Merry Christmas Everyone!

Hope the holiday season is a wonderful time spent with friends and family. And that you remember the reason for the season! The incarnation of Jesus on Earth!! Who brought salvation to all mankind. Its easy to simply read over that but pause to think about it. God came to earth in the form of a human in order to be the sacrifice for our sins. Thats pretty cool. And it really is and was the climax of all of history. The Old Testament looked forward to it and now the Church looks back to it. The life of Jesus...his birth, and more importantly his death and resurrection!

It brings Gods elect back into a restored relationship with God the Father.

Watch this hilarious and heartwarming mockumentary that tells the story of an actor performing in a living nativity who takes his role way too seriously.

You can watch the clip from the blog by clicking on the play button over the video or click on this link to take you to Youtube.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ap_sM6jbBRQ

Fundraisers!

This Friday and Saturday at the Mall in Westminster we will be gift wrapping inside the mall but just outside Belk from 10 am to 8pm the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving.

Call Cheryl Beachley ASAP to help out. We are in NEED of more volunteers to wrap gifts.

Also, Tuesday December 8th is a Chick-Fil-A fundraiser. Pick up flyer at church and take to Chick-Fil-A in Owings Mills by Best Buy between 5 and 8 pm. We get 20% of sales with flyer.

Questions? Call Cheryl or Jordan.

Absolutes

This last Sunday we started our series from Ravi Zacharias titled: Jesus Among other Gods.

I have not been able to put up our actual lesson because we watched a 20 minute video from Ravi Zacharias. He starts the series by talking about the loss of absolutes in a relativistic postmodern culture.

When comparing Christianity with other religions it is important to first tackle the problem of denying there are absolute truths.

What is truth and why is it important? Watch this short 2 minute clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AARDtGay5w

You can also check out this 8 minute message, part 2 of a 5 part series on youtube.

If you have time I would listen to the whole message, search on youtube, Ravi Zacharias: The Loss of Truth:

The crumbling of moral foundation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1_9WCy6syY

Why We Need Strong Parents

This blog is a great resource for all things concerning our youth group but one of the driving forces behind starting it up was to equip parents with the tools necessary to minister to their youth. To meet that goal helpful articles will be posted each week.

This is an article I came across recently and its makes some good points on why we need strong parent involvement in our teens lives.

Why We Need Strong Parents by Paul Evans & Al Millergren

1. Develop In Your Teen A Personal Faith In God. Ecclesiastes 9:10 says, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all of your might…” Certainly raising our children and developing spiritual relationships is the ultimate “whatever.” Parenthood is one of the most pressure-packed vocations a person can experience, so “all your might” is not an option, but a requirement. Tie each moment to God and not to a phrase like, “Because I said so.” Explain and model the spiritual significance of your decisions.

2. Families Are Collapsing. Families are falling apart at a rapid rate. Children are being neglected because of parents’ jobs, abuse, and divorce. Many families no longer communicate as in previous decades because of media, music, and microwaves, just to name a few. How firm is your household's foundation? Is there serious rotting among your relationships? Study the structure of your family. How much time do you share together? When was the last meal that brought the entire crew to the table? Set aside a minimum of one night per week to eat and discuss your relationships.

3. Teen Sexuality. Teens seem to no longer be afraid of diseases or pregnancy. Many girls give their bodies to the nearest “I love you.” Guys forfeit their virginity to prove their manhood, and all of this is wrapped in the heated hormones of adolescence. Teach teens the reason behind God’s rules of purity. Read Ephesians 5:3 & I Corinthians 6:19-20 together and talk about God’s desires compared to the heart’s desires.

4. Teen Substance Abuse Is On The Incline. The University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research reports that 54.3 percent of students had used an illicit drug by the time they reached their senior year of high school. Each year more and more teens become alcoholics, and nicotine & drug addicts. They use these substances to escape life, to end life, or to live up to the expectations of their peers. Inform yourself about substance risks, then inform your teen without accusing him or her. Log on to http://www.nida.nih.gov/NIDAHome2.html for information and statistics about teens and drugs.

5. Unhealthy Media Overload. We are parenting the first wireless generation as proven by the comic strip Zits. Jeremy texts his mom from upstairs to ask what’s for dinner? No one has to meet face-to-face, or even voice-to-voice. Texts, Emails and chat rooms replace personal interaction most of the time. First, talk and listen. Even if it’s just to ask, “How was your day?” Second, regulate the media influences by getting unplugged. Set aside specific periods each week where the television, radio, computer, will be unplugged and use that time to share your lives. Never allow people or events to come into your home via media that you would not have in person. Also, consider blocks on your computer to keep certain sites out of your home.

