Elevate Fundraiser

I am also excited that we now have a fund raiser for the Elevate Trip. We will be having a work day on Saturday November 17th to decorate the church with Christmas Lights and other festivities and if you come and work that day you will get paid for your hours and have it applied to the trip. I don't have details as of exact numbers but will have them shortly.

Harvest Festival

We had the Harvest Festival last night at Ocean Hills! It was loads of fun! There were all sorts of bounce houses to have in, carnival games, live music, FOOD FOOD FOOD, CANDY CANDY CANDY, a dunk tank, and the infamous High School Sheriff. They ran around arresting anyone who has a bounty on their head. Want an example? Some KID went to the high schooler gang and gave them a dollar to arrest me. After a good 7 minutes of wrestling 10 high schoolers, I was taken to jail :(. Oh, did I mention that I am extremely beat up and sore right now? Here is a nice picture of yours truly about to get dunked in the tank!

Blessed are the Meek

So, today we covered the third beatitude in our series through the beatitudes. The verse reads: blessed are the meek, for they will inherent the earth. I love how beautifully Christ put together the beatitudes. Truly, as we have been studying through them we have seen how each beatitude relates to the other.

What exactly does the word "Meek" mean? You can relate a meek person to a humble person. And to put it plainly, meek means: power under control. As Christians we have been given the power of God through his son Jesus Christ. We have salvation. We have the Holy Spirit. So how do we get this power? Well, to get an understanding of this, let's go ahead and examine the first three beatitudes all at once.

A person cannot be meek, which is to have the power of God with them, until they are in spiritual mourning. This same person cannot be in spiritual mourning, until they realize their pitiful and poor spiritual condition. And so, once someone becomes poor in spirit (1st beatitude) then they will mourn over their sins (2nd beatitude) which in turn humbles them and gives them the ability to submit to God's will for their lives (3rd beatitude).

Hey what's up kids, Ryan here, for my very first blog on the website. Pretty stoked! Well, as you guys all know we are currently studying the book of Daniel. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Daniel is such rad book, for so many different reasons. First and most importantly, Daniel gives a look of how great God is. Communicated through vivid dreams, God shows us that he truly is in control of everything and he gives us a brief view of what is to come in the near future.

Second, Daniel is book that gives us stories of extreme faith, courage, and perseverance. Daniel himself was blessed with the ability to interpret dreams, but Daniel was not a random pick by God. Instead, Daniel was a faithful servant of God and God knew that he would be able to withstand the constant tests of faith while serving in the Babylonian kingdom. Daniel hung out with some pretty cool guys as well. His friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; also known as shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego, were also very faithful to our God in heaven and they showed their faith even when threatened with death, as we will see this coming Sunday in chapter 3.

Well kids, have a great week, be safe, and remember to pray for wisdom like Daniel and remain in God's word daily. See you wednesday homies!

Blessed are those who Mourn

This last sunday we continued our study through the Beatitudes. We took a look at the second beatitude which is "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." Amazing enough, there is a Bible story that completely illustrates this Beatitude for us.

It's the story of Peter denying Christ three times. Peter follows the steps of the beatitudes, in that, first he sinned against God and realized it (Christ literally looked at him when Peter denied Christ for the third time!). After he realized that he sinned against God, he wept. He mourned over his sin. However, three days after Christ was crucified, Peter was comforted by Jesus himself!

Following the flow of the beatitudes: the first beatitude (blessed are the pour in spirit) is all about having the "head knowledge" of the existence of your sin; then in the second beatitude, once you have that "head knowledge," then comes the emotional response of mourning over it. But, in the end of it all, you will be comforted by Christ, knowing that he paid the price for your sins!

Blessed are the Poor in Spirit

So, today was a big day! We kicked off two brand new series! First service Ryan took us through the first chapter of the book of Daniel, and then during second service I (matthew) went through the first beatitude.

Now, one thing that I have noticed about the Beatitudes (Matthew 5) is that at a first glance, they seem to be quite superficial. As it turns out however, the Beatitudes contain extremely heavy content!

So, the first Beatitude we covered was: Blessed are the Poor in Spirit...



