30 Day Blog Challenge Update

We are trucking along in our 30 Day blog challenge! Do to unforeseen situations/stress/ busy days, we are a little behind on the "30 Day" part but we ARE moving forward in our blog challenge! If you are interested in reading some updates, here are a couple of links

Emily - Simply Unique Inspirations 

Matthew - Collection of Songs

How is your progress coming along? 

30 Day Blog Challenge!

For all of you bloggers out there, we are starting a 30 Day Blog Challenge!! You are more than welcome to join us if you like! This is a random list of topics about all sorts of stuff that will be fun to write about and our hope is it will jump start us to blog on a regular basis! Anyway we want to read your stories! For us to take a look at how you're doing on the Challenge you can comment a link to your blog and we will take a look! Our only request is that you keep it clean! (Not that we're worried, but we have to throw it out there.)  Ok so here are the topics!

30 Day Blog Challenge
1. Summer Highlights So Far

2. 15 Interesting Facts About Yourself

3. Your Earliest Memory

4. Favorite Movie & Why?

5. A Lesson God is Teaching You Right Now...What You're Learning

6. Happy Siblings Day! Talk about your Siblings

7. How have you changed in the past 2 years?

8. The Last Trip You Went On and 1 major highlight

9. Something You Miss

10. A Bible Verse You Live By. Explain

11. Two Good Things That Happened Recently

12. Something Funny

13. A Bad Day...Comical or Serious

14. Friendship day! Favorite Friendship Quote, Qualities You Look For In A Friend, Introduce Us To Your Best Friend. Why Are They Your Best Friend?

15. Favorite Season & Why?

16. "On This Day In History" & Your Thoughts. (If that doesn't apply, List Your Pet Peeves)

17. Pick A Hobby And Go Into Detail. - List 5 Resources That Inspire You

18. A Piece of Wisdom That Sticks With You

19. Somewhere You'd Like To Move or Visit

20. A Video Blog! - (A "How-to", "Show & Tell" or "Share An Experience" or Whatever!) If that is not possible, Highlight A Blog That You've Found That You Enjoy
21. Favorite Summertime Activity
22. Favorite Quote
23. What Do You Do To Relax

24. Something That Never Fails To Make You Feel Better

25. The Best Thing That Has Happened To You This Week

26. Favorite Type Of Music - 3 Artists You'd Recommend

27. Favorite TV Show

28. Goals For The Next 30 Days

29. Pets: If You Have One (or some) tell us about them, if not share what you'd like/ why or your view on them for you.

30. Write Anything You'd Like, But Include A Picture!
 Fill - Ins:
A Challenge You Are Facing
The Biggest Lesson You've Learned, How You Learned It
A Recent Lesson You've Learned
Share A Devotion
Wish List


 
And now for some blogging fun!! On your Mark, Get set.... GOOOO!
 
eMs

Finishing the Work

Paul. Acts 20:18-24.
In this passage, Paul is writing a note to the elders of the church, the founding fathers, if you will. He's been traveling all over Europe and Asia preaching the gospel, converting Jews and Gentiles alike. He's built a base of disciples, believers, followers, that have, instead of hooking themselves to him indefinitely, have taken the Gospel in which they believe back to their homes, their communities, their spheres of influence to spread and teach. Now, Paul is headed back to Jerusalem for one last celebration before he makes his final journey. He says this: Read More!


By: Matthew Turrentine

Eye On The Goal

Ever since turning 25, I have noticed a change in myself. 25…It’s just a number right? It’s not a magical milestone where life becomes clear and one’s purpose is suddenly discovered in a ray of light. If only it happened like that. However, I have seen some differences in my thinking…my perspective…my view. It was like all the sudden the little things that mattered, no longer matter. Those moments that I dwelled on because of ridiculous mistakes or mishaps or those people who just kind of vanished from my life with little explanation, seem in vain. I started noticing the change a few weeks ago. It was like all of the sudden, I didn’t care. Read More!

