January 12, 2009
1. 180 News
2. Something for Your Heart
3. Surf Report
4. Birthdays
5. Forgettable Fact
6. Potent Quotables
7. Uh, that's Funny?
1. 180 NEWS
The Burn
Be sure to join us this Wednesday night for an exciting night of worship with several other area youth groups. The Burn is a quarterly event that we are excited to host this time right here at Grace Point!
We will meet in the Worship Center at 7:00. The night will conclude at 8:30. Join us and feel free to bring a friend!
Catch a glimpse at some of our past Burns here.
There will be no Danger Zone this week. Middle Schoolers be sure to join us on Wednesday night this week.
Snow Fun
If you're tired of seeing all this snow fall in Portland, but you can't do anything much fun in it...we've got the event for you!
Snow Fun 2009 is coming up real quick. It's next Monday, January 19...MLK Jr. day...or as you know it...a day off of school!
Download all the info you need on our fliers page. Registration is due this Wednesday, January 14. You'll also need the all new 2009 release form as well...so keep on reading!
2009 Release Forms
Now that we're in a new year, it's time for a new release form. You need a 2009 Release Form on file to do all that we do in 180.
Grab your copy on our stuff page. You don't need to wait until an event. Better to turn them in now.
Read Through the Bible
2. SOMETHING FOR YOUR HEART
SAVED BY A WEDGIE
I'm probably one of the only people on the planet whose life was actually saved by a wedgie. Seriously.
I'm not normally a big fan of wedgies. Over the years I've received hundreds of them, ranging from harmless, wimpy wedgies when my waistband was barely moved to an atomic wedgie at summer camp. One time my underwear was pulled over my head, and I could actually feel my spleen being bruised. I have truly experienced the full gamut of undergarment discomfort. (I'm not necessarily proud of that.) But there was one wedgie I was actually happy to get.
It happened one fateful day when I had gone on vacation with my Uncle Stan and Aunt Diane. We had gone to Six Flags, and on the way home we stopped to swim at a place in southern Oklahoma called Turner Falls. It was a nasty hot summer day. The place was crowded with people looking for a break from the heat. We were having a great time. We were swimming around next to a beautiful waterfall.
Everything was cool, but then suddenly, I hit a drop-off. I was bobbing up and down and flailing around my arms, trying to grab hold of somebody or something. Everybody was just looking at me. I wasn't (and still am not) a great swimmer, so I was drowning.
My life literally passed before my eyes, and I remember thinking, "Wow! This is so sad. I'm going to die without ever growing facial hair." At that point in my young life, my major goal was to grow a mustache, because to my friends, that was the epitome of all that is manly. Note: This goal was finally achieved when I was about 19. I grew a patchy little 'stache. It looked like a greasy caterpillar was hanging onto my upper lip for dear life.
I was sinking like a brick when suddenly I felt my underwear and my cutoff denim shorts being pulled up so forcefully they pulled the rest of my chubby body with them. Uncle Stan had seen me drowning from the beach and, in an amazing display of superhuman speed, had burst from the beach to where I was. I was waving my arms like a wild, scared, little spider monkey, so he couldn't grab me from the front. I would have taken both of us down in my desperation. So he did what he had to do to rescue me. Uncle Stan reached out and grabbed me by the back of my shorts and pulled as hard as he could, and he literally saved my life by giving me a wedgie. It wasn't pretty or comfortable, but it saved me.
SOMETHING TO STAND ON
Since then I've been in many other helpless situations--physically, spiritually, emotionally, and financially. Times when things were out of my control and I felt like I was a desperate, little spider monkey waving my arms and crying out for help. My Creator has always been there to rescue me. But usually he does it in ways I wouldn't have expected or chosen.
Sometimes when God rescues us, he does it in ways we don't understand. It might be a little uncomfortable. It might even temporarily hurt--like a "soul wedgie." My uncle, in his amazing lifesaving wisdom, knew that if he had tried to grab me from the front or by the arms, I would have pulled us both down. So he came at me from behind and grabbed my shorts. I didn't expect it. I didn't enjoy it. But it was what I needed, and it's what saved me.
When we're going down, God, who is good and mysterious, reaches out and rescues us. And sometimes it's not comfortable, but it's what we need. It's the hurt that brings healing.
Jeremiah 32:17 says, "Ah, sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you." When we're in trouble, it's an impossible situation, and God stretches out his arm toward us. What a cool picture! God saves us, and sometimes, it feels a little like a soul wedgie--but it's okay because he is the lifesaver and knows how to save us.
So how do we react? Do we get upset or embarrassed or angry because we don't understand the way God rescues us? I'll tell you what I did in the near-drowning. I was forever grateful. Uncle Stan saved my life by giving me a wedgie.
