of the Teaching Scripts can be found in the folders of each week. STUDENT NOTE PAGES Week 1: Gets students to think about Moses life and then asks them to illustrate his story using only emojis. Week 2: Asks students to write down something they re keeping hidden in their life. Week 3: Prompts students to think big and write down what they d do if they knew they couldn t fail. Week 4: Asks students to list compliments they ve received about themselves. THE XP Especially in middle school, it can be tough for students to recognize their full potential. More than just about anyone, they need wise adults who can point them in the right direction. That s why the XP for this series will ask Small Group Leaders to spend one-on-one time with the students in their groups. Using ideas from the series Bottom lines, Leaders will use a conversation guide to help students recognize their limitless potential. GROUPS Creating a safe place to connect. For each week of this series, use the SGL s to tell your Small Group Leaders what they need to know, and what they need to do, to prepare. Don t forget to attach the Small Group Guides for each week to your . Then, each week, print enough copies of the Small Group Guides for all of your Small Group Leaders. Your Small Group Leaders will be involved in the XP for this series, so be sure to communicate all of the details ahead of time!

5 SERIES GUIDE 4 HOME Prompting action beyond the experience. Use the Social Media Plan for this series to stay in touch with parents and students during the week. Send parents their Parent Cue after you complete Week 1 of the series. Post, text, or print the Daily Scripture Images for this series to help your students engage with God s Word throughout the week.

6 XP (EXPERIENCE) Limitless FACETIME OVERVIEW Especially in middle school, it can be tough for students to recognize their full potential. More than just about anyone, they need wise adults who can point them in the right direction. That s why, for the Limitless series XP, Small Group Leaders will spend one-on-one time with the students in their groups. Using ideas from the series Bottom Lines, Leaders will use a conversation guide to help students recognize their limitless potential. WHAT YOU LL NEED The FaceTime Conversation Guides provided in your XP folder All of your Small Group Leaders and students HOW-TO First, print copies of the FaceTime Conversation Guides we ve provided in your XP folder. You ll want enough copies for each Small Group Leader in your ministry. Prior to the start of the Limitless series, distribute the guides to your Leaders and cast vision for what you d like them to do. Throughout the course of the series, Small Group Leaders will meet with their students one-on-one or in groups of two to three. (For larger groups, this XP might need to last beyond the four weeks of this series.) Using the prompts found in the Conversation Guide, Leaders will choose topics from Limitless that zeros in on the needs of each individual student. We re anticipating conversations that are optimistic, helpful, and fun! Optional: Providing hard copies of the guide is a great start, but you might consider sending the Conversation Guide in an as well. That way, Leaders can access them from their phones anytime, anywhere.

7 Limitless WE RE TEACHING THIS Speed limits. Data limits. Time limits. Age limits. There s nothing fun about having limits set between us and what we want. And although some limits are good, most of the time it just feels like we d be better off without them. Many of us feel like our lives, our stories, and our futures are limited in one way or another like who we are and who we can become have limits. This was especially true for one of the earliest and most famous guys in the Bible, Moses. Because of who he was, where he came from, and what he did, Moses must have felt like his potential was limited. But God had other plans. And through Moses story we ll discover that when we allow God to direct our story, the possibilities are limitless. THINK ABOUT THIS By Carey Nieuwhof Every family has a story. When my dad was sixteen, he left home. It sounds strange by today s standards, but he actually wasn t running away. Just the opposite. He was running into his future. At sixteen, he left his small town in North Holland for the big city of Amsterdam to find work and his future as a young man. Then at nineteen, he got on a plane to Canada where he saw even more opportunity. When I talk to my dad about it now, he says it was hard on his parents. His mom and dad didn t want him to leave, but they understood his desire to find his own way. When he stepped on the plane at nineteen in 1959, his parents had an even harder time. They honestly thought they would never see each other again. It was a distinct possibility given how expensive travel was back then. The farewell was unbelievably emotional for everyone. As a father myself, I can only imagine how hard it would have been for my grandparents. Can you imagine letting your son or daughter go at such a young age, thinking you would never see them again? As in never? What would you do? My grandfather and grandmother did something amazing. They let my dad live his story, not theirs. They gave up control and protection, and let God write a story in my dad s life that was independent of their own. I m kind of grateful for that. When my dad arrived in Canada as a single young man, he met my mom. Without that, my life would have been very different. Well actually, it just wouldn t have been... period.

