Thank You.

Zechariah 2:5 "And I will be to her a wall of fire all around, declares the Lord, and I will be the glory in her midst."

What a promise.  The Lord will protect and in the midst of His protection I can worship Him in His glory.

Merry Christmas.

THE
CHRISTMAS TREE
I KNOW WHO I AM
I am God's child. (John 1:12)
I am Christ's friend. (John 15:15)
I am united with the Lord. (1 Cor. 6:17)
I am bought with a price. (1 Cor. 6:19-20)
I am a saint (set apart for God). (Eph. 1:1)
I am a personal witness of Christ. (Acts 1:8)
I am the salt & light of the earth. (Matt. 5:13-14)
I am a member of the body of Christ. (1 Cor. 12:27)
I am free forever from condemnation. ( Rom. 8: 1-2)
I am a citizen of Heaven. I am significant. (Phil. 3:20)
I am free from any charge against me. (Rom. 8:31 -34)
I am a minister of reconciliation for God. (2 Cor.5:17-21)
I have access to God through the Holy Spirit. (Eph. 2:18)
I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms. (Eph. 2:6)
I cannot be separated from the love of God. (Rom.8:35-39)
I am established, anointed, sealed by God. (2 Cor.1:21- 22)
I am assured all things work together for good. (Rom. 8: 28)

I have been chosen & appointed to bear fruit. (John 15:16)

I belong to God

And that is who He says I am. How about you?

“The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make His face shine upon you
and be gracious to you;
the LORD turn His face toward you
and give you peace…”
Numbers 6:24-26

borrowed from my friends at www.homeword.com

Connected by DROID on Verizon Wireless

CCYouth

This week CCyouth continued the series of lessons on the life of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke. We took a look at Jesus’ teaching from the synagogue in Nazareth when he declared that he was the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy, as along with the hometown crowd’s reaction to what he said he had come to do. We talked about the risks of being chosen by God to tell others about Jesus’ mission and discussed some ways we can meet the physical and spiritual needs around us.

We encouraged our teenagers to recognize that they’ve been chosen, they’ve been called to go, and they’ve been called to speak. The opportunities may emerge right here in our own community or in another part of the world.

Sometime in the next few days, talk with your teenager about following Jesus’ footsteps in this way. Here are some questions you could ask:

• Do you believe God has a role or assignment for every Christian?
• What are some ways you can speak to people about what God has done in your life?
• If you were going to do somewhere and offer your gifts and abilities to help others, where would you go, and why?

You also might want to talk about ways your family can get involved together in sharing the good news of Jesus and helping people with spiritual and physical needs.

Things of Interest:

1.    Pastor Paul will be at e3 tonight Tuesday December 7, 2011.  What an opportunity for us to get to know Pastor Paul better.  Please encourage your student to be there.  I am very excited Pastor Paul would take the time to come to e3 tonight at 7:30pm.

2.    Middle School Christmas party at the church at 3pm Saturday December 17, 2011.  Each student should bring a white elephant gift costing $12.57

3.    Senior High Christmas progressive dinner 6pm Saturday December 17, 2011 meet at the church and we will leave from there.  Please bring a white elephant gift to exchange costing $12.57.

Have a blessed week, and let me know how I can be praying for your family!

CCYouth Happenings

This week, during e3 we continued our series on some of the sayings of Jesus found in the Gospel of John. This week’s discussion focused on a woman caught in adultery, from John 8. Jesus speaks just a few words in this passage, but he powerfully communicates a message of grace, love, and forgiveness—with a challenge to live life differently.

I’d encourage you to take time this week to talk with your teenager about this story and about the need for grace in our lives. Ask your student about ways to show grace to others. Does your teenager find it easy to extend forgiveness and mercy to people, or is that an area where God is still doing a life-changing work?

We’re all at different stages in the journey of accepting and sharing God’s grace. Thank you for praying and for allowing us to be part of your student’s faith journey! Have a blessed week!

A couple of notes to keep you updated. 

1.     Our Middle School Christmas party and the High School progressive dinner has been moved to December 17, 2011.  If you are interested in opening your home to the high school students please let me know.

2.    Pastor Paul will attend e3 next Tuesday night December 6, 2011.  This is so the students of CCC can better know him.  Please encourage your student to attend this night. This is a great opportunity. Thank you Pastor Paul for taking the time to be involved with CCYouth.

Sweet Natalie

Notice how she placed pilgrims meema gave to her.

Connected by DROID on Verizon Wireless

CCYouth Serving in the nursery.

More CCC nursery photos

Living Like Jesus

This week we continued our series on the life of Jesus by looking at three parables from Luke 15—the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost (or prodigal) son. We talked about how Jesus used parables as a powerful teaching strategy to communicate spiritual truths. In these three stories, Jesus revealed his compassion for those who are separated from God because of their sin (the lost) and showed the lengths he goes to in order to find them, plus the joy he experiences when they’re found. We also talked about what it means to repent and how God is always available to forgive and restore.

Jesus was telling these parables to help us understand God’s heart for those people who are still “lost” to him—how is your heart toward “lost” people similar to or different from God’s heart toward them?

As you’re talking with your teens this week, you also might ask about how you could pray as your child prepares to live out this mission of compassion with Jesus. Also talk about some ways your family can work together to connect with people who don’t know Jesus. Have an awesome week!

