Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! 2009 brings a lot of hope for all of us. There are great things in store for everyone. Isn't it cool that God has already ordained 2009 for you and I? For Jillian and I, we will become parents in 2009 which is really exciting. What are you looking forward to about 2009?

One great thing that makes the new year great is the coming of the Edge Games...it comes every year around this time. I hope you are pumped about the games and have started spreading the word to your friends.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The Edge Games V

The Edge Games V

Fridays, January 9, 16, and 23

7-9 PM

General Information For Parents

• No pre-sign up is needed for this event. Medical and release forms are not necessary because students at no time will be permitted to leave the property.

• Students can be dropped off at the front of the church (Rte. 303 side) at 7:00 p.m. Pickup is at 9:00 PM at the same location.

• Students will be supervised by adults at all times without exception. (We expect 500 students, and as a result we will have plenty of adult supervision throughout the night) Furthermore, all voluntary supervision will be required to check in to receive a special nametag to ensure that they are a part of the supervision team.

• There is no charge for this event.

• Students should come dressed to be active that night as we will be playing team games. Students do not have to be athletic to participate.

• Students will be put into different teams, and each team will be supervised by a team of adult coaches.

• All students are expected to comply with the rules set forth by our Edge staff and adult leaders. The adult leaders have the right to send students home if they do not comply.

For any questions about anything concerning The Edge Games event, please contact us.

Jillian Stouffer

330-650-9533, ext. 320

Jillian.stouffer@hudsonchapel.org

Merry Christmas Caption Contest

Give me those captions! All of you are on break...so you should have some time to come up with some great ones. Enjoy.

Elfed ourselves

In case you missed it, or just wanted to see it again....

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Christmas Party Tonight

Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the edge Christmas party is tonight! Fun, cookies, elf contest, games, and the grand total of money we receive toward the home in India will be announced tonight. Don't miss it as we celebrate the joy of Christmas!

And don't forget your $25 tonight! Don't know what I am talking about? Find out HERE.

I will see everyone tonight!

Leader of the Month

As many of you know, we have some incredible adult leaders in our edge ministry. Each month, we are going to continue to highlight one leader on the blog for their awesome work in this ministry. Leaders are here to invest the lives of edge students. It's a great thing!

This month's LEADER OF THE MONTH is Jesse Prentiss! Jesse just started as a leader this year leading a group of 6th grade girls, but she will be moving away next month because her husband is being transferred with is job. It is going to be sad to lose Jesse, but she has been a very devoted leader for the last several months. I know that the girls in her group will miss her greatly! She is the prime example of a great edge leader. She loves Jesus and loves middle school students.

Would you join me in congratulating Jesse?!

THE REST OF OUR GREAT EDGE LEADERS!

Edge Recap

Last night was good times including some egg nog (a holiday treat), a loaf of bread, oats, and some deodorant. You had to be there.

We talked about how many people go through Christmas without noticing Jesus. If Christmas is truly about Jesus, we can't miss it, and we must celebrate by making our lives about others.

Don't forget about our campaign to raise money to build a house for a family in India! It's gonna be great. Be sure to let you parents know so that they can bring the money in next week.

Next week is our Christmas Party and it's gonna be a blast...game, food, cookies, fun, and more fun! We will also announce the grand total of money brought in to build the house. I can't wait. The picture above is the picture of a typical house in India. Just a small sacrifice of forfeiting one gift this year will help give a family the gift of a home. I hope you can join us in this.

MORE INFO ON THIS CAMPAIGN

Caption Contest

Since President Bush is just finishing out his 8 year term as President, I thought today's caption contest would be about him. I like this picture, and I can only imagine what is going through his mind in this picture....let's hear your captions!

Edge Recap

I had a great time with all of you last night. I hope you are as pumped as I am about helping build a house for a family in India. This is going to be great. Don't forget to tell your parents about if you haven't already. We really need everyone involved in order to make this happen. If you missed last night and still want to be a part of the joy of helping someone, please read this email I sent the parents this morning. I copied it below...

