May 12, 2008
Contents
1. 180 News
2. Something for Your Heart
3. Surf Report
4. Birthdays
5. Video of The Week
6. Forgettable Fact
7. Potent Quotables
8. Uh, That's Funny?
1. 180 NEWS
HS Beach Retreat Pics
Last week we posted the video of our Beach Retreat. This week we post all the pictures. Please feel free to download them for your personal use, and enjoy re-living the memories!
Go here to see all the pictures.
Unclaimed T-shirt
In last week's newsletter we ran a contest for a free 180 T-shirt from our 180 Gear store. It has yet to be claimed!
Did you read all of last week's newsletter?
Text Message Alerts
Do you have a cell phone? Do you use text messaging? So do we!
If you would like to subscribe to our new Text Message Alerts and receive up to the minute announcements, reminders, cancellation notices, and more, then click on the appropriate link below to be added to our list.
Text messages will be one way messages and will sent from One80@txtsig.us. If you have already signed up at the info table in the youth center please do not use these links.
Sign up now to always be in the know!
Sign up for our High School TXT message alerts!
Sign up for our Middle School TXT message alerts!
VBS
Want to be a part of something BIG this summer? We are looking for workers for this year's Vacation Bible School, happening June 30-July 4. This year's theme is SonWorld Adventure Park, and adventure it will be!
If you would like to be a part of this year's VBS please contact either Keli Pierce (keli@gracepointfamily.com) or Luanne Jaramillo (luanne@gracepointfamily.com) to find out what opportunities are available and how you might plug in!
Here is a glimpse at all the fun we had last year...
2. SOMETHING FOR YOUR HEART
With Prom approaching, a lot of people don't think twice about buying another dress or pair of shoes or pants. But there are people not far from where you live who don't have enough clothes. This chapter, from "Generation Change," by sixteen-year-old Zach Hunter, offers you ideas on how you can make a difference in the lives of others with the simple gift of clothing.
CLOTHING
In our culture the clothes we wear say a lot about us. People invest a lot of time, effort, and money on clothing. We want to look good, and we judge other people based on how they dress. People sometimes assume that if a guy is wearing this kind of jacket or those shoes, then he must be that kind of person. Or someone might say, "I need to ask her where she got that!" (This is hypothetical, guys, just bear with me!) How many decisions do we make about people because of how they look, even before we meet them?
A Bible teacher of mine once told me about a time when an elderly woman at the church was upset because a young man came into church wearing a baseball cap. She was outraged--and probably made a judgment about the kind of person he was. My teacher reminded us that we as Christians are the church, so it's actually more accurate to say he was wearing a hat on the church rather than in the church. But either way, because of the woman's judgment, the young man left the church and didn't come back.
If I'm being completely honest with myself, I have to say that I sometimes make judgments about people based on what they wear or how they look. I know there are some people who never have anything nice to wear. You know how it feels to get a new shirt or pants. And the confidence you feel from knowing you look good? Imagine never having that feeling. Not only that, but imagine that the clothes you do wear don't even protect you from the wind, rain, cold, or sun.
What if you only had one pair of shoes, and they had massive holes in the bottom? Or what if, like millions of people, you didn't have any shoes at all? It would be really easy to cut your feet, and they'd be vulnerable to infection and disease. How can we care so much about whether we are wearing the latest style, when other people have nothing at all to wear? For many people in our world, it's not about choosing which pair of shoes to wear, it's about having any shoes to wear. It's not about whether to wear a collared shirt or a T-shirt, it's about having a shirt.
I'm not trying to make you feel guilty; but I think it's important to understand that clothing is much more than a fashion issue for many people. For someone in America, having a suit, even an old one, could mean the difference between getting the job or not. A clean shirt and jeans could build the self-confidence of a high schooler living in poverty. A new pair of shoes could literally mean an extended life for a child in Africa.
Jesus even talked about how when we clothe the poor it's as if we've done an act of kindness to him directly. We'll talk about that passage from Matthew 25 a bit more in the next chapter. I think being part of Generation Change requires that we rethink some of the things we take for granted, and how much and what we do with our money is one of them.
CHANGE IT: SOLES 4 SOULS
The mission of Soles 4 Souls is to impact as many lives as possible through the gift of shoes. This organization takes donations of gently used and new shoes and delivers them to people who don't have any. Soles 4 Souls dispatches shoes to 16 different countries around the world. You can support their work by donating your own shoes, hosting a shoe drive at your school or church, or volunteering your own time. Check out www.soles4souls.org.
