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{Heart4Teens.com} *Up and At 'Em* ______________________________________ 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: http://www.Heart4Teens.com/Heart4Teens 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 _________________________________________ Over 90,000 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! _________________________________________ UP AND AT 'EM Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. ~Mark 1:35 Have you ever used the word "radical" to describe prayer? Don't fall for the myth that prayer is a gentle, sedate, boring responsibility that all Christians have to endure. Prayer is the opportunity to grab the ear of God and talk to your heart's content. About anything and everything. Prayer is the chance to enlist the most powerful Friend in the world to help you--no matter what you're facing. Prayer is the opportunity to have your most nagging questions answered. Prayer is the chance of a lifetime. And you'd have to be a fool not to wring it for all it's worth. If you're ready to boost the power of your prayer life, you'll find a couple of helpful tips in the passage above. If anyone understood the radical nature of prayer, it was Jesus. Notice the time of day he chose for his conversation with God. Very early in the morning. Jesus couldn't wait to get started. Do you feel that way about your prayer time? Have you tried setting aside a time early in the day for prayer? You don't necessarily have to get up before dawn, but if you make prayer the first thing you do after you wake up, you'll be a whole lot better prepared to face the challenges of the day. Notice also the way Jesus protected his time with God. He secluded himself in a place where nothing could interrupt his train of thought. He wanted his entire focus to be on his heavenly Father. What steps can you take to follow his example? Do you know of a place where you can be alone--away from interruptions and distractions? The good thing about prayer is that you can do it anywhere--a closet, the shower, or even in the car. (Just don't close your eyes if you're driving!) For a snapshot of Jesus' early ministry, read through Mark 1:1-45. ** Common Excuses for Not Getting Up Before Dawn to Pray * "If I don't get 12 hours of sleep a night, I'm a wreck." * "I prefer the crack of noon to the crack of dawn." * "I didn't know there was such a thing as 5 a.m.!" * "I don't go to bed until 1 a.m.!" * "I'm a slave to my body clock." * "I'm not Jesus." * "I don't have anything that important to tell God." * "If God wanted me to be praying at sunrise, he would have made the sun rise later in the day." Taken from "Revolution Devotional", copyright 2005, Youth Specialties/Zondervan. Used by permission. Order the book here: http://www.youthspecialties.com/product/267064 _________________________________________ Thought For The Day: "Money is a very excellent servant, but a terrible master." --P.T. Barnum Verse for the Day: "Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment." 1 Timothy 6:17 Teen's Thought For The Day: If your family gets a dog while you are still living at home, convince everyone to name the dog "Stay." Imagine the fun you can have. "Come here, Stay." Should be fun to watch his indecision. Parent's Thought For The Day "Your children will become what you are; so be what you want them to be." --David Bly Coach's Thought For The Day "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." --Hebrews 12:11 Deep Thought For The Day: "When I was born I was so surprised I didn't talk for a year and a half." _________________________________________ Inspired Audio -- Inspirational Audio Message of the Week! Inspired Audio is a brand new offshoot of Heart4Teens.com & HeartTouchers.com. Every week we will offer a different audio message that you can listen to right on your computer as you are surfing the net. Be sure to come back and visit each week! This Week: "Science: You Have Been Lied To" by Author Michael T. Powers http://www.HeartTouchers.com/Inspired_Audio __________________________________________ 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 _________________________________________ 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! Rewired: Developing a Biblical World View November 5: Special Drama Presentation by the Spring Creek Players! 6 PM start time! November 12: The Gates of Hell November 19: Bad to the Bone November 26: Somebody Save Me December 3: That's Not Fair December 10: Prepare to Die December 17: True to Who? December 24: No All-Stars -- Spend Christmas Eve with your family! December 31: No All-Stars -- Spend New Year's Eve with your family! Visit our youth website to see our topics for all of 2007! http://www.faithcommunitychurch.net/youth _______________________________________________ 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 the church and are led by Kent and Rachel Martin High School age are led by Matt and Kristi Kauffman: 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! |
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Touching Lives - One E-mail at a Time! Author Michael T. Powers - HeartTouchers @ aol.com
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