Daily Challenge
You have till Sunday night to complete this challenge:
What is the purpose of the Bible?
Post your reply on the blog. Dialogue with replies from other youth. If you don't see many replies I'd encourage your friends to join in on the discussion. Hey, they can always come in second place ($25) and its definitely better to have companionship (and sometimes competition) in a race.
Race Summary
Our Amazing Race started off great yesterday with 35 youth participating. Kirstie, Laila, Kasey, and Andrew came in first place securing a free ice-cream and 5 bonus points. Second place and third place brought in an extra 3 and 2 points. All contestants received the standard 3 points for participation. A few people earned "bonus points" for outstanding leadership ranging from a recommendation by Carl (the house on Joe Chambers), helping with organization, and first aid assistance.
One youth (whose name you might hear when we are announcing the winners) has stood out for excellent leadership and involvement and has quickly started the daily challenges. I strongly encourage all to engage in both the fun competition and the extra spiritual reflection that this event offers.
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Week One
Since we officially kick off today, here is a bonus opportunity for "daily challenges." Below you will find challenges for all days leading up to today. You have ONE WEEK to finnish these challenges. ALL OTHER Daily Challenges must be completed in ONE DAY.
1. Send Hebrews 12:1 to Josh.
2. Describe one of the contestants from the current Amazing Race (season 12)
3. How can a fellowship event like a race have an impact on faith?
4. Name one verse other than Hebrews 12 that describes the Christian experience as a race
5. Our grand prize is an iPod. What is the prize described in 1 Corinthians 9:24
6. Invite a friend who doesn’t go to church anywhere to join you for the Amazing Race tomorrow.
7. Reflect daily on the Amazing Race Handout (with rules and circles). Earn a point by bringing your copy of the handout to church on Sunday.
1. Send Hebrews 12:1 to Josh.
2. Describe one of the contestants from the current Amazing Race (season 12)
3. How can a fellowship event like a race have an impact on faith?
4. Name one verse other than Hebrews 12 that describes the Christian experience as a race
5. Our grand prize is an iPod. What is the prize described in 1 Corinthians 9:24
6. Invite a friend who doesn’t go to church anywhere to join you for the Amazing Race tomorrow.
7. Reflect daily on the Amazing Race Handout (with rules and circles). Earn a point by bringing your copy of the handout to church on Sunday.
Daily Challenge Basic Info
Each day a new challenge will appear on the blog. Challenges will usually be posted the night before. Points will be given the morning after a challenge, so you may complete the challenge any time the day it is due. You will receive one point for each challenge you complete.
All challenges require to you respond in some way. Be sure that you include your name on the response so you can receive credit.
This is a Christian event intended to be fun and meaningful. Don’t try to cheat because it defeats the whole point. It would be easy to lie and say you didn’t something you didn’t but I promise you it won’t be worth it. Your integrity and character are far more important than a chance to win a prize.
You are evaluated based on participation. For discussions really answer it (don’t say “ditto” or something like that). You may work together to find resources (like good websites for finding answers) but for daily challenges you are expected to think about and respond on your own. Wednesday group meetings will emphasize group activity.
Color Key
Email, text, or myspace the answer to Josh or confirm that you have done the challenge
Respond in the comment section here on the Blog. Respond to the original question and to other youth’s response.
Do something physical at church (like bringing an item)
All challenges require to you respond in some way. Be sure that you include your name on the response so you can receive credit.
This is a Christian event intended to be fun and meaningful. Don’t try to cheat because it defeats the whole point. It would be easy to lie and say you didn’t something you didn’t but I promise you it won’t be worth it. Your integrity and character are far more important than a chance to win a prize.
You are evaluated based on participation. For discussions really answer it (don’t say “ditto” or something like that). You may work together to find resources (like good websites for finding answers) but for daily challenges you are expected to think about and respond on your own. Wednesday group meetings will emphasize group activity.
Color Key
Email, text, or myspace the answer to Josh or confirm that you have done the challenge
Respond in the comment section here on the Blog. Respond to the original question and to other youth’s response.
Do something physical at church (like bringing an item)
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Amazing Race Point System
There are lots of ways to win points, or “race miles,” for our Amazing Race in November. Some of them are easy, some hard. Whoever earns the most miles will win the prize (an iPod).
Amazing Race (November 7)- 5 miles(total: 5)
Wednesday Participation- 3 miles(total: 12)
Weekly Race- 2 miles(total: 6)
Daily Challenge- 1 miles(total: 30)
Total (53)
Amazing Race (5): A two hour race. Each team will follow clues in order to be the first to arrive at the final destination. Each player on the first place team wins 5 race miles. This Wednesday counts towards “Wednesday participation.”
