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______________________________________ 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 visiting: 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! _________________________________________
Kristi had her first ultrasound today and we took Caleb (8 yrs. old) and Connor (5 yrs. old) with us to share in the experience... Although the baby is only about 2 inches long at this point it was amazing to see her moving around and hear her heartbeat. The baby was very active as she seemed to be pushing off with her legs like a young child would do in a bathtub and slide backwards. Caleb saw the umbilical cord at one point and told us matter of factly that the baby has a tail. Connor then announced to the nurse that we were going to have a puppy. Both boys started dancing to the rythm of the heartbeat when we had the chance to hear it.... As you can tell I am hoping for a girl... but Kristi and I have always waited until the baby was born to find out the sex of our children... something we are planning on doing again.... I am still trying to find the time to write down a story or two from our Guatemala trip and hope to do so soon... May all of you enjoy today's timely story from Jaye Lewis. It is a message that needs to be read by every teenager in the world... and us older people too! From my happy family to yours, Michael _________________________________________
By Jaye Lewis
Not wanting to disappoint my father, I worked hard at being a "nothing." I stopped studying for my classes, in school. I stopped dreaming the dreams that often shape our future, and I barely scraped by. By the time I was in seventh grade, I overheard my parents talking about how wonderful life would be for them, if I had never been born, because, being the youngest, I would be out of the way, and they could follow their dreams. I believed them, and I forgot that even should my mother, who nursed me, forget about me, God, "will never forget [me,] for [He] has carved [me] in the palm of [His] hand." Isaiah 49:15-16a By the time I was fifteen, my final, ninth grade report card read, "She has incredible 'general knowledge,' but no specific knowledge. She'll never become anything, continuing on this course." I believed my teacher, and I continued on my "worthless" course, reading and studying on my own, everything from history through science, and I began to have much "general knowledge." I read the Bible, a forbidden book, according to the religion of my childhood, and I began to know the God of the Bible, and His great love for me. Yet, still, I believed I was a failure, even weird. Somewhere, in the midst of that, I began to write and write and write, and I found that with no one to talk to, I began to talk to God. I did not understand, yet, that "I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Psalm 139:14 Years came and went, and darkness was all around me, but there, in the darkness, I found the light of God's presence. Always there. Always comforting. Unknowing, as I was, God was always with me. I discovered the truth about the presence of God in Psalm 139:7-12, "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, 'Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me, even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.'" I discovered that even if I did not know God, He knew me. There was much darkness in my life. I had no one to believe in me, but somehow, by the grace of God, I knew that God believed in me. I stumbled through many a "valley of the shadow of death," ( Psalm 23) and I discovered that I could not run from God. He was always with me. I discovered that in being hurt, I could seek to heal others. In being lonely, I could reach out and erase another's loneliness. In believing myself to be a failure, I could encourage others to succeed. I could be a woman of honor. A woman of truth. I could change my course. And when I wrote, as I did from an early age, I could write about hope. I wish I had known God from the beginning. I wish that instead of a "religious" home, I had grown up in a Godly one. I wish that in my teens there had been a Michael and Kristi Powers to influence my life, and change my course. However, even though I remember, painfully, my lonely teenage years, I can testify, that my present happiness and fulfillment came from no one, except God. For, you see, it is God who brought me into the pleasant pasture of my middle years. I can look to no one, but Him, for the joys in my life?my wonderful husband, my beautiful daughters, and my precious friends, like Michael and Kristi Powers. I am an award winning writer. I am completing my first book. I don't expect it to be my last. A lot of people have lent a hand in this process, but God, alone, brought me here. So now, in my world that is so filled with His light, I still look for those opportunities to be alone with God. And as I look back, into my teens, I realize what a great gift it was to spend those lonely nights and days with Him. Finally, I have learned that the ugly words that others speak about me, say more about them, than they say about me. So do not listen to negativity. Your Heavenly Father declares in His WORD, that you are "fearfully and wonderfully made." Believe Him. You are wonderful. Totally unique. And God expects great things from you. Expect them from yourself.
Write Jaye and let her know your thoughts on her story! ************************** Jaye Lewis is an award winning writer and born again Christian. Jaye writes stories of hope and redemption, and often the miraculous. Jaye lives with her family in the beautiful mountains of southwestern Virginia. Jaye writes every day on her first book, Entertaining Angels. This story "Wonderfully Made" is just one of many that will be included in Jaye's book. Jaye can be emailed at jlewis@smyth.net ______________________________________
EXTREME TEEN! http://www.passageway.org/default.asp?page=popculture/everyWakingHour.asp __________________________________________ Thought For The Day: "Give me a stock clerk with a goal, and I will give you a man who will make history. Give me a man without a goal and I will give you a stock clerk."--J.C. Penney
"...fixing our eyes on Jesus...who for the joy set before Him endured the cross...and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." --Hebrews 12:2
"Be an organ donor...give your heart to Jesus." (My thanks to Chrissy for passing that along...)
"Give your troubles to God; He will be up all night anyway."
"You could take all the joy out of life by always wanting something to be better." --Christin Cooper, after her Olympic skiing silver medal in 1984.
"Why are wrong numbers NEVER busy?"
--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.
All-Stars: 8/24 -- My Brother's Keeper The Outlet: 8/27 Attending the Revelations Class at Faith Community Church _______________________________________________ Summer Challenge continues on Friday August 22nd! at Tedi's house! 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 on the following dates: 6/20, 6/27, 7/11, 7/25, 8/8, 8/22, & 9/5
Upcoming Topics: 8/31 The Hatred Within 9/7 Fresh Start (Also welcoming new 6th graders) 9/14 Creation/Evolution 7:00 -- 8:30 pm 9/19 Special Creation/Evolution 7pm -- 8:30 pm 9/20 Special Creation/Evolution 9 am - Noon
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. have been most encouraged that the teens have been wanting to stay longer to be able to discuss the lessons more fully.)
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. 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! _________________________________________
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! 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 ___________________________________________________ Author MICHAEL T. POWERS 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
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Touching Lives - One E-mail at a Time! Author Michael T. Powers - HeartTouchers @ aol.com
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