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{Heart4Teens.com} *The Mirror* ______________________________________ 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 _________________________________________ The Mirror by Wayne Rice Author Robert Fulghum tells this story of one of his professors a wise man whose name was Alexander Papaderos: At the last session on the last morning of a two-week seminar on Greek culture, Dr. Papaderos turned and made the ritual gesture: "Are there any questions?" Quiet quilted the room. These two weeks had generated enough questions for a lifetime, but for now, there was only silence. "No questions?" Papaderos swept the room with his eyes. So, I asked. "Dr. Papaderos, what is the meaning of life?" The usual laughter followed, and people stirred to go. Papaderos held up his hand and stilled the room and looked at me for a long time, asking with his eyes if I was serious and seeing from my eyes that I was. "I will answer your question." Taking his wallet out of his hip pocket, he fished into a leather billfold and brought out a very small round mirror, about the size of a quarter. And what he said went something like this: "When I was a small child, during the war, we were very poor and we lived in a remote village. One day, on the road, I found the broken pieces of a mirror. A German motorcycle had been wrecked in that place. "I tried to find all the pieces and put them together, but it was not possible, so I kept only the largest piece. This one. And by scratching it on a stone, I made it round. I began to play with it as a toy and became fascinated by the fact that I could reflect light into dark places where the sun would never shine -- in deep holes and crevices and dark closets. It became a game for me to get light into the most inaccessible places I could find. "I kept the little mirror, and as I went about my growing up, I would take it out in idle moments and continue the challenge of the game. As I became a man, I grew to understand that this was not just a child's game but a metaphor for what I might do with my life. I came to understand that I am not the light or the source of light. But light--truth, understanding, knowledge - is there, and it will only shine in many dark places if I reflect it. "I am a fragment of a mirror whose whole design and shape I do not know. Nevertheless, with what I have I can reflect light into the dark places of this world - into the black places in the hearts of men -- and change some things in some people. Perhaps others may see and do likewise. This is what I am about. This is the meaning of life." And then he took his small mirror and, holding it carefully, caught the bright rays of daylight streaming through the window and reflected them onto my face and onto my hands folded on the desk. Jesus said, "I am the light of the world" (John 9:5) His followers are to be like that little mirror, reflecting the light of Christ into the dark corners of the world. That is the meaning of the Christian life. "Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16). Wayne Rice wayne@uyt.com Write Wayne and let him know your thoughts on his story! ________ Wayne is the founder and director of Understanding Your Teenager. He is a 35-year veteran of youth ministry and co-founder of Youth Specialties, the largest youth ministry training organization in America. He has authored numerous books on youth, youth ministry and parenting including Junior High Ministry, Up Close and Personal, Hot Illustrations for Youth Talks, Enjoy Your Middle-Schooler and Cleared for Takeoff. He is a graduate of Bethel Theological Seminary (San Diego) and lives in Lakeside, California with his wife Marci. Their three children are now young adults. For more information about Wayne, visit his personal web site at: http://www.waynerice.com _________________________________________ LET'S GO SURFING DUDE! Truth Quest - http://www.truthquest.sbc.net/ - Twelve Christian teenagers take a journey up the Southern California coast to apply their faith in the real world. In this Christian reality series, the student's "quest" is to seek a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ and to share their truth, through mission activities and encounters with people in unusual settings like the coffee house for troubled teenagers in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco; and rock climbing in Yosemite National Park. __________________________________________ Thought For The Day: "Show me a person who cannot bother to do little things and I'll show you a person who cannot be trusted to do big things." --Lawrence Bell Verse for the Day: "You have been faithful and trustworthy over a little; I will put you in charge of much." Matthew 25:21 Teen's Thought For The Day: Don't be discouraged. Everyone who got where he is, started where he was! Parent's Thought For The Day "A baby sitter is a teenager acting like an adult while the adults are out acting like teenagers." Coach's Thought For The Day "Pressure is something you put on yourself." Deep Thought For The Day: "The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you're still a rat." -- Lily Tomlin _________________________________________ 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: 7/27 -- Grace-Full _______________________________________________ UPCOMING EVENTS Summer Challenge continues this Friday July 25th! 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 ___________________________________________ Upcoming Topics: All-Star Topics 8/03 The Hatred Within 8/10 No All-Stars (All Church Picnic) 8/17 Holy Bible, Wholly True 8/24 My Brother's Keeper 8/31 Water Wars! 9/7 Fresh Start (Also welcoming new 6th graders) 9/14 Creation/Evolution 7:00 - 8:30pm 9/19 Creation/Evolution 7pm - 8:30 pm 9/20 Creation/Evolution TBA ______________________ 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 __________________________________________ |
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Touching Lives - One E-mail at a Time! Author Michael T. Powers - HeartTouchers @ aol.com
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