8 2 My dad is one of my heroes. He actually did build a new life, not just for himself, but for many others. He was not only a great father, but also ran a company for years, served his entire life in the local church, and left a great legacy of character for his kids and grandkids. I m so glad my grandparents swallowed hard and let their son pursue his vision. So, now the question: Would you? In an era of overprotective, slightly controlling parenting, I wonder how many stories like my dad s aren t being written. Not because kids aren t ready to write a story of their own choosing, but because parents are too afraid or unwilling to let them go or take risks. Great plot lines invite things like drama, risk, mission, and calling. All the things that make parents gulp (and gasp). And by the way, my dad did see his parents again. He eventually had enough money to go back more than a few times. I even went to Holland with my dad to meet them before they passed away. As you think about how you might help your kids connect with their own story, here are three things to remember: 1. Prepare yourself now to release them one day. 2. Understand that God has your kids on a journey from dependence to independence. 3. Let them lead (without rescuing them) today to prepare them for tomorrow. Get connected to a wider community of parents at TheParentCue.org. TRY THIS Stories are powerful. This week, try sharing a story about a time when you thought you couldn t do something. Maybe you were told you weren t smart enough, weren t athletic enough, or weren t enough to accomplish your dream. This story could come up... In the car. While making dinner. While working on homework. Whether you ended up actually accomplishing that dream or not, talk to your student about how it felt at the time, what you wish you knew then, and what you may have done differently knowing what you know now.

9 TEACHING VIDEOS Limitless 4 WEEKS OVERVIEW For this 4-week series, our Teaching Videos feature 3 unique voices throughout the series. All 3 of our Limitless communicators teach each of the 4 weeks together. The Teaching Videos for all 4 weeks can take the place of a live communicator, but only Week 1 will cover the Interactive. GET THE VIDEOS Your subscription comes with every Teaching Video for the XP3 Middle School series that you ve purchased. They are ed to you every season, along with the rest of your curriculum. Did you lose your Teaching Video download links? No problem. We ve got you covered. WEEK 1: [DOWNLOAD] WEEK 2: [DOWNLOAD] WEEK 3: [DOWNLOAD] WEEK 4: [DOWNLOAD]

10 SOCIAL MEDIA PLAN Limitless Have you ever wished you could strategically communicate with your students and parents through social media? Ever wished you could find a way to share quick snippets of what students are learning or even send a word of encouragement to parents in your community? Well... now you can. XP3 Middle School has a social media plan designed for sharing specific XP3 Middle School series messages that inspire and inform parents and students. OVERVIEW The social media plan engages parents and students weekly with the featured series content. For every series, XP3 Middle School will provide bite-size content that invites Leaders to post on their social media channels. Every series has a unique set of tweets, posts for Facebook and Instagram, and images that Leaders can use to promote that week s message. Remember to make these posts and tweets yours. Don t feel like you have to use all of the content provided in a given series. Use this plan as a starting point as you leverage social media in your student ministry. FOR PARENTS The social media plan for parents encourages them to have offline conversations with their students during each series. For the beginning of every seasonal release, XP3 Middle School will release bite-size content that invites Leaders to post that content on their social media channels. Every plan will give Leaders tweets and Facebook posts to encourage parents as they engage with their students. Remember, make these posts and tweets yours. Don t feel like you have to use all of the tweets and posts provided in a given series. Use this plan as a starting point as you leverage social media in your student ministry. TWITTER Each tweet uses the hashtags #XP3MS #LimitlessSeries. SERIES PREVIEW Here s a preview of the series #LimitlessSeries: #XP3MS BOTTOM LINES Tweet each bottom line a couple of days after you teach those weeks. With God, you re not limited by labels. #LimitlessSeries #XP3MS With God, you re not limited by your decisions. #LimitlessSeries #XP3MS With God, you re not limited by your weaknesses. #LimitlessSeries #XP3MS With God, you re not limited by negativity. #LimitlessSeries #XP3MS