The above picture depicts a homeless person: someone who is poor. However, one thing we need to realize is that all of mankind is poor, in spirit. All of mankind is poor with regards to their relationship with God. He is perfect, while we are pitiful. The best part is, however, that the story doesn't end there! Christ died for our sins, in order to bring us back into that right standing with God. Christ died for us and rose again because we are poor in spirit.

The reason why the poor in spirit are blessed is because once someone realizes that they are poor in spirit, only at that point can they be saved. Once you come to the realization of your own sin you will see the need to have a savior! Who is your savior? Christ!

The Send Off

So, this last Sunday our very own got an official missionary send off during Ocean Hill's main service. If you didn't know, Nathan and his friend Matt (Dont worry i'm not his only friend named matt!!) are going off to Ohio! Now, why would these two young guys go to a place like Ohio? Well, God has placed on Nathan's heart the need for the people in Ohio to hear the gospel! There aren't very many churches out there and Nathan feels he has a calling to go out there and start preaching the Word of God!

I am very excited to see what God is going to do to and through Nathan during this missions trip to Ohio. It will be a very crazy time for Nathan, so keep him in your prayers! So, we are for sure going to stay in communication with Nathan and he will keep us updated on his trip to Ohio.

One question you should ask yourself at this point is: What will become of Agent 47?

The Big Week

So we have a pretty big week coming up at Amped! First off, I'm sure you all have heard about our new series through the book of Romans on wednesday nights, that will be starting on October 3rd. However, our series through the book of Romans won't be the only thing we will be kicking off that week. Check this out: Starting on Sunday September 30th we are going to starting two new series!

First service on Sundays at 9am, our very own Ryan Rojas will be taking us through the book of Daniel. He and I are both really excited to see how God will work through him and speak to you guys about the very awesome story of Daniel.

The other series that we are going to be doing is in second service on Sundays at 11am. Matthew will be diving into the book of... Matthew and will be teaching through the Beatitudes!

So, we have a very awesome week coming up at the end of September. Three new series starting: Daniel, Romans, and the Beatitudes! We highly encourage all of you to attend all three services because basically, every message will have a completely different topic! And so, for all of you "regulars" out there that come to both 1st and 2nd service, now you are going to be twice as fed as before! Getting two different messages every sunday morning!!

Meat and Potatoes

So, this wednesday is the end of our series through the book of Colossians. I just want to encourage you guys to come out on wednesday for the grand conclusion of "life in structure."

However, we are done with Colossians which means we need to start up another book. I've decided to to begin a new study in the book of Romans called: Meat and Potatoes. It all begins on October 3rd, so mark your calenders!

The Mall Hunt

So basically, the Mall Hunt was a ton of fun. Now, you are about to see our "disguises" however, mine was all about the comedy of it. I had so much fun walking around looking like Robert Goulet or perhaps Bert Reynolds. People gave me the funniest looks.

Not one group ever found Lindy and only one group found Kira. Ryan and I were found pretty much by every group though. I was definetaly the easiest person to find, however, my costume was the best!

The Mall Hunt

Hey everybody! Sorry that I haven't posted anything for a while, I have been really busy getting used to college life over at Biola University.

However, we do have an event coming up tomorrow. I'm sure you all know what it is about. But, for those of you who haven't been around at Amped lately, here are some details of what the Mall Hunt is all about:



How do you sign up?

You must sign up in person or email Matthew at: ampedjuniorhigh@gmail.com

Where do I go?

Students meet at the amped room at 6pm.

What's going on?

At 6pm, Evan Liewer the High School pastor, will walk everybody through what a "Mall Hunt" is. Students will gather with their assigned teams and driver. Once everyone is ready, all head on over to the Irvine Spectrum. After the game is over, everybody heads on over to In 'n Out (laguna hills mall) for some cheeseburgers.

What is a Mall Hunt?

Imagine yourself looking for a disguised criminal who has blended into a crowd.... well that is what the Mall Hunt basically is, however, we aren't criminals. The junior high leaders are disguised and are blending into the crowd at the irvine spectrum. It is your duty to locate them and get them to sign off on your score card that you found them.
How much is it?

