In case you missed our Zion family movie night last night (movie nights now covered by CVLI), hosted by the youth group, here's the devotion to help drive the point of the movie home:
Watch "Letters to God," pausing for the devotion after the series of events surrounding the soccer game and just after Brady makes a mess of his apartment when he finally decides to nix the alcohol and reads Tyler's letters to God.
Think about to what/whom you write your letters. Brady was "writing letters" to his alcohol, seeking help there. Where do you turn first when you're struggling? To your job? To shopping? To your money? To yourself? You may want to write these things down.
Ps. 33:8= "Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere him.
Fear of the Lord means that while you know that God could destroy you (even with just his pinky finger), you know that He loves you and won't let any undue harm come to you. We are invited to respect and revere the Lord.
Mark 12:30= "[Jesus said] 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'"
God is supposed to be Priority #1. He created us and loves us more than we could ever imagine, and He enables us to love Him with all our being in response to all He has done for us.
Ps. 50:15= "and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me."
Who you gonna call? Not the Ghostbusters! God! He promises to answer when we call to Him for help and deliverance.
Ps. 121=
1 "I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore."
To sum up this psalm, God's got your back! He invites you to turn to Him for His protection and support!
Take that list of things or people you turn to instead of turning to God first. Look it over. Let it go! For emphasis, we burned our lists in the parking lot. Youth and children, do not do this at home without adult supervision! You may also shred it up or do anything else you can think of to help you let it go and remember to turn to God first.
Prov. 3:5= "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;"
This is more of an invitation than a command. God knows what you need and He loves you more than you'll ever understand. We know that God is always working in our lives to make good (Rom. 8:28), even out of the bad things, so let's take God up on the invitation to trust in Him! God's got your back!
Blessings in Christ on your week!
Monday, September 13, 2010
Saturday, July 31, 2010
NYGers Share Tomorrow, Family Movie Night Wednesday!
Hey everyone!
Tomorrow our 2010 National LCMS Youth Gathering youth will be sharing what they learned on the trip after worship.
Wednesday night will be Family Movie Night for August to change it up a little bit. We will start at 6 p.m. with the Thurs cooking and will watch some Skit Guys! Come one and all!
Blessings in Christ!
Tomorrow our 2010 National LCMS Youth Gathering youth will be sharing what they learned on the trip after worship.
Wednesday night will be Family Movie Night for August to change it up a little bit. We will start at 6 p.m. with the Thurs cooking and will watch some Skit Guys! Come one and all!
Blessings in Christ!
Friday, July 23, 2010
NYG Update 4
Our NYGers are all safely home now, and man, did we have a great experience!
The drive was long in the last two days and the tensions high at points, but we're home now and still love each other in Jesus.
We all learned a lot from this trip in many ways: being away from home for the first time, sharing a hotel room with people you've never stayed with before, attending sessions and mass events, meeting new people, and much more. We'll share about our learnings and experiences right after worship next Sunday, August 1st. Please join us.
Hopefully next year we can plan a short-term mission trip! Give Sarah ideas on things you'd like to do (VBS, construction, etc.) and where (Dallas, El Paso, Arizona, maybe Mexico if we deem it safe...)!
The next NYG will be in 2013 in San Antonio, TX! Hope to see you there! Blessings in Christ!
The drive was long in the last two days and the tensions high at points, but we're home now and still love each other in Jesus.
We all learned a lot from this trip in many ways: being away from home for the first time, sharing a hotel room with people you've never stayed with before, attending sessions and mass events, meeting new people, and much more. We'll share about our learnings and experiences right after worship next Sunday, August 1st. Please join us.
Hopefully next year we can plan a short-term mission trip! Give Sarah ideas on things you'd like to do (VBS, construction, etc.) and where (Dallas, El Paso, Arizona, maybe Mexico if we deem it safe...)!
The next NYG will be in 2013 in San Antonio, TX! Hope to see you there! Blessings in Christ!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
NYG Update 3
The official 2010 National LCMS Youth Gathering is over!
