Hope you guys are having a good week so far, check out the new announcements because there are a few things I need you guys to think about and respond to.

- F2F – we’ll are in the middle of a series called Face 2 Face – this week we’ll be doing something a little different as we head back out to Inner City Mission to serve there. We’ll be leaving from the church at 1:30 PM and returning at 8 PM. We ask that you bring $10 if you can to help cover the cost of food. Join us and bring friends!
- Josh’s Jukebox Challenge – we’re having a little competition to see what kind of mix CDs you guys can come up with. You don’t have to pick what I like, the point of this is to hear some of the stuff that you like. You can pick a theme, a genre, whatever you want. We’ll be awarding prizes after I check out your mixes. Your entry into the competition has to be in by Sunday, September 14th. 1 Entry already received!
- Erin’s Book Club – if you are interested in reading through Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell with us on Thursday nights, let me know so that I can get you a book ordered. The cost will be $10.
- Inner City Mission - There will be an opportunity to hang out with the kids at ICM one Thursday night a month from 7:00 – 8:30 PM throughout the school year – if that is something that interests you, let me know.
- Joy Box – Our sacrificial offerings in the Joy Box will be going to Jump for Joel (www.jumpforjoel.org) to meet the needs of Gathiga Children's Hope Home in Gathiga, Kenya. Think about what you could sacrifice so that you could give money toward this cause.

September 2, 2008
Contents
1. Memorization - Verse of the Week
2. Something for Your Heart
3. Video of the Week
4. Surf Report
5. Forgettable Fact
6. Potent Quotables
7. Something Random

1. MEMORIZATION VERSE OF THE WEEK
John 15:13 (NLT) “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

2. SOMETHING FOR YOUR HEART
LIVING OUT LEADERSHIP FOR TODAY
Many of us think we'll make a difference "someday." It seems like we often live for "someday." We think things will be better next semester. Or, it'll be easier when we make it to the next grade. Or, we'll be happier if we just had more money or a nicer house. But I think God wants us to live for him today--not just wait for "someday."
Throughout history God has used kids to accomplish his purposes. Think about David--too young and too small for a job bigger and older men had turned down. Men would have passed him by, but God used him to slay a giant. Or what about Mary? She was just a teenager, but God chose her to be the mother of Jesus. God could have chosen Elizabeth--someone older and more experienced who really wanted to be a mother. Certainly, Elizabeth would have been more qualified by the local gossipers' standards. But Mary was God's choice. And what about the kid with the sack lunch? Instead of having the disciples go fishing or providing food for the massive crowd in another way, Jesus decided to share the lunch of a young boy with a crowd of 5,000.
I think God is still about using kids and proving to the world he is the one who decides the abilities and usefulness of people. Take my friend Leeland--a guy who started writing songs and leading his congregation in worship when he was just a kid. He's being used to lead a whole new generation in getting closer to God through worship and praise. God didn't check Leeland's ID to make sure he was old enough. God used him because Lee was willing, available, and passionate.
So if you're thinking God has to wait for "someday" to use you, think again. God wants to use you right now. You can be a leader in your sphere of influence. You can lead in your school by speaking up when someone's being mistreated, or remaining silent when you're tempted to say something derogatory or hurtful. You can lead by befriending kids who are having a tough time, or not becoming arrogant or creating a clique because of your popularity. You can lead by setting a good example of character and solid morals by abstaining from sex and substances that harm your body. The qualities of a good leader are discernment (knowing when enough is enough), wisdom (applying biblical truth to everyday situations), confidence (not cockiness), and determination (stick-to-itiveness).
The Bible doesn't say you need to be a certain age to be a leader. In fact, 1 Timothy 4:12 says, "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity." Pretty amazing that God is saying young people should be the ones who set the example for others. It's important to know also that, as a leader, there is more expected from you. God actually judges leaders more harshly than he judges followers, because they have assumed positions as guides. There might be some junk in your life you need to clean up so you have credibility as a leader. It can help if you have someone older and more mature in your life who can help you deal with those rough spots. If you'll allow this person to be truthful with you about your flaws and weaknesses, and help you encounter God's grace for those areas, you'll grow closer to God in the process. Be willing to learn from those with more experience, so you'll be able to lead others in the right direction.
**
Taken from "Be The Change" by Zach Hunter, copyright 2007 Youth Specialties/Zondervan. Used by permission. Order the book here:
http://www.youthspecialties.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=326
**

3. VIDEO OF THE WEEK
It’s an election year, many of you guys don’t care too much about that since most of you can’t really vote yet but this is important stuff and this election will have an impact on your daily lives for at least the next four years. Donald Miller (author of Blue Like Jazz) was recently asked to pray at the Democratic National Convention and I think his prayer hits on a lot of important things we need to be thinking about and praying about when it comes to the world of politics and government.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b79m3fJfmuA
* If you know a good video and want to share it, let me know.
4. SURF REPORT
~ Planet Wisdom Daily Devotionals
http://planetwisdom.com/devotional/
~ Planet Wisdom Forums – Christian teen talk
http://cafe.planetwisdom.com/tc/v312/ikonboard.cgi
5. FORGETTABLE FACT
315 entries in Webster's 1996 dictionary were misspelled.

6. POTENT QUOTABLES
"When the character of a man is not clear to you, look at his friends."
~ Japanese proverb
"Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live."
~ Oscar Wilde

7. SOMETHING RANDOM
Q: What do you call spending the afternoon with a cranky rabbit?
A: A bad hare day.
Not even close…just for the record folks, I don’t come up with these something random deals – haha

Grace and Peace to you, have a great week. josh

copyright 2008 :: Youth Specialties

Hope you guys are having a good week so far, check out the new announcements because there are a few things I need you guys to think about and respond to.

- F2F – we’ll continue our series called Face 2 Face this Sunday and talk about our relationships with others. NEW TIME - WE’LL BE MEETING FROM 3:30 to 5:30 PM EVERY WEEK!
- Josh’s Jukebox Challenge – we’re having a little competition to see what kind of mix CDs you guys can come up with. You don’t have to pick what I like, the point of this is to hear some of the stuff that you like. You can pick a theme, a genre, whatever you want. We’ll be awarding prizes after I check out your mixes. Your entry into the competition has to be in by Sunday, September 14th.
- Hanging out with Kids – Central is going to be hosting a financial class for adults on Sunday evenings and I need some volunteers to help me play games with kids while that is going on – I only need 3 or 4 each week, so if you volunteer you wouldn’t have to do it every week. It begins this Sunday, let me know if you’re interested.
- Erin’s Book Club – if you are interested in reading through Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell with us on Thursday nights, let me know so that I can get you a book ordered. The cost will be $10.
- Inner City Mission - September 7th – for F2F we’ll be going back to ICM to hang out with kids, do some work projects, and eating together. The cost of this will be $10 again to pay for food. There will be an opportunity to hang out with the kids at ICM one Thursday night a month from 7:00 – 8:30 PM – if that is something that interests let me know.
- Joy Box – Our sacrificial offerings in the Joy Box will be going to Jump for Joel (www.jumpforjoel.org) to meet the needs of Gathiga Children's Hope Home in Gathiga, Kenya. Think about what you could sacrifice so that you could give money toward this cause.

