[reallifenewsletter] FCC - YS Student E-mail Newsletter #161

I hope you all had a terrific Thanksgiving!
I personally did and have had an excellent last few weeks
as I have been challenged and inspired and have been
praying and thinking about how to go from here.

We have a vision and goal to reach all of the youth
in our schools with the message of Jesus Christ.

It has been a few weeks since the Acquire the Fire conference
and Emmy and I have been out of touch due a conference
and then being gone for Thanksgiving, but we'll get things
back on track here with God's help and get the fires
burning again and take hold of God's plans and run with Him.

TTYL!
-Nathanael

YS STUDENT E-MAIL NEWSLETTER #161
November 29, 2004

Contents
1. Something for Your Heart
2. Surf Report
3. Forgettable Fact
4. Potent Quotables
5. Parting Shot


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This devotional is not made up of warm fuzzies and easy answers. Based on a
book by Oswald Chambers, "Everything Counts" will dump the easy pleasantries
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reality of what it means to be God's child.

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Also available at your local Christian bookstore.

=================================


1. SOMETHING FOR YOUR HEART

Dark days.

Perhaps you've noticed. As winter sets in, we can expect longer nights than
days, and diminished sunshine even during daylight hours. In fact, we are
heading into the darkest two months of the year.

Some people never seem to be affected. They create their own inner sunshine
and just keep plugging on, regardless of the climate. Others are influenced
by the weather and seem to allow the outside gloom to seep in and dampen
their inner moods.

Even worse, some people's dark days have nothing to do with the weather.
Their difficulties, real or perceived, fill their lives with shadows.
Perhaps you have a friend who is getting involved in harmful habits, whose
parents are splitting up or whose recurring physical problems have just been
diagnosed as something really serious. It's hard for such people to overcome
that degree of darkness. And the more we care about others, the more THEIR
darkness seems to affect US.

Or maybe you know people who can't point to any specific bleak circumstance,
yet who suffer from depression--a vast inner black hole that doesn't allow
any light or hope to shine through.

We all experience dark days from time to time, some of us worse than others.
When we do, we need to learn from nature's example. The secret is not to
give up, but to WAIT. It may take months, or maybe longer, but the days WILL
start getting longer and brighter. In the meantime, it's okay to go dormant
for a while and let yourself regroup. Some people confront the harshness of
winter like chickadees and cardinals, flitting around, singing and bringing
joy to others. Others are more like bears--growling, withdrawing and
hibernating.

Whichever group you belong to, know that the cold, dark winter is only
temporary. At this very minute, people in other parts of the world are
frolicking in summer. It's not that the sun has abandoned us; it's where it
always has been. But our world has gotten tilted just a bit so that we
aren't currently experiencing as much sunlight as we might like.

Similarly, in our bleak moments and bouts of depression, we need to remember
that the Son hasn't abandoned us. God hasn't gone anywhere. It's just that
our lives have become a bit askew so that we don't experience as much of
Jesus' love, joy and peace as we would like. In some cases, we face darkness
because we have our eyes tightly shut to the presence of God all around us.
When we dare open them, we discover that even the smallest flicker of light
dispels darkness.

Whatever is darkening your days, ride it out. The situation is only
temporary. Even if the worst happens--if your parents go through a divorce
or a best friend dies--the darkness won't be permanent. The spark of God's
love is like those candles you can't blow out. Eventually it will burst into
a small flame that just keeps getting bigger and warmer--and nothing can
extinguish it.

On your own ...

Read John 1:1-14.
http://biblegateway.com/cgi-bin/bible?language=english&version=NLT&passage=J
ohn+1%3A1-14

What is one reason some people's lives seem so dark? When you're facing dark
days, what are some things you can try to lighten things up?