11 SOCIAL MEDIA PLAN 2 FROM PARENT CUE Understand that God has your kids on a journey from dependence to independence. #LimitlessSeries #XP3MS Parents: This week, find a way to let your kids do something to write their own story. #LimitlessSeries #XP3MS Ringing In The New Year Without Fear theparentcue.org/ringing-in-the-new-year-without-fear/ #LimitlessSeries #XP3MS Hi parents check out the latest Parent Cue Podcast here: #LimitlessSeries #XP3MS The past places no absolute limits on the future. Lin Manuel Miranda #LimitlessSeries #XP3MS FACEBOOK SERIES PREVIEW Speed limits. Data limits. Time limits. Age limits. There s nothing fun about having limits set between us and what we want. And although some limits are good, most of the time it just feels like we d be better off without them. Many of us feel like our lives, our stories, and our futures are limited in one way or another like who we are and who we can become have limits. This was especially true for one of the earliest and most famous guys in the Bible, Moses. Because of who he was, where he came from, and what he did, Moses must have felt like his potential was limited. But God had other plans. And through Moses story we ll discover that when we allow God to direct our story, the possibilities are limitless. RECAP FROM THE PARENT CUE Stories are powerful. This week, try sharing a story about a time when you thought you couldn t do something. Maybe you were told you weren t smart enough, weren t athletic enough, or weren t enough to accomplish your dream. This story could come up... In the car. While making dinner. While working on homework. Whether you ended up actually accomplishing that dream or not, talk to your student about how it felt at the time, what you wish you knew then, and what you may have done differently knowing what you know now. PARENT CUE LINK & QUESTION What s one thing you can do to encourage your kids to look forward in faith instead of fear? org/ringing-in-the-new-year-without-fear/ #LimitlessSeries #XP3MS When it comes to social media, your approach should be different based on your audience between students and parents, of course. But we think it should also be different between middle schoolers and high schoolers. While most middle school students are not on Facebook or Twitter, and many are not old enough to be on Instagram yet, we ve found that Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms for middle schoolers. We ve created some options for you, but remember to customize your social media presence to fit the personality of you and your ministry. INSTAGRAM Each caption uses the hashtags #XP3MS #LimitlessSeries. SERIES GRAPHIC There s a new series starting this week! #LimitlessSeries #XP3MS [Post the image found in your Graphic Support folder: Instagram_Limitless_XP3MS.jpg] FOR STUDENTS BOTTOM LINES Post each bottom line a couple of days after you teach those sessions. With God, you re not limited by labels. #LimitlessSeries #XP3MS [Post the image Instagram_1_Limitless_XP3MS.jpg] With God, you re not limited by your decisions. #LimitlessSeries #XP3MS [Post the image Instagram_2_Limitless_XP3MS.jpg] With God, you re not limited by your weaknesses. #LimitlessSeries #XP3MS [Post the image Instagram_3_Limitless_XP3MS.jpg] With God, you re not limited by negativity. #LimitlessSeries #XP3MS [Post the image Instagram_4_Limitless_XP3MS.jpg] Don t forget to post images throughout the week of your environment, special events, or announcements. Tag #XP3MS in your posts to connect with other middle school ministries using XP3 Middle School!

12 DAILY SCRIPTURE IMAGES Limitless 4 WEEKS OVERVIEW Wouldn t it be awesome if you could help your students engage with God s Word all week long, instead of just during your weekly program? The Daily Scripture Images that come with every XP3 series can help make that happen. Every week of XP3 curriculum comes with five unique verses, plus five unique prompts to help students think about or act on what they ve read. Each Daily Scripture Image can be found in the Graphics folder of your series download and each prompt can be found below. So how do you get these images and prompts to your students? There are three things you might want to try: 1. POST THEM. These images and prompts work perfectly on social media! 2. TEXT THEM. If you re looking for a more personal way to send Scripture to your students each week, try encouraging your SGLs to text them to their groups or set up a mass texting service so all of your students can receive them. 3. PRINT THEM. If digital isn t your thing, you could even create a weekly handout for your students that provides the images and prompts in a devotional journal form. How you use these images and prompts is up to you. Do what works best for you and your students! DAILY PROMPTS FOR EACH IMAGE Limitless: Week 1 MONDAY (Day 1) Think about your own family. What s something you think is extraordinary about them? TUESDAY (Day 2) What s something in your life that seemed like it would be bad, but ended up being good? WEDNESDAY (Day 3) Have you ever been judged by someone based on what you wore? How did that make you feel? THURSDAY (Day 4) God knows your name. How does that change the way you think about Him? FRIDAY (Day 5) God wants to blow your mind with His plans for your life. What s your biggest dream?