August 26, 2008
Contents
1. Memorization - Verse of the Week
2. Something for Your Heart
3. Video of the Week
4. Surf Report
5. Forgettable Fact
6. Potent Quotables
7. Something Random

1. MEMORIZATION VERSE OF THE WEEK
Romans 12:4-5 “Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”

2. SOMETHING FOR YOUR HEART
My dad and I had been working outside all Saturday morning. My father loves to prune trees and bushes, and on our three acres there were plenty of trees and bushes to clip.
On this particular Saturday morning, I'd been recruited to help my dad--whether I liked it or not. My job was to deliver wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow full of clippings to the dumpster. The piles seemed endless to me. And my father had no intention of stopping. Needless to say, I was less than thrilled about spending my Saturday doing yard work.
When the dumpster was full, I assumed we were done for the day. So when my dad moved on to another tree, my blood started to boil.
"Let's take a break for a moment," my father finally suggested. As we sat in the shade, my dad started giving me a hard time about my attitude. He knew I wasn't happy, but his feeble attempts to cheer me up only fueled my frustration. Then something bad happened.
My dad started mimicking my pouting face, and I decided I'd had enough. In the heat of the moment, I did something I'd never done before--and have never done since. I punched my father--right in the chest.
He was stunned. I was stunned. Hitting was unacceptable in my family. Where had my violent outburst come from? I didn't pause to wonder. Instead, I started running. And my dad started running after me.
My dad hadn't chased me since I was in elementary school, but I remembered that I'd never been able to get away from him. He always caught me. But things had changed since then. Now I was 15 years old, and my dad was also much older. And I was on the track and field team at my high school.
I sprinted across our three acres to a corner of the property furthest from our house. I didn't look back because I was afraid that if I did, I'd see my dad's arm reaching out to grab me. But when I got to the fence at the back of the property, I had no choice. I was out of options. So I turned around to find that my dad was...not even close to me.
He was about an acre away, hunched over, and huffing and puffing. I had outrun my father.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, I couldn't help smiling. I'd beaten my dad! All my life, he'd won every competition we'd ever had. Board games, tennis, basketball--he beat me at everything. Finally, though, the tables had turned. I'd beaten him at something.
My dad stood up, smiled at me, and waved as I did a little victory dance. And that made me reconsider my situation. Why had my dad smiled at me? Why did he walk back to the house?
I sat down on a clump of grass and reviewed my circumstances. I had won; he had lost. But I was sitting alone in the field, and he was in the house! I knew at some point I was going to have to face him. I couldn't stay in the field all day...or could I?
My dad had smiled because he knew I'd have to return home eventually. And then I'd have to deal with the consequences of my actions. I learned the hard way that in a battle between parent and kid, there's rarely a clear-cut winner. I hope I can offer you some chunks of wisdom to help you in your relationship with your parents...
At some point most students will have to deal with tough times in their relationships with their parents. And when a serious conflict occurs, it can have a huge impact on your life. It can affect every other relationship you have. It can cause you to doubt yourself. It can make you question everything you thought you could take for granted. Like it or not, the way you deal with your parents will become a cornerstone of the rest of your life.
For all of its importance, though, I've found that students aren't very interested in hearing about how to get along with their parents. They'd much rather hear God's wisdom regarding sex and dating, or movies and music, or making money.
Why is there so little interest in an issue as important or vital as your first--and probably longest-lasting--relationship? For one thing, most students believe they're doing just fine with their moms and dads, thankyouverymuch. Recent surveys reveal that teenagers and parents are pretty happy together, for the most part. Despite the fact that most students will go through a rough time with the 'rents, the majority say they're in an okay place at any given moment. So why talk about fixing what seemingly isn't broken? For starters, being "okay" isn't always the same thing as living wisely in relation to our parents--but we'll cover more on that later.
On the other side of the coin, many students who are currently on the outs with Mom and Dad don't want to hear me talk about God's wisdom on the issue because they're convinced they already know what I'm going to say:
"Your parents are right. You're wrong. So be quiet and do what they say."
Actually, that's not what I say--but there will be more on that subject a little later as well.
Please understand me: This book is NOT about getting you to fall in line and be a good little soldier in your parents' army. It's NOT about trying to fix your behavior issues at home. It's NOT about convincing you that your parents are right about everything. It's NOT about making you believe it's all your problem if you have an issue with your folks...
We live in a time when people have more access to information than at any other point in the planet's history. The Internet has changed everything. You can know whatever there is to know about any given topic at any hour of any day...
Wisdom isn't information. It isn't raw knowledge. Wisdom is the ability to take all of the data--all of the input--and make some sense of it. Wisdom is the ability to hold on to information and use it to make good choices--choices that matter. Put enough wise choices together, and you'll find yourself standing knee-deep in a life worth living--instead of just floating along on an ocean of confusing ideas and possibilities. More than ever, people need wisdom--and we need it right now...
Learning God's wisdom is the key to understanding...everything. That includes your parents. You need God's wisdom to figure out how your relationship with Mom and Dad is supposed to work now that you're no longer a kid, but you're not quite an adult either. You need God's wisdom to figure out how to honor and obey Mom and Dad while you're also breaking away from them.
You'll be surprised by some of the things I call wisdom. Some readers will discover they need to listen to their parents LESS. Some will discover extremely effective strategies for getting their folks to give them MORE freedom. And a few will realize they can use their parents' most glaring weaknesses to make life better in the long run.
Becoming wise about your relationship with Mom and Dad will be a lot easier if you can find some empathy (or the ability to feel what they feel) for them...
**
Taken from "Wisdom On...Getting Along with Parents" by Mark Matlock, copyright 2008 Youth Specialties/Zondervan. Used by permission. Order the book here:
http://www.youthspecialties.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=432
**

3. VIDEO OF THE WEEK
Improv Everywhere is awesome.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSBXS1npqNI
* If you know a good video and want to share it, let me know.
4. SURF REPORT
~ PlanetWisdom: Find reviews, forums, devotionals and more!
http://planetwisdom.com/

~ YourSphere: a creative outlet by, about, and for youth
http://yoursphere.com/
5. FORGETTABLE FACT
More than 50% of the people in the world have never made or received a telephone call.

6. POTENT QUOTABLES
"I like a teacher who gives you something to take home to think about besides homework."
~ Edith Ann
"Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything one learned in school."
~ Albert Einstein

7. SOMETHING RANDOM
Q: What is the main greatest use of cowhides?
A: To hold the cows together.
hmm…

Grace and Peace to you, have a great week. josh

copyright 2008 :: Youth Specialties

Howdy my folks. Summer is sadly coming to an end. Join us this Sunday as we get back into meeting weekly at Central (we’ll start at 3:30 PM).

- F2F –
Summer Schedule
- August 24th – we’ll start our Fall schedule with a new series called Face 2 Face (creative, right?). NEW TIME though, WE’LL BE MEETING FROM 3:30 to 5:30 PM EVERY WEEK!
- Joy Box – Our sacrificial offerings in the Joy Box will be going to Jump for Joel (www.jumpforjoel.org) to meet the needs of Gathiga Children's Hope Home in Gathiga, Kenya. Think about what you could sacrifice so that you could give money toward this cause.

August 18, 2008
Contents
1. Memorization - Verse of the Week
2. Something for Your Heart
3. Video of the Week
4. Surf Report
5. Forgettable Fact
6. Potent Quotables
7. Something Random

