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Upcoming Events
February 10 - VALENTINE'S DAY DINNER. The Youth Group is having a
Valentine's Day 1,/ Family and Adults Only Dinner. A 5pm sitting will be
a Family style dinner with a movie, A 5pm & 7pm sitting will be an
Adults Only with baby-sitting services. All proceeds support the Youth
Group. RSVP BY: February 5th.
February 22 - ICE SKATING at the The Rinx.
Times: 1-5pm
Price: $15pp includes rink entry and rental. ($10 if you have your on
skates) Who: Any person, adult or child that can skate. We will meet at
The Rinx. Sign up by Sunday, February 19, 2012 on the bulletin board by
the gym.
RUNNING THE AMAZING RACE
As I am writing this, I
just survived a lock-in with our youth group. I had a great
time with them
and loved coming up with the theme. If you have not seen the
"The Amazing
Race,"it is a reality television game show in which teams of
two people, who have a personal relationship before the
race, race around the world in competition with other
teams. Contestants try
to arrive first at "pit stops" at the end of each leg of the
race to win
prizes and avoid coming in last, which has the possibility
of elimination. Contestants
travel to and through
multiple countries in a variety of transportation modes,
including
planes, taxi
cabs, personal
cars, trains, buses, and by foot. Clues are provided to lead
the teams to their next
destination or direct
them to perform a task, either together or by a single
member. The challenges or tasks they have to perfoini are
related in some manner to the country wherein they are
located or its culture. Teams are
progressively
eliminated until three are left; at that point, the team
that arrives first in the final leg is awarded
the grand prize. Well,
we did not eliminate kids though the night nor did they
leave the church and get on a plane. But they had to
race to different rooms finding out where their clue, a
bible verse, took place and
complete a task related
to it.
I looked at the
struggles the kids had with doing the events, the
dissatisfaction with how their team was
doing, or how hard a
task was. Almost all learned that they had to stick with
each other, and that sometimes a
race is not always easy.
Kind of like life: It's not easy. We get to a challenge in
life that we either quit, blame
someone else like God,
or do something rash. I have to say I am very proud of our
youth, none of them did
that, but instead stood
by each other's side, helping out other teams even when they
knew that they may finish
last if they did. They
ran the race together. I wish some adults and other youth
could see how they did and
maybe we would stop
stepping on others to get higher up, stop not liking someone
because they are different or
how they do things, or
even not lose one's faith. Life will throw the worst at you,
and we keep running. Satan
wants us to turn against
each other to divide us and, if given the chance, he will. I
have people that like me,
dislike me, and don't
even know who I am, and that's OK. I just keep reminding
myself, "where are your eyes
focused?" Hebrews 12
says
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of
witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and
sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance
the race that is set before
us, looking to Jesus,
the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that
was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame,
and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."
I keep
running the race, but I
know for a fact I can't
do it alone. The beginning of January was a rough one for
me. The daughter of
someone I know killed
herself, work just pilled up at my other job, another teen I
know was cyberbullied and
bullied. I see all this
around me and I just know one thing, KEEP FOCUSED ON THE
CROSS. Exercise, GO
TO CHURCH, know the
director, READ THE BIBLE, get help from the coach, PRAY, eat
a healthy meal that
will support you in the
race, TAKE COMMUNION, drink plenty of water, REMEMEBER YOUR
BAPTISM.
I love Hebrews 11, it
has all the people in scripture that stayed the course no
matter: By faith Enoch
was taken up to heaven
so that he would not see death, by faith Noah, built an ark,
by faith Abraham obeyed
and went to a place not
knowing where he was going, by faith Sarah was able to
conceive at old age, by faith
Moses lead the Jewish
people free, by faith Abraham, when he was tested to give up
his son, and I can go on
and on. All of them ran
the race without seeing the promises given to them, but kept
their eyes on the promise
from God. I wish I had
that faith and commitment at times, but its not for me to
compare myself with them, or
to look at my short
comings, but to run my race God has set before me, being an
imitator of Christ and I
encourage you to do the
same, to run the race of life focused on Christ the author
and perfector of our life.
SAVE THE DATE ALL YOUTH INTERESTED.
Meeting for 2013 National Youth Gathering
Sunday, May 20, 2012 after the 10:15 service by the Kitchen.
Chris Abatelli, Director of Youth
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