The end of a season

Well, you all have probably heard by now the Grace Community Church will be no more than memories in a couple of week. We're folding back into Crossway. I'm excited, yet, well, it's hard to pinpoint my exact emotion. I can't wait to make more friends, but I'm sad to leave the enivorment of a small church, and all the oppurtunities of serving that brings. Not, of course, that we can't do that at Crossway, it will just be different. Everything will be different. I've changed since we left to go on the church plant, and my friends back at Crossway have changed. I've grown closer to my friends at Grace, while not growing father away from those at Crossway, it really hasn't gotten closer. I really don't know what to expect, and that kind of scares me. I like to know what's going to happen, and what it's going to be like, but simply, in this case, I can't really prepare myself fully. I'll have to trust God's plan for me and my family. But I'm still excited, and so many other things! See you all in September!

Pictures from Youth Day

Here are some of the better pictures from Saturday. Enjoy!

The pie eating contest

Waching the egg catching/throwing contest

Just look at Hudson's hair and tounge!

The begining of the sack race

Ahhhh...

I've not forgotten I have a blog! It's just been really busy around here : D I'll try to recap what's been happening the last couple weeks or so.

First of all, I got my hair cut, I think it was three weeks ago. They took off 4-6 inches, but it was really long to begin with, so now it's about an inch below my sholders, and it's very layered. I really like it. Then, on June 6, was Grace Community's high school graduation. Since there are only two juniors, some of the sophmores and their parents were helping. Mom was in charge of the reception. Then we went up to the mountains with some dear friends of ours. We got up there Thursday, biked about 19 miles Friday, then got home around lunch time Saturday. Then we had our monthly youth event at our house. We ran an obstacle course, roasted hot dogs and smores on a bonfire, and then played Frisbee for about a hour or so. Then on Sunday, we had church, and that evening we had Care Group. We didn't do a normal meal and meeting this time. Instead we went to the Concert on the Green in Davidson, and most of the teens, including me, played about another hour of frisbee. Needless to say, I was sore for most of yesterday, but am feeling much better now! So that's basically all that's been going on!

The Bible bill?

It gets very iteresting when Congress start discussing the Bible. It's sad, too, that those who claim to be Christians don't more advicitly support the Bible because they want to stay in congress. Here is an article I found on-line talking about just this, though in a secular view.

Victoria McGrane Victoria Mcgrane – Fri May 22, 5:40 am ET
When the clock strikes midnight on Dec. 31, 2009, Rep. Paul Broun (R-Ga.) hopes you’ll be ringing in “the Year of the Bible.”
It’s probably just wishful thinking.
Broun’s simple congressional resolution aimed at honoring the Good Book has produced a push-back of biblical proportion in the blogosphere, with critics dismissing it as either unconstitutional or a waste of time. Jews in Congress and atheist activists are dismissing the resolution, while none of the many Democrats in Congress who are Christian have bothered to sign on as co-sponsors.
According to GovTrak.us, the resolution is among the most-blogged-about pieces of legislation, with most posts less than complimentary in nature.
“Does that mean 2009 is not the year of the Bible?” mocked Rep. Barney Frank ­(D-Mass.), who is Jewish. “What is 2012 the year of? The Quran?”
“That’s an endorsement of religion by the federal government, and we shouldn’t be doing that,” said Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), even though he has introduced his own legislation dealing with religion.
“Republican lawmakers with apparently too much time on their hands and no solutions to offer the country are pushing a resolution that will not address the nation’s problems or advance prosperity or even untangle their previous governing mistakes,” blogged the Progressive Puppy.
Broun rejects the critiques leveled at this effort.
“This doesn’t have anything to do with Christianity,” he said in an interview with POLITICO. Rather, he says, it seeks to recognize that the Bible played an integral role in the building of the United States, including providing the basis for our freedom of religion that allows Muslims, Hindus and even atheists to vocalize their own beliefs.
And even as Nadler criticized Broun, he has done his own share of mixing religion and legislation.
Last year, he introduced a bill that would overturn a federal appeals court ruling — an “idiot” decision, he says — that a condominium board in Chicago had the right to ban Jews from installing mezuzahs, which consist of a piece of parchment inscribed with a specific religious text put inside a case and hung on a door frame.
Condo boards shouldn’t be able to interfere in an individual’s right to practice his or her religion, Nadler said.
But he himself declined to install a mezuzah on his congressional office door when asked by a rabbi, even though he does so at home.
“That’s my religious symbol, and the office does not belong to me; it belongs to the people of the congressional district, and no one should feel uncomfortable walking into the office if it’s not their religion,” Nadler said, describing his feelings on religion and Congress.
“Same thing with the Bible. ... It’s not everybody’s religion. And the federal government should not be imposing religious viewpoints.”
Atheists, who might feel themselves a particular target with the declaration of a biblical year, aren’t even worried about Broun’s effort.
“Right now, we’re seeing atheism on such a rise,” said David Silverman, vice president and national spokesman of American Atheists, a group dedicated to fighting for the civil rights of atheists.
“We are seeing Christianity on such a dramatic decline that we’re not particularly worried about it. We’re thinking that this kind of old-style George W. Bush Republicanism is about to go away,” Silverman said, referring to the latest Pew Forum survey of American religious life, which showed nonreligious Americans as the fastest-growing group.
And it may be the best-selling book of all time, as Broun’s resolution points out, but the Bible isn’t such a popular legislative topic.
A search of Thomas, the online congressional database, for “Bible” yields just one other bill: a resolution to have the “Lincoln-Obama Bible” on permanent display in the Capitol Visitor Center.
The resolution specifically asks the president “to issue a proclamation calling upon citizens of all faiths to rediscover and apply the priceless, timeless message of the Holy Scripture which has profoundly influenced and shaped the United States and its great democratic form of government.”
As for the economy, health care, global warming and all the other issues on Congress’ plate?
“While we must focus on fiscal policies that provide relief to families during these tough economic times, an endeavor I have been working tirelessly towards in this Congress, we must also not forget to protect and celebrate our fundamental freedoms that the Bible has influenced,” Broun said.
Broun has gathered 15 co-sponsors, all Republicans, but says he’s looking for more and hopes Democrats will sign on, as well.
“This is not a partisan issue,” he said. “I want it to be bipartisan.”
Whether he’s successful or not — the same measure didn’t go anywhere last year — at least Broun and his fellow supporters can take heart in one fact: They already had a “year of the Bible.”
Ronald Reagan designated 1983 as one, with Congress’ blessing.

*Important Update*

*Update*

Now I've got you all curious :) I won't keep you in suspence for very long! I bet you all are wondering what is going on in Grace Community Church. Well, first things first. We are now meeting in Mooresville Middle School. It's a really nice school and we are very grateful to be meeting in it. Right now, only 1/2 of the church is already living up in the Moorseville/ Kannapolis/ Davidson area. Because of the market down turn, several houses on the market have been a few weeks (or months) without showings (including us), so please continue praying!

Now about our Youth Group. I must warn you, stop reading if you don't want to be jealous! We call our group Youth Talk. That is because of our set-up. After a brief time of snacks, we gather in a member's family room. Mr Detwiler, our Senior, Youth, and only Pastor, usually starts by asking us a question, then allows anyone to ask him any kind of theoligal, biblical question, etc. We've covered everything from Creation to the end times, from sanctification to election, and sooo many other things. I've really enjoyed it and so have the others!

I can't think of anything else anyone would want to know, so if you have any questions, just leave a comment!