March 31, 2008
Contents
1. 180 News
2. Something for Your Heart
3. Surf Report
4. Video of The Week
5. Forgettable Fact
6. Potent Quotables
7. Uh, That's Funny?
1. 180 NEWS
MS Pool & Pizza
Hey Middle Schoolers join us THIS FRIDAY, April 4 for a splashing good time at North Clackamas Aquatic Park.
We will leave the church at 5:00 and conclude our night at 9:30. Bring a friend and join us for a great night.
The cost is $10 and a completed 2008 Release Form (if not already turned in).
See pictures of last year's Pool & Pizza here.
Go here to download a flier now.
Mexico Outreach
If you are considering being a part of our Mexico Outreach this summer please remember the deadline for submitting your application and $200 deposit is quickly approaching.
All applications and deposits must be turned in by THIS SUNDAY, April 6.
For more info our out trip this year, please visit our web site at 180students.com/mexico08.
The Burn
Join us on Wednesday night, April 9 for a very special time of worship with 5 other Tigard area youth groups. It will be a night of meeting new people, and coming together as God's Church to worship Him. Be sure to be with us.
We will meet at Tigard Covenant Church at 7:00 and conclude at 8:30. Please be dropped off and picked up at TCC.
There will be no Danger Zone that week.
2. SOMETHING FOR YOUR HEART
WHAT DID JESUS MEAN WHEN HE COMMANDED US TO EAT HIS BODY AND DRINK HIS BLOOD? (ALL ABOUT COMMUNION)
It must have been an incredible sight to watch Jesus preach. John 6 details a real-life meeting between Jesus, the disciples, and 5,000 witnesses.
Can you imagine? They sat on a hill, Jesus at the bottom, the disciples sitting at his feet listening to every word out of this miracle healer's mouth. He was already gaining quite a reputation for being a man who could perform miracles over nature, and he even claimed to be able to forgive their sins.
The Bible doesn't describe the message. We don't know if Jesus was preaching about following God or about a husband treating a wife with respect. What we do know is that he was setting the stage for something great!
The message was about to end, and Jesus leaned over to Philip and said, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" (John 6:5).
He knew what he was doing (verse 6). The Bible says he already had a plan. He was testing Philip to see what the disciples' response would be. I suppose you can infer that he was ready to really put their faith to the test.
Crowds of people were following, but did they really believe Jesus could perform a miracle this big--feeding 5,000 people? (Actually, in Jesus' time, 5,000 referred to the number of men only; there could have been double the amount if they counted women and children.)
Can you imagine Philip's face when Jesus asked him where to buy bread? To Philip, it probably seemed as if Jesus were commanding him to go and find the money, the restaurant, and the catering company to deliver the food; and surely the crowd was getting hungry.
I don't know if you've ever seen a crowd go into a feeding frenzy, but if they were anything like American crowds, Philip knew they were about to have a problem.
They didn't have the money to feed all those people. They didn't have the resources even if they had the money. There wasn't a place where 10,000 people could sit down and eat all at the same time. What was Philip to do?
You've probably read the story before. If not, check it out in John 6. Jesus took five loaves of bread and two fish and prayed to God to supply their need. The Bible records that the meal was so bountiful the disciples picked up the scraps and filled 12 baskets with the leftovers. It was a miracle over nature.
The next day, Jesus began to teach the disciples about bread that would keep you from going hungry (verses 32-59). He gave them a history lesson of the Old Testament Israelites in the desert and reminded them of God's provision in their hunger by miraculously placing manna in the desert every morning for them to eat.
Then he recalled the miracle just performed in front of their eyes, as if to say, "Hey, guys, if I can provide you with physical food, don't you think I can provide you with spiritual food?" He says in John 6:53, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood; you have no life in you."
He was making a point. You have physical hunger, but you also have spiritual hunger. If I can feed your physical body, don't worry--I'll take care of your spiritual body as well.
The New Testament is full of wonderful analogies of bread and water as sustenance for our bodies, as well as Jesus' provision and their meaning in our spiritual lives. Jesus even ends his three-year earthly relationships with his disciples by conjuring up an analogy of bread and wine as it relates to his body and blood.
WHY DID JESUS BREAK BREAD WITH THE DISCIPLES BEFORE HE WENT TO DIE?
Just like baptism, the other sacrament you can find in almost every church in the world is communion. It's the time when they pull out the silver offering plates full of broken crackers and grape juice--or whatever format your church uses.
Growing up, my pastor always used to tell us about how we are to remember Jesus by eating his body, represented by the bread, and drinking his blood, represented by the grape juice. And although I think remembering Jesus' death on the cross is vitally important, I don't think it's just Jesus' death that's cause for this ceremony.
Jesus took his disciples into an upper room to eat the last supper.
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body." Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." --Matthew 26:26-28
What if he wasn't trying to tell the disciples to remember the event of the crucifixion merely for the event itself? What if Jesus was actually trying to communicate that the spiritual sustenance was about to be poured out? He commanded the disciples to remember--but remember what?
WHY DO WE "DO COMMUNION" TODAY?
I think communion is one of those things we need to take a look at and ask ourselves if it's necessary to do it like we've always done it.
Imagine for a minute you were about to give someone the gift of eternal life, but you were going to have to face the most excruciating torture known to the world to this point in order to give it. If she accepted your gift, would you want her reflecting on the sacrifice, or the gift?
I think Jesus wanted us to use communion as a rallying cry, not as a memorial. He wanted us to remember his sacrifice, sure; but I think he smiles down on us when we approach his throne with a joyful attitude of thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving. Don't we have a holiday like that?
Isn't Thanksgiving the time when all our families gather around one common table of thanks? We make certain foods to remember the pilgrims and their voyage to America. We give thanks for all the blessings we've had during the year, and often those blessings include loud, funny stories. Sometimes they even help us recall embarrassing moments. We tell jokes. We have serious talks. We sit around and remember--remember for the sake of our family here in America.
I wonder if communion should be the Christian Thanksgiving feast. What if we all gathered around a table and took communion like we eat Thanksgiving dinner? We remember the good times, we recall the sacrifice, and we celebrate the fact that Jesus came to die so we could live. Wouldn't that be cool?
WHO CAN PARTICIPATE IN COMMUNION?
- Who are those free from sin?
- Who has received eternal life through Jesus?
- Who is set free from their old sinner selves and reconciled to a righteous God?
- Who has experienced God's grace?
- Who has accepted God's forgiveness?
- Who is living an abundant life because of Christ's death?
- Who is making disciples?
- Who is obeying Jesus' commands?
- Who really loves Jesus?
I suppose there's your answer.
**
Taken from "Duplicate This!" by Andy Braner, copyright 2008, Youth Specialties/Zondervan. Used by permission. Order the book here.
**
3. SURF REPORT
~Famous Hoaxes Throughout History (Just in time for April Fool's Day!)
~Find cool places to volunteer
4. VIDEO OF THE WEEK
So what happens when Pastor's Brian and Aaron get asked to make a cameo appearance in an action flick? Well....
Nice work Zak and Kyle. Next time the pastors win!!
5. FORGETTABLE FACT
More redheads are born in Scotland than in any other part of the world.
6. POTENT QUOTABLES
"In the Kingdom of God, service is not a stepping-stone to nobility: it is nobility." ~T.W. Manson
"Few things are impossible to diligence and skill. Great works are performed, not by strength, but perseverance."
~Samuel Johnson
===========our sponsor===========
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO MAKE DISCIPLES?
Before Jesus left his disciples he said to them, "go and make disciples of all nations." It was a command for everyone who follows Jesus. But what does it mean?
In "Duplicate This!" you'll learn the foundations of discipleship and what it means to make a disciple, and you'll be equipped to walk with your friends as they learn what it looks like to follow Jesus.
Learn more about "Duplicate This!" here.
Also available in your local Christian bookstore.
=================================
7. UH, THAT'S FUNNY?
A small boy swallowed some coins and was taken to a hospital. When his grandmother telephoned to ask how he was a nurse said, "No change yet."
1. 180 News
2. Something for Your Heart
3. Surf Report
4. Video of The Week
5. Forgettable Fact
6. Potent Quotables
7. Uh, That's Funny?
1. 180 NEWS
MS Pool & Pizza
Hey Middle Schoolers join us THIS FRIDAY, April 4 for a splashing good time at North Clackamas Aquatic Park.
We will leave the church at 5:00 and conclude our night at 9:30. Bring a friend and join us for a great night.
The cost is $10 and a completed 2008 Release Form (if not already turned in).
See pictures of last year's Pool & Pizza here.
Go here to download a flier now.
Mexico Outreach
If you are considering being a part of our Mexico Outreach this summer please remember the deadline for submitting your application and $200 deposit is quickly approaching.
All applications and deposits must be turned in by THIS SUNDAY, April 6.
For more info our out trip this year, please visit our web site at 180students.com/mexico08.
The Burn
Join us on Wednesday night, April 9 for a very special time of worship with 5 other Tigard area youth groups. It will be a night of meeting new people, and coming together as God's Church to worship Him. Be sure to be with us.
We will meet at Tigard Covenant Church at 7:00 and conclude at 8:30. Please be dropped off and picked up at TCC.There will be no Danger Zone that week.
2. SOMETHING FOR YOUR HEART
WHAT DID JESUS MEAN WHEN HE COMMANDED US TO EAT HIS BODY AND DRINK HIS BLOOD? (ALL ABOUT COMMUNION)
It must have been an incredible sight to watch Jesus preach. John 6 details a real-life meeting between Jesus, the disciples, and 5,000 witnesses.
Can you imagine? They sat on a hill, Jesus at the bottom, the disciples sitting at his feet listening to every word out of this miracle healer's mouth. He was already gaining quite a reputation for being a man who could perform miracles over nature, and he even claimed to be able to forgive their sins.
The Bible doesn't describe the message. We don't know if Jesus was preaching about following God or about a husband treating a wife with respect. What we do know is that he was setting the stage for something great!
The message was about to end, and Jesus leaned over to Philip and said, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" (John 6:5).
He knew what he was doing (verse 6). The Bible says he already had a plan. He was testing Philip to see what the disciples' response would be. I suppose you can infer that he was ready to really put their faith to the test.
Crowds of people were following, but did they really believe Jesus could perform a miracle this big--feeding 5,000 people? (Actually, in Jesus' time, 5,000 referred to the number of men only; there could have been double the amount if they counted women and children.)
Can you imagine Philip's face when Jesus asked him where to buy bread? To Philip, it probably seemed as if Jesus were commanding him to go and find the money, the restaurant, and the catering company to deliver the food; and surely the crowd was getting hungry.
I don't know if you've ever seen a crowd go into a feeding frenzy, but if they were anything like American crowds, Philip knew they were about to have a problem.
