TPC Student Ministry

Prayer - 4/16/2008

2008-04-16T20:52:00.002-05:00

2 Corinthians 4:18- "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" NIV.

What is seen is fleeting. I will not always have my Ipod, or my car, or my house. My friends won't always be around, but what I WILL always have are my passions, my spiritual walk, my relationship with Daddy, my thoughts, MY LORD, and my beliefs. When the going gets tough, I know that my trials can be overcome with the Lord's power. When faced with enemies, I need to turn my eyes to the heavens and call on Dad.

When, not if, when… When I am confronted with tough times, I KNOW that the Lord will come right alongside me and strengthen me to not only survive, but prevail. I know, in my heart of hearts, that all this drama junk is fleeting and that my walk will grow closer to Him. While I battle earthly issues, my ETERNAL home in heaven is being prepared for me, and I will spend ETERNITY there. Those around me will perish, but I am at peace. I'm at peace because I know I will see the ones I love and adore in heaven. I will be able to laugh with my brother, talk and talk and talk without having to worry about getting home before midnight with Neens and Em, and I can worship without ceasing. Not only can I talk with my friends now...but I will also see more of my friends in heaven. My old, wise friends - Moses, Esther, Ruth. They will all be there ready to accept me.

I know that the Lord has put me on his beautiful Earth for a purpose. Being able to look forward to going Home encourages me through the day. It may sound pessimistic and morbid to some, but Heaven is going to be....like a StarbucksArtStudioChocolateFountainSummerCampBeach all wrapped up in one!

"When my soul is in the dumps, I rehearse everything I know of You" (Ps. 42:6 TMG). When I am confronted with the Devil face to face, I know everything will be alright because MY GOD SAVED THE DAY.

I know that who's who in high school won't matter in heaven. In heaven, everyone will be so crazy nuts about worship and passions, no one will care that you had acne in 9th grade, or you tripped in front of that really cute football player during your senior year.

I pray for strength when I am confronted with "high school issues." I pray that you, Daddy, remind me that I am a treasured Daughter of the King!

And that thought alone, that I am a Daughter of the Most High God, will get me through the day. :]

YOU ARE CHERISHED,
Amberly Holmes

Prayer for March 14

2008-03-14T14:44:00.000-05:00

This is our prayer: make us a mighty army, a force to be reckoned with, revolutionaries for God. Teach us to be fishers of men and a light to the world. May we be the devil’s adversaries in God’s right hand. May we rise up and be evangelists today and tomorrow, powerful beings in the name of the Lord, disciples of the King. Our tongues will speak only His name. Our blood, sweat, and tears will seep through our skin, and we will pour ourselves into the path He wants us to take - showering the world with God’s love. We’ll break the mold of the ongoing struggle, leaving only hope. We’ll spread His power to the ends of the earth, a world wide effort, a global movement, by the youth of today, the future of this world, our temporary home. The issue isn’t whether God is near us. The question is if we are where God wants us to be. We may start small, but we’ll end affluently; taking over is an understatement. Let’s break this standstill motion of our conforming ways. This is a call to arms. We know what needs to be done, but we can choose. Do we rise above, or do we stay behind, standing complacently in the dust, in this sin-infested world? WE can become something, a mighty army. WE can fulfill God’s plan for us. WE can be a part of His glorious take over. OR, we can ignore the world’s desperate cry for change. YOU decide.

The Student Artists of The People's Church

Feedback Questions

2008-03-09T20:02:00.004-05:00

1. How long have you been part of the Student Ministry?
2. What/who brought you here?
3. What keeps you here?
4. What do you think is the most spiritually impacting thing we do for you now and/or have done for you in the past? How have we helped your faith grow?
5. If you didn't know the Lord, would you come to anything that Student Ministry does? Why or why not?
6. Have you ever walked life with someone from Student Ministry? If so, who? How has that affected your life?
7. What about Student Ministry would you keep for the future? What would you bring back from the past?
8. How can we help you with your family?
9. How can we help you with relationships?
10. Are we at a place where we have equipped you enough so that you know how to spiritually feed yourself? Do you even know what this means?
11. Is this Student Ministry a loving atmosphere? How so?
12. How have we offered hope for your future?

Thanks for all of your input! We really care about each of you and want to have a positive impact on your life...

Prayer 2/26/2008

2008-02-26T16:30:00.004-06:00

Three years ago, my family made a huge decision to sell our house, get rid of most of our belongings, and move into an RV. We traveled the U.S. for a year. Yellowstone, Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, and Mount Rushmore were just a few of the places that we visited. It sounds great, but it was one of the most difficult times of my life. For some of you that have moved before, you know it’s a pretty painful process. I would cry myself to sleep thinking, what are we doing? We are leaving everything I have ever known because God said there was more for us somewhere else? What else was there?? I was happy, wasn’t that enough?

One of my favorite songs to listen to is “Voice of Truth” by Casting Crowns. The lyrics go:

Oh, what I would do to have
the kind of faith it takes
To climb out of this boat I'm in
Onto the crashing waves
To step out of my comfort zone
Into the realm of the unknown
Where Jesus is,
And he's holding out his hand

But the waves are calling out my name
and they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
time and time again
"Boy, you'll never win, you'll never win."

Eventually, I had to let go of everything and move to where God wanted me to be. Let me tell you, it was a turn for the best! I am now a part of this amazing youth group, and I have become closer to God than ever before!!

My prayer for this youth group is that during this critical point in our lives, when we are trying to figure out what college to go to, what we are going to major in, and what we are going to do with the rest of our lives that we wouldn’t just shut God out. He has a plan for us, if we would just listen to it.

Isaiah 12:2 (The Message)
2"Yes, indeed—God is my salvation. I trust, I won't be afraid. God—yes God! —is my strength and song, best of all, my salvation!"

Prayer Blog 2/7/2008

2008-02-07T18:21:00.000-06:00

Relative Truth

What is the nature of truth? Is it subjective, where what is true for me is not true for you, or is it objective, where the statements of the world are just as true for you as they are for me, regardless?

If I were to say that I was your typical relativist and did not believe in absolute truth, or objective truth, and that your acceptance of Jesus was great and true for you but simply not true for me, what would I actually be saying? If all things are untrue for someone, somehow, at some point in time, then there simply is no absolute truth. Seems logical right? Sure. It allows you to believe exactly what you want and me to believe exactly what I want. It’s the ultimate idea of tolerance amongst religion, people, and mindsets.

So as Christians, can we be relativists? Of course not. We are told that we should go out and preach the gospels, but how is that to be done if the person that we are preaching to says that while it’s great for us, the Bible simply is not true for them? What can you say? They have effectively turned you away and done so eloquently and effectively. Yet, there is always a rebuttal; finding it though is the hard part. Earlier I said the line, “there is no absolute truth.” Can you find out, simply using this statement alone, why relativism fails?

That statement must be ABSOLUTELY TRUE for a relativist, or else it fails. Say you point this out to the relativist, and he/she says, yes, that there is no absolute truth. He/she has just affirmed an absolute truth; thus, undermining their entire position. If they say no, there is NOT absolute truth; then by grammatical rule of a double negative, they are saying there is absolute truth. So in short, relativism fails as a worldview, and to have a discussion with a relativist should not be daunting in any way.

Philippians 2:13 – “for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose” NIV.

Andrew Hayslip

Prayer 2/2/2008

2008-02-02T23:14:00.000-06:00

Honestly it's been one of those weeks where you're not entirely sure things can get much worse. Family issues seem to have a way of bringing you down lower than most others, but all week I have been praying for my family and many of my friends in hope that God will see fit to impart to them some amount of wisdom and peace - for myself it's been the peace. I can't say I pray enough or get into the Word as often as I should. Yet, since Winter Retreat, I've tried committing myself to that more, and God has been working through soo much. I can't say that when things get bad He totally makes me feel 100%, cause He doesn't really work that way, but He has given me that peace and that strength to walk through it all. He does have a way, however, of providing you with everything you need to get along!

"I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you." (Luke 10:19)

Abba father,

I pray that Your love will not be unseen as we go through this weekend, whether we're at home or at retreat or work or wherever. Father God, be working in our hearts and prepare for us everything that You have in store for us. Like Nathan said, God, I pray that each and every one of us would be striving for that steady relationship with You and fall out of the habit of creating ups and downs in our walk with You. There will always be those ups and downs God, but I pray that as the Prince of Peace You will give us some of that peace. Especially for the seniors who will be going on to the college life next year, keep us out of the enemies' reach, Father, help us retreat to Your strong fortress and guard us!! God You are amazing, and You have placed AMAZING people in my life. You are the perfect blessing Dad! We love you so much!

Chris Garmon

Prayer 2/1/2008

2008-02-01T21:30:00.000-06:00

Daddy, I pray that tonight You would lay Your hands on everyone who's headed to Winter Retreat. Would You soften their hearts? Would You allow them to be open and willing to share in small groups? I pray specifically for those who are going on their first retreat or camp. I pray that You would surround them with loving leaders and friends; will You not let a single person go one night without feeling loved, treasured and accepted with a place? Daddy, I'm excited for what You're up to in the youth group now and for this weekend. Thank You for everything that You've done, are doing and will do. We love You!

Nina Coyle

Prayer 1/31/2008

2008-01-31T17:34:00.000-06:00

Well, first off, how about this wonderful day off from school? I love the days when they cancel when there is not even a sight of snow or rain in the sky. A few days ago a friend of mine told me we had only 75 days left of school. That means today’s wonderful snow day marks only 73 days left of school, and the countdown has begun. The last few days I have been doing a lot of thinking about the last three and a half years of my life - where I was both spiritually and maturity wise. Skipping many stories and memories, I just want to tell you all that without the Lord, I would not be the person I am today. Without Jesus, I would not have made it through some of the challenges of high school. I have always lived by the motto of, “Trust in God and understand everything happens for a reason.” My advice to all the underclassmen out there is exactly that - Trust in God.

Andrew Bennett

Prayer 1/29

2008-01-29T23:30:00.000-06:00

God's been working wonders since Winter Retreat. It's weird because I haven't been much with words since then either. Over WR, I ended up losing my job. Talk about not knowing God's Plan. It's been awhile since I felt so entirely lost, but I completely gave it up to God. I've put my entire trust in Him to provide, AND HAS HE! He provided me enough money so that I could pay all my bills for the month, and He has also given me a wonderful opportunity to work for this awesome christian music magazine. AND I got to share Jesus with someone at my school the other day. It was incredible. I can really see a difference in myself and in my life since I totally gave my heart to God.