We had a great time at Red Fox Saturday. The good news about that is I only have 3 bruises this year.  There have been years when I have had 20+ bruises. Our next event will be a bon-fire November 19.

This week we will be putting together shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child. For more information or if you want to be involved you can go to: http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/.

Marriage

10 actions that kids learn from their parent's marriage

H.A.B.I.T.S. (Tithing)

This week at CCYouth we discussed the fifth part of our HABITS series: Tithing. We talked about Psalm 24:1, which reads, “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.” God has given us everything and we are then called to give back to God a portion. This is called a “tithe,” or 10 percent.

We talked about how God gives us all we have and then asks us to give back a portion to help serve people and share the good news of Jesus’ love.

This week, I’d encourage you to find time to talk with your teenager about this lesson. Here are some suggested questions that may help generate dialogue:

• How can you give God back a portion of your time, talent, and money?
• Are you being a good steward of all the things that God has given you to use?
• What is your view of how our family uses money?

Thanks for praying for CCYouth!

Here, are a couple of announcements that are coming up fast.

1.     Girls Night Out:  Carolyn will be taking all the girls on a girl’s night out October 13, 2011.  They will meet at the church at 3PM go to “The Beaded Frog”, then they will go out to eat, and finish the night off with a nice dessert.

2.    Scarowinds:  CCYouth will be going to Scarowinds October 14, 2011. We will meet at the church at 4:30pm. The park is open 7pm till midnight.  We should arrive back at the church 2:00am (we will call on way back if that time changes). The cost is $33.99 if I receive the monies by Sunday October 9, 2011 (we must buy tickets in advance) after that date the price is $52.99 at the gate. Extra money will be needed for food, drinks, park purchases, etc.

CCYouth Beach 2011

The Domino Effect

How Big is fb?

Just how big is facebook? Check this out for yourself. Facebook dominates.

CCYouth version Man vs. Wild

H.A.B.I.T.S (Hang Time with God)

This week we started a new series that can help teenagers develop “HABITS” for personal spiritual growth. Each week, we focus on a different letter from the acronym HABITS. Our focus this time was “H,” which stands for “Hang Out With God.”

In Psalm 1, the psalmist contrasts the way of the wicked with the way of the righteous. The wicked person progressively falls into deeper and deeper sin, while the righteous one enjoys a blessed life. The righteous person is like a tree planted by a stream of water that doesn’t wither and produces fruit. Fruit is the result or byproduct of reading, meditating, and applying God’s truths to our lives.

We believe in the value of parents and teenagers having conversations about spiritual topics. So each week I’ll be sending you some questions that can help generate healthy dialogue with your student. Here are some questions based on our small group meeting this week:
• What are some examples of spiritual fruit that you have seen in your life?
• Have you ever felt like you were “walking,” “standing,” or “sitting” with people who were leading you away from God’s path for your life? What did you do to overcome it?
• What did you learn from meditating on God’s Word this week?

I believe this will be an awesome series that will help your teenager get closer to God. Have a great day!

We also had Pastor Paul and his wife, Suzanne join the youth room for the hour. Thanks for your interest in CCYouth Pastor Paul.

Don’t forget the dates for the beach trip is September 2-5 2011. We desire for every High School student to be a part of this trip. Check out the videos, the pictures, and the information regarding this trip at
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/event.php?eid=244200848947429 or www.ccyouth.org.

The Games

Making the Most out of your Family Part 3

We’ve concluded our family series “Making the Most of Your Family Life”. We looked at Deuteronomy 6:4-9, which explains what it means to fully love God in every area of our lives, especially home life! We challenged students to go deeper with their faith, so, don’t be surprised if your teenager initiates some spiritual conversations in the coming days.

Look for an opportunity to talk with your teenager about our discussion. Here are some questions to help get you started:
• What are some habits you can develop that will help you grow spiritually?
• What do you see as your role in encouraging spiritual growth in your family?
• What do you think it means to love God with all of your heart, soul, and strength?

You might also initiate or suggest some regular times your family can talk about God. When you do spend time together, be sure to take a few minutes to pray as a family. Send me an email or give me a call to share any news on how things are going. I’d love to know!

Some dates to remember; 1) August 24 Family dinner at the church and the “Week of Hope” will share, 2) August 26 & 27 Guys camp-out on Lake Keowee, 3) September 2-5 Beach trip. If you need any other information regarding these dates please see me, facebook or www.ccyouth.org and go to events.

Christ Community Church Tornado Relief

Making the Most out of your Family Part 2

Hey, I have not sent you anything to you in a couple of weeks. Some may think, thank goodness JP isn’t sending anything. We have been very busy with combined ABF’s and then our mission trip to Manassas. We will give a full report (regarding the mission trip) at our monthly meal together August 24. I would encourage you to seek out team members and ask about the trip. (I will start sneaking more pictures and possible videos out, soon.) Other items of interest this Thursday we will tube down the Green River. We will leave from the church at 9AM, the cost is $7.00, plus a bag lunch is needed.

We continued our family series this week by talking about the priority of understanding one another and doing so honestly. Paul offers wisdom in Colossians 3 on creating healthy relationships that are filled with such Christ-like traits as patience, humility, forgiveness, and love. These traits can help teenagers become more understanding toward other family members. Our goal was to help our students examine their families and search for ways to build greater understanding and healthier relationships.

I’d encourage you to take some time this week to read Colossians 3:12-15 on your own and then discuss your observations with your teenager. Here are some possible questions to ask:
• What situations create the greatest moments of honesty in our family, and which situations seem to hinder honesty?
• What can I do help encourage more honesty in our family? How can we work together on this?