They didn't have the money to feed all those people. They didn't have the resources even if they had the money. There wasn't a place where 10,000 people could sit down and eat all at the same time. What was Philip to do?
You've probably read the story before. If not, check it out in John 6. Jesus took five loaves of bread and two fish and prayed to God to supply their need. The Bible records that the meal was so bountiful the disciples picked up the scraps and filled 12 baskets with the leftovers. It was a miracle over nature.
The next day, Jesus began to teach the disciples about bread that would keep you from going hungry (verses 32-59). He gave them a history lesson of the Old Testament Israelites in the desert and reminded them of God's provision in their hunger by miraculously placing manna in the desert every morning for them to eat.
Then he recalled the miracle just performed in front of their eyes, as if to say, "Hey, guys, if I can provide you with physical food, don't you think I can provide you with spiritual food?" He says in John 6:53, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood; you have no life in you."
He was making a point. You have physical hunger, but you also have spiritual hunger. If I can feed your physical body, don't worry--I'll take care of your spiritual body as well.
The New Testament is full of wonderful analogies of bread and water as sustenance for our bodies, as well as Jesus' provision and their meaning in our spiritual lives. Jesus even ends his three-year earthly relationships with his disciples by conjuring up an analogy of bread and wine as it relates to his body and blood.
WHY DID JESUS BREAK BREAD WITH THE DISCIPLES BEFORE HE WENT TO DIE?
Just like baptism, the other sacrament you can find in almost every church in the world is communion. It's the time when they pull out the silver offering plates full of broken crackers and grape juice--or whatever format your church uses.
Growing up, my pastor always used to tell us about how we are to remember Jesus by eating his body, represented by the bread, and drinking his blood, represented by the grape juice. And although I think remembering Jesus' death on the cross is vitally important, I don't think it's just Jesus' death that's cause for this ceremony.
Jesus took his disciples into an upper room to eat the last supper.
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body." Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." --Matthew 26:26-28
What if he wasn't trying to tell the disciples to remember the event of the crucifixion merely for the event itself? What if Jesus was actually trying to communicate that the spiritual sustenance was about to be poured out? He commanded the disciples to remember--but remember what?
WHY DO WE "DO COMMUNION" TODAY?
I think communion is one of those things we need to take a look at and ask ourselves if it's necessary to do it like we've always done it.
Imagine for a minute you were about to give someone the gift of eternal life, but you were going to have to face the most excruciating torture known to the world to this point in order to give it. If she accepted your gift, would you want her reflecting on the sacrifice, or the gift?
I think Jesus wanted us to use communion as a rallying cry, not as a memorial. He wanted us to remember his sacrifice, sure; but I think he smiles down on us when we approach his throne with a joyful attitude of thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving. Don't we have a holiday like that?
Isn't Thanksgiving the time when all our families gather around one common table of thanks? We make certain foods to remember the pilgrims and their voyage to America. We give thanks for all the blessings we've had during the year, and often those blessings include loud, funny stories. Sometimes they even help us recall embarrassing moments. We tell jokes. We have serious talks. We sit around and remember--remember for the sake of our family here in America.
I wonder if communion should be the Christian Thanksgiving feast. What if we all gathered around a table and took communion like we eat Thanksgiving dinner? We remember the good times, we recall the sacrifice, and we celebrate the fact that Jesus came to die so we could live. Wouldn't that be cool?
WHO CAN PARTICIPATE IN COMMUNION?
- Who are those free from sin?
- Who has received eternal life through Jesus?
- Who is set free from their old sinner selves and reconciled to a righteous God?
- Who has experienced God's grace?
- Who has accepted God's forgiveness?
- Who is living an abundant life because of Christ's death?
- Who is making disciples?
- Who is obeying Jesus' commands?
- Who really loves Jesus?
I suppose there's your answer.
**
Taken from "Duplicate This!" by Andy Braner, copyright 2008, Youth Specialties/Zondervan. Used by permission. Order the book here.
**
3. SURF REPORT
~Famous Hoaxes Throughout History (Just in time for April Fool's Day!)
~Find cool places to volunteer
4. VIDEO OF THE WEEK
So what happens when Pastor's Brian and Aaron get asked to make a cameo appearance in an action flick? Well....
Nice work Zak and Kyle. Next time the pastors win!!
5. FORGETTABLE FACT
More redheads are born in Scotland than in any other part of the world.
6. POTENT QUOTABLES
"In the Kingdom of God, service is not a stepping-stone to nobility: it is nobility." ~T.W. Manson
"Few things are impossible to diligence and skill. Great works are performed, not by strength, but perseverance."
~Samuel Johnson
===========our sponsor===========
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO MAKE DISCIPLES?
Before Jesus left his disciples he said to them, "go and make disciples of all nations." It was a command for everyone who follows Jesus. But what does it mean?
In "Duplicate This!" you'll learn the foundations of discipleship and what it means to make a disciple, and you'll be equipped to walk with your friends as they learn what it looks like to follow Jesus.
Learn more about "Duplicate This!" here.
Also available in your local Christian bookstore.
=================================
7. UH, THAT'S FUNNY?
A small boy swallowed some coins and was taken to a hospital. When his grandmother telephoned to ask how he was a nurse said, "No change yet."
March 24, 2008
Contents
1. 180 News
2. Something for Your Heart
3. Surf Report
4. Video Of The Week
5. Forgettable Fact
6. Potent Quotables
7. Uh, That's Funny?
1. 180 NEWS
MS Pool & Pizza
Hey Middle Schoolers join us on Friday, April 4 for a splashing good time at North Clackamas Aquatic Park.
We will leave the church at 5:00 and conclude our night at 9:30. Bring a friend and join us for a great night.
The cost is $10 and a completed 2008 Release Form (if not already turned in).
See pictures of last year's Pool & Pizza here.
Go here to download a flier now.
Mexico Outreach
If you are considering being a part of our Mexico Outreach this summer please remember the deadline for submitting your application and $200 deposit is quickly approaching.
All applications and deposits must be turned in by Sunday, April 6.
For more info our out trip this year, please visit our web site at 180students.com/mexico08.
2. SOMETHING FOR YOUR HEART
WHAT DID JESUS DO AFTER EASTER?
In 1963 the body of 14-year-old Addie Mae Collins, one of four African-American girls tragically murdered in a church bombing by white racists, was buried in Birmingham, Alabama. For years family members kept returning to the grave to pray and leave flowers. In 1998 they decided to move the body to another cemetery.
But when workers went to dig up the body, they returned with a shocking discovery: The grave was empty.
Understandably, family members were terribly upset. Cemetery officials scrambled to figure out what had happened. Several possibilities were raised, the main one being that Addie Mae's tombstone had been erected in the wrong place.
In all of the discussion, however, one explanation was never proposed: Nobody suggested that young Addie Mae had been resurrected to walk the earth again. Why? Because by itself an empty grave does not prove a resurrection.
It's one thing to conclude that Jesus' grave really was empty on Easter Sunday (see chapter 8). While I knew that this was important and necessary evidence for Jesus' resurrection, I was also aware that a missing body is not conclusive proof by itself. If I were going to believe that a dead person came back to life, I'd want more evidence.
SEEING IS BELIEVING
Even the persistent myth that Elvis is still alive wouldn't have gained any momentum without the occasional report of an Elvis sighting. What I needed to know was, were there any Jesus sightings after his death? And if so, were they any more believable than the Elvis sightings reported in those tabloids you find in the checkout lane at Target?
500 EYEWITNESSES
The sighting witnessed by the greatest number of people at one time is reported by the apostle Paul, who wrote this in a letter to the church in Corinth:
What I received I passed on to you. And it is the most important of all. Here is what it is. Christ died for our sins, just as Scripture said he would. He was buried. He was raised from the dead on the third day, just as Scripture said he would be. He appeared to Peter. Then he appeared to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than 500 believers at the same time. Most of them are still living.
What catches my attention is that last sentence: "Most of them are still living." (You can read it for yourself in 1 Corinthians 15:3--6, NIrV.) Paul either knew some of these people or else he was told by someone who knew them that they were still walking around and willing to be interviewed.
Now stop and think about it: Would you include a statement like that if you weren't absolutely certain that these guys would confirm that they really did see Jesus alive? I mean, Paul was basically inviting people to check it out for themselves. Would he have said this if he wasn't confident they'd back him up?
EXAMINING THE ALTERNATIVES
All the evidence in the Gospels and Acts--incident after incident, witness after witness, detail after detail--was extremely impressive. But couldn't there be some plausible alternatives that could explain these apparent encounters with the risen Jesus?
Possibility 1: The Sightings Are Legends
If you've ever gone off on some adventure and come back with stories to tell, you know how those stories can grow bigger and better with each retelling--especially if there were a lot of people involved to add their own variations. The rapids you encountered on a whitewater rafting trip, for example, in memory seem more treacherous, the paddling more heroic, and your tumble out of the raft positively death-defying.
Maybe that's how the reports of Jesus' resurrection appearances got going. Maybe the accounts are merely legends that grew up over time.
One argument in favor of this possibility is the fact that the accounts become more numerous throughout the Gospels: Mark records no appearances; Matthew has some; Luke has more; and John has the most.
Possibility 2: The Sightings Were Hallucinations
Maybe the witnesses were sincere in believing they saw Jesus. Perhaps they accurately reported what they saw. But could they have been seeing a hallucination that convinced them they were encountering Jesus when they really weren't?
The biggest argument in favor of the hallucination theory, as far as I'm concerned, is that hallucinations are more common than resurrections. It's generally easier to believe that someone is hallucinating than that someone came back to life.
Possibility 3: Wishful Thinking
You probably know people who almost always manage to see what they want to see, to spin a situation to suit what they already believe. Like the guy who's convinced he's God's gift to women: a girl can walk past him without so much as a glance in his direction, and he'll turn to you and say, "She wants me!" Or the group that thinks their band is on the verge of breaking into the big time, even though they've never gotten a gig outside their own garage.
Maybe Jesus' followers were so set on seeing Jesus rise from the grave that they talked themselves--and one another--into believing it had happened. People who accept this possibility will tell you that stranger things have happened in the name of faith.
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS
If you're into logic, or history, or theology, you probably find all these lists of eyewitnesses and arguments for and against Christ's resurrection pretty gripping.
But if you're not into any of those things, you may be wondering, "What difference does it really make whether Jesus showed up and proved he was alive to a bunch of people who are now dead themselves?"
And that's a good question.
Because if Jesus' resurrection doesn't have anything to do with life today, does it matter whether he rose from the dead or not?
Encounters with Jesus 2,000 years ago may be the stuff of theology, but encounters with Jesus today--now that could make me sit up and take notice! And that's exactly what a professor named J.P. Moreland claims to have experienced.