I hope everyone else has been great since WR ended. I miss all of you guys so much and pray for you all every day.

SIDE NOTE: Please keep my friend Shannon in your prayers. She's my best friend, and she's in a really bad situation, family-wise. Please, please, please pray that God will give her strength. She needs it so much.

IN CHRIST,
(Nat)
Natalie Miles

Prayer 1/27/2008

2008-01-27T23:44:00.001-06:00

The Vision-

The vision is JESUS--- obsessively, dangerously, undeniably Jesus.

The vision is an army of young people.

You see bones? I see an army.

And they are FREE from materialism.

They laugh at 9- 5 little prisons.

They could eat caviar on Monday and crusts on Tuesday.

They wouldn't even notice.

They know the meaning of the Matrix, the way the west was won.

They are mobile like the wind; they belong to the nations.

They need no passport.

People write their addresses in pencil and wonder at their strange existence.

They are free; yet they are slaves of the hurting and dirty and dying.

The vision is holiness that hurts the eyes.

It makes children laugh and adults angry.

It gave up the game of minimum integrity long ago to reach for the stars.

It scorns the good and strains for the best.

It is dangerously pure.

Light flickers from every secret motive, every private conversation.

It loves people away from their suicide leaps, and their Satan games.

This is an army that will lay down its life for the cause.

A million times a day its soldiers choose to lose.

That one day they might win the 'Well Done' of faithful sons and daughters.

Such heroes are as radical on Monday Morning as Sunday Night.

They don't need fame from names.

Instead, they grin quietly upwards and hear the crowds chanting again and again: "COME ON!"

And this is the sound of the underground -

The whisper of history in the making.

Foundations shaking.

Revolutionaries dreaming once again.

Mystery is scheming in whispers.

Conspiracy is breathing...

This is the sound of the underground,

And the army is discipl(in)ed.

Young people who beat their bodies into submission.

Every soldier would take a bullet for his comrade at arms.

The tattoo on their back boasts " For me to live is Christ and to die is gain."

Sacrifice fuels the fire of victory in their upward eyes.

Winners.

Martyrs.

Who can stop them?

Can hormones hold them back?

Can failure succeed?

Can fear scare them or death kill them?

And the generation prays like a dying man -

with groans beyond talking, with warrior cries, with sulfuric tears and with great barrow loads of
laughter!

Waiting. Watching: 24-7-365.

Whatever it takes they will give:

Breaking the rules.

Shaking mediocrity from its cozy little hide.

Laying down their rights and their precious little wrongs, laughing at labels' fasting essentials.

The advertisers cannot mold them.

Hollywood cannot hold them.

Peer-pressure is powerless to shake their resolve at late night parties before the cockerel cries.

They are incredibly cool, dangerously attractive inside.

On the outside? They hardly care.

They wear clothes like costumes to communicate and celebrate but Never to hide.

Would they surrender their image or popularity?

They would lay down their lives-- swap seats with the person on death row--guilty as hell.

A throne for an electric chair.

With blood and sweat and many tears, with sleepless nights and fruitless days,

they pray as if it all depends on God and live as if it all depends on them.

Their DNA chooses JESUS. (He breathes out; they breathe in!)

Their subconscious sings.

They had a blood transfusion with Jesus.

Their words make demons scream in shopping centers.

Do you hear them coming?

Herald the weirdoes!

Summon the losers and the freaks.

Here come the frighten and forgotten with fire in their eyes;

They walk tall and trees applaud, skyscrapers bow, mountains are dwarfed by these children of
another dimension.

Their prayers summon the hounds of heaven and invoke the ancient dream of Eden.

And this vision will be.

It will come to pass; It will come easily; it will come soon.

How do I know?

Because this is the longing of creation itself, the groaning of the Spirit, the very dream of GOD.

My tomorrow is His today.

My distant hope is His 3-D.

And my feeble, whispered faithless prayer invokes a thunderous, resounding, bone-shaking
great "AMEN!"

from countless angels, from heroes of the faith, from Christ Himself!

And He is the original dreamer the ultimate winner.

Guaranteed!

God I just pray that would become our hearts' DESIRE! To be SO passionately in love with you.
Equip us to be soldiers for you God; use us in ways that glorify YOU and humble US! Let there be more glory for you and less for US. Would you Cover the camp for the middle schoolers and continue to answer prayers God? Unite them like you have the high schoolers. I LOVE you daddy.

Love you guys!

Casey Tinius

Prayer Continues

2008-01-24T23:08:00.000-06:00

And so the prayer continues; however, its purpose has changed. My prayer for Winter Retreat was that we would see both healing and unity, and I have seen immense amounts of both of those happen in Winter Retreat and persisting through even now. Praise God, for broken relationships and hearts who had been back stabbed and betrayed were healed. A conflict and a pain that was years old was resolved once and for all, and for the first time in 6 months, I sleep with an easy heart and an easy mind because things are finally good and getting better.

My biggest prayer now is for the continuation of this Feeling, this Passion, and this Love. Jimmy said at camp that if it fades it wasn't God, and I've gone to several camps and several times at youth group where everyone gets really emotional and the worship is great. God truly does move in those times, but I feel like we open ourselves up to God. Yet, when He starts trying to fix us, we close ourselves up again and shove Him away. I pray that won't happen this time. I pray that this Love would continue and further, that it would spread into our families and into our schools. I pray that it would be so much more than just a “camp high!” I pray that it would be a Reformation.

This past week has gone by so quickly to me. I can't remember much from it from school and things like that, but I do remember that I've felt like I've been floating, like I've been flying. I may seem a bit out of things, but I feel like I'm weightless, floating 10 feet off the ground. What I want to do is becoming what I do and what I don't want to do is becoming what I don't do. I look at the people in this youth group now, and I see a light. I pray that light would never fade, not just for us, but for Nathan. He has come to us at a bad time and in a slump and hasn't seen us at our highs and at our greatest points of exemplifying the unalienable Love that is Christ's Love. I pray that he would begin to see in us what we're really like, who we really are, and I pray that each of us would be able to show that to him.

God, coming off of Winter Retreat, immediately things have changed drastically for me and for a lot of other people, and I haven't stopped praying since. Life is becoming complicated and challenging again, and it's more than welcome. “You're growing,” You say. I believe that, and I'm excited for it. Since Jimmy mentioned his 40-Day Fast and how close it brought him to You, I've been feeling challenged to one of my own. I want You to be what sustains me and nothing else. I love You, and You are all I need. Starting tomorrow morning, I will not eat any solid food for 40 Days as I delve into an intensive time of prayer and drawing nearer to You, God, and I'm not worried or concerned about a thing. I'm confident and excited to see what You will bring to the table and to see all the things You will show me. I simply cannot wait.

Jon Rarick

40 Days - Day 40

2008-01-17T22:14:00.000-06:00

"And when you come before God, don't turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat?"

"Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace."

"The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They're full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don't fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this:

Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what's best— as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You're in charge!
You can do anything you want!
You're ablaze in beauty!
Yes. Yes. Yes.”

-Matthew 6:5-13 (The Message)

No one says it better than Christ…so let this be our earnest request. Would you please go to your quiet place, refuge, and speak this prayer aloud and in agreement with me? There’s just something about praying aloud. In His LOVE…your sister

Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what's best— as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You're in charge!
You can do anything you want!
You're ablaze in beauty!
Yes. Yes. Yes.
Let it be so Father!

Brooklyn Watson

40 Days - Day 39

2008-01-16T22:49:00.000-06:00

Send Me

Imagine: Not having a car. Not being able to hang out with friends. Not having Starbucks. No shopping centers. No chance of an education, not even grammar school. No ipods. No internet. No running water. No plumbing. No electricity. Walking…walking…walking…no shoes, sharp rocks, broken glass, hot surfaces, muddy walkways, rough calloused injured feet… A one room house resting on the edge of a cliff, shared by you and your four siblings and parents and even extended family. There is only one mattress in the corner, resting on unlevel boxes or crates. The bathroom is outside the house, a hole in the ground covered by a crate to keep out the stench and the flies. You must be careful because if you make one wrong step, you could fall off the cliff. Working…working...working… You do not get to go to school because your family needs food to eat; so you must work. There aren’t any kids in the neighborhood to play with because they are working. Water is collected in a barrel and used for drinking, washing dishes and washing clothes. Bathing is dependent on rain… The air is heavy with the smell of pollution, garbage, raw sewage and cooking food. Your stomach hurts… You have worms. Your teeth hurt; you have no dentist. You are hungry. You find a half eaten apple, take a few bites and save the rest for your sister.

You are envious. There is a home in the area that has cinderblock walls and running water. The children go to school. They get to play. They get a meal. How did they get so lucky?

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for Us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” –Isaiah 6:8 NIV

IT is not luck. It is hearing the voice of the Lord… and obeying.

Mr. Alvaro was a successful architect in Guatemala City, Guatemala. When he heard the voice of the Lord, his heart was broken for the poor and the lost of his country, where poverty ravages 98% of the population. He started a church to help change families and a school to impact future generations.

The People’s Church heard the voice of the Lord and began a partnership to help Pastor Alvaro. A church was built. A School was built. Lives were changed in Guatemala and in Franklin, TN. Mission trips continued providing medical and dental care, sports camps, church, school and home construction.

Fathers heard the voice of the Lord; fathers went.
Sons and Daughters heard the voice of the Lord; they went.
Friends heard the voice of the Lord; friends went.

Pastor Alvaro’s vision --changing his country from darkness to light by impacting one family at a time—is changing his country and the people of The People's Church as they each have placed their "Yes" on the table… “Here am I. Send me!”

Mary Clay Estes

40 Days - Day 38

2008-01-15T23:13:00.000-06:00

Hi. I'm Natalie Miles. I'm pretty new to The People's Church youth group still, but some of you should know me or at least see me sing on Wednesday nights. This youth group has been such a blessing in my life and a total answer to prayer. My entire life, prior to TPC, had consisted of being pushed away and excluded from every youth group I had tried to become a part of. Before I met Brad Perry, I had gotten to a point in my life where I didn't know what I believed in anymore. I had basically almost completely given up on God. I desired nothing more than to do everything and anything that would go against my parents, and in turn, God's will. But God has a funny way of having His sovereign hand on everything.

