The Update

More music available on the NSL Jukebox. In preparation for their album release tomorrow, we bring you Anberlin’s last effort, Cities.

This alternative rock band has been around for quite a while on Tooth & Nail Records, but they are getting ready for their first release on a major label, and it’s about time.

The skillful use of unique sounds and the emotional outpouring through instrument and voice are the cornerstone of Anberlin’s unique sound. They’ve spent their time touring around with the Warped Tour where new fans are made at each stop. This is great background music for a drive or when you’re just hanging out, so go and check them out.

*If you need instructions on how to use the NSL Jukebox, you can find them here.

Tomorrow is the last day of the "Early Bird" registration for the MEA Retreats. So far, here is who is signed up.

Junior High MEA:

Senior High MEA

A couple quick notes on the sign ups,

• There is a minimum number of students needed for each trip which has not been met.
• We consistently say "Money should not be the only reason you can't attend an event." Contact Luke with any questios about this. 

So head over to the MEA website and  sign up before it's too late!

Each week we ask a question here on The Update and ask the NSL Community (students, leaders, parents, etc.) to respond with their thoughts. The goal is to spark a conversation or offer some insight into the things and ways others are thinking about life, God, the world, and more.

So join the conversation. Respond to the answer below by clicking on “comments” on the bottom of each post.

 

Who is one of the most important role models in your life?

Be ready for your outside clothes because this Sunday is “Clean Up The Park” day at NSL.

Northwood Student Life has adopted a park in Maple Grove as a small way to serve our city and those around is. Twice a year (each spring and fall) we head over to the park to pick up garbage in the area and tidy up. This Sunday, September 28, is that day.

So when you come this Sunday be ready to be outside for the day. We’ll see you there!

All this talk about the upcoming MEA Retreats got me thinking, “Where are all our pictures from last year?”

The Junior High ones have been up since last fall, but I couldn’t find the Senior High ones anywhere… until now.

We’ve found the pictures from the Senior High MEA Retreat 2007, and have put them online at the NSL Flickr Page. That brings the total number of pictures to over 2,100!

So head on over and check them out, including my personal favorite… a tree falling on the Senior High boys.

This is a reminder that Luke will be on vacation next week. He and Katie are heading up to the North Shore to do some hiking.

All youth events will continue as scheduled with the super awesome amazing fantastic youth leaders taking the helm. 

So The Table, The Gathering, and Sunday morning will all happen as planned, and Luke will be back at church on September 28.

Have a great week!

So you may not remember, but you’re invited to submit your own videos to NSLtv. Then we get them up on the NSL YouTube Channel. Cooper did just that during his time working in Colorado this summer, demonstrating his new way to cool off. So I’m very pleased to present you with Cooper’s Big Splash…

Atta boy!

Earlier this year we announced that NSL would soon begin accepting online payments for youth trips and events. The feature is now active on our website. We have launched this feature to correspond with the sign-up for MEA, which also launched today.

We are using Google Checkout as our payment gateway due to their favorable rates for non-profit organizations. Google Checkout allows your to either set up an account for repeated visits or enter credit card information for one-time transactions.

By offering online payments we aim to:

• Bring added convenience to event registration
• Simplify the process of event payments
• Streamline processing by NSL staff
• Improve record-keeping abilities

You can read a bit more about the process here.

We strongly encourage you to give it a try when signing up for the MEA Retreats. Thanks!

The websites for the Junior High MEA Retreat and Senior High MEA Retreat are now online. You can find them on the NSL Website under Info & Events>Upcoming Events, or click “Visit the Page.” Here’s a quick description of each of the trips taking place MEA weekend (October 15-19).

Junior High MEA Retreat – October 15 & 16 [Visit the Page]

 

Take NSL:jh, (some of the craziest 7-9 graders we know) and put them together at a camp where they can enjoy some group challenges, chill time, devos, Prayer, Worship, and a high ropes course suspended in the trees, bake for 2 days. Do you smell what's cookin'? The Juinor High MEA Retreat!

 

Senior High MEA Retreat – October 17-19 [Visit the Page]

Jesus was a busy guy, crowds in the thousands following him around and wanting a bit of his time. He understands the stress that comes from too many people wanting too many things from you at once. The way he dealt with it was to go into the wilderness for prayer.
There is an important need in everyone's life to get away from the day-to-day things and recharge, relax, reconnect, and retreat. That is why we have the Senior High MEA Retreat each year, a chance to refresh and grow without the normal distractions of everyday life.