2. SURF REPORT

~ I Believe
Ashley from Minnesota says, "I had always gone to church, but I never truly
felt connected to anyone." Sound familiar? If so, check out the rest of
Ashley's story.
http://www.passageway.org/default.asp?page=believe.asp?loadpage=believe/stor
y.asp?s=138

~ Christmas Countdown Clock
Does it feel like Christmas yet? Find out exactly how much time you have to
finish your holiday shopping.
http://www.emailsanta.com/clock.html

3. FORGETTABLE FACT

Kayaking is a required subject in Greenland's schools.

4. POTENT QUOTABLES

Never doubt in the dark what God has shown you in the light.
- Victor Raymond Edman

It is always darkest just before the day dawneth.
- Thomas Fuller

When God sends the dawn, he sends it for all.
- Miguel Cervantes

5. PARTING SHOT

This would be really funny if it wasn't happening to me.

Copyright 2004 Youth Specialties





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[reallifenewsletter] Ephesians Reflection Questions

This morning I started putting together some reflection
questions that would go along with the Bible reading we are
doing together. What I'd like you to do is take one or two
days and instead of doing the regular reading, re-read these
chapters and answer the questions. I'm including questions
for the first two chapters of Ephesians, so you can do them
either taking one day per chapter or you can try doing two
chapters in one day.

What I'd like to see is: 1) Are the questions helpful?
2) Would you like to have more of them to go along with
the reading?

I think the questions could be useful, but I don't want
to make the burden too heavy on the daily reading so I'm
not sure if it is reasonable to do on a daily basis. Also
it is good to do reading that is not so study focused and
more just reading in a devotional sense - listening to what
God may be saying to you in the passage. But perhaps these
questions could help with that. These things are what I'd
like to find out.

Certainly you can use the questions as discussion topics
as well as you talk to each other about the reading if
you are checking in with an accountablility partner (I'd
like to get us set up on a regular schedule with that for
those who'd like to do it so that we each have one or more
partners etc.)

So with no further ado here's the questions:

Ephesians 1:
A key phrase in Ephesians that is repeated over and over is "in Christ"
or "in him". Other phrases that are basically the same are "through Christ"
or "with Christ".
1) Underline in your Bible all the instances of these phrases in Chapter 1.
2) Write down all the things that are related to these phrases. For
instance:
1:1 the faithful ___; 1:3 every spiritual blessing __; 1:4 he chose us ___;
etc.




3) 1:3 - Who blessed us? With what? Where? What do you think this means?



4) 1:4 starts out with "For" meaning that it continues from the last
sentence. It actually begins an explaination of what the "spiritual
blessings" are that we have in Christ. List what those "spiritual
blessings" are.




5) 1:17-18 Paul begins to explain what he is praying for the Ephesian
believers to have and know. What are those things? (Again the explaination
goes for a few verses)




6) Do you know that YOU have all the spiritual blessings talked about in the
first section? Consider the list in questions 3 and 4. If there are things
you don't know or understand what they mean, pray and ask God for
understanding and then either mark them above or here so we can talk about
them later.


7) Do you have and know what Paul is praying for the Ephesians to have? If
not, lets pray for God to give them to us and let us also thank God fot he
things here that we know we have already.


8) Write down any verses or things that stand out to you.


I need to go for now so try this first chapter out and I'll get you the
second
as soon as I can.

-Nathanael


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[reallifenewsletter] FCC - YS Student E-mail Newsletter #159

Wow! What a terriffic conference!
At this year's Acquire the Fire conference we were challenged, motivated,
inspired and spoken to!

The worship band was called Desperation and was quite good.
Running throughout the conference was a drama with 6 main characters.
It was done very well with a mix of video clips of the characters in
various situations, mixed with the live acting which was also displayed
on the three large screens. The two integrated very nicely together and
created a powerful impact. The main character was undergoing many crises
in his life even comptemplating suicide and then has a near-death experience
in a car crash in which he sees a glimpse of God in heaven and realizes
that God is indeed real.

I was personally struck by God's holiness as really producing an effect
of awe, similar but much more than what I've experienced when say up very
close to the bottom of Niagra Falls, or in an earthquake.