By: Emily Scheve

Welcome to Miami (Beinvinedo a Miami)

Every now and then, we forget who we are.  Not necessarily our name, address, or phone number.  (Though, I have been known to blank on two out the the three.  I won't tell you which two...)  But sometimes, we become so consumed with what we're doing, that we lose sight of our goal.


This week, I'm spending time at the beach on vacation with my family.  Seven days of sandy beaches, warm weather, and cool water that feels ridiculously good.  It's not the most holy of examples, but I think Will Smith said it best his popular song from a while ago: "water so clear, you can see to the bottom." (This water is ridiculously clear.)  My point is, if ever there's a place to be reminded of who we are in Christ, this is the place.


The ocean's sheer power brings one scripture to mind, one of my favorite scriptures, in Job.  Here, we find God confronting Job.  As the story goes, Job has just lived through one of the most trying times in his life.  He's lost everything: family, possessions, health, and sanity.  Job has done everything he knows to do: repent, pray, thought of anything for which he could possibly ask forgiveness.  His wife and friends suggest he "curse God, and die."  But Job is is upright man, who loves God and shuns evil, as the first verse of Job tells us.  For him to "curse God and die" would go against his very belief system, against who he is.


Finally, 38 chapters later, when Job has said everything he knows to say, God speaks. 

8“Who kept the sea inside its boundaries

as it burst from the womb,

9and as I clothed it with clouds

and wrapped it in thick darkness?

10For I locked it behind barred gates,

limiting its shores.

11I said, ‘This far and no farther will you come.

Here your proud waves must stop!’

These verses remind me so often of who I am, just as the ocean reminds me how big God is.  We can all take a lesson from Job.  We are not in control, and the part of me who likes to be in control is always grateful for this.  When life comes at me like a hurricane, and I need to be reminded who I am, this scripture is go-to for me.  I think about the sheer power of the ocean, and God's control of it, and I'm comforted.  


My goal is now, and always has been, to remain in awe of Christ.  And remembering the power and might of God, just like that ocean, keeps me in awe.


mt

What if You Got Double?

Title: What if You Got Double?

“When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied.  (2 Kings 2:9 NIV)

Here’s the story.  Elisha is about to take over for Elijah.  Elisha is about to become THE man, THE prophet.  He is about to do  miracles that the world will only see once.  His one request … double. 

Don’t we pray those prayers?  “God, double me!  Help my finances!  Heal me!  Fix my marriage!  Repair my grades.”  But do you want to know what separates Elisha from us?  He acts like the prayer he prayed is actually going to happen.  He follows Elijah from town to town to town like a groupie.  Why?  Because his double is coming.  Elijah tries to get Elisha to part ways with him, but Elisha keeps going anyway.  Why?  Because his double is coming.

Sometimes, okay all of the times, God is waiting on your faith to move in the space between your prayer and his answer.  He is waiting on you to act like it has already happened.  Because, guess what, in a spiritual reality that we can’t see or hear it has already happened.  

Your faith is the way you perceive the things that you can’t yet see or hear.

And because Elisha acted like he had double before he actually got double, Elisha parts rivers.  Elisha raises the dead.  Nature catches up to supernature, and Elisha gets double.

What if you acted like it has already happened? 

Excerpt from Blog of Jason Goins, Renissance Road Church, High Point, NC

http://jasongoins.tumblr.com/

http://www.r2live.tv/

All About You!

To better serve our efforts here at Emerge Young Adults, we are putting together a couple of surveys that we would like for you to fill out. I'm sure you might be thinking, "Not another survey!" but this will be a great way for us to better serve YOU!! This first one is SUPER easy...Why? Because it's ALL ABOUT YOU! These are 10 easy questions to help us get to know YOU a little better! As we grow, we don't want to forget you as an individual. You're not just another face in the crowd! You are some one who is special, important, and necessary! So be honest with your answers! Let us know about your favorite things! You never know when they may all the sudden come around! :-) 

10 questions, 5 minutes, on your mark, get set, GO!


Click here to take survey


e M s

Intense Trust

23 The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. 24 Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand. 25 Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread. Psalms 37:23-25 NLT

Today, stand still and see God's salvation at work in your life. Be still and watch Him work. Like a child eager to learn his father's trade, watch intently at the things God is doing in and through you, both big and little Do not doubt. Do not dismay. For He has come bringing you abundant life. He IS directing your steps. He DOES delight in you greatly, in every detail of your life. He holds your hand tightly, beckoning you to follow him.

