This Thursday !!!

Sing Love Sing

Here is their Myspace Site ----- come on out to CTS and see them. Pass the Word around.

MMUTB: December 2010

On Sunday, December 12th, we met in the kitchen to prepare food for Meet Me Under The Bridge. After preparing the food, we traveled downtown in a snow-storm to the garage by the over-pass and served the meal. We have students who serve graciously, we have students who sit and talk with the individuals there and we have students who serve by singing. It is great to see each student/adult serving. We are going to be "regulars" at MMUTB. Each month (3rd Sunday), we are hoping to take 15 students/adults down there. Here are a few photos from the 12th:

Erin Shredding The Chicken



Snowy Day at MMUTB (The Garage)



Inside The Garage



Stacey Giving Final Instructions





Annika, Luke and Marissa playing & singing

Service Opportunities

This weekend, we have two groups who are going into the city and serving this week. The first service opportunity is on Saturday morning. we have a few young ladies who are going to the Wheeler Women's Shelter to serve brunch. Then on Sunday, we are going to be cooking food and taking it down to Meet Me Under The Bridge and serve those who are homeless.

I want to thank everyone for their willingness to serve. We, as a ministry, are really going to be focusing on serving in 2011 and how we will be making a difference in the lives those around us.

If you are interested in serving, take a look at the opportunities that we have on the walls in ARC. Also, if you have an idea or an opportunity let us know so we can promote.

Men's Shelter

On Monday, Sam, Collin and myself went down to the men's shelter (Lighthouse). We arrived down there around 4:15 and watched a video about the ministry that they have. We then waited for the kitchen crew to do their final prep before they called us into the kitchen. We helped serve food for about 30-40 minutes and then we helped roll silverware for their next meal.

It was great to be out and serving in the city and helping an organization that does great work. It only takes a few hours and we are able to make a difference.

Guys, we will be doing this once a month. I encourage you to take the time and go with us and serve. There are sign-up sheets in the ARC.

Meet Me Under The Bridge: Nov. 7, 2010

Proverbs 19:17 (NIV), He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.

We had the opportunity to serve yesterday at the Meet Me Under the Bridge Ministry. we enjoyed our time down there as we served food, sorted some clothes, sang a f3ew songs and connected with those who are often "invisible".

MMUTB is going to be a ministry that we will connect with on a monthly basis. The next time that we will connect with them will be Dec. 12th. Then, beginning in January, we will go down there and serve on the 3rd Sunday of each month.

This past week, we went down and "served" the food. The up-coming times, we will also be getting food donated, cooking and taking it down. Here are a few pics to give you an idea of what we did (trying to respect those whom we served).

The Organization



View From Parking Lot



Singing Outside The Garage



Preparing To Serve



Folks Enjoying A Meal

Can you See Me ?

Session One: Can You See Me?

Sometimes you can stand in a room or walk down a hallway or sit in a chair and no one notices you. It’s not that you have some type of special ability that makes you invisible—people just don’t see you. They know nothing about you—nor do they seem to want to know anything about you. It’s like you’re not even there, even when you are physically in the room. You’re invisible. The good news is Jesus sees invisible people—even those who never realized they were invisible.

ACTS

Here is the "philosophy" of ministry that we will be using within our student ministry at Christ The Savior. The philosophy of ministry is "our tool" to help us (as a student ministry) reach the mission of our church: Reaching people to know, love and serve Christ.



If you have a ministry thought or suggestion that we can do in each one of these areas, please let us know.

Meet Me Under The Bridge

This Sunday, we are going into Indianapolis and will be helping out with a ministry called Meet Me Under The Bridge. We (signed-up event) are meeting at the church at 1:45 and will go help serve the meal, hangout with those who are homeless and Sarah will lead us (them) in a few songs. We will be down there from 2:30 - 4:30. After our goodbyes and clean up and drive back to CTS, we should be back around 5:15.

This is a "send" event. We have plenty of "send" events planned and numerous of them will be with organizations/ministries that we will have an ongoing partnership with.

Meet Me Under the Bridge

Their Website

More information on this ministry and others will be available soon. Also, in the next week or two, we will have the next date for Meet Me Under The Bridge.

No Oasis Tonight

Reminder: We will not be having Oasis tonight due to it being Halloween. We will return to our normal day and time next Sunday as we begin to take a look at the series on Invisible. Check below for details on the series.

ACTS: What Does It Mean ?

