Memory Scripture 1Cor 15:58

The maximum score is 33pts

Teens:
April:0
Ashley: 31
Cynthia:31
Daniel:21
Drew:0
Erick:32
Frank:0
Jp:0
Justine:33
Kevin Tan: 33
Luis:29
Matt:33
Michael:0
Mikey:0
Ray:31
Rodconey:0

Teen Leaders:
Ejay:13
John Q: 33
Karina: 33
Marco:32
Maria:33

Quiet Time Series

What's happening. I just wanted to see how the Quiet Time Series is going for people. I know we didn't give the specific start date but it was Monday. Let's hear the good news, comments, questions, etc.

ICE SKATIN

Hey Everyone.....I wanted to share a great time some of us shared on Sat. We bundled up and headed to Pasadena Ice Rink....

Definitely unforgettable...tryin on 4 different ice skates till they were comfortable enough, playin tag with Mikey and Erick, tryin to make others fall,,,hahaha, seeing Matt get off the wall and do a fantastic job, Drew's ice dance..lol, meeting Ashley's friend Karina (Corina?)...spelling..lol, having Drew's cousin Devon with us was hilarious, and Justine joining us later in the evening. It was a fun and memorable time for Christmas. : D

Memory Scripture Prov 24:16

The maximum score was 19 points.
Teens
April:0
Ashely:19
Cynthia:0
Daniel:0
Drew:0
Erick:0
Frankie:0
Jp: 19
Justine:19
Kelly:19
Kevin Tan:19
Luis:0
Matt:19
Michael: 15
Mikey:19
Ray:0
Rodney:0

Teen Leaders
Ejay:18
John Q: 19
Karina:19
Marco:19
Maria:19

WOW! Yeah much better guys.
Lets not let the junior high beat us!

Encouragement for Abram from the JHM!

Hello family,

I just wanted to share how encouraged we are to know that Abram is doing good and is recovering fast - even though it's still tough, God is providing strength to Abram. God is soO good! The teens did a wonderful job in sending their big hearts to Abram today by making this board full of their well wishes and greetings for our awesome brother in Christ! It was refreshing.. just as Prov 25:11 says "A generous man will prosper;
he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed."

Let's continue to keep Abram and Lisa in our prayers because I truly believe that God is listening to all our prayer requests! :D




Much Love! :)

What's Going On?

What's up? There's been little activity on the blog. What's up w/that? Let's get it cracking and let the ministry know what's going on in your life. As for the Halls, please pray that God will provide a new tenant for our house in Fontana. We need that ASAP. Now, let us know what's going on w/you.

Thanksgiving 2008

[Marcel shared Psalm 100 to us]

We're so grateful for our Team of devoted brothers and sisters in the Teen Ministry! Thank you again Halls for hosting our traditional pre- Thanksgiving dinner as usual! Karina's hard work was delish :D God has truly put you all in our lives so that we could seek God and be closer to him. Acts 17:26-28 and Acts 2:42 was lived out every time we broke bread together! I love it! Thank you everyone for all your hearts that are precious than gold! :)

Love,
Miglyn

11.27.08

Memory Scripture Score James1:2-4

Hey Family i hope you guys are doing excellent and ready to celebrate Thanksgiving with your family and loves ones. I have the scores hot and ready to go. The maximum score you guys could of recieved is 40 points.

Teens:
Ashely:40
Cynthia:32
Erick:36
JP: 0
Luis:23
Matt:40

Teen Leaders:
Ejay:40
Karina:39
Marco: 39
Maria:40

Much better scores but i noticed that more people did not turn in their test. Please lets encourage eachother to good deeds so we can get everyone to get perfect scores.

New Update on Abram's Status.

Hello Family!

I just wanted to share a text I received from Lisa about Abram's hospital update. She said...

"Abram is scheduled for surgery at Glendale Memorial tomorrow [Wednesday] at noon. His pain got worse today because he got a slight infection at the pin site. He started on antibiotics yesterday :(. This is stressful, we're gonna be in the hospital for Thanksgiving."

This all the info I know so far about Abram. But lets continue to pray for his well being and for the surgery to go smoothly.

I hope that we can all call them at least on Thanksgiving day as well. Although Abram would most likely receive your encouraging emails or ecards right away I believe. But do both if you're in doubt! :D

His cell number is: 626.233.9145 Email: apologos@gmail.com
Lisa's: 213.215.5694 Email: xiolisa@gmail.com

Thank you in advance for all your love and support for our awesome brother and sister, The Guerras!!! :D

Abram Update

I went to the hospital yesterday and saw Abram. Considering the circumstances, he's doing pretty well. However, he still has to have another surgery. So, let's continue to pray for him and Lisa.