1. MEMORIZATION VERSE OF THE WEEK
“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

2. SOMETHING FOR YOUR HEART
JOHN THE BAPTIST: FADE TO BLACK
MOOD: CALM
JOHN 3:23-36
23 John was up the river in Aenon holdin' classes close to Salim where the water was high, baptizing the masses. Multitudes of souls took this passage despite the traffic 'cause it stayed congested...
24 (back before John got arrested).
25 And just at that time a controversy started to brew between John's Taliban & certain established Jews on the practice of baptism--does it really make one pure? But this was just a contentious ploy for sure to lure John's men into debate, and some of his disciples took the bait.
26 Agitated at these religious ingrates, they approached John and said, "Sensei, you recall the other day at the Jordan the one who came to you & you proclaimed him the Lord? Well, now he's starting to draw numbers in abundance; it's getting redundant. If he keeps blowin' up like this, we're headed for sunset, and we don't feel we're done yet."
27 John sensed panic & calmed their hysteria. "I'm tellin' ya-- there's really no need to worry here; and if he's blowing up like you say he is, then right in the middle of God's will is where we are & besides, no man of his own clout stands superior. If he's a cut above the rest, I suggest he's heaven blessed.
28 "You all can attest that I never said I was all that! ‘Just the forerunner for the number-one Son o' wonders.'
29 "The one who gets to vow out the nuptials: See, that's the groom, but the best man is just happy to be in the same room & see true love bloom. In this my joy is full--just to see him jump that broom.
30 "His decibels have to be raised to the max, till volume is full blast. But I've got to fade to black.
31 "He who's from the throne is in a league of his own; can't compare the spiritual against the flesh & the bone. It's phantasm deeper than I could imagine or fathom 'cause we descended from Adam, so there's no crossing the chasm.
32 "But now then the holy Skywalker is talking, testifying what he's seen and heard--but man objects his words, treatin' his verbs like a tabloid plot.
33 "But he who sees his thesis and receives it has set his faith on lock that God is real--signed & sealed...is you feelin' me?
34 "God's emissary speaks his King's tongue in fluency--fluently w/o truancy or impunity is the Spirit measured out on him w/ all gratuity.
35 "You must see its mad affinity in the Trinity; and the Father's ordered all things to the Son--it's the dynasty of divinity.
36 "No amenities to this absolute truth: Believeth on the Son & it's done--death can't touch you. But such of you fools who refute & refuse his rules won't see the life of God, but the side that is cruel: You lose."
SAY WHAT?
John 3:25--The word "taliban"undoubtedly evokes many negative connotations, but did you know its original meaning in Arabic is "student" or "students"? This shouldn't surprise you; many words in the English language first meant for good also have been twisted around for negative purposes--so make sure you take regular peeks into the dictionary so you know the history behind the words you speak! In this verse, the context is "students"--those followers of John the Baptist who'd soon be introduced to the greatest Teacher ever.
DEVOTIONAL
"It was never about you." All that you do is for his purpose. Good performers know how to make a memorable entrance onstage. The greatest performers, however, also know how to make a good exit. They can sense when it's time to step off the stage, even if it's while the crowd is crying out for more. John the Baptist recognizes his own curtain call is approaching after he introduces Jesus. The words he was no doubt born to shout--"Behold the Lamb of God!"--also mean, "It's my time to go now." John captures it when says, "He [Jesus] must increase, and I must decrease." John's able to let go of the spotlight because he's made peace with the full picture, realizing it was never really about him--but we're all here to do what we do and then move on. I'm sure John, at the end of his life, could look back and smile, saying, "I had only one chance--and I lived out loud with all of my heart, and I have no regrets."
FADE TO BLACK
- Can you identify anything in your life that might stop you from living with no regrets?
- When it's your time to fade to black, what type of memories would you like to leave?
- In which areas in your life do you sense that you must decrease and God must increase?
BREATHE OUT: REMIX IT
Write out John 3:27-30 in your own words. Describe three different emotions you can imagine John experiencing as he comes to this conclusion that it's his time to "fade to black." Then journal about a time when you've felt those same emotions.
**
Taken from "The Script" by Fred Lynch, copyright 2008 Youth Specialties/Zondervan. Used by permission. Order the book here:
http://www.youthspecialties.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=426
**

3. VIDEO OF THE WEEK
Check out this scuba diving cat and his friend the scuba diving dog.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SN1VcgRrEM8
* If you know a good video and want to share it, let me know.
4. SURF REPORT
~ DCLA2009: Check out this amazing event for students.
http://dcla2009.com/

~ Young Writers Society: Chat, Blog, Create, and Write!
http://www.youngwriterssociety.com/

5. FORGETTABLE FACT
The Atlantic Ocean is saltier than the Pacific Ocean.

6. POTENT QUOTABLES
"Faith is a living and unshakable confidence. a belief in God so assured that a man would die a thousand deaths for its sake."
~ Martin Luther
"Never think that God's delays are God's denials. Hold on! hold fast! hold out! Patience is genius."
~ Georges L.L. de Buffon

7. SOMETHING RANDOM
Teacher: Can someone give me a sentence using the word "archaic" in it?
Student: We can't have "archaic" and eat it too.
Welp…

Grace and Peace to you, have a great week. josh

copyright 2008 :: Youth Specialties

Hello everybody, running a little late with this…

- F2F –
Summer Schedule
- August 17th – Powerlight Festival at the fair. Feel free to go out whenever you’d like, we’ll meet as a group for Capital Lights at 6 PM and some people will stay until Pillar finishes playing around 10 PM.
- August 24th – we’ll start our Fall schedule with a new series called Face 2 Face (creative, right?). NEW TIME though, WE’LL BE MEETING FROM 3:30 to 5:30 PM EVERY WEEK!
- Erin’s Book Club – we’re reading through Shane Claiborne’s Irresistible Revolution and having a great time doing it – if you feel like you’re missing out, we plan to start a new book in the fall.
- Joy Box – Our sacrificial offerings in the Joy Box will be going to Jump for Joel (www.jumpforjoel.org) to meet the needs of Gathiga Children's Hope Home in Gathiga, Kenya. Think about what you could sacrifice so that you could give money toward this cause.

August 15, 2008
Contents
1. Memorization - Verse of the Week
2. Something for Your Heart
3. Video of the Week
4. Surf Report
5. Forgettable Fact
6. Potent Quotables
7. Something Random

1. MEMORIZATION VERSE OF THE WEEK
Romans 10:12-23 “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."

2. SOMETHING FOR YOUR HEART
WHAT TIME IS IT?
I heard a story about a man who learned his father had just died. The man reacted to the news in a rather unusual way. He tried to ignore it--to pretend it didn't happen. Why? He wanted to be in a productive, joyful season. He wanted his life during that time to be about good things. He didn't want his time to be about loss and sadness and grieving. Try as he might, though, he couldn't make his plan work. He couldn't postpone his grief. He eventually had to break down and submit to the season he was in.
King David knew what he was talking about when he told God: "My times are in your hands" (Psalm 31:15). We don't control our times. We have little say over the season of life we live in or how long it lasts. David's son Solomon used every bit of his God-given wisdom when he wrote these words in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8--
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
An essential element in using our time wisely is recognizing the season in which God has placed us and embracing it. For example, a person shouldn't expect life to be full of wild celebrations in a season of mourning. On the flip side, it's a shame when people miss a season of good times because they're too busy thinking about all the sad things in life.
If you're an unmarried person, God's Word says you should view your present life as a season to "refrain from embracing" (having sex). Then when you become a newlywed, it's time to enjoy your season of "embracing."
We must all submit to the God who determines our times. Our moments are in his hands. It's pointless to say, "I will reject God because this is not a season of laughing or dancing or peace or building." The only wise option is to ask God to help us live wisely in whatever season we find ourselves--to help us make the most of it--because soon enough it will pass, and then we'll find ourselves in a different season.
SELF-EVALUATION
Ask yourself: What season am I in right now? Read through Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 again. Which of those times best describes your current circumstances?
Now that you've identified your season, ask God to help you understand how to live wisely in that time. Ask him to help you recognize your personal season and make the most of your hours and days for as long as your life lasts.
**
Taken from "Wisdom on... Time and Money" by Mark Matlock, copyright 2008 Youth Specialties/Zondervan. Used by permission. Order the book here:
http://www.youthspecialties.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=411
**

3. VIDEO OF THE WEEK
For the second week in a row:
Heartwarming story of a lion who likes to hug it out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7VkiL_PW6U
* If you know a good video and want to share it, let me know.

