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Check out our Creation News Section!
Weekly articles, daily Q & A, and a Creation Comic!

http://www.heart4teens.com/

If you enjoy this free email service, I encourage you to spread the word
to family and friends that we may bring inspiration into the lives of teenagers
everywhere! If you are not on the list and this has been passed along to you,
you can join Heart4Teens.com readers around the world by visiting:
http://www.Heart4Teens.com/Heart4Teens

Stop by our web site to view past stories or to browse through the tons of
resources we have there for teens!

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Finally there is a great filter to block Internet pornography and other
objectionable content! Kristi and I have used this filter for 6 years now
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just visit:
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http://www.hearttouchers.com/books

Michael's updated book Heart Touchers "Life-Changing Stories of Faith,
Love, and Laughter," for just $13.95. Autographed copies are available
at no extra charge and we will pay the shipping for you. An e-book is also
available for $3.25.

Visit the link below to preview the book.

http://www.Heart4Teens.com/books

Be sure to let us know who you would like it autographed for and then allow
about two weeks for us to sign it and send it on its way to you.Credit card,
PayPal, Checks, and Money orders accepted! The book is also available
through Amazon.com, Borders.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and Booklocker.com

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WHAT ARE THE TEENAGE YEARS ABOUT?

Okay, make sure your seatbelt is fastened tight because we're going to
teach you three big words in this little chapter. (You can use them to
impress your parents and teachers.)

People who study teenagers (like, college professors who specialize
in understanding teenagers) talk about the teenage years as being a
period of time between childhood and adulthood. And they say there
are three "tasks" of the teenage years--not tasks like taking out the
trash or finishing your homework, but three things teenagers must
try to figure out related to who they are before they become adults.

The first one is Identity. Your identity is who you are or who you
think you are. We know that's kind of hard to think about. It's especially
difficult to think about when you're a young teenager because your
brain is barely able to handle thoughts like that. In a few more years,
this will be a bit easier for you. Just know that your identity is how you
think about yourself. It's the sum total of all the conclusions you make
about yourself, who you are, and why you exist.

The second task is called Autonomy. That's a big word that just
means "being unique" or "being different." As a teenager your task
is to figure out how you're different from other people. It's about
discovering if you and your choices really matter. It's wrestling
with the question: Why should I be responsible?

And the final task is Affinity. (These aren't in any order, by the
way--you'll work on all of them at the same time for lots of years.)
Affinity is a fancy word for things that are alike. So this task is about
figuring out where you belong, where you fit. Little kids fit into their
family. Adults fit into a certain community or group of people. Where
do you fit? Where do you belong?

We're not suggesting you sit down with a pad of paper and write
answers to these questions. It doesn't work that way. You have to
live with the questions for a number of years. You have to try things
on (almost like trying on clothes before you buy them). You have to
make some bad decisions and learn from them. You have to
experience success and failure.

OTHERS' EXPECTATIONS

One of the major differences of being a teenager (from what things
were like when you were a little kid) is what people expect from you.
You've probably already noticed this.

When you were a little kid, people had pretty simple expectations, like:

- Listen when you're being spoken to.

- Eat your vegetables.

- Be respectful to your parents and other adults.

- Don't lie.

- Cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze.

And other things that don't take too much work to figure out.

But now that you're a teenager, this really begins to change. Adults
will start (they've probably already started) treating you like a "junior
adult." This can be frustrating at times because you won't always
like being treated like a "junior." But it can also be pretty cool because
it's fun to realize you're on the road to adulthood:

- Adults will expect you to have conversations with them.

- Adults will expect you to follow through on whatever you say you'll do.

- Adults will expect you to do your part to help.

- Adults will expect you to make decisions and deal with the consequences.

- Adults will expect that you don't want to be treated like a little
kid (and they'll be frustrated if you act like a little kid).

Do you see what a major change this is? It's HUGE! Really, it all boils
down to two things: responsibility and freedom. You want them both.
Adults (parents, teachers, relatives) will start to give them to you,
although probably not as quickly, or as much, as you'd like.

We encourage you to enjoy this shift. Show the adults in your life
that you can be trusted with responsibility and freedom, and they'll
eventually give you more.

**

Taken from "My Changes" by Mark Oestreicher and Scott Rubin,
copyright 2008 Youth Specialties/Zondervan. Used by permission.
Order the book here:
http://www.youthspecialties.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=421


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Creation Q & A


Q: Is God Unique?

A: A number of Bible verses, predominantly in the Psalms, compare the
revealed God of the Bible to various gods worshiped in the ancient Near
East. Many of us may gloss right over them. We mentally file away such
passages as descriptions of primitive, superstitious people who worshiped
anything and everything, much like the Greeks the Apostle Paul addressed
on Mars Hill who wanted to make sure they had all the bases covered by
not neglecting any god in worship for fear of incurring divine wrath. Sadly,
we often miss the point of these passages, which is not meant to simply
convey men's superstitions but is intended to reveal the sovereignty of our
God over all creation and to discredit the gods of other peoples as impotent
and worthless.
 
Indeed, one of the many challenges directed at biblical creationists is "if we
teach about your God, why not teach about the many other gods in the
world?" That is, what really separates the God of the Bible from the
gods of this world?
 