13 DAILY SCRIPTURE IMAGES 2 Limitless: Week 2 MONDAY (Day 6) Today s a new day. How will you make the most of it? TUESDAY (Day 7) Today, write a note to God about one thing you want to be forgiven for. WEDNESDAY (Day 8) It s almost seven miles to the bottom of the deepest part of the ocean. Today, thank God for forgiveness that s even deeper than the ocean. THURSDAY (Day 9) Well that is good news. Today, thank God that we have freedom in Him. FRIDAY (Day 10) Is there something you need to leave in the past in order to move on? Set up a time to talk to a friend or mentor about it. Limitless: Week 3 MONDAY (Day 11) What s something you can ask God to help you through even though it s difficult? TUESDAY (Day 12) What s something you need to ask for help to do? WEDNESDAY (Day 13) God has your back. When you have to do something scary, remember you re not alone. THURSDAY (Day 14) Take a five-minute break and ask God for the energy to complete a difficult task. FRIDAY (Day 15) God is stronger than. Limitless: Week 4 MONDAY (Day 16) Words can build people up, or tear them down. How will you use your words today? TUESDAY (Day 17) What do you think it means to be a new creation? WEDNESDAY (Day 18) Sometimes people might hurt you with their words or actions. How will you respond? THURSDAY (Day 19) Think of someone you don t get along with and take a moment to pray for them today. FRIDAY (Day 20) List three things that fit these categories.

14 LEAD SMALL APP CONTENT Limitless If you are a subscriber to Weekly, you know that Weekly gives you the ability to customize the Lead Small App for your church and your Small Group Leaders. If you re not a Weekly subscriber, this document might not be very useful to you. But, if you are a Weekly subscriber, this document is here to make customizing your app very simple. To use this document, simply copy and paste what you see here into the Lead Small Content Management Site (CMS). (And heads up when pasting text into the CMS, additional formatting may be required.) Copy and paste the following into the Lead Small CMS... Summary Paste the following into your channel Summary section. This only needs to be updated once per series. Limitless: Series Overview Speed limits. Data limits. Time limits. Age limits. There s nothing fun about having limits set between us and what we want. And although some limits are good, most of the time it just feels like we d be better off without them. Many of us feel like our lives, our stories, and our futures are limited in one way or another like who we are and who we can become have limits. This was especially true for one of the earliest and most famous guys in the Bible, Moses. Because of who he was, where he came from, and what he did, Moses must have felt like his potential was limited. But God had other plans. And through Moses story we ll discover that when we allow God to direct our story, the possibilities are limitless. WEEK 1 Guide, Week 1 Paste the following into your channel Guide section, to be updated weekly. Limitless: Week 1 SCRIPTURE Then Pharaoh s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the riverbank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her female slave to get it. She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. This is one of the Hebrew babies, she said (Exodus 2:5 6 NIV). GOAL OF SMALL GROUP To help students see themselves the way God sees them.