To participate in the Mall Hunt is free, however, a #1 at in n out is $5.64 :)

The Engagement Party

So, Kira and I went to Ryan and Lindy's engagement party this last Saturday. Basically, we didn't know anybody, however, they had the best steak and beans I've had in a LONG time. I had probably 10 strips of steak and probably 2 bowls of beans. Ryan's mom truly knows how to cook some BEANS!! Did I mention that there was bacon in them?

Here at Amped we are all really excited for Ryan and Lindy's upcoming wedding!

Amped Beach Night

Amped Beach Night is this Friday!!

Where are we Going?
Doheny Beach

How do I sign up?
Email Matthew: AmpedJuniorHigh@gmail.com

What are we doing?
Hanging out at the beach!
Bonfire
Smores
Hot Dogs

How much?
$5 to cover cost of fire wood, smores and hot dogs

What time is it at?
Arrive at 6ish
Leave at 9:30ish

Summer Camp Debrief

Hey everybody!

This Sunday we kind of did a Summer Camp '07 debriefing for all who were not able to come. We showed some videos about how fun the trip was and some photos as well. We had a lot of photos of the baptism that took place on Friday.

The theme of the Summer camp trip is Romans 6:13. Being instrumental for God. We all have the choice to be an instrument for God or an instrument of evil. We can be slaves to righteousness or slaves to sin.

This trip was a very transforming experience for our leaders and students. With atleast three Bible studies a day, we were truly fed the Word in such a way that no matter who you were, God was going to speak to you this trip.

This week I'll post the pictures on the website.

Hope to see you guys this Wednesday as we continue our study through the book of Colossians!

Summer Camp is almost here!

I am so excited for summer camp... its less than one week away! This Wednesday I am going to be out of town so if you need to turn in your check or medical form go ahead and throw it into the tithe box and I'll be sure to get it when I get back.

I have some prayer requests for this upcoming trip:

-safety on the roads
-no injuries at the camp
-God would bless every Bible teaching that we go to
-God would bless the baptism ceremony
-God would bless Matthew as he goes up to speak for the first time at a summer camp. (I'm going to be speaking thursday night, last year Chuck Smith spoke thursday night... I have some shoes to fill. The good thing is that there is nothing I can do to make the message "great" its all by God's Holy Spirit, so please pray for me)


So, if you guys were wondering what to bring to summer camp here is a list:

What to Bring?
-Bible
-Notepad and pen for taking notes
-Plenty of Clothes (including swimming gear)
-shoes and sandles
-towel
-sun screen
-snack money (meals are already paid for, however, there is a rec room with a snack bar)
-sleeping bag and pillow
-soap and shampoo
-tooth brush and paste
-DEORDORANT (Boys smell so bad....)


If you have any questions feel free to email me at: AmpedJuniorHigh@gmail.com

Wavelength House Boat Trip

So, as it turns out Evan forgot half of the food for the High School House Boat trip. Guess who got to drive 300 miles and deliver the supplies? You guessed it... Kira and I went on the house boat trip because Evan forgot his food. Now, I was actually impressed with the trip. It was alot of fun, except for the part when I got rained on during the night (I slept on top of the house boat).

The best part of the trip was when I trained Traffic (the dog) to play fetch, in the lake. Traffic literally will dive into the lake to play fetch... she is become a WATER DOG. My friends, the circle is complete, she is officially my favorite dog that is.... alive (I miss my doggy!).

Amped Bowling Night!

You have to come to Bowling Night. It'll be a night of bowling, fellowship, junk food, and fun!

Message Review

So, I've decided to start making posts about each message we have during Amped. Let's start with this last Sunday.

2 Timothy

So, this last week we continued through the New Testament, studying one book a week in an attempt to get an overview of the entire Bible. We covered the epistle that was written by Paul called: 2 Timothy. Instead of going through the book cover to cover, we jumped around and talked about evangelism. Our call to worship was the great commission (Matthew chapter 28), when Christ gives a charge to His apostles, and us, to go out into the world preaching the Word of God.

