|
______________________________________
{Heart4Teens.com} *Taste Berries for Teens* ______________________________________ 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 Heart4Teen.com readers around the world by sending a blank e-mail to: Heart4Teens-subscribe@myinjesus.com or visit: http://www.Heart4Teens.com Visit our inspirational web site and read all the past articles in our archives, and view the tons of resources we have there for teens! http://www.Heart4Teens.com/Teen_Stories ____________________________________________ Be sure to check out our other inspirational email list and web site! http://www.HeartTouchers.com To subscribe send a blank email to: HeartTouchers-subscribe@myinjesus.com _________________________________________ I have the pleasure of sharing a story from the Taste Berries for Teens book series co-authored by Bettie B. Youngs and Jennifer Leigh Youngs. Be sure to visit their website and then write to Bettie after you read today's story! Have a strong week everyone! Michael _________________________________________ Why is Cheese Cake Called Cheese Cake When There is No Cheese in Cheesecake (From the Taste Berries for Teens Series) My family believes in God, but we aren't the kind of people to get up on Sunday mornings and go to church. Personally, I didn't know why attending church was all that important if you already believed in God. So when my best friend invited me to go with her and group of friends to a weekend Youth Camp, I was surprised that I said yes. But she'd been to the same camp before, and said it was really fun. Judging from the group of cool boys who stood waiting for the bus at the "take off spot" I decided it probably was going to be a whole lot of fun. At that point, I was glad I'd said I'd go! The drive was five hours -- which wasn't all that fun, but we did get to know each other. Then, once we got to the campsite, dinner was waiting for us, served on picnic tables. I was really hungry, so everything tasted good. After dinner, we all went off to "Club." Here we all sat around and sang songs, and then listened to someone read scripture from the Bible. The singing part was fun; personally, I found the scripture reading a bit boring. And scary, too: a camp counselor had said, "This weekend will change your life. When you leave here, you will be a totally different person." After Club, we went to our cabins. I lay for a long while thinking about the camp counselor's words, "When you leave here, you will be a totally different person." I was worried, because I didn't want to "a totally different person." I wondered what was planned, why wouldn't I be the same again? Plus, I liked who I was, and didn't want to be "totally different". I had ups and downs like everyone else, but otherwise, I was pretty happy. If I did become "totally different," what would I be like? Will my friends still like me; would they accept the "totally different" me? What would my parents think? And, would the "totally different" person (me), want to redo my room; get different clothes; get a new hairstyle; keep the same friends? What had I gotten myself into? The next morning we had "Club" again, and after that, were directed to go back to our cabins for what was called "Cabin Time". During this time the head counselor asked each of us questions and we were to answer in front of everyone. I didn't like the exercise; I had to do oral reports in front of the class (and I didn't like to do them). These were strangers, and some of the questions we were asked I didn't think was any of their business. Some of the other girls must have felt the same, because when Cabin Time was over, we all went for food, and got into a huge food fight. Then, towards the end of the food fight, something peculiar happened to me, something that I still can't really explain. All I know is that it felt as if someone was holding a sign in front of me saying "Believe with all your heart." It was a startling feeling, but tried not to make too much of it. Then, after we ate lunch, we had Club again. Once again, I felt the words, "Believe with all your heart." This time I decided to think about where this was coming from. Had the food fight triggered it? Had smashing oatmeal and other things in other people's faces made me delirious? Or, did I get food poisoning and was hallucinating? The next morning we had another Club, where two teens gave testimonials of their life faith. Their stories were touching, and left everyone in tears. Me, too. Then, once again we were directed to return to our cabins where we were to write down our feelings about the testimonials we'd heard. I felt like I let every girl and leader in that cabin down because everyone was very emotional about what they'd heard, and though I'd been teary while listening to them, I didn't particularly have any thoughts about them now. "They were very good" I said, and like everyone was looking at me like I was weird or something to not be gushing my heart out over them. When that exercise was done, we all walked to