15 LEAD SMALL APP CONTENT 2 THINK ABOUT THIS This probably isn t news to you, but labels can be powerful in both negative and positive ways. Middle school is a breeding ground for labels, and the labels students carry in middle school often tend to be the ones they carry for years. Get ready for an important conversation today. There may be questions, there may be stories of hurt feelings, and there may be tension (even among the students in your small group). Whatever comes up, work to make your small group a safe place for students and their conversations this week. JUST FOR FUN If you could do anything, what s the craziest thing you d want to do? DISCUSSION QUESTIONS Those things sound like a lot of fun and definitely crazy! Sometimes we feel like we can t do some things even crazy things because of labels we ve been given. So today we re going to talk about labels. What labels or categories of people exist at your school? Why do you think labels are so powerful? Think about the things you say to people in a given day even when you re joking. How do you think your words affect people? What if they believed everything you said? Talk about a time when a label impacted the way you saw yourself. If God labeled you right now, what do you think He d say about you? What s one way someone s life might change if they believed that God s labels for them are more important than anyone else s? How would you treat others differently if you saw them the way God sees them? This week, what s one thing you can do to embrace the labels God places on you? TRY THIS Students are bombarded with labels during the middle school years, and unfortunately, the ones that really stick are often hurtful and negative. So challenge your students to not focus on the negative, and instead think about the positive things God sees in them. To do this, have students create a literal label that describes a positive characteristic about themselves. Ask students to fill in a Hello, my name is label with a word that God says about them. Some words positive words might be Loved, Protected, Valued, Beautiful, and Forgiven. Then encourage your students to stick the label somewhere they ll see it often. Devo, Week 1 Paste the following into your channel Devo section, to be updated weekly. DEVOTIONAL FOR SMALL GROUP LEADERS What do you do? This is the classic icebreaker at every dinner party, meet-and-greet, and social event. It s a question we use to size each other up, and our answer to it reveals a lot about how we label ourselves. When asked what you do, do you ever find yourself inserting the word just before your answer? You say something like, I m just a college kid, or Oh, I m just a mom. The truth is, maybe you are a college kid or a mom. That s awesome! Labels that describe a stage of life, career, or relationship are powerful in giving us perspective into how God can use us. Not all labels are negative. But God sees beyond our labels to the extraordinary parts of who we are. In God s eyes, you re not just anything. In the Bible, we find the story of Moses, whose life could ve been limited by the world s labels. In fact, these labels could have limited his life to the point of him being killed before his first birthday. Moses was a Hebrew, and at the time of his birth, Egypt s king was terrified of his power being overthrown. So he made a decree that all Hebrew baby boys were to be put to death. But God had other plans. By faith Moses parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king s edict (Hebrews 11:23 NIV). Moses parents didn t let labels limit him. They knew he wasn t just a baby. He was extraordinary; born to be used by God in significant ways. And so are you! This week, try to erase the word just from your vocabulary. Ask God to help you see yourself and others the way He sees you as nothing less than ordinary. Overview, Week 1 Paste the following into your channel Overview section, to be updated weekly. Limitless: Week 1 BOTTOM LINE: With God, you re not limited by labels. SUMMARY Smarty pants. Goody two-shoes. Rebel. Class clown. Athlete. Band geek. Gamer. Labels: They come in all shapes and sizes. And we all have them they re a normal part of being

16 LEAD SMALL APP CONTENT 3 human. But do they have to limit us from living life to its fullest potential? This week, we ll begin a four-week series on potential called Limitless, based on the life of Moses. At the time of Moses birth, the Pharaoh of Egypt had a decree in place that commanded all Hebrew baby boys be killed. But Moses mother hatched a plan to save his life, and through this story we see how God didn t allow the label of Hebrew to limit Moses potential as a future leader of Israel. Image, Week 1 Upload the image Instagram_1_Limitless_XP3MS.jpg (found in your Graphic Support folder) into your channel Overview section, to be updated weekly. News, Week 1 Paste the following into your channel News section, to be updated weekly. Hi Small Group Leaders! Welcome to a new four-week series called Limitless. Have you ever felt limited? Like your potential wasn t being reached? In this series, we ll talk about limits and how God can help us overcome them and reach our potential. This week, we ll talk about something everyone can relate to: labels. We all know how it feels to be labeled. Maybe we re labeled by what we excel in, by things we can t control, by our beliefs, or by our friends. And while labels aren t always bad, they can be limiting. We can get so wrapped up in our labels that we miss out on our potential. We ll illustrate this idea by sharing one of Moses stories found in the book of Exodus. We ll talk about how at the time Moses was born, the leader of Egypt, Pharaoh, had ordered the murder of all Hebrew baby boys. But Moses mom, desperate to save him, sent him down the Nile River in a basket, where he was saved and adopted by Pharaoh s daughter. So here was a baby whose label should have limited him to a life of slavery or death, but instead became part of Pharaoh s household. As you talk to your students this week, remind them that like Moses, their labels don t define them. Labels aren t permanent and they don t determine their future. While labels might be part of their stories, they re not the end of the their stories. With God, we re not limited by labels. So encourage your students to not limit themselves and to not limit God. We hope this will be a great series! SERIES PREVIEW STORIES Anytime you have a win with your small group, not only would we love to hear it, but you can also share it with an online community of Small Group Leaders Leaders who do what you do every week at LeadSmall.org. Just click here: WEEK 2 Guide, Week 2 Paste the following into your channel Guide section, to be updated weekly. Limitless: Week 2 SCRIPTURE One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. Looking this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew? The man said, Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian? Then Moses was afraid and thought, What I did must have become known. When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well (Exodus 2:11 15 NIV). GOAL OF SMALL GROUP To give students an opportunity to reflect on their own decisions. THINK ABOUT THIS Middle schoolers are all over the board when it comes to the bad decisions they ve made. These decisions can vary from I lied to my mom about cleaning my room, to I sent suggestive pictures to half the boys in eighth grade. Remember to remain cool, calm, and collected as they share, even if you re freaking out on the inside. As a Small Group Leader, be prepared to treat all bad decisions as valid, and be aware of when you should ask for outside involvement from your student pastor, parents, and professionals. JUST FOR FUN If you had to choose only one cereal to eat for the rest of your life, which one would you choose?

