Thanks 8th graders!

I would like to say thanks again to the 8th grade students! We are really gonna miss you at edge, but you will be having a great time at tha porch. It was so good to see all the 8th graders show up last night. I hope you guys had a great time at the porch. I would like here how it went?

For the rest of you, you are the leaders now for edge. I am excited to see the ways that God will use you and change you and mold you this summer and next year.

Don't forget the challenge to read the Word of God over the summer and pray consisently. If you take this on, I guaruntee that you will see a difference in your life.

Thanks to everyone for making Edge this year such a great year! You, the students, make it happen. Without you, there is no edge! But, praise God, because without Him, no of us be here at all.

Don't Forget...

Edge this Friday! There are a lot of other things going on this Friday... with HMS dance, field trips, and band concerts, but those of you who can make it, please do. If you are an 8th grader, YOU WILL NOT WANT TO MISS THIS!

We will have great prizes once again, and I will be getting rid of all of t-shirts and prizes because it is the end of the year. Also, we are showing the edge year in review video. Don't miss this night!

Don't forget...the BOG champ will be declared at this edge and you will receive points for your team if you...

1. Bring someone who has never been to edge before, your grade will recieve 3,000 points

2. Dress in grade spirit...for example, wear a shirt with the big number 8 on it or whatever you can do to best represent your grade. For each person that does it, their grade recieves an additional 3,000 points.

Make sure that you tell the person who checks you if you have a new friend or if you have dressed in grade spirit...they will count your points.

On top of that, we will battle out one more time for the grades and then present the Battle of the Grades trophy to the top grade!

AGOW

This week's addicting game is called boomshine which is a chain reaction game...see how many bubbles you can break from chain reaction. I didn't think it was that great of a game until I started playing it and it became very addicting. have fun...let everyone know how far you got.

COW

The comment of the week goes to a first time commenter who seems to be very excited about commenting! It goes to Will Hess, a 7th grader from CVCA! Will, thanks for tearing yourself away from your homework in study hall to comment! To the rest of you, there were some great comments this time around. Thanks for all of your good feedback. Many of you deserve the comment of the week, but I like it when new people get on to comment so I am giving it to Will Hess this week. Here it is...

Will Hess said...
Hi everyone this is my first comment ever, its really exciting. Im at school right now 5th period study hall, well...... see you at edge.

<*> <*>

^

(_____)
Fri May 11, 11:51:00 AM

Nice work. Claim your prize at the last Edge this Friday!

Have a great day!

Todd

Love is all you need....

Today, I just really love Jesus. I wish that I felt the same amount of love for Him everyday like He does for me, but in my humanity I don't. Today, though, I'm remembering my first love and all the things that drew me to Christ.

I believe so much that Jesus is the answer for our lives. He is the One who tells you that you don't have to try for His love. He is the One who tells a Romanian street child that he is worth more than a life of violence and addiction. He is the One who tells a Thai slave that there is a hope for her future. Jesus promises that one day all of the suffering will end and His justice will reign. Jesus makes it so that a shunned woman who went to jail for murder can walk into a group of Christians and feel love. He forgives the worst thing you will ever do and will use you for good things in spite of it. I know it sounds corny, but our Jesus is so beautiful. It is beautiful that He goes to the darkest places on earth and brings light. No one and nothing else can do these things.

Psalm 103:2
"Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits-
who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things so that
your youth is renewed like the eagle's."

Do you ever have days that your feel despair? On those days, remember these things and remember that despair does not come from God.

Let me know what you think - how does God encourage you?

p.s. This picture has nothing to do with the post, although I also love the baby very much!

Mowing

You guys know the big soccer field at the church? Yeah, I have been mowing the grass on it the past couple weeks. I just got done mowing it today. I really enjoy it because I get to mow it on one of hose big riders kind of like the one in the pic. My goal today was to try and get my lines as straight as I possibly could. You guys can check my work by looking at the soccer field next time you are at the church. The only problem was that the field was so bumpy that it was near impossible to mow straight lines. I wanted to be perfect in my mowing kind of like Jacobs field if you have ever seen those lines, but I couldn't do it. It reminds me of my own life and my relationship with Jesus Christ. So often, I think that if I just try really really hard, I can be good and be like God and be more perfect, but it's not true. That is why the whole gospel of Jesus Christ is so crazy because it's not about what we can do for Him, it is about what He has done for us. If it wasn't for Christ, we would not be capable of doing anything. I don't know about you, but I am so grateful for the grace that comes from Christ.

Battle of the Grades!

All right everyone, next week's Edge will be the last edge and the last night that any grade will recieve battle of the grades points. We would like to make things interesting for the last night so here are 2 BOG challenges...

1. for each friend you bring to edge on May 18th, you will recieve 3,000 points for your grade. When you sign in at edge, I want you to tell whoever is signing you in that you brought someone new and what grade you are in. MAKE SURE that this person has never been to edge before or it will not count.