Town Hall where we talked about everything from boys to why they call cheesecake "cheesecake"-when there is no cheese in cheesecake. And then we talked about Jesus. We talked for two-and-a-half hours. And that night I cried my self to sleep thinking about my life, all the ups and downs, the times when I was so happy, and the times when I am so depressed. Sunday Morning came faster for me than you could say Not Enough Sleep! Sunday we had out last Club. Without prodding from anyone, I openly accepted Christ in my life. The counselor had been right. The weekend "totally changed" my life. And I was a totally different person. Like pure magic, it was an instant attitude shift. I was genuinely happy-and a genuinely joyous person. There was the knowing that I didn't have to go through life alone, feeling sadness and depression, feeling insecure about who you are or what your friends think of you. Within me, now, is a serenity and strength that is solid, one I can count on. When you "Believe with all your heart" your heart is lighter, your life is brighter. Things feel less disastrous. Now as I sit here a year later, I think back. I am so thankful that my friend invited me to Youth Camp, where I was introduced to God in a way I'd never known before, a God who makes it easy to have simple answers to even life's difficult and fuzzy questions. Well, all except "why is cheesecake called cheesecake when there is no cheese in it?" Carmen Stork, 16 (From the Taste Berries for Teens book series co-authored by Bettie B. Youngs and Jennifer Leigh Youngs) Bettie B. Youngs bettie@tasteberriesforteens.com E-mail Bettie and let her know what you thought of today's story! _______________________ Bettie B. Youngs, Ph.D., Ed.D. is a former teacher of the year, former university professor and the author of 21 books. With her daughter Jennifer Leigh Youngs she has co-authored the best-selling Taste Berries for Teens series. Bettie has appeared frequently on CNN, NBC Nightly News, and Oprah. Jennifer is a speaker and workshop presenter for teens nationwide. Be sure to visit their website at: http://www.tasteberriesforteens.com Note from Michael: I have included some of their teen books below... be sure to look for them the next time you are in a bookstore! ****** Books by Bettie B. Youngs, Ph.D. A Teen's Guide to Christian Living: Like most teens, you're probably dealing with some tough issues-perhaps as tough as the pain and fear of divorced parents, broken or abusive relationships, serious illness or life-changing choices. Just the pressures of everyday living can be challenging enough. A Teen's Guide to Christian Living takes a refreshing look at real faith in a real God that will sustain you through the ups and downs of your life. You will find in these pages the needed comfort, encouragement and direction to stay on solid ground. Whether you "cut your teeth" on Bible stories or rarely set foot inside a church, you will gain a deeper understanding of the Christian faith and learn answers to these questions: · Who is God, and why should I know Him? · How will I discover God's plan for my life? · How well does God know me? Does He love me, no matter what I may have done? · Does God care who my friends are? Does He have someone in mind for me to love? · Is there a "best" way to pray? How does prayer make a difference? · Does God watch over my family members-even if some of them don't know Him? · Does faith in God mean I can only associate with those of my own religious beliefs? · How can I serve and follow God and still be a "regular" teen with "regular" friends and a "regular" life? · How can I have the courage to live my faith every day in every way? A Teen's Guide to Living Drug-Free. This comprehensive book is written for teens, grades 5-12, but is a tremendous help for anyone, young adults, parents and professionals included, who want to gain a thorough understanding of: drugs and their effects; how to best help teens stay (or get) drug-free; support teens in coping with friends who are using; understand and work through relapse; find and select treatment programs; understand "the road of recovery"; as well as work through issues that can lead to "using", and more. 365 Days of Taste Berry Inspiration for Teens: This book of inspiration and encouragement supports teens on a daily basis of seeing the positive and good in life, and develop to a desire to live it. A collection of 365 affirmations of encouragement by their peers (and authors), each day provides a reminder of the power of love, friendship, courage, integrity, compassion, kindness, service, forgiveness, perseverance and the many other taste-berry traits and qualities that create meaning, purpose and success. Uplifting, motivating and practical, these taste-berry thoughts are sure to remind teens of their highest ideals and inspire then to keep reaching toward a personal best. Inspiration for Taste Berries for Teens: Inspirational short stories and encouragement on life, love, friendships and tough issues. This best-seller of