[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


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

WHAT DOES IT REALLY MEAN TO BE A CHILD OF GOD?
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
of religion and lead you to real faith and a real Savior, and bring you the
reality of what it means to be God's child.

http://www.YouthSpecialties.com/linker/index.php?id=4690

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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