No Edge and Baptism

Hey guys, I just wanted to let all of you know that this Sunday, there will be no Edge again, but I really hope you will come with your families to the church service at either 8:45, 10:00, or 11:30! I am baptizing one of our very own Edge people, Evan Hubbard this Sunday. If you know Evan, give him a congratulations. It is a great decision that he has decided to be baptized. By the way, I know many of you probably have not been baptized and I want you to know that there are about 4 different opportunities for you to get baptized throughout the year at our church. If you are interested, let me know.

By the way, baptism is for those of you who have already invited Jesus Christ into your heart and have a desire to make it public. By being baptized, you are telling the whole church that you have accepted Christ as your Savior. It's a great thing! By the way, if you want another reason, Jesus was baptized!

Have a good rest of the break!

Merry Christmas!

All right, Christmas is almost over. It always goes by so fast, but I want to know what everyone got for Christmas. The highlights for me this year were some nice clothes, a putter, and some sweet ski pants that I will bust out for the ski splash weekend! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! Don't forget to tell everyone what you got. By the way, did anyone think about the birth of Christ today and realize that is the reason we celebrate Christmas! Just checking.

Christmas is almost here!

Hey everyone!
I wanted to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas! Just remember Jesus this Christmas and what he has done for you. Remember to focus on the real reason for Christmas. Have a great break.

We will be posting on the blog periodically, but possibly not every day just to let you know, but we will start back up every day in January.

I hope you guys are excited about the Edge Games! It's gonna be better than ever, but it all depends on you guys bringing friends! Start thinking and praying about someone you might want to bring to The Edge Games...someone who isn't a believer or maybe just needs to find a church like ours. Whoever it is, bring em!

Have a great Christmas!

One Parent To Another

A few months ago, I attended a seminar given by Walt Mueller of the CPYU. I was not familiar with the organization (which stands for the Center for Parent and Youth Understanding) but it looked worthwhile.

It certainly was. The information given was astonishing and illuminating, and I strongly urge all parents to check out the link Todd has put up here to their website. But it was something Walt said in his first few moments that has stayed with me the most. He said he had three simple words that would help any parent through any troubled time with their child. That definitely perked up my ears. If he has an easy solution, than I want it! I leaned forward in my chair and listened closely as he softly said, “the Lord reigns”.

The simplicity of that truth hit home. I have recalled this moment many times since then. I find tremendous comfort in the thought that no matter how it looks…the Lord reigns. When things seem hopeless and lost…the Lord reigns. When I am confused and unsure of what to do…the Lord reigns. The opening words of Psalm 93 have become an anchor for me.

Walt then shared about his own normal struggles with his family. He was there speaking to us as an expert on youth culture and parent/teen relations. He could have left that out and none of us would have probably ever known. The courage and compassion he had to openly share made him more credible in my eyes. It helped to know that even with all his knowledge and wisdom, his family is not “perfect”.

I pray that the next time you are faced with a daunting situation that the simple yet powerful phrase “The Lord Reigns” will rise up in your spirit and be an anchor for you too.

The Lord reigns. Amen.

Carol Ann Utrup“Maddie’s Mom

AGOW!

The Addicting Game O' The Week this week is:



ZOOKEEPER.

The instructions are in Japanese, so here's how you play:

Line up 3 or more of the small animal by swapping to animals that are next to each other. it's easy. the flashing spinning things are good, don't be afraid of them. The binoculars tell you all available moves.

As Always, be sure to post your best score as well as what you think of the game, and if you think you have a game that should be next weeks AGOW, go ahead and post it too...

Enjoy.

COW

The comment of the week this week goes to Alison Feke for her honest and yet very funny comment about allowance. Alison, thanks for being a faithful commenter on the blog and especially for this one. You are always brief on your commenting, but you get the point across very well.

Here it is, comment of the week,

alisonfeke said...
I should get allowance but my mom forgets and then I never get allowance! But I do get money on the street sometimes but its usually pennies...

Thanks Alison...claim your prize the next time we meet! Congrats!

Edge coming to a close for the year!

Hey folks!

The last Edge gathering of the year will be tomorrow morning, Sunday, December 17th at 10:00 AM! Then, we will have a couple weeks off from Edge altogether. I look forward to seeing all of you tomorrow morning!




By the way, I went Christmas shopping yesterday and I forgot how tiring it was to shop all day. The day starts in the Christmas spirit and then by the time you are done, you look like this. Today, I am recovering from shopping and all the money we spent. How many of you guys buy gifts for everyone in your family and if so, where do you get the money to do it? Do you get an allowance? Do you earn money somehow? I am just curious.





See you in the morning!

SOW!

and the Student of the Week is.........

drumroll.......

Brody Babick!

Brody is a Seventh Grader at CVCA, and the lead singer in our very own EDGE band!

Let's get to know him a little better, and see how he fares on the SOW 10:

1.Fav Restaurant: Brody likes Buffalo Wild Wings, he gets the buffalitos. He says he likes it because you can eat an watch sports at the same time. It is a beautiful combination.