4. SURF REPORT
~ BREATHEcast: Find Christian music, videos, artist interviews, and more
http://www.breathecast.com/

~ Back to School Prayers: It'll be that time again soon. Get your heart ready...
http://www.christianitytoday.com/cl/2004/004/12.72.html

~ Mark Matlock's Blog: Check out the blog from the author of today's excerpt
http://planetwisdom.com/marksblog/

5. FORGETTABLE FACT
Pollen can travel up to 500 miles in a day.

6. POTENT QUOTABLES
"If you want to be happy, be."
~ Leo Tolstoy
"The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up."
~ Mark Twain

7. SOMETHING RANDOM
Q: What is it that looks like an elephant and flies?
A: A flying elephant.
umm…yeah

Grace and Peace to you, have a great week. josh

copyright 2008 :: Youth Specialties

Hi guys, hope you’re enjoying the heat. Read below to find out more about whats happening these days…

- F2F –
Summer Schedule
- August 10th – Meeting at the church from 4 to 7 PM. Grant will be teaching and then we’ll be playing some broomball.
- August 17th – Powerlight Festival at the fair. Feel free to go out whenever you’d like, we’ll meet as a group for Capital Lights at 6 PM and some people will stay until Pillar finishes playing at 10 PM.
- August 24th – we’ll start our Fall schedule with a new series called Face 2 Face (creative, right?). NEW TIME though, WE’LL BE MEETING FROM 3:30 to 5:30 PM EVERY WEEK!
- Erin’s Book Club – we’re reading through Shane Claiborne’s Irresistible Revolution and having a great time doing it – if you feel like you’re missing out, we pland to start a new book in the fall.
- Joy Box – Our sacrificial offerings in the Joy Box will be going to Jump for Joel (www.jumpforjoel.org) to meet the needs of Gathiga Children's Hope Home in Gathiga, Kenya. Think about what you could sacrifice so that you could give money toward this cause.

August 4, 2008
Contents
1. Memorization - Verse of the Week
2. Something for Your Heart
3. Video of the Week
4. Surf Report
5. Forgettable Fact
6. Potent Quotables
7. Something Random

1. MEMORIZATION VERSE OF THE WEEK
Philippians 2:3-4 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

2. SOMETHING FOR YOUR HEART
CHARACTER VERSUS SKILLS
There are those who say leadership is about your character or who you are, while others say leadership is defined by your skills or what you do.
People who defend the first perspective point out the importance of integrity, charisma, and other internal characteristics. They say who you are affects what you do. A perfect example is Mother Teresa. She's remembered as one of the most respected and influential women of the twentieth century solely based on her ability to live out her personal convictions. Did she possess a strong, commanding persona? Did she influence people with her charm and charisma? Not at all! She was a quiet, soft-spoken little woman who was ordinary on the outside. Nevertheless, she influenced thousands to minister to the poor and dying of Calcutta and places like it around the world. The strength of her character made her an incredible leader.
On the other side, there are many who believe the quality of one's leadership is determined by one's leadership skills. This is where powers of communication, persuasion, knowledge, and experience come in. Former President Bill Clinton is a great example of one who is seen as a great leader because of his skills. He is said to be an incredible listener, remarkably skilled at remembering detail, persuasive, and highly intelligent. He attained the highest position of leadership in the world, mostly due to his skills in the area of leadership, yet spurred a national debate on the importance of a leader's character. Many people thought Clinton's private moral failures were irrelevant to his position as the leader of this country--essentially that his heart attitude wasn't important. Those people contend that Clinton was elected for his skill, not his heart. Others believe his character was totally relevant to his ability to command respect as a leader. So who is right? I believe the answer is found in a verse that will be foundational to your study of leadership: "And David shepherded them with integrity of heart, with skillful hands he led them" (Psalm 78:72).
For years the secular leadership community has argued about the values of skill and character. Volumes have been written in dozens and dozens of leadership books expounding on the importance of one or the other. But the greatest manual on leadership was written thousands of years ago, and it contains about every answer to about every question you could ever ask about the topic! The Bible contains at least 170 direct references to leading and many more stories that illustrate leadership--both good and bad examples. So how does God's Word define leadership? According to Psalm 78:72, good leadership requires both integrity of heart and skill, in equal measure. What comes to mind when you think of the word "integrity?" Most of us leap to words such as "honesty" or phrases such as "man of his word." Those are good definitions, but integrity literally means "to integrate" or bring many parts together.
Having integrity of heart means bringing together all the parts of who you are. It means having one "self"--being the same person whether you are alone or in a crowd, at school or with your family. As you will discover in the next few chapters, there are many parts to your self.
News Flash: You have a distinct, unique personality and temperament. You have a unique pathway in which you relate to God. Your experiences and influences have uniquely shaped you. You have physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual parts of your self. Understanding these things and bringing them into unity is key to having what we call integrity of heart.
David had integrity of heart. I want integrity of heart--and I believe you do, too. The journey takes effort, perseverance, and much courage; but as David's life shows us, the results are very much worth the effort.
SKILLFUL HANDS
In our quest to grow in very important heart issues, it's also important to recognize the necessity of basic leadership skills. Throughout his lifetime David's leadership was challenged by his skills in five major areas: listening, communicating, managing conflict, learning from failure, and raising up other leaders. Many godly leaders have suffered through unnecessary failures of leadership due to poor skills, especially in these key areas. There are, of course, many other skills that leaders must develop as well, but I'm convinced that mastery of the "big five" is absolutely essential for any leader's true success.
HEART TO HANDS
It's no accident that in Psalm 78:72 "heart "comes before "skill". The Hebrew word "leb "(pronounced "lave") means "heart." The literal translation is "the source of man." A person's "leb" is the source of her passions, knowledge, and character. It's kind of like the spring that feeds the river that runs into the oceans. If you pollute the spring, then all the water flowing out of it will also be polluted. Are you familiar with Proverbs 4:23? "Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do" (NLT). Even the most skilled leader will be ineffective--or worse, destructive--when the heart is allowed to turn from God. Adolf Hitler was a powerfully influential leader who changed the history of the world, but his evil heart determined the course of his leadership. Can you imagine how many people's lives would be radically different today if Hitler had led with integrity of heart?
What other characteristics or skills should a good leader possess?
Here you will find a list of words that describe some characteristics of a good leader. Identify whether the word describes an attribute of the heart, the hands (a skill), or both, and then rate yourself on how much you possess that particular trait.
**
Taken from "Leadership 101" by Denise VanEck, copyright 2005 Youth Specialties/Zondervan. Used by permission. Order the book here:
http://www.youthspecialties.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=188
**

3. VIDEO OF THE WEEK
Heartwarming story of a lion who likes to hug it out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7VkiL_PW6U
* If you know a good video and want to share it, let me know.
4. SURF REPORT
~ Survey: Our friends at Zondervan want to know what you think about young adult fiction. Take this survey to help them out.
http://www.surveysoftware.net/hostzv/amish.htm
~ PlanetWisdom Discussion Forum: Talk about stuff that matters
http://cafe.planetwisdom.com/tc/v312/ikonboard.cgi
5. FORGETTABLE FACT
It was illegal to sell E.T. dolls in France because there is a law against selling dolls without human faces.

6. POTENT QUOTABLES
"Heaven must be in me before I can be in heaven."
~ Charles Stanford
"Faith is to believe what you do not yet see; the reward for this faith is to see what you believe."
~ Saint Augustine

7. SOMETHING RANDOM
Q: What kinds of horses go out after dark?
A: Nightmares
umm…yeah

Grace and Peace to you, have a great week. josh

copyright 2008 :: Youth Specialties

For those of you who couldn’t make it to Inner City Mission yesterday – you missed an awesome time! Don’t worry though, we’ll be going back soon. I’m in New York this week so if you need me for anything don’t bother me – haha – just kidding, shoot me a text because I won’t be checking email much. I hope you have an awesome week!