Trust His leading. Follow His voice.

How much more?

So, this week, Emerge has made a conscious effort to participate in the Refuel: Daniel Fast along with the church, Celebration. We've all changed our diets, social networking habits (it's amazing how addicting Twitter is...), entertainment, television, music, and even gaming habits to coincide with the church's goal of refueling ourselves individually and corporately for this year.

As I've changed my own eating habits, I've found that food has become less important to me. On day 2 of the fast, I craved chicken. All day long. I woke up thinking about a Bojangles chicken biscuit, and I went to sleep looking forward to the chicken nuggets I'd buy myself after 10 days of self control. But yesterday and today, in days three and four, I find myself satisfied. Part of me thinks it's the obscene amount of salad I've forced myself to eat. (After this fast is over, don't even mention salad to me for at least a month.) But in reality, I realized I'm actually getting what I'm praying for: peace.

I've spent a lot of time praying and communing with God, both through worship and in my quiet time. Specifically, I've been looking for answers with regard to my future. Where do You want me? How will I get there? What are You saying to me? On my way home yesterday, God put this scripture in my spirit:

25 Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barnes, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you , by worrying, add a single hour to your life? 28 And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you--you of little faith? Matthew 6:25-30

The particular verse He gave me was verse 26. But if you keep reading that passage, you come to a staple verse in the Christian life, verse 33: But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. What an amazing promise! When I really thought about those verses, I felt a tremendous peace. How much more will God take care of us? And if we seek FIRST His kingdom, He's promised to add all that we didn't ask, just like He did for Solomon back in 1 Kings.

So, I think I'll seek first.

mt

What’s in your Closet?

So the other day I had a moment. I was frustrated and tired and needed something fun to do, but couldn’t think of anything to do so I went and sat in my closet... Yes, random, I know, but this closet is a special closet…It’s full of all the things I love to do. (I’m being very literal and serious, by the way, this is not a figurative closet…it’s an actual closet with a door and shelves.) I love being creative and making things and I am blessed right now to have a place to store it all…So while I was sitting there, in my creative closet like a sad little kid on a play ground (seriously), trying to think of something to do, a solution came to mind…Michael’s! My favorite store and full of creativeness! As I went to go leave my closet, I turned out the light, took one last look at what was in my closet and shut the door…As I closed the door, God prompted a thought in my heart. What’s In Your Closet? And He showed me that for me personally, I don’t have a bunch of skeletons in my closet that I’m trying to hide from the world. What’s in my closet are gifts and talents and creativity that God has given me to use that are shut up in a tiny room and only come out a bit at a time. God has given me the gift of creativity. I can’t get rid of it, run from it, hide from it…it’s part of who I am and who God has created me to be. Yet, most of the time, it hides…in my closet…not being let out for the world to see. Now, I’m not saying I have the ultimate gift of creativity that will school everyone in the creative world! And my creativeness might not be that spectacular on a broad scale, but I love it! Soooo now that God has shown me this…what am I going to do? Well for starters, I’m gonna clean out my closet! Put it out there for me to do and maybe even for people to see! Which begs the question…what’s in your closet? Is there something that God is wanting for you to bring out into the open? It might be a past hurt or a bad decision or a gift or an interest or a desire or whatever. And if so, how are you gonna get there? It might take pulling off some scabs and letting some wounds heal or asking for confidence and wisdom on an area of insecurity…Whatever it may be, ask God to show you what you might be hiding and how to clean out your closet for Him and His Glory…

e M t

SUMMER CALENDAR!!

FINALLY: we have a calendar of events for summer. Visit this link, bookmark it, refer to it. If you have any questions about anything, email youngadultscfc@gmail.com for more information.

Get EXCITED!!

http://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=youngadults.cfc%40gmail.com&ctz=America/New_York

Job vs. Me

Sometimes, you get sideswiped. Minding your own business, keeping to yourself. The next thing you know, you're under fire, ducking from attacks on all sides. Safety is nowhere to be found: you're trapped.

