Fall

Well fall is in full swing! I just did my first raking of the yard and it won't be the last! It's a change of a season and with change brings new things. Our Leadership Retreat is coming up very soon (Nov. 6,7,8). Hopefully we will be able to get tickets for the Skillet concert coming up this December 6, 2009 at the Delta Plex. I love Skillet! Our newsletter for November-December is coming out this Sunday (Nov. 1) Get yourself a copy ASAP!

Youth Group Kickoff

The Kickoff was great! Running around in the dark woods hiding from "Romans" (Parents) as the "Christians" (Teens) was great! Some of us got a little muddy but it was worth it in the end! Youth Group has started with a blaze of fire. We attempted to put out the bonfire with mini squirt guns. This was part of an object lesson. The teens learned how we are on fire for God. Sometimes we allow ourselves to be separated from other Christians making it easier for Satan to put out our flame. We as Christians should be like a campfire. Together it's a blaze that is not easily put out, but separate it is extinguish easily. We can see biblical examples in Ecclesiastes 4:12

"An enemy might defeat one person, but two people together can defend themselves; a rope that is woven of three strings is hard to break." (NCV).

We hope (weather permitting) to have many more bonfires during youth group. CRASH is the Sr. High 9-12 and Middle school (name is a work in progress) is 6-8. CRASH meets every Sunday 6pm-8pm. Middle school meets on the second or third Wednesday of each month. The whole youth group (6-12 grade) meets the last Sunday of every month in a worship and fellowship service.

Summer over?

Summer is almost over...really??? Is it? I didn't even know it began! Such is life in Michigan. CRASH will officially be starting with our start of the year Kickoff on September 6th at Our house (right next to the Church 3790 Lake Harbor Road). We will be having a bonfire, s'mores, games (hopefully horseshoes) and a group game called Romans & Christians if the weather is good. Hope that everyone comes and look forward to a great year!

Homeward bound! We are on our way home. It was an awesome trip and God really looked after us as the severe thunderstorm seemed to pass over us with only a few drops of rain. Everyone is tired and ready to ne home and so am I! See everyone soon.

Pastor Ben

TGI Fridays

Well today is winding down. It rained near the end of the day so we decided to head to camp and grab a bite to eat. Hopefully it doesn't storm too much tonight. I can smell the food so I'm gonna get going!

Pastor Ben

It's beautiful out here! The weather is wonderful here and we are all having fun. We rode the Maverick which was amazing and we are planning on leaving the park earlier to be able to eat supper outside the park. We are having a blast and lots of sunburn! Lookoing forward to getting off my feet.

Pastor Ben

We are off!!

Well all we are on the road for Cedar point it's 6:30am. Nobodys gotten crazy yet but the day is still young! We are praying the weather will be clear all day. Peace until our next check in

Pastor Ben

Cedar Point in T-minus 18 hours

We are getting ready for take off tomorrow at 5:30 am Wednesday Morning. This adventure will be one hard to forget! There will be photos from the trip up on the flickr photo stream (it's on the right hand side of the site). Help us by praying for a safe and fun trip. Thanks and God bless!

Pastor Ben

Yard Pick up

Hey ya'll we are doing a yard pick up Tuesday August 11th at Maxine Andersen's house. We will go after we run games at VBS. Bring Clothes to work in and a servants heart. This will be fun to help someone out! See you all there!

Pastor Ben

P.S.
Meet us at 1:35pm at Church. Should be done around 2:45-3:00 pm.

Our Laser Tag event. I was reminded by a good friend of mine to put this on the Blog...

Twilight review

Well I started reading this book series called Twilight. This is my review of the first book.

The main character of the first book is Bella. She is simple and plain. As we read we hear her thoughts on everyday life and a mysterious family known as the Cullens. As the story progresses we discover that our beloved Bella is rather clumsy and often very unlucky. Bella soon learns that one of the Cullens is quite fond of her. Edward Cullen is in every sense a "dream boat" with his disheveled hair and striking good looks. This mysterious individual, we find out, is more than just a good looking boy but also is a mystical creature known to many as a vampire! *Cue dramatic music* We are then taken on a journey of emotions. In these emotions we are encouraged to root for Bella and her struggle with loving a vampire. After being saved countless times Bella is becoming part of the Cullen family or isn't she?

My thoughts:

First I find that this book is very well written. The story is intriguing as Stephanie Meyer freely speaks that she was influenced by Pride and Prejudice (great movie by the way!). I think there are many positive things to take away from this story. First I find it encouraging as this young man Edward is fighting to resist temptation and he does a good job at it too (even if he is continuing to put himself in that tempting situation). I also find that Edward is a character I can relate too. Here's a guy who is willing to fight for the girl he loves. I think this is an awesome message, especially in the world we live in today.