Pray For Abram

As most of you know, our dear brother and faithful Junior High Ministry Leader, Abram Guerra, was in a motorcycle accident this past weekend. He will be fine but he did suffer a broken arm and leg. He told me that his surgery on Sunday was successful but will remain in the hospital a couple of more days. Please pray for him to have a speedy recovery and that someone will become a disciple from all of this.

April's Baptism!!!

Here's some of the photos of April's Baptism. A few more are on my "Miracles from God" album on facebook. Congratulations again April! We're all so happy for you!! :D

woohoo!!

APRIL GOT BAPTIZED!! I'm so proud of you April. May you stand strong in the faith. Love you dude!

Memory Scripture Quiz!

Hey family, i hope you guys are enjoying the beggining of the week; and lets also be encouaraged by April's babtism which defenitely brought glory to God.

The scores for the memory scripture is here ( YAY). The maximum score you guys can get is 23 points.

Teens:
April:15
Ashley:23
Erick:22
Cynthia:21
Kevin:21
Matt:21
Mikey:23

Teen Leaders:
John Q:23
Karina:22
Maria:23
Marco:5

If you guys dont write your name on the quiz i can't give you credit! So one of you guys lost
a perfect score. Just for this time i will let that person slide if they talk to me before friday. However, there will be no exceptions afterwards! Thanks teen family.

Memory Scripture Score's

Well family, is that time again when we get to stretch our spiritual minds with the word of God. If some of you guys are under performing with the memory scriptures please STUDY! Is really important we hide the scriptures in our hearts so we can fight our daily battle with sin and stay near Christ. AMEN!

The max points you can recieve is 16points, so here it is:

TEENS:
April: 0
Ashely:16
Cynthia:15
Erick:15
JP:0
Justine:16
Kevin:16
Erick:16
Rodney:0
Matt:0
Drew:0
Daniel:0
Ray:0
Frankie:0
Michael:0


Teen Leaders:
Karina: 15
John Q: 16
Marco:1
EJay: 0
(If your name doesn't appear is because your test was never turned in, thus, is an automatic 0 points)

Lip Sync'n

Hey ya'll...let me just share that ALL of you are amazing people...your warmth, zeal, brotherhood or sisterhood, and friendships are so encouraging to my faith...and have allowed me to be reminded of God's care for us all....like Ktan and Justine shared..the weekend was AMAZING>..I believe we have all learned a lot..left that mountain inspired and faithful to our Lord. Im so proud of our ministry and truly feel honored to be here in it!!!...BABAYYY!!!!...

Besides that...here are our oh so famous Lip Sync performances....OH MAN!!!>>You guys are supa fly!!...Doin yo thang!!..and showin us all how its done!!..Come on Drew...oh i mean Mr. Jackson...haha....watch out Maria leadin the show...oh and who can forget the gansta of all gangstas....PAOLA....(spelling?)...!!!!...Homegirl knows what's up...haha....Fun times..unforgettable/ : D 

This weeks teen retreat.....

was AWESOME! i really loved it and i agree with Kevin and would liked to thank Karina, Marcel, all the teen leaders and anybody else that helped make this happen. but most of all i thank God for allowing us to make it up there, stay up there, open up, and i was very encouraged to see people make an effort to get to know people they did not know. this was my first retreat and i was so excited to go and get to know people more coz i really don't know almost everybody in the ministry. i had a lot of fun and it was B-E-A-UTIFUL up there. The stars brought me back to teen camp and i am so glad God gave me another opportunity to gaze at His creations. i am also happy that He humbled me to his scriptures and that i do need to really really really go after setting up bible studies and following through with those who are willing to study. I loved the Central teen retreat, i learned many things, and i'm already looking forward to next year!!

~justine =)

Time to Take Action!

hey guys i dont know about you but that was an AWESSOMEEE retreat n i just wana thank marcel karina and everyone so much for just organizing it! :)
and like recently i was having a hard time just really wanting to put God first before everything else but this retreat just allowed me to reconnect and really want to prioritize God and do everything i can for Him and although archery was probably one of the funnest things that we did that night hike was just the most amazing thing ever!
it was just so crazy to walk alone and just be praying to God and looking up at the stars and it was then i think that i realized how i could even imagine trying to put something as silly as homework before God who created everything and how even the things that we see are only a fraction of wat God can do. so now hopefully ill be able to get into more of the guys' studies and just really help them out more! thanks to everyone again and especially to God for just opening my eyes (no azn jokes!!~ >< hahaha) and just really giving me a desire to start taking action instead of waiting around for things to happen. so lets do work! -Proverbs 14:23

Bible study!!!!