About two weeks after I decided I was done with the whole Christian thing, I met Brad through Dale Lipscomb, whom I had known for about a year. Brad and I were instant friends, but hanging out was always an issue because I always was doing other things. Then he invited me to come to youth group with him. Now, as I said before, youth groups were a pretty sore spot for me. Because of what I had been through, my heart was cold towards them. But I agreed. That Wednesday was the very first Wednesday Nathan Oates spoke. I was almost in tears the entire time. I knew that night this place was going to be different. And it was.

In the past six months or so, I have been involved in the youth group; I have never felt more loved and accepted. Even as I type this, I'm fighting tears because what I was met with at TPC was the one thing I always craved and was never given, no matter where I went. The people I've met are so sincere and crave God and want to do His Will so much so that I can see it on their faces, in their eyes, in what they do. I truly believe that this youth group was everything I needed to pull me back to what I needed more than anything, everything I was running away from.

So my prayer for Winter Retreat is that someone who is in the same boat I was in comes just because their friend asked them to. And that we greet them with the same open, loving, sincere arms that I was greeted with. That we show them not only WHO God is, but who God can be in their lives. I also pray that God will constantly remind us that we are not our own and that it is NOT ABOUT US. It is about Him and Him living through us even if we can't possibly see how.

"There is a God in Heaven who reveals mysteries." Daniel 2:28a NIV

It's going to be awesome guys.

Natalie Miles

40 Days - Day 37

2008-01-14T22:45:00.000-06:00

I'm Taylor Bloss, and I'm a senior in the youth group at The People's Church. If the name doesn't ring a bell, then you've probably seen me playing acoustic guitar and singing in the Fusion band with my abnormally long blonde "Goldie-locks" hair. Yeah, it's kinda feminine hair, but I am not a feminine guy. Oh well, that's beside the point. The blog I'm writing is kinda directed toward the seniors, but I think we can all benefit from it. I'm going to base it around one of my favorite verses that tends to encourage me the most during this amazing yet scary time of decision making in my life. Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" NIV. Without this verse, I would be a SCARED man!! (but still not feminine). I don't know how the other students that are graduating this year are taking the fact that we are about to be in college, but I seriously didn't think this day would come. Yet, to hear the King of the universe say He has plans for ME to give ME a prosperous future is the most encouraging thing I can possibly think of right now. I'm afraid I'm going to major in the wrong thing or something like that, but when these bad feelings of doubt come, I pray to God and recite this verse and leave it all in His hands. I find it so encouraging how personal this message is to me at the stage of life I'm in. As for the students that aren't graduating this year, He still has that plan for you and the rest of your future in high school. High schools around here need Jesus so bad, and as for the seniors, now our time is running short on our impact on our high schools. It's time for you guys to pick up where we left off; I know you guys will do amazing. As for retreat, wow!! I can't wait!! It's my last retreat; so I'm gonna be going CRAZY!!!!!

Taylor Bloss

40 Days - Day 36

2008-01-13T22:49:00.000-06:00

Dear Lord,

I know you have big plans for us at Winter Retreat, even before we step on the bus. Let each of us realize that through you we have everything. You are our comforter when we feel afraid. You are our joy when we are down. You are our peace when Satan causes confusion. Together as a team we can overcome the barriers we have put up; take us by the hand and teach us what you have in store for us. Show up miraculously to us at Winter Retreat. In your Name.

An Anonymous Student

40 Days - Day 35

2008-01-12T23:35:00.000-06:00

Many times throughout the Bible, we as Christians are told to have faith: “be faithful in Christ,” “faith, hope and love,” faith, faith, faith. Quite frankly, I’m sick of faith. Faith does nothing for us. In fact, I’d bet my salvation that God doesn’t want us to have faith. Now before you say anything to that and dismiss what I have to say as the delusional writings of a madman, ask yourself what faith is.

Seriously. Do it.

…

I can wait.

…

Now that you have done that, I would be willing to bet that you said something that I have heard many times before; or maybe meant to say but couldn’t verbalize it. I know I couldn’t. Did you tell yourself, or lead yourself to think that faith is a wish? That faith is merely a whim of hope, a psychological reassurance or desire that something could come, and by having faith, you are merely taking an optimistic stance?

If you know me at all, you know that I love to debate people, especially in the category of religious thought. Just recently, I was in a debate with a pair of Mormons, and I was doing very well compared to other encounters. I would ask a question, and after giving my problems with their religion a thought, they would always respond with: “Well…we just have to have faith.”

I received that exact answer a good four or five times before I asked them the same, mind-boggling question that I posed for you. I said, “You have mentioned several times that you need faith, but how do you define faith?” I gave him a few minutes to stand in dumbstruck silence before I answered for him.

What is faith? The world has told us to believe that faith IS a whim, a hope for something that could not conceivably become. The Bible teaches otherwise. Here is an example of what I’m saying. Though not all of you are 18, let’s assume that you are going to buy a lottery ticket with a friend. You can walk into the store and tell your friend that you have faith that you will win. What kind of faith is that?!? That is the worldly definition of faith, a sheer hope that you will win with that lottery ticket. That is simply a hope grounded in no evidence or reason for thinking so. The world has taught us that is what having faith means. As Christians, we shouldn’t buy into that garbage.

Now we will recreate that same scene with one minor change. You now have x-ray vision. If you go up to the counter and see through the ticket before you buy it, how would you describe saying that you have faith that you will win? I would say that it’s pretty certain that you would have Biblical faith in your winnings. What does that mean?

Since you have seen through your card to determine that you do indeed have a winner, you can tell your friend that you do not have faith that you will win, but instead you have an active trust that you will win based on your power of observation. That is the kind of faith that God desires of us - ACTIVE TRUST. We cannot simply walk around proclaiming ourselves to be Christians, saying that we have faith that Jesus rose from the dead. Instead, the world will misinterpret that meaning of faith, and Christianity will be dismissed as “just another whim.” So if, instead of faith, we go around practicing active trust, we will begin to realize what it is that makes genuine Christian faith different from that of everyday faith.

I was once told by my dad, “God can move mountains, but you had better bring a shovel.” What does this quote mean to us? I think it means exactly what I am trying to say regarding the nature of faith. We can have faith that God will move the mountain for us, but we must be willing to work for Him and do His will. If we do not have that active trust that He will do it, then our faith is as useless as wishful thinking, and we will end up trying to move that mountain under our own earthly power, which won’t be happening anytime soon.

Andrew Hayslip

40 Days - Day 34

2008-01-11T21:27:00.000-06:00

Hello! My name is Jackie Peterson. Most of you probably don't know me very well, and I would love to get to know you. I have just recently devoted myself to Christ! It's one of the best and most difficult things of my life. I find it hard each day to deal with peer pressure from cursing to skipping class, but the one thing that has kept me sane is that I read a verse of Scripture each morning. As I started to read the Bible, I came to find this verse. It says,

"Do not gloat over me, my enemy!
Though I have fallen, I will rise.
Though I sit in darkness,
the LORD will be my light" (Micah 7:8 TNIV).

To me, this verse means that what I have done in the past is past and what I have learned determines my future.So don't judge me for my mistakes. Help me learn from them. I will admit that I have my fair share of "bad" stuff,but along with it, I have figured out who I am! And that's the way I look at it. If people judge you because you screwed up once or maybe more, then you need for them to get to know the real you. I'm not saying go do something bad and you will learn from it. I'm saying that you should be who you are and stay true to yourself!Thank you all for what you do, and I hope you have a great day.

Love always,
Jackie Peterson

40 Days - Day 33

2008-01-10T13:26:00.001-06:00

Psalm 136:1-2 (NLT)

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods. His faithful love endures forever."

How often do we pray for something and receive what we wanted but not give God the credit that He deserves? How often do we overlook God when He does something mighty? Can it really be that we are too caught up in our day-to-day lives that we don’t see what God is doing around us and thank Him for our many blessings? For months people in our youth group have been praying for a revolution and for unity to occur within our youth group; it is finally beginning to happen. Slowly but surely it is happening. We are becoming a family again. A family that is passionate for God. A family that thanks God for all He has done in our lives. A family that knows we can get through anything if we lean on Christ and seek guidance in each other. I pray that we continue to grow stronger and closer as a family in Christ and that we never forget to thank Him for granting our prayers. I pray that through this Winter Retreat we will fully remember how awesome our God truly is, and an urgency will ignite within all of us to live our lives completely for Christ. I pray that we don’t have a “camp high,” but our ignited flame will grow more and more as we continually search for His will and truth.

Psalm 46:1 (NLT)

“God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.”

Even though we go through hard times and many trials, I pray we pull together as a family who isn’t afraid to go to their brother or sister in Christ to ask for help or prayer. I pray we become the youth group I know we can be: one that is overflowing with Christ’s love and loves each and every member of the youth group. One that is not afraid to be passionate followers of God. One that has something special so that when visitors come they see something in us that other youth groups don’t have, an unexplainable bond.

In His Loving Arms,
Katie Webb

40 Days - Day 32

2008-01-09T23:48:00.000-06:00

Romans 12:12 says, "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer" NIV.

Father, we do have hope. Thank You for the hope You have given us. Give us patience as we seek You in all of our daily trials at home, in school, in our families, in our friendships, in our work relationships, etc. Go before us to Winter Retreat because we want it to be all about You. We love You and trust You in everything!

40 Days - Day 31

2008-01-08T16:14:00.000-06:00

Hello all you lovelies! Well, I am not very good at verbalizing things as many people know, but I am going to share some of my life and the Word with you.

I wake up nearly every morning knowing that the choices I’ve made in my life are VERY real to my past, present, and future. There are some things I’ve done that will not be undone, and the consequences of which haunt me continuously. I’m sure tons of people feel this way; it’s probably not too uncommon. Something I am told often in church is that I just have to have that BLIND FAITH and lay all of my mishaps at the feet of God. I have learned to do this at times, but it is sooo hard for me to let go of some of my burdens. That is my confession. I started relying on many different drugs and substances to keep me feeling "good" almost every day starting in my 8th grade year, and those things were the only relief from reality that I knew until about my junior year in high school. When I came to know Christ later that year, my heart felt like it was meant to be taken from my chest and given to all of the people whom I love, and that was something I felt most anxious to do. However, I couldn’t understand the true gift of God because of all the times I had gotten drunk or completely blitzed being tied too tightly to me; I had tied them too tightly to me. I don’t know why I couldn’t understand that these sins, these experiences, these choices....were Christ's now, and even today I struggle with giving them to Him. Anyway, my heart is for other people, and I want to be the best worldly example of Christ’s love for them that I can be. Yet, it’s not usually easy. So, when I was in Kosova, one of the Americans I was there with saw some of my heart and gave me this:

"So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong" Hebrews 12:12-13 NLT.