inspirational stories by teens for teens offers encouragement and advice about understanding self, friends; and helps the teen sort out what he or she would like to do for a job or career, and how teens can and do make a difference-in their home, community and the world. Taste Berries for Teens JOURNAL: My Thoughts on Life, Love and Making a Difference. Journaling is powerful tool to help teens "look" at their thoughts, and this journal is designed to help teens do just that, providing guidance and direction in the form of questions to stimulate thinking as teens explore their feelings about self and life, and look at their lives, from relationships with friends, to sorting out their emotions, explore what the teen has learned about herself and others; as well as her plans for life now and in the future. MORE Taste Berries for Teens: A Second Collection of Inspirational short stories and encouragement on life, love, friendships and tough issues. This book of inspirational stories by teens for teens offers encouragement and advice about understanding oneself and friends; sorting out love and feelings of love; how embarrassing moments can teach us to lighten up about ourselves (and offer valuable lessens!); what hear what their peers have to say about faith and how it "shows up" for them in daily life and crisis times as well. A Taste Berry Teen's Guide to Managing the Stress & Pressures of Life. This skill book is filled with stories and commentary of teens discussing how they experience stress and how they best deal with it; practical tools and exercises to understand what stress is-and isn't are included; 15 effective tools to cope with stress and turn it to your advantage. Taste Berries for Teens # 3: Inspirational Short Stories on Life, Love, Friends and the Face in the Mirror. This book of inspirational stories by teens for teens, offers encouragement and advice about understanding oneself and gaining perspective on the normal ups and downs of life; learning how to be "maneuver" through the complex maze of friendships-making, keeping and sometimes leaving; understanding emotions; learning the "love behind the rules" of parents; coping with private pain; thinking about moments (such as Sept 11) that forever changed the way you look at yourself, those around you and, the world in which you live. A Taste Berry Teen's Guide to Setting & Achieving Goals. This skill book is (with stories by teens who talk about their goals) helps teens think about their goals in relationship to their personality, aptitudes, hobbies and interests; helps teens to identify, set and reach goals in nine key important to teen life. Safeguarding Your Teenager From the Dragons of Life: A Guide to the Adolescent Years. This book is for parents and professionals working with teens. An A-Z understanding of adolescent growth and development and how to best help them overcome the "dragons" of teen years: such as a susceptibility to low self-esteem, peer influence, drug use and more. _________________________________________ LET'S GO SURFING DUDE! http://www.heart4teens.com/know_God_ Do you really know who God is? Did you know that He has a plan for your life? Would you like to have a loving relationship with the One who not only created you, but the entire universe? Then click on the above link! http://www.heart4teens.com/suicide Are you dealing with suicidal thoughts, or have you tried to commit suicide? Click on the link above before you do anything else! __________________________________________ Thought For The Day: "I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is the victory over self."--Aristotle Verse for the Day: "But I keep under my body; and bring it into subjection." --I Corinthians 9:27 Teen's Thought for the Day: "You are only what you are when no one is looking." Parent's Thought For The Day "It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men."-- Frederick Douglass Coach's Thought For The Day "The mediocre coach tells; the good coach explains; the superior coach demonstrates; the great coaches inspire." Deep Thought For The Day: "Today at the dentist's, I heard a tremendous high-pitched whine and thought he'd hauled out the mother of all drills, but it was just Mariah Carey on the radio." _________________________________________ Reading Books, Changing Lives! For those of you who love to read or love to give out books as gifts... You can now order a number of different autographed best-selling inspirational books for the same price you would get them in the store, the shipping to you is paid for, and you are helping change the lives of teenagers and those they come in contact with! And best of all, every penny from the book sales are going to youth ministry to help pay for a life-changing winter retreat and a missions trip to Guatemala this summer! If you love to read inspirational stories, these books are most likely those you will eventually buy anyway. And how cool would it be to be able to buy books like those in the Chicken Soup series for your friends and family