HeY Everybody!
i hope you guyz r doing great! I am very excited about this coming up weekend. whoop whoop!
:> so i just wanted 2 let u guyz know that today i studied the bible with Valarie today! it went really well and she wants to study 2morro! i am super encouraged by God. Please continue 2 pray for her. luv u guyz. c u guyz soon <3

Teen Retreat

I don't know about you but I am excited about the retreat this weekend.

Run Your Race

Hi guys...

Thought I would post two encouraging videos that John Markowski shared with the teen leaders on Tuesday night.

His message was on persevering to the end...



The scripture to read after watching is Hebrews 12:1.

Take note that it says "the race marked out for us." Young's literal translation reads: "through endurance may we run the contest that is set before us"... You can take that to mean we all must run the race together to the end, and there is a good point there, but the point that John made was that we each must run a race that is set before each of us...

Others may seem to have and easier race than us, an "inside track," and that is the portion God has given them (Psalm 16:5). Others may seem to have a harder race than us... some run cross country through woods, some run marathons on asphalt, others run in the ironman through sand or gravel, others still run on a treadmill... the point is that your race may be different from others, but God's will is the same: that you finish the race (Acts 20:24; 2 Timothy 4:7)

I held my tears for that first video... but I couldn't hold them any longer during this one:



Maybe it was Morgan Freeman's always stirring voice... Maybe it was the crescendo of the orchestra as Derek Redmond's agony flashed across the screen... Either way, John's point was well taken: The agony of the race may be intense, but when we persevere we have an opportunity to inspire others, and bring Glory to God...



Grace and Peace,
Abram

=D

Buenas noches

Midweek today was very fun. it was cool getting to know and hang out more with the teens. I have more good news and that is that my mom had her first bible study this week! She sat down at a starbucks with Crystal Epps and a sister named Brenda and when she came home she said she had a very good time. they challenged her to read the Book of John and i know she is scheduled to meet again on Sunday. I ask that all of you guyscould please pray for her and that nothing gets in the way from her studying on Sunday. Also, for her to continue reading John and that God can really soften her heart and humble it to the scriptures. i would greatly appreciate it.
THANK YOU ALL!
lates
~Justine
=)

God's Hand is Def Moving

Last weekend was an amazing retreat with all the teen leaders from the LA Church. Man, i was having so much fun driving up there with E-jay and Mike ( john Q) ha ha. E-jay is straight out a fool! in a good way guys lol. It was so much fun laughing and actually bonding with the rest of the guys. Driving up there went really fast because of Ejay is a fool lol.

We actually heard amazing lessons from Pedro Garcia and it was amazing to hear him share and preach the word. What was truly faith building was to see so many new and young teen leaders from other regions. I felt so inexperience compare to everyone here in the central but to see many young teen leaders made me feel a little more comfortable. I was able to build relationships and bond with other servants of Christ!

Please guys pray for me that i can take what i learn to help the ministry!

Thank God - Life Lesson

I wanted to inform everyone and ask for your prayers for our new brother in Christ, Kevin. As we all know K-tan was baptized on Sunday, thankfully, because he was hit by a car on Monday. I talked to him and his dad and he appears to be okay. He didn't have to go to the ER but had bumps, bruises and slight bleeding if I can recall correctly. He did go to the clinic to get checked out but I have not heard the latest. As stated earlier, thank God, K-tan was baptized the day before and that he was not seriously injured. Imagine if he would have been hit the day before he got baptized and it was a serious or fatal accident. The lesson we should take from all of this is that life is short and we can't take it for granted. For those who are not disciples, you need to get right w/the Lord today (Matthew 24:36-44). For those of us who are disciples, we need to clean out any garbage in our hearts and lives and repent today and follow Jesus (Hebrews 3:7-15). With all of that said, I'm grateful that Kevin is alive physically and, even more importantly, alive spiritually (Romans 8:10-11).

ReFRESHed!!!

Hola my peeps!!!..
Aight....let me just share some awesome news and joys with ya'll///This past weekend was AMAZING......God has def. refueled my soul....

The teen leaders had an all LA teen leader retreat as we all know...and man it was so awesome, relaxing, and needed. It was great being able to go and hang with one another, meet other teen leaders in our church, and chill.