2. we are also going to have a grade spirit competition. For each of you that comes in dressed in some way that represents your grade, you will also recieve 3,000 points for your grade. For instance, if you are in 7th grade, you could have a big 7 painted on your face, or if you are in 6th grade, you could have your hair in 6 pony tails. You get the point. Treat this just like the Edge Games except this is for battle of the grades.

On top of that, we will have a BOG competition that night. Lots of points will be given out that night and it is anyones competition.

I would like to review the scores:

1st Place: 7th Grade 107,000
2nd Place: 6th Grade 104,000
3rd Place: 8th Grade 93,000

There ya go...it's a tight race. THE CHAMPION WILL BE DECLARED THAT NIGHT!

Summer is coming!

The nice weather is finally here and summer is fast approaching which means school is coming to a close in about a month. How do you guys feel about that? What are you looking forward to the most about this summer? Would you rather be in school or off of school? For some of you, that is a no brainer, but I am curious to hear if any of you like school better than summer vacation?

What are you looking forward to the most about summer?

AGOW!

Well, we had so much fun with Bloons a coupla weeks ago, we decided to make the sequel

"More Bloons"

the Addicting Game O' the Week!

Enjoy!

COW

This week's Comment of the Week goes to one of our 8th graders who we will miss very much when he is gone. He decided to write a poem about the Late Night which was very well written. Congrats Kyle Ptacek on comment of the week. Your artistic ability is second to none!

Kyle Pataysac said...
I"m gonna rite a song bout the edge late night.. Ahem...

O, its that time o year again.

the time when there are prises to win

All the cotton candy you can eat

It will all be a treat

Eighth graders cant really come

So we'll sit home and chew some....gum.

Fri May 04, 06:36:00 AM

Claim your prize at the last edge on May 18th!

You were created!

This morning, we talked about Creation as opposed to Evolution. I am interested to know if there was anything new you learned this morning. I want to encourage you guys to keep asking questions. If Evolution is taught to you at school, remember it is not fact, but just a theory, and to me, it takes more faith to believe in Evolution than it does to believe that there is a God who created all of this.

Let us know your thoughts! Also, if you ever want to talk more in depth about this stuff, let me know. I would love to.

Last night I went to see Over the Rhine, a band I really like. They sounded soooo amazing and if I believed in reincarnation, I'd want to come back as the lead singer, Karin. What a voice.

Over the Rhine gets their name from a really poor neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio. I was actually lost there once when I lived near there. It was scary.

Anyways, today I was working at Starbucks and this really beautiful woman and all these cool looking men came in. I kept doing double takes and then I realized....I was about to serve Over the Rhine their coffee! Yes!

I told them that I saw them in concert last night and then I started gushing about how great it was and, basically, I got pretty stupid. One of the band members asked if I was one of the people they talked to after the show and I said, "No, but I would have loved it." I cringe thinking back. Then, I started ignoring the other customers and the band was talking and everything went chaotic. So, I got even more flustered and inwardly told myself to "take deep breaths." I tried to get someone banana loaf, but my hands were shaky and I couldn't get the loaf apart. In the chaos I created, the drummer knocked over three CDs and went rushing out of the store. Sigh. I can't believe I was starstruck! I had no idea I could be so dorky.

That's my story. Even though I was embarrassed about my goofiness, it was fun to serve one of my fave bands their coffee. Who gets to do that?

I hope you're having a good day! Thanks for letting me tell my story. It was therapeutic.

Start Talking

I know we are closing out this school year with edge and starting to think about our summer trips, but it is never too early to start thinking about the 2007 Edge Late Night! It will happen on Saturday, August 25th right before school starts! Start talking to your friends about it even now...get the word around. The Late Night will be bigger and better than ever this year. The purpose of the Late Night is outreach, which means, we want to expose as many middle school students to edge and this church as we possibly can! Sorry 8th graders, you will be moved on into high school by this time so you can no longer be a part of the Late Night. Everyone else though, start talking, get the vibe out there about the Late Night. By the way, we will have another really good prize for the student who brings the most friends on this night. Last year it was an ipod nano, and it will only get better!

Small Group Outing Night

This Friday, there will be NO EDGE, but it has been officially declared small group outing night. This is a night where almost every small group will be doing something together as a group. If you are not in a small group, I am sorry. However, let me explain something. We have designed Edge to have two main elements, Friday night Edge and small group. Our goal is get every student involved in both, not one or the other, but both. Friday nights are awesome, but we think it is important for you to also have a small group to grow in. So if you are not involved in a small group, it is too late this year, but next fall, make sure you get plugged in to a small group! If you are currently in an Edge small group, what does a typical small group look like for you? What do you like about your small group? I want to know and so do all those who are not in small groups.

AGOW!

Hey there,

Today's AGOW is Stinky Bean Fling!

Grab the Ring and Fling that Bean!