Wednesday Participation (3): Showing up and being engaged for our Wednesday activities and Bible study earn you 3 race miles. Bringing certain items may contribute to the miles. Actions which make it hard for others to participate will prohibit you from earning these miles.
Weekly Race (2): Each Wednesday we will have a small race as part of our Bible study. Each player on the winning team will receive 2 race miles.
Daily Challenge (1): The key to winning the prize will be daily involvement. Each day the youth blog will feature a daily challenge. Completing this challenge that day will earn you 1 race mile.
Amazing Race (November 7)- 5 miles(total: 5)
Wednesday Participation- 3 miles(total: 12)
Weekly Race- 2 miles(total: 6)
Daily Challenge- 1 miles(total: 30)
Total (53)
Amazing Race (5): A two hour race. Each team will follow clues in order to be the first to arrive at the final destination. Each player on the first place team wins 5 race miles. This Wednesday counts towards “Wednesday participation.”
Wednesday Participation (3): Showing up and being engaged for our Wednesday activities and Bible study earn you 3 race miles. Bringing certain items may contribute to the miles. Actions which make it hard for others to participate will prohibit you from earning these miles.
Weekly Race (2): Each Wednesday we will have a small race as part of our Bible study. Each player on the winning team will receive 2 race miles.
Daily Challenge (1): The key to winning the prize will be daily involvement. Each day the youth blog will feature a daily challenge. Completing this challenge that day will earn you 1 race mile.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Ultimate Frisbee Pics
We have some newly added pictures from Ultimate Frisbee this past Sunday. There are also some of the revival breakfast.
Monday, October 15, 2007
The Amazing Race
In November we will have an amazing Wednesdays running an amazing race. On November 7 we will kick things off with race to follow clues accross town to be the first team to arrive at the destination. This will be from 6:00 to 8:00. The following Wednesdays will continue the race with three action packed Bible studies and three great prizes.
Win an iPod or Cash
Here's how it will work. Prizes are 1st- a brand new iPod shuffle, 2nd $25, 3rd- $15. Whoever has earned the most "race miles" by the end of the competition will win. There will be various ways to earn race miles. Showing up, winning competions, bringing certain items, and completing in the "Daily Challenge" on the blog are all ways to earn points. The complete race guide will be available on November 6 (the day before the race kicks off).
Friday, October 05, 2007
Monday, October 01, 2007
Emerging Worship
This past Sunday we held the first Emerging Worship service for the year led by the Youth Praise Band (who knows, maybe we will come up with a name for the group in the near future…). Although the microphone levels weren’t perfect and some songs were less familiar to the congregation this was a great service in which we could encounter God through a different style than Sunday morning (although our choral worship style is in fact a wonderful way to worship God). Below are a couple of pictures of the praise band. 
Emerging Worship
But what exactly is “Emerging Worship” (A.K.A. Emergent Worship)? Do you really just mean “Contemporary?”
In practice the two terms share many similarities. Both are likely to use guitars, drums and other instruments common in today’s musical scene. They both strive to contextualize worship into the context of a particular group of people. Both strive to use music as a way to open hearts and emotions to connecting with God through worship.
So how is “Emerging” different than “contemporary” To understand that lets contrast the two words. Both terms emphasize time. “Contemporary” refers to the time period of now. Unlike the term “traditional” which emphasizes following methods or styles of the past “contemporary” seeks to worship God through “today’s” styles and methods. When the movement emerged this style shattered expectations of what church was all about as it emphasized worshiping in new and relevant ways.
The words “emerge” “emerging” “Emerging” carry a different meaning. They do not reflect a single time period but rather a process. Unlike “contemporary” which emphasizes now, “Emerging” emphasizes the process of moving forward. It is grounded in the past and the future, not in the present.
One difference this creates is a deep connection to the past. Tradition and church history shape who we emerge into being. Music, worship, and theology cannot be understood simply by looking at today’s culture. All of these elements have long and meaningful histories and traditions that shape who we are as individual believers and as bodies of believers.
However, God is not done working in the world. We can’t simply look at traditions and the past for what God has done. All of the traditions that currently have meaning to us emerged from something else That process is still going on. We not only remember the story of Christianity, the story of worship, but we also are experiencing next chapter that God is writing.
This is considerably less stagnant than the “contemporary” style. After all what is contemporary one year can easily become “old” the next. Describing “Lord I Lift Your Name on High” as contemporary hardly makes sense. This song, like many others has had a dramatic impact on worship and help lead people to worshipping God in meaningful ways. Likewise new songs and styles will emerge which will continue to help worshipers experience God.