Every now and then, life happens. All of a sudden, it's like you're up to bat and every pitch is a curve ball--completely unexpected. When that happens, you've got a choice to make. Do you coward out and shrink away? Do you sulk and pity yourself? Or do you step up and trust the one thing that's never failed you? We can all talk-the-talk and say we trust God implicitly, but this is our true test.

Probably the greatest example we've got of a giant curve ball is Job. Job's curve ball was ridiculous. He went from being the most financially and emotionally wealthy man of his time to losing everything in a span of less than twenty-four hours. While his case is extreme, we definitely gain a respect and appreciation for him. Despite losing his family, his friends, his material possessions, his health, and well-being, do you know what he said? "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord (Job 1:21)." Just hearing those words makes you shudder, because you know deep down, that's serious faith. Could you say the same thing were you in Job's shoes?

Food for thought.

iGo: SERIES FINALE

In keeping with the FINALE SEASON (#Lost, #24, #AmericanIdol, #etc), we ended our iLife series in a different way that usual.

FIELD TRIPPPPPP!

That's right, ladies and gents. Field trip to a la mode: ice cream cafe made Emerge's finale night a wee bit more exciting than usual. If you've never been, a summer day trip is a must. With more than 25 different flavors of both ice cream and authentic Italian gelato, a la mode is sure to hit the spot every time.

But, down to business. We "iWent" as a way for us to kick off our out-of-the-box mentality for the group: getting out of the normal grind, and doing something together within out community. Foreshadowing the near future, tonight's field trip is the start of a new thing for the group, a new attitude, if you will.

The summer's going to be awesome, so come join us when you can. Thursdays at 7. Be there.

iGo: part 5 iLife teaser

TOMORROW NIGHT.


Kids, listen up.
You should definitely come out tomorrow night.
But please, heed these words of wisdom.
COME EARLY. Because right at 7:00pm, we're going to start.
And the only hint you'll get is: iGo.

So far, our playlist for the iLife series has included:
iWork
iDream
iPlay
iRun
And we're going to wrap it up with iGo.
So, my suggestion: COME EARLY. We'll start at iSeven o'clock.

iPlay: part 4 iLife

Work work work. School school school.

Many times, we find ourselves stuck in the daily grind. Whether pursuing an academic goal or career goal--whether it's something we love or something we hate--eventually, we become bored with the monotony. Even in our relationships with friends, familiy, and significant others, routine can become stale after a while. We need a refresher.

This week's discussion focused on rest as a form a worship. As we learned last week, God's given us all a dream to pursue. Some of us know what that dream is, some of us don't--AND THAT'S OK. But even while we pursue that dream, we've gotta take time for rest. The first and most relevant example of rest we find in Genesis 2:2.

After creating the world, God rested on the seventh day. We've got a detailed account of all that God had created on days one through six. But the seventh day, he left for himself. In this example, God shows us how to work hard and save time for ourselves. The Psalms are filled with examples of David praising God for his great works and, simultaneously, asking for complete rest. David used that rest to honor God in his writings.

It's very possible to get caught up in the daily grind. We work and work and suddenly find ourselves inexplicably angry or resentful towards our jobs, our teachers, and even our peers. We're argumentative, insatiable, obnoxious, rude, and nothing seems to comfort us. It's in that moment that we force ourselves to lean on Christ. We put our lives back in his hands and just rest. This is a form of worship we often forget about, but it can be one of the most fulfilling kinds of worship. By forcing ourselves to rely solely on Christ, we're basically confessing our inability to make everything work and our need for Christ in our lives. We make ourselves vulnerable, which allows Him freedom in our lives to make us more like Him.