Discuss ways you can be more understanding and honest with one another as you seek to better realize what it means to be a parent and a teenager in today’s culture. Talk about how you can pray for one another and take a moment to do so together.

Remember, you’re always welcome to call or email me if there are any ways I can pray for you or your family. Have a blessed week!

Dinner and a Movie

Join us for a night of family fun and support our mission team to Manassas, VA!
July 15th, 6pm Christ Community Church 700 Harrison Bridge Road, Simpsonville, SC 29681.
Facebook Event Link
Join the fun with an animated comedy adventure movie about a 78-year-old man who ties balloons to his house and flies away, with an 8-year-old stowaway. Watch the trailer here.
We will be playing the movie after we eat. The meal will be a “walking taco” bar along with other items. The cost is $10.00 per person or $20.00 per family. 100% of the proceeds will go towards the CCYouth Team going to Manassas, VA for a summer mission July 17 – 22, 2011.
Please feel free to invite others to this event. We look forward to seeing you and thank you in advance for your support of CCYouth.

Making the Most out of your Family

We’ve started a new series that directly impacts you! It’s all about family life and focuses on important topics like communication and understanding. This week we looked at James 1:19-27 and James 3:1-12, emphasizing three keys to healthy family communication: being quick to listen, being slow to speak, and being slow to become angry.

Take time during the week around the dinner table or in the car to discuss the following:
• What are ways we as a family can be better listeners?
• What are ways we as a family can communicate without becoming angry?
• What are strategies we can employ when we become angry?

Be sure to share any thoughts and experiences you have on the challenges of good communication, and take time as a family to pray for one another and encourage one another in becoming a family with good communication skills.

I pray this series will help your family grow stronger and healthier!

What a great summer we have had as a youth group already. VBS, Lake days, The Ice Cream Station, Rachel Kenney visiting with us, Starbucks, Yogurt Mountain, great times of worship and many teaching times. Please be in prayer for us this week as we prepare to go to Manassas, VA. Many good things are in store.
1. Pray that God will prepare the hearts of those we will minister to.
2. Pray for safety as we travel and work during the week
3. Pray that our hearts would be changed as we study John 15:5.
4. Pray that we would “connect” to Jesus in a way in which we have never done and because of a “Week of Hope” we would forever be changed.
5. Pray as we meet new friends.
6. Pray about the memories we will make.
7. Pray that our worship would be honoring and glorifying to our Father.

Thank you for your support of CCYouth.

God Bless and Happy Birthday America

Friendships and Jesus

What a great week. Two days on the lake with high school students (tough job, but someone has to do it), e3 was awesome (full band, great worship), taco dinner at CCC and the anticipation of Pastor Paul starting his ministry at CCC this week.

This is what we talked about this week as we wrapped up our three-week series on friendships and Jesus. Our focus has been on helping equip and encourage teenagers to talk with their friends about what God has done in their own lives and what it means to be a follower of Jesus.
In this final lesson, we discussed the importance of being able to communicate God’s story and basic Scripture that can lead someone to Christ. We talked about how God will open the right door at the right time, and when that happens, we can be ready to respond. Our job is to pray and to be prepared.

This week, take a few minutes to talk with your student about being prepared for those spiritual conversations with friends. Here are some possible questions:
• Do you have friends who have been asking questions about Jesus?
• Are you praying for specific friends who might be going through times?
• How can I support you as you pray for your friends to make a decision to Jesus?

As always, thanks for your love for your teenager and your support for our youth ministry!

Friendships

We’re continuing our series on friendships, and this week we used the biblical example of Matthew to encourage and inspire our teensagers. Matthew was one of the first disciples chosen by Jesus, and after responding to Jesus’ call, he turned around and invited a whole bunch of friends to his house for a banquet with Jesus.

We told our students that one of the best ideas to help friends learn more about Jesus is to invite them to an appropriate setting within our youth ministry where they will feel welcome and accepted. Everyone loves being invited to fun, exciting places. Matthew understood this idea and created an opportunity to introduce his friends to Jesus.

This week, I encourage you to find time to talk with your child about the principle of inviting friends to places they feel welcome:
• Do you have specific ideas for making your youth group a friendlier place for your non-believing friends?
• Would our home be a place where your friends could hang out and interact with some friends who follow Jesus?
• How can I help support your efforts to have a positive influence on your friends?

Have a blessed week! Thanks for your prayers and your support!
Don't forget Saturday night will be our CCYouth auction to help support our youth as they go to Manassas, VA for "Week of Hope." This will start at 6PM with a silent auction and the live auction will begin at 7:15PM. Lots of great items are available and this will be great fun.

Vacation Bible School 2011

Exciting Times @ CCYouth

EXCITING TIMES! WOW!! We are soooooo busy. Sorry for the late update on this. We have been preparing for VBS. So, excited for next week. You won’t want to miss this Sunday and see what we have been preparing for VBS. All of CCYouth, Pastor Roger, Mrs. Sowder, Mr. Taylor, Mr. McCoy, Mrs. MacCrossan, and many more I am sure have been very busy transforming CCC to Hometown Nazareth. And WOW does it look great. Great things are going to happen.