The second day Ron Luce, the guy who heads up the conference and Teen Mania
ministries, spoke from Psalm 1.1-2 expanding on the tree analogy. He had
seen the results of a big storm in Texas where he lived and noted that
some trees stood through the storm and others didn't. He looked at the
various types of trees: softwood, junk wood, thorny/resin trees, baby trees
and hardwood such as oaks. He drew the parallels to persons who are like
each of these types - similar to Jesus' sower and the seed parable.
While the hardwoods where the most enduring and most to be emulated, he
also noted that some oaks stood and others fell. The basic difference,
though they looked the same on the outside, was the health of the tree
inside. A tree that was not growing was dying. It could be dying from
root rot or infestation from bugs etc. That was a powerful statement.
If we weren't growing, we were susceptible to getting blown over in the
next storm. A powerful example of oak trees he gave was the Lost Boys
of the Sudan (www.lostboysfilm.com) who at age 5-7 lost their families
from Muslim governmental attacks, but refused to turn from Christ. They
walked for 7 years across the country, a group who grew to 20,000 facing
starvation, lions and attacks from persons. They finally made it to Kenya
and were put in a refuge camp. Ron brought out one of the boys and
interviewed him. Ron's basic message to us: We think it is bad at our
schools when we stand for Christ and people may make fun of us. That is
absolutely nothing compared to what some face such as these boys who are
true examples of growing oaks.

Then in the evening we were shown what things looked like spiritually.
The 6 characters were now in a war scene with bombs and grenades going
off all over. Only one of them even had a weapon - the steady Christian.
The main character and others found themselves in the middle of a war,
not knowing how they got there and not really wanting to be in it. It was
pointed out to them that this is reality. They have no choice. The
war has come to them. They can either be a casualty or someone who is
rescuing others. The main character was still uncertain, saying that
he was not ready, didn't want to fight etc. Finally as the others were
leaving, he realized that it was either fight or die so he decided to fight.

We were then challenged similarly. Ron then asked if when we decided to
follow Christ if we were signing up for a club or an army. He drew out
the descriptions of clubs: specific meeting time, people there by common
interest, join for entertainment or status, leaders need to beg people to
be involved. He then contrasted it to enlisting in the armed forces: 24 X 7
commitment, people there for common purpose, people join to make a
difference,
participation is mandatory otherwise you're outta there. It was clear that
most of what we have as the Christian experience in the US is more of a club
than an army. Ron said "Jesus did not die to form a club. He died to start
a revolution." We were then challenged to lay down our own ideas, excise th
e
rotton wood, die to ourselves (Matt 16) and enlist in God's army.

All of us responded to the call.
The next in Sunday School as a follow up beyond the heat of the moment and
the pressure of the crowd, I asked each one 1) if they understood the call
and
2) if they still wanted to enlist. Each one said "Yes" to both and in fact
Ryan Johnston and Ryan Althausen also responded to making covenant with
Jesus Christ.

I've left out much and perhaps some of the others who went will chime in
with comments that I'll post out to folks.

All in all it was very powerful. We are now an army with a goal of reaching
all the young people in our towns for Christ. We are keeping our eyes on
the
front lines, following the code and getting and living our assignments.

Wow!

-Nathanael

YS STUDENT E-MAIL NEWSLETTER #159
November 15, 2004

Contents
1. Something for Your Heart
2. Surf Report
3. Forgettable Fact
4. Potent Quotables
5. Parting Shot


===========our|sponsor===========

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In "The Case for a Creator," journalist Lee Strobel investigates the latest
scientific discoveries from physics to biology and discovers they point
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http://www.YouthSpecialties.com/linker/index.php?id=4684

Also available at your local Christian bookstore.