"Last night at Edge, I set a challenge for students (you may or may not have heard about yet). I talked about how celebrating Christmas is celebrating the one who was born in humility, lived in humility, and died in humility for all of us. I talked about how his life was all about us. So in celebrating his life, we should make our lives all about others during Christmas. So we came up with a tangible way of doing just that.

I found out that through the Indian Gospel League, it costs $3,500 to build a house for a family in India. I challenged students to forfeit one Christmas gift worth $25 from you (their parent or grandparent) and ask you to give that money towards building a house for a family in India. If 140 of them decided this is what they wanted to do, then we would have our money for the house. This could be such a great thing, but there are a couple of things you should know to help us out."

New Edge Series

As you can see up at the top of the blog, we have a new series starting tomorrow...it's called...

HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

Everyone wants to be home for Christmas, right? It's kind of a staple of Christmas...being home. It's interesting that Jesus wasn't born in a nice home. He wasn't even born in a hospital or a hotel room for that matter...he was born in a stable with nasty smells, horses, pigs, and who knows what else. After he was born, he was laid in a animal feeding trough. What an entrance into this world? Talk about a humble beginning. Humility marked the entire life of Jesus because he didn't come for himself, he came for us. Tomorrow night is the start of this news series where we are going to have the chance to do something great for someone this Christmas....come tomorrow night and find out!

Also, for those of you on Fall Fusion...you will have another chance to purchase an Aevory Nash cd for $5.

Don't miss EDGE tomorrow night!

Pray for Jillian Stouffer

Hey everyone, as many of you know Jillian Stouffer has been on a mission trip to Thailand for the past 2 weeks. She was scheduled to come home this past weekend, but anti-government protesters took over the airport and no one has been able to fly out in almost a week. She is VERY SAFE there staying with some missionaries, but right now, she has to wait until the airport is back up and running to leave the country. It would be great if everyone who reads this would pray that she would find a way to get home. Also, pray that if she has to stay a little longer, that God might have a reason for that. While you are at it, pray for the country of Thailand because they are having some major political problems right now. READ MORE ABOUT IT HERE if you are interested.

At Edge, we are a family, and when one of our family members needs something, we need to gather around and pray. So let's pray together for Jillian (and the friend that is with her). Thanks!

thankful

I am thankful today...are you?

Yesterday was thanksgiving as you all know, and the typical thing to do is talk about what you are thankful for. Did anyone actually do this? I actually found myself not really being that thankful yesterday...i was lazy, i ate too much, watched too much tv, and was even kind of grumpy later in the day. I went to sleep that night, and realized how ungrateful I was that day.

Today, I am thankful...i spent time this morning thanking God for my wife, my house, warmth, and most of all, for Jesus. Have you done that yet? You should...it will begin to change your attitude and your outlook on the life God has given you.

Caption Contest

This is thanksgiving style. Best caption wins a prize. When you are bored this thanksgiving, just start coming up with captions. This will be fun!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

World Record Pancake...

While, I know this is not the world record pancake, it's very very big, and it was made by my small group guys this morning at Urban Vision. We had a blast cooking breakfast for inner city kids in Akron. These guys worked hard and even had enough pancake batter to make a pancake bigger than my head (and i have a pretty big head). Flipping that thing was a very delicate process and took 4 people and 4 spatulas to make it happen. I just wanted to let you all know that serving can be a ton of fun, and it's definitely filled with a lot of joy!

Edge Recap / Fall Fusion 08 Highlight

"That's what friends do, they forgive each other!"

Last night, we talked about forgiveness and how it is eventually going to come up in every good friendship. But we talked about how important forgiveness is to God. How do we know? Look at Christ, he canceled our debt, completely forgave us when we couldn't save ourselves. Shouldn't we also forgive others. I enjoyed reading what you all wrote on the paper on the wall. I hope you guys learned a lot about friendship over the past few weeks. Today, tell a good friend how much you appreciate them!

We also watched a highlight video from Fall Fusion, and now you can watch it again...enjoy!


EDGE - Fall Fusion '08 from edgehcc on Vimeo.