CHANGE IT: YOUR TURN
"Undie Sunday"
This is a pretty cool idea (with a pretty funny name) that can involve every age group. For a homeless or very poor person, new underwear can be a luxury. Most thrift stores and clothing distribution centers don't have stacks of underwear. I guess used underwear is not something most people feel good about donating! Schools and churches around America have been uniting on Undie Sunday each March to solve this problem. Families are encouraged to purchase and donate new underwear that is distributed to people in need. Since 2006, more than 155,000 pieces of NEW underwear and diapers have been donated.
Check out what else they're doing at www.dignityuwear.org.
BUY ONE, GIVE ONE
Here's a very simple idea to discourage materialism. It goes like this: For every pair of shoes you buy, you give away a pair of shoes; for every pair of pants you buy, you give away a pair of pants, and so on. Instead of accumulating more and more stuff, you think purposefully about what you buy, and give things away instead of hoarding. The practice encourages us to buy less and give more, helping us be more grateful for what we have and more conscious of materialism.
BRAINSTORM FOR CHANGE
- Take the extra buttons that come with your shirts and assemble sewing kits to help people in other countries mend their own clothing, and get paid to mend clothes for others. Send these to Extreme Response or a shelter in your area. (For more on Extreme Response, see the chapter on Friendship.)
- Make baby blankets out of fleece. You can find lots of patterns for fleece-fringed blankets online. My brother's class did this when he was in first grade--it's really easy. His class donated their blankets to a crisis pregnancy center.
- Have a Toasty Fingers and Toes drive and collect gloves and socks. Then take them to the homeless shelter and give them away yourselves.
- Many cities do a "Blanket the City" week in which people drop off blankets at many different stores. The blankets are given to the homeless and people living in shelters.
- Go to a thrift store and buy up a bunch of coats in various kid sizes. They're usually priced really well so your money will go a long way. Then arrange with a school in an impoverished area to distribute the coats to kids who don't have adequate clothing.
- Custom T-shirts are printed for many races, fairs, and other community events. Often there are many shirts left over and no way to sell them. Contact the organizers to see if you can have them donated to a shelter or thrift store.
- For a couple more great clothing-related ideas, check out Style Your Soul in the Creativity chapter and Princess Closet in the Friendship chapter.
**
Taken from "Generation Change" by Zach Hunter, copyright 2008 Youth Specialties/Zondervan. Used by permission. Order the book here.
Also available in your local Christian bookstore.
**
3. SURF REPORT
~ Countdown to Prince Caspian: Find out everything there is to know about the upcoming Narnia movie.
~ FlamingNet: Your place for reviews and recommendations on past, present, and future preteen, teen, and young adult books (written by and for teens).
~ Perpetual Bubblewrap: Waste some time
~ The Hunger Site: Click to give free food
4. BIRTHDAYS
We've got one birthday to celebrate this week, so here this is for you CJ Irving. *CLAP* *CLAP* *CLAP*..... "This is your birthday song...it isn't very long...HEY!" Happy Birthday CJ!!
5. VIDEO OF THE WEEK
Our 180 Worship Team pulled off a great cover of the 12 Stones song, "The Way I Feel" at our Beach Retreat a couple of weeks ago!
6. FORGETTABLE FACT
Jimmy Carter is the first U.S. President to have been born in a hospital.
7. POTENT QUOTABLES
"Beware of doubt--faith is the subtle chain that binds us to the infinite."
~ E.0. Smith
"Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light."
~ Helen Keller
===========our|sponsor===========
WHAT WOULD IT BE LIKE IF JESUS CAME TO ANOTHER PLANET?
When the mysterious Jesmet, whom the authorities brand as a Magician of the Old Order, begins to connect with Orianon, he is banished forever to the shadowside of their planet Corista.
Learn more about "Trion Rising" here.
Also available in your local Christian bookstore.
===========our|sponsor===========
DON'T WAIT FOR SOMEONE ELSE...CHANGE THE WORLD!
Our world is broken, but you can change that. Read these stories of real people changing the world, and use and expand on their efforts so you can join the generation of change.
Learn more about "Generation Change" here.
Also available in your local Christian bookstore.
=================================
8. UH, THAT'S FUNNY?
Ancient orators tended to Babylon.