Father God, sin and temptation have tried to make us weak. We have been led astray from the path that You have laid out and sometimes wander like lost animals, but I pray that You will lead us back to that path whenever we need it. Father, please strengthen our hearts and our bodies and be our living compass. With You showing us the way, there’s no doubt that we can find our way from any place or situation!!! Let us love each other like there is no tomorrow; let us offer our hands to those who are broken and our hearts to those who can’t find theirs. God You are so loving, so fair and so unbreakable, and You are forgiveness. Be in our hearts constantly and prepare us for what You have in store for this Winter Retreat. We love You Father, in Jesus' name.

Love you all, be with God always, and have a great week!!!
Chris Garmon

40 Days - Day 30

2008-01-07T23:09:00.000-06:00

Revelation Song: by Jennie Lee Riddle

Worthy is the, Lamb who was slain
Holy, Holy, is He
Sing a new song, to him who sits on
Heaven's mercy seat
[2X]

Holy, Holy, Holy
Is the Lord God Almighty
Who was, and is, and is to come
With all creation I sing
Praise to the King of Kings
You are my everything
And I will adore You

Clothed in rainbows, of living color
Flashes of lightning, rolls of thunder
Blessing and honor, strength and glory and power be
to You the only wise King

Holy, Holy, Holy
Is the Lord God Almighty
Who was, and is, and is to come
With all creation I sing
Praise to the King of Kings
You are my everything
And I will adore You

Filled with wonder, awestruck wonder
At the mention of your name
Jesus your name is power
Breath, and living water
Such a marvelous mystery
Yeah...

Holy, Holy, Holy
Is the Lord God Almighty
Who was, and is, and is to come, yeah
With all creation I sing
Praise to the King of Kings
You are my everything
And I will adore You
[3X]

Wow! Seriously, this song has resonated in my head ever since the Sunday morning service. I have heard it several times before, but for some reason, the track just keeps playing over and over again - a chorus of praise to our King! Look at what the song proclaims Him to be and records our response:

He is:
worthy,
slain,
heaven's mercy seat,
the Lord God Almighty
who was, and is, and is to come...

He is:
King of Kings,
everything,
the sender of rainbows,
a voice of thunder,
the only wise King...

He is:
Jesus,
breath,
living water,
marvelous mystery,
holy, holy, holy!

We will:
sing,
praise,
adore,
bless and honor,
be filled with wonder!

Father, You truly are everything, and we entrust Winter Retreat to You. We thank You for who You are in each of our lives... We are excited about the journey with You and what is to come!

40 Days - Day 29

2008-01-06T23:50:00.000-06:00

"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God" Ephesians 5:1-2 NIV.

Our sense of smell is the most memorable sense of all. God's Word declares Christ as a fragrant offering and sacrifice. Indeed, this should be the most memorable event of all! Christ did not just save us from our sins; He also saved us from God's wrath.

John 3:36 says, "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."

Father, help us imitate You and love one another just as we have been dearly loved. Continue to pursue us and reveal Your love for us. I pray we each remember the fragrant offering and sacrifice of Your precious Son: a sacrifice which spared each of us from Your wrath. We praise and thank You! You are worthy of all praise and honor. Send Your Spirit before us and with us to Winter Retreat. Teach us Lord what it is to be like You to each other. We love and adore You!

40 Days - Day 28

2008-01-05T23:37:00.000-06:00

"They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved" Acts 2:42-47 NIV.

Four simple things are mentioned: teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer; yet, do we DEVOTE ourselves to them? I think we do a great job with fellowship sometimes. I mean, we are pretty good with talking and socializing with one another, and there is nothing wrong with that. However, how much teaching do we truly savor and take to heart? How often do we listen to something for thirty minutes or an hour just to forget it minutes or hours later? How often are we able to teach others because we have devoted ourselves? What does it mean to be devoted anyway? Words like steadfast, attentive, perseverance, and constant when combined together give us an idea of the powerful meaning of this simple word: devoted.

When it comes to breaking of bread, how often do we really take time to remember what Christ has done for us? The sacrifice, the pain, taking on our sins, and setting us free from the bondage of sin often get lost in the hectic pace of our lives... Lord, help us devote ourselves to remembering as it changes us. We cannot remember and remain the same!

Finally, the act of prayer is mentioned. This 40 day journey has been especially wonderful as various students have allowed God to work in their lives. I have been so blessed and thankful for each of their entries. God is at work. Lord, may we devote ourselves to prayer. May this become such a part of who we are as a youth group, as Your children, and as Your servants. Knit our hearts together with Yours Lord!

God, help us be devoted to teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer! We want to know You more and more. May Winter Retreat be a time of seeking You and You alone. We desire sincere hearts filled with praise for You!

40 Days - Day 27

2008-01-04T23:09:00.000-06:00

"When Solomon had finished the temple of the LORD and the royal palace, and had succeeded in carrying out all he had in mind to do in the temple of the LORD and in his own palace, the LORD appeared to him at night and said:

'I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices. When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there. '"

2 Chronicles 7:11-16 NIV

Father, this is Your student ministry. May we be humbled as we cry out to You and seek Your face. Hear our prayers, and unite our hearts. Forgive us for being lukewarm and not putting You first. We want a relationship with You Lord. We desire to serve and follow You... Heal us Abba!

40 Days - Day 26

2008-01-03T23:27:00.000-06:00

Unfortunately, looking back over this past year, I must admit that I haven't grown as close to God as I could have. I have been living a lukewarm life. Sure I've had moments where I felt great potential, and if I had continued to pursue God like I should have, I probably would have become closer to Him. The reason why I'm lukewarm for Him right now is no one's fault but my own.

By a seemingly random reading out of the Bible by my cousin, (except of course it wasn't random, it was God) I knew that I had to change.

"I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm -- neither hot nor cold -- I am about to spit you out of my mouth" Revelation 3:15-16 (NIV).

In Greek, spit means vomit. If we are lukewarm for God, He will vomit us out of his mouth. Being vomited out of God's mouth is something I want to avoid at all costs. To know He would detest my lukewarm passion for Him so much as to rather me be completely cold for Him has made me stop and think. How can my passion become hotter and more intense for Him? How can I avoid being lukewarm? I've been praying about it a lot lately. I've come to realize that God wants us to constantly seek Him by reading His Word and talking and listening to Him. Just spending time with Him. He longs for us to be all that we can through Him.

My prayer for Winter Retreat, and for everyday, is that we will not be lukewarm for Him. That we will renew our passion, and that our passion will not die out. And most of all, that through our passion, God will be glorified.
Beth Rouse :)

40 Days - Day 25

2008-01-02T23:15:00.000-06:00

God, please show us Your never ending love;
show us Your mercy and Your ceaseless grace.
Let them come down to us like a dove,
and let us feel Your warm embrace.

Help us see the plans in store;
may they be full of You.
Soften our hearts to open the door
to Your purposes, some strange and new.

Help us let go of our past:
the pain, the dark, the sin.
For we know evil will never last,
and Jesus Christ shall always win.

I pray for Your guiding light,
our unity under attack and weathered.
Ha, yes Disney got it right;
We're all in this together.

Life's journey for God's people is rough
trials and doubt may come like tidal waves,
but having Your hand on this trip will be enough
to make this Winter Retreat the one that saves.

This prayer, in Christ, I pray
with all of my heart I moan,
that for the rest of our days
we will never feel alone.

Jesus, thank You for the loving staff we have. I pray that You will equip them with the strength and the heart for this Winter Retreat. I pray that no one shy away from coming, that they know they will be loved and will grow. I pray for a united front against the struggles of our youth. Let this be a Winter Retreat we remember for the rest of our lives. Finally, I pray that the ones who don't attend feel the impact of Your love and guidance as much as the ones going. I pray that we grow and hold close to You. I pray for the youth who feel detached from You. I pray they know that they are not alone and that we love them. In your precious name, Amen.

Maddie Burford

40 Days - Day 24

2008-01-01T09:40:00.000-06:00

Recently during this 40 days of prayer, I have come to realize more about who we are as God's most precious creation. We are warriors that are here on this earth to fight for Him. The sad part about all of this is some of us are reluctant warriors and are not fighting for Him. It seems that now people live their lives the way they want to until something happens, and then, they expect God to just pick up the pieces for them so they can continue with what they were doing. While He is there and will help us, He does expect a little help from us too. We are not completely helpless. Without minimizing the possibility of God intervening in our lives at special times, it is safe to say that He usually expects us to use the resources given to us to work through the problems of life. He made us in His image with the abilities to feel and make decisions, and He encourages us to use them. There are certain things in life He WILL NOT do for us, and these are usually the times when we feel He has left us. When really, He is there to mentor us, help us and encourage us, but He will not excuse us from using our minds. John 16:33 says that the victory is already ours, but that does not mean we won't have troubles. It just guarantees we will win in the end. What we have to remember as a youth group is that with continuing prayer there will be spiritual warfare, and the primary location for this battle is in our minds. Either we choose to believe the lies that hold us in bondage, or we choose to believe the truths that set us free. This is a never ending process that comes along with prayer. I am here to encourage you and tell you that no matter what you are going through or how you are getting attacked, God knows exactly what you are going through because He has been there too. When Jesus came to earth, He took on human form meaning that He desired food, He became tired, He needed sleep, He cried, and He died, etc. There truly is nothing He won't do for us. As a youth group, I want to challenge everyone to make a new year's resolution to not only continue in prayer but to stick with each other through these guaranteed times of struggles, and we will find it to be so much easier to pull through. This is my prayer for the youth group.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!
~Brittney Harrison~

40 Days - Day 23

2007-12-31T14:25:00.000-06:00

Being the last day of this extraordinary year, I find myself thinking back upon all the memorable times, things I did wrong and events that I would love to relive. For me, this was a hard journey full of intimidating trials, exhausting climbs and unfortunate set-backs. However, I still feel that I have been blessed. My relationship with God has grown more than I had expected, though it was harder than I had anticipated by far. And, while I had originally thought that I would be able to look back and say, “Wow, I’ve finally made it! This is it!” I have only reached what I thought to be the top, finding it was a mere cliff. Still the view is amazing, and a view that many people go their entire lives without seeing has been opened to me.