The first passage that we read was 2 Timothy chapter 3, verses 1-9. Paul reminds us of how evil the world is, especially in the last days. We took a look at America's crime index over the past 40 years and believe it or not, crime has pretty much tripled! Earlier in the service, the question of the week was: if you were to tell an unsaved friend about Christ, how would you do it? The reason Matthew chose that to be the question of the week was to put everybody in the mind set of evangelism.

We live in a fallen world and all of us have unsaved friends. What are we going to do about all of this sad news? Stand by, dormit, and watch everything happen? Or are we to go out and preach the word of God? As we moved on through 2 Timothy we talked about how we are supposed to be ready in season and out of season to tell people about Christ. Be ready to talk about Christ when you are out of your comfort zone! Doing God's work is more important than ones popularity at school.

We also talked about suffering for Christ. A few weeks ago we covered 1st and 2nd Thessalonians. Paul went to the city of Thessalonica and preached the word. After only three weeks, there was an uproar of people who wanted to capture Paul. Although he escaped safely, it is evident that there are people who do not want to hear about Christ. However, we must show them God's love so that they might be saved.

Imagine if everyone who goes to Amped brought one friend who we has never been to Amped before. Imagine if we had to get more chairs and because the entire room was being filled. I can't wait to see what God is going to do in Amped Junior High Ministry. However, it is up to you guys to spread the gospel, tell others about Christ, and invite them to Amped.

Leisure Night

Amped Leisure Night is this Friday! On June 22nd, we are going to be having a cool little celebration for the beginning of summer and the end of the school year. Pizza, movies, games, and more. Maybe even a little tag in a pitch black church? (the funnest thing to ever do)


P.S.

There will be a Smash Bro's Tournament, come ready for battle!

The Picture Wall

Well, we are slowly constructing a picture wall in the Amped Rec-Room. Basically, the coolest kid on the whole picture wall is that guy with the frog shirt.

Summer Camp '07

Amped Boomers Night

Sign up! We need people to sign ASAP because we are going this FRIDAY June 8th.

Be sure to invite a friend as well! Email me at AmpedJuniorHigh@gmail.com if you are for sure coming.



We are going to meet at Boomers at 6 pm for a fun filled night. Its $20 if you are able to confirm that you are coming (for group package deals). If not, its $28 for the normal rate of all night fun. For directions to Boomers you can call them at 949.559.8341.

The 5th Graders

So, I met all of the 5th graders on Sunday. Now, some of you guys are probably like: AW GREAT, new 6th graders... However, the way I see it is: These guys and girls are pretty much awesome.

I go in there during first service and they basically are already AMPED up, if you know what I mean. The funny thing is: there are a bunch of boys named JOSH.

So, June 3rd is Youth Sunday and we are going to have a barbeque afterwards. Then, on June 10th, the 5th graders.... MOVE UP to J-HIGH... BWAHAHA

The Amped Junior High Email

So, I'm pretty sure most of you guys have your own email address by now. I have one too, however, I think it would be fun if Amped Junior High Ministry had its own email address. So, guess what I did? I made one, Yipee.

Now, check this out, the email address is:

AmpedJuniorHigh@gmail.com

You guys can email us your questions, comments, and concerns. If you want to just play email tag, go ahead and email us. If you want to submit a prayer request, go ahead and email us. If you have any questions about Amped Events, go ahead and email us.

..word....

I am Tired

Planning and running my first event was a lot fun, however, it was very stressful and tiring. However, I had a blast and can't wait for another event. But, for now I'll give you guys 3 words:





I am Tired

Sleepy Kitty

The SPEC-OPS 2.0 Story Recap

SPEC-OPS 2.0 Breakdown

Amped Students were registered into the U.N.I.T. Database. When the students arrived they were assigned an Agent number and a Squad. There were three squads: Alpha, Delta, and Echo.

After a little bit of Training from Agent 310 (Evan), a video came on the screen and described the intensity of U.N.I.T. After the video, Agent 47 (Nathan) comes to the stage and describes what is going to happen:

There are three squads, only one of them will be able to join U.N.I.T. the other two will be erased from existence. Why? Because U.N.I.T. only accepts perfection in their squads.

Basically, this mission was a tryout.

The three squads go on a mission and return back to U.N.I.T. Headquarters to see which squad will join U.N.I.T. However, Agent 47 informs the three squads that they did such a bad job in their performance, that, they were all going to be eliminated.

