Friday morning I've got an assembly for high school students on the topic "Anger Management." I'm thinking of saying something based on James 4:1-3
1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
We think the problem's out there, the problem's in here. The battles outside come from the battles inside. What are your desires? That kind of thing. But I'm a bit stalled on a) How to teach it engagingly/visually and b) where to go with it.
Sunday evening I'm preaching evangelistically on "Why bother with the bible?" My text is John 5:36-47. Thoughts anyone?
You shoulda plagerised outta my book - I write about anger a lot. :P
A youtube clip is always a winner! - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXJZXR5Qb-8&NR=1
Link in with taking every thought captive (2 Cor.10:5) which leads to life (Psalm 1 & Psalm 15) ??
Be blessed in your prep!
Is it a Christian school or a regular one - might have an effect on how you want to pitch it - i.e. are you assuming that they'll just accept advice straight from the Bible or maybe need to be convinced of why it makes sense?
Could consider using maybe some interactive stuff, asking questions for example - stuff where students get to be involved is always more interesting than just sitting listening.
Just a couple of thoughts.
Tell them that if they want to be a law keeper to keep themselves in good stead with God (by what THEY DO), then they might as well get their Bibles and rip the New Testaments out of them. They won't need it as they follow Moses.
Hi Glen,
given it is a typical school then I am guessing 60% wont have a anger issue and the 40% that do won't want to listen to a talk on how to stop or manage it.
But you could try getting them to think if there is any need to 'manage anger'? are there any benefits to it? and the bottom line, can you actually manage anger or is it just redirection and the anger comes out in a different form.
Then take them to look at some one who managed anger in a total way (dare I say the only way) some one who managed the Anger of God by becoming the object of His anger and taking the full punishment on Himself so that the Anger was fully 'managed' in that God no longer needed to be angry with those that accept Christ and don't reject his spirit. Then offer them the 'Anger manager' Chirst in all his fullness and love as the only way to have there Anger dealt with. As the truth is that all their anger can be summed up as a response to not getting what the want/need and that in Chirst all their needs are met. No, more than this, their whole lifes are fully satisfied so there is no need to be angry with anyone.
You can show them the story of Saul of Tarsus who met the Anger manager and it turned his Anger into ...... well...... made him one of the most radically changed men of all time. A man who Knew Chirst and lifed for him.
Hope this helps?
Alan
Your James verse fits in with this :-)
Thanks everyone! Good tips :)
Speaking about hwo to reduce anger will be quite predictable and could turn children off before they hear the unpredictible way that God deals with anger. Why not say it's good to be angry? Provided it's anger at sin. Talk about the good news that God is angry at sin, and what he did. Our problem is that we get angry at all the wrong things.
Your thinking will be definitely teach them the new vision of life to them.This is really true that all this anger all those bad things first comes from our desire and then it comes in the present.We cant reach God or ask to Him because sometimes we are surely going in the wrong way.Student age is an very innocent age and they need to show the right path in the life.You are doing really great contribution to their life through your topic and your thoughts.I am a very regular reader of your blogs and i must tell that they are made my day every time when i read them.Looking forward for may interesting posts.http://www.crosspointechurch.tv/kidpointe.html
Love and Blessings,
Emma