First, it was a great bonding time for me to spend time traveling with Marco and John. I love these guys. From the drive up to Oxnard to eating out for dinner...and laughing at my craziness and randomness....it was a great time with my bros.
Meeting other teen leaders from different regions was so faith building and encouraging. A lot of them were new to the teen ministry..making me feel like and 0 G..haha...but man..the conversations I had and seeing them live a life that parallels mine...like schedule and lifestyle was truly faith building. It spurred me on!
The lessons were amazing, convicting, and just straight INSPIRING!!!....loved it.
We had lots of free time, which was nice...I had the chance to relax, take a nap, hang with others, and enjoy the great days in Oxnard.
Having morning quiet times outside, going for 6 am jogs, and just gazing at God's beauty in prayer was all apart of the refreshment I experienced.
Then...on the way home Marco, John, and I were able to go to Erick's soccer game...that is always fun to check out and spur Erick and his team on.....the three of us teen leaders hung out some more.....and then of course K.TAN's baptism!!!..WOOP WOOP!!...man...just seeing God work all over the place is comfort to my soul : )

So this Monday morning...I family, am encouraged by God and the kingdom. We are in this together and to be reminded of that....is refreshing!!!

Super Encouraged

Hello everyone,

      So check it today as I was looking at the top hip-hop/rap albums on itunes just too see what new albums are out and what the reviews were. As i scroll down the list I saw T.I's new album paper trails at number one "the deluxe version" and at number 2 the regular version. As i proceeded to go down the list I saw the album REBEl by Lecrea. I was like oh my goodness!!!! For those who do not know who he is, he is a Christian rapper. I discovered him about  a couple months go when EJ gave me his  album for my birthday. So back to why i was super encouraged...i was super encouraged because his album was number 3 on top of Lil wayne and The game who were at #4 and #8. so i clicked to here samples of this album REBEl. As i was listening to it i was reading the reviews and was impacted when i read this:

        "I love rap and I am an atheist. I noticed that Lecrea's music was in the top 10 on ITunesand after sampling all of the tracks, I have purchased the album.Even though I dont believe in God,I enjoy listening to someone who believes so strongly about something and is able to convey it with such passion through music. Great job, looking foward to more albums."

                        -ccf008 

I was very encouraged because just like we as disciples are every day out number and put down by the world we can still make an impact on people by our passion for the lord and our examplary life.  Lecrea is one of the few christian rappers just as we are one of the few christians out of many people in the world. Jut like ccf008 we can have people looking foward to more of the holy spirit working through us.

Please pray for our Retreat

Hey guys please pray for us the teen leaders who are leaving this weekend to be strenghted and inspired to do great things for God. I hope all of you guys have fun and stay out of trouble ha ha! Please make sure you guys encourage the twins this sunday service, they need alot of encouragment from God's familia. Love you guys! Later!

Quiz Results for memory scriptures

Hey guys, finally the results from the quiz we took a couple of weeks ago are in. So if you guys got a bad result please STUDY! and for all who did great, congrats.

The maximum points you could of earned is a 33 points. So here are the results:

Teens
Ashley: 33
Erick R: 33
Justine: 33
Luis S:32
Cynthia: 30
Ray S: 26
April: 24
Wendy: 4
Drew: 2
Daniel: 0
Frankie: 0
JP: 0
Kevin Tan: 0
Rodney: 0

Teen Leaders
John Q: 33
Marco M:33
Maria:33
Karina H:31
Ejay:15

DUNKAGEE

okay guys just so you know and have the heads up
my baptism will be on Sun. at 7pm at Temescal Canyon Beach!
hopefully you guys can make it but if not ill see you Sunday anyway :P
have a happy friday tmw too :D

VICTORYYYYYY! ^ ^ V

HEY GUYSS!! im so excited and just wana let everyone else that i cant contact from my phone that i finished my studies yesterday and that im finally gona get baptized soon!! :D
right now its set for sunday afternoon-nighty but its still tentative...but hopefully soon if anything :]
and hopefully pray that ill be able to help rodney and jp out with their studies so that they can become brothers soon as well ^ ^

and as a side note i guess but i mean if anyone is feeling disconnected or even just not as close to God as they were before (or not connecting with studies) i really think its just a matter of remembering that desire and passion you first felt during your baptism or the thing that inspired you to study ect. and then really trying to devote your time to God, especially during your qt's cuz those are REALLY important - i just found out recently how much of an impact they have myself - and just really try and see what God is trying to say to you and how you can really try to apply it and having deep prayers also - not the meal time prayer every single time - ones that are just really you trying to talk to God and share with Him your day or whatever your feeling cuz it just helps you build that much more of a relationship with God in my opinion. But yeah just a thought since i was having a hard time with it not too long ago thought i might share it and hopefully help someone out! :D Hope it helps!
n hope everyone has a great rest of the week!