6. Morality Is On The Decline. If sitcoms and teen nighttime soap operas reflect the values of today's young person, we can assume that premarital sexual activity, binge drinking, and hurting others to get ahead have become the new standards. Create on paper a set of core values for your family. What areas as a family, not just for your teen, will you refuse to compromise? What standards will become nonnegotiable?

7. Peer Pressure Will Always Be An Issue. Acceptance and love remains the number one longing of today's young person. The need to fit in can be so overwhelming that teenagers will lower their virtues in order to match a certain peer group. Guide your teen toward God-esteem instead of self-esteem. Explore Romans 5:6-8 with your child.

8. Teen Violence Is Increasing. The massacres at Columbine High School and other institutions uncovered the eyes of society in relation to teen brutality. Even more shocking is the recent incident involving the rape of a four-year-old girl by an eight-year-old boy. Increase your awareness of your children’s activities without prying. Do you know the names of their friends? Do you know where they spend their time? Are you aware of the influences that touch their lives? Do you know where they are gong via the internet?

9. To Provide A Safe Haven. Teenagers are prone to adopt an “everyone is against me” attitude. Their friend’s tend to gossip. Dating relationships dissolve. Cheerleading and sports don’t always deliver the popularity they promise. Home needs to be a place where teens know they won’t be judged wrongfully, or be expected to live up to some unattainable expectation.

10. Society's Spiritual Exploration. That sounds positive, doesn't it? The danger is that our culture is exploring every form of spirituality from crystals to angel worship. Spirituality is on the rise, but Christianity is not the fastest growing spiritual group. Stress relationship over ritual. Many methods of spirituality focus on freedom rather than faith. The Father desires followers who trust in Him, not those seeking fulfillment through their own power (Read Hebrews 11).

For a Print Out Version of this Article Please click below:

http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/2372651/Why%20We%20Need%20Strong%20Parents.doc

Mountainfest! - Nov. 20 - 22

Leaving Church at 5pm Friday, Returning 4pm Sunday

Where? Deep Creek, Wisp Resort

What? Fun, Games, Friends, Seminars, Worship!

Cost? $149

Deadline: THIS SUNDAY Nov. 1st

So sign up now for two nights and three days of hangin’ out, eating great food, singing, worshipping, playing, learning more about God, relaxing, & hiking!!

The theme for the weekend is the masks we wear and you get to pick from different seminar topics and speakers.

Click Below for Application

http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/2372651/HS.RetreatApplication2009.doc

Montana Summer Missions Meeting this Sunday

Montana Missions Meeting was October 25th.

Click Here for Access to the Informational Flyer.

http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/2372651/Montana.Bulletin.Flyer.doc

Deadline for Signing up, Applications & Deposit Due is December 6th.

God will Never Abandon You

Our last lesson on Monday was titled, God will Never Abandon You.

It was the last lesson in our series on how to have faith during hard times.

Please check out the lesson here. Students feel free to review it. Parents feel free to read over it to discuss with your children.

http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/2372651/Is.God.in.Control.Keller.1.doc

This Sunday at Elevate: Praise and Prayer night!

Living By Faith in Troubled Times

Dear parents and students,

Every week I am going to post a quick recap of the previous nights lesson with a Word document attached where you can download the lesson's outline and questions so you can carry the conversation further at home with your youth. The purpose is to equip the families with material to further spiritual growth in the lives of their children.

We have been going over a series in Elevate called, Living by Faith in Troubled times. Its a sermon series from Tim Keller from Redeemer Church in NYC. Below is a quick recap of the introduction to the series.

The study is going over the little explored Old Testament book of Habakkuk which might sound really obscure but it is really relevant for our times today! Habakkuk is writing during a time when his country is dealing with violence, economic crisis, wars, injustice, suffering and trials. We decided to study this because it our times are pretty difficult too. We turn on the TV, the internet and see reports of evil and injustice, wars and crimes, and hard economic times. Thus having a study on how to have faith in troubled times is very important for everyone these days.