This week, we were encouraged to get out in the world, fulfill our purpose, and pursue God's dream for our heart. But while we're in the midst of pursuit, we must remember that God wants us to live--in every sense of the word. Take up a hobby, read a book, travel, or chill with friends: whatever we do, do it with a mindset of complete rest in Christ. We are made perfectly complete in Christ; rest in that.

iRun: part 3 iLife

If you've ever seen the movie Forrest Gump, there's a part when Forrest decides he wants to run. He runs to the end of the driveway of their large Alabama home, then he runs to the end of the road. He runs to the edge of town, and he runs to the edge of the county. But at each major point, he doesn't stop: he continues. After reaching the county line, he decides to run clear across the state of Alabama.

Three years, two months, fourteen days, and six hours later, he's run across the entire nation, WOWing the country at his dedication to running just for the sake of running. He's gathered a large following of dedicated runners who probably don't fully understand his reasons, but follow him nonetheless. Suddenly, in the middle of nowhere, he stops and decides to go home.

Sometimes, we find ourselves like Forrest: running with no direction. Perhaps we're running away from a difficult situation and never find the time to stop. Maybe we're running toward a goal or destiny and have become stagnant in our efforts. Or we could even be running to cope with the loss of a relationship or family dynamic. Our running doesn't have to be literal, but could be a metaphor for an emotional state or mindset. Whatever the reason, we're running and have lost our sense of direction. Its at this point when we must force ourselves to pause, take a look around, and put our trust back in God.

Like Jonah, though we try to run from God, we eventually realize that God controls every situation we have. In the first chapter of Job, after he loses virtually everything he holds dear within a matter of minutes, Job laments by saying "The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord." God knows our every burden, our every need. He causes the sun to rise and set, He causes the rain to fall, He causes the storms to weather. The times we feel most distant from God is the time when we should cling to Him the hardest. Instead of running from Him (or even from ourselves), we should run toward Him with all our might.

The book of Psalms is filled with songs of David crying out to God in his distress. Whether an enemy's threat to overtake, or the sin of infidelity and shame, David always knew where his strength truly lay.

Psalm 121, NIV
I lift up my eyes to the hills--where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip--He who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD watches over you--the LORD is your Shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm--He will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

iLife part 3 teaser

JOIN US this Thursday as we continue our discussions on iLife: Essentials for Living "The Life".

Thursday

May 6

7 pm

The Loft

8700 Capital Boulevard

Be there.

Report: Raleigh Rescue

So, if you weren't there yesterday, you missed out BIG TIME. The Raleigh Rescue Mission's Festival of Hope 2010 was a huge success. Thanks to all who participated!! From 9am to 2pm, we gave away and decorated about 380 hats to the community, only 120 hats shy of our goal. Black, gold, pink, blue, neon green and yellow, purple and red: our hats of various shapes and sizes went out to people of all ages. They LOVED the idea of picking out and decorating their own hat with paper flowers, foam pieces, stickers, and ribbon. Check out the pics below:

Hopefully, we made a big impact on the community with our willingness to serve! A BIG thanks to Art and Tricia for their leadership and creativity this weekend!

Check back soon for our next outreach event!

iDream

This week, we continued our iLife series with a discussion on dreams. Everyone has a dream inside them... A passion that burns deep. It's that thing that you do when you don't have anything else to do...or at least the thing you want to do. The thing that you're thinking about doing when you're at the job that you might not want to be doing. What is it? What's your thing? This question was posed earlier this week by a very funny and inspirational individual.... He asked "What's Your Thing?" It's challenging because even though your "thing" might not be what you're doing right now, it could be something that you do... a dream that actually becomes a reality...Think about it...Actually, don't think about it...DO IT!! His answer to the "Thing" thing... 1 Thing That Changed The Way I Chase Dreams. It sounds simple right? Just Do It...NIKE!! They've got a handle on that one....Just Do It. Whatever your thing is just start doing it. A lot of us have expectations of what we want it to be...what we want it to look like...how we want it to go. Pretty much the end result. But we're still standing here at the starting line. Sometimes we feel like we can't move because it doesn't look or go the way we think it should... But we have to learn to walk before we learn to run. Same thing goes for Dreams. God has given them to us. He's given us giftings and callings and talents and skills that others might not have. And what better way to honor and praise Him than to USE them! He's given us these gifts to sharpen and hone and perfect along our journey of life. In Psalms it says, "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart". (Ps. 37:4) Pretty much what that's saying is that when we are using the gifts He's given us for His glory (could be that you share a smile every morning with the grumpy person at Starbucks or the cake you made for someone's party absolutely made their day) and are tuned in with Him, He is going to put HIS desires for us into our hearts so that they become OUR desires and He will give us a way to get it done...We just have to NIKE (or Just Do It...either one!) :)