A few of you know this, but at an AMAZING event this past summer (The Call 07.07.07), I experienced God like never before! The encounter was so overpowering, and I decided to do something that I’d wished to happen every year. Not really knowing what I was getting myself into I prayed for hours, begging him to “break me of myself.” I reached a place in time that I felt closer to God than ever before (right as school was starting), and then at the height of it all, I began to be painstakingly broken. For a while I didn’t understand what was happening, and while I still pressed into God, I sought the counsel of my “godmother” Vicki who is a marvelous woman of Christ. She began to help me out of the spiritual state of oppression and encouraged me to continue pressing into God. After many months of fighting for truth with myself I have reached a place of achievement and trials. The process has been long and hard, but I have learned the importance of enjoying life and living it through the love of God.

I know that many of you are looking back at the previous year’s happenings and finding the many things that stick out to you as “good” or “bad,” and a few of you are even wishing for more time, finding it now gone. I too find myself wishing for things to have worked out better, but I know that no matter what I say or think about it, the past is history. It is in this understanding and experience that I encourage you to join me in beginning the New Year with this verse to head us off and really press to have this Scripture reverberate through us as a body of Christ day to day.

“So brothers and sisters, since God has shown us great mercy, I beg you to offer your lives as a living sacrifice to him. Your offering must be only for God and pleasing to him, which is the spiritual way for you to worship. Do not be shaped by this world; instead be changed within by a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to decide what God wants for you; you will know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect” Romans 12:1-2 NCV.

Abba Father,

We praise Your abundant love, adore Your mighty power, and seek Your mercy in our lives. We come to You with the most humble hearts - thanking You for the blessings we have been given this year. It’s been an amazing journey, and we cry out for more. God, You are all we need. We desire only to seek You in everything we do. Our hearts and souls beg for You to enter every crease and fold of our hearts. God, I have felt You in waves of utter awe, and I pray in Jesus’ name that You give each and every one of us a new burning love for You. We ask that You forgive the sins we committed this year knowing that You will forget them and remove guilt other than that we choose to bring up ourselves. You are an awesome God, and we love You! Let our hearts be pure before You and our minds clear. Father we thank You for loving us before we even thought, for being so amazingly forgiving. We ask that You lead us into this Winter Retreat with an overpowering desire to have nothing but You in it. I pray that we keep our minds on Your glory through it and our hearts enflamed with Your love.

In Christ, Love Always Endures,

Marisa Anne

40 Days - Day 22

2007-12-30T20:34:00.000-06:00

After listening to “Alyssa Lies,” I finally realized what it really was talking about. A little girl met a new friend on the playground named Alyssa. Her parents abused her on a daily basis, and Alyssa tried to cover up all of the bruises she had. I had heard this song before, but this time it was different. I was sitting down at the computer listening to the words, singing to the top of my lungs, and reading the lyrics. When I got to the chorus, I noticed my eyes were filling with water.

This song reminds me of Joash. There was a wicked woman named Athaliah whose son, the king, had just been killed. She decided that if she killed all his children (her own grandchildren), she could rule the kingdom. Fortunately, Jehosheba, the dead king’s sister, took Joash, son of the dead king, and hid him from Athaliah. Joash remained hidden in the temple for six years, while Athaliah ruled (2 Chronicles 22:12).

If you ever feel in danger, there is always a place for you to be safe, just like Joash was saved from being murdered. When you are in a safe place, pour out your heart to God. He made you and will heal you. Think of Psalm 147:3, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds" NIV.

After reading these passages and listening to this song over and over, I remembered our group's first session over Elevate weekend. I was sitting there listening to all of the horrible things that girls the same age I was had gone through. I sat there wondering to myself, why would anyone want to endanger a child who was created in God’s hands and eyes? Some kids think they have mean parents who don’t love them, but there are children out in the world who have gone through some terrible things.

My prayer for the Winter Retreat is if you ever feel down or abused, cry out to God; He will help you get through it. The Bible has many passages that talk about biblical men that were abused.

Megan Johnson

40 Days - Day 21

2007-12-29T00:09:00.000-06:00

I felt strange at first, thinking about praying for something that I wouldn't even be attending or see any of the effects of, and for the first few weeks, I felt strange praying for Winter Retreat considering that I wasn't even going to be able to go myself. Since then I've realized that regardless, I'll still feel the repercussions of whatever happens there; I'll still be affected by those things. It's strange because lately I've faltered in more areas than I've ever faltered before, and I've slipped in all of these places in the past. Yet, now I'm slipping much more than I have before, and while before I had slipped in each of them separately, I now slip in each of them at the same time. It bothers me because all of it is coming right at a time when we should be at our highest, going into Winter Retreat. Frankly, I don't know what to think. I've spent so many nights praying for the best, praying about so many things, Winter Retreat included, and every piece of me wants to run in an entirely different direction. I don't know what this is. I don't know how to describe what this is. I look around at my friends and see the same things; some of my best friends, some of the people who I truly love and truly trust simply throwing their lives away, picking them up and throwing them out the window, and that hurts me more than I can put into words. It hurts me to know and to see that regardless of what I may say or what I may do they will persist to throw their things away. There's nothing that I can do but watch. My prayer has brought me one thing - these words: Don't Stop. So, I can only assume that there's a purpose and reason for whatever this is right now and all of the pain I'm going through. So much of me wants to simply withdraw and pull away, but the words given to me in my darkest hours have told me otherwise. I know that something big is going to happen this year at Winter Retreat; I can feel it, and I don't feel like I'm alone in this pain and suffering. I feel like there are many others, probably reading this right now who can relate, probably just solemnly nodding their heads along with this passage. Maybe I'm the only one who will come up front and tell people what my pains are, but we all have them. Still, I believe that we serve a God of Healing Graces; so my prayer this Winter Retreat is that whatever it is that you're going through, whatever issues, temptations, problems, failures, whatever pain that has been inflicted upon you, whether it's Satan, or as it so often is, just us beating ourselves up, that it may be healed.

“You see, Jesus didn't die just to take our sins away, He also said, 'Here, give me your worries too, I'll carry those too. Here, give me all of your pain, I'll carry that too.' Those things are simply too much for us to bear, and so Jesus came to offer to help us carry them.” -Nathan Oates

In His Great and Healing Love,
Jonathan V. Rarick

40 Days - Day 20

2007-12-28T00:05:00.000-06:00

As I began to look through all these blog entries, I kept seeing this verse over and over again: James 1:2-4 says, “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing” NLT.

As I looked through these entries and saw this verse, it reminded me of a time in my life where this verse meant the most to me. Here’s my story:

As most of you know, my mom was diagnosed with cancer in my 6th grade year. I began to stuff all of my emotions and pretend like God was in control of my life. I continued all throughout 6th and 7th grade year pretending like everything was okay, and I was a perfect little Christian girl. My answer to everyone’s “Are you okay?” and “How are you dealing with this?” was either “God is so good!” or “I’m relying on God all the time!” However, inside my heart was screaming “NO ALYSSA! TELL THEM THE TRUTH!” I just had no clue how to let everything go to God. I didn’t know how to give it over to Him and let Him deal with it.

In the middle of my 7th grade year, after my mom’s cancer was over, I went into a depression. I wouldn’t go to school, I would cry myself to sleep every night, and still I was pretending that everything was okay to everyone around me. I eventually was so overcome with fear that I had to sleep with someone every night. I started going to a counselor, and I didn’t listen to anything she would say because I thought she had no clue what I was dealing with. After awhile of all this, my parents begged me to go to school, and I did. I got little sleep every night, and I my health was showing it.

Finally, Christmas break came along, and it was time to go to Taylors, South Carolina, my hometown. We go there every year so it was no big deal. Two nights after we had arrived I saw Amanda writing in her journal and reading in her Bible. I had nothing else to do so I took out my notebook and my Bible and began to write:

God, I need your help. I’m so tired of dealing with this. Just give me something to let me know you are there.

Immediately after I had finished writing, I opened my Bible. A note card slid out of my Bible and landed on the floor. There, written on the note card was James 1:2-4 in my hand writing. I still, to this day, do not remember writing that verse down. From then on, my life was going all uphill. I began to trust God with everything I had, and that made all the difference in my life.

As Winter Retreat approaches, I believe that we should pray for those people. I think we should pray for those people who are struggling in their life, but they are just too scared to admit it. We are all struggling with this feeling of being alone or that God isn’t there, but I truly believe that if we all pray continuously for this Winter Retreat, all of us will finally realize that we aren’t alone.

Alyssa Baldwin

40 Days - Day 19

2007-12-27T01:43:00.000-06:00

“The LORD is great on Zion, exalted above all the peoples. Let them praise your great and awesome name: holy is God! O mighty king, lover of justice, you alone have established fairness; you have created just rule in Jacob. Exalt the LORD, our God; bow down before his footstool; holy is God!”

Psalm 99:2-5 TNAB

Hey guys, hope you all are having a great holiday! This time of year is usually a time to give thanks for what you have. This is also a time to give thanks to the Lord for the gift of life.

I grew up as one of those kids who had to go to church because my parents said I had to. I didn’t really understand what the Lord meant to me or if He really existed for that matter. Two years ago, I joined the Student Ministry at The People's Church in Spring Hill.

If it wasn’t for all the support from the other students, as well as Todd and all the other adult leaders, I would still be one of those kids. Ever since I joined this youth group, I have grown so much in following the Lord. At Elevate this year, I officially gave my life to Christ and to let him lead my life anyway He wants to.

This Winter Retreat is all about prayer. For this Retreat, I pray that we all can go more in depth into our Lord’s message. I pray for everyone’s health and safety over the holidays. I pray for our guest speaker, as well as all of our volunteers, for making all this possible. The Lord gave His only son to give us eternal life. I think that deserves some glorification of our Lord. God is all powerful and mighty, and we should want to bow down and worship at His feet.

Happy Holidays,

Tyler Smith

40 Days - Day 18

2007-12-26T01:12:00.000-06:00

“In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, "Let there be light;" and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. And God said, "Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters." So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day" Gen. 1:1-8 NRSV.