1. 180 News
2. Something for Your Heart
3. Surf Report
4. Birthdays
5. Video of The Week
6. Forgettable Fact
7. Potent Quotables
8. Uh, That's Funny?
1. 180 NEWS
HS Beach Retreat Pics
Last week we posted the video of our Beach Retreat. This week we post all the pictures. Please feel free to download them for your personal use, and enjoy re-living the memories!
Go here to see all the pictures.
Unclaimed T-shirt
In last week's newsletter we ran a contest for a free 180 T-shirt from our 180 Gear store. It has yet to be claimed!
Did you read all of last week's newsletter?
Text Message Alerts
Do you have a cell phone? Do you use text messaging? So do we!
If you would like to subscribe to our new Text Message Alerts and receive up to the minute announcements, reminders, cancellation notices, and more, then click on the appropriate link below to be added to our list.
Text messages will be one way messages and will sent from One80@txtsig.us. If you have already signed up at the info table in the youth center please do not use these links.
Sign up now to always be in the know!
Sign up for our High School TXT message alerts!
Sign up for our Middle School TXT message alerts!
VBS
Want to be a part of something BIG this summer? We are looking for workers for this year's Vacation Bible School, happening June 30-July 4. This year's theme is SonWorld Adventure Park, and adventure it will be!
If you would like to be a part of this year's VBS please contact either Keli Pierce (keli@gracepointfamily.com) or Luanne Jaramillo (luanne@gracepointfamily.com) to find out what opportunities are available and how you might plug in!
Here is a glimpse at all the fun we had last year...
2. SOMETHING FOR YOUR HEART
With Prom approaching, a lot of people don't think twice about buying another dress or pair of shoes or pants. But there are people not far from where you live who don't have enough clothes. This chapter, from "Generation Change," by sixteen-year-old Zach Hunter, offers you ideas on how you can make a difference in the lives of others with the simple gift of clothing.
CLOTHING
In our culture the clothes we wear say a lot about us. People invest a lot of time, effort, and money on clothing. We want to look good, and we judge other people based on how they dress. People sometimes assume that if a guy is wearing this kind of jacket or those shoes, then he must be that kind of person. Or someone might say, "I need to ask her where she got that!" (This is hypothetical, guys, just bear with me!) How many decisions do we make about people because of how they look, even before we meet them?
A Bible teacher of mine once told me about a time when an elderly woman at the church was upset because a young man came into church wearing a baseball cap. She was outraged--and probably made a judgment about the kind of person he was. My teacher reminded us that we as Christians are the church, so it's actually more accurate to say he was wearing a hat on the church rather than in the church. But either way, because of the woman's judgment, the young man left the church and didn't come back.
If I'm being completely honest with myself, I have to say that I sometimes make judgments about people based on what they wear or how they look. I know there are some people who never have anything nice to wear. You know how it feels to get a new shirt or pants. And the confidence you feel from knowing you look good? Imagine never having that feeling. Not only that, but imagine that the clothes you do wear don't even protect you from the wind, rain, cold, or sun.
What if you only had one pair of shoes, and they had massive holes in the bottom? Or what if, like millions of people, you didn't have any shoes at all? It would be really easy to cut your feet, and they'd be vulnerable to infection and disease. How can we care so much about whether we are wearing the latest style, when other people have nothing at all to wear? For many people in our world, it's not about choosing which pair of shoes to wear, it's about having any shoes to wear. It's not about whether to wear a collared shirt or a T-shirt, it's about having a shirt.
I'm not trying to make you feel guilty; but I think it's important to understand that clothing is much more than a fashion issue for many people. For someone in America, having a suit, even an old one, could mean the difference between getting the job or not. A clean shirt and jeans could build the self-confidence of a high schooler living in poverty. A new pair of shoes could literally mean an extended life for a child in Africa.
Jesus even talked about how when we clothe the poor it's as if we've done an act of kindness to him directly. We'll talk about that passage from Matthew 25 a bit more in the next chapter. I think being part of Generation Change requires that we rethink some of the things we take for granted, and how much and what we do with our money is one of them.
CHANGE IT: SOLES 4 SOULS
The mission of Soles 4 Souls is to impact as many lives as possible through the gift of shoes. This organization takes donations of gently used and new shoes and delivers them to people who don't have any. Soles 4 Souls dispatches shoes to 16 different countries around the world. You can support their work by donating your own shoes, hosting a shoe drive at your school or church, or volunteering your own time. Check out www.soles4souls.org.