There are many stories out there of success and people's dreams coming to life but this story is AMAZING! If you know about her and her story, that's great but still watch this video. It's amazing the reaction of people when she first comes out who doubt her talent and then their reaction when she busts it wide open!! This is the journey of Susan Boyle.

The words at the end of that song are "Now life has killed the dream I dreamed." Don't let life kill the dream God has given you! We need to take those dreams and bust them WIDE OPEN!!

iLife

Starting this Thursday evening we are beginning our new iLife series. You're not going to want to miss it! We will be hitting on the essentials to living "The Life" the way Jesus has called us to. Meet us upstairs in The Loft @ 7:00pm! We'll see you there!

Want a hat? Take a hat.

We're going OUT!

In the wake of Easter at CFC, we're taking the Great Commission quite literally. Jesus' message to us after his resurrection was to go into the world, make disciples, baptize them, and teach them (Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 15-18). After having given his all on the cross for us, he so commands us to give ourselves for others. By making ourselves, living sacrifices (Romans 12:1-2), willing to go out into our community and live our our faith, we demonstrate Christ's love in unconventional ways. Case in point: passing out hats.

With the help of Art and Trisha, a married couple in our church, Emerge will be participating in the Raleigh Rescue Mission's Festival of Hope 2010. Since 2005, to increase awareness of their services to the community, the Raleigh Rescue Mission hosts an annual street fair in downtown Raleigh, just outside their doors. Churches, organizations, clubs, and businesses provide food, entertainment, music, arts and crafts, and a BIG Barbeque Showdown--all FREE to the public. Art and Trisha have made their stamp on the festival every year since 2006 by making hats from brown paper bags. This year, Emerge will christen it's Outreach Ministry by volunteering at the festival.

This past Thursday, at our weekly meeting, we took an inside look at the Great Commission and dove headfirst in a hands-on way. By putting together about 100 hats, we got a headstart on the prep work for the festival. While we were only able to do about 1/5 of the work necessary, our efforts were a tremendous help to Art and Trish, who normally do it all themselves.

Saturday. May 1. 8:00 am. Downtown Raleigh. Raleigh Rescue Mission. Festival of Hope. Find more updates on Facebook and Twitter as the big day arrives.

And as always, find us at 8700 Capital Boulevard Thursday nights at 7.

Preach the Gospel at all times -- if necessary, use words.
-St. Francis of Assisi

yod. heh. vah. heh.

Picture the most frustrating day you can remember. Your boss is yelling, English professor gave you a C- on the paper you devoted your life to, boyfriend/girlfriend threatens to break up with you, dog ran away, you've been on hold with the bank for 47 minutes... Could it get any worse?

Suddenly, you're back in your childhood room, remembering what it was like to have just skinned your knee. You'd been riding your favorite blue bicycles--the one with the silver bell and plastic tassels--too hard, too fast. In a blur of wind, speed, rocks and debris, you find yourself staring at the sky, with a sharp, throbbing pain in your leg. You need to calm down, but are too anxious because of your seemingly epic crash.

Mom sees you through the living room window and rushes out. What's the first thing she says? It's ok, honey. Just breathe. This is the premise of Bell's message: Breathe Video

We're mounds of dirt: fragile, vulnerable pieces of living dust. "We're sacred divine dirt clods, and yet we possess untold power and strength. Your life is but a breath, and yet you were made by the creator of everything (Bell, 2008)." Our seemingly secure lives are but divine bursts of God's Spirit, God's breath. Bell shows us the Hebrew of our Americanized Yahweh: Y-H-W-H (pronounced letter by letter, yod-heh-vah-heh).