Everyone knows that passage, backwards and forwards. We’ve been taught it since we were old enough to talk and walk, sometimes even earlier. Yet, most of the time we read this and don’t think twice about what we just flew through. I even admit to not thinking much about it when I read it.

I think I was at Crash when I first heard this analysis of Genesis 1. The writer of Genesis, along with God of course, chose their words carefully when they wrote this. “While a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.” Now most people don’t even catch this mark in the writing. Again, I’m definitely not the one who originally stated this, but I will restate it because it will lead to a big point in a second.

When Genesis was written, the Hebrews were, if I’m not mistaken, under control of a Middle Eastern kingdom. I can’t remember who, but it will make sense of why I’m saying this at this point. In the Middle Eastern creation myth, water was viewed as the instigator of all chaos on Earth. In this view, the writer of Genesis used this to show that when God created the Earth and separated the waters to create the “dome,” or land, He had complete control over chaos.

So here is where I can tie all of this in. A lot of you may not know that I have had a real crazy past couple of months. From surgery that ended my football season to a lot of craziness and hoopla mumbo jumbo, I haven’t seen much outside of the craziness and chaos that has basically taken complete control of my life. I never meant it to, but when you deal with the same things over and over again every day, it tends to find a way to slip in and take control of your life. I know that I’m not the only one who has had to deal with this; so this is why I write.

This Winter Retreat is about prayer. When I heard that I thought, “Wow, that’s really simplistic.” Now that I think about it, it might just be the one thing I need. In a life full over craziness and chaos and water: God is the only one with the ability to take control of my chaos. There aren’t many things that we can have complete control of. You can’t control how friends may act or treat you. You can’t control unfortunate family situations. Heck, we can’t really control how thumb joints decided to bend and pop out of place and tear your Ulnar Collateral Ligament. The one thing we can control, however, is to let God take control of our chaos, whatever that might be. I’m still learning to do this as well.

So my prayer for all of us, as well as myself, is to let God take control of our chaos. While everything may not make sense to us, God is just waiting to separate our waters and let the domes of land to emerge.

Hope everyone had a great Christmas.

In Christ,
Zack “Zoosee” Flowers

40 Days - Day 17

2007-12-25T04:47:00.000-06:00

"Go and do the same." - Luke 10:37 NASB

I am currently reading Red Letters by Tom Davis. I bought the book on a whim one day in Borders. The book is subtitled "Living A Faith That Bleeds." The above passage from Luke is the lead-in to the 1st chapter, which speaks of a living gospel. The book does a fabulous job of making me want to change out of my pajamas, empty my piggy bank, and get on the next plane destined for a 3rd world country. Red Letters ignites the fire in my soul to change the world.

Christmastime excites me: the lights, the food, the family, the gift wrapping, the seasonal drinks at Starbucks - especially the seasonal drinks at Starbucks. I like the feeling in the air and the experience of the holidays.

However, the thing I like the most about Christmastime is seeing people bless others out of the goodness of their own hearts. This makes me smile.

I was listening to 88.7 the other day in my car, and Jeff from the morning show was sharing a story about a bank in North Dakota. The employees at this bank get a Christmas bonus each year of a thousand dollars. However, there is a catch to this bonus! The employees must spend every penny of their bonus on someone ELSE. The workers of this bank are given a video camera and sent on their way. They must help a family in need, a single mother, or give it to a soup kitchen. They are required to document the experience with the camera.

As we enjoy Christmas Day and the holiday season, my prayer for our youth group is to give and bless out of willingness, not out of obligation. Even as the holidays wind down, Christmas lights are put away, and the ugly sweaters from grandma are "conveniently forgotten," I still feel the challenge to bless those around me who are struggling in some way. Just because the fever of helping others out during the holiday season dwindles away, we still need to fuel the fire of servitude. The mending that takes place in the lives of those who are helped is incredible, but I never grow tired of the peace and blessing that rains down on MY life; it's a feeling that I will always remember.

Daddy,
I come to you on Christmas day, the day that your Son was born. I thank you for sending Him for me. I thank you for the incredible blessings that you have placed in my life, and I thank you for the opportunity to use those blessings to reach out to those in need. I pray that you ignite an urgency in the youth to serve in Your name, Lord; I pray that we are a living gospel, and we "Go and do the same," like it says in Luke. I pray that as Winter Retreat comes closer, you soften hearts so they are willing to abandon and cry out to You. I pray that You continue to anoint the leaders and staff of the youth group, and that you bless them with wisdom and guidance. I know that You have a plan for our time at Winter Retreat, and I pray that the youth group, as a whole, is willing to drop worldly ideas and follow You without a second thought. You are a Mighty God, a God that can move mountains and cleanse the deepest wounds.
I love you Daddy!

Amberly

40 Days - Day 16

2007-12-24T01:31:00.000-06:00

“Serve the LORD with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
Know that the LORD, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.”
Psalm 100:2-3 ESV

My prayer for this Winter Retreat is that we simply come prepared and that our hearts and minds are focused on the right things. I always seem to hear people pray that God will show up during certain events. That isn’t the wrong way to pray or anything, but I try to look at it another way. God is everywhere. God is ready to do wonderful things in all of our lives. He wants to move in miraculous ways, but I believe we get too worried about Him just being there that we almost forget to be completely ‘there’ ourselves. Obviously, we are physically ‘there,’ but most of the time, our hearts and our minds seem to wander. I pray that this year we will be prepared. I pray that this year we will allow God to move in us. I pray that this year there will be no distractions. I challenge you guys to start preparing now. God has a plan. He is going to do something, but we must be ready to be used.
Amen.

Stephen Winn

40 Days - Day 15

2007-12-23T01:27:00.000-06:00

In his beautiful yet terrifying sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," Jonathan Edwards declared, "If God should only withdraw his hand from the flood-gate, it would immediately fly open, and the fiery floods of the fierceness and wrath of God, would rush forth with inconceivable fury, and would come upon you with omnipotent power; and if your strength were ten thousand times greater than it is, yea, ten thousand times greater than the strength of the stoutest, sturdiest devil in hell, it would be nothing to withstand or endure it."

Yet so many of us ask the question, why do bad things happen to good people? I believe this is altogether the wrong question to be asking given the reality that we live in a world where sin is manifest around us, in us, and through us. The more reasonable question to ask is why do good things happen to us bad people?

Looking at life through this biblical lens, we begin to see that everything good in this poor fallen world is yet another example of God’s overflowing mercy and abundant grace. Praise the Lord who holds back His wrath from us undeserving people! Is not our endless praise and thankfulness due to Him if for no other reason but His unspeakable greatness?

Even Christ’s example of the correct way to pray begins with praising God’s holy name saying, "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name…" (Mathew 6:9 ESV). All throughout Scripture, believers are commanded to praise the name of God (e.g. Revelation 19:5). Furthermore, Hebrews 13:15 says, "Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name."

In his masterpiece, The Imitation of Christ, Thomas A. Kempis quips, "Oh, that we had nothing else to do but to praise the Lord our God with our whole heart and mouth! Oh, that thou didst never want to eat, nor drink, nor sleep, but couldst always praise God and be employed solely in spiritual exercises! Thou wouldst then be much more happy than thou art under the necessity of serving the flesh. Would there were no such necessities, but only the spiritual refreshments of the soul, which alas, we taste too seldom."

Therefore, my prayer is that we would be a people who praise, glorify, uphold, worship, and thank God the Father Almighty, the creator and sustainer of heaven and earth.

May we echo the words of Christ in Mathew 6:9-13 (ESV) praying:

"Our Father in heaven, hallowed by your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

Praise the Lord!
Kory A. Lewis

40 Days - Day 14

2007-12-22T02:57:00.000-06:00

1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “Pray without ceasing” NKJV. Well, I tend to find that verse a bit intimidating. When I was younger, I thought it meant eyes closed, head bowed and don’t think about anything else type of praying, and in my case that would be impossible. There is No way I would ever be able to pray like that for more then 30 minutes. When I finally understood what way of praying worked for me, it made that verse seem possible to carry out. For me, praying is having a conversation with God. Half the time how I hear God talk to me is through nature: a beautiful day, a pretty sunset or the rain is just a few of the ways I find myself hearing God talk to me. And for me talking back to God isn’t always “talking.” It can be singing, dancing, painting/drawing, photographing... Really any way for you to express yourself to God is a way of talking. So through these 40 days of prayer, I just want to encourage you to find the way that works best for you and pray for those we are interceding for that they will find the way that works for them as well.

Daddy,
Would we all will find the way we pray? God would you just break down any walls that people have and are putting up? Would you go ahead and surround the camp with angels? Would they come in ahead of us and wipe out any evil that is there already and start to keep any evil from coming in? God start to soften people's hearts. Make us mighty God. Help us to step into your protection God. I love you Daddy.

Love you guys,
Casey Tinius

40 Days - Day 13

2007-12-21T11:15:00.000-06:00

"But for you who fear my name the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free." Malachi 4:2 NLT

We have all been wounded at some point in our lives. Many of us swallow our hurt and hide our scars in a valiant attempt to appear invincible. Perhaps we feel as though we are the only ones who have ever gone through our struggle and fear of rejection is worse than just keeping our pain inside. This is not how God intended us to live! He never said life would be pain free, but when we do struggle, He doesn’t want us to pretend everything is o.k. God created us for community - one in which we share our struggles and bear each others burdens.

My prayer is that Winter Retreat will be a time in which we are vulnerable enough to share our struggles and receive healing.

Hilary Morris

40 Days - Day 12

2007-12-20T00:49:00.000-06:00

Hey ya'll, it’s Caleb. I’m new at this so I'm not sure how this is going to turn out.

I was listening to my iPod the other day (when I should have been studying for exams), and a song by the Gaither Vocal Band came on called “My Name Is Lazarus.” Previously I would always sing along with it. I thought the song had great meaning, but the other day I finally stopped and truly thought about the song.

The song is set back during Jesus’ time while he was on Earth. It states that while we don’t know much about the men that carried that man to Jesus, we can create an idea of what it was like.

The illustration is thus:

There are four men that are going to see Jesus, and they are carrying a mat with their crippled friend on it. They are all talking to each other, and during the conversation, they start to doubt Jesus’ power.

The first man says:
“I hate to doubt it
For Jesus touched my eyes when I was blind
He made me see and there’s no doubt about it
But this man’s needs are more serious than mine.”