We were bantering about football and whether his team (the Kansas City Chiefs) or mine (the Chicago Bears) had any chance of making it to the Super Bowl (probably not) when Moreland casually mentioned, "You've forgotten a whole category of encounters with Christ, you know."
After taking a second or two to shift gears from football to evidence for Christ's resurrection, I finally said, "I give up. What encounters do you mean?"
"It's the ongoing encounter with the resurrected Christ that happens all over the world, in every culture, to people from all kinds of backgrounds and personalities," he said. "They all will tell you that more than any single thing in their lives, Jesus Christ has changed them."
Moreland leaned forward for emphasis. "To me, this is the final evidence--not the only evidence, but the final confirming proof--that the message of Jesus can open the door to a direct encounter with the risen Christ."
"I assume you've had an encounter like that," I said. "Tell me about it."
"I was a cynical chemistry major at the University of Missouri when I was confronted with the fact that if I examined the claims of Jesus Christ critically but with an open mind, there was more than enough evidence for me to believe it.
"So I took a step of faith in the same direction the evidence was pointing, by receiving Jesus as my forgiver and leader. And I began to relate to him--to the resurrected Christ--in a very real and ongoing way.
"In three decades since then, I've had hundreds of specific answers to prayer, I've had things happen that simply cannot be explained by natural explanations, and I have experienced a changed life beyond anything I could have imagined."
"Wait a minute," I protested. "Lots of people in other religions experience life change, too. Isn't it dangerous to base a decision on an experience you can't prove?"
"Let me make two things clear," Moreland said. "First, I'm not saying, 'Just trust your experience.' I'm saying, 'Use your mind calmly and weigh the evidence, and then see whether your experience confirms that evidence.' Second, if what this evidence points to is true, the evidence itself begs for an experiential test."
"An experiential test?" I repeated. "Define that."
"The experiential test is, 'He's alive, and I can find out by relating to him.' If you were on a jury and heard enough evidence to convince you of someone's guilt, it wouldn't make sense to stop short of the final step of convicting him. And for people to accept the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus and not take the final step of testing it experientially would be to miss where the evidence is leading."
Which, of course, leads to the obvious question: are you open to taking that step?
**
Taken from "The Case for Christ" by Lee Strobel and Jane Vogel, copyright 2001, Youth Specialties/Zondervan. Used by permission. Order the book here.
**
3. SURF REPORT
~ Experiments with everyone's favorite Easter candy
~ Make a hat out of Duct Tape
4. VIDEO OF THE WEEK
For those of you who may have fishing plans for Spring Break, we bring you another one from our good friend Tim Hawkins.
5. FORGETTABLE FACT
If you have 3 quarters, 4 dimes, and 4 pennies, you have $1.19. You also have the largest amount of money in coins without being able to make change for a dollar.
6. POTENT QUOTABLES
"The seed dies into new life and so does man."
~ George MacDonald
"Before we can begin to see the cross as something done for us, we have to see it as something done by us."
~ John Stott
===========our sponsor===========
WHO WAS JESUS? A GOOD MAN? A LUNATIC? GOD?
There's little question that he actually lived. But miracles? Rising from the dead? Some of the stories you hear about him sound like just that--stories. That's why Lee Strobel--an award-winning legal journalist with a knack for asking tough questions--decided to investigate Jesus for himself. An atheist, Strobel felt certain his findings would bring Christianity's claims about Jesus tumbling down like a house of cards.
He was in for the surprise of his life. Join him as he retraces his journey from skepticism to faith. Like Strobel, you'll be amazed at the evidence--how much there is, how strong it is, and what it says.
Learn more about "Case for Christ" here.
Also available in your local Christian bookstore.
=================================
7. UH, THAT'S FUNNY?
How can you tell when you've run out of invisible ink?
1. 180 News
2. Something for Your Heart
3. Surf Report
4. Video Of The Week
5. Forgettable Fact
6. Potent Quotables
7. Uh, That's Funny?
1. 180 NEWS
MS Pool & Pizza
Hey Middle Schoolers join us on Friday, April 4 for a splashing good time at North Clackamas Aquatic Park.
We will leave the church at 5:00 and conclude our night at 9:30. Bring a friend and join us for a great night.
The cost is $10 and a completed 2008 Release Form (if not already turned in).
See pictures of last year's Pool & Pizza here.
Go here to download a flier now.
Mexico Outreach
If you are considering being a part of our Mexico Outreach this summer please remember the deadline for submitting your application and $200 deposit is quickly approaching.
All applications and deposits must be turned in by Sunday, April 6.For more info our out trip this year, please visit our web site at 180students.com/mexico08.
2. SOMETHING FOR YOUR HEART
WHAT DID JESUS DO AFTER EASTER?
In 1963 the body of 14-year-old Addie Mae Collins, one of four African-American girls tragically murdered in a church bombing by white racists, was buried in Birmingham, Alabama. For years family members kept returning to the grave to pray and leave flowers. In 1998 they decided to move the body to another cemetery.
But when workers went to dig up the body, they returned with a shocking discovery: The grave was empty.
Understandably, family members were terribly upset. Cemetery officials scrambled to figure out what had happened. Several possibilities were raised, the main one being that Addie Mae's tombstone had been erected in the wrong place.
In all of the discussion, however, one explanation was never proposed: Nobody suggested that young Addie Mae had been resurrected to walk the earth again. Why? Because by itself an empty grave does not prove a resurrection.
It's one thing to conclude that Jesus' grave really was empty on Easter Sunday (see chapter 8). While I knew that this was important and necessary evidence for Jesus' resurrection, I was also aware that a missing body is not conclusive proof by itself. If I were going to believe that a dead person came back to life, I'd want more evidence.
SEEING IS BELIEVING
Even the persistent myth that Elvis is still alive wouldn't have gained any momentum without the occasional report of an Elvis sighting. What I needed to know was, were there any Jesus sightings after his death? And if so, were they any more believable than the Elvis sightings reported in those tabloids you find in the checkout lane at Target?
500 EYEWITNESSES
The sighting witnessed by the greatest number of people at one time is reported by the apostle Paul, who wrote this in a letter to the church in Corinth:
What I received I passed on to you. And it is the most important of all. Here is what it is. Christ died for our sins, just as Scripture said he would. He was buried. He was raised from the dead on the third day, just as Scripture said he would be. He appeared to Peter. Then he appeared to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than 500 believers at the same time. Most of them are still living.
What catches my attention is that last sentence: "Most of them are still living." (You can read it for yourself in 1 Corinthians 15:3--6, NIrV.) Paul either knew some of these people or else he was told by someone who knew them that they were still walking around and willing to be interviewed.
Now stop and think about it: Would you include a statement like that if you weren't absolutely certain that these guys would confirm that they really did see Jesus alive? I mean, Paul was basically inviting people to check it out for themselves. Would he have said this if he wasn't confident they'd back him up?
EXAMINING THE ALTERNATIVES
All the evidence in the Gospels and Acts--incident after incident, witness after witness, detail after detail--was extremely impressive. But couldn't there be some plausible alternatives that could explain these apparent encounters with the risen Jesus?
Possibility 1: The Sightings Are Legends
If you've ever gone off on some adventure and come back with stories to tell, you know how those stories can grow bigger and better with each retelling--especially if there were a lot of people involved to add their own variations. The rapids you encountered on a whitewater rafting trip, for example, in memory seem more treacherous, the paddling more heroic, and your tumble out of the raft positively death-defying.
Maybe that's how the reports of Jesus' resurrection appearances got going. Maybe the accounts are merely legends that grew up over time.
One argument in favor of this possibility is the fact that the accounts become more numerous throughout the Gospels: Mark records no appearances; Matthew has some; Luke has more; and John has the most.
Possibility 2: The Sightings Were Hallucinations
Maybe the witnesses were sincere in believing they saw Jesus. Perhaps they accurately reported what they saw. But could they have been seeing a hallucination that convinced them they were encountering Jesus when they really weren't?
The biggest argument in favor of the hallucination theory, as far as I'm concerned, is that hallucinations are more common than resurrections. It's generally easier to believe that someone is hallucinating than that someone came back to life.
Possibility 3: Wishful Thinking
You probably know people who almost always manage to see what they want to see, to spin a situation to suit what they already believe. Like the guy who's convinced he's God's gift to women: a girl can walk past him without so much as a glance in his direction, and he'll turn to you and say, "She wants me!" Or the group that thinks their band is on the verge of breaking into the big time, even though they've never gotten a gig outside their own garage.
Maybe Jesus' followers were so set on seeing Jesus rise from the grave that they talked themselves--and one another--into believing it had happened. People who accept this possibility will tell you that stranger things have happened in the name of faith.
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS
If you're into logic, or history, or theology, you probably find all these lists of eyewitnesses and arguments for and against Christ's resurrection pretty gripping.
But if you're not into any of those things, you may be wondering, "What difference does it really make whether Jesus showed up and proved he was alive to a bunch of people who are now dead themselves?"
And that's a good question.
Because if Jesus' resurrection doesn't have anything to do with life today, does it matter whether he rose from the dead or not?
Encounters with Jesus 2,000 years ago may be the stuff of theology, but encounters with Jesus today--now that could make me sit up and take notice! And that's exactly what a professor named J.P. Moreland claims to have experienced.
We were bantering about football and whether his team (the Kansas City Chiefs) or mine (the Chicago Bears) had any chance of making it to the Super Bowl (probably not) when Moreland casually mentioned, "You've forgotten a whole category of encounters with Christ, you know."
After taking a second or two to shift gears from football to evidence for Christ's resurrection, I finally said, "I give up. What encounters do you mean?"
"It's the ongoing encounter with the resurrected Christ that happens all over the world, in every culture, to people from all kinds of backgrounds and personalities," he said. "They all will tell you that more than any single thing in their lives, Jesus Christ has changed them."
Moreland leaned forward for emphasis. "To me, this is the final evidence--not the only evidence, but the final confirming proof--that the message of Jesus can open the door to a direct encounter with the risen Christ."
"I assume you've had an encounter like that," I said. "Tell me about it."
"I was a cynical chemistry major at the University of Missouri when I was confronted with the fact that if I examined the claims of Jesus Christ critically but with an open mind, there was more than enough evidence for me to believe it.
"So I took a step of faith in the same direction the evidence was pointing, by receiving Jesus as my forgiver and leader. And I began to relate to him--to the resurrected Christ--in a very real and ongoing way.
"In three decades since then, I've had hundreds of specific answers to prayer, I've had things happen that simply cannot be explained by natural explanations, and I have experienced a changed life beyond anything I could have imagined."
"Wait a minute," I protested. "Lots of people in other religions experience life change, too. Isn't it dangerous to base a decision on an experience you can't prove?"
