MY CHANGES
Week 1: Physical Change
This includes:
1. Leader Preparation
2. Lesson Guide
1. LEADER PREPARATION
LESSON OVERVIEW
Let’s be honest: Few things are more awkward than talking to junior highers about physical
change. It’s weird for you and it’s weird for them. But it’s an important topic because
physical change plays a HUGE role in their lives. This lesson is designed to begin a
conversation about the physical changes that are taking place and God’s role in those
changes. God has designed each student to be unique and amazing, and this process of
change is just part of the journey.
LESSON OBJECTIVES
1. WHAT: God has designed each of us to be unique and wonderfully complex, and
the physical changes of early adolescence are part of the journey of becoming who
God made us to be.
2. WHY: When we understand that physical change is part of God’s plan, we can learn
to embrace the changes knowing that we are not alone and that this is just a
season.
3. HOW: Your students will be encouraged to focus on the fact that God’s love for
them never changes, and they’ll discuss ways they can encourage one another
during this season of transition.
PRIMARY SCRIPTURE
Psalm 139:13-16
SECONDARY SCRIPTURE
Psalm 100:3-5
TEACHING PREP
The short overview below is designed to help you prepare for your lesson. While you may
not want to convey this information word-for-word with your teenagers, you’ll definitely
want to refer to it as you lead your lesson.
Think back to your junior high days. What do you remember about the physical changes
that took place? Did you get your first zit? Did you discover hair in places that you never
knew existed? Were you afraid to change in gym class? As you prepare for this week’s
lesson, try to put yourself in to the shoes of your students by remembering the PAIN of
growing up. Remembering where you came from will definitely be a source of laughter for
you and will create some camaraderie with your group. You are a living model that these
awkward physical changes eventually lead to adulthood. This stage of puberty with its major
body changes will settle down at some point.
Read Psalm 139:13-16.
In the midst of intense—and sometimes embarrassing—changes, it can be difficult for
teenagers to appreciate or believe that God sees them as awesome. This passage shows us
that God put us together with a very intentional purpose. God designed every part of our
physical being. God loves us as we are because we are exactly what he wants us to be. God
saw us from the very beginning and has loved us since that moment. He knows every part
of us and created a plan for us.
As students go through this intense process of puberty and physical change, reassure them
that no matter what they see in the mirror—whether they like it or not—God values them as
people with purpose. God’s love remains constant no matter what changes are taking places
on the inside or outside of their bodies. God’s love is individual, intentional, and intimate.
THE BEFORE & AFTER [optional]
Text Message Questions
We’ve provided a couple of different text message questions to send out to your students
prior to your meeting. Feel free to use one or both of the questions below. As with the rest
of the curriculum, edit these questions to fit the needs of your ministry.

Look in the mirror, and what do you see? More importantly, WHO do you see? Hope
to see you at small group tonight.
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How are you handling all the crazy changes of the junior high years? Let’s talk about
it tonight at small group.
Parent Email
We’ve provided you with an email below that you can send to your parents following the
lesson. Our hope is to encourage parents to continue the conversation at home. Feel free to
edit and customize the email to fit your ministry needs.
Dear parents,
This week, our small groups began a three-lesson series on the changes junior high
students experience. In this first lesson, we tackled the potentially most awkward of the
topics—physical changes.
Using Psalm 139:13-16, we talked about how God values our students as people with
purpose. As our teenagers go through this intense process of puberty and physical change,
God deeply loves the person in the mirror—whether they like it or not. God’s love remains
constant no matter what changes are taking places on the inside or outside of their bodies.
God’s love is individual, intentional, and intimate.
The passage from Psalm 139 shows us that God put us together with a very intentional
purpose. God designed every part of our physical being. God loves us as we are because we
are exactly what he wants us to be. God saw us from the very beginning and has loved us
since that moment. He knows every part of us and created a plan for us.
I’d encourage you to talk with your teenager about this week’s lesson. Here are some
questions you might want to incorporate:
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How do you feel knowing that God—creator of the universe—created you?
What are some of the physical changes that might take place during your junior high
“season” of life? Are there any changes you’re really looking forward to—and any
that you’re really dreading?