The second man says:
“No need to bother
This man’s condition will remain the same
Though Jesus touched my hand when it was withered
I don’t believe He can heal a man so lame.”

The third man says:“I hate to question
But no one here is more skeptical than me
Though Jesus cleansed me when I was a leper
This helpless man will never walk, you see.”

Then all of the men turn to the fourth man to see how he is going to “criticize and doubt” Jesus. All of the men are completely taken aback when they hear what the fourth man has to say. He says:
He said, “My name is Lazarus, could I testify?
My name is Lazarus, it feels good to be alive
When I in chains of death was bound
This man named Jesus called me out
If you think your little problem is too big for Him to solve
Take it from the one who’s heard the mighty voice of God
A living testimony of his death defying touch, my name is Lazarus!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
All of these men had seen the incredible miracles of Jesus right before their eyes, but they still doubted. I think that we all doubt Jesus at times and wonder if he is really there. Granted, none of us have been raised from the dead by Jesus, but as Nathan (AND GOD) said previously in his message, “if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can move mountains.” If you have any problem that you think is too big for God to handle, just remember that He is God and created everything that you see; He knows your thoughts before you even think them. It is as simple as completely giving your problems to God, don’t hold anything back. He might not deal with it the way that you want him to, but He will always act on it the way that is best.

My prayer for this Winter Retreat is that God is evident everywhere. That everyone will be able to see God, and that God will move in everyone in some way. I pray that everyone will come away from camp different than when they first arrived. I pray that if anyone has something that they are dealing with and are afraid to give it up to God, that they would just realize that He can handle it: no problem is too big for Him.

Caleb Reynolds

40 Days - Day 11

2007-12-19T21:00:00.000-06:00

Ever been without your cell phone? Say you were out one day, texting yourself into oblivion, and then the unthinkable happens-- the ‘low battery’ message flashes across your screen. Moments later, your phone dies. You gasp, horror stricken, at what has just happened. You left your charger at home and won’t be there for hours and hours. How will you stay informed? How will you find out if anything is going on? Surely you will miss some big event that everyone is going to be attending. Everyone, that is, but you because now you have no way of knowing about it. You begin to feel lost, completely out of the loop and in some cases even a bit angry.

This universally understood scene illustrates the importance of prayer. Prayer, in a sense, is like our cell phone-- it enables us to speak with the Almighty Creator of the Universe (commonly referred to as God). It is made even more important because it is the only thing that allows us to do this. Yet humans tend to get more in a tizzy over their cell phone dying than we do about not talking to God. We go out of our way to make sure we are never out of contact with the wider world or with our circle of acquaintances (car chargers anyone?), and in some cases, we even have devices that can communicate with people in more than one way (iPhone, anyone? Yeah I wish, too). Many cell phones today allow you to email, text, get on MySpace and Facebook, and oh yeah. . . call people. Ha. Somewhat shamefully, we spend the majority of our time doing this, but how much time and effort do we put into talking to God?

Throughout the Bible, prayer does some pretty awesome things. It gives unfertile families children; it heals the sick; it’s used to give thanks to God; it calms storms, liberates whole nations of people from slavery and sin, and makes great men out of ordinary ones. It stops plagues, ends famines, and most awesomely of all-- it saves our wretched souls from hell. (We could never accept Christ as our Lord and Savior if we couldn’t even talk to Him.) Prayer allows us to speak with God. Such a simple statement, but look at all of the things that this fact enables to happen. So why don’t we spend more time doing it? I have found that the times in my life that are worst (and consequently, the times when I am farthest from God) are also the times when I tend not to pray. At least, I tend not to pray until things get so bad that I realize that I must; for just like Solomon in Ecclesiastes, I realize that life without God truly is meaningless. None of the awesome things that I listed earlier in this paragraph can happen if we don’t communicate with God. It’s like throwing a party, sending out no notice or invitations, and then expecting people to show up. They just won’t.

So I challenge you, reader of this blog (and congratulate you for getting to the end) to pray about Winter Retreat. Pray long and hard about what God is going to do over the course of those few days and all of the days surrounding it. Because if you aren’t in communication with God, you just might miss out on His big event that everyone is going to be attending. And really, who wants to miss that?

Cameron Nations

40 Days - Day 10

2007-12-18T16:59:00.000-06:00

Micah 7:8 says, “Do not gloat over me my enemies for though I have fallen I will rise again, though i sit in darkness Christ will be my light” (from the DALE off the top of my head version).

This whole week has been long and relentless. I realized it does not feel like Christmas yet, and I wonder if that is because it is just now getting cold or if I just haven't been in the mindset of Christmas. I feel so busy that I forget Christmas is coming, and I don’t get anyone gifts until the last moment. Above that, I do not give Christ what is Christ's until way after the due date. Something is not right about this. So when I remember how fallen I am, I am thankful for that faithful eve when an angel appeared to shepherds keeping watch over flocks by night. If there was no baby in the manger that night, if Mary had a miscarriage, or an abortion, we would have no Savior. Without a Savior, Micah 7:8 would read "and I sit in ceaseless, bludgeoning darkness." The mood of Christmas should be our normal attitude as Christians. We are called to celebrate and worship Christ every day - not merely in the Christmas season but in all seasons. When we do sit in darkness, Christ will be our light. When we fall down, we can get back up.

This is what I would be praying right about now.

"Holy Father, thank you for your Son, not just today but everyday. This winter retreat attune me to do Your will. Thank you for never leaving me in complete darkness. Thank you for the times I get back up by Your strength. Thank you for providing for us and delivering me from evil. Amen."

I love ya’ll!

Dale Allen Lipscomb

40 Days - Day 9

2007-12-17T12:29:00.000-06:00

Luke 6:27-28 has been laying on my heart lately due to some troubles I have been having with my friends, and I have constantly been going back to Luke 6:27-28 for guidance.

"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you" (Luke 6:27-28 NIV).

We need to love our enemies; maybe set some goals this year to send your enemy a Christmas card or a little present. If you are game enough, go to that person and actually talk to them. Forget your differences and love that person unconditionally. I've seen it work in my life with more than one person, and I'm amazed how much prayer can work! Even the simplest things seem to be 100% better once you pray about it. You seem less worried, stressed and you feel in control of things. : )

Ohhhhhhhhhh and there is more... : )We so often in our lives search for love in anything we can. We so easily forget that God is our strength, and He shelters us from harm. His love for us shines through the windows every morning when we wake up or when we look at the wonderful things He has made for us to enjoy in this temporary world. He protects us, gives us food and a warm bed to sleep in. We should be thankful for the things we have, but we should be willing to give it away.

I pray this season we'll show God's love to our neighbors and friends. Bake some cookies for a neighbor, or go caroling to the nursing home. MAYBE if you are game enough, go to someone that is your enemy, and like the Scripture says, go and love him/her. Give them a surprise note in their mailbox just saying something nice to them.

Be a light this holiday season. Show others what CHRISTmas is really about. : )

Heavenly Father,
For this 40 days of prayer, I pray our friendships will be mended, and our love for God will grow! I hope that enemies become friends again, and we will have the heart to forgive them! God forgave our sins and failures! We must forgive others so that we can be like God! He wants us to forgive! He says so in Scripture that He has forgiven our sins. So, we must forgive others as He has done for us. What an amazing and uplifting word, He loves us that much to give us all that! I pray this Holiday season we’ll get closer to our enemies, and we’ll forgive those who were in the wrong. Amen.

Merry Christmas!

Libby Smallbone

40 Days - Day 8

2007-12-16T00:31:00.000-06:00

To be honest, writing this will be a struggle; in my own life, I often go many days and sometimes weeks without praying. I use the excuse that I don’t have enough time, or I find something else to do. I often don’t know what to pray for, or how to pray. I’ve tried using devotionals, but I never seem to commit to them.

"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express" (Romans 8:26 NIV).

Lord, I thank You for this time and opportunity to write this, as You have shown me a weakness in my own faith. I take this time to pray for everyone who often finds themselves in similar situations. For the ones who struggle in finding time or the commitment to sit down for 5 minutes everyday and open Your Word, Lord, I ask You for guidance and strength. As we approach Winter Retreat, I pray for those whom are lost in this world. I pray for those who might be feeling all alone. I pray that You will show up in their lives, like no one has before. For those whom know You already, I ask You to turn over a new leaf in their faith by showing them its not about what or whom they pray for. As long as they pray, You will guide them and lead them in their lives.

In Christ's Name,
Amen

As I was writing, I felt I should share some of my testimony. I once played golf, 4-5 years ago. I traveled the state playing competitively. I was nearing the road of drugs, and I swore like a sailor. I was the most negative person you ever would have encountered. I know now that without prayer I would have never made it to where I am today. I remember times when I played golf; I would often find myself singing and praying to Lord. Even before I had accepted Christ, I prayed. Now that was some 4-5 years ago, but I remember the day I accepted Christ. I remember feeling so new and complete. Shortly after, I felt the Lord telling me to give up golf and to follow His path for my life. After several months of prayer and many sleepless nights, I finally told my parents about the decision I made months before. I had no clue where the Lord was going to take me, but I knew as long as I prayed He would show me. One night at Fusion, I got my calling. There was a spot open on the “tech team.” They needed someone to switch the slides on the PowerPoint during worship, and that’s where it all began. Years later, I am now a senior about to go to college. Throughout the years, I have often been confused on where in fact God was going to take me. It was often hard and frustrating. I remember feeling let down and abandoned at some points, but I always found the Lord's will through prayer.

I tell you this so that you will know life will not always be easy. Though I left out many specific details on the trials I have been faced with, I want you to know that no matter how hard it gets the Lord is always there: all you have to do is open your mouth and start talking.

Lord, I pray for the upcoming Winter Retreat. I pray You will show someone a new beginning - like You showed me many years ago. I pray for those who struggle, who are frustrated, and for those who think they're ready to give up. I ask you to show these people Your mightiness and comfort them in ways they’ve never felt before. I pray for people to know You are always there. It's so easy to give up and place the blame elsewhere. I thank You for the times You never let me give up and for the trials I went through. I ask You to show someone a new beginning, a new start to life on this retreat, or show someone You are God. Everything You do, You have a reason for even though we may not know the reason. However, we will eventually find it, through our prayers to You.

In Christ's Name,
Amen

Andrew Bennett

40 Days - Day 7

2007-12-15T21:47:00.000-06:00

Hey Students!

