The 180 Blog

Contents
1. 180 News
2. Something for Your Heart
3. Surf Report
4. Video of The Week
5. Forgettable Fact
6. Potent Quotables
7. Parting Shot

1. 180 NEWS

MS Fall Retreat "The Movie"

Here it is...

High School Fuel

This last Wednesday night we kicked off Fuel, our new Wednesday name, and began looking into how to fuel up. We explored Fuel.refuel: Fuel challenges us to daily refuel on the food God calls us to devour-His Word. We're also challenged to refuel each other through encouragement.

Make sure you come this Wednesday as we explore Fuel.consume.

High School Fuel Cells (Small Groups)

If you missed our first small group meeting, don't worry, there's still room for you! Come Wednesday at 5:45 for a great time of discussion, prayer and getting into each other's lives.

Revolve Tour

Okay gals, you've heard us say it before, but you can STILL SIGN UP for the Girl's Revolve Tour! Make sure you turn in your $20 deposit to Aaron Geist by October 28. Visit www.revolvetour.com for more information.

Nightstike
Join us on Friday night, October 26th as we head for downtown Portland to minister to the homeless, with Bridgetown Ministries. We will meet at the church at 5:30 PM and return at 11:00 PM. Come and see Jesus, and your life in Him, in a whole new way!

2. SOMETHING FOR YOUR HEART

Topic:
Feeling left out
Just sitting down to write this chapter made us feel a little sad. It makes us sad because we know how much it hurts to feel left out. And if you're feeling that way, we want you to know we understand how you feel because we've both felt that way before. We've also talked to lots and lots of middle schoolers who feel that way, too. Feeling left out is no fun. We may not know the exact reason why you're feeling left out, but we do know a few of the common reasons why it happens:

Middle schoolers are selfish. Most kids your age are way more worried about their own survival, popularity, friendships, and so on than they are about yours. Because being in middle school is so tough, it's pretty common for middle schoolers to overlook the needs of their classmates because they're just too busy looking out for their own needs. In other words, sometimes people leave out other people not because they're trying to be mean or hurtful, but just because they aren't thinking about the other person at all.

Middle schoolers move in herds. What we mean is that most kids your age like to hang out with and spend time with other kids who look, act, and dress like them, and who do the things they like to do. It's super-easy for them to leave out other kids if they don't believe they have a lot in common with them. There are lots of other reasons, but those two are probably the biggest. So what do you do when you feel left out? Well, to be honest there's no easy answer to that, but here are a few thoughts:

Be yourself. Don't try to be somebody you aren't, just to fit in. Trying to change who you are will usually backfire on you. The people you're trying to fit in with
can tell you're trying too hard, and they may end up leaving you out even more.

Be friendly. There's a verse in the Bible that says one "who has friends must...be friendly" (Proverbs 18:24, NKJV). Sometimes people who've been left out a whole lot start to respond by shutting others out, treating them poorly, and acting like they really don't care. This just results in a crazy cycle of being left out even more.

Be an "includer of others." If you're feeling left out, you aren't the only one. What if you decided to find other kids who also seem to be left out and include them? Pretty soon you'd have a group of friends who no longer feel left out because now you've all been included--by each other. Pretty cool stuff!

Know that you're never alone. We know this sounds a lot like two middle school pastors talking, but remember that even if you feel alone, you aren't. God is with you; he's on your side and he wants to help you figure out this whole middle school thing.

**

Taken from "Middle School Survival Series: My School" by Kurt Johnston and Mark Oestreicher, copyright 2007, Zondervan/Youth Specialties. Used by permission. Order the book here.

3. SURF REPORT

~ The Dash
What are you doing with your dash?

~ Stop Bullying Now

~ Ben & Jerry's Halloween Experience: Have fun with ice cream and other stuff

4. VIDEO OF THE WEEK

The Dance
This video of a skit performed at Winterfest 2006 does an excellent job of portraying God's love, grace and joy, when one of His own moves away from Him. Allow yourself to enter into it and you will be moved.



5. FORGETTABLE FACT

The origination of Goodbye is from an Olde English saying of "God be with ye".

6. POTENT QUOTABLES

"Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God."
- William Carey

"I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else."
- C.S. Lewis

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

MY SCHOOL
As a teenager, you naturally question your faith and purpose in life. You might wonder if God's real, if God's listening, or what happens when you die. You're not alone in these hard questions, nor are you wrong to ask them.

Order here.
Also available in your local Christian bookstore.

Click here to find a Christian bookstore near you.

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7. PARTING SHOT

If you eat a live frog in the morning, nothing worse will happen to either of you for the rest of the day.