SPARC

Mission Trip Blog

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 19:26:14 GMT

Hey everyone,

Just wanted to let you know that CSTM will keep a blog for us on their website www.shorttermtrips.com under trip blogs at the top of the page. Our parents/friends/fellow youth people can keep track of what we're doing and even send us encouragement. Make sure they check it out!

Brian

Mission Trip: Hands and Feet

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 18:22:52 GMT

On our mission trip we want to be Jesus' hands and feet, showing His love for those we come into contact with. Please pray that God will use us this way, and that we'll be willing vessels for his work.

Snow Trip pics

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 17:58:10 GMT

The pictures from the snow trip are also posted. Click on the link to the left to see them.

30 Hour Famine Pictures

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 17:47:14 GMT

30 Hour Famine Pictures are up. Click on the link to the left to see them.

Mary's Song: The Magnificat

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 06:12:30 GMT

Hey guys,

We talked about this tonight. This is Mary's song in Luke 1 in response to God's message that she will bear the Son of God. It's a pretty awesome prayer/song.

30 Hour Famine

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 18:38:23 GMT

Keep raising money. We're almost to our goal!

Vitamins

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 18:06:01 GMT

Hey all,

Here are the vitamins for this coming week. We've finished Revelation, now we're just reviwing and I'm gonna tell you what I see as the big thing we can take away from it.

Monday: Revelation 5:9-14
Tuesday: Revelation 4:11; 7:12
Wednesday: Revelation 11:17-18
Thursday: Revelation 12:10-12
Friday: Revelation 15:3-4
Saturday: Revelation 19:1-3
Sunday: Revelation 19:6-8

The verse to memorize this week is Revelation 19:10. Enjoy!

Brian

The Song of SPARC

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 01:21:41 GMT

The rap version:

God is great,
This is why we celebrate.
God is strong,
When your with Him you can't go wrong
We will praise Him everyday
Cuz' Jesus is the only way.
When you feel small and weak,
Jesus is the one you seek
If you feel like you might fall
Jesus is the one to call
That's why we're near the holy one
the Father, Spirit, and the Son
This is what from John we've heard
Everyday we read the WORD!

The non-rap version:

Yay God!
Praise the Lord
Cause He owns everything
Sits at the cool chair
Your are my Savior
Yay God!
AMEN!

Vitamins

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 18:31:52 GMT

Hey ya'll,

Here are the vitamins for this week. With this we're done with Revelation!

Monday: Revelation 20:1-6

Tuesday: Revelation 20:7-10

Wednesday: Revelation 20:11-15

Thursday: Revelation 21:1-14

Friday: Revelation 21:15-27

Saturday: Revelation 22:1-6

Sunday: Revelation 22:7-21

The verse to memorize is Revelation 21:3. Chew! Chew! Chew!

My King

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 03:32:06 GMT

Watch it...it's really good...

Revelation Pictures

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 18:13:52 GMT

Hey all,

Here are the pictures of certain scenes in Revelation. There are a few more than I put here, but I'm saving them for when we cover that material. All of the drawings are by a guy named Rodney Matthews and are copyrighted by him.

These are four horsemen released by the first four seals.

This is the second trumpet judgment in which a huge mountain, which is on fire, is hurled into the seas, turning 1/3 of the seas into blood, killing 1/3 of sea life, and destroying 1/3 of all ships.

These pictures are of the demon locusts released by the fifth trumpet. They are given power to torment those without the seal of God for five months. As it says "in those days, men will seek death, but it will elude them."

This is the sixth trumpet judgment, in which an army of 200 million horsemen charge across the earth and kill 1/3 of the population.

Fun, huh? To find out what happens next in Revelation, read your vitamins this week. They are:

Monday: Revelation 12:1-9

Tuesday: Revelation 12:10-17

Wednesday: Revelation 13:1-10

Thursday: Revelation 13:11-18

Friday: Revelation 14:1-5

Saturday: Revelation 14:6-13

Sunday: Revelation 14:14-20

Be sure to stick with us until the end of the book, that's when the good stuff happens!

Brian

New Bible Contests

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 18:09:43 GMT

Hey everyone,

We're changing the Bible contests into chances to make SPARC Bucks. What we're going to do now is for each point you make during each quarter of the year, you can use to discount trips over the next quarter. For example, let's say you get 36 points from now through March. That means between April and June you can discount one trip $36 or three trips $12, or whatever combination you want. The ways to get points are:

1. Bring your Bible to Sunday morning or SPARC Night (1 point each)
2. Win the Sword Drill competition and don't take a prize (2 points)
3. Memorize the weekly verse (3 points)
4. Read your vitamins and write a summary that shows you read them (10 points)

Let me know if you have any questions!