Hey guys :]

I was hoping you could pray for my Christian Club at school.I'm still not sure if I'm going to be able to change our meetings to Thursdays.(We normally meet on Wednesdays but Marcel goes to Matt's Bible talk those days).I've talked to the club advisor about it and she was skeptic.Even though I'm president of the club this year I still have to ask permission from her and the ASB advisor.I'm also not sure if I can even change the name to TBT but I believe that'll be easier to deal with since it's just the name.So please pray that I can change the day of our meetings since that's my main concern right now.I'm excited about being president this year and it'd be really great to have Marcel come like he did last year. :]

12x12

i wonder if JP can unlock his jaw to handle his next feat...20x20

Bible Quiz Time!

////// Rules: //////

- YOU MAY NOT GOOGLE FOR ANSWERS. (God is watching!)

- But of course, you may use your Bibles! (Encouraged, in fact.)

- IMPORTANT: You can answer 3 questions PER DAY maximum!! (This is to give others a chance! So pick harder ones if you know them for more points.)

- Answer in the comment section of this post. (Make sure you enter the number of the question you're answering... for instance:

9. Marcel Hall, 27 years old.

- You can always ask questions here if the rules were confusing. The quiz ends either when all the questions are answered or when time (to be determined) runs out (i.e. end of the world.)

- Have fun! (There is a prize at the end!)



////// Questions (they get harder and harder!): //////

1. What is the longest chapter in the bible? (1 pt.)

2. What is the shortest chapters in the bible? (1 pt.)

3. What is the shortest verse in the bible? (1 pt.)

4. Who was chosen to replace Judas as the 12th disciple after Jesus was taken up to heaven? (2 pts.)

5. What was the first animal out of the ark? (2 pts.)

6. What does "Hallelujah" mean? (2 pts.)

7. What is the shortest book in the Old Testament? (2 pts.)

8. Which two men in the Bible never died? (2 pts.)

9. Who is the oldest man recorded in the Bible and how old was he? (2 pts.)

10. How many of Paul's letters were written while in prison (and what are they)? (4 pts.)

11. How many times was water parted in the bible (and what/where are they)?

12. Which two books in the Bible do not contain the name of God? (4 pts.)

13. Who is the first person in the Bible to be called a Hebrew? (4 pts.)

14. What common domestic animal is never mentioned in the bible? (4 pts.)

15. What is the longest word in the bible? (Hint: It's a name w/ hypens '-') (5 pts.)

16. What is the longest verse in the bible? (5 pts.)

17. What is the shortest verse in the Old Testament? (5 pts.)

18. What is the oldest parable in the Bible? (5 pts.)

The Valley

1At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus, 2and he said to his attendants, "This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him."

3Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, 4for John had been saying to him: "It is not lawful for you to have her." 5Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered him a prophet.

6On Herod's birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for them and pleased Herod so much 7that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. 8Prompted by her mother, she said, "Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist." 9The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted 10and had John beheaded in the prison. 11His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother. 12John's disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.

13When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

15As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food."

16Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat."

17"We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered.

18"Bring them here to me," he said. 19And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Matthew 14: 1-21

The air was heavy the evening that Jesus had gotten the report that his cousin and partner in the ministry had been murdered. John had been a source of support for Jesus and his ministry well before Jesus began to preach. Now he was gone, and Jesus thought of how he would probably die in a similar way.

Shaken by this news, Jesus decided to take a break. His work was often physically draining, and sometimes spiritually draining with power leaving Him with the slightest faithful touch. But this afternoon, Jesus was feeling a sadness that he had never felt before. He had just lost his closest spiritual adviser, and was given a dark snapshot of his future. Jesus decided to take a break in order to gather His thoughts - His bearings. He got in a boat and sailed to where He could just be Himself by Himself.

For Jesus, this was one of the lowest times in His ministry. His mission and his work had suffered a huge loss with the death of John. John's disciples would never be the same. In order to not suffer the same type of punishment, many of them would shrink back. Some would fall away. Jesus' disciples worried as well. They would rethink their decision to follow Jesus, wondering if they made the right choice to give up their lives, their jobs, and their families to follow the one who claimed that he would overcome the world. At the moment, the one they called "Messiah" wasn't looking so powerful.