New music is available on the NSL Jukebox from Kids In The Way.
Apparitions of Melody is the sophomore release from Kids in the Way. It offers the same post-hardcore flavor that they have become known for, with a delicate mix of melodic vocals and hardcore screaming.
This rough and driving album offers some insightful lyrics and great music for you just need it to be loud. Check it out!
*If you need instructions on how to use the NSL Jukebox, you can find them here.

Three new albums are available on the NSL Jukebox. Some great stuff from David Crowder Band.
David Crowder Band puts out some of the most fun worship music you can find. A electro-geeky sound mixed with over-the-top praise and hard driving anthems. It's a safe bet that there's something for everybody on one of these three albums.
Head to the NSL Jukebox now and you'll find:
Remedy - The latest release from DCB, played regularly at NSL Events
A Collision - The previous release, with some funky hoe-down style.
Illuminate - The infamous release with many of the Band's most popular tracks. Chances are that you've sung some of these songs in church before.
So head on over and check it out.
*If you need instructions on how to use the NSL Jukebox, you can find them here.

  A little housekeeping to take care of, a new health form is required for every student each ministry year. That means it is time for the 2008-2009 health forms.
These forms serve as a reference for medical information and emergency contact information as well as a permission slip for all NSL Events over the next year. There are places where both students and parents must sign.
You can download the health form here.
Bring the completed form to Sunday Mornings, The Table, or The Gathering. Otherwise you can mail the completed form to:

Thanks!

Inspired by this morning’s lesson @ NSL, we are starting a new weekly feature here on The Update.

This morning we talked about the importance of having meaningful connections with one another. We also talked about how spending all your time talking about trivial stuff tends to create weak bonds, and that making the effort to find out what people really think about relevant things in their life is a good way to build each other up and grown deeper bonds to one another.

We’re hoping we can help out with that by posing a question each week here on The Update. The questions will be a little more serious than the “What’s your favorite food group?” ones you used to find on the NSL Homepage, they are meant to get you thinking.

So when we post a question, then you go ahead and respond by leaving a comment below. Just click where it says “0 comments” or “4 comments” or whatever the number is. It’s a great way to share what you think and get to know what others think to.

And remember, you can always head to the NSL Forums for even more in-depth conversation.

So that’s the deal with the “Question of the Week.” Let’s get started. This week’s question is…

“If you could ask God one question what would it be?”

Last night at The Gathering we talked about creating a masterpiece.

The conversation was from Ephesians 2:10 which says, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (NLT)

A paraphrase would be, “You are an example of the best work of your Creator. He took the mess and junk in your life and painted over it, so now you are free to start a new picture, full of the colors and shapes that God likes.”

I had the opportunity to watch a guy paint a picture once. He started making marks here and there, large bold splatters of paint as he dipped his bare hands into the paint can and used them in place of his brush.

As he kept painting, I struggled to figure out what he was making, what it was going to look like when it was all done. I couldn't tell if he was painting a person or a place or just making abstract smears across the canvas.

He kept going, and with each mark I thought the picture would come clearer, but instead I just grew more confused. Soon, the entire canvas was covered and I still had no idea what this guy was painting.

Then, in the course of about 30 seconds, he took some black paint and drew a simple outline around the different groupings of color he had made, and then, as clear as could be, I saw the face of Jesus. A crown of thorns, a cross to carry, and a hauntingly simple expression of painful determination.

It was all clear.

My life works like that. There are smears of color going all over the place. I make an effort to follow God each day, but at the end of those days I am often confused by what exactly it is we are painting. I'm pretty sure that I was working with God, but I can't tell what it is we are making. There are bright colors from fun things that I enjoyed, dark smudges from difficult things that made the day seem darker. Shapes of times I knew what I was doing and scribbles from times that I was confused and unsure about my steps.

And you end up with this big chaotic mess. A mess that doesn't make sense. A mess that reminds me of all that has happened without answering the giant, "WHY?" behind it all.

And then, every once in a while. God comes in and takes the black paint and draws a simple outline around the different groupings of color we have made. And clear as could be, I see the face of Jesus.

The black outlines come in different ways, times of crises in my life or times when a friend discovers their own relationship with Jesus or times of sitting and reflecting on all that has happened. I never know when it will all finally become clear, so I just have to keep painting.

And once I see that face, it is time to hang that particular picture in the gallery of my memories, a reminder of how everything in my life still came together to show the beauty of my Artist. Then we pick up another canvas and start smearing bright colors all over it as we paint the next masterpiece.

Wednesday nights are back. The Gathering (the midweek meeting for Junior High students) starts tomorrow night!

We are meeting at our new location, the Cases’ home in Maple Grove. We meet from 6:30pm – 8:30pm each week for great conversations and a bit of a ruckus. It’s a blast!

For directions to the Cases’ and more information just head on over to The Gathering website,
northwoodcc.org/thegathering