In the future, you will be hearing about ACTS. We are not trying to be "sacrilegious" but we will be using it (ACTS) as an acronym to describe a philosophy of ministry. We recognize that each student is at a different spot in their Christian walk and we want to gear ministry to each one of them. Here is a brief summary:

Attract

We want to attract students to Christ and to the ministry of Christ The Savior.

Connect

We want to connect students to God to to fellow students already connected to Christ The Savior.

Transform

We want students lives to transform into the likeness of Jesus Christ our Savior.

Send

We want to send students out to be the hands and feet of Christ so we can influence our community and impact our world.

The Invisible Series

THE INVISIBLES:

Series Overview

We are surrounded by the invisibles. These are people who simply want to know someone cares, someone notices—people who want to know God cares. Some of us would even say we feel that way—invisible to an entire world, daily passing us by. Whether that feeling is a familiar one or not, the reality is that each one of us has felt invisible at one point or another. But we didn’t stay that way. God saw us. He sees the invisibles. And because God took notice of us, we are able to open our eyes to see those around us.

Session One: Can You See Me? (November 7)
Sometimes you can stand in a room or walk down a hallway or sit in a chair and no one notices you. It’s not that you have some type of special ability that makes you invisible—people just don’t see you. They know nothing about you—nor do they seem to want to know anything about you. It’s like you’re not even there, even when you are physically in the room. You’re invisible. The good news is Jesus sees invisible people—even those who never realized they were invisible.

Session Two: In Focus (November 14)

Some people go unnoticed. There are people in the background of our lives we never see. Maybe it’s the guy at the gas station or the girl at the coffee shop. Maybe it’s the girl sitting in the lunchroom, or the guy hanging out in the back of the youth room. There are people all around us who we treat as invisible. But because of how God has seen us, because of what we’ve experienced personally, our vision is changed. How can we begin to see the people in our lives every day that may normally go overlooked? How can we see the people halfway around the world that go unnoticed? What can we do to bring those around us in focus?

Session Three: Seeing Beyond the Seen (November 21)

Sometimes what we really want isn’t what we are asking for. Sometimes what we really need is invisible to us. Thankfully Jesus sees us, really sees us. He sees the obvious physical needs and the more subtle spiritual ones too. And not only does He see them, He cares enough to do something about them both. When it comes to reaching out to the invisibles, when we provide friendship, water, help—sometimes it just isn’t enough. There’s a deeper, spiritual need that can only be met through Jesus Christ. And because of that, we do both—we help with the physical need but point them to Jesus Christ for the spiritual one.

No Oasis: 24th & 31st

Remember, we will not have Oasis on the next two Sunday's. The 24th, we are off for Fall Break and the 31st, we are off for Halloween. We will come back on Sunday, November 7th when we start the series Invisible.

Hayride: October 15

We took a hayride in the Eagle Creek Park. Here are a few photos. If you want to see the whole album, check them out on facebook.

Hayride

Annual Hayride and Bon Fire

Just a reminder that our annual Sr. High Hayride and Bon Fire will be Friday October 15th at Eagle Creek.

We will take a bus to and from Eagle Creek. Check in will begin at 5:30pm on the 15th and we will leave CTS at 5:45pm. The cost is $12 and includes transportation, hay ride, hot dogs, hamburgers, hot chocolate and of course s'mores.

We are still looking for a few parents who would like to help chaperone. If you are available and interested in hanging out under the stars with us, please contact either Jeff or Lise.

Friends are welcome! EVERYONE must have a current CTS Medical Consent form on file in order to participate. We don't have very many on file yet this year. If you aren't sure if you have completed one for your student this year, please complete the attached form and bring it with you Friday. Friends must also complete the Medical Consent form.

Students will need to be picked up at CTS at 9:30pm.

Steps ....

On Sunday, we took a look at the lesson through the video teaching of Jarred. He gave us a great message and here are some of the highlights of the talk:

Life is a result of steps

Myth: Following Christ requires a "leap"

Every leap is made up of steps (Prov. 20:24)

God wants you to walk through life, one step at a time.

Here are some scriptures to take a look at ....

- Mark 8:34-35
- John 8:11
- Matt 5:48

We also enjoyed a game of broom ball and were led in worship by Jon's band. It was a great night !!