17 LEAD SMALL APP CONTENT 4 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS Wow, if making a decision about cereal can be so difficult, imagine all the other things we have to decide in life. Let s talk about that today. On a scale of 1 10, how much do you like making decisions? Why is it that other people s decisions have the possibility of impacting us? Talk about a time when you made a bad decision. Talk about the different ways people act after they ve made a bad decision. Why do you think people often try to hide their bad decisions? If God were here right now talking with us, what do you think He would say about our bad decisions? Who is one person you trust that you can talk to this week about your decisions? TRY THIS We make so many decisions throughout our day both significant and insignificant. Since we re talking about decision-making this week, get your students to reflect on the decisions they make every day. To do this, ask your students to spend a couple minutes listing of all the decisions big and small they re going to make today. Want to make this task a little more interesting? Challenge your students to see who can make the longest list. Devo, Week 2 Paste the following into your channel Devo section, to be updated weekly. DEVOTIONAL FOR SMALL GROUP LEADERS Life is full of decisions. Some decisions are pretty simple like where to eat lunch, which pair of socks to wear, and what movie you ll see this weekend. Other decisions are life altering. Decisions like when to propose to your girlfriend, if you should talk to your boss about an issue in the office, or whether or not to pursue treatment for a disease, can significantly impact the course of your life. With all the decisions we make each day, inevitably there will be mistakes. Whether through purposeful sin or unintentional error, we ve all made decisions in which we wish we d chosen differently. And that s when the what ifs begin. What if I d left five minutes earlier? What if I d said yes to that job transfer? What if I hadn t lost my temper? In Philippians 3, the apostle Paul talks about what we should do with our regrets: Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13 14 NIV). The bad decisions we make have consequences. When we wrong someone or make a mistake, it s important we do what we can to make it right. But in Philippians, we see an encouragement to not dwell in the past, but to keep moving forward. As humans, we can t be perfect. But the good news is that we follow a perfect God, and when we keep our eyes on Him, that s when we win. When we live in the past, it limits what God can do with our future. What s a what if you ask about your past that you can trust God with today? Overview, Week 2 Paste the following into your channel Overview section, to be updated weekly. Limitless: Week 2 BOTTOM LINE: With God, you re not limited by your decisions. SUMMARY All of us make decisions every single day, both insignificant and significant. Decisions about who to hang out with. What to eat. What songs to add to our playlists and what pictures to post on social media. With all the choices we have to make, it s inevitable that, at some point, we ll make a bad decision. And that s a scary reality. After all, what if our bad decisions limit us from living the best life possible? This week, we ll look at a bad decision Moses made that shaped the course of his life but God didn t allow that bad decision to limit Moses potential. Image, Week 2 Upload the image Instagram_2_Limitless_XP3MS.jpg (found in your Graphic Support folder) into your channel Overview section, to be updated weekly. News, Week 2 Paste the following into your channel News section, to be updated weekly. Hi Leaders, and welcome to the second week of our series, Limitless. Last week we talked about not letting labels limit us. This week, we ll talk about our decisions. All of us make

