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 !!!