"Let me make two things clear," Moreland said. "First, I'm not saying, 'Just trust your experience.' I'm saying, 'Use your mind calmly and weigh the evidence, and then see whether your experience confirms that evidence.' Second, if what this evidence points to is true, the evidence itself begs for an experiential test."
"An experiential test?" I repeated. "Define that."
"The experiential test is, 'He's alive, and I can find out by relating to him.' If you were on a jury and heard enough evidence to convince you of someone's guilt, it wouldn't make sense to stop short of the final step of convicting him. And for people to accept the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus and not take the final step of testing it experientially would be to miss where the evidence is leading."
Which, of course, leads to the obvious question: are you open to taking that step?
**
Taken from "The Case for Christ" by Lee Strobel and Jane Vogel, copyright 2001, Youth Specialties/Zondervan. Used by permission. Order the book here.
**
3. SURF REPORT
~ Experiments with everyone's favorite Easter candy
~ Make a hat out of Duct Tape
4. VIDEO OF THE WEEK
For those of you who may have fishing plans for Spring Break, we bring you another one from our good friend Tim Hawkins.
5. FORGETTABLE FACT
If you have 3 quarters, 4 dimes, and 4 pennies, you have $1.19. You also have the largest amount of money in coins without being able to make change for a dollar.
6. POTENT QUOTABLES
"The seed dies into new life and so does man."
~ George MacDonald
"Before we can begin to see the cross as something done for us, we have to see it as something done by us."
~ John Stott
===========our sponsor===========
WHO WAS JESUS? A GOOD MAN? A LUNATIC? GOD?
There's little question that he actually lived. But miracles? Rising from the dead? Some of the stories you hear about him sound like just that--stories. That's why Lee Strobel--an award-winning legal journalist with a knack for asking tough questions--decided to investigate Jesus for himself. An atheist, Strobel felt certain his findings would bring Christianity's claims about Jesus tumbling down like a house of cards.
He was in for the surprise of his life. Join him as he retraces his journey from skepticism to faith. Like Strobel, you'll be amazed at the evidence--how much there is, how strong it is, and what it says.
Learn more about "Case for Christ" here.
Also available in your local Christian bookstore.
=================================
7. UH, THAT'S FUNNY?
How can you tell when you've run out of invisible ink?
March 17, 2007
Contents
1. 180 News
2. Scene Around 180
3. Something for Your Heart
4. Surf Report
5. Birthdays
6. Forgettable Fact
7. Potent Quotables
8. Uh, That's Funny?
1. 180 NEWS
MS Pool & Pizza
Hey Middle Schoolers join us on Friday, April 4 for a splashing good time at North Clackamas Aquatic Park.
We will leave the church at 5:00 and conclude our night at 9:30. Bring a friend and join us for a great night.
The cost is $10 and a completed 2008 Release Form (if not already turned in).
See pictures of last year's Pool & Pizza here.
Go here to download a flier now.
2. SCENE AROUND 180
Last Thursday night at the Danger Zone we learned of a new talent that Trevor McCracken and Jared Bass share.....Salsa Dancing!
Boy did the camera phones come out for this one!
Thank you Michelle Wiseman and Mitch Brannen for capturing the fun!
3. SOMETHING FOR YOUR HEART
DID JESUS FAKE HIS DEATH?
A friend was telling me about Jonathan, a little kid she knows. Jonathan lives on a busy street, and he likes to sit in his front yard and watch the cars and trucks drive by.
One day Jonathan said to his dad, "I know how to make concrete."
"Oh?" replied Jonathan's dad. "How's that?"
"You make it from squirrels," Jonathan said. Noting his dad's look of surprise, he explained. "See, first a squirrel runs into the road. Then it gets hit by a car. Then more cars and more cars drive over it, and in a couple of days, when you look where the squirrel was, it's concrete!"
Jonathan may not have had a very accurate understanding of the composition of concrete or the decomposition of squirrels, but he did get one thing absolutely right: When roadkill disappears, it's not because it came back to life.
Yet Christianity claims that Jesus did exactly that. According to the New Testament, Jesus was "run over" by the force of the Roman government, which authorized the most horrifying form of capital punishment known in that day. His body lay dead for most of three days. Then, according to Christian belief, instead of decomposing, he came back to life.
Christ's resurrection--his coming back to life--is considered the ultimate proof that he is God. So it's too important a claim either to accept mindlessly or to dismiss without looking at it seriously.
Before someone can be resurrected from the dead, of course, the person has to be dead. So the first question to ask is, "Did Jesus really die on the cross? Or might he have faked his own death--and the resurrection that appeared to follow?"
RESURRECTED OR REVIVED?
One solution to the problem of a dead person coming back to life is the suggestion that Jesus didn't really die on the cross at all, but that he either fainted from exhaustion or took a drug that made him look dead. Later he revived in the cool, damp air of the tomb. Here are some of the arguments in favor of that theory:
-The Bible itself tells us that Jesus was offered some liquid on a sponge when he was on the cross (see Mark 15:36). If the sponge were drugged, Jesus might appear dead when in fact he was only heavily sedated.
-The Bible also says that Pilate was surprised at how soon Jesus died (Mark 15:44), which could suggest that Jesus was taken off the cross before his crucifixion proved fatal.
-This theory explains how Jesus' tomb could be empty (there was no corpse to bury) and how Jesus could walk and talk and eat with people after his crucifixion.
DEAD OR ALIVE?
Dr. William D. Edwards, writing in the Journal of the American Medical Association, drew this conclusion about the crucifixion: "Clearly the weight of the historical and medical evidence indicates that Jesus was dead before the wound to his side was inflicted. The assumption that Jesus did not die on the cross appears to be at odds with modern medical knowledge."
You can draw your own conclusions. What clinched it for me was this question: Suppose Jesus did survive the cross. Suppose he was able to escape from the burial wrappings, roll the rock away from the tomb, and get past the Roman soldiers who were standing guard. After suffering the trauma of the cross and such catastrophic blood loss, would he have inspired the disciples to hail him as a victorious conqueror of death? Would they have been motivated to start a worldwide movement based on the hope that someday they too would have a post-crucifixion body just like his?
My own conclusion, after weighing the evidence, was to rule out the theory that Jesus didn't really die on the cross. That suggestion no longer seemed plausible. But remember, the central claim of Christianity is not just Jesus' death, but his resurrection. Agreeing that Jesus was dead is still a long way from agreeing that he came back to life.
A Question for the Heart
What could possibly have motivated Jesus to willingly allow himself to be degraded and brutalized the way he was?
**
Taken from "The Case for Christ" by Lee Strobel and Jane Vogel, copyright 2001, Youth Specialties/Zondervan. Used by permission. Order the book here.
**
4. SURF REPORT
~ Sheepherding: Test your reflexes
~ Send a SpoonTone to a friend
5. BIRTHDAYS
We've got 4 birthdays this week! HAPPY Birthday Wishes go out to Charissa McCracken, Ray Ramirez, Zach Munger and Carrie Ann McCracken! We wish you all the VERY BEST!!
6. FORGETTABLE FACT
If you shake a can of mixed nuts, the larger ones go to the top.
7. POTENT QUOTABLES
"Our old history ends with the cross; our new history begins with the resurrection."
~Watchman Nee
"If the [resurrection] happened, it was the central event in the history of the earth."
~C.S. Lewis
===========our sponsor===========
WHO WAS JESUS? A GOOD MAN? A LUNATIC? GOD?
There's little question that he actually lived. But miracles? Rising from the dead? Some of the stories you hear about him sound like just that--stories. That's why Lee Strobel--an award-winning legal journalist with a knack for asking tough questions--decided to investigate Jesus for himself. An atheist, Strobel felt certain his findings would bring Christianity's claims about Jesus tumbling down like a house of cards.
He was in for the surprise of his life. Join him as he retraces his journey from skepticism to faith. Like Strobel, you'll be amazed at the evidence--how much there is, how strong it is, and what it says.
Learn more about "Case for Christ" here.
Also available in your local Christian bookstore.
=================================
8. UH, THAT'S FUNNY?
I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger. Then it hit me.
1. 180 News
2. Scene Around 180
3. Something for Your Heart
4. Surf Report
5. Birthdays
6. Forgettable Fact
7. Potent Quotables
8. Uh, That's Funny?
1. 180 NEWS
MS Pool & Pizza
Hey Middle Schoolers join us on Friday, April 4 for a splashing good time at North Clackamas Aquatic Park.
We will leave the church at 5:00 and conclude our night at 9:30. Bring a friend and join us for a great night.
The cost is $10 and a completed 2008 Release Form (if not already turned in).See pictures of last year's Pool & Pizza here.
Go here to download a flier now.
2. SCENE AROUND 180
Last Thursday night at the Danger Zone we learned of a new talent that Trevor McCracken and Jared Bass share.....Salsa Dancing!
Boy did the camera phones come out for this one!
Thank you Michelle Wiseman and Mitch Brannen for capturing the fun!
Have you captured a funny or memorable moment around 180? Send it to us at newsletter@180students.com and we will include it next weeks 180 Newsletter!
3. SOMETHING FOR YOUR HEART
DID JESUS FAKE HIS DEATH?
A friend was telling me about Jonathan, a little kid she knows. Jonathan lives on a busy street, and he likes to sit in his front yard and watch the cars and trucks drive by.
One day Jonathan said to his dad, "I know how to make concrete."
"Oh?" replied Jonathan's dad. "How's that?"
"You make it from squirrels," Jonathan said. Noting his dad's look of surprise, he explained. "See, first a squirrel runs into the road. Then it gets hit by a car. Then more cars and more cars drive over it, and in a couple of days, when you look where the squirrel was, it's concrete!"
Jonathan may not have had a very accurate understanding of the composition of concrete or the decomposition of squirrels, but he did get one thing absolutely right: When roadkill disappears, it's not because it came back to life.
Yet Christianity claims that Jesus did exactly that. According to the New Testament, Jesus was "run over" by the force of the Roman government, which authorized the most horrifying form of capital punishment known in that day. His body lay dead for most of three days. Then, according to Christian belief, instead of decomposing, he came back to life.
Christ's resurrection--his coming back to life--is considered the ultimate proof that he is God. So it's too important a claim either to accept mindlessly or to dismiss without looking at it seriously.
Before someone can be resurrected from the dead, of course, the person has to be dead. So the first question to ask is, "Did Jesus really die on the cross? Or might he have faked his own death--and the resurrection that appeared to follow?"
RESURRECTED OR REVIVED?
One solution to the problem of a dead person coming back to life is the suggestion that Jesus didn't really die on the cross at all, but that he either fainted from exhaustion or took a drug that made him look dead. Later he revived in the cool, damp air of the tomb. Here are some of the arguments in favor of that theory:
-The Bible itself tells us that Jesus was offered some liquid on a sponge when he was on the cross (see Mark 15:36). If the sponge were drugged, Jesus might appear dead when in fact he was only heavily sedated.