2.Fav Subject in School: Math, because he's good at it.

3.Fav Sports Team: Indianapolis Colts. Brody says Peyton Manning is Awesome, but Marvin Harrison is his favorite player. Brody also plays Football and participates in Wrestling, Track, and Cross Country at CVCA.

4.Fav TV show: Monk, because he's crazy and he has a good time watching it with his mom.

5.Fav Movie: Bench Warmers: with all the funniest comedians in the same movie, how can you go wrong? his favorite scene is when the pinch hitter gets hit by the pitch and wins the game because of the walk. oops, should have put up a spoiler alert...

6.Fav Band: Hawk Nelson, becase they have awesome guitar and a good lead singer, but his favorite song is Be My Escape by Relient K.

7.Fav website: The Edge Blog! because we have cool games and he can chat with todd. Let's get some extra prizes for Brody!

8.Fav part of edge: Edge Games - he likes to battle with friends against the other teams. For those of you who don't know about the edge Games, get ready 'cause they're coming and they're gonna be legendary.

9.If he weren't at Edge he'd be: at a high school football game or, now that Football is over, he'd be w/friends...hmm sounds like you're still at Edge Brody!

10. Other Hobbies: he love's pool, singing, and having a blast. Right on Brody.

Well, there he is, your SOW.

As always be sure to congratulate Brody the next time you see him and if you have anything in common with him give him a shot out in the comment section!

Control Yourself

Tonight, I talked with Ledge folks about being Courageous and Controlled. We talked about the things or people in our lives that sometimes let us lose control by getting mad or reacting with anger kid of like this guy. Are you good at controlling yourself when someone is getting on your nerves? Are you good at controlling yourself when it is hardest to control yourself? A good leader is someone who is courageous and takes risks and is passionate, but at the same time is controlled. Share the hardest time for you to keep control of yourself. Also think about how you can have better control over your actions.

AGOW!

Hey there everybody!

It's Tuesday which means it's time for another ADDICTING GAME!

this week's game is a little different. it's not so much a game, but more of a puzzle.

It's a trial and error thing. don't think you'll figure it all out on the first try. You'll need to play it over and over again. The object is to decorate the tree in the proper order, which will allow each "ornament" to reach it's maximum level, at which point something cool happens, but i won't tell you what...but i will tell you that Todd and I figured it out (so it can't be that tough, right?).

enjoy!

Grow Ornament

and for those of you not open to enjoying new and different things, here's a wintery twist on an old favorite: ski battle

COW

All right, this week's comment of the week goes to the deep comment of Mr. Christian Corpora!

Nice comment Christian! I liked your response to post about Jesus being all we need. He talked about something he learned in Bible class and he added some good insight into what I said so I deem your comment the COMMENT OF THE WEEK!

Here it is in green letters!

christian corpora said...
i agree--the bible says that all we'll ever need jesus will provide. we were just talking about something like this in bible the other day--just because some people are very unfortunate or not as well off as us, it doesnt necessarily mean that they did something wrong or unholy. same goes for us--we're not as blessed as we are because we did something great for god.
Sat Dec 09, 02:41:00 PM

See me Sunday to redeem your prize!

Edge Christmas Party

I hope you were there. It was a great time last night and I hope you all enjoyed the party. I am interested to see if you have any feedback from the party. Did you enjoy it? What did you like about it? Do you have any comments on the talk that I gave?

Have an awesome week and I will be posting the Comment of the Week later today!

Check out this sweet Christmas light extravaganza! It has been a classic for a couple years now.

It's cold out there...

Last night, I took a walk outside with a friend and it was so cold, it was bone chilling. All I could think about was getting back inside! I started to think about what it would be like to be a homeless person on a freezing night like that. Then I started to thank God for giving me a warm house and food and clothes and all of that. Then I began to think that even though God gave me all of those great things, He gave me something way more important. I started to realize that the most important thing I need to thank God for is the gift of Jesus Christ, his death to cover my sins, and his ressurrection to prove that He was God. What if I had no home, no warmth, no food, no family, no friends, and all I had was the clothes on my back and well....Jesus Christ. THAT WOULD BE ENOUGH! He is all that I need and really, if you know Christ as your Savior, that is all you need.

What if you had nothing today? If you were homeless. Would you still be grateful to have Jesus Christ as your Savior? Food for thought!

Edge Christmas Party

You know it's Christmas time when you wake up to snow everywhere. Don't forget, this Sunday night is the Edge Christmas Party from 7-9 PM. This will be our last Edge of 2006...which is sad. Don't miss this night full of Christmas fun...cookies, games, music, and a the true meaning of CHRISTmas!

It's gonna be a great time. Merry Christmas!

Also, don't forget...

Come early for the Edge Christmas Party this Sunday and catch Out of The Blue's Christmas Improv & Music Jam. Improv starts at 5:30 in the High School Room and will finish before the Edge party at 7:00.

SOW!

Greetings Edgelings!

It's once again time for the SOW!

This week's SOW is 8th Grader Krystal Backus from Jennings Middle School.