Aevory Nash

For those of you who were at Fall Fusion, I wanted to let you know that you will have an opportunity to purchase an Aevory Nash CD tonight at Edge for $5. If you liked them then I am sure you will really like their CD. Get a sample here.

Fall Fusion...

Wow, what a great weekend! I had a blast with all of you at Fall Fusion...especially the late night cabin scavenger hunt...good times. I hope you didn't lose too much sleep.

I hope that you all took away some great things from the weekend, especially when it comes to unity in Christ. Zach Churchill shared some great insights into how we can unite as one and impact our world for Jesus Christ. And how sweet was Aevory Nash...that was so much fun to worship with you guys. For those of you who want check them out more....you can go to their facebook by CLICKING HERE!

I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

What was your highlight of the weekend?

Edge Recap

Ok, it's your turn. Instead of me giving you a recap of Edge last night, I would like you to give me a recap of the night. Post a comment. Let us know what you learned about BFF's and what it takes to be a great friend.

GO FOR IT!

Edge Band Tunes

A lot of people have asked, so I wanted to give you all a list of the songs the Edge Band played this past weekend at church. This way, you can download them and listen to them whenever you want!

We Won't Be Quiet - David Crowder Band
Broadcast - Fee
Happy Day - Tim Hughes
Mighty to Save - Hillsong
From the Inside Out - Hillsong United
Dancing Generation - Matt Papa

Also, there are some videos of the edge band from this weekend posted. Check them out!

Broadcast:


Mighty to Save:

Caption Contest

The caption contests seem to go over really well so let's keep them coming.
Best caption wins a prize at Edge on Wednesday!

Edge Recap

Last night was a lot of fun! If you were there, I want to remind you of a few things.

• Remember, when we are thinking about what it means to be a good friend, it starts with ourselves. We can't point fingers at others.
• Also, remember that a good friend loves. Loving others is not normal, takes action, and changes people.
• Everyone take out a pen and draw the upside down triangle on your hands. Remember to live with God and others taking up the majority of your life, you yourself last.

Don't miss next week at Edge where we are going to dive into another characteristic of good friends. You want to miss it!

It's Survey Time

Alright, everyone, I want you to take a very quick and easy online survey for me. It's only 1 question and it's completely anonymous. Click the link below!


Click here to take our Online Survey

BFF's

So, what is a BFF? It seems like Best Friends Forever are made so easily these days. But what does it really mean to be a friend to someone else? How do you treat that person? How can you be a better friend to someone else? Starting this Wednesday, our next Edge series will focus on answering these questions about friendships. I hope you will join us as we take a look at what it means to be a friend. You may discover something new!

Wednedsays, November 5, 12, and 19, from 7:00-8:15 PM.

Don't forget to invite a "friend"!

Urban Vision

Did you know that Edge partners with a local ministry called Urban Vision? Their purpose is to share the love of Christ to inner city kids in Akron. They put on events and programs for kids on a weekly basis. Every 4th Saturday of each month, a small group from Edge heads down to Urban Vision to make and serve breakfast to kids during their Saturday morning Kid's club. Tomorrow night, we are sending several Edge families down to Urban Vision to serve at their Harvest Party, which is just a big Halloween Carnival. They expect tons of kids to enter their facility to have a blast and get a glimpse of the love of Jesus.

Sometimes, we tend to forget that life is extremely different just 10 miles down the road from the church...poverty, kids without families, kids whose parents are addicted to drugs, and more. I am so grateful for Urban Vision and other ministries that have a heart for these people. Would you pray for Urban Vision today?

If you are ever interested in serving there, ask your small group leader to take your group down there. It'll be a great time! I took my group down there last year and we had a blast serving together for a good cause.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THEIR WEBSITE!

Fall Fusion---Don't miss it!

You will not want to miss Fall Fusion! It's gonna be a great weekend! Come experience a weekend of growth, bonding with friends, and even making new ones. We are bringing in a great guest speaker, Mr. Churchill, from CVCA, and a great new band to lead us in worship. You will love it! We'll have a blast together at Camp Carl! The deadline is coming and spots are filling up. Don't miss out!


CLICK HERE TO GET DETAILS AND TO SIGN UP ONLINE!