-The Bible also says that Pilate was surprised at how soon Jesus died (Mark 15:44), which could suggest that Jesus was taken off the cross before his crucifixion proved fatal.
-This theory explains how Jesus' tomb could be empty (there was no corpse to bury) and how Jesus could walk and talk and eat with people after his crucifixion.
DEAD OR ALIVE?
Dr. William D. Edwards, writing in the Journal of the American Medical Association, drew this conclusion about the crucifixion: "Clearly the weight of the historical and medical evidence indicates that Jesus was dead before the wound to his side was inflicted. The assumption that Jesus did not die on the cross appears to be at odds with modern medical knowledge."
You can draw your own conclusions. What clinched it for me was this question: Suppose Jesus did survive the cross. Suppose he was able to escape from the burial wrappings, roll the rock away from the tomb, and get past the Roman soldiers who were standing guard. After suffering the trauma of the cross and such catastrophic blood loss, would he have inspired the disciples to hail him as a victorious conqueror of death? Would they have been motivated to start a worldwide movement based on the hope that someday they too would have a post-crucifixion body just like his?
My own conclusion, after weighing the evidence, was to rule out the theory that Jesus didn't really die on the cross. That suggestion no longer seemed plausible. But remember, the central claim of Christianity is not just Jesus' death, but his resurrection. Agreeing that Jesus was dead is still a long way from agreeing that he came back to life.
A Question for the Heart
What could possibly have motivated Jesus to willingly allow himself to be degraded and brutalized the way he was?
**
Taken from "The Case for Christ" by Lee Strobel and Jane Vogel, copyright 2001, Youth Specialties/Zondervan. Used by permission. Order the book here.
**
4. SURF REPORT
~ Sheepherding: Test your reflexes
~ Send a SpoonTone to a friend
5. BIRTHDAYS
We've got 4 birthdays this week! HAPPY Birthday Wishes go out to Charissa McCracken, Ray Ramirez, Zach Munger and Carrie Ann McCracken! We wish you all the VERY BEST!!
6. FORGETTABLE FACT
If you shake a can of mixed nuts, the larger ones go to the top.
7. POTENT QUOTABLES
"Our old history ends with the cross; our new history begins with the resurrection."
~Watchman Nee
"If the [resurrection] happened, it was the central event in the history of the earth."
~C.S. Lewis
===========our sponsor===========
WHO WAS JESUS? A GOOD MAN? A LUNATIC? GOD?
There's little question that he actually lived. But miracles? Rising from the dead? Some of the stories you hear about him sound like just that--stories. That's why Lee Strobel--an award-winning legal journalist with a knack for asking tough questions--decided to investigate Jesus for himself. An atheist, Strobel felt certain his findings would bring Christianity's claims about Jesus tumbling down like a house of cards.
He was in for the surprise of his life. Join him as he retraces his journey from skepticism to faith. Like Strobel, you'll be amazed at the evidence--how much there is, how strong it is, and what it says.
Learn more about "Case for Christ" here.
Also available in your local Christian bookstore.
=================================
8. UH, THAT'S FUNNY?
I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger. Then it hit me.
March 10, 2007
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
Spring Calender
Feel like winter will never end? Have no fear for Spring is here!
Download our new Spring calender here. They are also available at the Info. Table.
Amazing Race
The Race was Amazing! The Race was fun! See all the racing action here.
2. SOMETHING FOR YOUR HEART
TOO COOL FOR SCHOOL
This morning, my dad talked to a class full of fourth graders about the environment. He spoke with the class by speakerphone--one of my younger friends from our faith group in the last place we lived had set it all up. Erin was excited about sharing one of her favorite adults with her friends. And that adult was really excited about talking to the kids.
Now you have to understand: My dad speaks about the environment all the time. He has meetings with the head of the Sierra Club, preaches in churches with 10,000 members, and rubs shoulders with some of the most knowledgeable and influential scientists who are researching climate change. He's been followed by camera crews and interviewed on national radio programs. So you might not think he'd be all that excited about speaking by phone to a classroom of elementary school kids.
But when I came into the kitchen a few hours after everyone else had gotten up (I'm a teen, okay?), Dad was practically bouncing off the walls, waiting for the class to call. He didn't even want to toast his English muffin, because it might take too long and he wanted to be done eating when the phone rang.
When dad got off the phone, he said the class was awesome. He always says that if you talk to kids like adults, they'll respond. Nobody likes being talked down to, no matter how old they are. Kids always want to know, "What can I do? What can I do?" instead of wanting to change other people. My dad is convinced that this desire to work on our own personal habits before trying to get other people to change is what's really going to help the ecosystem. And he loved that the kids were all happy to comply with his request to give his young friend Erin a hug for him because he lives too far away now.
Obviously, it's been a while since most of us were in fourth grade. But as I think about Dad talking to Erin's class, I believe there are a few ideas we can learn that apply not only to our younger friends but also to us "big kids" in high school or junior high.
The first is that most adults really love interacting with kids--and vice versa. There is something exciting about youth. We might not be famous, we might not have all the answers, but young people have an energy and passion that is contagious. And when it comes to saving the earth, that energy can help get others excited about joining in.
Dad's talk with the fourth graders also reminds me that there needs to be respect and cooperation across generations in order for us to have a greener planet. Dad didn't talk down to the kids, and when it comes to serious issues like the environment, we teenagers don't need--or want--some oversimplified "environmentalism for dummies" version. When we are enthusiastic and mature about environmental responsibility, we'll learn more and get more respect.
Those fourth graders are also a reminder that so much of caring about the environment is taking personal action. There's a reason why "Be the change you wish to see in the world" is such a popular saying--it's because it works. If we want things to be different, the best place to start is with our very behavior.
Finally, the hugs those kids were glad to offer my friend Erin are a reminder that everybody loves (and sometimes even needs) a little encouragement. The environment is a big issue, but it's not a depressing one. It's so important to encourage each other and to focus on positive changes we can make. And like the fourth graders my dad spoke with, one of the places where we can join together to make a big difference is at our schools.
TEN STEPS TOWARD A GREENER EDUCATION
There are some very simple things you can do to make your school education kinder to God's creation. Some are purely personal changes, whereas others may take more organization, approval, and support from friends and faculty. Here are just a few:
1. Always write on both sides of your paper. If you use composition paper, make sure to use college-ruled. That one change alone can save hundreds of pieces of paper each year.
Because I'm a lefty, I hate to write on the right-hand sides of notebooks--the binding, wire, or rings get in the way. But that doesn't mean I can't use both sides of the paper. A class usually doesn't take up a whole notebook worth of paper. I can take notes for one subject on the left hand side of each page in the notebook, and then flip the notebook over for another subject, where I can again write on the left side. It works out great. Also: If you have teachers who give handouts with writing only on one side, save them when the class is over and use them in your computer printer or for scrap paper. Most teachers don't mind if an essay is turned in on the other side of a crossed-out science article. (All paper from binders should be recycled at the end of the year.) You can also use both sides of posters. When teachers take down student posters at the end of the year, they'll usually let you snag the ones with information on only one side so you can use them next year.
2. Walk or ride the bus to school. If neither of these is an option, carpool.
3. If your school isn't already recycling paper and soda cans, you can help get it started. You just need to get permission to put a cardboard box next to the trash can in each classroom to collect paper. Organize a few friends to help you collect the boxes on a regular basis--preferably friends who have driver's licenses so you can take the paper down to the local recycling center. You should research before starting anything that involves recycling refundable bottles--there are often rules about what kind of collection receptacles can be used for that. At our school, we were only allowed to put barrels inside if they were metal ones specifically made for recycling cans--but even just having plastic barrels outside makes a difference.
4. Encourage your school to buy two-sided printers for the library or any other place where the printer is used a lot. When it was time to replace the printer in our school library, the head librarian decided to take the leap and get a double-sided printer as well as a converter kit for the other printer in the library. Together they cost less than $1,400, but the library saved more than three times that in paper costs in the first year alone! Numbers talk: $1,400 invested; $4,500 saved. That printer paid for itself in less than four months, and it'll continue to save money (and trees) for as long as it lasts. If you do a little research and present the numbers to your principal or someone else who has responsibility for making the decision, you're much more likely to get approval.
5. Have your school get recycled paper for all its copiers and printers. Paper that's 100 percent recycled can cost more; if your school isn't willing to go all the way, 30 percent recycled paper costs no more than "regular" paper. Unlike the recycled paper of a decade ago, today's recycled paper will go through printers and copiers fine, and won't cause any more jams or problems than the paper your school is probably using now. Since 30 percent recycled paper costs no more than the paper your school is already buying, it's usually easy to convince your administration to make the switch. However, you might be able to go one step further and combine this project with the printers--using some of the money saved from double-sided printing to pay for the slightly more expensive 100 percent recycled paper.
6. Along the same lines, paper towels and toilet paper made from recycled paper can usually be bought in bulk at the same price as products made from unrecycled paper. Just a few years ago, this was not the case, but companies are changing their prices so it isn't more expensive to be environmentally friendly. Just get some numbers together, figure out who, you need to talk to, and propose a switch.
7. Schools can purchase other environmentally friendly devices that--like the two-sided printers--will easily pay for themselves over time. It's possible to purchase "energy misers" that can be installed on vending machines to save energy. These cost about $125, and make it so the machine goes into partial hibernation when it's left unused for a long time. (There's a similar device for water fountains that, for instance, can shut off the cooling device overnight.) Just figure out roughly how long it will take for the energy saved to pay for the device. If your school doesn't want to make the investment, but has vending machines where the food doesn't need to be kept cold, see if you can get permission to turn them off (unplug them) at a certain time after school so they won't be on all night. Maybe you or a friend who lives near the school can be in charge of walking over and unplugging the machines before the school gets locked up for the night, or maybe a custodian can do it as part of the evening routine.
Exit lights have to stay on at all times, but they don't have to use as much energy as they're probably using now. Replacing the lights in the signs with LED bulbs will pay for itself in no time and then just keep saving--both energy and money. The same is true of getting compact fluorescents for all the lights in your school.
8. Often, schools don't turn off computers each night. This seems like a simple thing, but computers that are always left on use a TON of energy. If your school doesn't already turn off all its computers, offer to spend 10 minutes each day turning on all the computers in the computer lab in the morning and turning them back off again after school. Contrary to urban legend, turning computers off once a day will not harm them; in fact, it will extend their life as well as greatly reduce the amount of energy they use.