Some of us have also been busy helping Mrs. Cox with some rough, tough manual labor preparing a new warehouse for Events Décor and More. This is to help us raise funds for our summer mission trip to Manassas. Speaking of Manassas you can help by coming tomorrow Saturday June 11 9AM-12PM to our CAR WASH. Also, please don’t forget we need your help with our auction. Contact me or Mrs. Howe for more information.

This week we started a new series talking about the role of friendships in teenagers’ lives. Our focus is on the importance of telling our friends about Jesus—not in a pushy way and not because we see our friends as “spiritual projects.” We looked at words Paul wrote in Ephesians 6, asking other Christians to pray for him as he spread the message of Jesus.

Paul asked his friends in Ephesus to pray for God to open the right opportunity and the right timing to share the message of Jesus with people. In our lesson, we challenged our students to pray for God to open up opportunities for their friends to hear about Christ. Our teens can ask God to open their friends’ hearts and provide the boldness to talk about Jesus.

I’d encourage you to find time this week to talk with your teenager about the importance of having spiritually focused conversations. Remember to offer stories and examples of how you do this in your everyday life, or how you struggle with it. Here are some possible questions to ask:
• What are some opportunities you regularly have for talking to your friends about Jesus?
• Which friends or groups of friends might be most interested in a spiritually focused conversation?
• What fears might you have in taking steps to talk about Jesus?

Pray with your teenager that God would give the right words, the boldness, and the clarity to share the good news of Jesus.

Thanks for your prayers and support of CCYouth! These are EXCITING TIMES!!!!!

Repost from ym360

Something to think about as you start your day: "Your influence is negative or positive, never neutral." Henrietta Mears

Week of Hope

Summer Mission Trip for CCyouth
When: July 17 – 22, 2011
Where: Manassas, VA

What we will do: VBS, Summer Camps, Sport Camps, Assist Elderly in Living Centers, and Work with City of Manassas in clean-up efforts, Serve each other.
We Need Your Help
Opportunities to help us: Donations, Hire a student, June 11 Car Wash, June 25 Auction, July 15 Dinner and Movie $10.00 per person or $20.00 per family.

Pray for these students
Patrick Sowder, Kathleen Sowder, Meg MacCrossan, Robbie McCoy, Caleb McCoy, Colleen McEachren, Bonnie McEachren, Kinzie Howe, Seth Howe, Sierra Attridge Adults Dana Armstrong, Jim Perry

Week of Hope

Thank you for giving up your time last Sunday to discuss and plan a strategy for our “Week of Hope.” I believe that as we travel, work, play, and worship together, relationship will be built and strengthened. I also believe that this will set the stage for the Spirit to work in our hearts and lives, my prayer is that each of us will see God in a real and personal way. Man, can I get excited!
Here are some of the dates we discussed. I have also attached a donation letter to be used for the auction; this letter will be available on letterhead in my box in the general office.
1. May 23rd JP to talk to session about using some of the short term mission budget
2. May 25th Initial announcement regarding “Week of Hope” at the church wide cookout
3. May 29th Flyer in bulletins with all fund raising dates, announcement with possible video, Sundays on Sunday served by team after Worship Service
4. June 11th Car Wash – (Need to get signup sheets into each ABF)
5. June 25th Auction – Start asking for donation, Advertise event, cookout hamburgers/hotdogs, chips, soft drinks
6. July 15th Dinner and a movie
7. July 17th Early morning departure
8. July 22nd Late evening return
As a reminder the $150.00 deposit money should now be turned in and it is our goal to raise the balance through the above fund raising events.

Pray big, pray bold! Just how big is your God. Ephesians 3:12; Luke 11:9-10.

Devotion taken from Planet Wisdom

"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." (2 Peter 1:3)

When you're a student, it's easy to think of "real life" as something that's coming after high school and then college graduation. Or after you get married. For now, you're just in prep mode. Nothing really counts. The race starts for real somewhere down the road.

I remember as a student sometimes following that mindset into a pretty casual attitude about my relationship with God. I felt like I'd need to get really serious about living like Jesus once I got out of high school. Until then, I was still waiting for the all the pieces of puzzle to fall into place on the day I was released from institutional education.

I was wrong. Number one: Today's verse spells it out: You're not missing anything to live exactly the life God calls you to right now. Today. Two: Of course, this is your real life. Now. It won't get any "realer" the day after graduation from anything. If you're not living for Jesus now, you aren't living for Jesus for real.

Think: Do you think you're postponing, on some level, getting real about living for God until you're older? Do you think you've believed the lie that you're not yet fully equipped to live for Him?

Pray: Thank God that He has given you everything you need for life and godliness.

Do: Write this verse down and put it somewhere handy so you'll have to look it in the eye several times this week.

Week of Hope

I am so pleased of your decision to have your student go on Week of Hope with us. We are officially booked to go to Manassas, VA the week of July 17th - July 22nd. I would like to have a one hour meeting this Sunday May 15th at 6pm. This meeting is very important as we will fill out forms and establish teams for fund raising events, you and your student should plan to attend. Please let me know if you cannot attend, otherwise I will plan to see you Sunday 6PM.

Again, I am so excited about this week in Manassas. This will be a great opportunity for spiritual growth.

The Law and Prophets week 4

Just realized how late it is. I have been working on a video for Nick (my oldest son) who is getting married this Saturday, May 7. I am so blessed to have four children and this Saturday they will all be married (YEAH!). Thought I had better go ahead and send this letter now because I know the rest of the week will get away from me.

