______________________________________


{Heart4Teens.com} *Black Belt*

______________________________________

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

_________________________________________


Before we get to today's story I wanted to ask if any of you would be interested in praying for me as I go on a missions trip to Guatemala?

I will be going on a missions trip for eight days to Guatemala with some other adults and youth from our church this next week. We will be spending half our time helping the missionaries at their Y.W.A.M (Youth with a Mission) base camp. The other half of the time will be spent doing missions work at hospitals, orphanages, and ministering to those people who live in the Guatemala City dump. We have set up an e-mail system by which you can receive a daily update on how the trip is going with specific things to pray for each day of the eight-day trip. For those of you who would like to support our trip in prayer you can send an e-mail to:

paryan@ticon.net

and ask to be added to the prayer list.

Once the trip is done, the e-mail list will be deleted...

My thanks to those of you on this list who would commit to praying for me and the rest of the team of people that will be spending some time in Guatemala as we allow God to work through us to touch lives....

Thank you from the bottom of my heart! Michael T. Powers

P.S. This also means that I will not be sending out a story for the first week of July...

_________________________________________


Black Belt

by Tracy Carbaugh

"Without faith it is impossible to please God" (Hebrews 11:6).


Sweat ran down my forehead, into my eyes. My knees felt weak as I bowed to my opponent. I could hear my heart pounding between my ears. The padded headgear cut down my peripheral vision, but I could hear my classmates shouting encouragement as our sensei gave the command to fight. It was just practice, only a sparring match. But as a lowly orange belt up against a black belt--well, my life was in my hands.

I managed to block a few punches, even duck under a high roundhouse kick. Then it was over. His left heel planted itself in my midsection. I couldn't breathe. I doubled over, gasping, barely hearing the few half-hearted "good jobs" as I collapsed.

I knew I could never defeat a black belt after taking karate for only six months. But I also didn't want to look like an idiot, or worse--a coward. A desire to impress my teacher, along with a little peer pressure, put me up in a game I could never win. Even if one day I earned my own black belt, the guy I had sparred with would still have years of experience on me.

This is how I sometimes feel about my relationship with God--a desire to impress, peer pressure to measure up, the fear that I'll never win. But then I realize that I'm putting the focus on my weaknesses, not on God's strength. All I need to show God is my faith, and my belief that "He rewards those who earnestly seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6). I just have to stop fighting, stop trying to find an opening, stop trying to block God's efforts to teach me.

I got back in the ring several times, still afraid, still getting pummeled sometimes--still trying to show my sensei that I could earn a higher rank. And I admit that there are still moments when I believe I have to prove myself to God. But they come fewer and farther between now as I remember it's okay that I'll never catch up to God's wisdom, strength, and love (Psalm 89:6-8). My responsibility is to have faith and earnestly seek to know Him more. My reward will come in His time--and so will yours.


Here are some questions to ask yourself:

~ What happens when I "step in the ring" against God and try to show Him that I know best?

~ Is God trying to do something in my life that I'm blocking by trying to impress Him?

~ Have I given up completely and become content just to sit on the sidelines?

~ What can I do today to know God more?

From Soul Journey, copyright 2003 RBC Ministries Grand Rapids, Michigan. Used with permission. To receive Soul Journey via e-mail, read it online, or get a copy delivered to your home, go to: www.soul-journey.org


_________________________________________

LET'S GO SURFING DUDE!

~ How to Share Your Faith
It's easier than you think. If you have doubts about that, check out this helpful article.

http://www.passageway.org/default.asp?page=etc.asp?loadpage=etcetera/howToShareYourFaith.asp

__________________________________________

Thought For The Day:

"You can't act like a skunk without someone getting wind of it."


Verse for the Day:

"A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things."--Matthew 12:35


Teen's Thought For The Day:

"Don't ask God for what you think is good; ask Him for what He thinks is good for you."


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:

"A good coach can humble you without humiliating you and encourage you without flattering you." --Michael T. Powers


Deep Thought For The Day:

"How come professional athletes never ask to renegotiate their contracts for LESS money after they have a bad season?"


_________________________________________


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 6:00-8:30 PM at Faith Community Church which is located at 2931 Lucerene Dr. in Janesville, WI. (About 3 blocks south-east of The Skating Place.)

Currently we have students from Fort Atkinson, Milton, Janesville Craig, Janesville Parker, Marshall, 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: 6/29 -- The Judge

_______________________________________________

UPCOMING EVENTS

Summer Challenge continues this Friday June 20th!

The Summer Challenge is for those students who would like to develop good spiritual habits.  We will meet every other Friday night from 6:30- 8:30 PM  throughout the summer.  Those that make it through the challenge will be rewarded with a special all-expense paid two day trip at the end of the summer.

Meetings will take place at the Powers' house from 6:30-8:30 PM on the following dates: 6/20, 6/27, 7/11, 7/25, 8/8, 8/22


Wednesday July 9: Trip to Great America!

___________________________________________

Upcoming Topics:


7/6 -- Men of Valor

7/13 -- The Trial

7/20 -- The Hatred Within

7/27 -- Holy Bible, Wholly True

8/3 -- My Brother's Keeper

8/10 -- No All-Stars (Church Picnic)

8/17 -- Creation/Evolution 6:30 - 8:30 PM

8/22 - Creation/Evolution 7-9 PM

8/23 -- Creation/Evolution 10 - 12 AM (Beverages Provided)

8/24 -- Creation/Evolution 6:30 - 8:30 PM

8/31 -- Fresh Start

______________________

All-Stars has extended 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 is doing with our youth!

_________________________________________

Author MICHAEL T. POWERS
www.Heart4Teens.com

Contributing Author to Chicken Soup for the Teen's Soul on Love and Friendship and 15 other inspirational books.

"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