At this point, all three squads escape and go to the Safe Zone. After a briefing by Agent 110 (Matthew), the three squads embark on a mission to Downtown San Juan Capistrano to find three of Agent 47's henchmen.

This was an incredibly difficult mission. Why? Because Agent 007 (Billy), Agent 009 (Brian), and Agent 0730 (Ace) are Elite Agents and are well gifted in the arts of Covert Operation. However, the three squads did eventually capture and detain the three agents.

After the three squads got the information they needed, they went back to U.N.I.T. Headquarters. They needed to covertly infiltrate the gigantic building without being caught. Dodging a huge spotlight, laser trip wires, motion sensors, door alarms, and not to mention U.N.I.T. Elite Agents.

After a successful infiltration of U.N.I.T. Headquarters, Agent 47 was arrested and sent away for sabotaging the tryout mission.

At this point in the SPEC-OPS world, although Agent 47 is imprisoned no one knows why he sabotaged the mission. Why would the Commander of U.N.I.T. sabotage one of his own missions? There must be something happening that the three squads cannot see...

AmpedOC is Commentable

So check this out, I have added a new feature to our nice little website. I present to you, "Comments." Our website is a little more like a forum now, in which, you guys can post comments. At the bottom of each post, in green, it will say "# Comments." This is a link, click it, and then make your post!

8th Grader

Well, this past Sunday was the 8th graders last sunday! This Wednesday is the last wednesday nice service for them as well! I'm sad and I'm sure you guys are too. However, High School is bigger, but it sure aint better! HOHOHO..

However, the 8th graders do get to enjoy one last awesome event with Amped. I am speaking of course about SPEC-OPS 2.0.

Basically, I spent about the past 5 hours putting the final details into place. Seriously guys, planning an event is kind of stressful. However, I'm confident that you guys are going to love it.




P.S.

Roxie (director of Children Ministries) informs me that there are 20-30 fifth graders moving up to sixth grade. I'm excited for that >:D

What to Bring

So, for all of you guys that have been wondering what to bring to SPEC-OPS, well, this post is for you.

In the application, you are told to wear "black." Now, that can mean all sorts things obviously. However, imagine that you are going to be doing a Mission Impossible mission, in which you need to sneak around in the dark and be as silent as possible.

Basically, try to get as close to Sam Fisher as possible.

Or maybe Snake.

Wear face paint, wear cool gear, just don't bring any knives or guns and we're gonna have fun.

SPEC-OPS 2.0 Sign Ups

Sign ups for SPEC-OPS 2.0 have begun! However, I have some news about this upcoming event:

There will only be 30 slots for this event!!


So, if you want to go to the best event of the year: SPEC-OPS 2.0. You had best sign up A.S.A.P. The doors will close once the 30 slots are filled!!! I'm going for quality not quantity for this event. With only 30 people signing up, SPEC-OPS 2.0 will be awesome. The more people sign up, the more complicated it gets to organize the vent, this is why I'm limiting it to 30 people!

SIGN UP ASAP!!!

U.N.I.T.

Congratulations! You have been selected to join the Undercover National Intelligence Team!! It is quite an honor to join U.N.I.T. We specialize in covert operations. However, we need you to sign up and join one of our new squads so that we can complete our mission on May 18th, 2007!

A.K.A.
SPEC-OPS 2.0

Upcoming Events

So, we have some upcoming events on the schedule. Although there probably will be more than this, these are the "big ones." In May, we have SPEC-OPS 2.0. It will be on Friday May 18th.
Also, for all of you people who are planning your summer right now. Be sure to leave room for Summer Camp 2007, the dates for this awesome event will be July 22nd to July 28th!

Riddle #3

The Following is a Riddle to Discover when SPEC-OPS 2.0 is

If you ever hope of being able to handle SPEC-OPS 2.0 you had better start reading between the lines and thinking outside the box.

Congratulations, you have found the secret message. Now be sure to join Amped Junior High Ministry on one of its best events ever: SPEC-OPS 2.0. This event will be held on........ nice try. I hope you didn't think it would be that easy. I do congratulate you though, good effort! The first riddle is so easy! Just look at how I arranged the words in each sentence! Also there's only one date combination that makes any sense in the second riddle!!