That was a long time ago, and we've spent a lot of time together. Uncle Stan was there when my daughter was born--he was also there when my dad died. We've been through a lot of stuff. I respect him as a great man. I admire the way he has lived his life and treated his family.
Many things have happened since then, but I can't look at my uncle without thinking, This is the man who once saved my life. Because of what he did, I got to live; I got to meet my wife and daughter; I got to do life with a lot of beautiful people; I got to write this book. I'm forever grateful. The temporary pain of a wedgie is gone, but the gratitude remains.
It's the same with God. I rarely understand what he's doing in my life, but I can't ever help thinking, This is the God who saved my life. Because of what he did and what he does, I get to live. I'm forever grateful.
**
Taken from "I AM Standing Up" by Luke Lang, copyright 2009 Youth Specialties/Zondervan. Used by permission. Order the book here.
3. SURF REPORT
~ Planet Wisdom
~ Crunchy Roll
4. BIRTHDAYS
We've got one birthday shout out this week, and it goes out to Jerielle Raibley! We wish you the BEST Jerielle. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
5. FORGETTABLE FACT
Pepsi-Cola was originally called ‘Brad's drink.'
6. POTENT QUOTABLES
"Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school."
~ Albert Einstein
"Faith is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted in spite of your changing moods."
~ C.S. Lewis
===========our|sponsor===========
I AM STANDING UP
Maybe you have days when you don't feel so good about yourself... You're not as tall or thin as you'd like, or maybe you don't quite fit in or you just get left out. Well, you'll start to feel a lot better about yourself once you start reading about Luke! Luke knows what it's like to feel left out or left behind. But he's got a great sense of humor about his life's misadventures, and he's sharing the hysterical stories with you, in the hopes that you'll feel encouraged because you'll see that God can do extraordinary things through people who are pretty ordinary.
Learn more about or purchase the book "I AM Standing Up" here.
=================================
7. UH, THAT'S FUNNY?
Why do they lock gas station bathrooms? Are they afraid someone will clean them?
2. Something for Your Heart
3. Surf Report
4. Birthdays
5. Forgettable Fact
6. Potent Quotables
7. Uh, that's Funny?
1. 180 NEWS
The Burn
Be sure to join us this Wednesday night for an exciting night of worship with several other area youth groups. The Burn is a quarterly event that we are excited to host this time right here at Grace Point!
We will meet in the Worship Center at 7:00. The night will conclude at 8:30. Join us and feel free to bring a friend!
Catch a glimpse at some of our past Burns here.
There will be no Danger Zone this week. Middle Schoolers be sure to join us on Wednesday night this week.
Snow FunIf you're tired of seeing all this snow fall in Portland, but you can't do anything much fun in it...we've got the event for you!
Snow Fun 2009 is coming up real quick. It's next Monday, January 19...MLK Jr. day...or as you know it...a day off of school!
Download all the info you need on our fliers page. Registration is due this Wednesday, January 14. You'll also need the all new 2009 release form as well...so keep on reading!
2009 Release Forms
Now that we're in a new year, it's time for a new release form. You need a 2009 Release Form on file to do all that we do in 180.
Grab your copy on our stuff page. You don't need to wait until an event. Better to turn them in now.
Read Through the Bible
| Day | Genesis | Psalms | Matthew |
| Tuesday, Jan. 13 | 24 | 30 | 15 |
| Wednesday, Jan. 14 | 25-56 | 31 | 16 |
| Thursday, Jan. 15 | 27 | 32 | 17 |
| Friday, Jan. 16 | 28-29 | 33 | 18 |
| Saturday, Jan. 17 | 30 | 34 | 19 |
| Sunday, Jan. 18 | 31 | 35 | 20 |
| Monday, Jan. 19 | 32-33 | 36 | 21 |
2. SOMETHING FOR YOUR HEART
SAVED BY A WEDGIE
I'm probably one of the only people on the planet whose life was actually saved by a wedgie. Seriously.
I'm not normally a big fan of wedgies. Over the years I've received hundreds of them, ranging from harmless, wimpy wedgies when my waistband was barely moved to an atomic wedgie at summer camp. One time my underwear was pulled over my head, and I could actually feel my spleen being bruised. I have truly experienced the full gamut of undergarment discomfort. (I'm not necessarily proud of that.) But there was one wedgie I was actually happy to get.
It happened one fateful day when I had gone on vacation with my Uncle Stan and Aunt Diane. We had gone to Six Flags, and on the way home we stopped to swim at a place in southern Oklahoma called Turner Falls. It was a nasty hot summer day. The place was crowded with people looking for a break from the heat. We were having a great time. We were swimming around next to a beautiful waterfall.