- F2F –
Summer Schedule
- August 3rd – Welcome Home Seth Swimming Party at the Martin’s! 5 to 8 PM.
- August 10th – Meeting at the church from 4 to 7 PM. Grant will be teaching and then we’ll be playing some broomball.
- August 17th – Powerlight Festival at the fair. Feel free to go out whenever you’d like, we’ll meet as a group for Capital Lights at 6 PM and some people will stay until Pillar finishes playing at 10 PM.
- August 24th – we’ll start our Fall schedule with a new series called Face 2 Face (creative, right?). NEW TIME though, WE’LL BE MEETING FROM 3:30 to 5:30 PM EVERY WEEK!
- Erin’s Book Club – we’re reading through Shane Claiborne’s Irresistible Revolution and having a great time doing it – if you feel like you’re missing out, it’s not too late to join the group, just let us know.
- Joy Box – Our sacrificial offerings in the Joy Box will be going to Jump for Joel (www.jumpforjoel.org) to meet the needs of Gathiga Children's Hope Home in Gathiga, Kenya. Think about what you could sacrifice so that you could give money toward this cause.

July 28, 2008
Contents
1. Memorization - Verse of the Week
2. Something for Your Heart
3. Video of the Week
4. Surf Report
5. Forgettable Fact
6. Potent Quotables
7. Something Random

1. MEMORIZATION VERSE OF THE WEEK
Matthew 25:34-40 "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'”

2. SOMETHING FOR YOUR HEART
WHAT IS ABSOLUTE TRUTH?

In formal discussion groups with students, I've asked them to define "absolute truth" as a group. I approach the whiteboard with marker in hand, ready to scribble down their profound answers.
"What," I ask, "is absolute truth?"
"When you think that...um, when..." This student's thought trails off, and he looks at the ceiling with a sigh.
"Reality."
"What you like."
"What you believe."
Then I turn to the adults in the group and ask the same question.
One leader remarks, "When what you think is true?"
Oops. We can't use the word we're defining as part of the definition. That's like defining sailing as, er, "to sail."
I've had adult leaders approach me and admit that students don't know how to define truth because their teachers don't know much about it, either.
I hope you feel a bit relieved by that. It's hard to believe in something if you don't even know what it is. It may not be your fault.
But you're still responsible to know what it is.
I'm confident that most teachers affirm absolute truth, even though they can't define it. They have a sense of what it is; however, that sense is not often clear enough to pass on to the next generation--your generation. Is there any wonder why students today don't know how to answer the question of whether or not there is absolute truth? We simply don't know what it is.
The definition of truth is quite simple, but it takes some thinking. Like the rules of tennis, truth is simple to understand. But you have to pay attention to start getting it. And no matter who you are, whether you're an A student or a D student, you can understand this and use it in your everyday world:
"Truth is an idea or a belief about something that shows up in the real world."
Or to put it another way, "truth is when an idea reflects the way the world really is."
Or to put it another way, "truth is an idea or a belief that is a fact."
Or more philosophically speaking--"truth is a proposition that corresponds to reality."
Whew, there's the definition! All of these say pretty much the same thing, just in different ways. Now reread these definitions to make sure you've got it in your head.
TRUTH EXAMPLES
Suppose I'm looking for my car keys. I usually have a hard time putting them in the same place twice. My wife, Jonalyn, set up a system in our home where the keys go in the key box near the door. But I keep forgetting about that system, and I only remember it when my keys are lost.
So I'm still looking for my car keys.
Upon walking into my study, I suddenly see the keys sitting on my desk. I see the keys. I now have the idea that the keys are sitting on the desk. Because the idea that the keys are sitting on the desk accurately reflects the fact that the keys are on the desk, I now have truth. My idea mirrors the way things are. My idea links with the facts, just as a rock climber links his carabiner with the piton drilled into the side of the mountain.
Suppose I'm planning to drive to Gino's Pizza in Laguna Beach. Unsure of where the restaurant is located, I go online and print out the directions. Then I follow every turn, and I arrive at the pizza place precisely as the map directs me. The map was true because the map reflects the way the roads really are.
Many times, however, those online maps have led me astray, and I've had to stop at gas stations to ask for the proper directions. In those moments, we'd probably call the map false. Why? Because it does not reflect the way the roads really are. (And my friends ate all the pizza because I was late.)
Since we're using the topic of driving, let's suppose my Jeep is in the shop for a flat tire. A few hours pass before I receive a phone call from my mechanic who says the work is complete.
Suddenly, a new idea comes into my mind that I have a repaired tire on my truck. I haven't actually seen the tire. I only have the idea of this repaired tire because my mechanic told me about it. My wife drives me to the shop. I pay the bill, take my keys, and go to my Jeep. I look down at the wheel sporting a freshly repaired tire. In that instant, the idea that my tire was repaired corresponds with the real repaired tire I'm looking at. In that moment--when my belief about the tire and the real tire link up together--I experience truth.
Truth is all about the content of ideas linking with the way the world is.
If this still isn't clear, go back a few paragraphs, read the examples again, and see if it doesn't make a little more sense to you.
The goal of this chapter (like all important things) is not for us to complete it quickly, but to understand it well. Give yourself the freedom to take your time on it. And always be willing to reread.
TRUTH IN ROMANCE
When Jonalyn first caught my eye, it was because she let her hair down--literally. She usually hid those beautiful, thick, brown curls by wearing her hair up. But one evening she let her hair down, and it caught my attention.
That's when I started talking with her more and sending e-mails to her.
I was getting the impression she liked me, too. I mean, after all, do people keep writing you back and calling you on the phone if they don't?
My belief that she liked me continued to grow, until one day I asked her to be my girlfriend. It took her a couple days to reply (and I felt as though I were dangling on the edge of a cliff), but she finally said yes.
In that moment of excitement, something happened (besides sparks flying). Truth happened. My belief that she liked me linked up with the reality that she did like me. I was a lucky guy.
Truth is everywhere, like the air we breathe. Even in our dating lives.
So let's review here: "Truth is when an idea links up with the real world." Such as those times when I found my keys, realized my tire was repaired, and discovered that my belief that Jonalyn liked me actually reflected the fact that she really did like me.
This definition of truth is so important--I cannot stress it enough. Burn the concept into your mind.
**
Taken from "Living with Questions" by Dale Fincher, copyright 2007 Youth Specialties/Zondervan. Used by permission. Order the book here:http://www.youthspecialties.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=356
**

3. VIDEO OF THE WEEK
Did you hear about the Peoria Chiefs making national news?
- for almost killing fans
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgHFusHUc58
* If you know a good video and want to share it, let me know.
4. SURF REPORT
~ Love, Sex, and Dating Advice from Campus Life's Ignitehttp://www.christianitytoday.com/teens/features/love.html
~ College: As Seen on TV
http://www.christianitytoday.com/cl/2008/002/11.16.html
5. FORGETTABLE FACT
At birth, a panda bear is smaller than a mouse.

6. POTENT QUOTABLES
"Life is an adventure in forgiveness."
~ Norman Cousins
"The fewer the words, the better the prayer."
~ Martin Luther

7. SOMETHING RANDOM
Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, "I think I'll squeeze these dangly things here and drink what comes out"?
that’s a good question

Grace and Peace to you, have a great week. josh

copyright 2008 :: Youth Specialties

Hey everybody, good job at capture the flag yesterday – you made me proud. I hope you have a great week.

- F2F –
Summer Schedule
-July 27th – 8 PM Friday through 1 PM Sunday , serving at Inner City Mission in Springfield, IL. This will be a great chance to serve and love people in need. We will be doing small projects around the mission and building relationships with the people there.
*** Email me and let me know if you’d like to sign up for this event. Cost is $10.
- August 3rd – Welcome Home Seth Swimming Party at the Martin’s! 5 to 8 PM.
- Erin’s Book Club – we’re reading through Shane Claiborne’s Irresistible Revolution and having a great time doing it – if you feel like you’re missing out, it’s not too late to join the group, just let us know.
- Joy Box – Our sacrificial offerings in the Joy Box will be going to Jump for Joel (www.jumpforjoel.org) to meet the needs of Gathiga Children's Hope Home in Gathiga, Kenya. Think about what you could sacrifice so that you could give money toward this cause.