9. Start a collection-and-exchange program at your school. Our school has a room devoted to a clothing exchange--students bring in gently worn clothes they don't wear and can pick up others they will wear. In the same room is a box of used three-ring binders that are still in good shape--students who can't afford binders or don't wish to purchase a new one can pick one up anytime. If this kind of permanent exchange program isn't possible at your school, at least see if you can do a prom-dress swap. There really aren't too many other occasions to which a prom dress can be worn, and, even if people go to more than one prom during high school, they often don't wear the same dress twice. So collect formal dresses near the end of the year and make them available to other girls to wear. Girls, what are you really going to do with a frilly dress in your closet other than let it hang there? Suits can also be collected, though my experience is that people are more likely to donate dresses. (The suits we did collect were snatched up immediately.) This is a great project for the National Honor Society or another service organization at your school to take on. Before collecting the dresses, make sure you've arranged for a place (a willing teacher's classroom will work) where you can store and display the dresses.
You can also collect used cell phones and printer cartridges. These can be recycled, usually with a refund. Money raised from these collections can be used toward other environmental projects, perhaps to provide the initial investment in things like energy misers or two-sided printers, or to buy trees to plant on the school grounds.
10. Cafeterias are another great place to make environmental changes, though it can be difficult because of regulations and costs. It's often possible to convince school cafeterias to serve vegetarian meals and purchase local food. Getting real plates instead of Styrofoam ones, metal utensils instead of plastic ones, and washable cups instead of disposable ones can be another goal. Some schools even compost their food waste. If you can't convince your school to make big changes, don't give up. You can bring your own lunch in a fabric bag or lunchbox filled with environmentally friendly food choices in washable containers. Although it's great to get other people to change, you can make a difference simply by walking the walk.
WRAPPING IT UP
Taking care of God's creation can begin with small steps at your school. Pick your projects, don't lose motivation or get bogged down in bureaucracy, and remember who is guiding your efforts. Everything you do to save the environment is really part of your witness, showing the world how much you love God by respecting the gift of his creation.
Remember, God is on your side. He will help you when you try your hardest to help the world he created. As long as you take advantage of all the resources you have, and work with all the people God provides (Christian and non-Christian), you'll do great.
**
Taken from "It's Easy Being Green" by Emma Sleeth, copyright 2008, Youth Specialties/Zondervan. Used by permission. Order the book here.
**
3. SURF REPORT
~ The 2008 Hip-Hop Songwriting Contest
~ Snow Drift: Get rid of those winter blues with this chill game
4. BIRTHDAYS
We've got two birthdays this week! our best 180 birthday wishes go out this week to Shannon Laughlin and Tyson Mangelsdorf!
5. VIDEO OF THE WEEK
We were in the news! While serving at Northwest Children's Outreach during our 30 Hour Famine, KATU News showed up!
6. FORGETTABLE FACT
99% of people cannot lick their elbow.
7. POTENT QUOTABLES
"May the best day of your past be the worst day of your future."
~Irish Proverb
"Be kind to those that meet you as you rise, you may pass them again as you fall."
~Irish Proverb
===========our sponsor===========
SERVE GOD BY SAVING THE PLANET
Our planet is no longer the paradise God created. In "It's Easy Being Green" you'll learn how to honor God in the choices you make and you'll begin to understand the impact those choices have on the environment. Sixteen-year-old Emma Sleeth will help you see how you can make a difference at school, around the house, and all over the world.
Learn more about "It's Easy Being Green" here.
Also available in your local Christian bookstore.
=================================
8. UH, THAT'S FUNNY?
Never iron a four-leaf clover, because you don't want to press your luck.
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
Spring Calender
Feel like winter will never end? Have no fear for Spring is here!
Download our new Spring calender here. They are also available at the Info. Table.
Amazing Race
The Race was Amazing! The Race was fun! See all the racing action here.
2. SOMETHING FOR YOUR HEART
TOO COOL FOR SCHOOL
This morning, my dad talked to a class full of fourth graders about the environment. He spoke with the class by speakerphone--one of my younger friends from our faith group in the last place we lived had set it all up. Erin was excited about sharing one of her favorite adults with her friends. And that adult was really excited about talking to the kids.
Now you have to understand: My dad speaks about the environment all the time. He has meetings with the head of the Sierra Club, preaches in churches with 10,000 members, and rubs shoulders with some of the most knowledgeable and influential scientists who are researching climate change. He's been followed by camera crews and interviewed on national radio programs. So you might not think he'd be all that excited about speaking by phone to a classroom of elementary school kids.
But when I came into the kitchen a few hours after everyone else had gotten up (I'm a teen, okay?), Dad was practically bouncing off the walls, waiting for the class to call. He didn't even want to toast his English muffin, because it might take too long and he wanted to be done eating when the phone rang.
When dad got off the phone, he said the class was awesome. He always says that if you talk to kids like adults, they'll respond. Nobody likes being talked down to, no matter how old they are. Kids always want to know, "What can I do? What can I do?" instead of wanting to change other people. My dad is convinced that this desire to work on our own personal habits before trying to get other people to change is what's really going to help the ecosystem. And he loved that the kids were all happy to comply with his request to give his young friend Erin a hug for him because he lives too far away now.
Obviously, it's been a while since most of us were in fourth grade. But as I think about Dad talking to Erin's class, I believe there are a few ideas we can learn that apply not only to our younger friends but also to us "big kids" in high school or junior high.
The first is that most adults really love interacting with kids--and vice versa. There is something exciting about youth. We might not be famous, we might not have all the answers, but young people have an energy and passion that is contagious. And when it comes to saving the earth, that energy can help get others excited about joining in.
Dad's talk with the fourth graders also reminds me that there needs to be respect and cooperation across generations in order for us to have a greener planet. Dad didn't talk down to the kids, and when it comes to serious issues like the environment, we teenagers don't need--or want--some oversimplified "environmentalism for dummies" version. When we are enthusiastic and mature about environmental responsibility, we'll learn more and get more respect.
Those fourth graders are also a reminder that so much of caring about the environment is taking personal action. There's a reason why "Be the change you wish to see in the world" is such a popular saying--it's because it works. If we want things to be different, the best place to start is with our very behavior.
Finally, the hugs those kids were glad to offer my friend Erin are a reminder that everybody loves (and sometimes even needs) a little encouragement. The environment is a big issue, but it's not a depressing one. It's so important to encourage each other and to focus on positive changes we can make. And like the fourth graders my dad spoke with, one of the places where we can join together to make a big difference is at our schools.
TEN STEPS TOWARD A GREENER EDUCATION
There are some very simple things you can do to make your school education kinder to God's creation. Some are purely personal changes, whereas others may take more organization, approval, and support from friends and faculty. Here are just a few:
1. Always write on both sides of your paper. If you use composition paper, make sure to use college-ruled. That one change alone can save hundreds of pieces of paper each year.
Because I'm a lefty, I hate to write on the right-hand sides of notebooks--the binding, wire, or rings get in the way. But that doesn't mean I can't use both sides of the paper. A class usually doesn't take up a whole notebook worth of paper. I can take notes for one subject on the left hand side of each page in the notebook, and then flip the notebook over for another subject, where I can again write on the left side. It works out great. Also: If you have teachers who give handouts with writing only on one side, save them when the class is over and use them in your computer printer or for scrap paper. Most teachers don't mind if an essay is turned in on the other side of a crossed-out science article. (All paper from binders should be recycled at the end of the year.) You can also use both sides of posters. When teachers take down student posters at the end of the year, they'll usually let you snag the ones with information on only one side so you can use them next year.
2. Walk or ride the bus to school. If neither of these is an option, carpool.
3. If your school isn't already recycling paper and soda cans, you can help get it started. You just need to get permission to put a cardboard box next to the trash can in each classroom to collect paper. Organize a few friends to help you collect the boxes on a regular basis--preferably friends who have driver's licenses so you can take the paper down to the local recycling center. You should research before starting anything that involves recycling refundable bottles--there are often rules about what kind of collection receptacles can be used for that. At our school, we were only allowed to put barrels inside if they were metal ones specifically made for recycling cans--but even just having plastic barrels outside makes a difference.
4. Encourage your school to buy two-sided printers for the library or any other place where the printer is used a lot. When it was time to replace the printer in our school library, the head librarian decided to take the leap and get a double-sided printer as well as a converter kit for the other printer in the library. Together they cost less than $1,400, but the library saved more than three times that in paper costs in the first year alone! Numbers talk: $1,400 invested; $4,500 saved. That printer paid for itself in less than four months, and it'll continue to save money (and trees) for as long as it lasts. If you do a little research and present the numbers to your principal or someone else who has responsibility for making the decision, you're much more likely to get approval.
5. Have your school get recycled paper for all its copiers and printers. Paper that's 100 percent recycled can cost more; if your school isn't willing to go all the way, 30 percent recycled paper costs no more than "regular" paper. Unlike the recycled paper of a decade ago, today's recycled paper will go through printers and copiers fine, and won't cause any more jams or problems than the paper your school is probably using now. Since 30 percent recycled paper costs no more than the paper your school is already buying, it's usually easy to convince your administration to make the switch. However, you might be able to go one step further and combine this project with the printers--using some of the money saved from double-sided printing to pay for the slightly more expensive 100 percent recycled paper.
6. Along the same lines, paper towels and toilet paper made from recycled paper can usually be bought in bulk at the same price as products made from unrecycled paper. Just a few years ago, this was not the case, but companies are changing their prices so it isn't more expensive to be environmentally friendly. Just get some numbers together, figure out who, you need to talk to, and propose a switch.
7. Schools can purchase other environmentally friendly devices that--like the two-sided printers--will easily pay for themselves over time. It's possible to purchase "energy misers" that can be installed on vending machines to save energy. These cost about $125, and make it so the machine goes into partial hibernation when it's left unused for a long time. (There's a similar device for water fountains that, for instance, can shut off the cooling device overnight.) Just figure out roughly how long it will take for the energy saved to pay for the device. If your school doesn't want to make the investment, but has vending machines where the food doesn't need to be kept cold, see if you can get permission to turn them off (unplug them) at a certain time after school so they won't be on all night. Maybe you or a friend who lives near the school can be in charge of walking over and unplugging the machines before the school gets locked up for the night, or maybe a custodian can do it as part of the evening routine.
Exit lights have to stay on at all times, but they don't have to use as much energy as they're probably using now. Replacing the lights in the signs with LED bulbs will pay for itself in no time and then just keep saving--both energy and money. The same is true of getting compact fluorescents for all the lights in your school.
8. Often, schools don't turn off computers each night. This seems like a simple thing, but computers that are always left on use a TON of energy. If your school doesn't already turn off all its computers, offer to spend 10 minutes each day turning on all the computers in the computer lab in the morning and turning them back off again after school. Contrary to urban legend, turning computers off once a day will not harm them; in fact, it will extend their life as well as greatly reduce the amount of energy they use.