This week we concluded our series on the Law and the Prophets. The Messianic prophecy of Jesus in Isaiah 52 and 53 served as our text for this lesson. We learned that the Messiah would come in obscurity (Isaiah 53:2), no one would come to his defense (Isaiah 53:8a), and he would take the punishment for our sin (Isaiah 53:4-6).

I’d encourage you to take time this week to talk with your teen about the four-week series we just finished. Here are some specific questions tied to this week’s lesson:
• Why do you think God wanted the Messiah to be born in obscurity to an average” family?
• How does the hope of Jesus’ return give you hope today?
• How can we as a family celebrate the hope we have in Jesus and our thankfulness that he paid the price for our sins?

I trust this has been a challenging and growing series for your teenager. Feel free to call or email me if you have any questions or any prayer requests. Have a great day!

Bedtime Songs

Bedtime songs to the next level. Britain's got talent 2011.

Grace - The Skit Guys

Sunday is Here - Christ the Lord is Risen Today!

Easter

Easter schedule this weekend at Christ Community Church, Simpsonville, SC
8:30AM Early Service - "Living in the Light of the Resurrection"
9:30AM Easter Brunch
11:00AM Late Service - "Living in the Light of the Resurrection"
Come celebrate with us:
He is Risen Indeed
O Death, where is thy sting?
O Grave, where is thy victory

Vacation Bible School

Just put together web site for our VBS at Christ Community Church. Love doing VBS, so much fun hanging out with the kids, sharing the gospel with them, watching them get it and seeing CCYouth step up and serve our church. Check out Home Town Nazareth.

Parents/Student Meeting

Parents Meeting April 17, 2011
Communication
1. Email – jim@christcommunitychurchonline.org, weekly email will be sent
2. Texting – If you want to be a part of mass texting let JP know.
3. Website- www.ccyouth.org or www.christcommunitychurchonline.org
4. Facebook – Jim Perry
5. Blog - http://jperry5777.blogspot.com/
6. Cell phone
7. Twitter – jperry5777
Major summer dates or trips
1. Vacation Bible School – June 13-17
2. Week of Hope – (possible dates) 7/17-7/22 Cost $350.00 Deposit $150.00 5/1/2011
3. Beach Trip – 9/2-9/5/2011 Cost $177.57
Other summer activities
1. Lake Days
2. Amusement Park
3. Freedom Weekend
4. Discovery Island
5. Drive Ball Game
6. Camping
7. Swim Party
Other items discussed
1. Summer schedule for middle school youth
2. Summer schedule for e3
3. E3 parents night every six weeks or so (need to hear from parents – interest yes or no).
4. Volunteers – Mr. and Mrs. Howe have joined CCyouth team. If you are interested in being a part of CCyouth team please see JP.
5. Concerns – If you have any questions or concerns regarding CCyouth – see JP.
Let’s eat
1. Hot Dogs
2. Chips
3. Ice Cream (YEAH!)

The Law and Prophets

We’re continuing e3 a series examining the Law and the Prophets, and this week we learned the Ten Commandments were given as a standard to expose our sin. While God exposed our sin with the Law, God provided a way to give us right standing through Jesus’ sacrifice. Because this is a free gift, we no longer have to play the comparison game; there is no need to compare who is best at keeping the Law.



Each week, we encourage you to spend time with your student talking about what was discussed at e3. Here are some suggested questions that could help guide your conversation:

What are the benefits of having rules?
Does God see some sins as worse than others? Why or why not?
What are some of the best ways we can talk about Jesus’ sacrifice with others?


As always, thanks for your ongoing investment in your teenager’s life. It makes a difference! Have a great week!



We also want to remind you about the upcoming parents meeting Sunday April 17, 2011 at 6PM. We hope you will be able to attend. We plan to discuss the plans for this summer, an opportunity to serve at a "Week of Hope", comunication and we will answer any questions you may have. We will serve hot dogs, chips, and soft drinks.

My Favorite saying

I cannot let other people set my agenda if it weakens my ministry to students!

Quotes

Kids go where there is excitement. They stay where there is love.
~ Zig Ziglar

My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me.
~ Jim Valvano

Leaked Pages from Group

These are OFFICIAL PAGES from the next issue of Group Magazine that, well if your a subscriber, is on its way to you right now! If you don't subscribe to Group.

Law and the Prophets

This week we started a new a new series at e3 focused on the Old Testament Law and the Prophets. Our memory verse from this week’s lesson (Proverbs 1:7) reminds us that knowledge begins with fear (awe, respect, reverence) for the Lord. God’s audible delivery of the Ten Commandments to the Israelites included a reminder of how they had been freed from slavery. From Exodus 20, our teenagers discussed the importance of several priorities: being in constant awe of God (vs. 2, 20), giving God top spot in our lives (vs. 3-11), treating others with love and respect (vs. 12-17), and keeping our motives pure (v. 17).


During the next few days, consider asking your teenager some of these questions:

When have we seen God at work in our family? (Consider building an “altar of remembrance” to help honor the times you saw God at work in your family.)
On a scale of 1-10, how do you think we do as a family in putting God first? Why?
What are some things we can do together to show love and respect for neighbors?

We will be having a parents/teens meeting Sunday April 17 at 6PM to discuss the summer. We will send out more information on Monday regarding this meeting.

Thanks for your prayers for CCYouth and if I can pray for you or your family in anyway please let me know.

