The 180 Blog

Contents
1. 180 News
2. Congratulations
3. Something for Your Heart
4. Surf Report
5. Birthdays
6. Picture In Need of A Caption
7. Forgettable Fact
8. Potent Quotables
9. Parting Shot

1. 180 NEWS

MS Guys Grub Camp
Middle School guys make plans now to be with us at Grub Camp this year! On June 22 we head up the Clackamas River to Indian Henry campground for the camping experience of your lifetime! You won't want to miss this one! Go here now to download a flyer with all the info. you need to know!

Check out pictures of last year's adventure here.

New Music
Our CD Library has just been updated with new music! Check it out this week and find new releases from, The Beautiful Republic, Building 429, Cool Hand Luke, Joel Engle, Flatfoot 56, KJ52, Pettidee, Reliant K, and Seventh Day Slumber. Unfamiliar with one of these bands or artists? Just click on their name to learn more!

Please remember CDs may only be checked out for a period of one week so that everyone can enjoy them. We also ask that please do not copy or burn CDs.


Summer Calendar
Be sure to be with us this Sunday for the unveiling of the 2007 Summer Calendar. There's lots of great things happening this summer and you won't want to miss out on any of it!

2. CONGRATULATIONS

Congrats go out to Jacob Eitzen and the Westside Christian High School Concert Choir for placing first in the 3A division at state competition at George Fox University!


3. SOMETHING FOR YOUR HEART

There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.
Deuteronomy 15:11

If there's one thing you need to know about God, it's that he has a soft spot in his heart for the underdog. The needy. Those who're often overlooked in our society.

What's more, God has a special place in his heart for people who side with the underdog. People who reach out to the needy. People who refuse to overlook the less fortunate.

We're not talking about simply having a social conscience. Or feeling sorry for people in need. Take another look at the verse for this entry. Notice the word openhanded? That's for people who argue that it's enough just to care about or pray for people in need. You see, being openhanded requires personal interaction. It involves reaching out. Offering something of value--whether it's money, clothing, food, or time. Making a real difference in a person's life.

The good news is that anyone can do it. You don't have to be rich. You don't have to be outgoing. You don't have to live in a big city with homeless people or in a poor country. You can obey God's command to be openhanded to the needy regardless of your situation. Whether you realize it or not, you have something to give.

If you made up your mind to get involved in the life of someone in need, what could you do? Could you change the life of a younger kid (maybe even a sibling) in need of a mentor? Could you be an answer to prayer for a mentally challenged or wheelchair-bound student at your school? Could you supply enough money to buy a month's worth of food and medicine for an AIDS orphan in Africa?

The possibilities are endless! Look around, take the plunge, and find out how cool it is to help others.

For the scoop on God's commands concerning the needy, check out
Deuteronomy 15:1-11.

**

Taken from "Revolution Devotional" by Livingstone Corporation, copyright 2006, Youth Specialties/Zondervan. Used by permission. Order the book here.

4. SURF REPORT

~ Memorial Day
Calendar, history, prayers, e-cards, speeches, essays, and more

~ Memorial Day Word Search Game
An online word search game in honor of Memorial Day

5. BIRTHDAYS

We have got one birthday to celebrate this year! BIG BIRTHDAY WISHES go out this week to Lauren Vincent! We wish you the BEST Lauren!

6. PICTURE IN NEED OF A CAPTION

We had some fun last week with our Picture In Need Of A Caption. With 10 entries we have chosen a winner.

There's no "thumb" in peace, Brian
-Stephanie Cook

Honorable Mention:
Amusing middle schoolers since 1989
*(or how ever long 180 has been around)*
-Kelly Hurst


Well get your brains thinking again because we have got another one for you this week!

Submit your captions in the Comment section of this week's post.


7. FORGETTABLE FACT

A hedgehog's heart beats 190 times a minute on average and drops to only 20 beats per minute during hibernation.

8. POTENT QUOTABLES

"We who are left how shall we look again
Happily on the sun or feel the rain
Without remembering how they who went
Ungrudgingly and spent
Their lives for us loved, too, the sun and rain?"
- Wilfred Wilson Gibson

"A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself."
- Joseph Campbell

===========our|sponsor===========

BECOME A MAN OF GOD
Learn the lessons of what it means to become a man of God through the Revolution Devotional. Each day's entry contains a Bible verse, a devotional thought, further Scripture reading, and a fun list. It makes spending time in the Word a little easier to do.

Learn more or purchase "Revolution Devotional" here.

Also available in your local Christian bookstore.

=================================

9. PARTING SHOT

Never insult an alligator until after you have crossed the river.