October 27, 2008
1. 180 News
2. Something for Your Heart
3. Forgettable Fact
4. Birthdays
5. Scene Around 180
6. Potent Quotables
7. Uh, That's Funny?
1. 180 NEWS
HS Paintball Retreat
BIG reminder that your registration and fee of $55 for our Paintball Retreat is due this Wednesday night! Hope to see you there!
Middle School Turkey 'N Thanks
Hey Middle Schoolers it won't be long before Thanksgiving is here and that means it won't be long before our annual TNT is here!
Join us on Saturday night, November 15 from 6:00 to 7:30 in the Ministry Center Great Room for a wonderful Thanksgiving feast, with all the trimmings! The cost is only $5. It is sure to be an event you won't want to miss out on!
See pictures of last year's Turkey 'N Thanks here and here.
2. SOMETHING FOR YOUR HEART
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ARE GHOSTS REAL?
Ghosts are a big part of the increase of supernatural themes in movies, TV, and books. The most common worldview presented in stories about ghosts is that they are the spirits of people who died with unfinished business left on earth.
So, in The Sixth Sense, a little boy sees--and helps--dead people who need to fix something before they can leave to the great beyond. In Ghost, a popular movie from the early '90s, Patrick Swayze sticks around to love and protect Demi Moore after he dies. Nicole Kidman's The Others shows ghosts who don't realize they're the ones doing the haunting.
In the real world, evidence for ghosts is scarce. People who take them seriously talk about psychic energy and show photographs with strange lights or colors. But most of the real research suggests that living people tend to create ghosts, either out of fear, grief, or for profit.
For instance, the strangest ghost stories are rarely told by the people who believe they've experienced an encounter with a ghost--unless those people are getting paid. The tellers are almost always people who heard it secondhand.
In addition, people who claim to hear voices or see dead relatives almost always stop experiencing those things when they take antipsychotic medications. That suggests either that ghosts don't like medication or that people who are having intense emotional and psychological problems are more likely to see things that aren't there.
The Bible leaves little room for the existence of ghosts. It never, ever talks about the spirits of dead humans lingering here. Paul wrote that for Christians, to be away from the body is to be present with God (2 Corinthians 5:8). And the Bible describes very specific judgments for unbelievers--judgments that do not include becoming a haunting spirit on earth (2 Thessalonians 1:9).
WHAT'S UP WITH VAMPIRES AND WEREWOLVES?
Our current ideas about supernatural creatures called vampires and werewolves come primarily from entertainment sources: the original Dracula movies of the 1930s and dozens of sequels and adaptations since then; the books of Anne Rice; and the world created by the popular shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel.
According to the myth, a vampire is a demon who inhabits the body of a human. They need to drink blood to stay alive; they're very strong; they can live forever; but they can be killed by sunlight, a stake through the heart, or being exposed to religious symbols like crosses or holy water. [You reading this right now? Be the third person to email newsletter@180students.com to let us know and you will win a handful of candy on Sunday!] Oh, and they can turn other people into vampires if they want.
Werewolves are mythical creatures that appear human during the day, yet turn into ferocious and dangerous wolves when the moon is full. A person bitten by a werewolf will become one, and then he or she can only be killed while a wolf by a silver bullet. (They hate garlic, too.)
It's possible that these monsters of movies, TV, and books got their start in the real world. According to a great book by James Watkins called Death and Beyond (Tyndale, 1993), researchers at the University of British Columbia have studied a rare disease called porphyria. Victims of this illness can't produce heme, the red pigment in the blood's hemoglobin.
They believe some early sufferers tried to alleviate their symptoms by drinking blood. In addition, without that substance in their blood, these people are painfully sensitive to light. Sunlight causes sores that deform their hands; the skin of the face gets thin and tight, causing the teeth to stick out. And the body tries to protect itself with increased (wolf-like?) hair growth.
Finally, people with this disease are also violently allergic to garlic. It's possible that the legends grew out of a real-world illness.
The Bible, of course, teaches that demons are very real and that they can, in fact, possess unbelievers, making them violent and giving them supernatural strength. However, the Bible doesn't ever talk about these people living unnaturally long lives.
**
Taken from "Don't Buy the Lie" by Mark Matlock, copyright 2004 Youth Specialties/Zondervan. Used by permission. Order the book here.
3. FORGETTABLE FACT
C3PO is the first character to speak in Star Wars (Episode IV).
4. BIRTHDAYS
We've got two birthdays this week! We are wishing the BEST of birthdays to Courtney Leonard an Elli Ramirez! Hope your days are GREAT!
5. SCENE AROUND 180
Yesterday Caleb O'Halloran, Haley Calrson, and Zach Munger were all caught having a great time leading our Kid's Church worship.
Thanks guys! You are making a big difference in the world of a bunch of kids!
Want to be a part of the action with our Children's ministry? Contact Pastor Brian. He would love to talk with you!
6. POTENT QUOTABLES
"When creativity and passion come in and clean things out, you are able to care about more than yourself."
~ Zach Hunter
===========our|sponsor===========
DON'T BUY THE LIE
"I'm going to call a psychic." "I want to cast a spell on my boyfriend." "Let's have a seance tonight." Thousands of people make comments like this every day often thinking they're just jokes and not knowing it's all a big trap. TV and movies portray the supernatural as innocent, fun, even cool.
Don't buy the lie. It's not all fun and games.
This book shows you how to think for yourself, and not fall for these lies. You'll learn how to discern what's real and what's not. With this book, you'll be armed and ready to take on the lies that come your way.
Learn more about or purchase "Don't Buy the Lie" here.
=================================
7. UH, THAT'S FUNNY?
Q: How do you fix a Jack-O-Lantern?