As the sun started its descent, Jesus began to regain His strength. He remembered why he had come. So He lifted His head, and headed back to the shore. If at any moment, Jesus now felt the seriousness of His calling, the evil of this world, and the hope He had in His heart, all in one emotionally overwhelming moment. As He approached the shore, Jesus was surprised by what He saw: from all over the city and the countryside, people who He didn't even know were welcoming Him back. Some begged to be healed. Some just wanted to see what all the hooplah was all about. But all had the mustard seed.

As He looked back at them, Jesus felt a stirring in His heart that excited Him to His very core. In their eyes he saw despair. He saw heartbreak. He saw the one last tries.
And He saw dreams. He saw the repaired relationships. He saw the fixed families. He saw the newly found self-confidence in those that would get their security in God alone. He saw them through the hopeful eyes of the God that put the first man and woman here on earth. And now, many years later, those same eyes still saw a heaven on earth - a chance for the lost sons and daughters to be brought home to paradise.

As His boat slowed as it drew up on the sand, Jesus took one final deep breath filled with a refocused perspective of His role in the lives of these desperate people, stepped out of the boat, and hurriedly went into the crowd. Many pressed up against Him so they could touch Him, or maybe just get the chance to hear Him speak. With His newfound determination, Jesus would heal as many as He could. He would look deeply into the eyes of all that he could talk to - connect with. And He would teach them all until the sun set and they could no longer see.

It refreshes me to know that I have a Savior that has understands what I go through. At times, I can give my best only to feel tired (not refreshed) at the end. I can love deeply, only to find that it cannot be returned at the moment. I can lose focus on my purpose, my mission, and all the dreams that make every day exciting. Life happens, and it brings many great memories, but also many trials that challenge our joy, faith, and our will to persevere. But we have a godly example in Jesus, that not only went through darker times than we do, but shows us how to cope, and then thrive in a way that is pleasing to God.

In Jesus, we see a man who was hurt. He took time to mourn, gather Himself, and then he made the decision to persevere. And then He went and did something. He continued along the path that He started. He went to those who needed Him and didn't turn them away at a time when He would've been justified in doing so. Instead, He embraced them. He went on to take care of the needs of those who were without. He then strengthened the faith of those close to Him by doing something radical and Godly. And then He went right back into the middle of the battle to try to do the greatest miracle of all: change the human heart of those who could not feel (read Mt 14 and 15).

Why did Jesus do the things that he did? He did this because he loved deeply. As we heard and saw it so eloquently put on Sunday, love will drive us to go beyond the norms of our environment and our daily lives. It will make you stay up late and get up early. It will make you drive across the county or walk across town to be with the one that needs you. It will make you pray constantly.

He is the light that illuminates our path when we are not sure which way to go. And it is in this passage that we see what we are to do when our lives face turmoil. We feel. We pray. Then we act.

It is my prayer that you keep your spiritual fervor. No matter the circumstances, there are always the opportunities to show God how obedient, faithful, and loving you are. And show Him these things - not because you have to - but because you want to. You can’t help but to desire God and please Him, because he has given you so much. He has told you that he loves you in so many ways. And the biggest way is by allowing you the opportunity to live with Him forever in His mansion - which has to be the coolest house ever.

Never does the Bible call us to quit or rebel. Rather, impress Him with your faith. Go beyond the limits that you think you have. Stay up all night. Pray all day. Run through your exhaustion. And if you always make time to fall in love with God “again,” you’ll be joyful every second of it. And God will ensure that you will stand victorious, whether in this life or the next.

Popcorn Encouragement continued...

I want to encourage my little sister Cynthia.... awww... I appreciate your heart to want to grow, serve God, and be a great sister and friend to those in and out of the teen ministry. I've seen how grateful others are for your friendship, advice and listening ear and it brings me great joy to see God using you to have an impact on others. Keep it up kiddo! haha. =P Oh, now it's your turn to encourage someone. (That's how Popcorn Encouragement works.)

Popcorn Encouragement

What's up awesome Teen Ministry!!! I hope you guys are having a wonderful day so far.
I wanted to start the week with a popcorn encouragement that will hopefully last all week :)
If someone could please explain what popcorn encouragement is cause you know I'm not good at explaining
stuff LOL!

I want to encourage my friend Karina, I really appreciate our times on Fridays
I look forward to that time because it's a time that we can be open with each
other, challenge each other, pray for each other and make fun of each other!!
I love it. Thank you so much for being an excellent partner in the Gospel
I love you very much!!!

your awesomest friend,
Maria

Marcel's 27th Birthday 09.20.08

I just wanted to share a piece of a precious moment with our awesome teen leader Marcel Hall. We went to El Cholo in L.A. after our small group leaders' meeting. It was encouraging that Marcel enjoyed his time and his food! [at least it looked like he did from where we were sitting] :D Happy 27th!! You're not old, you're simply growing more wiser each year! It's only numbers but you do have a child-like heart, pure and devoted to God. Thank you for your awesome leadership in our amazing Teen Ministry!! We all love you!!

