Heart Touchers - He Set Eternity in our Hearts

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{Heart4Teens.com} *He Set Eternity in Our Hearts*

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If you enjoy this free email service, I encourage you to spread the word to family and friends that we may bring inspiration into the lives of teenagers everywhere! If you are not on the list and this has been passed along to you, you can join Heart4Teens.com readers around the world by visiting:

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Visit our inspirational web site to read all the past articles in our archives and view the tons of resources we have there for teens!

http://www.Heart4Teens.com/Teen_Stories

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Over 85,000 people have listened to popular Chicken Soup Author Michael T. Powers' free inspirational message entitled: "Breathing Life into Others". If you aren't one of them just visit: http://www.HeartTouchers.com and click on the link to listen to the free streaming audio message!

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He Set Eternity in our Hearts

by Mark Matlock

Part of our burden in life is that we are trapped in time. I can't make that clock move to the end of a bad Monday, no matter how hard I try. And I can't stop the minutes from flying by when I'm loving my day off . Whether times are good or bad, we have to keep plugging away. That's part of life under the sun. But we know deep inside there's another way.

Solomon tells us God has "set eternity in the hearts of men" (Ecclesiastes 3:11). He's hardwired us with a longing to step beyond the walls of time and be free. He's built into us a desire to be with him in the timelessness of heaven. It's something we feel deep inside, but it's not something we can fully understand on our own. It begins to make sense only when we see this longing in the light of the story of Jesus.

One of the most fascinating men I've ever met is a missionary and writer named Don Richardson. He came to talk at our church when I was a kid, and then he stayed at our house. He told us exciting stories from his travels around the world, many of which are collected in his book "Eternity in their Hearts: Startling Evidence of Belief in the One True God in Hundreds of Cultures Throughout the World."

In the book Richardson describes real-life encounters between missionaries and members of tribes who had never heard of traditional Christianity. The missionaries were amazed to discover that members of every tribe already had some belief in the one true God-before they encountered anyone from the outside world. Just as Solomon described, God had placed some deep knowledge of himself in their hearts. What they needed was outside help to make sense of their belief. They needed someone to tell them the story of Jesus.

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Let's Go Surfing Dude!

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"There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus."- Blaise Pascal

Verse for the Day:

"For none of us lives to himself along and none us dies to himself
alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord.
So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord." Romans 14:7,8

Teen's Thought For The Day:

"Never ask for anything that costs more than five dollars when your parents are doing their taxes."

Parent's Thought For The Day:

"Every word and deed of a parent is a fiber woven into the
character of a child that ultimately determines how that child fits
into the fabric of society." -- David Wilkerson

Coach's Thought For The Day:

"The daily degree of recovery from injury depends a lot on the
fierce desire of the individual to fight to get well."

Deep Thought For The Day:

"Most science books now say our sun is a star. Whew, am I glad it still knows how
to change back into a sun in the daytime."

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Author MICHAEL T. POWERS
www.Heart4Teens.com

Contributing Author to Chicken Soup for the Teen's Soul on Love and Friendship and 25 other inspirational books.

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20

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ALL-STAR Ministry

--The Youth Church of Faith Community Church in Janesville, WI

If you are in 6-12th grade and live in the southern Wisconsin/northern Illinois area and would like to check us out, we meet every Sunday night from 6:30-8:00 PM at Faith Community Church which is located at 2931 Lucerne Dr. in Janesville, WI. (About 3 blocks south-east of The Skating Place.)

All-Stars: 6:30 - 8:00 PM Sunday nights! Open to all youth grades 9-12.

The Outlet: 6:30 - 8:00 PM Sunday nights in the Multi-Purpose Room! Open to all youth grades 6-8.

Currently we have students from Edgerton, Fort Atkinson, Milton, Janesville Craig, Janesville Parker, Marshall, Franklin, Orfordville, Clinton, Beloit Memorial, Beloit Turner, South Beloit, and Hononegah. E-mail me back if you have any questions about our weekly meetings or would like to come to any of our events that are listed below... We have way too much fun and then, most importantly, talk about issues that are relevant to you as a teenager.

Upcoming Topics:

New Series! Life Hurts, God Heals

Sunday July 16 -- Honestly Examine and Confess (Life Hurts, God Heals Part 4)

Sunday July 23 -- Embrace God's Way (Life Hurts, God Heals Part 5)

Sunday July 30 -- Ask For Forgiveness (Life Hurts, God Heals Part 6)

Sunday August 6 -- Live for God One Day at a Time (Life Hurts, God Heals Part 7)

Sunday August 13 -- No All-Stars! All Church Picnic at Rockport Pool!

Sunday August 20 -- Senior Sunday! Join us as we honor our departing seniors!

Sunday August 27 -- Share What You've Experienced (Life Hurts, God Heals Part 8)

Sunday September 3 -- Back to School Kick-Off!

Sunday September 10 -- Making the Most of Your School Year

Sunday September 17 -- No All-Stars due to the Fall Retreat!

The Truth Project is Coming! Stay tuned for more details!

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Guys Only and Gals Only Small Groups!
(June - August)

We are starting something new this summer! We will be having a Guys Only bible study and a Gals Only bible study!

Guys Only (Jr. High and Sr. High guys) Led by Pastor Michael
6:30 - 8:00 PM Wednesday nights (June through End of August)
Meet in the sanctuary at church

This Week: July 12 -- No Small Group for Guys due to Great America trip!

Gals Only (Jr. High and Sr. High) Led by Paula Marsden
6:30 - 8:00 PM Wednesday nights (June through the end of August)
Meet in the nursery at church to study the book "Authentic Beauty"

This Week: July 12 -- "Mystery of a Set-Apart Young Woman" Part 2

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Teen Community Groups

6:30 - 8:00 PM Wednesday nights (September though May)

These groups are limited to no more than ten teens and are split into Jr. High and High School ages. This night is for those teens who want to dig deeper than what we do in All-Stars, but may not be ready to be a part of the Xtreme Teens. These cell groups will also be doing special activities with each other as the year goes on to build community.

Jr. High age meets at Kent and Rachel Martin's house: 1324 E. Racine St. (Call 373-0886 if you have any questions!)

High School age meets at Matt and Kristi Kauffman's house: 4339 Fox Hills (Call 758-1243 if you have any questions!)

Xtreme Teens

Xtreme Teens meet on Wednesday nights from 6:30 - 8:00 PM all year round at the Powers' house. This group is very extensive with weekly homework, memorization, service projects, etc. Students interested in this group will have to fill out an application, provide references as to why others think they should be involved with this, and sign an agreement as to what is expected of them. Admission into Xtreme Teens is on a case by case basis. Contact Pastor Michael for more details!