This week at Edge...

We are starting are new series this week called "Number 2." It's not what you think. To find out more, come to Edge this Friday from 7-9 PM. Come check out a new battle of the grades game, a great time of worship with the Edge band, pizza, friends, and prize giveaways just for showing up. Come check it out this week and find out more about "Number 2."

Ledge Retreat

The Ledge retreat at Camp Carl this past weekend was sweet! It was awesome to see 20 students who did not know each other bond so quickly. The Ledge team are the leaders of Edge. They are taking ownership of Edge, being challenged in their faith, and being challenged to be better leaders. This weekend, they really became a team. Look out for the students of Ledge to make a huge impact for Christ at edge! If anyone is interested in joining our Ledge team, please pick up an application from me any time. You must be seriously interested in committing to being a leader. Great leaders are hard to come by these days!

Congrats to Claytor and Cards!

I would just like to give a word of Congratulations to the St. Louis Cardinals and to Jonathan Claytor, a big Cards fan, on the winning of the world series. I didn't think they had in them, but they did. I really don't care much about the cards, but JClaytor is probably going nuts right now so way to go. I am sure it is a proud moment for the few cardinals fans in the Cleveland area. OK maybe there is only 1, Jonathan, but that makes it all the more special. Enjoy the victory.

The Secret to fishing...

...is either:

A) speaking some weird Frenchy-gibberish language, or

B) listening to the sountrack to Top Gun

whatever it is, it works, and it's CRAZY.

One Parent To Another

“Satan is out there roaming the earth seeking whom he may devour.” We have all read that and heard it preached. To hear it and know it in your mind is one thing, but when you see the enemy come after your child…it wakes you up, shakes up your notions of how things really are, and challenges your faith. I was driven to my knees…more like flat on my face…in prayer for my child. Many times I did not even know what to pray but just wept before Him.

My prayer life up until then was sporadic and all too often reactionary. Good things happen …Praise the Lord! Bad things happen…Help me Lord! Most of the time, I just bumbled along in life trying to do the best I could. When it hit home, I had to start walking my talk in ways that I had never been challenged to do before. I am a problem solver, a “fixer” by nature. This was something that no matter what I did I could not “fix”. I could do nothing but pray and trust in the Lord. As I prayed for my own daughter, your sons & daughters were brought to my heart more & more.

It was a simple question that started this branch of the ministry. Todd came up to me one EDGE Friday night while the band was practicing and asked me if I would round up some parents to pray while he was giving his message. I said sure, and a few of us that were there that night went to a quiet room in the church and prayed. I thought that was it, but I soon learned that God had other plans.

I only see these kids over a table strewn with pizza. I don’t know many of their names, don’t have the interactions with them that the small group leaders do. But God has burned their faces in my mind, and opened my ears to hear the silent cries of their hearts. I have seen first hand how hard it is for them out there in the world. I have become a student of youth culture, and know more about the destructive and evil forces that they have to contend with than I ever wanted to know. Now I am driven to my face not only for my child, but for all of OUR children.

Make no mistake about it, whether you want to be or not, you are at war! At stake are the hearts, minds, and souls of our children. That is what birthed “In the Trenches”. I had asked God to use me, but never thought it would be in this direction. Me Lord? An intercessory prayer warrior? I felt (and still do feel) totally inadequate for the task. But that is the cool thing about our God…His grace is enough to cover all of our weaknesses.

Please join me on EDGE Friday nights, and daily in your own prayers, in the trenches of spiritual warfare for our children.

Thanks
Carol Ann Utrup
“Maddie’s Mom”

IN THE TRENCHES

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm.” Eph 6:12

Who: Parents, and anyone else, who has a heart to pray for EDGE
What: Coming together for an informal time of prayer
When: EDGE Friday nights, 8:15 – 8:45.
Where: Conference Room. Follow the signs from the Welcome Desk
Why: To see God move in the lives of our students.

Please pick up a bookmark at the EDGE registration table as a reminder to pray for this ministry.

Edge Small Groups

An Edge small group is made up of about 6-10 middle school students of the same age and gender with one adult leader. Small groups are a great chance for students to grow and mature in their faith through group discussion, studying God's Word, answering the difficult questions, and praying together! The purpose of a small group is for students to grow in their faith and to connect with other students their age. It also gives them a chance to be mentored and discipled by an adult who loves Jesus Christ. Small groups meet on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month offsite in someone's home.

So, here is how a student gets involved with a small group. He or she first starts by coming to Edge on Friday nights (1st and 3rd of the month). Once he or she likes what is going on at Edge and is committed to it, the next step is small group. To be placed in a small group, please have your parents contact me at todd.iannetta@hudsonchapel.org and tell me your name, your grade, your school, and 1 person (if you want) you would like to be in a group with. You will then be placed in a group if there are openings or be put on a waiting list to wait for the next group to start.

Currently, we have 22 small groups meeting and over 160 students involved with a small group. Our goal is to see every student in Edge to get hooked into a small group. Small groups are a place to deepen your faith, to ask questions, and to feel connected. Don't miss out on a great opportunity. Small group students are expected to remain committed to Edge on Friday nights.

Treading Water

exciting new video shows how shrimpy shrimp become jumbo shrimp.


Doesn't exactly make you want to run to Red Lobster...

Addicting Game of the Week

Check out Balloon Takedown...very simple, but I bet you won't just play 1 game! Make sure you save time for your homework.

A True Fan

I just got back from the Browns game. I will fully admit it. I am a diehard browns fan. The Browns are having a bad season. Bad might be an understatement. As a matter of fact, the last 6 seasons have been pretty bad, but I am still a fan. I love the Browns, and I will stay with them even if they keep losing because eventually, they will start winning. The funny thing is that there are tons of Browns fans out there just like me. They will watch every game and get just as mad with every loss. I think God is a lot like a Browns fan. He is our biggest fan and He loves us even though He knows we are going to mess up. Each time we make a mistake, He is disappointed, but He is going to stick with us. He will always be our biggest fan. As believers in Christ, we have to know that because God is on our side, and because we know Christ, we will eventually win in the end. Christ offers us that hope. The Browns are struggling right now, but I am not giving up on them, and even though you and I struggle every day, God WILL NOT give up on us! Isn't that awesome! In Hebrews 13:5, God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

Newlyweds

This is my beautiful bride. We have been married for over 5 months now. Take a look, but don't look too long. Ok, stop staring! Now!

Song Tower

Edge rocked last night! One of the most encouraging things to me is to hear middle school students singing to God! More importantly, God looks down on us with a huge smile. God loves when we sing his praises. God is pleased when we worship Him! The great thing is that we can do it all week. We don't have to wait until Friday night or Sunday morning to worship Him. He is pleased when our actions give Him glory. Think about that every time you make a choice that honors God! One of our Edge band members made a choice that I know gave glory and honor to God. She had plans for a while to hang out with her friends at the same time as Edge so she was planning on not showing up to Edge. When she heard that another band member wouldn't be there, she realized it was more important for her to be at Edge with the band. She made the decision on her own and I think God looked down and smiled on that one!
Think about how you can worship God, whether it be singing to Him on Friday nights, praying to Him, giving to Him, or making a decision that you know he would be pleased with.

EDIT: To view the Song Tower interviews, check out the edge videos link on the right.

This is my first time blogging. I am having a lot of fun here blogging. Blogging is awesome. Blog Blog Blog.