SOUL SURFER In Theaters Everywhere
April 8
SOUL SURFER is the inspiring true story of teen surfer Bethany Hamilton, who lost her arm in a shark attack and courageously overcame all odds to become a champion again, inspiring millions worldwide through the love of her family, her sheer determination, and her unwavering faith in Jesus Christ.

The film features an all-star cast, including AnnaSophia Robb and Helen Hunt, with Carrie Underwood in her film debut, and Dennis Quaid. SOUL SURFER arrives in theaters April 8 ... get back on the board!

Watch a Scene from SOUL SURFER
As she recuperates in the hospital following a shark attack that took her arm, Bethany Hamilton wakes up during the night to find her dad Tom reading his Bible in her room. In this scene from SOUL SURFER, Tom (played by Dennis Quaid) reassures Bethany (AnnaSophia Robb) that she "can do all things through Him who strengthens" her (Philippians 4:13, NASB).

How do you connect with God?

This past week we spent time looking at a variety of practical ways in which we can spend time with God. The verses that we kicked off from were:
Romans 12:1-2 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
And
Mark 12:30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.
After reading these verses and realizing all the things that influence our lives we understood that in order for us to be found acceptable and to love God the way we should, we must be connected to Him. We practiced a couple of exercises (some which are awkward for us, we don’t like stillness.)
1. Be quiet and listen to a worship song. Allow God to speak to you through the words of the song. Try it with this song from Gungor – “Beautiful Things”
2. Read your favorite verse and sit still and meditate for 2 minutes on the verse.
3. Take 10 minutes and pray.
a. 1 minute to thank God for what He has given us
b. 2 minutes and confess any sin in your life
c. 3 minutes ask God for your needs
d. 2 minutes bring request before God for others
e. 1 minute surrender to God and His will for us.
4. Read a Psalm. Draw a picture, write in your own words, or write a poem about what you see as you read the Psalm. Use your creativity.
You could talk to your teens this week about your favorite way to connect with God or what you do on a daily basis to allow God to influence your life.

We had another great night at e3. It is so rewarding to see some of our students leading in worship by singing, playing the guitar, playing the drum or by just worshipping our one true God.

One of the most well-known biblical stories is the account of David and Goliath. Even people who don’t read the Bible and never attend church understand the basic event. At e3 this week, we used this familiar story to help our students understand the importance of “protecting” our identities in God. David faced challenges from King Saul and Goliath. They questioned or attacked his identity as the future king or as a child of God. But David stood his ground because of his relationship with God.

This week, I’d encourage you to find some time to talk with your teenager about the idea of having our identities stolen, challenged, or undermined.
• Are your friends building you up or tearing you down?
• How is your relationship with God these days?
• If you could do something big for God right now, what would you do?

Remind your teenager that we can find our strength and beauty through a deeper, more intimate friendship with God—just like David had. Here is a favorite song of mine as a child that not many of the students knew:
Only a Boy Named David



Don’t forget to pray for Christ Community Church this week. Sunday (March 27, 2011) Paul Sanders will candidate. Make sure you are aware of the different time schedule for this Sunday.

Let me know if you have any questions or want me to pray for you or your family in any specific way.

For some useless information we learned that Pizza Hut has 2082 bricks on the front of the building.

Honoring God

We finished our five-week study designed to help students understand God’s purposes for their life. The first week, “Reaching Out to Your Friends,” focused on helping students understand that we are created in God’s image and we have the opportunity to share God’s love with the world. Week two, “Making Significant Connections,” focused on understanding the basic need that humans have to be connected with others on a deeper level. Week three, “Growing in Your Faith,” focused on the truth that we were created to know God and grow spiritually by spending time with God. Week four, “Serving in Ministry,” focused on the truth that God’s unique design provides us with the privilege to serve others. This week our final study was “Honoring God In All That You Do,” and we focused on the truth that God rested on the seventh day to show us the importance of taking time to stop and express our love and worship for God. Using Genesis 2:2-3 and Psalm 46:10, we saw that we were created to honor God.



Sometime this week, generate some discussion with your teenager about honoring God:

What are some traits of a healthy attitude toward worship?
As a family do we honor the Sabbath as a day of rest, or does it look just like every other day of the week?
What are some great ways to prepare yourself to worship God when you come to church?

Current Trends

Taken from Jim Burns HomeWord's Weekly Culture Brief

Current Top Internet Searches - 2/25/11
1. facebook
2. youtbue
3. kellie pickler
4. alyssa milano
5. jessica hahn
6. victoria beckham
7. irs
8. halle berry
9. american idol
10. jennifer aniston
Source: CyberWyre

Top 10 U.S. Websites - 2/25/11
1. Google
2. Facebook
3. Yahoo!
4. YouTube
5. Amazon
6. Wikipedia
7. Blogger
8. Twitter ( 1)
9. eBay (-1)
10. Craigslist
Source: Alexa

iTunes Top 10 Downloaded Songs - 2/25/11
1. Born This Way - Lady GaGa
2. On the Floor (feat. Pitbull) - Jennifer Lopez
3. Rolling in the Deep - Adele
4. E.T. (feat. Kanye West) - Katy Perry
5. S&M - Rihanna
6. I Need a Doctor (feat. Eminem & Skylar Grey)
7. Grenade - Bruno Mars
8. E.T. (feat. Kanye West)
9. F**kin' Perfect - Pink
10. Blow - Ke$ha
Source: Apple iTunes