18 LEAD SMALL APP CONTENT 5 bad decisions at some point in our lives. And it s easy to think that a bad decision determines our potential or future. But the truth is that with God, we re not limited by our decisions. However bad a decision might be, God can redeem and use a bad decision for good. We ll see this in action when we talk about a very bad decision Moses made. He murdered someone, tried to cover it up, and fled to the desert to escape Pharaoh s punishment. But in the desert, God got Moses attention and called him to lead the Hebrew slaves out of oppression. God used Moses even though he made one of the worst decisions ever. So remind students that, like Moses, we aren t limited by our bad decisions either. Once we bring our bad decisions to light, we can be free from them and not let them determine our potential. We hope this talk generates some great conversations during small group this week! SERIES PREVIEW STORIES Anytime you have a win with your small group, not only would we love to hear it, but you can also share it with an online community of Small Group Leaders Leaders who do what you do every week at LeadSmall.org. Just click here: WEEK 3 Guide, Week 3 Paste the following into your channel Guide section, to be updated weekly. Limitless: Week 3 SCRIPTURE When the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, he said to him, I am the LORD! Tell Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, everything I am telling you. But Moses argued with the LORD, saying, I can t do it! I m such a clumsy speaker! Why should Pharaoh listen to me? (Exodus 6:28 30 NLT). Then the LORD said to Moses, Pay close attention to this. I will make you seem like God to Pharaoh, and your brother, Aaron, will be your prophet. Tell Aaron everything I command you, and Aaron must command Pharaoh to let the people of Israel leave his country (Exodus 7:1 2 NLT). GOAL OF SMALL GROUP To help students recognize their unique strengths and weaknesses. THINK ABOUT THIS In a phase where fitting in is more intense than ever, there aren t many safe places for students to share their weaknesses. As a Small Group Leader, you have one of the most important jobs on the planet: To affirm students in their personal journeys. If you see something they re great at, affirm it. If you see something they re not great at, affirm them. Today, be ready to guide the conversation back to a positive nature if students start calling each other out on what they re not good at. The more we can get middle school students to understand that every person has strengths and weaknesses, the more comfortable they ll be in their own skins. JUST FOR FUN If you could get first place in a talent show, what would you want your winning talent to be? DISCUSSION QUESTIONS We probably won t all win first place in a talent show, but there are definitely things we re all good at and enjoy doing. Let s talk about some of those things. What s one thing you re really good at? What s something new you ve tried recently? Share about a time when you realized you weren t good at something. What are the benefits now of recognizing your weaknesses? In what ways can God use people in spite of their weaknesses? This week, how can you use what you re good at to help strengthen someone else s weakness? TRY THIS Talking about our weaknesses can be a really difficult thing to do especially for middle schoolers who often question their value. To bring a little levity to this topic, try playing a game called 5 Star, in which students rate themselves on nonsensical topics. You ll provide an inconsequential skill and they ll rate themselves on a scale of 1 (being low) to 5 (being high). By rating themselves on trivial skills, students will start to realize that it s okay to be good at some things and not others. Here are some ideas to get you started with this game: coloring inside the lines, remembering locker combinations, blowing bubbles, doing impersonations, nailing the bottle flip, locating matching socks in your dresser drawer, doing an end zone dance, telling jokes, and making your bed. Devo, Week 3 Paste the following into your channel Devo section, to be updated weekly. DEVOTIONAL FOR SMALL GROUP LEADERS Have you ever been physically exhausted? Maybe you ran

19 LEAD SMALL APP CONTENT 6 a marathon, covered a long shift at work, or stayed up all night with a sick child. Do you remember how you felt? Did your knees feel like Jell-O? Did it seem as though your head weighed as much as a bowling ball? Did you feel as though you just. couldn t. go. on.? From time to time, we all feel weak. It might be a physical exhaustion like what s described above, but it also could be the feeling you get when you re out of your element. You know you need to take action, but feel like you re not the right person for the job. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak (Isaiah 40:29 NIV). When we are weak or tired, God is there, ready to provide what we need. Sometimes He gives us the emotional support we need through things like Scripture, the lyrics of a song, or the encouragement of a friend. Other times, He brings someone alongside us to help in the areas we lack skill, knowledge, or energy. And not only does God bring people into our lives to support us when we experience weakness, but sometimes He uses us to support others as well. Who s someone you can support through a difficult time or task? Take a few minutes to devise a plan today for how you ll reach out and offer help. Overview, Week 3 Paste the following into your channel Overview section, to be updated weekly. Limitless: Week 3 BOTTOM LINE: With God, you re not limited by your weaknesses. SUMMARY Have you ever been in a place where action was needed and, Oh please, not me! was your immediate thought? When presented with the situation, you thought of a million other people better suited for the job. Maybe it was speaking up in a crowd, taking on an extra project at work, or helping a stranger who was sick. When faced with challenges like these, our minds tend to go to all the reasons we re not qualified. This week, we ll look at a time when God called Moses to something that made him uncomfortable. But God didn t limit Moses because of his weaknesses. God used Moses anyway, providing help in the places Moses felt weak and He does the same for each of us. Image, Week 3 Upload the image Instagram_3_Limitless_XP3MS.jpg (found in your Graphic Support folder) into your channel Overview section, to be updated weekly. News, Week 3 Paste the following into your channel News section, to be updated weekly. Hi everyone! As we enter the third week of our series Limitless, we ll focus on things that we re just plain bad at. We ll talk about how while each of us are good at some things, we re not so great at others. And that s okay! But the problem is when we compare our weaknesses to other people s strengths. When we do this, we tend to stay in our comfort zones and avoid new things because we re afraid we ll fail. But we ll read in the Bible that Moses just like us dealt with weaknesses. In fact, God called Moses to face Pharaoh and give a speech, despite the fact that Moses had a speech impediment. Moses felt that he wasn t up to the task and he had some series doubts, but God was faithful and brought help so that Moses could overcome his weakness and free the Israelites. Just like Moses, God uses us despite our weaknesses. So encourage your students to think about what weaknesses are standing in the way of who they want to be and who God is calling them to be. Since God doesn t see these weaknesses as limitations, neither should they! They can step out in faith knowing that God will be there to help. In fact, God might even use them to help someone else through their own struggles. Keep us posted on your great conversations this week! SERIES PREVIEW STORIES Anytime you have a win with your small group, not only would we love to hear it, but you can also share it with an online community of Small Group Leaders Leaders who do what you do every week at LeadSmall.org. Just click here: WEEK 4 Guide, Week 4 Paste the following into your channel Guide section, to be updated weekly.