Be sure to post your high scores for bragging rights!
(mine is 55938 ft, 375 mph)

COW

This week's comment of the week goes to Adam Seal for the second time. Adam decided to give a very long list of really good bands he listens to. I liked his list, and for those of you who would like to get into some quality music that is also Christian, check out some of these bands. Way to go Adam for suggesting some good stuff. Here it is...

adam seal said...
Hawk nelson, MxPx, KJ-52, Falling up, FM static, Grits, Last tuesday, Kutless, Relient K, Superchic[k], RED, Underoath, Main stay, Third day, Pocket full of rocks, Emery, Fighting instinct, Audio adrenaline, Jermey camp, Tobymac, Future of forestry, House of heroes, Run kid run, Newsboys, Manafest, Demon hunter, Disciple, Barlow girl, David crowder band, Apologetix, Day of fire, Building 429, Thousand foot krutch, and Tree63 all rox my sox!!!!!
Mon Apr 23, 06:07:00 PM

Thanks Adam...by the way, a good friend of mine from college, Luke Floeter, is the bass player for Future of Forestry. They are pretty sweet. Check em' out! FUTURE OF FORESTRY

Adam, claim your prize at the last edge on May 18th!

Tough Topic

This morning at edge, we talked about a difficult subject...hell. Most of you hear the word hell when people swear. Most people use the word hell pretty lightly in conversation. Hell is anything but light. Remember what we talked about...hell is horribe, hell is eternal, and hell is lonely. Let this morning's talk encourage you to know what you are being saved from if you know Jesus Christ as your Savior. If you haven't made that decision, we need to talk.

Thanks for listening!

8 Ways for Parents to Partner With Edge

How can I partner with the Edge ministry?

KEY: We are not just suggesting that you partner with us, but we are telling you that your child’s spiritual growth depends on it.

Why? Whether you like it or not, you are the number one influence on your child’s life. Therefore we need to be partners in this.


Top 8 Ways Parents can partner with Edge

1. Be a cheerleader for our ministry. That can be one of the best outreach tools out there.

2. If you have a problem, concern, question, or issue with anything we do, come to us first! Please don’t start going to other parents. If we don’t know we can’t help.

3. Ask your child about what they learned after Edge or small group. Dialogue with your child and generate spiritual conversation. Don’t let them off easy.

4. Know the purpose of each event and help us communicate that to your child. Example: The Late Night is not for you, it’s for your unsaved friends, and the purpose is outreach so who are you going to invite to this event?

5. Come to the Edge Parents Night next spring (2009). Watch for details closer to that time.

6. Actively pray for Edge, the staff, and the students.

7. Join our leadership team for the right reasons. Example: Wrong reason: I would like to keep an eye on my kid because this edge thing sounds kind of scary to me. Right reason: wow, this sounds like a great ministry, I love this age group, and I have a heart for ministry.

8. Make Edge (your child’s spiritual life) a priority. Plan ahead so that conflicts do not arise. Example: homework, sports, activities

IMPORTANT LOGISTICS

1. Make sure we have a parent email!
2. Use our website!
3. No paper calendar this year…it’s all on the web!

EDGE STAFF and CONTACTS

Todd Iannetta, Director
todd.iannetta@hudsonchapel.org . . . . 330-650-9533 ext. 344

Jillian Stouffer, Ministry Facilitator/Girls Discipleship
jillian.stouffer@hudsonchapel.org . . . .ext. 320

Jonathan Claytor, Programming and Media
jonathan.claytor@hudsonchapel.org . . . . ext. 323

Well, hello there! I just ran outside and my fingers are so cold, it's hard to type. But for you, I'm going to press on through the struggle, just so you'll have something to read. It's just the kind of person I am. (Kidding.)

So, I'm moving this weekend. Moving is definitely old hat for me at this point because I haven't lived in the same place for more than a year in the past six years. I'm basically a pro. Moving this much makes me really thankful for my parents' house. It's like my home base. Somewhere where I can definitely relax and somewhere that I can go to get some peace. This is a picture of some of the gardens at my parents' house. You can see why it would be a good place to rest.

We live in a really fast-paced world that can make it hard to get away and rest. But do you know that Jesus often went away from the crowds and His friends to be with God? It's true. Jesus was the Son of God, but even He would sometimes get up early to go and pray. I love the picture of Jesus waking up while the world is still asleep and quietly making His way to the garden to talk with His Father. I want to be more like Jesus, and that means being committed to time in prayer and just resting in God's presence. Try to do that this week. I promise it won't be a waste of your time!

Has Been...

I am what you call a "has been" when it comes to playing sports. I used to be pretty good at soccer abd basketball and other sports, but I am just not as good anymore. The last basketball game I played in, I missed a lot of shots, got frustrated, dislocated my finger, and my knees really hurt the next day. I have had a lot of injuries and aches and pains in my life that have brought me to where I am today. I have really bad knees because I had 3 different knee surgeries during college for soccer injuries. Even though I am still pretty young, the aches and pains in my body remind me that my body is not eternal. It also reminded me of a verse:

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day." 2 Corinthians 4:16

Always remember that your body does not last, it won't always look and feel good. What matters most is your soul. What is happening inwardly to you? How are you growing stronger in the Lord?