For me I find that I am too connected with the past to be “contemporary.” I just like hymns way too much. I agree with traditional theology too much to throw that away. On the other hand I am not satisfied with living in the past through relying on tradition. I want to be part of the story of faith that begun with God creating the world and continues with new creation even today.
It is possible that this is more my take on worship than a view endorsed by the “Emerging Church” movement. Also, much of the new worship music reflects a combination of tradition and innovation without being part of the “Emerging” movement.
Several key ideas involved with Emerging Church movement are that of postmodernism, conversation, narrative, creativity, holistic, non-hierarchical. Critics of the movement (though less so the worship style addressed above) include assert that the movement is pluralistic, a movement of protest, intolerant towards conservative evangelicals, and to hold non-orthodox views.
For more information on the Emerging church and Emerging worship including some criticism’s of the movement check out these links.
New York Times Article
Emerging Worship
But what exactly is “Emerging Worship” (A.K.A. Emergent Worship)? Do you really just mean “Contemporary?”
In practice the two terms share many similarities. Both are likely to use guitars, drums and other instruments common in today’s musical scene. They both strive to contextualize worship into the context of a particular group of people. Both strive to use music as a way to open hearts and emotions to connecting with God through worship.
So how is “Emerging” different than “contemporary” To understand that lets contrast the two words. Both terms emphasize time. “Contemporary” refers to the time period of now. Unlike the term “traditional” which emphasizes following methods or styles of the past “contemporary” seeks to worship God through “today’s” styles and methods. When the movement emerged this style shattered expectations of what church was all about as it emphasized worshiping in new and relevant ways.
The words “emerge” “emerging” “Emerging” carry a different meaning. They do not reflect a single time period but rather a process. Unlike “contemporary” which emphasizes now, “Emerging” emphasizes the process of moving forward. It is grounded in the past and the future, not in the present.
One difference this creates is a deep connection to the past. Tradition and church history shape who we emerge into being. Music, worship, and theology cannot be understood simply by looking at today’s culture. All of these elements have long and meaningful histories and traditions that shape who we are as individual believers and as bodies of believers.
However, God is not done working in the world. We can’t simply look at traditions and the past for what God has done. All of the traditions that currently have meaning to us emerged from something else That process is still going on. We not only remember the story of Christianity, the story of worship, but we also are experiencing next chapter that God is writing.
This is considerably less stagnant than the “contemporary” style. After all what is contemporary one year can easily become “old” the next. Describing “Lord I Lift Your Name on High” as contemporary hardly makes sense. This song, like many others has had a dramatic impact on worship and help lead people to worshipping God in meaningful ways. Likewise new songs and styles will emerge which will continue to help worshipers experience God.
For me I find that I am too connected with the past to be “contemporary.” I just like hymns way too much. I agree with traditional theology too much to throw that away. On the other hand I am not satisfied with living in the past through relying on tradition. I want to be part of the story of faith that begun with God creating the world and continues with new creation even today.
It is possible that this is more my take on worship than a view endorsed by the “Emerging Church” movement. Also, much of the new worship music reflects a combination of tradition and innovation without being part of the “Emerging” movement.
Several key ideas involved with Emerging Church movement are that of postmodernism, conversation, narrative, creativity, holistic, non-hierarchical. Critics of the movement (though less so the worship style addressed above) include assert that the movement is pluralistic, a movement of protest, intolerant towards conservative evangelicals, and to hold non-orthodox views.
For more information on the Emerging church and Emerging worship including some criticism’s of the movement check out these links.
New York Times Article
Wikipedia Article
Theopedia Article
Emergent Village
Vineyard Website
Amazon Books about the Emerging Church
Theopedia Article
Emergent Village
Vineyard Website
Amazon Books about the Emerging Church
See You at the Pole
We had a great time at See You at the Pole on September 26. Food, worship, and prayer took place at the two middle schools, MP, and MA. Here are a few pictures from MP.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Six Flags Fright Fest
Trip canceled: Unfortunately we did not have enough people sign up so we will reschedule for another time. If you paid for the trip expect your check to be returned this week. Are you ready for thrills and chills? Join us as we enjoy the fantastic rides and scary theme for Fright Fest at Six Flags (click on the image for more details).
When: Saturday, October 13
Time: Leave the church at 9:00 in the morning and be back at 11:30 that night
Cost: $30
DEADLINE: THIS FRIDAY. We need your $30 turned into Josh or the office by Friday (September 28) at noon.
Notes
If we do not have enough people to get a group discount we may need to cancel the trip. In that case you will receive a complete refund.
Please let me know if finances are holding you back from going on this trip. There is an opportunity for you to still go.
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