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No Youth Service – Wednesday, November 26th.
Gameworks
December 5th & 6th, 2008 10:30 pm to 6:00 am. Unlimited video games, soda, nachos and ice cream. Cost is $22.00. This event is for 9th – 12th graders. Permissions slips are due by December 3rd. Pick-up flyer today.
Elevation Clearance Sale
All the Elevation t-shirts will be on sale for $2.00 each. Get the whole collection. You can also purchase the t-shirts and donate them to a local church or organization that needs clothes and help out Elevation at the same time. This sale will be from November 30th – December 10th.
No Youth Service – Wednesday, December 24th.
No Youth Service – Wednesday, December 31st.
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In our high school ministry we just finished a teaching series on self-control. What a fitting season for that to be a discussion topic both at church and at home. Self-control can simply be defined as restraint. It is the ability to control our reactions and impulses. The holiday season can and often time does expose within us our lack of restraint or inability to control our impulses. Our desire to buy the most expensive version or model of the gift we had in mind or our inability to say “no” to our third and fourth piece of pie. But what does this teach our children? How has this seasonal permission to ignore restraint affected this generation? Do your children witness you every year spend too much on Christmas only to end up cash-strapped for the next two months?
These may seem like worse case scenarios to you and maybe in your home restraint during the holidays isn’t a problematic issue, but for many in America it is. Nevertheless, discussing this topic is crucial. Our students need to hear from us and see in us a model for responsible living and spending. They need to understand why you are making the wise decisions that you are. Let’s face it, when your children are grown up they will probably take their cues from you on how to live wisely or unwisely during this season. So I want to encourage you to have family discussions that address issues like these. Help your student/s to discern what is wise, truthful and responsible and what is not. This may keep them from getting sucked into the negative cycle of over-spending and over-eating that defines our culture during the holiday season and set them up for success in their lives now and in the future. |
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Wow, what an exciting year it has been so far. We are focusing our efforts on a couple of key themes this year and I want you to know what they are. We want the students to really take ownership of their faith, meaning they can’t just rely on you, me or Pastor Ben for their faith. They need to find the truth and get entangled with Jesus for themselves. This means they have to encounter God on their own.
One of the ways we are setting students up to encounter God on their own is through journaling. Pastor Ben has taught us leaders to do a study method called “10-10-10” where you spend ten minutes reading a small portion of Scripture, ten minutes journaling about what God spoke to you through the passage. The final ten minutes is spent sharing with someone else what you wrote down. We’re teaching this method to the students and they are really getting into it. Our hope is that they will practice it daily on their own. To encourage and equip students we’ve provided free journals for all of them and we’ve ordered some solid (age specific) Bibles that are available for them to purchase in the bookstore. They would make great Christmas presents. (hint, hint)
Lastly, if you want to help us equip and inspire your students please send them prepared on Wednesdays and Sundays. Make sure they grab their Bible and journal and bring it with them. We use them every week and we need your help to keep the students coming and coming prepared. Thank you for trusting us and sharing your wonderful student with us! They are a highlight to my week.
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