I am Kyle Witt. I am 17 Years old, and I go to The People’s Church in Spring Hill. I would like to tell you some things about me.

First off, I want to start by saying I'm not good at typing; so, please give me a break. Now instead of starting at the beginning of my life, I want to fast forward to age 11. When I was 11, I went to church, but I was only going because I was told to go. I knew there was a God and all; I just didn’t really follow Him like I really should have. Like today, being a Christian wasn’t really cool where I was from. Well, fast forward a little bit more to December of that year when my step mom was killed by a drunk driver, and instead of doing what I should have and taken it to God's feet, I turned away and blamed Him for it. I was ashamed of God because I thought He had purposely set out to destroy me. Which, as we all know, is not true.

James 1:2-3 (New International Version)
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.

At the time, I had no idea that God could do so many great things through a bad experience. Fast forward even more to age 15, October 24th 2005, when yet again another person that I loved died in a car wreck, but this time I didn’t blame God. In fact, I tried getting back in the church, and about that time the youth group in Spring Hill was started. I went to the first youth group meeting, and two days later I went to Texas to visit family. The entire time I was there I wrestled with whether I should go back to this youth group or not. Well I prayed for the first time in a long time and asked God to just give me a sign; I needed Him to show me the way. Well one night a friend invited me to his church, and as we were driving, I looked out my window and noticed his tire was flat. As we pulled over to check it, a women comes out screaming, “help me, help me, my husband is very weak, and he has fallen. I cannot help him up.” So we run inside to help this man off his floor, and go back out. I stopped dead in my tracks: the tire was full. If that isn’t a sign, I don’t know what is. Needless to say, I did go back to youth group and went to my first winter retreat that year where God pulled my heart to a direction I never thought I could go - youth ministry. I suddenly have this burning sensation inside to spread God's Word to young people. I went from lost to found, from ashamed and abandoned to unashamed and loved, and I tell you all of this so that no matter what you go through good or bad, no matter whether it’s cool or not to be a Christian, never ever be ashamed of God because He loves you. His Word gives you power. If you only get one thing out of this, please let it be this: we are products of the most loving being ever! We are children of God, and no matter where you are or who is around you, please just spread that feeling and love. Don’t be ashamed of God. This verse is something I cling to tightly; I pray these words affect you like they do me.

Romans 1:16:
16I am unashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

God bless you all,
Your brother in Christ,

Kyle Witt

40 Days - Day 6

2007-12-14T23:47:00.000-06:00

I love me some Friday Night Football.

To be specific, I love me some Independence High School Friday Night Football.

Allow me to set the scene for you:

- Four hours before the game, it is evident that our school has turned tailgating into an art form. We marinade our steaks, grill savory vegetable-and-shrimp skewers, stir up some mean chili and make enough of everything to go around.

- Two hours before the game, spirit paint is taken out and everyone starts "paintin' up" for the team. Not a face is left untouched.

- One hour before the game, music is blasting, adrenaline pumping and the student fans are squishing into the stadium. Noisemakers and drums are distributed. Everyone watches out for the team to come in. Then, we hear an all-too-familiar voice bellow,

"Let's hear it for YOOOOUUUURRR INDEPENDENCE EAGLES!!!"

The students are jumping. Cheering. You can literally feel the bleacher stands dip beneath your feet.

Once the game starts, everything is a blur. There are cheers, chants, songs and even dancing. The focus is on the team and only the team.

Because when those Friday night lights kick on, suddenly everyone in the stands is family.

---

So as I sit here on the first non-football Friday of the school year and reminisce at the greatness that is tailgate season, I begin to wonder,

"What would life be like if our youth group could be as dedicated, as passionate, as loving, as UNITED our football fans?"

Then, a certain prayer comes to mind. One that Christ himself prayed, and one that I want to echo today:

"I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me" (John 17:21-23 NLT).

I pray our youth group would begin to pull together and become a unified family. I pray that in these weeks leading up to Winter Retreat, we would gather and commit to preparing ourselves for what God has to do, just as fans get ready for the big game. I pray that in that unity - that love - that we have for God and for one another, others can't help but be blessed.

Nina Coyle

40 Days - Day 5

2007-12-13T18:00:00.000-06:00

"Wilderness and desert will sing joyously,
the badlands will celebrate and flower—
Like the crocus in spring, bursting into blossom,
a symphony of song and color.
Mountain glories of Lebanon--a gift.
Awesome Carmel, stunning Sharon--gifts.
God's resplendent glory, fully on display.
God awesome, God majestic.

Energize the limp hands,
strengthen the rubbery knees.
Tell fearful souls, "Courage! Take heart!
God is here, right here,
on his way to put things right
and redress all wrongs.
He's on his way! He'll save you!"

Blind eyes will be opened,
deaf ears unstopped,
lame men and women will leap like dear,
and the voiceless will break into song!
Springs of water will burst out in the wilderness,
streams flow in the desert!
Hot sands will become a cool oasis,
thirsty ground a splashing fountain!
Even lowly jackals will have water to drink,
and barren grasslands flourish richly!"

-Isaiah 35:1-7 The Message

Our God is a God of rest and renewal. He brings love and replenishment with every breath He breathes into His children. As we approach winter retreat, pray for an awakening of His love and power to take hold of our hearts. Pray that there will be permanent change, and springs will shoot up in the wilderness where there has been no water.

Remember there is nothing that can separate us from His love - no sin too wide for His arms to reach past and no insecurity too deep for His truth to uproot. Pray we will become utterly desperate for our King, and we will not be satisfied by anything less than who He is. He has been preparing us for a renewal - a fresh breath, an eye-opener, a time of healing. Now is the time to seek Him for who He is in this dry desert. Let Him repair you and once again and fill your voice with song. Open your hands and let go of the ruins of the past, and let Him begin to rebuild you in your desperation for His presence.

Olivia Brunson

40 Days - Day 4

2007-12-12T15:12:00.000-06:00

Well… as some of you may know, Winter Retreat is about prayer, and I am honored that I got the privilege of writing this.

So, I am here to ask you, “HOW do YOU pray?” I really want you to think about that. Like, what does praying mean to you?

Is it, “Dear God, I really like the way that you made the sky, and thank you for my food. I love you. Amen?”

OR, “Father God, thank you for all that you do for me. Thank you. I love you so much, but God I have to tell you the way things played out with my girl friend sucked so much. I can’t stand life right now at home, with friends, at church, at school, at work, and the list goes on… I have to be honest with you; it is hard for me not to doubt that I am capable to serve you in a way that could be pleasing to your eyes, ears, nose, or mouth… You are really going to have to help me out here because I cannot make it alone… I need your grace. I love you Jesus.

OR, “Father God, You AMAZE me. I love you.”

Well, the fact of the matter is that it doesn’t matter to God at all! So, you’re either like duh! Where is this going, or um ok? Then, what was all that I just read?

I simply wanted to point something out. I wanted to point out that God doesn’t care what we pray. All that matters is that we are praying. The Word says to “never stop praying” (1 Thess. 5:17 NLT). We are called and commanded to pray constantly. So, will we pray?

There is a song by an older Christian artist called Eli. The song basically talks about this man who died and went to heaven, and when he got there, he was walking down the streets of heaven as the houses kept getting smaller and smaller. He gets to his house and asks God, “Why is my house so small?” God replied by saying, “That was all the wood you sent ahead of you.” So, all of that to say, I am going to ask you guys not to only pray for what happens at Winter Retreat, but I ask you to also pray for what will happen before Winter Retreat. Let’s bring a lot of wood so that God can build whatever He has the plans for.

Nathan Tinius

40 Days - Day 3

2007-12-11T00:01:00.000-06:00

Hey friends!

My name is Marlee Richmond. I'm 14 years old, and I go to The People's Church in Spring Hill. I'd like to share with you a little bit about my life.

I've had a lot of struggles growing up. When I was 3, my mom left my dad, my little sister, and me. When I was 6, my dad remarried an amazing woman named Stacie. She's made me happier than I've ever been, but it took time. God helped me make some incredible changes in my life. I learned that being strong isn't something we can do on our own. The strength we have comes from God.

I've recently discovered that God's been trying to speak to me all along. I just never took the time to listen. When I prayed to Him one morning, asking Him to tell me what it was He wanted me to do with my life, I immediately thought about the Bible. I got my Bible and turned to Psalm 105:1-5. The Scripture reads:

Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles and the judgments he pronounced." - NIV

Those verses really helped me to know that I get the chance to tell others of His wonders, His grace, His mercy, and His love. If you're a young teenager like me and you haven't figured out what God has planned for you, just ask Him. He will answer you, but you have to be patient. Remember...you are loved.

Keepin' the Faith,

Marlee Richmond

40 Days - Day 2

2007-12-10T00:01:00.000-06:00

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
James 1:2-4 NLT

The writer of James doesn’t say to “count it all joy” only when things are going great. He’s not saying that you need to be happy all the time, but too often our prayers consist solely of our wants, needs, and complaints. God loves it when you come to Him with your problems. He delights in blessing, but He is not just a vending machine that shoots out happy endings every time we ask. In fact, there are times when it will seem like He’s not even listening at all. “Count it all joy,” James says. Not because life is perfect or easy, not because you’ve gotten everything you want, but because God is Great. In the midst of my trials, heartaches and failures, He is still moving, and I am blessed just because of His presence. So as you begin to pray for Winter Retreat, look past the “now” and remember what God has done in your life and the lives of others. Remember who He is and rejoice!

Emily Wall

40 Days - Day 1

2007-12-09T21:54:00.000-06:00

O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water.
-Psalm 63:1 NIV

As you find yourself from day to day,
drudging through the ordinary and the plain,
remember that God is just a prayer away
with a bucketful of water that refreshes,
a bucketful of water that renews life
and teaches your soul how to thirst and long for Him again.

I pray that as this 40 days of prayer kicks off that you will be renewed by a bucketful of renewing water from heaven and that every single person coming to this retreat will experience it right along with you. Maybe those around you won't get drenched like you, but they will get splashed and start longing for more. Pray that God will be earnestly sought after in this dry and weary land where there seems to be no water.

Christina Vickman

Yea, you found us!!!

2007-12-09T15:12:00.000-06:00

Hey Peoples!
So, like, starting today we're going to pray until Winter Retreat, and this is where we'll post the prayers and all that good stuff. So, you'll wanna check this blog every day. Please feel free to comment and add to prayers and stuff.
You rock my face!
B-town