The DEEP in 2008 is over.
Join us as we return on tuesday January 6th at 7.
We hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas.
Leadership Meeting November 2 at 6:30pm
Don't miss the Leadership Meeting next Tuesday in the After School Program room.
And remember to bring back your questionnaires.
We are going to talk to you about the different areas that are available to get involved in. Find out what you are interested in. And tell you about some new plans.
This is going to be a really important meeting and you won't want to miss it!
Youth Alive and Afterschool program pix
Youth Alive has started for both SDHS and SDMS.
Make sure and check them out after school on Tuesdays.
SDHS Youth Alive has already made a huge schedule change! They have decided to meet EVERY Tuesday. Check the calendar above and also click on the links on the right side of this page to get more info on both clubs.
Don't forget Pastor Greg's challenge!
Anyone who brings 10 visitors on Oct 7 gets a free trip to the DEEP retreat!!!
Make sure and check them out after school on Tuesdays.
SDHS Youth Alive has already made a huge schedule change! They have decided to meet EVERY Tuesday. Check the calendar above and also click on the links on the right side of this page to get more info on both clubs.
Don't forget Pastor Greg's challenge!
Anyone who brings 10 visitors on Oct 7 gets a free trip to the DEEP retreat!!!
See You at the Pole
This Wednesday we met at Your Public School Flagpole to join with other students to pray for your school.
There were doughnuts and coffee at both schools.
Stephen Decatur High School
7:00am
Youth Alive is in charge.
about 25 students
There were doughnuts and coffee at both schools.
Stephen Decatur High School
7:00am
Youth Alive is in charge.
about 25 students
and Principal Lou Taylor prayed an amazing prayer over the school. Thank God for a Christian principal.
Stephen Decatur Middle School
6:55am met at the pole.
We met in Mrs. Phillip's classroom for breakfast after flagpole prayer.
about 25 students
Mini Golf Fundraiser after the DEEP
Mini Golf at Garden of Eden
~8:30-10:00pm
~Only $5 per person
~We raised over $180 for Speed the Light Missions
~Every year our entire offerings are donated to Speed the Light and this is our big annual fundraiser. Speed the Light provides vehicles and necessary equipment for Assembly of God missionaries around the world. It's a great cause, a really cheap game of mini golf, and a great time to be with a bunch of your friends.
Jeff and Tina Bowden at the Garden of Eden allow every penny you bring in to go directly toward Speed the Light. It's a great deal for everyone!
and here's the secret info you've been looking for...
drum roll please!
next's week's band of the week is.......................
Dizmas
Self titled..Dizmas
Are you trusting God for a good school year?
Take a few minutes to read over the story of Daniel in the lion's den in Daniel 6:1-28. So we all know that school is starting very soon. What comes to your mind when you think about this coming school year? Maybe you think of sports or dances or dating or big football games. There are so many things to think about that we often forget to let God in and include Him in our plans. It's easy to just go to church on Sundays or come to the DEEP on Tuesdays, but what do you do the rest of the week? Stand out this year! Don't blend in with the crowd and don't be average; step out and let God rock your world this year and you will experience a year like no other! There are many practical ways that you can live for God this school year and be used by Him. First, live a clean life so others will not be able to accuse you. In the Bible, others tried to find fault with Daniel but they could find nothing. He was trustworthy and lived with integrity. Watch what you do this year because it will come back to you. Don't follow the rest of the world, be like Daniel! 1 Timothy 4:12 is a great verse that encourages us to set an example in "speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity". Consider how everything you do this year, even the small things, will affect you. Second, realize that others will try to trip you up in your Christian walk. Important people in Daniel convinced the king to issue a decree saying that nobody could pray to any God except the king. Do we fall into peer pressure from friends? We need to recognize every situation and decide if it's tripping us up. If it is, we need to flee from those situations or from those people who try to trip us up spiritually. Third, we have to choose to do what is right. Daniel still prayed even though he knew it would probably cost him his life. He knew praying was the right thing. In spite of what the outcome would be, we need to do the right thing! If we don't know what the right thing is, check the Bible! Fourth, we need to realize we can encounter difficulties when choosing the right thing. I mean, none of us has been thrown in the lion's pit for doing the right thing, but we all have faced difficulties. Maybe you have faced friend, family, or personal difficulties when you have done the right thing, but God wants us to do the right thing and He will always be faithful. Finally, we should know that trusting God equals excitement! What happened to Daniel as a result of his trust in God? God shut the mouths of the lions and saved Daniel. If Daniel had not obeyed in the first place, he never would have experienced this miracle from God. What are you trusting God to do this year in school? Have you asked Him to give you a vision? Step out from blending in with the crowd this year and trust God to do amazing things! He will rock your world and He will rock your school!