Negative concepts:

Bella is one of my least favorite characters. Why? I feel the writer does a good job of making her sound plain and nothing too much out of the extraordinary by her friends standards. But deep inside we begin to find out Bella's true nature. First off she wants to be with this vampire known as Edward. Now Edward knows following his true nature (that is to "drink" her blood thus killing her) will surely kill her. He resists the temptations he has but she keeps putting him into situations that are dangerous. Bella pushes Edward's self control to the limits. Now what is Edward needing self control for? Well, he has this thirst for Bella's blood (because he's a vampire) but he resists because he doesn't want to kill her. Bella is aware of this struggle that Edward has, but she doesn't hold back. She becomes accustomed to him being in her room, talking till the late hours (being a vampire Edward does not sleep).

How is this negative? For a vampire it's the thirst that he struggles with but this is also dangerous for those of us that aren't vamps. For guys that is a physical situation that they should not be putting themselves into, ESPECIALLY at the high school level. Yeah I know Edward is like 300 years old or whatever, but still the message is still clear. It's OK if you are "mature enough" and I would have to say most teens at the age of 17 or 18 have a hard time with this so why put yourself through that? Edward jokingly says "Just because I can't taste the wine, doesn't mean I can't enjoy the bouquet" (referring to drinking her blood). There's a reason we are told to flee from temptation...things happen, then the "fun" is over. God desires so much more for us even if it takes a little work to get there, we need to remember to keep ourselves pure.

Closing Thoughts...

Again I have to say I enjoy Edward's character not because he is a vampire but he desires what's best for the girl he loves (Bella). Edward continues to show resilience as he resists temptation (but also puts himself into it). Throughout the book there are discussions of redemption and whether these so called "eternally damned" might be receivers of redemption. I look forward to see how this plays out. God is talked about but not sought after. The positive thing is that the characters generally accept that there is a Creator of some kind. Almost there! They might be able to put the pieces together to find out who the real God is and maybe look to him for answers other than themselves! Guess I'll see how this turns out in the end of this Twilight Saga. These thoughts are purely my own. This is a general review of the book and other aspects that come with it.

Pastor Ben

After camping

Well Camping was a joy and we all had a grand time! We arrived at the Campground setting up camp then we took a hike of about 5-7 miles. Then went swimming in Pere Marquette river! That was cold! It was a good time to just relax and enjoy the outdoors. Nothing is more amazing than being in God's creation. I love the woods.


Afterwords we went to Jone's Ice Cream. Oh that ice cream tasted so good. And the company was pretty entertaining as well. Looking forward to more trips and events!

Life is tough

Why is it so hard to get a library card? Amy and I went to the library expecting to pick up a book or two. Now you need a library card to accomplish this. While in Canada all we needed was a school identification. Simple enough. This is new to me but I have to either have my address changed on my drivers license. Or bring two pieces of mail (has to be a bill of some sort). Well I had one but my other mail didn't count. I am a little frustrated with the difficulty of getting a library card. I thought the scholars would encourage people to read by making it easy to get a card. Guess not...Anyways this reminds me what the church should do. Sunday's we should be welcoming each other making everyone feel important. A welcoming atmosphere is something we should be creating. Stepping outside our little social boxes is tough but necessary.

Yep women are more complicated!

Camping...

Well it's about here. I can the woods calling my name. Into the wild where it's you and God's creation. Walking in the woods hearing the trees sway and bend. The birds singing softly (some rather loudly). Feeling the sweat on my brow as I hike mile after mile. I have a hard time thinking about everything I should be preparing for. I want to just run into the woods! But I remember what I need to bring...

Water bottle with water
Lunch
a snack or two
bugspray
sunscreen
adventurous attitude
Small pack to carry all the above in

Sleeping bag
change of clothes
no electronics

I look forward to this trip, not only because I love the outdoors but because the youth group gets to enjoy with me as well!

Beach Day and July 1st

Well it was a beautiful day on Wednesday! The sun was bright and the water cool. We went to Pere Marquette for a beach day. I have to say that the water was scummy looking! I also know that sunscreen works when you put it on. Sunburnt and tired we still have quite a summer ahead of us. July 1st we are planning on going to the Hazards for a pool party at around 4pm-8pm. We will be have hotdogs, brownies, chips, etc. We will meet at the church at 3:30pm. We will be getting back by 8 pm. There will be volleyball, swimming, bonfire, food. Look forward to seeing everyone there.

Chat with Ben

Hey all I've found a blogging space that I can help keep everyone informed on. Facebook was not avaible to everyone but this is for everyone. As time goes on I will get better and utilizing the web as a communication tool. Stay tuned as I will be posting blogs through the summer. Thanks and God bless!