Caption Contest

Alright, everyone, it's caption contest time. Everyone write a caption and the best caption will win a prize at the next Edge!

Enjoy!

Hey, Edgers! Is it okay if I call you that? This morning Todd challenged us to make a commitment towards one of the H.A.B.I.T.S. we've been learning about on Sunday mornings. I hope that you took his challenge to heart and have committed to taking the first steps of creating a new, godly habit in your life! I'm going to work on Bible Memorization. That's something I haven't been very committed to recently, but when I think of times when I have been in this habit, I miss it! I'm thankful everyday for the verses that I've stored in my heart. All that to say, I'm gonna do it again!

Is anyone else with me? What action step are you going to take?

HCC Student Ministry Weekend

I would like to officially announce that the weekend of November 8-9 is going to be called Student Ministry Weekend at HCC.

This means that all of the services on Saturday night and Sunday morning will be led by students and leaders from Edge and Tha Porch. The Edge and Porch bands will be leading worship, students will be greeting and ushering, John Coleman and I will be speaking in the main service, and the Time Machine will even be on display for all to see. This is going to be great. I am telling all of you so that you do not miss out on this weekend! That Sunday, it's important that everyone wear their Time Machine shirts if you have one, and if you don't, you should purchase one at Edge. Not many churches give their student ministries a chance to lead a whole Sunday morning. This is gonna be great! Maybe we will even get 3 adults dressed in suits to have a pie eating contest?

Global Awareness

There is so much need around the world that sometimes we don't even think about in our little suburban American communities. I love when people see needs around the world and decide to meet them for the sake of Christ. At a recent Ledge training day, we viewed a video about a guy who started a mission to give people wheelchairs who needed them. It may not sound like much, but so many people need one, but don't have one so they can't get around. Check out this video to see how one man decided to share the love of Christ through a wheelchair mission.

WATCH THIS AND GO CHANGE YOUR WORLD FOR CHRIST!

Leader of the month

Hey everyone,
We are starting a new blog tradition this year. Each month, I would like to highlight one of our Edge adult leaders and give them the title, LEADER OF THE MONTH! Our leaders are so valuable to Edge because they invest time in your lives. They lead your small group, the hang out with you at Edge, and sometimes even outside of Edge. Edge wouldn't happen without our leaders.

So this month, our leader of the month is.......

STEVE PAOLUCCI (aka POOCH)

Steve leads a group of 7th grade boys and has a 7th grade boy himself, Luke. You can see Steve's profile here. The best part about Steve is that he loves Jesus Christ and it is evident in the way he lives his life. Give Steve a shout out and thank him for giving his time to make a difference at Edge. Also, check out the rest of our Edge leaders on our brand new Edge leaders page.

What do you see?

What you see is not always what you get...or something like that. Below are some optical illusions that I think are sweet.

Okay, if you focus on the rotating dot in this picture, you'll see the pink dot moving around. But, if you focus on the + sign in the middle, the dot will become green and the other dots will disappear! Freaky.


What word do you see here? There is more than one word. I wonder if the word you see says something about you? :)

Can you believe the picture above isn't actually moving? Either way, it makes me a little motion sick...

We tend to trust our first judgment of something or someone, but sometimes I think it's good to take a second look, don't you?

If you want to see more illusions, click here to see where I found these!

Edge Recap

So, we have finished our Time Machine series last night with the final part of the story which we are still in today...the church. Remember, the church is all about changed lives because of Christ. And the church's mission is to tell others about the love of Christ so that their lives might be changed too. I want you to remember one question that I asked last night...

What difference is Jesus Christ making in your life today?

Watch the Paul video again below:


EDGE - Time Machine - Paul from edgehcc on Vimeo.

Edge needs you!

Don't miss Edge tonight! The last night in the Time Machine series, but probably not the last time we use the Time Machine so those fans out there, have no fear. Come tonight and bring a friend...we will have a blast. You never know what will happen on any given Edge night. Can't wait to see YOU tonight!

I love this picture because no matter where you are, Uncle Sam is staring at you. Try it...move to the right...move to the left...he is still looking right at you. Kinda freaky, eh?