Parents: Forward Motion

Forward Motion:

We’ve all made resolutions and set goals, but too often we fall short of what we expected to accomplish. Unfortunately it’s often the same when we try to become the Christian we really believe God has called us to be. We fall short of the goal and become increasingly discouraged. In this series, your student will learn that following Christ is more about the small steps we make every day, not about the huge leaps of faith that we think we need to make. They will set a goal, determine the first step and then make it. The series will end with a celebration!

Week One (October 3)

Following Christ is about steps, not leaps. This week your students will be introduced to the myth: that Christianity is all about taking big leaps of faith. They will encounter some of Scripture’s most daunting verses, and wrestle with what it means to have a life of spiritual growth. Each student will set a goal for himself or herself, and the next few weeks they will revisit their goals.

Week Two (October 10)

The way you get from where you are to where you want to be is one step at a time. This may sound ridiculously obvious, but we all forget it. We want to go to the gym one time and look like a model; we want to make one smart comment at work and be promoted right to the top. But we know deep down that isn’t the way things work. The good news is that in our spiritual development, God has not left us alone to work out the mess. He has sent His Spirit to guide us. This week, students will look at the power of the Holy Spirit to guide their paths, and they will make a plan for beginning to take the first step toward their goals.

Week Three (October 17)

Celebrate the steps you take in your relationship with God, and celebrate the steps others take as well. It’s all about celebration, not the cheap kind of celebration that comes from making a big deal out of nothing, but the real party that comes naturally when we know that we have made even the slightest move in the right direction. Your students will talk this week about what it looks like to encourage each other and celebrate with each other whenever they make progress toward one of their goals.

EXPERIENCE:

Many of you crave forward motion in your family. You know what you want your children to be. You want them to be kind, respectful, responsible, intelligent, creative individuals. You want them to be able to succeed when they grow up and leave your home. But sometimes you look at them and you think that it may never happen.

This month, think about helping your student make one step. Think of one new thing that you would love for your child to do. Maybe it’s to improve his or her science grade, learn how to do laundry, cook a meal or change the oil in the car. Once you have decided on one goal for your child, communicate your desire to teach this skill and let your child know why it is important to learn it. Then spend time during the month helping teach your child how to accomplish the goal.

If you want your student to improve his or her science grade, sit with him and study flash cards. If you want them to know how to do laundry, do a load or two together until he or she gets the hang of it. By communicating to your child why you want him or her to know or do a certain thing, you communicate respect. By spending time helping them learn, you are letting him or her know of their importance to you. You will also alleviate your child’s fear of disappointing you if they get it wrong.

The most important thing that fuels forward motion is celebration. Make sure that you celebrate your child’s step! Tell him or her that you are proud of them for working so hard or for learning something new. When your child knows that they can make you proud, they will be much more motivated to continue working on their new goal.

High School Student & Parents Meeting

On Sunday morning at 10:00am in the ARC, we will be having a high school student meeting along with the parents. This meeting will be a follow-up meeting on our Summer of 2011 meeting that we had on September 12th. This meeting will give students and parents an opportunity to share their thoughts and concerns about the two trips and to see if we believe that we need to alter some of the plans.

This will also be a time for me to share with you a little more about Orange, Big Stuf and the reason that this specific trip was chosen and a possible change to that trip that came out of a conversation with one of our high school students.

Forward Motion

On October 3rd, we will begin our 3rd Series: Forward Motion

You've heard it before: That one student who goes on a mission trip/youth group retreat/conference and makes a declaration to change the world. Sometimes it happens. But too often, after a few months, that same student is indistinguishable from the crowd. They were so caught up in the emotion of the moment and were ready to do something big. But following Christ is more about the small steps we make every day, steps of obedience, steps in relationship with Him. We call this series forward motion because the Christian life is more about the steps we take, not the leaps.

Here's the weekly breakdown of the Forward Motion series:

October 3: Week 1: To the Moon (Following Christ is about steps, not leaps)

October 10: Week 2: The Walk (The way to get from where you are to where you want to be is one step at a time)

October 17: Week 3: Party (Celebrate the steps you take in your relationship with God, and celebrate the steps others take as well.)

Big Stuf

Over the next few weeks, we will be putting up many different promotions about Big Stuf. These will be official promo's from them and from other churches that have gone. Big Stuf camps and the ReThink Group is a great organization and they put on a top-notch camp. Check out the promo below. Benbeath the promotion, there is some more information about the camp.



