2007 Fall Retreat is Coming!

That's right, put September 7-9, 2007 on your calendars and don't let anything else keep you from coming. Our theme for the weekend is: "Commit To GPS". "What is GPS," you ask? Over the weekend, we will explore what it means to commit your life to Growing, Participating and Sharing and how these areas give you a specific direction for your life.

We will be combining with the Palmyra Grace Brethren Youth Group for this retreat. Together, we'll be led in worship by Adam Ranck and challenged by our speaker, Pastor Rod Finster. In addition to all of this, we'll have lots of games, prayer times, snacks, time alone with God, and opportunities for you to be quiet and hear God's voice and how He might want to direct you for the new school year.


Think about who you can invite to come along. We'd love to pack the place out for the weekend! Grab a retreat brochure from the Youth Room at E-town Grace Brethren or talk to Pastor Matt Vosberg about how to get signed up. Hurry, the early bird deadline to sign up is Wednesday, August 15th. After that, the price for the weekend goes up. Here's how the pricing works...


Early Bird Registration = $35 (With a $20 Deposit by August 15th)
Regular Registration = $40 (With a $20 Deposit by August 29th)
Late Registration = $45 (With payment due by September 7th)
*Note: The remaining balance after your $20 deposit is due on or before September 7th.
Add $5 to your deposit for a Retreat T-shirt (T-shirt orders must be in by August 29th).



This is the T-shirt design for the retreat. (Pretty sweet, huh?)


Let Pastor Matt know if you have any questions at all about the retreat. You can e-mail him at: mattvosberg@earthlink.net or call him at the church office at: 717-367-1281.



We can't wait to see YOU at the Fall Retreat!

Money. Isn't it interesting how much of a role it plays in our lives? Try to imagine your life without money. Almost impossible, isn't it? We're so conditioned to use money, that often times we don't even really think about it. Someone just tells us an amount and we dish it out. It's so easy to spend our money without ever really thinking about how we are spending it. Often times, I grid for buying something is, "Can I afford it?" We ask and answer that question so quickly that we often forget the better question... "Should I afford it?" The wise thing to do is examine what we do with our money and see if it glorifies God. This is how we usually prioritize our money...

1. Spend it
2. Repay Debt
3. Pay Taxes
4. Save it
5. Give it

We looked at Scripture last night that talked about the importance or reprioritizing our list. When we ask the question, what is the wise way to use my money, we find that the list gets flipped...

1. Give it (It's all God's anway)
2. Save it (Invest in your future)
3. Pay Taxes (It's biblical)
4. Repay Debt (Be a person of your word)
5. Spend it (Asking God what would honor Him)

Which order is easier to do? Why do you think so? What kind of changes would you have to make in your life if you "flipped the list?" When it comes to what you spend your money on (entertainment, clothes, food, other stuff), what is the wise thing to do?

How wisely do you redeem your time? Remember, when you redeem something, you get every last ounce of value out of it.

Are there things in your life that seem "urgent" that take up a lot of your time, but when you look at it all added up, don't really give you much value?

What are the important things in life that you should be doing?

Were you able to come up with an idea on one thing you can do, that if done consistently, would add positive value to your life in the following areas? I'd be curious to hear what those are if you'd like to share them...

• Physically-
• Relationally-
• Academically-
• Spiritually-

What do you guys think? I'd love to get some of your feedback on this.

-PM

What did you guys think of The Best Question Ever? (What is the wise thing to do?) Do you agree that it is the best question ever? Why or why not?

We all have things we've done that we regret. Do you think The Best Question Ever will keep us from future regrets?

In what situations would a teenager need to use The Best Question Ever? How would it specifically help you in those situations

I'd love to get your feedback on this stuff. Did it make sense? Do you think it's a good idea? What was confusing or didn't seem to add up in your mind? Use the comment space available to leave your thoughts.

I don't know about you, but I thought last night was really good. I was glad to be able to just take some extended time and pray for revival, forgiveness and for hurting people. I needed that. We talked briefly at the end of the night about 3 main things in light of our world today.

1. These really are starting to look like the "last days" (2 Tim. 3:1-5). What are your thoughts about how we should be living if we really are in the "last days?"

2. Things that happen in the world can be very scary. Satan would love to paralyze us with fear and stay in our safe little bubble. We looked at several verses that reminded us that if God is on our side, there's no one stronger out there (Matt. 10:26-31; Rom. 8:31-29), and that God will lead us through this world as a Good Shepherd (Psalm 23). What are some ways that Satan would use fear to keep us from doing what God would want us to do? How do we fight against that?

3. People can do some very cruel and hateful things in the world. Some of them can hurt us VERY badly and leave horrible scars on our lives. What should our response to those people be? What should we do with all the hurt and anger that comes when we are wronged? How does the parable of the Unmerciful Servant (Matt. 18:21-35) play into our lives today? Is there ever a sin that someone commits against us that is so horrible that we can't forgive them?

What are your thoughts? I'd love to hear from you guys.

Hey guys, I'd love to hear your thoughts on what we talked about this past Wednesday. Here are a few questions to ponder and even respond to. Let's help each other learn and grow...

• What did you think about some of Ralph Winter's comments in the video we watched? Are there any you agree with or disagree with? Give a reason from Scripture as to why you agree or disagree.
• How does your time with God compare with the time you spend watching movies or tv, listening to music, or playing video games?
• Based on Philippians 4:8, what kinds of movies, tv shows, music or video games should we be watching, listening to or playing?
• Give specific ways a Christian can be "salt" and "light" in a culture that is extremely influenced by Hollywood and the media.
• Has God called you to a specific mission? What do you think that might be and how does He want you to go about fulfilling this mission?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on these questions. Feel free to pick one to talk about or several. This is a chance for you to talk back and really wrestle with what God is showing us each week.

Welcome to the Living Proof Youth blog. Our goal is to give you a voice on your journey through life. We'll be posting thought provoking questions and ideas that have to do with things we've been discussing in youth group. It will give you a chance to speak about what's going on in your heart and head. We'll have new thoughts and ideas posted every Thursday for you to comment on and talk about. I can't wait to hear what all you are learning and discovering in your walk with God!