Caption Competition

Alright, it's Monday and it's time to have some fun. This is a brand new thing we are doing on the edge blog called a caption competition. Basically, you look at the picture, and write a caption in the comment on what you see. I will pick a best caption and that person will win a prize at Edge on Wednesday. Let's see how it goes. Here is the first picture.

I'll start...here is my caption...

"I bet that bike flies." Ok, now it's your turn!

WRITE YOUR CAPTION HERE

Autumnide.

It's that time again...listen to the crunch under your feet, throw on a light jacket, and go do something festive...it's fall! And I love it. Last night I sat at a bonfire for hours with good conversation, s'mores, cider, scarves, and twinkle lights.

The fun of the bonfire made me think of all the things I love to do this time of year. And THAT got me thinking about what I love to do around Christmas time. One of those things is watching holiday movies! So in an effort to make the winter more bearable, I'm going to start compiling a list of movies to watch over the Christmas season (starting after Thanksgiving). Help me... what movies should go on the list?

Hey Mary!

In case you missed it, or just wanted to watch it again...here's Todd's latest adventure in time traveling!


EDGE - Time Machine - Mary from edgehcc on Vimeo.

enjoy, and don't forget to share it with your parents and friends!

Edge Recap

Does that look like ice cream or mayonnaise?
Freeze it and it will look exactly like ice cream. The look on Phil's face when he realized he wasn't eating ice cream was priceless. I had a great time with you last night. I hope you had a great time yourself.

Last night was the turning point in the story...the point of redemption. I talked about Jesus paying the penalty for our sin once and for all...rescuing us from our sin and taking the sin for us in his death, and restoring us back to that right relationship with God. REDEMPTION! Amazing stuff! Last night, 2 students made the incredible decision to believe in Jesus Christ and accept Him into their lives. Praise God!

Don't miss next Wednesday when we cap off the series with the final part of the story!

So many books...

Can i admit something to you?

I love to read - love it. the only thing I like better than finishing a good book is starting a new one.

but that hasn't always been the case.

when I was in school hardly ever read for fun, or at all, and if I did read a book it was something goofy I had to read for school, which I inevitably hated. So that got me thinking about you guys... I bet you've had to read some pretty goofy (as in, lame!) books for school, so let's hear them!

What's the goofiest book you've ever had to read for school?

SERVE?

One of the main points I made yesterday morning was that you can make a difference now. You don't have to wait until you are grown up. I thought it was great that yesterday morning when I asked how many of you were serving in some way on Sunday mornings (with children's ministry or otherwise), more than half of you raised your hand. I thought we might be able to get a little discussion going here.

I want to know...

1. WHERE ARE YOU SERVING? (the fish tank, the grid, nursery, etc?)
2. WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT IT?

I love that so many of you are involved in so many ways doing your part in the church. Keep it up, and if you are not involved, please let me know. We will find a place for you!

to facebook or not to facebook...

Whether you love it or hate it or aren't allowed to have it, you have to admit that there is a good and a dark side to the world of Facebook!

I want to hear what you think...

what's the good about Facebook and what's the ugly?

But before you start to sound off, I have to lay a few ground rules. You'll probably disagree with someone else's opinion, but no trash talk! If you say something mean or negative about someone else, your comment will be deleted. The point is to get some discussion going and let us know what you - real, live middle schoolers! - really think!

I'll start us off...

I like Facebook well enough, but the dark side is that, occasionally, someone will post a really ugly picture of me. And that hurts.

Edge Recap

So last night was our fourth night in our time machine series. We talked mainly about the Cycle of the judges, and we started off by going back in time to discover one of the judges, Samson. The main point was to learn about the cycle of sin in the book of Judges and how it is exactly like the cycle of sin in our lives. So the big question is how do we break the cycle of sin in our lives? Come back next week and find out the amazing news of how God had a plan for us to ultimately break and destroy the cycle of sin. It's great news and it's for you!

By the way, if you want to go back and watch the last 2 time machine videos, CLICK HERE!

Meet Samson...Again!

in case you missed him...or just wanted to see him again...here's Samson....