Staying in the Hug
Take a few minutes to read Luke 15:11-21. So in this story, the son wanted to try things on his own and he left his father and went out into the world. We do the same thing to God so many times. God, as our father, wants to keep us in his hug, his embrace because that is the best place for us to be. In this story, there are many things that the son did that we have been known to do as well. First of all, the son wanted out. How often do we want out of God's arms, even though we know it's the best place for us? Second, the son lived undisciplined and messed around with sin. Satan knows how to tempt us and knows how to make sin look really good. Third, the son wasted everything living this way. We think things are going so great when we live the way we want to until we realize that we have lost everything that was so great when we were living for God. Guys, sin can draw you in and it can destroy a lot of things in your life! Fourth, the son found himself feeding the pigs, which is most likely not what he expected. How often do we find ourselves doing things that are not in God's plan for us? Fifth, the son realized that what he was doing was wrong. Do we ever stop to think about what we're doing and how it will hurt us and where it will take us? Sixth, the son admitted he was wrong. Our Father is a loving and forgiving father. We have to admit we're wrong and we have to turn the other way and stop doing what we're doing. Finally, the son got up and went to his father. We need to make an effort with God. We need to realize where we've gone wrong and run to God. Now what about the father's response? It is much like God's response for His children. The father in the story saw his son when he was still way off. Jesus is always watching us and always wanting to hug on us. The father in the story ran to his son, heart pounding, just so he could embrace him. That's how God is with us. He wants to pursue us and love us and embrace us just like little children get hugs from their daddies. The father wanted his son back in his arms and once he was there, the father threw a party! God loves us so much that He rejoices when we come back into His arms, no matter what we've done. Are you in God's arms tonight?
Live Kind
Pastor James and his youth group from Massachusetts shared a great message with us. You know, we live in a world that is full of messages. I mean, we are surrounded by advertisements, letters, phone messages, text messages, all sorts of messages. But what are these messages saying? What messages are being sent and what messages are being heard? There are some very famous messages left by some very famous people that we all know pretty well. But these messages are not very important in the long run. But the message Jesus spread is still relevant today. It is an important, easy, powerful message that needs to be heard and it comes down to this: Jesus Loves You! As Christians, we know this message and our lives have been greatly affected because of it. We know a message of love, hope, peace, promises, and comfort. Why aren't we sending this message? A lot of times we are very exclusive as Christians because it is comfortable but what about the people we could be reaching? Pastor James shared one of his favorite movie lines which is "The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return." That's true guys, people want to be loved and they want to fit in. God loves us so much but He doesn't love us any more than He loves the people who hate Him. The only way to reach people for Christ is to love them like Christ loves us. If his love is shining through us, people will notice and they will want what we have. Guys, your friends are searching for something that satisfies them, they just don't know it's God that will satisfy them! So let's show them! No matter where you are in life or what you've done, God loves you so much! Teenagers and young adults are the leaders of culture, the world looks to us for fashion, television, and music. If others are willing to follow us, why wouldn't we give them something great to follow? Just take chances to love on people. It doesn't have to be long or involved, just a simple act of kindness. Take a look at Ephesians 4:32 and try to remember it as you go throughout your day. "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ, God forgave you."
Dating-Where is your focus?