9. Start a collection-and-exchange program at your school. Our school has a room devoted to a clothing exchange--students bring in gently worn clothes they don't wear and can pick up others they will wear. In the same room is a box of used three-ring binders that are still in good shape--students who can't afford binders or don't wish to purchase a new one can pick one up anytime. If this kind of permanent exchange program isn't possible at your school, at least see if you can do a prom-dress swap. There really aren't too many other occasions to which a prom dress can be worn, and, even if people go to more than one prom during high school, they often don't wear the same dress twice. So collect formal dresses near the end of the year and make them available to other girls to wear. Girls, what are you really going to do with a frilly dress in your closet other than let it hang there? Suits can also be collected, though my experience is that people are more likely to donate dresses. (The suits we did collect were snatched up immediately.) This is a great project for the National Honor Society or another service organization at your school to take on. Before collecting the dresses, make sure you've arranged for a place (a willing teacher's classroom will work) where you can store and display the dresses.
You can also collect used cell phones and printer cartridges. These can be recycled, usually with a refund. Money raised from these collections can be used toward other environmental projects, perhaps to provide the initial investment in things like energy misers or two-sided printers, or to buy trees to plant on the school grounds.
10. Cafeterias are another great place to make environmental changes, though it can be difficult because of regulations and costs. It's often possible to convince school cafeterias to serve vegetarian meals and purchase local food. Getting real plates instead of Styrofoam ones, metal utensils instead of plastic ones, and washable cups instead of disposable ones can be another goal. Some schools even compost their food waste. If you can't convince your school to make big changes, don't give up. You can bring your own lunch in a fabric bag or lunchbox filled with environmentally friendly food choices in washable containers. Although it's great to get other people to change, you can make a difference simply by walking the walk.
WRAPPING IT UP
Taking care of God's creation can begin with small steps at your school. Pick your projects, don't lose motivation or get bogged down in bureaucracy, and remember who is guiding your efforts. Everything you do to save the environment is really part of your witness, showing the world how much you love God by respecting the gift of his creation.
Remember, God is on your side. He will help you when you try your hardest to help the world he created. As long as you take advantage of all the resources you have, and work with all the people God provides (Christian and non-Christian), you'll do great.
**
Taken from "It's Easy Being Green" by Emma Sleeth, copyright 2008, Youth Specialties/Zondervan. Used by permission. Order the book here.
**
3. SURF REPORT
~ The 2008 Hip-Hop Songwriting Contest
~ Snow Drift: Get rid of those winter blues with this chill game
4. BIRTHDAYS
We've got two birthdays this week! our best 180 birthday wishes go out this week to Shannon Laughlin and Tyson Mangelsdorf!
5. VIDEO OF THE WEEK
We were in the news! While serving at Northwest Children's Outreach during our 30 Hour Famine, KATU News showed up!
6. FORGETTABLE FACT
99% of people cannot lick their elbow.
7. POTENT QUOTABLES
"May the best day of your past be the worst day of your future."
~Irish Proverb
"Be kind to those that meet you as you rise, you may pass them again as you fall."
~Irish Proverb
===========our sponsor===========
SERVE GOD BY SAVING THE PLANET
Our planet is no longer the paradise God created. In "It's Easy Being Green" you'll learn how to honor God in the choices you make and you'll begin to understand the impact those choices have on the environment. Sixteen-year-old Emma Sleeth will help you see how you can make a difference at school, around the house, and all over the world.
Learn more about "It's Easy Being Green" here.
Also available in your local Christian bookstore.
=================================
8. UH, THAT'S FUNNY?
Never iron a four-leaf clover, because you don't want to press your luck.
March 3, 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
Easter Super Saturday
Our big annual outreach is quickly approaching! Easter Super Saturday is happening this year on Saturday, March 15. Don't miss this great opportunity to be a blessing to our community and have a great time doing it!
Please contact either Keli Pierce at keli@gracepointfamily.com or Luanne Jaramillo at luanne@gracepointfamily.com to be a part of this fun day!
HS Amazing Race
The sun is out, and the skies are clearing. Spring is in the air. And the Amazing Race is back for it's fourth year. Will you win? If you and your team can win, you'll take home the top prize and the wonder of winning it all! But you're going to need to know some details:
We start right at 2pm on Saturday, March 8, and we'll be done at 6:30pm.
Racers must bring $5.
After the race, we'll eat dinner.
Racers must have a 2008 180 Release Form on file. If you need one, please go to 180students.com/stuff to download one.
Be sure to sign up in the Youth Center by Wednesday the 5th.
Spring Calendar
Our Spring Calendar is now out! Go here to download one now! You may also pick one up at the Info Table this week!
Good stuff comin' your way! Don't miss any of it!
2. SOMETHING FOR YOUR HEART
PLATFORM
Confession: I am a passionate person and when I'm passionate about something, I want to share it with others. In middle school I wanted to save the whales, and I believed everyone else should want to save them, too. When I find a drink I love, I tell everyone how amazing it is and insist that they try it, too. (7-Eleven Slurpees are amazing!) I think it's important to chew lots of gum and hang out with people you love. I think women should have equal opportunities in the church and in our world. I'm passionate about helping those who are oppressed and use curriculum like "The Justice Mission" and 30 Hour Famine materials in my youth group. I think everyone should wear clothes made by socially-minded companies. (My personal favorite: www.jedidiahusa.com.) I support friends who have the courage to start their own businesses.
When I believe in something, I share it with the world. I guess you could call me a platform junkie.
One of the many joys of being a festival queen is having the opportunity to share your platform. Now when I say "platform," I'm not talking about the stage that contestants stand on during the pageant. I'm referring to the things you stand for, what you represent, the views you want to share with the community when given the chance.
I found out that being a festival queen was far more than dressing up and waving in a parade. It's also about representing your town and festival. My family loves the town of Nelsonville very much, and their love for the town gave inspiration to my long weekends on the road to the next festival. To my new queen friends and to the people who heard my speech at festivals all over Ohio that year, I represented Nelsonville and the Parade of the Hills.
My platform as Miss Parade of the Hills consisted of a quick speech I would share at each festival I attended. Some time during each weekend, all the queens would line up on stage and "sell" their various festivals. My speech changed from week to week, but the basics were pretty much the same each time. It went something like this...
"Hello, my name is Brooklyn Alvis, 1996-1997 Miss Parade of the Hills. The Parade of the Hills is held annually the third week of August every year on Nelsonville's public square. Our festival includes local artists, an old-time fiddlers' contest, a 5K run, and the queen's competition. The week ends with a parade and plenty of food, fun, and friendship for everyone. Whether you're young, old, or somewhere in between, the Parade of the Hills seeks to bring families together, encourage community cooperation, and celebrate music, arts, and our fine Appalachian history. So head down Route 33 and join us this year at the Parade of the Hills! Thank you, and we hope to see you this August."
At first, this speech didn't mean a whole lot to me. But over time, after seeing the ways being a festival queen had brought me new friends and a better understanding of other people, I began to really believe what I was saying. The Parade of the Hills will never make national headlines. But it brings families and friends together to celebrate some of the things that matter most. I was proud to be Miss Parade of the Hills because the people who chose me believed I represented the values and beauty they hoped to see emulated in their festival. It was an honor to be chosen as festival queen in the town where many members of my family grew up and still live today. So over time, I felt more and more enthusiasm for my platform of sharing the hopes of our festival and offering an open invitation for all to come to Nelsonville and experience a week where everyone comes together as one.
Whether we've won a festival competition or not, we all have a platform. We all have to decide what we want to represent, what's important for us to share with the world. Although I am no longer Miss Parade of the Hills, I still have a platform as a follower of Christ that's been pretty consistent throughout my life.
First, I know I am saved by God's grace. I am forever thankful for God's forgiveness and for Christ's love and compassion for me and every soul who seeks it.
Second, I believe the Holy Spirit guides and protects us even during our darkest moments.
The third key point in my personal platform is the belief that God has created every one of us with unique and special gifts. There's no other person in the entire world who has the exact combination of gifts you have. I like to tell my students that if they don't share their unique gifts, passions, and strengths with the world, then no one else can. The same is true for you. No one else has what you have to offer. If you don't share those gifts, you are robbing the world of an opportunity to see part of God's image that no other person can reveal. This makes you unique. This makes you rare and highly valuable.
You reveal a piece of God's likeness that no one else shares. To deny the person you are in Christ is to hide something valuable and wonderful. Trusting that God has made you for a specific purpose can give you confidence when you feel like you have no purpose. You are beloved.
Trouble seems to camp out in our backyards in the form of doubts, low self-esteem, relationship problems, family dysfunction, heartbreak, schoolwork, and peer pressure. But when we learn to dwell in the house of God, we prevent trouble from creeping into the houses of our hearts.
Nothing can separate you from the love that keeps you seeking truth. Nothing can stand in the way of you sharing your life with the world. It is our ministry to one another to reveal God's character, to participate in God's love.
WHAT'S YOUR PLATFORM?
Each of us must decide what we stand for. What we say and do in life reflects who we are deep inside, and maybe more importantly whose we are. If God's fruit and God's nature dwells deep, that's what is going to come forth in our actions and in our speech.
Mother Teresa had a platform of love. She spent her life caring for those who were lost and lonely. Her book, In the Heart of the World (MJF Books, 1997), includes a prayer that reflects the spirit of her work: "Shine through me, and be in me, so that every soul I come in contact with may feel your presence in my soul. Let them look up and see no longer me, but only you, O Lord!"
Rahab had a platform of faith. In the book of Joshua, we learn that Rahab had been living a life of sin as a prostitute. But she realized her need for redemption and hid Israelite spies who were being pursued by the King of Jericho (Joshua 2:1-21). She did not let her past or her pride get in the way of her belief in God.
Learning was central to the platform of Jesus' friend Mary. When Jesus visited the house of sisters Mary and Martha, Mary sat at Jesus' feet, setting her heart on every word that came from his mouth (Luke 10:38-42). Her sister, Martha, scurried around the house cleaning up, jealous that Mary was getting to spend time with Jesus and angry that she wasn't helping out. Mary's platform was to be a learner; Martha's was to be a pleaser. Each of them chose what she would be about that day when Jesus came to their home.
Bethany Hamilton's platform is focused on God's saving love. In 2003, at the age of 13, Bethany was attacked by a 14-foot tiger shark while surfing in Hawaii. Bethany lost her arm in the attack but chose to resume her professional surfing career and use this tragic experience as a platform to share what God had done in her life. Her deep and abiding faith became a catalyst for sharing the good news of Christ and the hope that is available even in the worst circumstances. Bethany's life is a speech testifying to the power of God's love.
We could list many other examples, the greatest of these being Christ, who never gave up his platform of love and forgiveness. His dream comes true every time one of his children turns to him for forgiveness and decides to live out the calling given to each of them.
Even if you never give a speech in a microphone, your life speaks to the world each day. What does your life say about what is most important to you? What message do people hear when they listen to the platform of your life?