So the book of Habakkuk is a dialogue between the prophet Habakkuk and God. In fact its a prayer by Habakkuk and God answering him. Habakkuk starts out by complaining to God about all the hard times. Hab. 1:2,3 "How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? ... Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong? " So Habakkuk is pretty honest and frank about his feelings but the one thing we learn about Habakkuk is that even though he doesnt understand and even though he questions God it was never a choice for him to leave God...to find answers somehwere else. He was faithfully wrestling with God. And that kind of unconditional faithful wrestling produces maturity, wisdom and grace. If we never struggled or went through hard times or if we always knew what God was up to then we really wouldnt need God. It was never an option for Habakkuk to walk away from God and he faithfully prayed and stuck to his relationship with God. The problem is we all have this assumed omniscience....we think we know how things should end up and if they dont that upsets us. We need to realize we dont have the control of every outcome and we need to learn to let go and trust. Habakkuk learns this throughout this book and we reflect on living by faith in troubled times in this series so wonderfully put together by Tim Keller.

If you would like to read more and actually download the lessons we've down the last several weeks, I have included the first lesson here and will have the next lesson up next week. My goal starting next week is to have the lesson from Monday night posted on this site on Tuesday so you can read it for yourself or use it to create dialogue with your children.

Week 1 Lesson on Living by Faith in Troubled Times. You'll have to copy and paste this link.

http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/2372651/Habakkuk.1.doc

Something to keep in mind about this lesson is, it may seem on an adult level but I really use it as a guide for me and definitely teach it at a high school level.

I also recommend listening to Tim Kellers sermon titled: "The Problem of Suffering and Evil" Its an excellent sermon by one of the best preachers in America today. This is part one of a four part lesson, the other parts can be found on YouTube.com or when the first one finishes you can scroll on the bottom of the video screen for parts 2-4. Its really worth listening to!

Serve The City Review

Serve the City Day was exceptional!!

We went to Patterson Park in Baltimore first to register, eat breakfast and then pick up our free serve the city t-shirts. Then we headed off to the Samaritan Village. A Christian organization that is in the process of building their ministry. They are renovating two very old and very cool mansions on the largest tract of undeveloped land in Baltimore city, 23 acres! The one home was built in the 1890s and had 23 rooms and 8,000 square feet! It was the summer home of a wealthy bachelor who owned a tugboat company in Baltimore. And he only lived in the house for 3 months out of the year! Wow.

In 1910 or so the home became a Sanatorium. A house for addicts and the nervous, in modern language, an Insane Assylum! There are lots of creepy stories about the house including that they used the dark basement to shackle and use shock therapy on the unlucky patients!
Our group helped sand the walls, paint, sweep, scrap wood and lead off different areas of the house. Once renovated it will be the home for battered women and they will also be taught a vocation, culinary arts! They will use the large and expanding vegetable garden next to the house to contribute to the program and also grow the food to donate to Baltimore area missions and shelters.

The second house on the property was built in the 1910's and is being renovated for church and group events which will be catered by the women! So the Samaritan Village has some great ministry goals and we got to help out. We also had some folks work in the garden/farm and we had a lumberjack crew who carried, split and chainsawed logs! Briah K. was our chainsaw expert! Ryan H. was our machete guy and Anna P, Grace, Tim H., fearless Papa Greg were our lumberjacks.

We will be going back as we look to make a long term partnership working with the folks at the Samaritan Village. Its neat to get in on the ground level and watch how the ministry comes to completion and grow into its ministry.

Demolition Derby and Fireworks!

Demolition Derby and Fireworks
Saturday September 12th!!
4pm - Dark

Everyone is welcome, friends and family.
Adults: $12 Kids 6-12: $6 5 and Under: Free

Bring a lawnchair and/or a blanket. Food.drink is available. Please check to see if bringing in food is allowed.

Presented by Arcadia Volunteer Fire Company

The Derby is on Route 30, 6 miles north of Reisterstown and 3 miles south of Hampstead.
Go to Arcadia Road and follow the signs.

PLEASE MEET us at the Derby.

We have very limited seating for those who absolutely need a ride. White van is leaving church at 3:30 pm.

More Information? http://www.arcadiavfc.org/
Click on Events.

Welcome!

Welcome to the new and improved ELEVATE Blog!!

This will be your place to view anything you need to know about Elevate at Covenant of Grace Presbyterian Church!!
Upcoming Events, Dates, Calendar, Announcements, Cool Articles, Lesson Topics, Links to cool sites and so much more.
Feel free to write responses to articles and ask questions about events by leaving comments or emailing.

This website will be updated weekly if not daily. Thanks! And Enjoy!