Bell presents breathing as a human's ability to say the name of God. "The Spirit guides us into Truth. Maybe what we need is as close as breathing. Is there anything you need to breathe out or breathe in?" By equating our breath as a divine gift from God, (in essence) God's very breath, he gives us His Spirit, His Life. With His breath, His Spirit, he cleans us and sanctifies us. "When we let God in, we become aware of all the things we need to leave behind, everything we need to let go of....or breath in (Bell, 2008)."

Life is a series of breaths, a series of times when we constantly speak the name of God: yod-heh-vah-heh. With God's Life in an around us all the time, we begin to realize His supreme authority working in us. Not only does His name bring peace and serenity, but also the understanding of our various roles in His will. Just like our Mom's ability to calm us through breathing, God uses his live-giving breath and Spirit to help us navigate life's issues, and ultimately show us his divine purpose for our lives.

What does this mean for Emerge: having seen this, we are immediately taken back to our purpose. We exist to experience God, love people, and serve our world. With God's breath and Spirit working in and through us, we focus our attention on the many ways we can accomplish our purpose to reach our friends, family, and community.

"His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward Him and find Him--through He is not far from any one of us. For in Him, we live and move and [breathe]." Acts 17: 27-28

...And now, we EMERGE!

Congrats, kids! We finally have a name: Emerge. No longer called by the generic “Young Adults” title, we are now proud to call ourselves by name. After months of suggestions, comments, debates, emails, texts, and conversations, the name was presented at last night's meeting. We wanted something to describe our group and the values we stood for, while still being relevant to our generation. It didn’t come out of the air, but was given by God in

the "still, small voice" fashion. Regardless of the method, we've heard God's heart for our group, and are now ready to....EMERGE!

Emerge: to come forth from obscurity; to become evident; to come into existence.

Emerge: Life Movement

Experience God. Love people. Serve our world.

Two words: March Madness

Tonight, we had our monthly "FUN" night. As it was basketball season, we watched the Butler-Syracuse game (63-59 Butler, in case you'd forgotten), played games, and ate a ton of food.

Loaded Questions was the game of the night, and by the time we finished, we knew a lot more about each other than we probably wanted. For instance, Emily values her external hard drive most, while Ted and Matthew both pick their noses at stoplights. James enjoys illegal hallway sports in hotels, while Elizabeth and Siesta sleep and bathe their nights away when staying at Econo-lodge. And, out of all of us, Chris' hips don't lie as he and Beyonce dance their way down I-540.

Bottom line: we had fun, and YOU should have been there. Don't worry; we forgive you. And there'll be plenty opportunities to make it up to us.

I'm just saying...

Noise

March 4, 2010 – Noise

Watch this Video first.

Rob Bell Nooma Video – Noise http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzpF2aCZN-8

Read story of Elijah 1 Kings 19:11-13

Questions to Consider:

1. What is Noise?

2. How are you dependent on Noise?

3. When was the last time you sat in Silence?

4. Where are you looking to find God?

5. How will you cut down the Noise in your life?

Disclaimer: We are not discouraging TV or Music, but just pointing out how that Noise can be a possible block from hearing from God….Something to think about.

January 29, 2010 - Ice Skating

Well tonight marked the first of our many Fun Nights!! Woo hooo! In honor of Old Man Winter and Hurricanes hockey season, we went ice skating! Oh and what a blast we had! Coincidently enough, it started to snow right as our fun began…We feared we might get snowed in, but it worked out because the snow quit long enough for us to have a few hours of fun and get home safely. It might’ve been colder on the rink than it was outside…Ok maybe not, but it was close! Most of us started out a bit wobbly and unsteady but within 10 minutes we were getting the hang of it and trying out new stunts like skating away from the wall, skating backwards and trying our hand at figure skating! Once we got a workout for a while, we all came back to the bench and sat for a few minutes to catch our breath and give our aching legs and feet a rest…That’s when it was brought to our attention that we had been on the ice for a whopping 20 minutes and still had a good 2 hours left!! Hahah! The rink went from bright white to colored disco lights glittering the ice. We jammed out to the Black Eyed Peas, Jack Johnson, Coldplay, Mariah Carey, and songs only the teenie boppers hanging out there knew. We had ice, got iced, and ate ice! Whether we managed to stay up or sat on the ice more than skated, it’s a general consensus that all had a fantastic time ice skating and hanging out together…we even shared stories of our sore muscles we had for weeks to come!~

January 28, 2010 – What’s in a Name?