The camp is located on the beach in Panama City Beach, Florida. The great thing about this location for Big Stiuf is that the hotel, meals and worship times are in the same location. Also, Big Stuf rents out the whole hotel. So, it is a secure site. While on the beach, we are out in front of the hotel and with students and adults from the camp there; there are eyes and ears all around.

The beach also has lifeguards and uses the flag system. So, if the waters are choppy, we will know. They will have the flags out and individuals will be checking the area to make sure everyone is following the rules.

We are looking at a great trip. We hope that many students will go on the trip and they can ask those outside CTS to go on the trip. The morning and evening services will uplift them and challenge them and their souls will be filled.

Also, for your information, one of the reasons that I have chosen Big Stuf is that they are the organization that we do our sunday night curriculum from. Also, if you have seen the 7-Checkpoints around the ARC (which have been very important in the lives of the students the last few years), they come from Big Stuf / ReThink. We as a church are connected with them and I (Jeff) have done 5 Big Stuf trips in the past and they are a great group of individuals.

More Later.

September 12: Breathe

On Sunday, we had the first lesson in the series on Breathe. Here is the "outline" for the lesson for those of you were there and for those of you who could not be there; here are some of the highlighs:

- no matter what you are going through, remember that you still have the capacity to breathe in and breath out

- we are often guilty of constantly moving to the next thing; we never take time to pause.

We took a look at matthew chapter 6.

- we need to learn to be fully present
- when we constantly look ahead, it takes us away from the present
- we are always there but we are never here

In our hectic lives, we need to make sure that we create time to pause and breathe.

Oasis: September = PAUSE

Ever feel like life is moving, or rather, rushing forward at an unsustainable pace? It seems like more often then not, that is just the way things are. But in effort to keep up with everything and everyone around us, it may be that we are missing out on experiencing God's presence. What would take for you to pause? To stop? To just "be," long enough to take note of the living God in the midst of our spinning world?

September 12: Session 1: Breathe
Bottom Line: We need to pause in order to be present.

September 19: Session 2: Search
Bottom Line: We need to pause in order to see God.

September 26: Session 3: Discover
Bottom Line: When we pause, we remember that God hasn't left us.

Grizzly Man

The Grizzly Man, also known as Timothy Treadwell, was an avid bear buff and preservationist. For thirteen summers, beginning in 1990, Treadwell lived in Alaska in what is known as the Grizzly Maze, an area noted for its thick growth and common presence of grizzlies. For thirteen summers, Treadwell ignored the recommendations and violations issued by the National Park Service and attempted to interact and commune with these grizzlies by naming them and familiarizing himself with both the adults and cubs he encountered. Thirteen years. Thirteen summers spent alone, with virtually no company of humans—simply a forged “relationship” with some of the most dangerous animals on earth.

Treadwell was, for the most part, a loner. What he could not find and develop in human relationships, he sought to find in animals. The overwhelming sense in his documentary movie, The Grizzly Man, was that these animals were his life. The sense of isolation he felt from society and culture seemed to serve as a force that literally pushed him into the wilds of Alaska to commune with one of the only species he felt accepted him. Then, in late summer, early fall, of 2003, towards the end of the grizzlies’ feeding season and approaching the start of their hibernation, Timothy Treadwell and his girlfriend were killed by a grizzly bear.

In the documentary, pieces of his self-recorded time in the wild are released, and viewers are granted insight in the lonely life of Timothy Treadwell. In fact, in his last summer in Alaska, he was ready to go home to California, when at the airport he had an upsetting encounter with someone. He was so upset, so frustrated with people, that he willingly left the airport and returned to the Maze. It was a dangerous time to return there, but he wanted to commune with some of the only animals he believed accepted him.

It’s a story that haunts me, but also baffles me. When I first heard of Treadwell, I thought the guy was crazy. Literally. I could not understand what would make a grown man honestly believe he could live successfully among grizzly bears. But when I watched the documentary, and learned more, I became more sympathetic than judgmental. Treadwell was less crazy than I thought, and more lonely than I could have imagined. He was an example, although extreme, of a man who was literally dying for acceptance, for community and for relationships. What people denied him; he incorrectly believed he found in bears.