So we all know how it feels to lose somebody's attention when we are trying really hard to keep them focused on what we are saying or doing. In the same way, God doesn't want to lose our attention. He wants us to stay focused on Him so that we can realize His love and His purpose for our lives. Guys, I'm telling you, being focused on God is the best place in the whole world that you can be! However, there are a lot of things in this world that distract us and one of those things is dating. Take a minute to read over 2 Corinthians 6:14-18. Basically, people are either saved or unsaved, there is no in the middle. These verses tell us that if we are saved, we should not be dating somebody who is unsaved. Even if you have the best intentions and think that you will influence the other person, it will most likely be the other way around. The enemy can use even really good things to pull us away from God! The big point here is that we should not be dating non-Christians. Just because somebody says they are a Christian, that doesn't give you the green light to date them. Being a Christian is a whole different lifestyle, it is making decisions and choices based on your love for God, not just a term that you can use. Second, if you date a non-Christian, it will be a war! I'm not talking guns and cannons, but it will be a battle to stay away from lines that you know you shouldn't cross. It's hard to mesh together two very different lives! Third, people who aren't Christians have very different plans and values for their lives. Where will their values take your focus? It's very hard to keep your values if the person you're dating doesn't share them. Fourth, you will probably be pulled away from God and do things you will regret. Even if you have good intentions, it is still a slippery slope and so easy to cross those boundaries. If you are dating somebody or planning to date, ask yourself these questions. How many times have you crossed the line with the person you're dating? Since you've been dating, are they pulling you toward God or away? Has he/she become a better Christian? Guys, Jesus loves you so much and desires to have a relationship with you. Why do we keep letting other people and things pull us away and take our focus off of him? He will care about you and love and protect you more than any guy or girl ever will. Keep your focus and your heart with him!
Suffering
We all know what it's like to experience rough times in our lives. We have all gone through these times and we will have more of them as we go through our lives. Sometimes we bring this suffering on ourselves, maybe as a consequence of a choice we made and sometimes bad things just happen. But the thing to remember is that God is always always there for us, even when we face these storms in our lives. Read Revelation 2:9. The church is being persecuted but God is looking down on them and loving them. Guys when we feel so down and so burdened, we need to remember that we are rich because Jesus Christ is in us. God never leaves us and when He looks at us He sees us as rich. It's so easy to lose our focus when we go through rough times but we need to press on and trust the God that we serve! He holds each of our steps in His hand and we have to trust that He will pull us safely through every storm. See, our relationship with Jesus can never be taken away from us! Now, we have two options when we are going through a rough time: we can either lay down and give up or we can stand up, know we are rich in Christ, and reach out to other people. Our friends and other people in our lives need us! We have to affirm others' value and purpose in life and let them know how much we love them. We have to let them just vent to us and ask them questions about what they are going through. We have to listen with understanding, even if what they are saying seems crazy to us. It is important for us to grieve with them and try to understand what they're going through. Finally, we should pray with them and pray for them when we are not with them. When's the last time you asked somebody if you could pray with them? Guys, we gotta step up and not care what other people think or concentrate on our own problems. If we are God's hands and feet, we should be reaching out to people and loving them like our God loves us! Somebody might need you more than you think!
Falling....
Think about Roller Skating. If you don't know what you are doing you can fall very easily.Then you have to decide whether you want to get back up or quit. I want falling today to represent sinning, doing things that are not pleasing to Jesus. Everyone will fall , but the important thing to remember is not to make excuses and blame it on others, take responsibility and set out to stop falling and defeat that sin. Realize you can get up from anything and that it is not Gods will for you to stay down. Nothing is too big to get up from and God wants to help you to stop falling over the same things. 1 John 1:9 Tells us to confess our failings to God and he will forgive. Confessing is admitting to God that you were wrong. Jesus does not come running into the scene of the fall and judge us. He wants to help you up, but you need to be willing to see why what you did was wrong and where it is leading you. I challenge you this week when you do something that is not Gods will for you and you fall. Think to yourself ,why was this wrong? What does God say about this? Where is it going to take me if I keep falling? After you think about these questions reach out in prayer and admit you messed up, and let God help you up. That is what keeps you from laying on your back , and allows you to skate through life like God intended.God loves you and is so for you!!!!!
draft
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Doing God's Work!