EDGE - Time Machine - Samson from edgehcc on Vimeo.

I'm HUNGRY!

About the same time everyday, we all face a very important dilemma....what to eat for lunch?!?!?!?

There is a certain contingent here at the church that will invariably vote: Chick-fil-A...seriously...everyday...

Yes, it's good and there's a new one opening around here every other week, but sometimes you need a little variety!

So my question to you, faithful edgeblog reader, is this:

What's your favorite fast food restaurant?

i'll start: Chipotle

Your Turn

Hurricane Ike

Sometimes, it's easy for us to think only about what is going on in our world...in our town...in our area, and forget about what is going on across the United States and the World. While we have had day after day of sun, a couple weeks ago, Galveston, Texas was hit hard by Hurricane Ike. Check out some of these pictures. Some of these people's lives were devastated because of this hurricane. That does a couple things to me. First, it makes me thankful for what I have, and second, it makes me want to help them. I think that's what Jesus Christ would do. Tonight, I am going to be mindful of what these people are dealing with and pray for them. I challenge you to do the same.

Politics Anyone?

Last night was a presidential debate, Obama vs. McCain. I am curious how many of you are following the presidential race this year. If so, who would you vote for if you could vote? And an even better question is why would you vote for that person? Is it your parents influence, TV ads, or what?

The best part about this year is that we will make history either way...a african american president or a female vice president.

Holy Moses!

Hey Guys!

in case you missed Moses(or just wanted to see him again) here's the video of Todd's adventure with the time machine this week!


EDGE Time Machine - Moses on Mount Sinai from edgehcc on Vimeo.

It's Edge again!

I don't know about you, but I love how Edge happens almost every week. Does anyone else like how it happens so much more often this year? Anyway, don't forget about tomorrow night. I will get back in the time machine with a video camera and who knows what will happen. Don't miss it!
This will be the second chapter of the Time Machine series...not to mention hanging out with friends, eating pizza, playing games, worshiping God, and enjoying life. See you tomorrow! Bring a friend along.

COW

The comment of the week this week goes to Johnsey Erdmann. She always has something good to say and Johnsey, you are right! I could watch that video several times and not get tired of it. Pretty good stuff. Congrats Johnsey! Here it is...

Johnsey said...

There are some things you just never get tired of...

Fri Sep 12, 11:50:00 AM

Adam - from the "first ever" Garden of Eden

Miss Edge last wednesday? Just want to watch the video again? here you go!


EDGE - Adam interview - from the Graden of Eden from edgehcc on Vimeo.

The Time Machine: part 2

Don't forget about Edge tomorrow night! We will be doing part 2 of our Time Machine series. We will start the first part of our story which is the story of creation. God made you and I to have a perfect relationship with him. We are going to go back in time to discover what that was really like...to have a perfect relationship with our Maker. Come tomorrow night for a great time of games, worship, and the time machine. It'll be great! See you then!

COW

Well, everyone, thanks for commenting on the blog. Glad I could get your attention with candy. I know many of you commented multiple times...sorry just one candy bar per student. Glad I got everyone commenting a little more. Anyway, the Comment of the Week this week goes to Mr. Zac Baker for his comment about starting to comment more. I like it Zac! Start commenting...it's the thing to do these days. Here it is...

Zac Baker said...
hey! great idea! i dont usually comment but i might now start! :)
Sat Sep 06, 08:17:00 AM

Where is the love?

Ok, so the blog has been pretty quiet lately with the exceptions of a few faithful commenters. What's going on people? So in order to boost blog commenting, I am going to offer an incentive for this week and this week only. A comment wins a candy bar at the next Edge. It's a simple as that. Comment on a post and win a prize...sounds easy, right? Well, it is. Just make sure you comment using your name so we know who to give the prize to.

I hope you all have a great day!

Edge tomorrow...