Brian

Vitamins

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 18:07:57 GMT

Hey all,

These vitamins will take us about half way through Revelation. We're doing good!

Monday: Revelation 8:6-13
Tuesday: Revelation 9:1-12
Wednesday: Revelation 9:13-21
Thursday: Revelation 10:1-11
Friday: Revelation 11:1-6
Saturday: Revelation 11:7-14
Sunday: Revelation 11:15-19

Memorize Revelation 8:13 for three extra points.

Scripture's Task

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 05:13:40 GMT

This is good:

"Scripture�s task is to tell people, at the risk of their displeasure, the mystery of God and the secrets of their own hearts�to speak out and make a clean breast. There are many ways to say and write these truths: in oracles, in poems, in novels, in sermons, in satire, in journalism, in drama. Honestly written and courageously presented words reveal reality and expose our selfish attempts to violate beauty, manipulate goodness and dominate people, all the while defying God. Most of us most of the time, whether consciously or not, live this way. Honest writing shows us how badly we are living and how good life is. Enlightenment is not without pain. But the pain, accepted and endured is not a maiming but a purging. 'Every significant utterance is a wound' but �faithful are the wounds of a friend.��

--Eugene Peterson, Run With Horses (Downer's Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1983), p.128

Eugenes Peterson also translated the Message version of the Bible

Revelation

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 18:24:11 GMT

Hey everyone,

Then one of the elders said to me, �Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals

-Revelation 5:5

This is the verse to memorize this week and it�s a pretty important one. There is a crisis in heaven, the scroll which is the plan for the rest of revelation can only be opened by one who is worthy, and no one is found �in heaven or on earth or under the earth� who was worthy to open it. Without this scroll being opened, the new heaven and new earth can�t come about. But they find someone, and that�s who this verse talks of. Jesus was not only in heaven, on earth, or under the earth, but had been fully in each place. He started in heaven with God, the Father. �In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning� (John 1:1-2). He came down and lived among us, �The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us� (John 1:14). He also died and, one could say, was �under the earth� for a time, �For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God� (Romans 6:9-10). Jesus alone is qualified to open the scroll. His life, death, and resurrection allow for God�s plan for history to be completed.

Still, notice one thing. The elder says for John to see a lion and then John turns and what does he see? �Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders� (Rev. 5:6). The Jews made the mistake of looking for a Messiah who would come as a conquering hero who would free them from the oppression of Rome. They only saw the present suffering as the most important, but God wanted to free them from sin, a power which would have them in chains forever. They were looking for a lion to devour their enemies, instead a lamb came which died for their sins. Let�s not make the same mistake in our lives. So many times we get caught up in the physical hurts that we don�t see the spiritual need in our lives or in the lives of others. Stay focused on the fact that Jesus has already come as a lamb to take away the sin of the world, not yet as a conquering lion. The lion comes later�

Peace!

Brian H

Bible Contest

Mon, 29 Dec 2008 17:43:29 GMT

Congratulations to our Bible contest winner! He wins a discount on our snow trip in March. Way to go!!

The next Bible contest starts this Sunday with the prize being a discounted ticket to Spirit West Coast.

Revelation Vitamins

Mon, 29 Dec 2008 17:40:49 GMT

Hey all,

We're starting Revelation this next week, so get ready! These vitamins will help to get you familiar with what's in the book.

Monday: Revelation 1:1-18
Tuesday: Revelation 1:9-20
Wednesday: Revelation 2:1-11
Thursday: Revelation 2:12-17
Friday: Revelation 2:18-29
Saturday: Revelation 3:1-13
Sunday: Revelation 3:14-22

Memorize: Revelation 1:8

This stuff is pretty straight forward. No weird visions, so it should be pretty easy. Enjoy!

Worship Night

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 21:08:39 GMT

Worship night, Friday the 19th of December, 7pm-8:30pm. Come join us for a time of worship, praise, and prayer, focusing us on the amazing day that is Christmas. We'll have hot chocolate and cookies afterward and mix with the other youth groups present.

Vitamins

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 21:06:50 GMT

Here are the vitamins for this week, designed to get you into the Christmas story.

Monday: Luke 1:26-38
Tuesday: Luke 1:46-56
Wednesday: Matthew 1:18-24
Thursday: Matthew 2:1-12
Friday: Luke 2:21-35
Saturday: Matthew 2:13-18
Sunday: Matthew 2:19-23

Memorize: Luke 1:38

Chew throughly!

Healing

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 21:00:40 GMT

Hey guys, remember that if you bring in three stories from the Bible that involved people getting healed, you get an extra 3 points in the Bible contest. There are some pretty cool ones out there, like this one. Good hunting!