July 21, 2008
Contents
1. Memorization - Verse of the Week
2. Something for Your Heart
3. Video of the Week
4. Surf Report
5. Forgettable Fact
6. Potent Quotables
7. Something Random

1. MEMORIZATION VERSE OF THE WEEK
Romans 12:9-10 “Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is
good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another
in showing honor.”

2. SOMETHING FOR YOUR HEART
DO-IT-YOURSELF SPIRITUALITY
Increasingly, people seeking religious input draw more from the Internet than from church history, more from their own intuition than formal study. When you wed the American independent streak with a postmodern skepticism toward institutions, you set the stage for what theologians call syncretism, which is the blending of elements from various faiths into a new form of spirituality. Like grazing at the buffet table at an all-you-can eat cafeteria, syncretists adopt doctrines that seem appropriate to them and leave behind others they regard as offensive or outdated. What emerges is a Jesus customized for their worldview--a designer Jesus.
A 2005 survey by CBS disclosed that 36 percent of Americans combine the teachings of more than one religion into their own faith. Thus, Los Angeles Lakers basketball coach Phil Jackson calls himself "a Zen Christian," while a well-known actress once identified herself as a Christian who is "into goddess worship." One Presbyterian minister described how he was taken aback when a woman introduced herself to him by saying, "I'm a Presbyterian Buddhist."
The attitude of many Americans is that they like Jesus but not the church, which they see as exclusionary, condemning, intolerant, and intent on strapping people into a straitjacket of rigid beliefs. But the Jesus they like may look very different from the historical Jesus. If the traditional church imagines Jesus as a finely painted portrait, then syncretists often render him as abstract art--many times to the point where he's unrecognizable from the Jesus of ancient creeds.
For syncretists, that's okay. Many of them find their Jesus more satisfying than the judgmental Jesus they learned about in Sunday school. Besides, they assert, who's to say which Jesus is more "real" than the others? If history is all based on someone's interpretation, they reason, then nobody can be certain who Jesus was and what he taught anyway. In this age when "you have your truth, and I have mine," the important issue becomes what "works" for each individual life.
INTERVIEW #6: PAUL COPAN, PHD
My wife, Leslie, and I were chatting about these sorts of issues in my office one Saturday afternoon. The title of a book, crowded among many others on my shelves, caught her eye: True for You, But Not for Me. She pulled it out. "Maybe you ought to talk to the person who wrote this," she suggested as she handed the book to me.
I was familiar with the author, Paul Copan. When Leslie mentioned him, I remembered he's among the leading experts in this area. "That's a good idea," I said, and within days I'd made arrangements to fly to Florida and meet with him in his offices in West Palm Beach.
Copan and I sat down at a round wooden table in the corner of his office, flanked by floor-to-ceiling shelves teeming with books. I started with a broad question to lay the foundation for our discussion. As I did so, I thought of Pontius Pilate's question two millennia ago: "What is truth?"
IT'S ALL RELATIVE
"We're living in a postmodern era in which concepts like 'truth' and 'morality' are more elastic than in the past," I said to Copan. "How do you define postmodernism?"
"First, it's helpful to know what modernism involves," Copan said. "Modernism can be traced back to René Descartes, the 17th-century French philosopher who is famous for his pursuit of certainty. Descartes said that one thing he couldn't doubt was that he was thinking, so his starting point for knowledge became, 'I think, therefore, I am.' There was a sense in which you had to have 100 percent certainty or you couldn't know something," Copan continued.
"So postmodernism is a reaction to Descartes' quest for certainty and to the creation of systems like rationalism, romanticism, Marxism, Nazism, and scientism. These systems tend to oppress people who disagree with those in power--the Jews under Nazism and the capitalists under Marxism, for example. French philosopher Jean-François Lyotard said that, simplifying to the extreme, postmodernism is suspicion toward a 'metanarrative'--a 'big-picture' view of the world--that's taken to be true for all people in all cultures and which ends up oppressing people."
I was thinking through the implications as he was talking. "The idea, then, is that certainty leads to oppression?" I asked.
"When people are so certain that they've got the truth and believe their system explains everything, then people who disagree with them are on the outside. They end up in Auschwitz or the Soviet gulags," he said. "So instead of 'meta-narratives,' postmodernism emphasizes 'mini-narratives.' In other words, each person has his or her own viewpoint or story."
"And each viewpoint is as valid as any other," I said, more of an observation than a question.
"That's the postmodern view, yes. There's a suspicion toward sweeping-truth claims, which are seen as power grabbing: Whoever is in charge can say 'This is true' and then back it up by oppressing those who disagree."
"And suspicion of truth can contribute, in some cases, to relativism," I commented.
"Right. To the relativist, no fact is true in all times and all places. The beliefs of a person are 'true' for him, but not necessarily for anyone else. This means that one person's 'truth,' which really amounts to his or her opinion, can directly conflict with another person's 'truth' and still be valid.
"To the relativist, no religion is universally or exclusively true. You can have your kind of Jesus, and I can have mine; it doesn't matter if our views contradict each other. There's no universal right and wrong. Moral values are true--or 'genuine'--for some, but not for others. Since there are different expressions of morality in the world, there's no reason to think that one viewpoint is any more true than another."
I searched my mind for an example. "So adultery can be okay for some people but not for others?" I asked.
"In the view of the relativist, yes," he replied. "Something is wrong only if you feel it's wrong. Now, relativists may not approve of adultery, and they may even have strong reservations about it. But they'll say, 'Who am I to say someone else is wrong?'"
"What are the greatest shortcomings of relativism?" I asked.
"Relativism falls apart logically when you examine it. As a worldview, it simply doesn't work," he said.
I was looking for specifics. "Tell me why," I said.
"For instance, relativists believe that relativism is true not just for them but for every person. They believe that relativism applies to non-relativists ('true for you'), not just to themselves ('true for me'). The relativists find themselves in a bind if we ask them, 'Is relativism absolutely true for everyone?' To be consistent, the relativist must say, 'There's no reason to take seriously the claim that every belief is as good as every other belief, since this belief itself would be no better than any other.'"
Even so, I knew there must be reasons why postmodernism has taken root. "Are there aspects of postmodernism that make sense to you?" I asked.
"Despite some of its own incoherencies, yes, there are some lessons we can learn from it," he said. "For example, we do have our limitations, biases, and perspectives. We should admit that.
"Also, those with cultural or political power--even those with religious power--many times do try to spin the truth to suit their own agenda. And meta-narratives often do alienate and marginalize outsiders--although I should note that Christianity teaches the intrinsic value of every individual, including the disfranchised."
**
Taken from "The Case for the Real Jesus" by Lee Strobel and Jane Vogel, copyright 2008 Youth Specialties/Zondervan. Used by permission. Order the book here: http://www.youthspecialties.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=418
**

3. VIDEO OF THE WEEK
Have a couple minutes to kill?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJwgP44Ap9E
* If you know a good video and want to share it, let me know.
4. SURF REPORT
~ Soulation: Sturdy Answers, Better Souls
http://www.soulation.org/

~ Defending Your Faith: Articles from Campus Life magazine
http://www.christianitytoday.com/teens/features/apologetics.html
5. FORGETTABLE FACT
If you shake a can of mixed nuts, the larger ones go to the top.

6. POTENT QUOTABLES
"Families are like fudge...mostly sweet with a few nuts."
~ Author Unknown
"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."
~ Gandhi
7. SOMETHING RANDOM
Q. How many legs does a horse have if you call its tail a leg?
A. Four. Calling a tail a leg doesn't make it one.

Grace and Peace to you, have a great week. josh

copyright 2008 :: Youth Specialties

Hello, my people. Happy Monday and also Happy Birthday to Mrs. Paula!