Riddle #2

The Following is a Riddle to Discover when SPEC-OPS 2.0 is:

1 .................................Sunday ...........................April
2 .................................Monday ............................May
3 .................................Tuesday ..........................June
4 .................................Wednesday ......................July
5 .................................Thursday
6 .................................Friday
7 .................................Saturday
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30

When is Spec-Ops?

The Following is a Riddle to Discover when SPEC-OPS 2.0 is:

One could wonder when Amped Junior Highers will be enjoying the fun of Spec-Ops.

However, only a select few people actually know what this event is!

More than that, virtually every person on the planet doesn't even know what date this event is will be held on!

Will this awesome event be held on a Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday?

There is a bigger issue than this: will this awesome event be held in April, June, July, or May?

However, to really pinpoint when Spec-Ops will be held, one must figure whether or not this event will be held on the 10th, 12th, 8th, 3rd, 2nd, 5th, 11th, 16th, 24th, 22nd, 19th, 1st, 9th, 13th, or the 18th.

Life in Structure

So last Wednesday we started a new series through the book of Colossians titled: Life in Structure! We covered the first eight verses of the book and got a glimpse of the background of the book. However, the main question of the night was basically: Why is our series through the book of Colossians called Life in Structure? Well when we went through James, the book about doing good works, we called it Life in Motion. When we went through Philippians, the book about being joyful in every situation, we called it Life in Perspective.

Now that we are going through Colossians we have called it Life in Structure. Why? Well, Paul wrote the book of Colossians to show how Christ is God and to show the supremacy of Christ. Think of it like this, the most important part of a building is its foundation. Just as the most important part of a Christian's belief system is Christ being God. And so, a building with a good foundation and a Christian who believes Christ is God are both in structure. Christ is the foundation of our lives and only by this can we truly have a "Life in Structure."

There was a second question last week. Where is the banner?! It is a little delayed, however, the banner shall come! Below is the artwork for "Life in Structure."

Awesome Events

So basically, The Weekend was funnest thing ever. There were the Notorious Neon Ninjas, The Christmateers, The Army of The One, and the Hidden Valley Ranchers. The Neon Ninjas were victorious, however, I think that the Chrismateers deserved victory. Not just because we were an awesome team, but, because Santa Claus came to town. The Army of the One was pretty cool too, they have an awesome Photo Scavenger hunt picture of Nathan eating a rotting bird carcass. Now, for the Hidden Valley Ranchers, I thought they were awesome, however, the costumes they use were the same costumes for the Harvest Festival!!!

Now that The Weekend is over, Evan and I finally get to take somewhat of a break. However, just around the corner are other events that we gotta work on. Now, you may be asking: What events are around the corner? Well, last night we announced that Spec-Ops 2.0. Also, for all of you summer vacationers, Summer Camp will be from July 22nd to July 28th. So, get your parents to plan the summer now so that you can go to summer camp!

Weekend Photos

Weekend Photos are coming in so if you want to check them out click here!

So yeah

Basically I'm ready for The Weekend to happen now. The youth ministry crew has been working hard to make The Weekend be super awesome. Man... I'm tired though. So, I'm excited for this thing to get going already!

If you haven't signed up for The Weekend yet.. hurry up man!!

If you haven't invited a friend.. you are mean! How can you call someone a friend and yet not even invite them to the best Amped event of the year?!



P.S.

Life in Structure is coming :)

Its coming

I'm sure you guys all know by now! The Weekend is coming! You guys need to sign up ASAP. Also, don't forget to invite friends to come along. The Weekend is a perfect opportunity to bring friends that don't know Christ to a Christian environment. It's a transforming experience for anybody who comes!!!

www.frequencyoc.com/weekend

God deserves our Worship

Amped had its first Night of Worship! The whole night was dedicated to worshiping God. Now, you may be thinking "how boring" but I'll let you know something: God deserves all of our worship. Why?