The moral of the story? People are dying for friendships. People are desperate for companionship. People are starving for camaraderie. Without them, we will not make it—maybe not physically, like Timothy Treadwell, but certainly spiritually. We forget how much we need other people, until we hear a story about the Grizzly Man and we are convicted. Do we have people around us who need to be cared for? At school? At church? On our sports teams? We have no idea of the turmoil that is potentially going on inside the heads of those who appear weird, distant, isolated and different. Maybe, just maybe, they need a friend. And maybe, just maybe, you could be that friend. Friendships have the potential to be a lifeline for other people. You have the potential to be a lifeline for other people.

The chances are good that the next Grizzly Man is not wandering your school hallways. But the chances are also good that there are some very lonely people who are wandering your hallways, wanting and needing to feel like someone, anyone cares for them. Are you willing to extend love? Are you willing to offer acceptance?

Life is too hard. We need each other. We need to be in relationship with people.


Something to Think About:

WE Series: Evaluation

On the last night of the WE series, we took a survey to get some feedback. We appreciate your willingness to do the survey. From a % standpoint, most people were in agreement on the questions. Due to the responses, we will be making a few tweaks for the Pause series. Here are some of the results:

- Most individuals rated the WE series a 4 (1 being low and 5 being high)
- Most individuals favorite aspect was small groups
- Most individuals wished that the small group time was longer
- 2 songs edged our 3 songs for the worship set
- Most prefer the worship in the beginning not the end
- Most liked the small groups divided by the age
- Majority would be willing to shift times of meeting

Thanks again and as mentioned, there will be a few minor tweaks this next series and we will continue to evaluate. We look forward to seeing you on the 12th !!!

Handel's # 1

August 27th, the question of the day was "favorite place to go for ice cream"



Handel's won out, it was very close. Four establishments were neck to neck and Handel's just slipped past Dairy Queen, Ritters and Colstone's.

Our students are very divided between these four places. Maybe, we will have to have a blind taste test on ice cream on an upcoming Sunday.

John Mayer and Carrie Underwood

Each week, we ask our students a question (question of the week) to get to know them better and so we can see what (as a group) are our favorites. This past weekend question was on music:

We asked them who was their faviorite musician or music group. We had 50+ responses and there was no clear cut favorite but there were two artist that finished tied on the top and they were:

John Mayer



Carrie underwood

One: God, Faith and Life

This weekend is the Fall Retreat at Spring Hill. 1/2 of us are leaving in less than 3hours and 1/2 of us are leaving after THE BIG game. Next week, we will have pictures and stories from the trip. We are looking forward to the trip. We have 22 students and 3 adults making the journey.

"The New Us" Kick-Off

On Wednesday night (August 25th), "The New Us" band held their kick off. "The New Us" band is the high school band that plays during Oasis and is in the rotation for the church worship bands as well. We had 17 high school students who showed up for practice. If you want to join us, come on out to practice next Wednesday at 6:00.

If you can play an instrument, sing, or have an interest with technology, we can put you to use. There are many things that we can add and do if you want to participate; just let us know.

Reveiving Instruction



Tech Crew



Sound Checking



Band Practicing



Rehearsing Made To Worship

Iron Maiden: Student Devotion

XP3 WE DEVOTIONAL 2
Week of August 22, 2010

Read: Proverbs 27:17

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another



IRON MAIDENS
By Sarah Anderson

I have one friend from college who at the mere mention of her name makes me crack up. Any voice mail, e-mail or letter, literally makes me laugh out loud. Starting our senior year of college, we were cohorts in crime. Following graduation, we moved to Tennessee and worked and lived together for a year. Then we both ventured out west to try our hand at being cowgirls . . . kind of. She worked in Colorado and I worked in Wyoming. She was more of an actual cowgirl. I cleaned cabins and waited on tables. While out there, she met the man of her dreams and asked me to be in her wedding one year later. Eight months later she was in my wedding and now she and her husband are preparing to move to China to be missionaries.

She is a true friend. One time on a trip to a Hard Rock Café, we noticed a sign by our table that said Iron Maiden. (Only recently did I learn this was a band, which explains it’s place in Hard Rock Café, and more recently than that I learned it was also the name of a torture device first used in the 1500s.) We knew neither of these things at the time and took the phrase, adopting it as a name for ourselves. We wanted to be the Iron Maidens, because, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”

This was the kind of friendship we desired. All craziness aside, what we craved was a friendship that pursued the betterment of each other, accountability to one another and a deeper knowledge of Christ. And this did not necessarily look like a weekly Bible study, or a scheduled time for prayer, or a twice a week chapel attendance that was required at our college. What it looked like was a sharpening of each other, an intentional smoothing of our rough edges by being friends who cared more about every facet of our friendship than just having a good time and sharing secrets.