YOUR CONFESSIONS
*Have you felt afraid to share with a friend about something you believed strongly?
*What is unique about you? Could this uniqueness lead to a platform that could be used by God?
*Would your friends say you have a platform? If other were to look at the things you value in your life, how might they describe your platform? Try to be as honest as possible.
**
Taken from "Confessions of a Not-So-Super Model" by Brooklyn Lindsey, copyright 2008, Youth Specialties/Zondervan. Used by permission. Order the book here.
**
3. SURF REPORT
~ Engineer Your Life: A Site to Encourage Teenage Girls to Pursue Engineering
~ Bite Back: Help End Malaria in Africa for only $10
4. BIRTHDAYS
This week we've got three! BEST HAPPY Birthday Wishes go out to William Weingarz, Nate Tippee, and Derik Nelson! Happy birthday to each of you!!
5. VIDEO OF THE WEEK
We've all seen it; big corporations getting their hands into things, and their names all over the place. What would happen if they got into the Church?
More at Tim Hawkins Comedy.
6. FORGETTABLE FACT
It is possible to see a rainbow at night.
7. POTENT QUOTABLES
"There is within every soul a thirst for happiness and meaning."
~Thomas Aquinas
"All the troubles of life come upon us because we refuse to sit quietly for a while each day in our rooms."
~Blaise Pascal
===========our sponsor===========
LEARN HOW TO BE A NEW KIND OF SUPERMODEL
We all have big dreams. In "Confessions of a Not-So-Super Model" you'll begin to reshape the way you see yourself and the way you dream. You'll find that God's plans for you may far exceed your own dreams.
Learn more about "Confessions of a Not-So-Super Model" here.
Also available in your local Christian bookstore.
=================================
8. UH, THAT'S FUNNY?
Q: What's green and purple and wants revenge?
A: The grapes of wrath
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
Easter Super Saturday
Our big annual outreach is quickly approaching! Easter Super Saturday is happening this year on Saturday, March 15. Don't miss this great opportunity to be a blessing to our community and have a great time doing it!
Please contact either Keli Pierce at keli@gracepointfamily.com or Luanne Jaramillo at luanne@gracepointfamily.com to be a part of this fun day!
HS Amazing Race
The sun is out, and the skies are clearing. Spring is in the air. And the Amazing Race is back for it's fourth year. Will you win? If you and your team can win, you'll take home the top prize and the wonder of winning it all! But you're going to need to know some details:
We start right at 2pm on Saturday, March 8, and we'll be done at 6:30pm.
Racers must bring $5.
After the race, we'll eat dinner.
Racers must have a 2008 180 Release Form on file. If you need one, please go to 180students.com/stuff to download one.
Be sure to sign up in the Youth Center by Wednesday the 5th.
Spring Calendar
Our Spring Calendar is now out! Go here to download one now! You may also pick one up at the Info Table this week!
Good stuff comin' your way! Don't miss any of it!
2. SOMETHING FOR YOUR HEART
PLATFORM
Confession: I am a passionate person and when I'm passionate about something, I want to share it with others. In middle school I wanted to save the whales, and I believed everyone else should want to save them, too. When I find a drink I love, I tell everyone how amazing it is and insist that they try it, too. (7-Eleven Slurpees are amazing!) I think it's important to chew lots of gum and hang out with people you love. I think women should have equal opportunities in the church and in our world. I'm passionate about helping those who are oppressed and use curriculum like "The Justice Mission" and 30 Hour Famine materials in my youth group. I think everyone should wear clothes made by socially-minded companies. (My personal favorite: www.jedidiahusa.com.) I support friends who have the courage to start their own businesses.
When I believe in something, I share it with the world. I guess you could call me a platform junkie.
One of the many joys of being a festival queen is having the opportunity to share your platform. Now when I say "platform," I'm not talking about the stage that contestants stand on during the pageant. I'm referring to the things you stand for, what you represent, the views you want to share with the community when given the chance.
I found out that being a festival queen was far more than dressing up and waving in a parade. It's also about representing your town and festival. My family loves the town of Nelsonville very much, and their love for the town gave inspiration to my long weekends on the road to the next festival. To my new queen friends and to the people who heard my speech at festivals all over Ohio that year, I represented Nelsonville and the Parade of the Hills.
My platform as Miss Parade of the Hills consisted of a quick speech I would share at each festival I attended. Some time during each weekend, all the queens would line up on stage and "sell" their various festivals. My speech changed from week to week, but the basics were pretty much the same each time. It went something like this...
"Hello, my name is Brooklyn Alvis, 1996-1997 Miss Parade of the Hills. The Parade of the Hills is held annually the third week of August every year on Nelsonville's public square. Our festival includes local artists, an old-time fiddlers' contest, a 5K run, and the queen's competition. The week ends with a parade and plenty of food, fun, and friendship for everyone. Whether you're young, old, or somewhere in between, the Parade of the Hills seeks to bring families together, encourage community cooperation, and celebrate music, arts, and our fine Appalachian history. So head down Route 33 and join us this year at the Parade of the Hills! Thank you, and we hope to see you this August."
At first, this speech didn't mean a whole lot to me. But over time, after seeing the ways being a festival queen had brought me new friends and a better understanding of other people, I began to really believe what I was saying. The Parade of the Hills will never make national headlines. But it brings families and friends together to celebrate some of the things that matter most. I was proud to be Miss Parade of the Hills because the people who chose me believed I represented the values and beauty they hoped to see emulated in their festival. It was an honor to be chosen as festival queen in the town where many members of my family grew up and still live today. So over time, I felt more and more enthusiasm for my platform of sharing the hopes of our festival and offering an open invitation for all to come to Nelsonville and experience a week where everyone comes together as one.
Whether we've won a festival competition or not, we all have a platform. We all have to decide what we want to represent, what's important for us to share with the world. Although I am no longer Miss Parade of the Hills, I still have a platform as a follower of Christ that's been pretty consistent throughout my life.
First, I know I am saved by God's grace. I am forever thankful for God's forgiveness and for Christ's love and compassion for me and every soul who seeks it.
Second, I believe the Holy Spirit guides and protects us even during our darkest moments.
The third key point in my personal platform is the belief that God has created every one of us with unique and special gifts. There's no other person in the entire world who has the exact combination of gifts you have. I like to tell my students that if they don't share their unique gifts, passions, and strengths with the world, then no one else can. The same is true for you. No one else has what you have to offer. If you don't share those gifts, you are robbing the world of an opportunity to see part of God's image that no other person can reveal. This makes you unique. This makes you rare and highly valuable.
You reveal a piece of God's likeness that no one else shares. To deny the person you are in Christ is to hide something valuable and wonderful. Trusting that God has made you for a specific purpose can give you confidence when you feel like you have no purpose. You are beloved.
Trouble seems to camp out in our backyards in the form of doubts, low self-esteem, relationship problems, family dysfunction, heartbreak, schoolwork, and peer pressure. But when we learn to dwell in the house of God, we prevent trouble from creeping into the houses of our hearts.
Nothing can separate you from the love that keeps you seeking truth. Nothing can stand in the way of you sharing your life with the world. It is our ministry to one another to reveal God's character, to participate in God's love.
WHAT'S YOUR PLATFORM?
Each of us must decide what we stand for. What we say and do in life reflects who we are deep inside, and maybe more importantly whose we are. If God's fruit and God's nature dwells deep, that's what is going to come forth in our actions and in our speech.
Mother Teresa had a platform of love. She spent her life caring for those who were lost and lonely. Her book, In the Heart of the World (MJF Books, 1997), includes a prayer that reflects the spirit of her work: "Shine through me, and be in me, so that every soul I come in contact with may feel your presence in my soul. Let them look up and see no longer me, but only you, O Lord!"
Rahab had a platform of faith. In the book of Joshua, we learn that Rahab had been living a life of sin as a prostitute. But she realized her need for redemption and hid Israelite spies who were being pursued by the King of Jericho (Joshua 2:1-21). She did not let her past or her pride get in the way of her belief in God.
Learning was central to the platform of Jesus' friend Mary. When Jesus visited the house of sisters Mary and Martha, Mary sat at Jesus' feet, setting her heart on every word that came from his mouth (Luke 10:38-42). Her sister, Martha, scurried around the house cleaning up, jealous that Mary was getting to spend time with Jesus and angry that she wasn't helping out. Mary's platform was to be a learner; Martha's was to be a pleaser. Each of them chose what she would be about that day when Jesus came to their home.
Bethany Hamilton's platform is focused on God's saving love. In 2003, at the age of 13, Bethany was attacked by a 14-foot tiger shark while surfing in Hawaii. Bethany lost her arm in the attack but chose to resume her professional surfing career and use this tragic experience as a platform to share what God had done in her life. Her deep and abiding faith became a catalyst for sharing the good news of Christ and the hope that is available even in the worst circumstances. Bethany's life is a speech testifying to the power of God's love.
We could list many other examples, the greatest of these being Christ, who never gave up his platform of love and forgiveness. His dream comes true every time one of his children turns to him for forgiveness and decides to live out the calling given to each of them.
Even if you never give a speech in a microphone, your life speaks to the world each day. What does your life say about what is most important to you? What message do people hear when they listen to the platform of your life?
YOUR CONFESSIONS
*Have you felt afraid to share with a friend about something you believed strongly?
*What is unique about you? Could this uniqueness lead to a platform that could be used by God?
*Would your friends say you have a platform? If other were to look at the things you value in your life, how might they describe your platform? Try to be as honest as possible.
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Taken from "Confessions of a Not-So-Super Model" by Brooklyn Lindsey, copyright 2008, Youth Specialties/Zondervan. Used by permission. Order the book here.
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3. SURF REPORT
~ Engineer Your Life: A Site to Encourage Teenage Girls to Pursue Engineering
~ Bite Back: Help End Malaria in Africa for only $10
4. BIRTHDAYS
This week we've got three! BEST HAPPY Birthday Wishes go out to William Weingarz, Nate Tippee, and Derik Nelson! Happy birthday to each of you!!
5. VIDEO OF THE WEEK
We've all seen it; big corporations getting their hands into things, and their names all over the place. What would happen if they got into the Church?
More at Tim Hawkins Comedy.
6. FORGETTABLE FACT
It is possible to see a rainbow at night.
7. POTENT QUOTABLES
"There is within every soul a thirst for happiness and meaning."
~Thomas Aquinas
"All the troubles of life come upon us because we refuse to sit quietly for a while each day in our rooms."
~Blaise Pascal
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Learn more about "Confessions of a Not-So-Super Model" here.
Also available in your local Christian bookstore.
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8. UH, THAT'S FUNNY?
Q: What's green and purple and wants revenge?
A: The grapes of wrath