=================================


1. SOMETHING FOR YOUR HEART

In a recent scientific study, a number of volunteers were given tokens. They
were then allowed to trade their tokens for food. The first volunteers to
trade in their tokens received cucumber treats and seemed to be satisfied.
But when later volunteers started receiving delicious grapes instead of
cucumbers, the cucumber recipients began to get agitated. Some refused to
eat the cucumbers, some gave away the treats they now considered inferior
and some started throwing tokens around.

It just so happens that this study was conducted with brown capuchin
monkeys. But be honest. Do the results sound much different than the
behavior you've witnessed among yourself and your friends. Suppose you've
worked very hard to bring your average up from a C- to a B+. Wouldn't you
feel good about your accomplishment? But what if the teacher gave someone
who worked equally as hard an A- rather than a B+? Would you still be happy?
Or how do you respond when you come out of the boss's office, beaming after
receiving a four percent raise, only to discover that a coworker got a six
percent raise?

The scientific study came to the conclusion that monkeys (and people) might
actually inherit a genetic sense of fairness. The monkeys seem to measure
rewards in relative terms, comparing their own rewards with what others
receive.

Do you? Or do you choose to be happy with the good things you have? As we
approach the Thanksgiving season, let's make it a goal to focus on all that
God has given us and stop looking at what some other monkey has. If you
really want to follow an example from the lower primates, there are better
actions to imitate. For example, let your joy overflow and then have more
fun than a barrel of monkeys. Or take to heart the advice of the
three-monkey pose found in many novelty stores and souvenir shops: "See no
evil, hear no evil and speak no evil."

You will deal with unfairness for the rest of your life. Pitching fits and
holding grudges does little good. Those responses won't make you feel better
and they won't get you what you want. Instead, Jesus taught that when others
try to take advantage of you, it's better to choose to serve them. He
courageously modeled what it meant to turn the other cheek and go an extra
mile beyond what is considered "fair." As we take a closer look at his
teachings and his example, perhaps the best attitude we can have is, "Monkey
see, monkey do."

On your own ...

Read the parable of the vineyard workers in Matthew 20:1-16.
http://biblegateway.com/cgi-bin/bible?language=english&version=NLT&passage=M
atthew+20%3A1-16

What does this parable tell you about God's sense of what is fair and
unfair? What does it tell you about your own sense of fairness?

2. SURF REPORT

~ National Bible Week
Next week is National Bible Week. What are you going to do to celebrate?
Here are some ideas for you to consider.
http://www.nationalbible.org/nbw

~ Great American Smoke-Out
The third Thursday of November is the American Cancer Society's annual Great
American Smoke-Out. If you know someone who's trying to quit, give them your
encouragement and support.
http://www.notobacco.org

3. FORGETTABLE FACT

Experts say if you go without sleep for 10 days straight, you'll die.

4. POTENT QUOTABLES

If you can't be satisfied with what you have received, be thankful for what
you have escaped.
- Unknown

Nine-tenths of our unhappiness is selfishness, and is an insult thrown in
the face of God
- G.H. Morrison

Groan and forget it.
- Jessamyn West

5. PARTING SHOT

How much deeper would the ocean be without sponges?

Copyright 2004 Youth Specialties







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[reallifenewsletter] FCC- YS Student E-mail Newsletter #158

Hello all,
Another brief gap in newsletters...Anyhow, the youth are headed out to
Acquire the Fire this Friday evening and Saturday. Here's the schedule:
Friday:
4:00pm Doors open for registration
6:00pm Doors open to public
7:00pm Event begins
10:00pm Dismissal
Saturday:
8:00am Doors open
9:00am Morning session begins
12:00pm Dismissal for lunch
1:30pm Afternoon session begins
3:15pm Guest Speaker
4:00pm Concerts
5:15pm Dismissal for dinner
7:00pm Evening session begins
9:30pm Dismissal

Doors open Friday night at 6 so we'll leave sometime after 5PM. Since the
event doesn't start till 7, we could leave around 6PM. I'll finalize the
time when I hear from Jon about his wrestling practice.
On Saturday, we'll headout around 8 or 8:30AM. We'll eat lunch and dinner
in Cleveland so bring some funds for that (We'll eat budget-consciously :))

I'm praying that God will speak to us and open up doors in our heart that we
can truely acquire the fire of His Spirit.