Edge...you ever wonder why it's called edge?...well, first of all, it's just a cool name...second, you are on the edge of life right now. In junior high, you are right on the edge of something great, and best of all, you all are right at the edge of doing something great for God. The time is now. Tomorrow night is the very first Edge of the year. Don't miss it! We will do the first of our Time Machine series, play sweet games, eat delicious pizza, and worship with the Edge Band. I am pumped to get back into the swing of Edge...and I've got good news, Edge meets the first 3 Wednesdays of each month (that's pretty much most Wednesdays throughout the year) which is awesome! So if you miss this week, you only have to wait a week for the next one. I hope to see all of you there tomorrow night! By the way, we're going to try the Time Machine again...so don't miss it!

The Time Machine

I hope all of you had a great time last night at the Late Night! I know I did. It was so cool to watch you guys bring friends and fill the place with middle school students! I want to invite everyone back on Wednesday night at 7:00 PM to continue our Time Machine series. In it, we are going to travel back in time to experience God's story and how His story could be in lined with your story. We are also going to see if we can get the time machine up and running again on Wednesday so don't miss it!

If you had a good time at the Late Night, comment on this post. We want to hear from you!

Late Night: Part 5

TOMORROW, TOMORROW, I LOVE YOU, TOMORROW! YOUR ONLY A DAY AWAY!
The Late Night is TO-MOR-ROW! I hope to see all of you there! Invite a couple last minute friends tonight and tomorrow. There is one more thing I would like you to know about tomorrow. Have you ever wanted to travel through time? Tomorrow Night, you might witness the first ever successful time travel. Come to the Late Night if you want to see this.

SEE YOU TOMORROW!

Late Night: Part 4

Alright, 3 days from the main event! I hope everyone is getting ready! Time Machine flyers are going out, the word is getting out, and people all of the world (ok maybe northeast Ohio...ok maybe Hudson) are going crazy over the Late Night. Today's Late Night highlight is simple, but so very good. Did you know that there will be fire pits where you can toast your very marshmallows and make s'mores? Oh yes, right at the late night. So come with an appetite because that's just one of the dessert options for the night.

Invite some friends from school tomorrow! It will be great. You can send them right to the blog for details.

Late Night: Part 3

Ok guys, let's get serious here. We are only 5 days away from the big night! It's getting closer and I hope you are getting pumped. This night is going to rock your socks off! Keep inviting friends and remember, you could win Switchfoot tickets if you bring the most friends! Also, I wanted you to know that we are bringing back a classic this year. It's always a hit, and it's always larger than the life. You guessed it...it's the classic Iron Man obstacle course! It will not let you down. I know school is starting and that is a bummer for some, but get pumped because the Late Night is right around the corner!

so long sweet summer...

I cannot believe summer is almost over. I love how everyone turns things down a notch in the summer and relaxes a little more. What was the best thing you did over your break?

While I'm sad to see the warm days pass, this summer actually started out rough for me and stayed that way. When you go through hard times, you have the chance to learn so much more about God's love and the past three months were no exception for me. So,when I look back on the summer of '08, I am going to have to make a decision. I can either dwell on the pain of it or think of all the ways that God showed me how good He is.

No doubt that when I look back on this summer, I'm going to remember how hard it was. But, I more so want to focus on how good God was and how He provided everything I needed to get through it. Reminds me of some verses...

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8

I will remember the deeds of the LORD;
yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
I will meditate on all your works
and consider all your mighty deeds.
Your ways, O God, are holy.
What god is so great as our God?
Psalm 77:11-13

A Thrilling Day

Yesterday, capped off our summer of Thursday Thrills with a trip to Cedar Point. Let me just say, Cedar Point has some amazing rides! Top Thrill Dragster, Maverick, Millenium Force, Magnum, Raptor, just to name a few. Talk about thrills. I loved watching some of you take the risk of going on your first roller coaster. I love when middle school students take risks! And not just the risk of riding crazy rides, but the risk taking a stand for Christ. The risk of sharing Christ with your friends. The risk of loving someone who is not easy to love. When I see this stuff happnening, it's thrilling. I think being a follow of Christ takes risks. Jesus Christ was not a safe guy. Needless to say, I loved my time with all of you at Cedar Point. I hope you are recovering today.

By the way, my favorite ride was the Maverick...what was yours?