with a personalized autographed message by one of the contributing authors! How's that for a unique gift! Not only are you changing lives through supporting a youth ministry, but every book included on our website has the power to make a difference in the lives of those you give the books to. Check out this link to find out more! http://www.HeartTouchers.com/books _________________________________________ ALL-STAR Ministry --The Youth Church of Faith Community Church in Janesville, WI If you are in 6-12th grade and live in the southern Wisconsin/northern Illinois area and would like to check us out, we meet every Sunday night from 6:30-8:00 PM at Faith Community Church which is located at 2931 Lucerene Dr. in Janesville, WI. (About 4-5 blocks south-east of The Skating Place.) Currently we have students from Fort Atkinson, Milton, Janesville Craig, Janesville Parker, Orfordville, Clinton, Beloit Memorial, Beloit Turner, South Beloit, and Hononegah. 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: All-Stars: Teenage Tithing The Outlet: We start our new H.A.B.I.T.S. series! _______________________________________________ UPCOMING EVENTS Saturday, May 3 at 8:00 p.m. at Faith Community Church New Rocketown Recording Artist "Alathea" Tickets: $3 Advance $5 Door Tickets Available at Lighthouse Books & Gifts, Janesville WI, Bible Book Center, Beloit WI and Lemstone Books, Cherryvale Mall, Rockford IL "Alathea exhibits strong talent" if you're ready for something fresh and invigorating instead of today's all-too-usual pop fare, then Alathea is definitely a group to check out. Gospelsite.net "Indian Creek. It's got a cool Americana vibe with its acoustic instruments and her plaintive delivery. This trio sounds like a star-in-the-making to me." "Music Row magazine (Robert K. Oermann review) "The sound could probably best be described as folk pop, very earthy with touches of country and bluegrass. While there is a very folksy country sound to the instrumentation of this album, it is tempered with a healthy dose of pop songwriting. The results are delightful." ChristianityToday.com *********** Friday May 9: Open Gym. Basketball and Volleyball. 7 - 9:30 PM. Tentatively scheduled for Clinton High School Gymnasium. Tuesday May 27: Taking a trip to Rev'd Up in Rockford. Go-Karting, Mini Golf, etc. Details and times forthcoming. Saturday June 21: Bowling at Blackbridge Bowl. 1 - 4 PM. Wednesday July 9: Trip to Great America! ___________________________________________ Change Is Here! All-Stars will be extending its time to 6:00 - 8:30 PM on Sunday nights. 6:00 - 6:30 will be time for the youth to chat and discuss anything they want with the youth leaders or each other. 6:30 - 7:00 PM will be for games or fun activities and then 7:00 - 8:30 PM will be for the lesson and discussion time. Students are still welcome to "hang out" after 8:30 PM if they want, as the leaders are usually at the church until at least 10:00 PM, and some nights even later. (For the past couple of months the students have continually complained that we are running out of time before we get to really discuss the topics in full and asked if we could have longer teaching times... I know, most of you are probably now getting back up off the floor from the shock. We have been most encouraged that the teens have been wanting to stay longer to be able to discuss the lessons more fully.) The Outlet: "Get plugged into Jesus Christ!" (Teen Cell Groups) Wednesday night community groups for teens. The groups are limited to no more than ten teens and will be originally split into Jr. High and High School ages. This night is for those teens who want to dig deeper than what we do in All-Stars, but may not be ready to be a part of the Extreme Teens. These cell groups will also be doing special activities with each other as the year goes on to build community. "The Extreme Teens" (formerly the Core Group) meets from 5:00 - 6:00 PM at the church. This group is very extensive with weekly homework, memorization, service projects, etc. Students interested in this group will have to fill out an application, provide references as to why others think they should be involved with this, and sign an agreement as to what is expected of them. (If your teen will also be attending All-Stars that night, they are encouraged to bring a sack lunch or snack to tide them over until 8:30.) We are very excited at what God will be doing with our youth! _________________________________________ Author MICHAEL T. POWERS www.Heart4Teens.com "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 ___________________________________________ Would you like to see your story in Heart4Teens.com? Writer's guidelines can be found on our Web site here: http://www.Heart4Teens.com/guidelines/ __________________________________________ Do you feel as if life has no meaning for you? http://www.greatcom.org/english/four.htm __________________________________________ |
 |
|
Touching Lives - One E-mail at a Time! Author Michael T. Powers - HeartTouchers @ aol.com
|