Let me know if you have questions etc.
-Nathanael

YS STUDENT E-MAIL NEWSLETTER #158
November 8, 2004

Contents
1. Something for Your Heart
2. Surf Report
3. Forgettable Fact
4. Potent Quotables
5. Parting Shot


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=================================


1. SOMETHING FOR YOUR HEART

A man walks up to a bank teller, hands her a large envelope and tells her to
fill it up with money or she'll get hurt. It's a scene in hundreds of TV
shows and movies, not to mention news reports of actual bank robberies. And
one such real-life robbery took place earlier this year in Texas. But this
particular robbery was one for the record books. When the bank robber was
apprehended, he turned out to be 91 years old, the oldest known bank robber
in U.S. history.

When asked why he went to the trouble of planning and executing bank
robberies at his age, the man replied, "It's fun. I feel good, awful good. I
feel good for sometimes days, for sometimes hours."But he's now serving a
12-year sentence, which he anticipates will be a life sentence for him.

A popular slogan of the late 1960s was, "If it feels good, do it."Armed with
that philosophy, many people messed up their lives by getting involved with
rampant sexual experimentation, drug use, and other things that felt good
... at first. Some weathered the storm and straightened out when they
realized those "good feelings"could lead to addictions and other serious
problems. Others didn't fare as well. Some of the most promising
entertainers of their time--Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison, to
name a few--died much too young because of habits that made them feel good.

The slogan isn't as popular today, but the philosophy behind it carries on.
Many people tend to justify whatever they want to do based purely on
feelings. But as our geriatric bank robber found out, those good feelings
are frequently short-lived.

Feelings aren't the best guidelines to use when it comes to determining
whether or not an activity is proper. Many sins feel good as they're being
committed. That's the power of temptation. We shut off our brains and let
our feelings take over. We get involved with something that truly feels
enjoyable, and we don't worry about the consequences of our actions. But the
consequences WILL catch up with us.

Robbing banks made one man feel good, but now he languishes in a jail cell.
Downing a six-pack may make someone else feel good, but is the hangover (and
potential brush with authorities) worth the short-term buzz? Those little
pills handed out at parties can reduce inhibitions and alter one's feelings,
but do you really want to voluntarily give up your ability to make rational
decisions?

Obedience to God's rules has its own rewards. The good feelings may not be
as pronounced right away, but obedience results in an immeasurable joy that
will last for eternity. For those who put their faith in Jesus, our slogan
should be, "If it's the right thing to do, do it."When it feels good, well,
that's just a big bonus.

On your own ...

Read 1 John 2:3-6.
http://biblegateway.com/cgi-bin/bible?language=english&version=NLT&passage=1
John+2%3A3-6

Besides avoiding any potential nasty consequences of sin, what does
obedience to God say about you? In what ways did Jesus demonstrate obedience
to show us how we should live?

2. SURF REPORT

~ Screenit
Avoid unpleasant surprises at the theater. Find out everything you need to
know about a movie before you see it.
http://www.screenit.com

~ National Runaway Switchboard
If you or somebody you know is thinking about leaving home, you need to
check out this site.
http://www.nrscrisisline.org

3. FORGETTABLE FACT

Egg whites will turn pink when left overnight in a copper bowl.

4. POTENT QUOTABLES

There is a road from the eye to the heart that does not go through the
intellect.
- G.K. Chesterton

Let's not forget that the little emotions are the great captains of our
lives and we obey them without realizing it.
- Vincent Van Gogh

Serving one's own passions is the greatest slavery.
- Thomas Fuller

5. PARTING SHOT

The trouble with doing something right the first time is that nobody
appreciates how difficult it was.



Copyright 2004 Youth Specialties








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