Eastview Students: High School

// The Holy Spirit in the Life of Jesus // This week, Zach explores the powerful connection between Jesus and the Holy Spirit, walking through key passages that reveal how Jesus was led, empowered, and guided by the Spirit. More than a historical lesson, this episode invites us to follow Jesus' example of surrender and obedience. The same Spirit who raised Christ from the dead now lives in us—giving us confidence to walk in that same power today.

// What the Spirit Wants (Pentecost Sunday) // This week, Zach talks about what the Holy Spirit wants, how the Holy Spirit seals us for salvation, and the importance of cooperating with the Spirit.

// The Spirit Through the Scriptures // In the first week of our new series on the Holy Spirit, Zach highlights who the Holy Spirit is, taking us through the scriptures and showing how the Holy Spirit has always been present and working throughout history. The Holy Spirit has always been working, and He continues to work today in our lives!

This week, we have a special guest preacher - Graduated Senior T.J. Scott! In this message, T.J. hits on 1) why we can logically follow Christ, 2) how to interpret and understand biblical commands, and 3) the amazing love that God has for us.

This week, Zach preaches about prayer. Why does it sometimes feel like God doesn't answer our prayers? How do we pray and trust that God will answer? Does prayer make a difference? Zach touches on these questions, and more!

// Jonah 4:5-11 // This week, guest preacher Jason Sniff (Pastor of Small Groups) closes out our Jonah series by focusing on some key questions found at the end of Jonah.

// Jonah 4:1-4 // This week, Zach talked about what is beneath the surface of the hard emotions and feelings we experience on the outside. Ultimately, there is a lot to learn from Jonah's interaction with God, but the good reminder that God's Grace is big enough to transform any circumstance or feeling.

// Jonah 2:1-10 // Continuing with our Jonah series, this week's focus is on Jonah being swallowed by a big fish. Jonah's sin led to a pretty significant consequence, just like our sin does in our own lives. Jonah, however, repents, and praises God for being with him, even in the midst of suffering. How can we respond in a similar way to the sin and suffering in our own lives?

// Jonah 1:4-17 // As Jonah was running from God, he found himself on a boat in the middle of a huge storm that God had sent his way. Jonah was face-to-face with his sin, and he needed to own it. As Christ followers, we also have sin in our lives that we need to own. We can't hide our sin, run from it, numb it, or ignore it - we need to face it head-on. We also can be encouraged by the reminder that God will make all things good, even in the midst of our battle with sin. (Note: Week 1 unavailable due to recording issues)

// Rod and Staff - Psalm 23:4 // "Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and staff protect and comfort me." Eastview's Junior High pastor (Matt McClane) talks to us this week about the fears, valleys, and darkness we may experience in our lives, and how God is always with us, even in the midst of our hard seasons.

// Pastures and Waters - Psalm 23:1-3 // "The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name." In the first week of our mini-series on Psalm 23, Zach dives into the first 3 verses of this encouraging Psalm. May you be reminded today that the Lord is your Shepherd, and that He is with you in whatever season you are in!

// EMPOWER THE WORKER - Matthew 9:35-38 // In the last week of our "Attitudes" series, Zach preaches from Matthew 9, where Jesus says "the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few." As Christians, how can we approach this problem and become more invitational? What does it look like for us to be the workers that Jesus is talking about in this passage? Zach approaches these topics, and more!

// SAY THANK YOU - Luke 17:11-19 // How often do we thank God for the blessings in our lives? Or thank Him for saving us? If you're like most of us, we probably don't thank God as much as we should. This week, Zach preaches from the Gospel of Luke about the leper who came back and thanked Jesus for healing him, and how we can apply that story to our own lives.

// EMPTY THE JAR - Mark 14:1-11 // This week, Zach preaches from Mark 14 about the woman who emptied her alabaster jar of expensive perfume to anoint and worship Jesus. What does it look like to give our best to God and "empty the jar" in our own lives? What things do we need to be surrendering to God? Zach covers these topics, and more!

// GRAB A TOWEL - February 9th, 2025 // This week, Zach preaches about Jesus washing the disciples feet, and what it looks like to "grab a towel" and serve those around us.

// RIP THE ROOF - Mark 2:1-12 // This week, guest preacher and former HSM student Polina Kreuz preaches from Mark 2 about going above and beyond to show others Jesus. As Christians, what does it look like to go outside of our comfort zones to encourage others in their faith? What does it look like for us to show Christ to our non-believing friends? Polina answers these questions, and more!

// PASS THE SALT - Matthew 5:13-16 // This week, Zach is joined by Ratasha as they talk about "passing the salt." Salt is best known for bringing preservation and flavor to everything it comes into contact with. As Christians, how can we be "salty" and preserve our faith while also showing others Christ? What does it look like for us to be IN the world, but not OF the world?