Everything was cool, but then suddenly, I hit a drop-off. I was bobbing up and down and flailing around my arms, trying to grab hold of somebody or something. Everybody was just looking at me. I wasn't (and still am not) a great swimmer, so I was drowning.
My life literally passed before my eyes, and I remember thinking, "Wow! This is so sad. I'm going to die without ever growing facial hair." At that point in my young life, my major goal was to grow a mustache, because to my friends, that was the epitome of all that is manly. Note: This goal was finally achieved when I was about 19. I grew a patchy little 'stache. It looked like a greasy caterpillar was hanging onto my upper lip for dear life.
I was sinking like a brick when suddenly I felt my underwear and my cutoff denim shorts being pulled up so forcefully they pulled the rest of my chubby body with them. Uncle Stan had seen me drowning from the beach and, in an amazing display of superhuman speed, had burst from the beach to where I was. I was waving my arms like a wild, scared, little spider monkey, so he couldn't grab me from the front. I would have taken both of us down in my desperation. So he did what he had to do to rescue me. Uncle Stan reached out and grabbed me by the back of my shorts and pulled as hard as he could, and he literally saved my life by giving me a wedgie. It wasn't pretty or comfortable, but it saved me.
SOMETHING TO STAND ON
Since then I've been in many other helpless situations--physically, spiritually, emotionally, and financially. Times when things were out of my control and I felt like I was a desperate, little spider monkey waving my arms and crying out for help. My Creator has always been there to rescue me. But usually he does it in ways I wouldn't have expected or chosen.
Sometimes when God rescues us, he does it in ways we don't understand. It might be a little uncomfortable. It might even temporarily hurt--like a "soul wedgie." My uncle, in his amazing lifesaving wisdom, knew that if he had tried to grab me from the front or by the arms, I would have pulled us both down. So he came at me from behind and grabbed my shorts. I didn't expect it. I didn't enjoy it. But it was what I needed, and it's what saved me.
When we're going down, God, who is good and mysterious, reaches out and rescues us. And sometimes it's not comfortable, but it's what we need. It's the hurt that brings healing.
Jeremiah 32:17 says, "Ah, sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you." When we're in trouble, it's an impossible situation, and God stretches out his arm toward us. What a cool picture! God saves us, and sometimes, it feels a little like a soul wedgie--but it's okay because he is the lifesaver and knows how to save us.
So how do we react? Do we get upset or embarrassed or angry because we don't understand the way God rescues us? I'll tell you what I did in the near-drowning. I was forever grateful. Uncle Stan saved my life by giving me a wedgie.
That was a long time ago, and we've spent a lot of time together. Uncle Stan was there when my daughter was born--he was also there when my dad died. We've been through a lot of stuff. I respect him as a great man. I admire the way he has lived his life and treated his family.
Many things have happened since then, but I can't look at my uncle without thinking, This is the man who once saved my life. Because of what he did, I got to live; I got to meet my wife and daughter; I got to do life with a lot of beautiful people; I got to write this book. I'm forever grateful. The temporary pain of a wedgie is gone, but the gratitude remains.
It's the same with God. I rarely understand what he's doing in my life, but I can't ever help thinking, This is the God who saved my life. Because of what he did and what he does, I get to live. I'm forever grateful.
**
Taken from "I AM Standing Up" by Luke Lang, copyright 2009 Youth Specialties/Zondervan. Used by permission. Order the book here.
3. SURF REPORT
~ Planet Wisdom
~ Crunchy Roll
4. BIRTHDAYS
We've got one birthday shout out this week, and it goes out to Jerielle Raibley! We wish you the BEST Jerielle. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
5. FORGETTABLE FACT
Pepsi-Cola was originally called ‘Brad's drink.'
6. POTENT QUOTABLES
"Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school."
~ Albert Einstein
"Faith is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted in spite of your changing moods."
~ C.S. Lewis
===========our|sponsor===========
I AM STANDING UP
Maybe you have days when you don't feel so good about yourself... You're not as tall or thin as you'd like, or maybe you don't quite fit in or you just get left out. Well, you'll start to feel a lot better about yourself once you start reading about Luke! Luke knows what it's like to feel left out or left behind. But he's got a great sense of humor about his life's misadventures, and he's sharing the hysterical stories with you, in the hopes that you'll feel encouraged because you'll see that God can do extraordinary things through people who are pretty ordinary.
Learn more about or purchase the book "I AM Standing Up" here.
=================================
7. UH, THAT'S FUNNY?
Why do they lock gas station bathrooms? Are they afraid someone will clean them?