I heard someone say once, “When iron sharpens iron, there are sparks.” A lot of times getting our rough edges smoothed out hurts. It is hard to let people in close and with something as sharp as iron, and giving them the access to your heart. But the sparks, the friction, the heat is not a bad thing. It means we are enduring the flames from the fire and being made into a more moldable and enduring vessel for Christ.

This friend made me a better follower of Christ. I did not always like her in the process. Sparks can burn. But she, along with God, made me what I needed to be. In her friendship, she gave me the permission to dialogue about tough issues, hard questions and nagging sins. That was hard. But we did it. I needed an iron maiden in her, and she needed one in me, and the result was two people who better understood what it meant to be at the mercy of the heat in order that we might come out better believers and followers of Jesus.

She still makes me laugh. She still brightens my life. But her real gift to me is not laughter or silly memories. Her gift is her persisting and enduring ability to shape me into who God wants me to be. I love her for that.

Something to Think About:
• What makes the friends you are closest too, the friends that you are closest too?
• Do you have someone who sharpens you like iron in your life?
• What do you do, or could you do, to help sharpen you and your friends?

Beautiful Mess: August 22, 2010

On August 22, we continued our series on WE (community), here is a brief summary of the message (main points)

When we pursue community, things start to get personal, and they start to get messy.

Making community happen isn’t an easy process. It requires risk.

Scripture:

All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved (Acts 2:42-47 NLT).

Close relationships don’t just happen overnight. Committing to community is committing time and energy to a process that doesn’t always feel good.

To have real relationships will cost you something.

Each one of us was made to be in relationships—with God and with other people. When we’re in one without the other, we live a lesser life.

Oasis: Question of the Week (Pizza)

One of the things that we have begun to do (this past Sunday was the first time) is to ask questions during Oasis time. We will then "publish" the results via facebook and through our blog. It is a small way that we can get to know a little bit about our "likes".

The question of the week was the following: Where is your favorite place to go for pizza ? Here are the results:

Pizza Hut - 7
Papa John's - 7
Greek's - 6
Monical's - 6
Donato's - 5
Puccinis - 4
Hungry Howie's - 3
Domino's 2
*all the following at 1*
CiCi
Firehouse
Hot Box
Marco's
"My Moms"
Nancy's
Papa Murphy's
Pizza King

Devotion: WE Series - Week 1

XP3: WE Devotional 1
NOT ALONE
By Sarah Anderson
Oasis: Week of August 15th

Read: Exodus 17:8-14


Exodus 17:8-14 (The Message)

8-9 Amalek came and fought Israel at Rephidim. Moses ordered Joshua: "Select some men for us and go out and fight Amalek. Tomorrow I will take my stand on top of the hill holding God's staff."

10-13 Joshua did what Moses ordered in order to fight Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went to the top of the hill. It turned out that whenever Moses raised his hands, Israel was winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, Amalek was winning. But Moses' hands got tired. So they got a stone and set it under him. He sat on it and Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on each side. So his hands remained steady until the sun went down. Joshua defeated Amalek and its army in battle.

14 God said to Moses, "Write this up as a reminder to Joshua, to keep it before him, because I will most certainly wipe the very memory of Amalek off the face of the Earth."

People need people. I don’t care what anyone else says. We as humans were created for relationship—and not just with God, but with each other as well. As basic as this seems, I forget that sometimes. Sometimes I think I can curl up on my couch with a good novel and some TiVo-ed episodes of my favorite show and be happy for the rest of my life. But as appealing as this sounds to me, inevitably I realize I need more than a remote and a book—I need people.

I think God either finds my lapses into this thinking totally insulting or absolutely hilarious. Maybe it is a little bit of both. Usually, He puts me in some sort of desperate situation where I require help from another human—like getting lost in downtown Atlanta, or reaching for something from the top shelf of the pantry—to help me realize, again, I can’t go at it alone.

We just read the story of Moses, a powerful and influential man, who had more reason than anyone else to think he didn’t need people—especially whining and complaining people, like the Israelites. I have to wonder if when he went to the top of the mountain while the Israelites were fighting below, if part of him just wanted to get away.