// WATCH THE WIND // - John 3:7-8 This week is all about the Holy Spirit. Who is the Holy Spirit, and how does he work in our lives? How do we know when we're hearing the Holy Spirit speak to us?

// CHOOSE THE BETTER // - Luke 10:38-42 In the first week of our new series "Attitudes," where we dive into the behaviors that we want our church to embody, Zach dives into the FIRST attitude: "Choose the Better."

// Fear of What Others Think About Me // - December 22nd, 2024 This week, guest preacher Casey Heimer talks about fear, Mary & Joseph's story, and the incredible love of God.

// Fear of what God wants me to do // December 15th, 2024 In the first week of our Christmastime mini-series "Fear Not," Zach preaches from Luke 1, where Mary learned that she was going to give birth to Jesus. Mary was called to do something that likely was extremely scary, yet she still was obedient to God. How can we apply that level of obedience & trust in our own lives?

// Witness // - December 8th, 2024 // This week, Zach ends our "Practicing Jesus" series by talking about sharing our faith, and witnessing to those around us.

This week, Zach & Cooper talk about being generous, why giving your money back to God is important, and how a High School student can practice generosity.

// Generosity // - December 1st, 2024 Money is something that Jesus makes a point to talk about often in the Bible. As High School students, what does it look like to be generous with our money? Why should we be generous? Is giving our money more important than giving our time, energy, and talents? In this week's sermon, Zach covers these issues, and more!

Special guest Bri Heimer (Pastor of Students with Special-Needs) joins Zach to talk about serving others. What does it look like to serve those around you? How can a High School student practicing serving in their daily lives? Check out this episode to hear Zach & Bri's conversation about serving!

// Service // - November 24th, 2024 This week, guest preacher Josh Jacobs (Pastor of Young Adults) talks about serving and how to love those around us like Jesus did. How can we follow the example of Jesus, and serve & love others this week?

Sabbath is a command in scripture, but how do we practice it? Special guest Kami Cecchetti joins us this week as we do a deeper dive into the topic of Sabbath. Cooper & Kami talk through what Sabbath is, how they practice it, and how a High School student can practice Sabbath in their daily lives.

// Sabbath // - November 17th, 2024 This week, Zach talks all about Sabbath. What is Sabbath, why do we practice the Sabbath, and what does it look like to practice it in our everyday lives?

This week, Cooper & Dusty Sargent dive into the topic of Scripture! How do we read the Bible? Where do we start? How do we practice reading scripture in our daily lives? Dusty & Cooper approach these questions & also talk through their own perspectives on how they study the Bible.

// Scripture // - November 10th, 2024 This Sunday, Zach talks about the practice of reading scripture. Why should we read the Bible? How does it benefit our lives? What are some practical ways a high school student can read their Bible everyday? These questions and more addressed in this week's sermon. Check it out!

Fasting is one of the most neglected spiritual disciplines, but the Bible commands us to do it. What does it look like for High School students to practice fasting? Does it need to be food, or can we fast in other ways? We hope this episode is an encouragement on what it looks like to start implementing this spiritual habit in our lives as we follow Jesus.

// Fasting // - October 27th, 2024 "Fasting is one of the most essential and powerful of all the practices of Jesus and, arguably, the single most neglected in the modern Western church." - John Mark Comer What is fasting? Why do we fast? How do we fast? Zach spends time covering all of these questions about what it looks like to practice fasting in our everyday lives.

Solitude is SO important. How can a High School student practice solitude? What does it look like to get away from the noise & let our souls rest? High School students are some of the busiest people we know, and we hope this short episode is an encouragement for you to follow Jesus' example and practice spending time alone with God.

// Solitude // - October 20th, 2024 A quote from author & priest, Henri Nouwen, says: "Without solitude, it is virtually impossible to live a spiritual life." As believers, we often really struggle to spend time alone with God, away from the distractions of this world. What does it look like for us to start prioritizing spending time with God consistently and to escape from the busyness & hurry that plagues us? Zach spends time talking about these issues and more as we dive into the topic of solitude this week.

In WEEK 2 of our COUNTERCULTURE mini-podcast series, Zach and Cooper dive into the topic of prayer, and how a High School student can practice prayer in their daily lives.

// Prayer // - October 13th, 2024 After attending Big Church with the adults on October 6th, we're back this week with our Practicing Jesus series in the normal HS space. Our topic this week is prayer, and what it looks like to prayer as a Christ-follower. We oftentimes overcomplicate prayer, and we hope that this week's message provides practical encouragement on what prayer is, how to pray, and the power of prayer.