Animal Style

As you may have heard from the man himself, probably proud of his own stomach's flexibility, JP ate a 12 x 12 IN-N-OUT burger. Most of the time for a usually burger fan, a double double seems to fulfill all of our current needs, but for JP that's below acceptance line.

Many weeks ago, Nick and I went to participate in a Bible study with JP at the Starbucks near my house, famous for multiple Bible Study locations. After the Bible Study, Nick and JP still had growling stomachs so we walked down to Burger King, one of the only locations open at this time of night. We walked in the traditional Burger King on Eagle Rock Blvd. and Nick and JP both grabbed something to eat, I was not hungry. While Nick grabbed a relatively small meal, JP grabbed a triple Whopper and a double Whopper with casual fries on the side. Amazed at what JP had, I stared at him while he was engulfing the triple Whopper like a my massive dog.

He eventually finished both Whoppers and we were on our way back up Eagle Rock Blvd. to my house. On the way, JP said, "I have eaten a 4 x 4 at IN-N-OUT, today I eat a triple Whopper and a double Whopper that counts as 5 x 5. Next time at IN-N-OUT, I get a 12 x 12." Nick and I began laughing because not only was a 12 x 12 insane, he's linear mathematics seemed to be off - 4 x 4 to 5 x 5 then 12 x 12. "This is never going to happen," I thought to myself knowing that Nick was probably saying the same thing.

About a month later, only days after JP's birthday, September 15th, John Reid and I decided to take JP to IN-N-OUT for small gift for his birthday. Completely forgetting JP's goal, I didn't think much was going to happen. As we had gotten to the spot, and jumped out of the car, John had asked JP what he wanted to eat. JP's response was, as we all know, "I want a 12 x 12." So John, the gentleman and the scholar that he is, allowed JP to order it, but, as we soon found out, the highest number they make at IN-N-OUT was a 4 x 4. JP seemed crushed but was still down to get 2 4 x 4's, until the guy said, "You could order meat patties on the side." On the way to find a table, both, John and I, believed in JP, yet had some doubt as to whether he was truly going to finish it, and we seemed to be more vocal about the doubt. But as John brought over the tray with the 4 x 4 and 8 patties on the side, while JP and I were working on his math homework, we knew the game was on the line. JP slowly lost concentration on his math and paid close attention to the burger coming his way.

JP immediately grabbed the 4 x 4, opened up the bottom side of the bread, and began stuffing 2 patties at a time into his burger. He couldn't even hold the burger properly until he made it horizontal. Once he pounded his hands on the burger to flatten it out, it was game time. JP opened his mouth as vertical as possible, still not long enough for the burger, and took his signature bite into the burger only getting the patties. He continued until his mouth could not expand any farther, then he decided that swallowing would be a good option. Even the Asian couple next to use was amazed. But JP persisted. He continuously fought against the burger as if it were a normal activity for him. Once, we got into the 4th quarter, as he called it, where half patties had fallen onto the tray and 3 quarters of the burger was finished. JP got into the imagination that this was football, constantly using the terms, "HUT, HUT, HIKE!" before taking a monstrous chomp into the burger. After about 5 minutes of battling, JP finally finished. Then he remarked, "next time 20 x 20."

God's Gift of Natural Art and Beauty

Good Morning Family...

So on the drive in to work this morning...I was gazing at the sky...remembering that the awesome blue and lightly colored yellows and oranges of the 6 am sunrise was painted by our father. I was thinking as I drove by the huge, lush trees of San Marino and glanced at the natural landscapes///how awesome is it to have such a creative father...a creator of such perfection...one who is constantly at work...perfecting everyday we see. I was thinking about the beaches I've visited this summer...the mountains Ive hiked...and the parks Ive seen...it's all God's gifts of his art work. Thoughts such as these...bring me joy..smiles..and warmth...because I see God for who he is....an artist. I am grateful to have such a merciful God...a God that allows his children to live in the light..to live amongst the beauty he has placed together piece by piece. 