What’s in a name? This phrase was made well known by William Shakespeare’s play “Romeo and Juliet” written between 1594- 1595. As I’m sure you all are familiar with the story, Romeo and Juliet were socially separated because their families were heated enemies who couldn’t stand each other. Which means they were only separated by their names not by who they were as people. But this begs the question…what’s in a name? Let’s take a look…

In Genesis, When God created the earth He created man called him Adam which means “man” or “of the earth” and when He created woman He called her Eve which means “mother to many” or “life”. Genesis 1&2

Also when God made His covenant with Abram (which means “high father”) He renamed him Abraham which means ”father of many nations” symbolizing the promise that God will make many nations of him. Genesis 17:5

Isaac means “he will laugh” or “laughter” because when God told Abraham that his wife, Sarah, was going to bear him a son in their old age, Sarah literally laughed out loud. Genesis 18:12; Genesis 21:5&6

**Side note: Nothing is impossible for God!!! Prepare for the ridiculous!**

Jamie is a derivative of James which is a derivative of Jacob which means “he who supplants or replaces.” When Esau was on the verge of death from hunger, Jacob traded him his birthright for a bowl of soup. Also, Jacob deceived his father into giving him Esau’s blessing as well. Therefore Jacob supplanted or replaced Esau in the duties of one carrying the birthright and the blessing of the first son. Thus fulfilling the prophecy of the 2 boys while still in their mother’s womb: “…And the older shall serve the younger.” Genesis 25:26 Hence why he fought God for a new name, which turned out to be Israel.

Ruth, meaning “friend/ companion” and “friendship”, was a faithful friend to her mother in law Naomi, even after the death of her husband, saying to her, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.” Ruth 1:16

Esther:

We are all familiar with the story of Esther. She was a young Jewish girl who became queen of the most powerful nation in the world, Persia. Esther is a gentile name…meaning not of the Jewish culture. This was to protect her when she was taken to the palace by the guards to be inspected by the king.

Esther means “Star” or “Myrtle Leaf”

A star could be 2 things in regards to Esther. Stars as we see them in the sky can only be seen when the night is clear. But if it is cloudy and overcast they are hidden from sight. As the Lord hid Esther and her identity until the right moment where all became clear. (For better understanding, Check out the book of Esther

Esther’s real name was Hadassah which means “Myrtle Tree” and I said “What the heck is a Myrtle Tree and what significance does it have?”

Hadassah: Myrtle Tree Esther: Myrtle Leaf

Consider the meaning of the myrtle trees. They were in the bottom of the coverage of foliage and therefore received the moisture to make them healthy and strong. The myrtle is a large evergreen shrub that grows to the size of a small tree. It withstands drought and remains green even after cut. When its leaves are crushed, they bring forth a sweet fragrance. It is also a symbol of victory. In ancient times, the Jews would welcome the Sabbath with two bouquets of myrtle.

In knowing this, Hadassah was a strong, brave young woman who even after being almost entirely cut off from her family, Cousin Mordecai, and culture, she was still surviving. And Esther, which means Myrtle LEAF, shined her brightest when she was crushed and almost killed. When her life was on the line, it was her peace and the Spirit of God on her life that stopped the king from killing her and ultimately from killing all of her people.

Even before her purpose was known to her, her character was defined by her name at birth.

Jesus means “the Lord is salvation”

Emmanuel means “God is with us”

The Bible also tells us there is “power in the NAME of the Lord!”

In Proverbs18:10 it says “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and they are safe.

In Psalm 20:7 it says “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the Lord our God.”

Click here to see all the Names of God

What does this mean? It means your name exerts an influence upon you character and potential. There is meaning in your name!!

And as a group, there will be great meaning in our name. It will define who we are and what our purpose is. So if you have any suggestions, please feel free to share as we seek to go from ambiguity to certainty!