Last night Nathan taught us about worship. He told us that God deserves worship because He is God. He created all things. Including all of the stars, all of the mountains, every animal, and you. God also deserves worship becaused He is good and all loving. God loves us so much that He died for us. How crazy is it that God would die for sinners?

Now, what could we have done last night to remember how loving God is? Take communion of course! Last night we took communion because we really wanted to understand how loving God is and how much He deserves our worship. Christ died for us and took away our sins. There was no way for us to save ourselves so Christ died for us. I am thankful for Christ's love and for that I worship Him.

So what's going on with Amped?

Join us on Sunday mornings at 9 and 11am! Matthew and Nathan will be taking us through the Bible from 30,000 Feet! Also, don't forget to come on Wednesday nights at 7pm when Matthew will be walking us through the book of Colossians in the series titled "Life in Structure." This new series will teach us about the supremacy of Christ and how to have a well structured life. In order to have a well structured life, we need to set Christ as the foundation of our lives.

Be sure to sign up for THE WEEKEND. It's only $60, for a weekend of fun and growing closer to God and to each other.

Night of Worship

I don't know about you guys, but I love to worship God. Why do you may ask? Well, God has given me so much in my life that I can't help but worship Him. He has blessed me with countless things ranging from my health to my opportunity to serve with Amped Junior High. However, greater than all of these things God has forgiven my sins.

God left His awesome glory in heaven to come to this world in the form as a man. A man named Jesus. Jesus allowed himself to be crucified in order that I may have eternal life. Christ came to this world so that He could replace my death. He died so that I could live with Him forever in paradise. Jesus died and rose again from the dead. For this I praise God with all that I am.

On March 7th, Amped Junior High is going to have it's first Night of Worship where we are going to dedicate the night to worshiping God and taking communion. So, if you were wondering "why do we worship?" well, my reason for praising God should be your reason as well. Every Christian should be worshiping God because God has given them eternal life.

Get your Friends to Come!

So, with the upcoming event "THE WEEKEND" I've been thinking about how awesome it's gonna be. The Weekend is going to be a lot of fun, and it is a huge opportunity for people who aren't Christians to get to know Christ as their Lord and Savior. So, I just want to encourage you guys to invite all of your friends to this awesome event because frankly, there is going to be robots. What else can you ask for? So guys, be sure to sign up for The Weekend, and be extra sure to invite all of your friends! Grab some fliers and give them to your buddies.

Speaking of robots, my favorite robot is Optimus Prime, and well this guy is pretty funny looking too.

What's After White Noise?

Who's tired? Who's sore? Who wants to go back?!



Pretty much all of the above applies to me. I'm tired, I'm sore, and I want to go back! White Noise was a blast. From the hot chocolate to the small groups to hitting the slopes, everything was better than expected.



While up in the mountains, we learned how to Love God and Love People. We learned how to Love God by looking at the life of Paul and his relationship with Christ. Also, we learend how to Love People by examining the story of the Good Samaritan, and his loving heart.



So, now that White Noise is over, what is the next event that we are looking forward to? To let you guys know something, there is nothing to look forward to. Because in 6 weeks, Robots are going to take over Ocean Hills.

Happy 100th Post

So here we are, 100 posts later. It seems like only a few weeks ago that we were at 50 posts. As i write this, I am curios how many posts there will be in 2007. So I am going to make a guess. I am guess that by the time the Giant Ball drops in Time Square that we will have a total of 300 posts so far. Thats 200 more this year, and I think we can do it. Oh and by the way, Tomorrow is WHITE NOISE!

Last Night's Worship

If you take a look at this picture you may see someone missing. Let's see here... we have Avalon, Kennedy, Jimmy, and Michael. Wait a second, where's Mark?!

Last night Mark was unable to come and lead worship and guess what. Jimmy lead guitar while Kennedy and Avalon lead in singing! I think I even heard Jimmy singing!

Last night the Amped Student Worship team stepped up to the plate and hit a home run! The Holy Spirit fell on all of us during worship... Great work guys!

Tonight

I am really excited about 2007. White Noise is right around the corner and there are less than 10 spaces left. We are continuing our Life is Perspective series through the book of James and this Sunday we will look at the book of Malachi, the final book in the Old Testament, whoo hoo!