Yesterday was our "look" day. It included spending time in a hall with stations that made us look at ourselves as believers and creations of God. The session that we all attended was about ministering to those following Islam, and we split up to go to a Lost & Found concert and a session on preparing yourself for marriage in the future.
Last night's mass event was worship. A choir and band made up of NYG participants provided most of the music, and we heard a great message and took communion together with 25,000 people! It was awesome.
Sarah was unfortunately getting sick Wednesday night with some mix of strep and flu, so she made it through Tuesday night but not Wednesday morning for the closing mass event.
Nerak had to take a youth to the airport to join his family vacation, so only Tim was left in the morning to take the youth to the final mass event. Then they went to the Riverfront Mall for lunch and shopping. The boys did more shopping than the girls...
Youth had free time in the afternoon by which time Sarah was finally feeling better (thanks for the prayers!), and we all went to the Magnolia Grill for dinner in the French Quarter right by the French Market. Free time tonight mostly consisted of our youth and Nerak having a Boom Whacker war. Google Boom Whacker, and then imagine the youth using these musically tuned tubes for a war (yes, in the hotel, but at reasonable hours). Sarah has a video on her camera if you'd like an example. A few bruises were acquired, but all the youth had a great time!
Tomorrow morning we'll be on the road back home! Tomorrow night we'll be staying in Wichita Falls, TX with host families from Our Redeemer Lutheran Church!
Yesterday was our "look" day. It included spending time in a hall with stations that made us look at ourselves as believers and creations of God. The session that we all attended was about ministering to those following Islam, and we split up to go to a Lost & Found concert and a session on preparing yourself for marriage in the future.
Last night's mass event was worship. A choir and band made up of NYG participants provided most of the music, and we heard a great message and took communion together with 25,000 people! It was awesome.
Sarah was unfortunately getting sick Wednesday night with some mix of strep and flu, so she made it through Tuesday night but not Wednesday morning for the closing mass event.
Nerak had to take a youth to the airport to join his family vacation, so only Tim was left in the morning to take the youth to the final mass event. Then they went to the Riverfront Mall for lunch and shopping. The boys did more shopping than the girls...
Youth had free time in the afternoon by which time Sarah was finally feeling better (thanks for the prayers!), and we all went to the Magnolia Grill for dinner in the French Quarter right by the French Market. Free time tonight mostly consisted of our youth and Nerak having a Boom Whacker war. Google Boom Whacker, and then imagine the youth using these musically tuned tubes for a war (yes, in the hotel, but at reasonable hours). Sarah has a video on her camera if you'd like an example. A few bruises were acquired, but all the youth had a great time!
Tomorrow morning we'll be on the road back home! Tomorrow night we'll be staying in Wichita Falls, TX with host families from Our Redeemer Lutheran Church!
Monday, July 19, 2010
NYG Update 2
Yesterday was the first full day of the 2010 National Youth Gathering. The theme for the day for our track was "Listen," which reminded us to try to calm our hearts to listen to God, especially by digging into His Word. Youth went to sessions on various topics, and the evening mass worship event included the idea that when the bottom drops out in life, you have to hold on to your faith, tough though it may be, and trust in God to get you through. The best way to prepare for the tough times, because they will come, is to be in God's Word.
Today's theme for our track was "Live," talking about living out our faith in Christ rather than just idly making it day by day. We unfortunately did not get to do a servant event in NOLA, but we went to various booths to make a blanket for New Orleans citizens still rebuilding their homes, color placemats for nursing homes, write random thank you or encouragement notes to hand to strangers or restaurant servers, etc. Youth also attended sessions related to the day's theme today too.
Tonight's worship revolved around the fact that we are so often deceived into thinking that our life stories are about us. Our life stories are really about Christ and all of the glorious things that God is doing in our lives to further His Kingdom.
We have a full day tomorrow, half a morning Wednesday plus some free time, and the journey home Thursday and Friday!