Late Night: part 2

Only 9 days left until the Late Night and I hope you are getting pumped about it. It's going to be a blast! One of the best parts about the night are the inflatables. Here is a picture to whet your appetite for more inflatable fun. Today's highlight of the Late Night is for all you rodeo lovers. Have a chance to ride the mechanical bull. We tried to get a real bull, but i guess there were some safety issues. Something about tossing 6th grade girls across the parking lot isn't a good idea. Anyway, see how long you can ride this thing...the longer it goes, the crazier the bull gets. It's gonna be great!

Tell a friend today about the Late Night!

COW

The comment of the week is undoubtedly given to Ben Paisley for his little story. Thanks for sharing that Ben. I heard about it too and think it's very cool and very odd at the same time. God really does work in strange ways, but it's awesome. Everyone enjoy the little story...it's a true on and it happened right here at our church. People's lives are changing because of Jesus Christ! Praise God!
Here it is...

ben paisley said...

all right heres a story

a mexican women met a man from puru, who went to a venezualin worship concert, where a german lead him to christ... God works in sometime odd ways

Sat Aug 16, 06:01:00 PM

LATE NIGHT: part 1

In just a little over 2 weeks, you will be having the time of your life at the 2008 Edge Late Night! This is the first of several Late Night previews that will give you some clues as to what is going to be happening at this crazy cool event. The countdown is on. There is now only 16 days until the Late Night. Who are you inviting? Are you getting the word out? Are you putting your band together? This is going to be the night of all nights and it's for you and your friends...lot's of friends. I also wanted to unveil the grand prize for the most friends contest so you an start getting pumped. The "most guests" contest winner will receive tickets for you and 3 friends to the Switchfoot concert on September 11th. So start inviting and don't stop...last year's winner brought 17 guests.

COW

The comment of the week this week goes to Niki! I loved her comment because she brought a friend to Edge. I actually got to talk to her friend a little bit afterward. I hope and pray that God worked in her friend's life at Edge and afterwards. Thanks for sharing that Niki! Because you did, you get comment of the week...
nikii said...

My two friends and I are bringing a friend who isn't really into church or anything of the sort, but we want to show her a great time! My other two friends called Todd to tell him, so hopefully the message sent across tonight will be great =] I'm very excited!

Thu Aug 07, 06:20:00 PM

Edge Leaders Weekend!

Right now, I am preparing for our student ministries leader's retreat this weekend for all of our adult leaders. I am pumped about this weekend because of what these adult leaders mean to Edge and mean to you. I get to hang out with other leaders who want to spend time hanging out with middle school students, helping them grow, and just being there for them when they need someone. If you guys think about it, pray for us this weekend as we talk about the year and get everyone ready for a great year in Edge.

In the meantime, if you are bored this weekend, the olympics are starting so check it out!

Have a great weekend!

Tonight!

Tonight is the last of our Thursday Thrills nights for this summer, excluding our Cedar Point trip which will take place 2 weeks from now. By the way, sign up right here online...see the side bar!
Tonight, we will wrap up Thursday Thrills with some team games, worship, and a message about the power tower...not to mention that we will declare a winner of our Thursday Thrills competition.
I hope to see all of you tonight for some summer time fun!

COW

The Comment of the Week this week goes to one of Leadertreks trip team members, Hayley Green. She had some great feedback from the trip and so I thought I would put it up so all could see it. Thanks Hayley! Here it is...

hayley said...

i did a devotion earlier today and it was talking about how simon was out catching fish and jesus came along. jesus said to simon "lower you fishing nets". simon didn't think anything good would come out of it, but he obeyed jesus and did as he was told. the nets got soo full that they started breaking. simon told jesus to back away for he was too great of a sinner to be in jesus' presence. but jesus said " do not be afraid; from now on you will catch men." i was so confused at what that meant until i asked my dad. it means from then on he would be a disciple for jesus and witness him to others to reel them into Him. that's what we did this week. we caught people and reeled them into God. i hope we made an impact, because christians can save people for eternity like ben said in an earlier post. and that to me is amazing.

Mon Aug 04, 12:52:00 PM