Top 10 TV Shows in Prime Time - Week Ending 2/20/11
1. American Idol - Wednesday
2. American Idol - Thursday
3. NCIS
4. NCIS: Los Angeles
5. The Mentalist
6. Two and a Half Men
7. CSI
8. Criminal Minds: Suspect
9. Mike & Molly
10. Criminal Minds
Source: Nielsen Co

Top 5 Most Viewed Videos on YouTube - Week Ending 2/25/11
1. Justin Bieber Shot & Killed on CSI
2. Lady GaGa - Born This Way
3. Britney Spears - Hold It Against Me
4. Kanye West - All Of The Lights
5. Radiohead - Lotus Flower
Source: YouTube

Top 5 Movies - Week Ending 2/17/11
1. Just Go With It
2. Justin Bieber: Never Say Never
3. Gnomeo and Juliet
4. The Eagle
5. The Roommate
Source: Box Office Mojo

Ski Trip

WOW! What a great weekend. I hope you have all taken the time to talk to your student about the incredible time we had on the ski trip. I heard remarks such as; “I can’t believe it is Sunday already and we have to go back tomorrow”, “I wish this trip lasted a week”, “I am definitely going on the ski trip next year”, “The ski trip was so much fun, thanks for putting it together”, “What are the dates for the beach trip; I don’t want to miss it”, “I feel so close to God here.” It is my pleasure to report that everyone who went skiing this year made it to the top of the mountain (what a view) and skied down--this is a first in 13 years. There were no major injuries just a couple of bumps, bruises and one adult hyper extended wrist.

We enjoyed three different sessions taught by Jason from Psalms 1:1-3. We learned how no one intends to get involved in sin and stay there; but if not careful, we get sucked in. Jason shared how we are like a stalk of celery and we take on the nature of what we are “soaked in”. Lastly we discovered how we need to be like a tree planted near the water and how our fruit is fed (influenced) by our surroundings. After each session we would break into small groups. These discussions would last an hour or so, they were asked “What did you hear” and the discussion would start (and great discussion I might add.) We also had a time of worship before each session.
Questions you might ask your student or maybe just some thoughts for you to ponder:
• What did you hear over the weekend?
• What types of influences surround you on a daily basis?
• How can I help you soak up the “good” water so your fruit is sweet?

There are many pictures posted on facebook, take a look at them ask your student’s about them.
As always, I will be praying for you and your family. Let me know if I can help with anything or pray specifically for you in some way.

Thoughts

Some thoughts for Christ Community Church
• Are we serious about developing student leaders?
• Have we created service opportunities within our church (not just within your youth group)?
• Do our teens know about them?
• Our teens think serving and leadership are a status thing. Have we taught them this within our church culture? Do we as leaders lead by serving?
• Are their “jobs” that adults are doing that teenagers could be doing?
• Are adult leaders on the look-out for opportunities to cast a specific vision of how a teenager can serve?

Serving

We just completed week four in our five-week e3 study designed to help students understand God’s purposes for their lives. This week’s lesson, called “Serving in Ministry,” focused on the truth that God’s unique design provides us with the privilege to serve others. My hope is that students will have realized they are gifted to serve and will begin serving others today!

Sometime this week, ask some questions to generate discussion with your teenager about serving others in ministry. Here are some possible questions to ask:
• Share with your teenager how you believe God has gifted you to serve others. What are some ways that you serve others individually?
• As a family, how much do we value the importance of serving? What are some ways that we as a family could serve others in our neighborhood, in our church, and in our community?
• How does serving others in ministry help us grow in our faith?
Carolyn, reminded me to serve today as we walked by a handicapped elderly person with a cart load of groceries and I could have just passed the person by but C. nudged me. Thanks for the reminder.

As always, thanks for the investment of love, time, and prayer you make in your teenager’s life. God will reward your faithful commitment!

Growing in faith

We’ve finished week three in a five-week study at e3 designed to help students understand God’s purposes for their lives. This week’s lesson, called “Growing in Your Faith,” focused on the truth that we were created to know God.



You play an important role in helping your teenager grow spiritually, which is why each week I suggest some questions you can ask your student to generate conversation:

Share with your teenager how you spend time with God. What helps you in your relationship with God? What are the things that hinder your relationship?
How is talking with God similar to talking with your friends? How is it different?
What might your faith look like a year from now if you made a decision to spend time with God each day?

Thanks for your prayers for CCYouth ministry! I’m praying for you and your family, too!

Super Bowl Sunday Schedule

Just a quick note to hopefully clear up some confusion. Due to the super bowl and the fact that community groups start new classes next week, there will be no activities at Christ Community Church tomorrow evening. In other words, no middle school youth tomorrow night February 6, 2011. We look forward to seeing all of you tomorrow for Sunday School as we continue our series in James ("VIVID"). What a time of challenge for each of us, as James has vividly told us to let our faith shine through words and actions.

Women's Retreat @ Christ Community Church

Middle School Youth

Parent note 02/02/2011

We’ve wrapped up week two in our five-week small group study designed to help students understand God’s purposes for their lives. This week’s lesson, called “Making Significant Connections,” focused on understanding the basic need that humans have to be connected with others on a deeper level. Students were challenged to make CCYouth a safe place where members can be real and honest about their lives, and get help from each other to become more like Christ.