I share these thoughts to remind us all that God is amazing...our Lord is perfect...and our father gives the tiniest gifts everyday..that if we get too wrapped up in our daily lives full of work, essays, sports, pay checks, media, and the like....we can miss the opportunity to appreciate those precious things he wants us to experience. So this morning or the next....my awesome familia...gaze outside and hear the birds chirp, see the trees sway, look at the clouds in the sky passing by and know that that perfect picture was painted specifically for YOU. God loves us and it's evident when we look a lil deeper into our own surroundings : )

Have a great day with the Lord

Mad Love:

Ejay

Spiritual Birthday Surprise :D

I'm sorry for not being able to post here lately, I've been missing in action here haven't I!! My apologies brothers and sisters :] Anyway, I wanted to share that I was so encouraged last night by our awesome TLs for remembering our spiritual b-days. I was baptized in 2000 Sept 24.. I'll be 8 yrs old! Yes I know I'm still a kid! :D yes I'm still learning as I grow older spiritually. I'm so glad to know that we're a part of an amazing group of people who strives to do good for others and who continuously seeks and fear God daily. Keep fighting the good fight of faith. Love you all!!

Q-Diddy Day

I just wanted to give a quick shout out and say happy b-day to John Q.

New visitor this friday!

What's up every body?! OK so as Kevin requested...he wanted us to pray for Jenny... and our prayers have been answered! Her mother agreed to let her visit our church and prayerfully she will be coming out this Friday if she can! She has been wanting to come and so she asked her mom if she can come out and her mother said yes, however, her mother doesn't want Jenny to switch churches just yet. So we have to continue to pray for her. Thanks so much for all the prayers and Kevin for reaching out to her.

STUDIERS...or...fellow studyists? or well...whatever you'd like to call it :P

Its just been so amazing and encouraging to see all the people that are starting and that have been studying the bible recently! and i just wanted to tell you guys to keep going for them cuz its really so mindblowing what you'll learn and how it changes your life and perspective i know it really has for me already xP hehe and also just really try to built strong relationships with everyone else because when you have others to talk to and to help you along whenever your confused or just having a hard time with something, it just helps SOOOO muchh! (thanks Eric, Cynthia, Miguel, Marcel, Rodney ect. -basically everyone hahaha- ;D)
but anyways i just wanted to encourage you guys! i hope we all become brothers and sisters in Christ reaalll soon!!! :D

ohh also please pray for Jenny's mom to let her come to our devos and church cuz like shes been REALLLY wanting to for a long time its just that her mom wouldnt let her...so hopefully she'll be able to make it this friday but just keep prayin!
hope everyone has a great week!

Bible talks

Hey you guys so I have great news...today was my first bible talk!!!! It was great as we welcomed new members and really displayed what the bible talk is all about. Please continue to pray for all the teens and the bible talks and may God move powerfully through us all. Much love and have a great week every one.

HELping YOUUUUU!!..HElping YOuuuu...!!!

HAha...so here's the winning song of the Summer Olympic Challenge.....Enjoy Ya'll

North Region On TV

Our brothers and sisters from the North Region are making headlines. Gary Smith who leads the part of the teen ministry in the North with his wife Claudia told me that they were going to be on tv tomorrow along w/some of their teens. The info is below:

When - Thursday, Sept. 11th
Channel - HGTV
Show - " Myles of Style"

Prayer Request

Hey family....today Drew had his first game of the season...he played an awesome game, scoring three touchdowns.....
However, towards the end of the game he was hurt pretty seriously after a kick return. He had to be rushed to the hospital with a knee injury...good news is there was no broken bones....
He will be getting an MRI next week and that will determine his season and so on...

I wanted to send out a prayer request for him. Please pray the injuries aren't too severe and his recovery his quick....we would all love to see him back on that field beastin it up like he does and being able to mess with us all at devos like he usually does as well...hehehe...

Thanks you guys...and if you get a chance..call him...he'd be encouraged to hear from you. (if you need his #, call me)

Thanks you guys for the love and dedication to the family out believers in prayer

Mad Love,
Ejay

Back-to-School

I'd love to hear from all of you how your first week of school is going. Let us all know! =)

TBT Worldwide

I just received the news that the entire LA Teen Ministry will now use Truth Be Told as the name for thier High School Bible Talks. If you didn't know already, the Central was the pioneer for TBT. Props go out to EJay who came up with it. Now we need a logo. I have several already to choose from but I want to open it up one more time to you all to try. So, turn in a logo to me by this Saturday. To those saying to themselves, "TBT Worldwide but it is only LA wide," I say first LA and next the world. May God bless and work through TBT.

Road Trip Music Videos.....

ok ok.... so there was a special request for these to be posted.....it was a blast makin these and entertaining eachother in the process..lol.....well here ya go Central Teen Ministry....!..hahaha...Enjoy : )