The Update

Hey NSL, just a quick note to let you know that you should be prepared to be outside this Sunday for youth group. We will be outside rain or shine, so be dressed accordingly!

We spend a lot of time doing a lot of things. Each week we spend hours and hours online, watching TV, getting ready in the morning, eating meals… we even spend over an hour each week deciding what to do!

But one thing that we never seem to have time for is “God Time.” The bummer is, there are some pretty sweet side effects to regular time spent hanging out with the Big Guy. Sweet perks like:

• Peace
• Joy
• Truth
• Help to Overcome Sin
• Direction in Life

That’s not a shabby list. Over the next couple weeks we’ll be looking at the importance of regular God Time, and working to make it a priority in our lives.
(Hey, just in time for New Year’s Resolutions, sweet!)

The greatest thing that you have to give is your story… share it!

Our story shapes who we are, how we think, what we do, and what we’ll become. It is the center of everything we experience in life. And it is the best thing you can share with someone.

FaithStories are an important part of our culture at Northwood, they encourage, explain, and excite our idea of having a relationship with God.  Our new Sunday Series starts up this week. “Share Your Story…” is a group experiment in storytelling. Ever single student in NSL will have a chance to share their stories, because everybody’s story has something to offer.

This Sunday, August 24, is the end of our Faith In Action series, and what better way to finish it off than to actually put our Faith into Action? (I know, clever, right?)

NSL will be painting some hallways at the Maple Grove Community Center. So bring your paint clothes (something that can get dirty) when you show up.

We’ll get started at 10:50am.

There is no youth group for Senior High at 9:30am, so sleep in or go to breakfast with friends, or come and hang out if you really want.

Contact Luke with questions, otherwise we’ll see you on Sunday!

Hey Senior Highers!

The Table is moving to Sunday nights starting September 7th, from 6pm-9pm.

The Table is the weekly meeting for Senior High students in NSL. We share a meal, and then we share our questions and thoughts about whatever is happening in our lives. It’s a great time to talk about what it means to be a Christ-follower, and often results in new ways of seeing the world, for students and leaders both!

We are moving from Monday nights to Sunday nights to bring a better balance to the programming week and in hopes of avoiding many conflicts that were arising on Mondays.

The Table will still meet at the Kraemer’s home in Maple Grove, check out the NSL Map for directions!

So mark your calendars, September 7th is the return of The Table!

We’ve started a new series on Sunday mornings at Northwood. Not just during youth group, but as a whole church! Northwood Student Life will be focusing each week on the same topic that is our focus during the services.

That means that students get a chance to double-up on thinking through the theme each week, how cool is that? And we aren’t talking re-runs, those who were their yesterday had tables and crayons during the church service, but experienced the teen center turned into a maze when they arrived for youth group.

The next month is all about your actions speaking louder than words. To quote the currently popular Batman, it’s what you do that defines you. And we’re not just going to talk about it, we’ll actually do it, when we put the serve in service on August 24 by stepping out of doors and serving during the time we normally meet for church. More details on that coming soon.

This Sunday is Promotion Sunday for Northwood Student Life!

Now, I'm sure you have many questions about this magical day, but since you are there and I am here I will have to simply imagine what our little Q&A might sound like... I think it would sound like this:

You: Hey Luke! Man, that is a nice outfit. You are such a snazzy dresser.

Me: What, this old thing, I picked it up at a garage sale, but thanks for noticing.

You: So I hear that Sunday is Promotion Sunday, what does that mean?

Me: I'm glad you asked. It's the day that everybody in Northwood Student Life moves up a grade.

You: But the school year hasn't even finished yet. Isn't that illegal.

Me: Um... I don't think so...

You: You better watch yourself, if the 5-0 show up, run.

Me: Yeah, I'm not too worried, but thanks for lookin' out for me.

You: No problem. So what happens on Sunday to celebrate the moves?

Me: Well, the Senior High will greet the new 10th graders and welcome them to the group. The junior high will say goodbye to the current 9th graders (who are going to Senior High) and welcoming the new 7th grade students who are entering youth group for the first time. It's a big day of showing each other that we look out for one another here. I love it!

You: What about the graduating seniors? Don't they get a goodbye?

Me: Sure do. Next week, June 8th, we are honoring them during big church.

You: Wow. That's fantastic! So what can I do?

Me: The best thing is to introduce yourself to some of the new faces in your age group and remind them that they are part of our community now, they are one of the family. And help explain what that means!

You: Coolio. I can do that! I'll see you on Sunday!

I think that's exactly how our conversation would have sounded if you were sitting right here. So hopefully I've answered all your questions about Sunday, it's an exciting day for NSL!

This morning we talked about some of the different tools you can use to study the Bible online. Here's a recap and the links for those who wanted it.

eBible.com

This is the best for looking up Bible verses. It will highlight the passage amid the entire chapter and offers a clear and simple way to link to verses online. Best for "Hey, read this and tell me what you think." situations.

This is the best for studying the Bible. It will offer commentary on whatever passage you are reading, as well as letting you search by keywords or topics in the Bible. It's the best for both "I wonder what the Bible says about ______." and "I want to know more about this verse" situations.

YouVersion.com

This is the best for collecting your thoughts and helping you connect parts of your story with the Bible. It will let you add links, pictures, videos, or thoughts to any part of the Bible that you are reading. You can even sign up to follow your friends and see when they add their own connections. This is great for going back and seeing what the Bible made you think of.

These are all great tools and I hope you'll make use of them. Using tools to understand the Bible better can lead to some really great realizations about God and how he relates to us.

So we've started a new a new series on Sundays called "TXT" that's all about the Bible. And part of the series is a challenge to every NSL person to read their Bible every day for 40 days.
You are welcome to read whatever you like, but the challenge includes reading at least 1 chapter from the Old Testament and 1 Chapter from the New Testament each day.
If you think you might need some extra help to remember, we've set up a couple different places for you to get reminders.

1. TXT Messages - the series is called "txt" after all. Follow the post "TXT Subscription for the 40 Day Challenge" for more details.
   
2. The Update - we will post each daily reading here at The Update every day for the next 40 days. You can subscribe in two ways.
   
1. RSS - Grab the feed and enjoy it in your reader of choice. Not familiar with RSS? Check out this post [click here].
2. E-mail - subscribe to The Update by putting your e-mail in the box on the right hand side.
   

Have questions about the Bible? Like where did it come from? Or who wrote it? Or what are some tips for reading it? It's time to tackle those questions in our new Sunday Morning Series, "TXT."

TXT is a 6 week series that will explore the history, reliability, significance, and readability of the Bible. The goal is to learn more about how the Bible works, how to read it, and what it holds for us in our daily life. You can see the weekly schedule in the upcoming events portion of the NSL website [click here].

During this series we'll ask you to take the 40 day challenge. The goal is to read the Bible every day for 40 days. You'll hear more about this later.

This is a really neat thing to talk about, the Bible is the center of everything we do as Christians, and understanding it helps us understand a lot about what God is saying to us. It's like a note from God that says "Dear You, here is everything you need to know." How cool is that?

If you have any Bible related questions that you'd like covered head over to the NSL Forums and post them in the weekly events category. We'll try and squeeze them in. We start on Sunday, March 30th. See you there!