After God delivered the Israelites from the Egyptians at the Red Sea,
Moses wrote, "Who is like unto Thee, O LORD, among the gods? Who
is like Thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?"
(Exodus 15:11). One of the reasons the Lord sent the plagues upon
Egypt before the Exodus was to judge the false gods of Egypt: "For the
Egyptians buried all their firstborn, which the LORD had smitten among
them: upon their gods also the LORD executed judgments" (Numbers 33:4).
The psalmist wrote, "For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: He is
to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols: but
the LORD made the heavens" (Psalm 96:4-5).
 
The emphasis of these, and numerous other biblical passages, is that
when we compare other gods to the Lord, we can see how bankrupt they
are in majesty and power to the revealed Creator God of the Bible. Although
there are many lines of comparison that we could use, we'll choose just
four particular areas: creative acts, motives, morality, and eternality.
 
Read the rest of this article on our website: The Lord Is a Great God and
a Great King Above All Gods by visiting:
http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/aid/v2/n1/lord-is-great-god

 


Source: AnswersInGenesis.org


http://www.hearttouchers.com/Creation_News

Creation News

Click on the Bible above or visit the web site listed below!
http://www.HeartTouchers.com/Creation_News

This new addition to our web site will give you an article on the leading news
in the Creation/Evolution controversy each day.

This section also includes a rotating Question and Answer feature and a
weekly Creation Comic strip from the people at AnswersInGenesis.org.

Be sure to come back and visit each day for an informative article that will
help you keep up to date on the latest news in this controversial area!


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Thought For The Day

"If you want to be a leader with a large following, just obey the speed limit,
on a winding, two-lane road." --Charles Farr


Verse for the Day

"Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I am full of joy over you; but
I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil."
Romans 16:19


Teen's Thought For The Day

Always be a first rate version of your self instead of a second rate version of someone else.


Parent's Thought For The Day

"Children are likely to live up to what you believe of them."


Coach's Thought For The Day

"The world is divided into people who do things and people who get the credit."


Creation/Evolution Thought For The Day

"The fossil record of man is still so sparsely known that those who insist
on positive declarations can do nothing more than jump from one hazardous
surmise to another and hope that the next dramatic discovery does not
make them utter fools... Clearly, some people refuse to learn from this.
As we have seen, there are numerous scientists and popularizers today
who have the temerity to tell us that there is 'no doubt' how man originated.
If only they had the evidence... I have gone to some trouble to show that
there are formidable objections to all the subhuman and near-human species
that have been proposed as ancestors." -Fix, William R., The Bone Peddlers:
Selling Evolution (New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1984), pp. 150-153.
(Note: Fix is not a creationist.)


Writer's Thought For The Day


"Writing elates me. I'm satisfied and content, I always feel challenged and
I'm never bored. And I can't think of another single career where a body
can have one foot planted firmly on the ground and one foot floating in the
clouds and not be considered a nut. Or another single career where a
person has a license to dream and to buy tons of books on fascinating
topics, travel and be totally legal with IRS."
--Vicki Hinze


Deep Thought For The Day

"What if someone had a huge tattoo that said, ‘I hate tattoos.' Man, that
would be confusing."





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 http://www.heart4teens.com/

Author MICHAEL T. POWERS
Contributing Author to Chicken Soup for the Christian Teenage
Soul and 26 other inspirational books.

Over 145,000 people have listened to popular Chicken Soup
Author Michael T. Powers' free inspirational message entitled:
"Breathing Life into Others". If you aren't one of them
just visit:
http://www.Heart4Teens.com and click on the link
to listen to the free streaming audio message!

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but
Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body I live by faith in
the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Galatians 2:20

__________________________________________


http://www.faithcommunitychurch.net/Youth

ALL-STAR Youth Ministry

--The Youth Church of Faith Community Church in Janesville, WI
 
If you are in 7-12th grade and live in the southern Wisconsin/northern
Illinois area come check us out!  Jr. High meets on Sunday
mornings from 9:30 am - 10:30 am. High School age meets on
Sunday night from 6:30-8:00 PM at Faith Community
Church which is located at 2931 Lucerne Dr. in Janesville,
WI. (About 3 blocks south-east of the Pontiac Convention Center.)
 
Currently we have students from Edgerton, Fort Atkinson, Milton,
Janesville Craig, Janesville Parker, Marshall, Franklin, Clinton,
Beloit Memorial, and Beloit Turner. E-mail me back if you have
any questions about our weekly meetings or would like to come
to any of our events that are listed below... We have way too
much fun and then, most importantly, talk about issues that
are relevant to you as a teenager.


This Week:


August 24

Jr. High: A Whale of a Story

High School: Senior Sunday!  Honoring our Departing Seniors


Visit our youth website to see our topics for the rest of 2008!


http://www.faithcommunitychurch.net/upcoming_topics


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http://www.faithcommunitychurch.net/Small_Groups

Teen Community Groups

6:30 - 8:00 PM Wednesday nights -- These groups are limited to
no more than ten teens and are split into Jr. High and High
School ages. This night is for those teens who want to dig
deeper than what we do on Sundays. These cell groups will also
be doing special activities with each other as the year goes on to
build community.

Jr. High age meets at the Youth Room at church. Questions, call 757-1938

High School age meets at the Powers' House at 1918 Liberty Lane. Questions, call 757-1938


This Week August 20:   The Danger of Prosperity (The Story of King Solomon)

For more info on our small groups, visit: http://www.faithcommunitychurch.net/small_groups


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