Today's theme for our track was "Live," talking about living out our faith in Christ rather than just idly making it day by day. We unfortunately did not get to do a servant event in NOLA, but we went to various booths to make a blanket for New Orleans citizens still rebuilding their homes, color placemats for nursing homes, write random thank you or encouragement notes to hand to strangers or restaurant servers, etc. Youth also attended sessions related to the day's theme today too.
Tonight's worship revolved around the fact that we are so often deceived into thinking that our life stories are about us. Our life stories are really about Christ and all of the glorious things that God is doing in our lives to further His Kingdom.
We have a full day tomorrow, half a morning Wednesday plus some free time, and the journey home Thursday and Friday!
Friday, July 16, 2010
NYG Update 1
Greetings one and all!
Any posts done in the next week will be updates on our trip to New Orleans for the 2010 National LCMS Yoth Gathering.
Yesterday we drove all day, leaving Zion's parking lot at 5:30 a.m. MT. A lot of sleeping occurred early in the ride before we got lunch at Burger King. We drove even more to get to Wichita Falls, TX where we were welcomed by Our Redeemer Lutheran Church. We stayed on their floors in classrooms, and they provided sleeping bags and pillows, even some cots and air mattresses.
We started driving by 7 a.m. CT today and ate lunch at McDonald's. We drove all afternoon into the evening again and arrived at our hotel around 7 p.m. The drive was very entertaining as the youth saw more and more grass, then more and more water. They got really excited about seeing alligators in the bayou, and one youth commented, "Why is there so much water? That seems like a waste..." Another said, "Is that the ocean? ... Why are the rivers so big?"
We got settled into the hotel and walked to Subway for dinner. Then we brought the youth back so that they could enjoy a little pool time, and the boys went to the health center to "work out" too. Youth are now showering up and heading to sleep (hopefully!).
Tomorrow we will get to sleep in a little before eating breakfast in the rooms (no continental breakfast in our hotel). We will time our walk to the convention center and do our registration there in the morning, and then we'll get to spend the late morning and afternoon walking around New Orleans to see the sites. The first NYG mass worship event happens tomorrow night at the Superdome.
Find more details at http://www.lcmsgathering.org/, or watch the mass events at www.lcms.org/nyg.
Blessings in Christ! We appreciate your prayers for our group!
Any posts done in the next week will be updates on our trip to New Orleans for the 2010 National LCMS Yoth Gathering.
Yesterday we drove all day, leaving Zion's parking lot at 5:30 a.m. MT. A lot of sleeping occurred early in the ride before we got lunch at Burger King. We drove even more to get to Wichita Falls, TX where we were welcomed by Our Redeemer Lutheran Church. We stayed on their floors in classrooms, and they provided sleeping bags and pillows, even some cots and air mattresses.
We started driving by 7 a.m. CT today and ate lunch at McDonald's. We drove all afternoon into the evening again and arrived at our hotel around 7 p.m. The drive was very entertaining as the youth saw more and more grass, then more and more water. They got really excited about seeing alligators in the bayou, and one youth commented, "Why is there so much water? That seems like a waste..." Another said, "Is that the ocean? ... Why are the rivers so big?"
We got settled into the hotel and walked to Subway for dinner. Then we brought the youth back so that they could enjoy a little pool time, and the boys went to the health center to "work out" too. Youth are now showering up and heading to sleep (hopefully!).
Tomorrow we will get to sleep in a little before eating breakfast in the rooms (no continental breakfast in our hotel). We will time our walk to the convention center and do our registration there in the morning, and then we'll get to spend the late morning and afternoon walking around New Orleans to see the sites. The first NYG mass worship event happens tomorrow night at the Superdome.
Find more details at http://www.lcmsgathering.org/, or watch the mass events at www.lcms.org/nyg.
Blessings in Christ! We appreciate your prayers for our group!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Family Movie Night, Game Night
Hello youth and families!This Sunday, we will have a family movie night at 5 p.m. at church. We're watching Wall-E and eating delicious taco salad from the Dennis family.
Next Wednesday, we have a game night at 7 p.m. Bring your friends, bring your family, bring your favorite games, bring snacks, and come have fun!
Blessings to you in Christ!
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