CHANGE IT: YOUR TURN
"Undie Sunday"
This is a pretty cool idea (with a pretty funny name) that can involve every age group. For a homeless or very poor person, new underwear can be a luxury. Most thrift stores and clothing distribution centers don't have stacks of underwear. I guess used underwear is not something most people feel good about donating! Schools and churches around America have been uniting on Undie Sunday each March to solve this problem. Families are encouraged to purchase and donate new underwear that is distributed to people in need. Since 2006, more than 155,000 pieces of NEW underwear and diapers have been donated.
Check out what else they're doing at www.dignityuwear.org.
BUY ONE, GIVE ONE
Here's a very simple idea to discourage materialism. It goes like this: For every pair of shoes you buy, you give away a pair of shoes; for every pair of pants you buy, you give away a pair of pants, and so on. Instead of accumulating more and more stuff, you think purposefully about what you buy, and give things away instead of hoarding. The practice encourages us to buy less and give more, helping us be more grateful for what we have and more conscious of materialism.
BRAINSTORM FOR CHANGE
- Take the extra buttons that come with your shirts and assemble sewing kits to help people in other countries mend their own clothing, and get paid to mend clothes for others. Send these to Extreme Response or a shelter in your area. (For more on Extreme Response, see the chapter on Friendship.)
- Make baby blankets out of fleece. You can find lots of patterns for fleece-fringed blankets online. My brother's class did this when he was in first grade--it's really easy. His class donated their blankets to a crisis pregnancy center.
- Have a Toasty Fingers and Toes drive and collect gloves and socks. Then take them to the homeless shelter and give them away yourselves.
- Many cities do a "Blanket the City" week in which people drop off blankets at many different stores. The blankets are given to the homeless and people living in shelters.
- Go to a thrift store and buy up a bunch of coats in various kid sizes. They're usually priced really well so your money will go a long way. Then arrange with a school in an impoverished area to distribute the coats to kids who don't have adequate clothing.
- Custom T-shirts are printed for many races, fairs, and other community events. Often there are many shirts left over and no way to sell them. Contact the organizers to see if you can have them donated to a shelter or thrift store.
- For a couple more great clothing-related ideas, check out Style Your Soul in the Creativity chapter and Princess Closet in the Friendship chapter.
**
Taken from "Generation Change" by Zach Hunter, copyright 2008 Youth Specialties/Zondervan. Used by permission. Order the book here.
Also available in your local Christian bookstore.
**
3. SURF REPORT
~ Countdown to Prince Caspian: Find out everything there is to know about the upcoming Narnia movie.
~ FlamingNet: Your place for reviews and recommendations on past, present, and future preteen, teen, and young adult books (written by and for teens).
~ Perpetual Bubblewrap: Waste some time
~ The Hunger Site: Click to give free food
4. BIRTHDAYS
We've got one birthday to celebrate this week, so here this is for you CJ Irving. *CLAP* *CLAP* *CLAP*..... "This is your birthday song...it isn't very long...HEY!" Happy Birthday CJ!!
5. VIDEO OF THE WEEK
Our 180 Worship Team pulled off a great cover of the 12 Stones song, "The Way I Feel" at our Beach Retreat a couple of weeks ago!
6. FORGETTABLE FACT
Jimmy Carter is the first U.S. President to have been born in a hospital.
7. POTENT QUOTABLES
"Beware of doubt--faith is the subtle chain that binds us to the infinite."
~ E.0. Smith
"Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light."
~ Helen Keller
===========our|sponsor===========
WHAT WOULD IT BE LIKE IF JESUS CAME TO ANOTHER PLANET?
When the mysterious Jesmet, whom the authorities brand as a Magician of the Old Order, begins to connect with Orianon, he is banished forever to the shadowside of their planet Corista.
Learn more about "Trion Rising" here.
Also available in your local Christian bookstore.
===========our|sponsor===========
DON'T WAIT FOR SOMEONE ELSE...CHANGE THE WORLD!
Our world is broken, but you can change that. Read these stories of real people changing the world, and use and expand on their efforts so you can join the generation of change.
Learn more about "Generation Change" here.
Also available in your local Christian bookstore.
=================================
8. UH, THAT'S FUNNY?
Ancient orators tended to Babylon.
