Nobody has been close on the guessing after my first two clues...just the way I like it.
The third clue is...
The lines between the fields of carnations and apple blossoms will be hazy.
Kill The Spider Graphics
5 years ago
to Milwaukee! We are taking 22 middle school students to serve the community of Milwaukee, WI. We will be serving in community service organizations like soup kitchens, nursing homes, etc. as well as children service organizations like Boy's and Girl's Club, day camps, etc. Pray that "God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that (we) may proclaim it clearly, as (we) should." (Colossians 4)
Don't forget you don't have to go anywhere to serve others- Do something crazy for someone else today whatever you're doing.
I met with part of our leadership team last night and we came up with a way for incoming 9th graders to go to Impact Summer Camp 2009. And no...I'm not kidding. Read the following paragraph closely as I will lay out what this is going to look like. And please know spots will be on a first-come first-serve basis and will only be available for three weeks from June 28- July 19.
We are opening up a special offer for incoming 9th graders to go to both Impact Summer Camp and the Mystery Trip for $240 (which is a $60 value). You must go on the Mystery Trip to be qualified to go to Summer Camp. The main reason we didn't open up camp to outgoing 8th graders in the first place was because we wanted to stress the importance of the Mystery Trip being an on-ramp to Crosswalk- but this way Camp can still serve as the capstone to your time with Impact, but also connect into Crosswalk by attending the Mystery Trip weekend.
We obviously understand there will be exceptions. If you have a valid excuse why you can't go to the Mystery Trip (and being scared of the unknown is not a valid excuse...we're talking more on the lines of pre-planned family vacation), but still want to go to camp- the price for you will be $200. If you have already signed up for the Mystery Trip and want to go to camp as well- the price for you is the original price for camp...$180.
We will have a new sign-up sheet that combines these two events together for incoming 9th graders on the web asap and at the Student Registration Area by June 28. Keep your eyes open.
Just a heads-up (in case you haven't heard)...tomorrow's pool parties have been cancelled because of the inclement weather forecast. Since we still have two parties on the calendar (and a weekly connection spot- CommonPoint), we are not going to re-schedule this individual party.
Sorry for any disappointment- make sure you are here on Sundays! Also, don't forget to get your Impact Summer Camp and Mystery Trip sign-ups in ASAP!
Hey Crosswalk Juniors/Seniors! Are you interested in serving in the middle school ministry in the Fall? If you want to hang out, play games, help lead a small group, and be involved with what God is doing in the lives of middle school students, we would love to hear from you! For more information, or to fill out an application, email Shelly (shelly.mcgee@trinitywired.com) or call her at 272-3841. You can also check out the relational leader packet here, which will give you a better picture about what serving as a relational leader is all about (and how to start the process in becoming one).
Just a reminder that all of those who are going on the Milwaukee mission trip are meeting at the Posthuma's from 6-9 p.m. this Friday (but all family members are invited!). We have a ton to cover with regard to updates: where you are at financially, your section 3 reading (bring it with you!), forms, to-bring list, etc. There will also be a time where I will meet with the parents shortly to discuss a few things.
And this is on top of the main reason for the night: PRAYER! We must be on our knees in preparation for this trip. Why? Because the Word says that no one can come to Jesus unless the Father draws them to Him. This is what we must beg for- that God would use our interaction with individuals in Milwaukee to restore people, to draw them to His Son.
O...and I guess it is a grub & pool party too. Ha- I hope three hours is enough. But it's going to be an amazing night.
Don't forget that the cookie dough is being delivered to the church tomorrow and if you sold any we will bring it to the meeting on Friday to pass it along to you! SEMP students can pick theirs up on Sunday.
For those of you who don't know...we pair things down for the summer to give our volunteers some time for rejuvenation, time for us to gauge if we have stayed on vision and even begin to start planning for the Fall- we also focus a lot of our attention on a few key events (like mission trips and camp). I hope you see the immense benefit in us removing the constant physical and emotional weight of the weekly gatherings from the mix (at least for a season).
But a lot of people forget about our summer weekly gathering: CommonPoint. It started up this morning in the Student Cafe (9:15 for middle school and 11 for high school). It is a very chill environment, with a heavy emphasis on interaction with the Scriptures (with a different teacher every week of the summer) dialogue around the text and a connection time at the end (open Gym & Game Room). I actually love the format and I have heard from a ton of students that they do as well. Hope to see you there soon.
Just a heads up...we are going to lay out the direction we are heading, as a ministry, come Fall at CommonPoint next Sunday, June 14. There will be some substantial changes and both Scott and I will be there to dialogue around this...I know you hear me say this all the time, but don't forget this is not a ministry to students, but of students. Be there on Sunday to manifest that reality, as we ask for input as well as buy-in.
Leaders- we will be doing the same for you (outlining some vision changes as well as how our revised gatherings fulfill that vision) at the Volunteer Picnic on Wednesday night. Call Shelly asap to RSVP if you haven't yet!
Imagine you are about to get in your car when you hear the harsh whisper of a stranger demanding you to remain silent. The voice gets harsher as this stranger commands you to hand over your wallet. You reach for your wallet and take it out of your pocket, but as you go to hand it to the assailant you take a risk and push them away. But not far enough. Before you can turn on your car, your attacker comes back to you and you suddenly feel a rush of pain in your left side. You have had four inches of sharp metal inserted into your flesh. Blood is now flowing from the wound. The assailant flees. You then reach into the center console of your car and pull out your trusty first aid kit. You always knew it would come in handy. You take out a large band-aid and place it on the wound. You drive home satisfied that the wound is out of sight and on the path to healing. Preposterous, right? If you don't take care of that wound immediately you are either going to die of a loss of blood or eventually from an infection. You have to deal with the wound. It is senseless not to... But this is what the church inherently condones when we try and change the behaviors of people without focusing on their motivations. When we look only at the actions and not the heart. When we try to fix our sin problem without acknowledging that it's a heart problem. It's like putting a Band-aid on a deep stab wound. In Mark 7, Jesus alludes to the power of the heart when he declares, "Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside a man can make him 'unclean' by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him 'unclean.' " (Translation: Why are you focused on the behavior and not the motivation?)Or how about Luke 6 when Jesus says, "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks." (Translation: It all stems from the heart...fall in love with me and you will begin to see your evilness in comparison to my holiness and the natural outcome will be my Spirit working in you and diminishing your desire to trade Creator for created. But the Gospel is not mere moral uprightness- a focus on proper behavior- it's a shift in motivation!)A few others:Matthew 12:34: "You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks."Matthew 15:16-20: "Are you still so dull?" Jesus asked them. "Don't you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.' For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man 'unclean'; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him 'unclean.' "May we move away from a gross, detestable American Christianity clasp of moral religion toward a radical embrace of the motivations and purposes of God. O and thanks Mr. Seelye for helping me wrestle through this...thanks for being my Nathan.
One of the best blog posts I have ever read...it's short, but could monumentally transform your life if you put it into practice. Check it out.
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