Why is it important for you and your friends to have grace for one another knowing
that you are all going through some sort of physical change? What might happen if
you aren’t graceful?
I regularly pray for your family—and all the other families in our ministry. If I can help you
and your teenager as we walk through this series, please contact me!
MY CHANGES
Week 1: Physical Change
1. LESSON GUIDE
GETTING THINGS STARTED [optional]
You will need a few pennies, paper towels, paper plates, and vinegar for the opening
illustration. You can do this activity together as a group; however, this experiment does not
yield immediate results. So, it would be a good idea to also conduct this experiment 24
hours in advance so you have an example of the end result to show your students.
Welcome your students and invite them into your meeting area. Open in prayer, and then
jump into the activity below:
Gather your materials and follow the steps below:
1. Fold the paper towel a few times to get a bit of thickness.
2. Lay the paper towel on top of the saucer, and pour out some vinegar until it is
absorbed by the paper towel.
3. Place the penny on the paper towel and leave it there. Keep a check on the penny,
and observe the chemical reaction.
4. Because it will take your entire small group time before your students will see any
reaction, pull out the penny from the experiment you conducted the night before.
The copper in the penny reacts with the oxygen in the air to form the green-colored
copper oxide.
ASK:
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What kind of physical change did the penny go through?
How long do you think it took for the penny to undergo the change?
Is the penny now worth less than before, or does it just look different?
How is this experiment similar to or different from the physical changes everyone
experiences at puberty?
SAY SOMETHING LIKE: Right now you are in the middle of a process of transition—from a
kid to an adult. It’s God’s plan for you to experience physical change. As we watched the
penny make a physical change, it didn’t lose its worth; it just looks different once the
process is complete. The same is true for you. As your body experiences physical changes,
you will look a little different on the outside, but your value and worth remain the same in
God’s eyes. And don’t worry—you won’t start to rust until you get really old!
If you came up with an opening activity, movie clip, or game that worked well with your
group, and you’d like to share it with other youth workers, please email us at
[email protected].
TEACHING POINTS
The goal of the Teaching Points is to help students capture the essence of each lesson with
more discussion and less lecture-style teaching. The main points we have chosen here are
(1) God’s design is perfect, (2) This is just a season, and (3) You are not alone, but you are
not like everyone else.
Remember: All throughout these lessons, it’s up to you to choose (1) how many questions
you use, and (2) the wording of the main points—keep ours, or change the wording to make
it clearer for your audience.
Read Psalm 139:13-16 together as a group. Consider allowing one or more of the teenagers
to read the text.
SAY SOMETHING LIKE: Let’s take some time to talk about how God has designed each of us
to be unique and wonderfully complex. The physical changes that you go through in junior
high are part of the journey of becoming who God wants you to be.
1. God’s design is perfect
ASK:
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Think about an art project, a science project, or something else that you have
created recently. What kind of time and work and effort went into the creation of
that project?
Look at verse 13. How does this verse communicate that you are God’s perfect
design?
How do you feel knowing that God—creator of the universe—created you?
SAY SOMETHING LIKE: It is important to understand that the physical changes that you are
about to experience or are going through right now can be unpredictable and
uncomfortable. That’s why verse 13 can be so comforting. It is awesome to know and
understand that we were “knit” together by the master designer. God put us together piece
by piece. The changes that you are experiencing in your bodies are part of the process in
becoming the ultimate masterpiece that God envisioned.
2. This is just a season
ASK:
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Every year, we go through four seasons: spring, summer, fall, and winter. Which is
your favorite, and why?
What would life be like if one season lasted all year long? Why do we need all of the
seasons?
What are some of the physical changes that might take place during your junior high
“season” of life? Are there any changes you’re really looking forward to—and any
that you’re really dreading?
What happens when a season ends?
SAY SOMETHING LIKE: Even though we will all go through many physical changes in our
lifetime, the junior high season does seem particularly intense. Just know that this season
of change will end and a new one will begin. In all of these seasons God sees you as his
wonderful creation. The truth is, you’ll never stop changing physically until the day you die.
You simply move from one season to the next.
3. You are not alone, but you are not like everyone else
ASK:
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Raise your hand if you have experienced any kind of changes in your body or
appearance in the last year.
What is one thing that has changed about your body or appearance in the last year?
Is everyone in our group going through change?
Is everyone going through the exact same changes?
SAY SOMETHING LIKE: It’s easy to lump all “physical change” in the same pile. But in
reality, everyone is going through change in different ways and at a different pace. So,
while it’s great to know that you are not alone in what you are experiencing, try to avoid
comparing yourself to anyone else. God has made you unique from the person sitting next
to you, and it’s OK to be moving at your own speed. Besides, you really can’t control the
process—your body is going to develop at its own pace!
ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION [optional]
ASK:
 Read Psalm 100:3-5. What does this passage tell you about God’s love?

How does it make you feel to know that God’s love for you will never change?
SAY SOMETHING LIKE: God is a constant force. God’s love can endure through any change
you ever experience physically. When you are feeling up and down and all over the place,
remember that God’s love endures forever. God created you. God loves you—and that won’t
change.
APPLICATION
ASK:
 What are some ways that we can have grace for one another knowing that we are all
going through some sort of physical change?

Why is it important for us to have grace for one another? What might happen if we
aren’t graceful?
Ask each student to find a partner for these questions.
ASK:
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Working with your partner, come up with a list of ways you can encourage each
other as you go through changes.
How can the fact that God’s love is never changing help you when you are going
through change?
SUMMARY
End your small group lesson here. Provide your teenagers with a quick summary or takehome challenge based on (1) the content of this lesson, (2) the dialogue that took place
during the lesson, (3) your understanding of the issues and struggles your teenagers are
facing, and (4) the big picture of your youth ministry and what your leadership team wants
accomplished with the teaching and discussion time.
FOR KEEPS [MEMORY VERSE]
Encourage and/or challenge your teenagers to memorize the verse below.
Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the
sheep of his pasture (Psalm 100:3).