COUNTERCULTURE is back!! During our "Practicing Jesus" series, Zach & Cooper sit down weekly and dive into each week's topic. These mini-episodes are meant to give insight into the question: "how does a High School student practice (topic) in their daily lives?" This week, Zach & Cooper discuss "community", and how a student can practice community and approach friendships in their Christ-following journey.

// I Will Make You // - September 22nd, 2024 Who are we becoming? Who do you want to be? This week, Zach preaches from 2 Peter 1, and focuses on our Spiritual Formation, and how God wants to make us more like Him. Our daily decisions, habits, spiritual disciplines, etc affect our growth, and Zach encourages us to be intentional about these decisions, in order to let Jesus make us more and more like Him.

// Come, Follow Me // - September 15th, 2024 This week, Zach preaches from John 1 & Matthew 4 about Jesus' call to follow Him. What does it look like to "Practice" Jesus? As a ministry, we are going on a journey to discover what it looks like to become more like Jesus, and this week helps set the stage for what the next few months will look like.

// VISION SUNDAY 2024 // This Sunday, Zach talks about the identity of our High School ministry, and what our vision is for who we're becoming as a ministry.

// September 1st, 2024 // In the last week of our "God & Mental Health" series, Zach spends time focusing on our individual battles with our worth, self-image/worth, and identity. In a world that's constantly changing, and in a culture that seems to be more insecure than ever, Zach reminds us that we can find our identity in Christ, even in the midst of our insecurities & the things we don't like about ourselves. This is a battle for each of us, and it's a difficult one, but God promises hope, love, and truth in the midst of our fight against the lies we often believe about ourselves.

// August 25th, 2024 // In the third week of our Mental Health series, Zach talks about addiction. How does the Bible address addiction? What do we do about shame? What does it look like to seek help in the midst of addictive behavior? We know that addiction is prevalent in our culture (whether it's substances, pornography, or even our cell phones), and we hope that this week's message can be a source of encouragement in the midst of those struggles.

// August 18th, 2024 // This week, Zach talks all about anxiety. What is anxiety? Where is it found in scripture? What do we do if we struggle with anxiety? Where is God in the midst of our anxiety? We hope that this week is an encouragement to those who struggle with anxiety, or have loved ones that experience anxiety.

// August 11th, 2024 // In any given year, about 1 in 4 adults suffer from a diagnosable mental health disorder. In today's world, teens mental health is maybe at an all-time low. It can be so hard to find God in all of our struggles with mental health, so we wanted to spend a series talking about mental health, and how God meets us in the midst of our battles. Week 1 is about depression, and Zach talks about what depression is, where it's found in scripture, and where God is in the midst of depression. *If you are struggling with depression, there is help available. Please don't hesitate to reach out to our staff, we can walk alongside you and help you find the resources you need (zthompson@eastview.church, ksmith@eastview.church). If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please call 988 (Suicide Hotline).*

This week, as we take a break between two sermon series', Allison spends time encouraging us to seek Christian community and talks about the importance and beauty of having friends & mentors that point you to Christ.

// NAMES OF THE FAITH // - July 28th, 2024 This week, Zach finishes up our Colossians series by encouraging us to reflect on those who have had an impact on our faith journey. *NOTE* - July 21st's sermon is unavailable due to recording issues

// SET YOUR MIND PART 2 // - July 14th, 2024 This week, after returning from an impactful CIY MOVE conference, Zach encourages us on how to continue following Jesus and live for Him!

// SET YOUR MIND (PART 1) // - Colossians 3:1-11 This week, Zach preaches from Colossians 3 about the sin in our lives, and how God calls us to rid ourselves of these behaviors. God hates our sin because it hurts us. What sin in our lives do we need to put to death? Note: *Week 3 unavailable due to recording issues*

This week, Zach preaches from Colossians 1:24-2:15 about following Jesus, and what it looks like to commit your lives to Christ. What does it mean to have a relationship with Christ & to make Him Lord in your life? If we're already followers of Jesus, what do we do with that faith?

// DARKNESS TO LIGHT // - June 16th, 2024 This week, guest preacher Austin Jones kicks off a new series based off of the book of Colossians. Preaching from Colossians 1, Austin encourages us to live in the Kingdom of Christ, reflect Christ, and to surround ourselves with those who can point us towards Christ.

// IMITATING CHRIST // - June 9th, 2024 In the last week of our Philippians series, Zach continues in Philippians 3 and encourages us in our discipleship. We are called to disciple others and encourage others in our faith, but we also need to make sure that we are imitating Christ. Are we the type of people that are worth imitating? What kind of legacy can we leave behind that points people to Jesus?