- F2F –
Summer Schedule
- July 20th – Paintball at Hope with Western Oaks, still working out details. Cost will be around $15.
-July 25th-27th – 8 PM Friday through 1 PM Sunday , Service Retreat weekend at Inner City Mission in Springfield, IL. This will be a great chance to serve and love people in need. We will be doing small projects around the mission and building relationships with the people there.
- You will need to pack clothes for two days and bring a sleeping bag.
For more information on the schedule and what we’ll be doing check here: http://church.links2business.com/icm/VolunteerPage/tabid/1104/Default.as...
*** Email me and let me know if you’d like to sign up for this event. Cost is $20.
- August 3rd – Welcome Home Seth Swimming Party at the Martin’s! More details coing soon.
- Erin’s Book Club – we’re reading through Shane Claiborne’s Irresistible Revolution and having a great time doing it – if you feel like you’re missing out, it’s not too late to join the group, just let us know.
- Joy Box – Our sacrificial offerings in the Joy Box will be going to Jump for Joel (www.jumpforjoel.org) to meet the needs of Gathiga Children's Hope Home in Gathiga, Kenya. Think about what you could sacrifice so that you could give money toward this cause.

July 14, 2008
Contents
1. Memorization - Verse of the Week
2. Something for Your Heart
3. Video of the Week
4. Surf Report
5. Forgettable Fact
6. Potent Quotables
7. Something Random

1. MEMORIZATION VERSE OF THE WEEK
Micah 6:8 “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

2. SOMETHING FOR YOUR HEART
Jesus feeds 5,000: A touch of heaven
MOOD: WEIRD
John 6:1-21
1 The following period, Jesus crossed to the dry area diagonally from the Sea of Galilee (a.k.a. Tiberius),
2 where the crowds were furiously thick, tagging behind, fascinated by his miraculous signs which he did on those sickly.
3 So quickly, Jesus went up a mountainside to recline, kickin’ back with his closest students for a time of brief interlude.
4 The highest feast of the Jews, Passover, would be coming soon.
5 When Jesus looked up & right in his view he saw the masses coming to see him—they found him—it touched his heart so he wanted to go & feed them. So he turned to Philip and beseeched him, “Where can we buy food, so the people can eat some?”
6 He asked the question to really teach him; he already figured out the procedures.
7 Philip was like, “Jesus, I know your heart is right, but I doubt that one might supply a bite for each one of these Israelites, even w/ 10 billion mites.”
8 Then another discip’e, Andrew, Peter’s brother, spake up to shed some light:
9 “This kid here has two small fish and five cheap loaves of bread, but with this many heads, how far will that spread?”
10 Then Jesus said, “We’ll have the people take a seat.” There were 5,000 men alone but plenty of space for each.
11 Then Jesus reached for the bread and gave thanks for the dish and gave it to his crew, who gave to the people & he did the same with the fish.
12 And get this: All the people ate as much as they wished! Then Jesus had his crew gather together the leftovers so that none would be ditched.
13 From five little barley loaves & two tiny fishes, they added up the fragments to 12 baskets of deliciousness.
14 This was a sign. The people insisted when they saw what Jesus just did, “I swear to you that he’s a prophet!”
15 They were hype about this topic & Jesus, using spiritual optics, saw that they were locked on making him their king—no stopping. So he departed, back to the mountain alone where he started to roam.
16 Later in the night the disciples went down to the sea,
17 undocked their ship, and got on, heading out toward Capernaum. See...they had waited for Jesus to get back, but they went without him because by now the sky was pitch black.
18 And strong winds began to attack and howl, making the waves wild.
19 When they had rowed the boat between three to four miles, they looked out on the water and was like, “Wow!” they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking, staying afloat—the sight was so awesome that they were scared speechless, lump in the throat.
20 But then Jesus spoke, “It is I. You don’t have to be afraid; you’re not about to die.” And their fears did subside.
21 Needless to say, they wanted him to come and get inside, and in no time they arrived at their destination on the other side, alive.
Devotional
Discovering the other side of Jesus
To embark upon any new adventure, a person would normally leave room to be surprised by new experiences—but the disciples were in no way prepared for the 32-month journey when they ran with Jesus. They knew he was a man because they ate, slept, laughed, and lived with him. Yet Jesus was prone to show them another side to his nature that jacked them up. Jesus simply being himself activated a theological and social tailspin that threw the disciples off their game, constantly causing them to question each other: “What kind of man is this?” Although they never approached Jesus with that type of question, he always told them who he was. Not only did he tell them, but he also backed it up by showing and proving. Miracles were the norm for Jesus because to him heaven was not so far away, and he stayed in touch. Yet he was introducing the disciples to a brand-new world that took some time to get used to...if they ever actually did get used to the surprises of Jesus.
Surprise, surprise!
• What’s the biggest surprise from God you’ve ever experienced?
• Name three subtle surprises we experience every day that are miracles just as big as walking on water.
• Out of all the miracles Jesus did, which one would you most like to have seen?
**
Taken from "The Script" by Fred Lynch, copyright 2008 Youth Specialties/Zondervan. Used by permission. Pre-order the book here http://www.youthspecialties.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=426
**

3. VIDEO OF THE WEEK
Here is the video we made for Mr. Paula’s Birthday if you haven’t seen it yet.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcE61hl0vHE
* If you know a good video and want to share it, let me know.

4. SURF REPORT
~ Play City: Play to change the world
http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/
~ The Truth Remix: Listen to your favorite songs from the Truth campaign, remixed by top DJs
http://www.thetruth.com/remix/

5. FORGETTABLE FACT
One 75-watt bulb gives more light than three 25-watt bulbs.

6. POTENT QUOTABLES
"Experience is not what happens to you; it is what you do with what happens to you."
~ Aldous Huxley
"When you feel like giving up, remember why you held on for so long in the first place."~ Unknown

7. SOMETHING RANDOM
Dinkin’ flicka.

Grace and Peace to you, have a great week. josh

copyright 2008 :: Youth Specialties

Hey everybody, hope you’re having a great week!

- F2F –
Summer Schedule
-July 6th - no F2F due to Big Stuf.
-July 13th – Meet at Central at 6 pm for a Bible Study and then to the DRIVE-IN!
- July 20th – Paintball at Hope with Western Oaks, still working out details. Cost will be around $15.
-July 25th-27th – 8 PM Friday through 1 PM Sunday , Service Retreat weekend at Inner City Mission in Springfield, IL. This will be a great chance to serve and love people in need. For more information on the schedule and what we’ll be doing check here: http://church.links2business.com/icm/VolunteerPage/tabid/1104/Default.as...
*** Email me and let me know if you’d like to sign up for this event. Cost is $20.
- Erin’s Book Club – we’re reading through Shane Claiborne’s Irresistible Revolution and having a great time doing it – if you feel like you’re missing out, it’s not too late to join the group, just let us know.
- Joy Box – Our sacrificial offerings in the Joy Box will be going to Jump for Joel (www.jumpforjoel.org) to meet the needs of Gathiga Children's Hope Home in Gathiga, Kenya. Think about what you could sacrifice so that you could give money toward this cause.

