Hey everybody - we have a five15 BIG MEETING on Saturday. This meeting is for 7th-11th graders and their parents (12th graders have graduated, they are in CrossRoads now). As always:

Pizza & Ping-Pong at 5:15pm
BIG MEETING starts at 6:30pm

We’ll have signups and more information about the following summer events:

• Summer Reading Challenge
• 6/24 White Oak Canyon Hike
• 7/10 Kings Dominion Trip
• 8/23-8/26 five15 Retreat

See you Saturday night! Please pray for the presence and power of the Holy Spirit; that we would continue to experience some of what we enjoyed this past weekend.

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This is interesting:

The term mushroom is usually meant to mean the fruiting body of any fungus, with the mycelium usually being hidden under bark, ground, rotted wood, leaves, etc. A “typical” mushroom consists of a cap supported on a stem. The underside of the cap (in agarics) is fitted with gills where the actual spores are produced. Edible mushrooms are used extensively in cooking. Many varieties are high in fiber and protein, and provide a wide assortment of vitamins and minerals.

Source: Wikipedia

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Nicole and I were at the Apple Store last night when a passing thunderstorm shook the building.  Reflecting on God’s power displayed in creation, I couldn’t help but think of this quote:

“What would you have chosen to describe God’s power? When you think of God’s sovereignty, to what does your mind turn? I confess I am inclined to think of God’s power in creation. He speaks, and worlds leap into being. He designs the water molecule, with its remarkable atomic structure that ensures greater density is acheived at four degrees Centigrade than at the freezing point, so that lakes and rivers freeze not from the bottom up from from the top down, providing a blanket of ice wih water underneath so that fish can survive. I think of God calculating the mathematics of quarks, with half-lives in the billionths of a second. I think of God designing each star and upholding the universe by his powerful word. I think of the pleasure he takes in the woodpecker, with its specially designed tailfeathers that enable it to peck with such force. I marvel at a God who creates emus and cheetahs and the duck-billed platypus. His power extends beyond the limits of our imagination.” D.A. Carson, A Call to Spiritual Reformation, 178.

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Tonight is the Championship Round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. As a former 4th Grade Spelling Bee winner (yes, it’s true, although I got creamed going head-to-head against the 5th and 6th graders in the school-wide finals), I intend to watch at least some of the National Spelling Bee tonight. It’s on ABC at 8. (Get this: they broadcast the semis on ESPN!)

According to SpellingBee.com, there are 275 spellers competing this year, all ages 9 to 15. Of these spellers, 27 have at least one relative who has been to the Spelling Bee finals before.

Maybe you think I’m odd for getting into this sort of thing, but I love words. I’m crazy about words. I keep a dictionary open on my desk. My family laughs at me for keeping a list of words that contain all five vowels. (Not joking: my list has over 60 words like gregarious, pneumonia, and simultaneous. So I’m a dork. Fine.)

So of course I’m interested to learn that winning words from previous spelling bees include:

• appoggiatura
• autochthonous
• pococurante
• eudaemonic
• euonym

Eudaemonic: that’s another one for my list.

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A Mom Muses On Manhood

Even though I’m about to refer you to material written by a mom, this post is for the dads, too.

Parents, I want to point your attention to the GirlTalkers again. Over the last two weeks, Carolyn has been sharing thoughts and strategies that she and CJ have developed as they are raising Chad towards manhood.

I could be biased, but these posts are a real asset: Carolyn has extracted and organized some of the best material available on the topic. Enjoy. If you haven’t read these yet, check them out here:

• “Show Yourself a Man”
• Chad’s “Show Yourself A Man” Plan
  
• Son, Learn From Your Father
• Son, Work Hard
• Son, Be A Good Steward Of Your Finances
• Son, Keep Your Domain In Order
• Son, Kill A Bear Or A Lion
• Son, Show Honor To Women
• Son, Lead Where Appropriate

Categories: Thursday Thoughts For Parents, five15 blog
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I read in Time magazine last week that many public schools are pulling soda machines from their hallways, over concerns for teens’ physical health. The article explained that if you consume two sodas a day, you are an average teen. At that rate, you will have consumed the equivalent of 1.5 pounds of table sugar each week. While I applaud those who are concerned for our physical health, surely it is short-sighted to not also consider our collective spiritual health. Dr. Carson explains:

“In a culture where so many people are desperate for good health, but not demonstrably hungry for the transformation of the inner being, Christians are in urgent need of following Paul’s example and praying for displays of God’s power in the inner being.” D.A. Carson, A Call To Spiritual Reformation, 185.

In light of the series of sermons we are hearing on Sunday mornings about spiritual gifts, let’s pray that God would continue to display his power in our church through the spiritual health that goes on display when we use our spiritual gifts.  Let’s pray that God would display his power widely in our church.  And then let’s pray that he would give each of us grace and faith as individuals to use the gifts we’ve been given.

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