We can't even begin to imagine the ways that God has picked us up and cleaned us off. He created us, He saved us, He cleaned us up, and He prepared us to do His work. Are we doing it? Take some time to read over Ephesians 2:1-10. First of all, we belong to God! We have no problem saying we belong to this gym or that club but why is it so hard to say that we are children of a king? That should be the truth that guides our lives and the thing that we are most known for! Jesus paid a big price so that we could belong to him, let's proclaim that! Second, we were created and saved by God. He formed us from dust and then came back into our lives years later to save us. God is so amazing! Third, God has prepared us to do His work. The fact that God even trusts us and allows us to do His work is amazing! God continually changes us and makes us able to do His work. We can't keep waiting until we think we are ready or think we are good enough for what God is asking us to do. If He is asking us to do it, He will give us the ability to do it! Fourth, we should be working for God daily. Is it more important for you to do a good job at your summer job or at your work for Christ? We need to wake up each morning and ask God what He wants us to do for Him that day. It's exciting guys! Fifth, God's work is good work. God will do amazing things through us if we have the attitude that we get to work for God today! Just ask yourself how hard you are working for God every day.
Who are you Judging?
We all can have a problem at times with judging other people. Finding faults with them, picking on them, pointing out their failures in life. God tells us in Matthew 7:1-5 that we should not judge others. We do not have that right. Think of American Idol .The job of Randy , Simon and Paula is to judge the performance of the singers. We complain about how hard they can be , mostly Simon. But don't we do that at times. We sit down at our judging table and talk about people as they walk by. This hurts, destroys and diminishes peoples lives. We have no right to do it to anyone, whether they are a Christian or not!Do you want to walk by the table and have others judge your every move?
Jesus shows us perfectly how to deal with this in John 8. He is dealing with the woman who had a sexual relationship with someone who was not her husband. Others were judging, shouting for them to stone her, but Jesus just said "Whoever has never sinned has the right to throw the first stone".. One by one they all walked away, realizing they have no right to judge the woman.
However, Jesus did not justify her sin of the affair with the man, he told her to "leave" her life of sin today.
When you see a friend that is doing something that is hurting them, talk with them, but don't judge them, remembering that you have sin in your life. Don't do it in a manner to make yourself look good measured against what they have done, this is just between you and them.
Who are you judging today? It does not please God and we should all want to please him.
Seeing Jesus In a New Light
How do you think of Jesus? The way that you view somebody can have a huge impact on how you feel about them and how you react to them. When we think of Jesus, we should remember that he was a real man who suffered horribly on the cross for YOU! Take some time to think about the crucifixion. Jesus could have called on angels to save him at any point while he was being tortured, but he didn't. He thought of your face each time he was whipped or beaten and he loved you so much that he thought you were worth each blow. In fact, Jesus knew every bad thing you would ever do and every time you would sin and he still loved you more than anybody else could. The thing about the crucifixion is that Jesus died so that you could be saved and spend eternity in Heaven with him but he also died so that you can have a personal relationship with him. Once you have a personal relationship with Jesus, it will change your life and you will never be the same! It's better than anything this world has to offer! 1 John 4:9-10 tells us that God showed us His love by sending Jesus to die so that we may live. Jesus became an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Now atoning means "to make ammends" so basically when Jesus died, he took care of everything we would ever do wrong. It's like getting a stain on a white T-shirt and then using bleach to take away the stain. Jesus took away all of our stains and made us clean again. Think about how much Jesus really loves YOU and make it something personal in your life!
Boardwalk Ministry!
Hey guys, just wanted to invite you all to join us for a great opportunity this Saturday night. We are going to the boardwalk to do some boardwalk ministry! It is a great opportunity to be God's hands and feet in our area!
When: This Saturday (6/7)
Time: We are meeting at Panera Bread in West Ocean City from 7:30-9:30 for some brief training. Bring some money for food if you want to eat dinner there. After training, we will be heading to the boardwalk until about midnight.
If you are even somewhat interested or if you need transportation or more information, please give one of us a call:
Michelle Laque: 443-880-3334
Kara Cruice: 443-235-0792
Kate McCloskey: 410-991-5590
Counting On God!
Counting on God.
Often in life we count on people to do things for us.