July 2, 2008
Contents
1. Memorization - Verse of the Week
2. Something for Your Heart
3. Video of the Week
4. Surf Report
5. Forgettable Fact
6. Potent Quotables
7. Something Random

1. MEMORIZATION VERSE OF THE WEEK
Matthew 10:39 “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

2. SOMETHING FOR YOUR HEART
FOLLOW THE LEADER: JESUS AS A TEENAGER
Memory Verse:
"Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother'--which is the first commandment with a promise--‘that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.'" (Ephesians 6:1-3)
Introduction:
Sometimes it's hard for me to imagine that Jesus had parents. How do you parent the Son of God? And how does God in the flesh honor his parents' authority? This week we'll take a look at how Jesus responded to his earthly parents. This will be one of the most important parts of your journey to deepen your relationship with Jesus.
Your parents were put into your life for several reasons:
1. They see the real you no one else sees. They're the first ones to see if your walk with Jesus is real or if you only put on a front. Whenever you come home, you take off your mask and the real you comes out.
2. They're supposed to model godly character for you. Believe it or not, the majority of us will eventually take on most of the characteristics of our parents. That's good news if you have godly parents, and it's something you'll have to resist if your parents haven't been good role models.
3. God gives parents a unique ability to discern danger for their children. If you'll learn to listen to them objectively, then God will use them to protect you from destructive relationships and situations.
4. Most parents love their children and desire the best for them. All children desire a heart connection with their parents and need that relationship to be healthy.
If you don't live with your parents or if your parents have failed to fulfill their God-given responsibilities, then God will be your Parent. In fact, many of the Old Testament men and women whom God used were orphans or from one-parent families.
Okay, let's get ready for a week of learning more about Jesus. Remember, he designed you, and he knows how you're wired. Ask God to give you an open heart as he teaches you from his Word this week.
DAILY DEVOTIONS
Day 1
Luke 2:41-50
It's difficult to imagine God having to yield to his earthly parents' authority. In the passage you just read, Jesus didn't stay with his parents. After three days of searching, they finally found him in the temple. Then Jesus honestly told them he had to do the will of God.
A misunderstanding (common among parents and teenagers) took place, yet Jesus never raised his voice. The important thing is not that misunderstandings happen between you and your parents; the important thing is your response to them. God will use conflicts and trials to help you grow. It's almost like a test. Tests reveal both what you know and what you don't know.
Write down some of the weak areas in your relationship with your mom or dad.
Spend a few moments taking these areas to God and asking him to improve them. Also, ask God to give you wisdom this week in relating to your parents.
**
Taken from "Christ: The Life of Christ--The Basis of Faith" by Student Life, copyright 2008 Youth Specialties/Zondervan. Used by permission. Order the book here:
http://www.youthspecialties.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=414
**

3. VIDEO OF THE WEEK
2 year-old Skateboarder?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3jU177g4UA
* If you know a good video and want to share it, let me know.
4. SURF REPORT
~ Next Step: Your life after high school
http://www.nextstepmagazine.com/nextstep/default.aspx
~ Teen Writing Contests
http://www.davidbarrkirtley.com/teenwriter/Contests.html
5. FORGETTABLE FACT
A species of earthworm in Australia grows up to 10 feet in length.

6. POTENT QUOTABLES
"I wonder what it would be like to live in a world where it was always June."
~ L. M. Montgomery
"Summer afternoon - summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language."
~ Henry James
7. SOMETHING RANDOM
Today's chunk of wisdom: "Never kick a cow chip on a hot day."--Will Rogers

Grace and Peace to you, have a great week. josh

copyright 2008 :: Youth Specialties

Hello everybody, the weekly returns! Please pay close attention to upcoming events, we’ve got a lot of stuff going on.

- F2F – This Sunday we will be cooking out at the Harwood’s house from 4:30 to 7:30. Everyone is invited. We would love to have all Big Stuf attendees and their parents there especially. The Harwood’s to have a hot tub so if that’s something you’d like to partake in, please come prepared.
More of the Summer Schedule
-July 6th - no F2F due to Big Stuf.
-July 13th – Meet at Central at 6 pm for a Bible Study and then to the DRIVE-IN!
- July 20th – Paintball at Hope with Western Oaks, still working out details. Cost will be around $15.
-July 25th-27th – 8 PM Friday through 1 PM Sunday , Service Retreat weekend at Inner City Mission in Springfield, IL. This will be a great chance to serve and love people in need. For more information on the schedule and what we’ll be doing check here: http://church.links2business.com/icm/VolunteerPage/tabid/1104/Default.as...
*** Email me and let me know if you’d like to sign up for this event. Cost is $20.
- Erin’s Book Club – we’re reading through Shane Claiborne’s Irresistible Revolution and having a great time doing it – if you feel like you’re missing out, it’s not too late to join the group, just let us know.
- Joy Box – Our sacrificial offerings in the Joy Box will be going to Jump for Joel (www.jumpforjoel.org) to meet the needs of Gathiga Children's Hope Home in Gathiga, Kenya. Think about what you could sacrifice so that you could give money toward this cause.

June 25, 2008
Contents
1. Memorization - Verse of the Week
2. Something for Your Heart
3. Video of the Week
4. Surf Report
5. Forgettable Fact
6. Potent Quotables
7. Uh, That’s Funny?

1. MEMORIZATION VERSE OF THE WEEK
Matthew 22:37-38 “Jesus replied:" 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

2. SOMETHING FOR YOUR HEART
HOW SHOULD CHRISTIANS THINK ABOUT MEDIA?
Scripture teaches that believers have always had to be discerning when it comes to the things people create. In the Old and New Testaments, artisans were often involved in creating objects of worship. They built ornate temples so people could come together and worship false gods. They also forged statues of those gods--called "idols"--so people could worship them in their homes.

Rather than honor the true living God, the artists used their creative skills to glorify imaginary deities. It's likely that some of the pieces they created were awe-inspiring--perhaps even masterpieces. But they violated the first and second commandments:
"You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them." (Exodus 20:3-5)
One of the best-known examples of idolatrous art can be found in Daniel 3. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon ordered the construction of a golden statue that was 90 feet tall and 9 feet wide. Then he summoned all of the leaders in the region to attend the unveiling ceremony. To guarantee a positive reaction to his creation, Nebby decreed that when he gave the signal, everyone had to fall down and worship the statue. Those who didn't, he warned, would be thrown into a furnace and burned to death.
Among the invited guests were three Israelites: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They worshipped the one true living God, which meant they couldn't bow down to an idol. So when the signal was given, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stood their ground. And true to his word, the king had the men thrown into the furnace. You probably know how the story goes from there: God protected them from the flames, and King Neb was so impressed by their Divine rescue that he declared the God of Israel to be the only God.
But that's not the point I want to make here. You see, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego could have just skipped the whole dedication ceremony. They could have refused to have anything to do with the creative work of idol worshippers. Their fate would have been the same either way.
However, Shadrach and his friends chose to attend the ceremony because they were active members of the government. They probably admired the artistic aspects of the statue and the craftsmanship that went into making it. Yet while the three men chose not to honor the creative work with their lives (by bowing down to it), they didn't ignore it or boycott it, either.
What's more, earlier in the book of Daniel we learn that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had been schooled in the Babylonian language and literature (Daniel 1:3-4). Because the young men excelled in those areas, the king placed them in positions of influence and authority where they were able to help others learn about God and come to know him.
That should also be our goal in learning about our own culture. Movies, television, and music (along with art and literature) reveal the heart and soul of who we are as people. When we understand the culture we live in, we can apply that knowledge as we introduce others to God. The more we know about what people are really connecting with, the better prepared we'll be to introduce God in a context they can relate to.
**
Taken from "Wisdom On...Music, Movies & Television" by Mark Matlock, copyright 2008 Youth Specialties/Zondervan. Used by permission. Order the book here:
http://www.youthspecialties.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=410
**

3. VIDEO OF THE WEEK
Shane Claiborne telling his story and sharing a lot of stuff from Irresistible Revolution
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPANKUHabx4
* If you know a good video and want to share it, let me know.
4. SURF REPORT
~ RoadsideAmerica.com: Find out about some of the wackiest vacation destinations in our fine country.
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/about/
~ Bored Masterpiece: Create art based on how you're feeling.
http://www.bored.com/createpaintings/index.php
5. FORGETTABLE FACT
The first TV commercial: a Bulova watch ticking onscreen for exactly 60 seconds.

6. POTENT QUOTABLES
"People with goals succeed because they know where they are going... It's as simple as that."
~ Earl Nightingale
"Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears."
~ Les Brown
7. UH, THAT’S FUNNY?
A starship ride has been promised to you by the galactic wizard. [from an actual fortune cookie]
Kinda!

Grace and Peace to you, have a great week. josh

copyright 2008 :: Youth Specialties