20 LEAD SMALL APP CONTENT 7 Limitless: Week 4 SCRIPTURE At the Lord s command, the whole community of Israel left the wilderness of Sin and moved from place to place. Eventually they camped at Rephidim, but there was no water there for the people to drink. So once more the people complained against Moses. Give us water to drink! they demanded. Quiet! Moses replied. Why are you complaining against me? And why are you testing the Lord? But tormented by thirst, they continued to argue with Moses. Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Are you trying to kill us, our children, and our livestock with thirst? Then Moses cried out to the Lord, What should I do with these people? They are ready to stone me! (Exodus 17:1-4 NLT). The Lord said to Moses, Walk out in front of the people. Take your staff, the one you used when you struck the water of the Nile, and call some of the elders of Israel to join you. I will stand before you on the rock at Mount Sinai. Strike the rock, and water will come gushing out. Then the people will be able to drink. So Moses struck the rock as he was told, and water gushed out as the elders looked on. Moses named the place Massah (which means test ) and Meribah (which means arguing ) because the people of Israel argued with Moses and tested the Lord by saying, Is the Lord here with us or not? (Exodus 17:5 7 NTL). Put on your new nature, created to be like God truly righteous and holy (Ephesians 4:24 NLT). This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun (2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT). GOAL OF SMALL GROUP To get students talking about how negativity impacts them personally. THINK ABOUT THIS It can be easy for middle schoolers to gossip because they re figuring out the world around them. Since we re talking about negativity today, it might be a good time to remind students that words can really hurt, so they should strive to be sensitive and kind to others. You may want to consider starting group with some ground rules: We love each other, what s said in small group stays in small group, and we listen to what everyone has to say. JUST FOR FUN Who s the most positive character you ve ever seen in a movie or book? DISCUSSION QUESTIONS When we think about people or characters like this, it makes us wish we could hang out with them all the time. Let s talk about why that is. How does it feel when you hang out with positive people? How does it feel when you hang out with negative people? Why do you think negative words stick with people, and positive ones are more easily forgotten? What s one way you currently deal with negativity? How could negativity impact somebody s future? This week, what s one thing you can do to deal with negativity in a positive way? TRY THIS As you go through the discussion questions in this guide, you ll ask students to come up with ideas of how to combat negativity with positivity. After you ve had your discussion, end with this simple activity. Have your students write one of the below verses or something similar on a notecard and ask them take it home to memorize during the week. Any time they are feeling down about a situation, they can use the verse to turn their negative thoughts into positive ones. Put on your new nature, created to be like God truly righteous and holy (Ephesians 4:24 NLT). This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun (2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT). Devo, Week 4 Paste the following into your channel Devo section, to be updated weekly. DEVOTIONAL FOR SMALL GROUP LEADERS Negativity. What s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear this word? Maybe you think of a friend, co-worker, or family member. Or maybe you think of the nightly news, the current political climate, or your last company business meeting. Every day, we re surrounded by negative messages. And the problem is, we often let the negativity we hear or say define us, limit us, and even ruin us. It s impossible to escape hearing negativity. (You d have to dig yourself a hole to live in all by yourself and even then, you d probably have some pretty lousy thoughts about how lonely and cold it is living in a hole.) But you can choose the degree to which you ll let negativity impact you.