A: Use a pumpkin patch.
2. Something for Your Heart
3. Forgettable Fact
4. Birthdays
5. Scene Around 180
6. Potent Quotables
7. Uh, That's Funny?
1. 180 NEWS
HS Paintball Retreat
BIG reminder that your registration and fee of $55 for our Paintball Retreat is due this Wednesday night! Hope to see you there!
Middle School Turkey 'N Thanks
Hey Middle Schoolers it won't be long before Thanksgiving is here and that means it won't be long before our annual TNT is here!
Join us on Saturday night, November 15 from 6:00 to 7:30 in the Ministry Center Great Room for a wonderful Thanksgiving feast, with all the trimmings! The cost is only $5. It is sure to be an event you won't want to miss out on!See pictures of last year's Turkey 'N Thanks here and here.
2. SOMETHING FOR YOUR HEART
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ARE GHOSTS REAL?
Ghosts are a big part of the increase of supernatural themes in movies, TV, and books. The most common worldview presented in stories about ghosts is that they are the spirits of people who died with unfinished business left on earth.
So, in The Sixth Sense, a little boy sees--and helps--dead people who need to fix something before they can leave to the great beyond. In Ghost, a popular movie from the early '90s, Patrick Swayze sticks around to love and protect Demi Moore after he dies. Nicole Kidman's The Others shows ghosts who don't realize they're the ones doing the haunting.
In the real world, evidence for ghosts is scarce. People who take them seriously talk about psychic energy and show photographs with strange lights or colors. But most of the real research suggests that living people tend to create ghosts, either out of fear, grief, or for profit.
For instance, the strangest ghost stories are rarely told by the people who believe they've experienced an encounter with a ghost--unless those people are getting paid. The tellers are almost always people who heard it secondhand.
In addition, people who claim to hear voices or see dead relatives almost always stop experiencing those things when they take antipsychotic medications. That suggests either that ghosts don't like medication or that people who are having intense emotional and psychological problems are more likely to see things that aren't there.
The Bible leaves little room for the existence of ghosts. It never, ever talks about the spirits of dead humans lingering here. Paul wrote that for Christians, to be away from the body is to be present with God (2 Corinthians 5:8). And the Bible describes very specific judgments for unbelievers--judgments that do not include becoming a haunting spirit on earth (2 Thessalonians 1:9).
WHAT'S UP WITH VAMPIRES AND WEREWOLVES?
Our current ideas about supernatural creatures called vampires and werewolves come primarily from entertainment sources: the original Dracula movies of the 1930s and dozens of sequels and adaptations since then; the books of Anne Rice; and the world created by the popular shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel.
According to the myth, a vampire is a demon who inhabits the body of a human. They need to drink blood to stay alive; they're very strong; they can live forever; but they can be killed by sunlight, a stake through the heart, or being exposed to religious symbols like crosses or holy water. [You reading this right now? Be the third person to email newsletter@180students.com to let us know and you will win a handful of candy on Sunday!] Oh, and they can turn other people into vampires if they want.
Werewolves are mythical creatures that appear human during the day, yet turn into ferocious and dangerous wolves when the moon is full. A person bitten by a werewolf will become one, and then he or she can only be killed while a wolf by a silver bullet. (They hate garlic, too.)
It's possible that these monsters of movies, TV, and books got their start in the real world. According to a great book by James Watkins called Death and Beyond (Tyndale, 1993), researchers at the University of British Columbia have studied a rare disease called porphyria. Victims of this illness can't produce heme, the red pigment in the blood's hemoglobin.
They believe some early sufferers tried to alleviate their symptoms by drinking blood. In addition, without that substance in their blood, these people are painfully sensitive to light. Sunlight causes sores that deform their hands; the skin of the face gets thin and tight, causing the teeth to stick out. And the body tries to protect itself with increased (wolf-like?) hair growth.
Finally, people with this disease are also violently allergic to garlic. It's possible that the legends grew out of a real-world illness.
The Bible, of course, teaches that demons are very real and that they can, in fact, possess unbelievers, making them violent and giving them supernatural strength. However, the Bible doesn't ever talk about these people living unnaturally long lives.
**
Taken from "Don't Buy the Lie" by Mark Matlock, copyright 2004 Youth Specialties/Zondervan. Used by permission. Order the book here.
3. FORGETTABLE FACT
C3PO is the first character to speak in Star Wars (Episode IV).
4. BIRTHDAYS
We've got two birthdays this week! We are wishing the BEST of birthdays to Courtney Leonard an Elli Ramirez! Hope your days are GREAT!
5. SCENE AROUND 180
Yesterday Caleb O'Halloran, Haley Calrson, and Zach Munger were all caught having a great time leading our Kid's Church worship.
Thanks guys! You are making a big difference in the world of a bunch of kids!
Want to be a part of the action with our Children's ministry? Contact Pastor Brian. He would love to talk with you!
6. POTENT QUOTABLES
"When creativity and passion come in and clean things out, you are able to care about more than yourself."
~ Zach Hunter
===========our|sponsor===========
DON'T BUY THE LIE
"I'm going to call a psychic." "I want to cast a spell on my boyfriend." "Let's have a seance tonight." Thousands of people make comments like this every day often thinking they're just jokes and not knowing it's all a big trap. TV and movies portray the supernatural as innocent, fun, even cool.
Don't buy the lie. It's not all fun and games.
This book shows you how to think for yourself, and not fall for these lies. You'll learn how to discern what's real and what's not. With this book, you'll be armed and ready to take on the lies that come your way.
Learn more about or purchase "Don't Buy the Lie" here.
=================================
7. UH, THAT'S FUNNY?
Q: How do you fix a Jack-O-Lantern?
A: Use a pumpkin patch.