We have no way of knowing, but I don’t think it took very long for Moses to get tired of holding up his own hands. It takes me about thirty seconds. And in one of the most compelling word pictures I have ever found in Scripture, we see how desperately and mightily he needed friends. He needed their support, their strength, their endurance, their assistance and their persistence—literally.

What do you think was going through Moses’ mind as he sat on the rock and allowed his right hand men to lift his deadened arms in the air? I picture his head bowed, his brow furrowed and his back bent. And I imagine this day being engrained in his memory forever. If he was ever tempted to think he was too good for the help of others, he need only think back to the faithfulness of Aaron and Hur as they tirelessly came alongside him and empowered him to win the battle. And should that memory start to fade, he could just as easily go back to the scroll God had him write after the Israelites won, because this was “something to be remembered.” A great military feat, yes. But I think there was another reason for writing it down as well. God said write this down because Moses, you can’t forget, and Joshua, can’t forget, and those who follow, can’t forget, that you can’t do life alone.

My favorite TV show is way more entertaining when I can comment on it with someone on the couch beside me. Reading is more fun when I can talk about it and process it with a listening ear. And that is just the small stuff. There has been, and there will be, big, hard, stuff that comes along. I don’t want to be, and I can’t be, alone when it does.

People need people. We are not intended to be loners in this world. We need to allow ourselves to take a seat. Allow our arms to be lifted. Allow people to come in. Allow them to come close, whether we feel like we require it not. Because someday it will be essential to have the help and the hands, on either side of us, to make it. We were created for relationships. We were created for this.

Something to Think About:
• Why do you think we sometimes think we can do life alone?
• What is an area of life that is easy for you to ask for help in?
• What is an area of life that is hard to ask for help in?
• What is one way this week where you can be intentional about getting help for someone when you would normally want to do it alone?

Aug 15: Recap

On August 15th, we were outside from 6:30 - 7:00 as we played volleyball and relaxed outside. At 7:00, we moved inside for a 3-song worship set. After worship, we had Dylan vs. Luke in a 3-part game; however luke got to pick three people to help him. Luke and his team won as Dylan found it was tougher to win solo.

We then transitioned into the message time by watching a video clip from I Am Legend. We saw Will Smith's charachter dealing with loneliness and having an urging for others and community. After the movie clip, we transitioned into the message.

In the message, we highlighted some of the following points:

Life seems a lot easier without people.

But, we soon realizt that we need others and community

Living without relationships never feels right for long and We all long to belong.

We all have a desire to belong and be accepted; it is natural and right. God has created us to be that way.

“It is not good.”

We find out that it is not good for us to be alone because God did not design us in that manner and it is good for us to be in relationship with others.

Following Jesus Christ was never meant to be a completely personal, private relationship. We were created with a need for other people.

“An unshared happiness is not happiness . . . happiness is only real when shared.” The above quote comes from the book "Into the Wild". We need to share live with one another and me must allow others to know our real selves.

If you are lacking community, it isn’t good. God made us to need other people.

We want to create space and opportunities for this to occur. We want to encourage and help you be in community with others.

After the message, we broke up into small groups (grade specific) and discussed the concept of community and where we are at on the spectrum. In small group time, there were three questions that I would like to highlight and remind you of. If you would like to share your answers, please do so in the comment section.

Tonight we learned that God created more than just friendships, He created community. What does “community” look like? Describe it.

How do you think community is different from a clique? (A clique usually includes people who are all similar. Community usually involves people who are different.)

What’s the difference between having hundreds of friends on Facebook or sitting with a big group at lunch and really having community?

WE Series

On August 15th, we begin a new series called WE. This series will help us discover the "why" behind community - why we need it, why we should pursue it, and why it is more than what you do every week.

August 15 - The Others
Following Christ was never meant to be done alone - we need community

August 22 - A Beautiful Mess
It can be a messy process when we are in community with other people.

August 29 - Up close
We learn about God through community

Please come an join us on Sunday nights. Come on over to play volleyball and hang out with friends at 6:30 and we begin worship/teaching/small groups from 7:00 - 8:00.

Any Questions ? Call Jeff at the church (317) 842-5649 EXT 223

Puerto Rico 2010

On Saturday July 17th, 18 students and 5 adults traveled to Puerto Rico for a mission trip. We stayed in Aricebo. We thoroughly enjoyed our week together, the time we played and the time that we served. We came back home on the 24th. The mission trip was a great trip and we enjoyed teaming up with Youthworks. Here is a video that highlights some of the trip.