Sometime this week, take a moment to ask a few questions to generate some discussion with your teenager about connecting with others:

Share about how you’ve been shaped or “sharpened” by your involvement in a small group or church fellowship. Then ask: How do you think you’d benefit from being involved at CCYouth?
What are some moments in your life when you felt completely accepted for who you are? What factors helped you experience that freedom?
How can you become a more encouraging person to others?


Thanks for your prayers for CCYouth. It’s exciting to see God work in our teenagers’ lives. Have a great week!

Note to CCYouth parents

Hey CCyouth parents, just wanted to touch base with you and see if you found time this past week to talk to your students about “reaching out to their friends.” It was a great e3 last Tuesday night and a good day this past Sunday as we began our study in the book of James. We talked about temptation and how each of us has a sin nature. We discussed the fight within each of us as we deal with temptation and how each of us will be tempted, even you. Great learning times at CCYouth for me and I pray for your students.



I also want to remind you (or maybe inform you) of a couple of upcoming dates:

· January 29, 2011 @ the church at 7:00pm we will go to the pavilion for ice skating. Cost is $7.00 in the door $3.00 skate rental = $10.00 (plus any money for food items.) Should return to CCC around 10:00pm

· February 11, 2011 Winter Jam coming to the BiLo Center. Cost is $10.00 (plus food money). Bands that will be there – David Crowder Band, Kutless, Newsboys, Newsong, and many more. We will meet at CCC at 5:00pm and be back around 11:00pm. This will be a great night.

· February 18-21, 2011 Annual Ski Trip. I wish each of you could experience a ski trip with us. This is such a great memory maker. Every time we are with past CCYouth members their conversations always end up talking about past ski trips. Go to CCYouth fan page on facebook and see some of the past ski trips. Jason Armstrong will be our guest speaker, Ryan Brown will be our game master, Carolyn Perry and Pastor Roger Sowder will be our chefs for the weekend (I will be loafing.) We will have GREAT Worship, we will see God’s beauty as it surrounds us, we will play games upon games, we will have great fellowship, and your students will make memories for a lifetime. Don’t let your student miss this time, there are many things you student will forget in time, but these memory makers they will have with them for their entire life. Cost is $177.57 (we never want price to be an issue, scholarships are available see JP or Pastor Roger.) We will leave CCC at 4PM(ish) Friday the 18th and should return 3PM Monday the 21st. Oh, I forgot to say we also ski (SKI SUGAR!)

Please contact me if you have any questions about any of the above and let me know how I can pray for you and your family.

Women's Retreat @ Christ Community Church

Drop Box

Life has a Purpose

We kicked off a new five-week study at e3 last night to help our teenagers understand God’s purposes for life. The first lesson, called “Reaching Out to Your Friends,” focused on helping students understand that we are created in God’s image and have the ability to reflect God’s love. Our prayer is that each teenager will commit to a life of representing God’s love to all people, regardless of their race, sex, skill level, or popularity status and especially those people God has presently place in their lives.

• How active are you at reaching out to others? Do you embrace God’s purposes for life, or is it something you need to work on?
• What are some ways you have tried to reach out to your friends?

Mountain Weekend 2011

WOW! What a weekend! Our family all traveled to Cashiers, NC and spent the weekend in a beautiful home tucked away in the mountains. After, a week of snow and ice, school closures and delays, we decided to go ahead with our long awaited weekend in the mountains. First we must thank Dana and Jason for this gift to the family.

Throughout the whole weekend I was so thankful that we were all toghether. We arrived Friday night and Carolyn fixed one of the kids favorite meals - HAM Gravy - the meal probably costs $.29 and they love it. Then the fun began as we played games until 2am (Uno, dominoes, blokus)

Other games we played frisbee golf, ping pong, laying track, skip bo, apples to apples, some archery game and I am sure I missed some games. Oh, and we even got grandma Hoyt to play a game of Skip bo.

It is always great to have Natalie and Reese around. Got to love those two. Natalie decide to start calling me bubba and she somehow communicated that to Reese and now she is saying bubba. Not sure she is calling me that or just saying words.

Uncle Nick and Aunt Jessica got Natalie and Reese strollers for Christmas and all through the weekend Reese pushed Natalie around in her stroller. It was also so much fun to play on the air mattress with them or to watch them point out the "moose" or "the antelered rabbit." What cuties and so much fun to be around.

Each of the kids cooked one meal. Nick and Jessica made a delicious menu they found on Rachel Ray. Nate and Molly fixed Molly's 3 time award winning chili. Renee and Ryan tacos. Dana and Jason sloppy Joe's. YUM YUM as Natalie and Reese would say.

Can't forget Jason and his puzzle. It was completed (1000 piece) within 2 days and three cups of coffee per day.

There are so many GREAT MEMORIES from a weekend such as this! All I really want to say is God is good. He has truly blessed me and I love my family.

Excited - SKI TRIP 2011

See Ski Trip 2010

Can't wait till February 18-21.  We have a house. The cost is $177.57.  We have a speaker. We have a game master.  We have a bus (hopefully we won't sleep in it this year.) They have snow. They have ski's. Caleb has a bed. Now all we need is you.

BCS

Yes! I broke all the Christmas light rules. BCS championship plus snow equals lights.

Jim Perry
Sent via DROID on Verizon Wireless

Cart

Jim Perry
Sent via DROID on Verizon Wireless

Old memories

After storing this old shopping cart in my garage for years, I am finally throwing it out. Renee and kristy found this cart on a beach trip 8 years or so ago. Great memories of ccyouth from so long ago.