We count on people to show up for a meeting and we might say "I am counting on you to be there at 7".
We can do our part and show up, however sometimes people let us down.
In life God never does. He always shows up. We can count on him for strength to build us into what he wants.
Grab a Bible and read Nehemiah 4:1-23. The rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem which had been destroyed.They had people trying to stop them while they worked. God wants to rebuild your life and make you into something beautiful.
5 points to consider from this part of the bible.
*People will be angry at you for following God!
*You need to daily cry out to God for mercy and help.
*You ned to live for God with all of your heart. Don't just give him half your heart!
*You need to be on guard 24/7. Satan will attack you.
*Don't be afraid. God will fight for you .
As you go through this process of buidling your Christian life in Jesus you can Count on God to show up. He wants this to happen more than you!
Often in life we count on people to do things for us.
We count on people to show up for a meeting and we might say "I am counting on you to be there at 7".
We can do our part and show up, however sometimes people let us down.
In life God never does. He always shows up. We can count on him for strength to build us into what he wants.
Grab a Bible and read Nehemiah 4:1-23. The rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem which had been destroyed.They had people trying to stop them while they worked. God wants to rebuild your life and make you into something beautiful.
5 points to consider from this part of the bible.
*People will be angry at you for following God!
*You need to daily cry out to God for mercy and help.
*You ned to live for God with all of your heart. Don't just give him half your heart!
*You need to be on guard 24/7. Satan will attack you.
*Don't be afraid. God will fight for you .
As you go through this process of buidling your Christian life in Jesus you can Count on God to show up. He wants this to happen more than you!
Baccalaureate Service 2008
The Baccalaureate Service at Decatur High. What a great evening we had together with over 600 people in attendance as we celebrated the class of 2008. We shared tonight at the service the parable of Luke 15:11-24. The Parable of the Lost Son.
I love the fact that I had a father in heaven who watched for me to return before I gave my life to him. When I did return ,he had a great party and welcomed me home.
Alot of us have been welcomed back to our father, but there are alot of people who have not. So because of that Jesus just waits and stands on the look out for those people to return.
if that is you, dont wait. Trust Jesus. Believe in him. Let him have your life and listen to him . He knows what is best for your life, after all he did create you.
Congratulations to the class of 2008, we are so proud of you .
We love you guys!
I love the fact that I had a father in heaven who watched for me to return before I gave my life to him. When I did return ,he had a great party and welcomed me home.
Alot of us have been welcomed back to our father, but there are alot of people who have not. So because of that Jesus just waits and stands on the look out for those people to return.
if that is you, dont wait. Trust Jesus. Believe in him. Let him have your life and listen to him . He knows what is best for your life, after all he did create you.
Congratulations to the class of 2008, we are so proud of you .
We love you guys!
Faith.
Faith.
Do you have this in God?
Do you take it seriously?
Do you live each day like God wants to use you to "move mountains"?
We have been given authority in Jesus when we accept him as our Lord of our life.
Then we get to use that authority , not in arroagant way ,but in a humble way realizing that everything we have and do is only because of Gods mercy and presence in our lives.
Grab your Bible and read Matthew 17:14-23
We discussed this portion tonight as Jesus removed a demon from a boy who was under terrible sufffering.
The disciples could not free the boy when the father took him to them, then the father goes to Jesus and Jesus sets the boy free.
The disciples asked Jesus why they could not free the boy.
Jesus answers (this from the message bible) "Because you're not taking God seriously"
I leave you with that question today. Are you taking God seriously? He is just waiting for you to make that decision.
The Lost Coin.
Are you looking for lost coins?
I know we all look for money when we lose it, but what about looking daily for "lost people" who do not have a realtionship with Jesus.
Do we look for them until we find them.
Read Luke 15:8-10. The parable of the lost coin and ask God to help you apply this to your life.
One point I want to direct you too as you read this .
That what you do here on earth has an effect in heaven. In the last part of verse 10, it speaks of how their is a "party' in heaven when a person comes to know Jesus as their Lord. Don't you want to be a part of that?
Are you looking for lost coins "people who do not know Jesus" daily.
I encourage you to look, you will find them.
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