Let's get to know Krystal:

1. Fav. Restaurant: Ryan's Steakhouse, because steak is really good. Her favorite side dish is good ol' Mac 'n Cheese.

2. Fav. Subject in School: Science, especially when they talked about genetics. (what color are your parents eyes??) Also, the teacher is cool.


3.Fav Sports Team: Steelers, because they have "good" players. She likes football because of the cheerleaders.

4. Fav TV show: Suite Life of Zack and Cody

7.Fav. Website: something called MySpace? And yahoo? ever heard of 'em? Like a lot of you guys, she likes to talk to friends online, a lot.

8.Fav. Part of EDGE: the music! Because she likes to sing(that 'a girl)

9. If she weren't at EDGE she'd be: hanging out in her room, listening to the radio, playing with her hair, must be a girl thing.

10. Other hobbies and interests: Krystal enjoys Cheerleading, Basketball, and talking on the phone. Plus, she is very competitive according to her she, "must win at all cost."

Well, there she is, your SOW for this week. As always, say, "hi" to krystal when you see her around and if you've got anything in common with her post a comment and say so!

Update: Picture's up, sorry about that.

One Parent to Another

One Monday night a few weeks ago, my daughter Maddie & I were deciding where to go for dinner. I joked that we could go to “Yours Truly” for Kids Night like we used to do when she was little. We laughed over the image of her sitting in one of the tiny chairs making a paper bag puppet with pipe cleaners and glitter, all the other kids clinging to their parents not wanting to go make puppets because there is a “big scary girl” over there.

You see, my daughter likes to dress well…differently. She wears lots of black, chains on her pants, skull & cross bones on her shirts, and spiky bracelets. Since she first started dressing this way over a year ago we have both had to learn how to handle strange looks. Usually we can laugh about it, but sometimes it hurts.

Like the time we were shopping at Berean Christian bookstore, loading up on good stuff to read and Skillet CD’s. Maddie went out to sit on the bench by the door while I checked out. A woman walked in, stopped and gave Maddie a nasty look as if to say “what are you doing here?” then she opened up the door and walked into a place full of items that are supposed to help us learn to be more like Jesus. Does that seem strange to anyone but me?

I will admit that I did not really care for her new style choice at first. I was glad she was not wanting to wear really short skirts and skimpy shirts, but still this look was pretty scary to me. I remember her coming home from EDGE band practice one night last year telling me all about this really cool couple that looked just like her. I met Micah & Jessica Irwin for first time at the next EDGE night. He was all decked out in baggy black pants with chains, big spiky jewelry, black nail polish, and blue tipped mohawk. (Many of you know them, or will remember him from the Café where he often played bass) I could see right away why Maddie thought he was cool…but as I got to know him & Jessica I learned that it goes way deeper than that. They are so genuine in their love for God and for others. They live their lives and their faith to the fullest.

I am so glad that they were there for Maddie at time when she was trying to figure out her identity. They showed her that you can love Jesus and live for him and still be who you are. They also challenged me to look beyond the surface with people. I will be forever grateful for all they poured into my daughter’s life and for helping me to understand my own child better.

Styles come and styles go, but it is the heart that matters most. And if you ever find yourself thinking that some kid is trouble just because he wears chains on his pants or has funky hair, I want you to go and get out your high school senior picture…now that is pretty scary!

Carol Ann Utrup
a.k.a. Maddie’s Mom

AGOW!

Hey there yous:

Here's this weeks Addicting Game O' The Week!


use your space bar, don't let you're guy hit the ground too hard and you could become the "King of Extreme Sports!"

Base Jumping

As always, tell us what you think of the game, and post your high scores!

COW

Comment of the week this week goes to.....drum roll...rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Nick Seeman! Nick gave us a great movie review of the movie "The Nativity." Even though it was random and had nothing to do with the post, it was helpful for those of us who want to see the movie. Way to go Nick! Keep up the good commenting!

NICK S. said...
Here,s a random cooment: Tooooooooooodd and everybody else of course! I just went to see the nativity last night and it was amazing. If Im right and I usually am(sweet wiseman line from the movie) it sticks almost always to the bible except whe the wise men see Jesus and when herod passes the baby killing law so that mary and joseph and jesus have to go to egypt. Everyone needs to go see it though there are a few parts that may be a bit frightning to those who don't take slaughter and scarry stuff to well. But its rated PG so most parents should allow it. AWSOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BEST MOVIE IVE SEEN ALL YEAR MAYBE EVER.


You will get your prize at the Edge Christmas Party!

After thoughts

Hey guys! It was great to see you at Edge last night. I hope you all had a good time. Let me know what you thought of the stations. Which one was your favorite?

Also, we are officially done with our series on "Number 2." I hope all of you will take your challenge from last night and try to love those who are the hardest to love...love the unlovable. Remember John Merrick, elephant man.

Remember to put your official number 2 tile somewhere so it will remind you to "love your neighbor as yourself" even the unlovable.

Have an awesome weekend and I will see you Sunday!