Sunday in high school class we ended by reminding one another that, "The visible does not matter if you do not have the invisible!" This week, as I've gone around in our Valley full of fancy cars, big houses and extravagant electronics, I've wanted to shout this out to the people whom I encounter. How much do we think about the visible, like our physical appearance or the brand of our clothing? How much of my life is wasted because deep down I really believe the visible (and also temporary) matters more than the invisible?

This week, notice people who live life as thought the only thing that matters is the visible, with a complete disregard for the invisible.

What about you? How does your interaction with the visible differ as a result of having the invisible?

2 Corinthians 4:18 says, "So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.:

May you find yourself this week fixing your eyes on the things that will last forever.

So after class on Sunday, I started realizing something that I hadn't really thought about before. Where did the golden calf come from? I mean it takes a lot of gold to make a golden calf, so where did the supplies actually come from?

Do you remember who the Israelites were before the Exodus? Maybe it is better asked, do you remember what the Israelites were before the Exodus?

Slaves. Their lot in life was minimal. They owned little. They were owned by many. I know there were a lot of them. Estimates vary from the 1.6 to 2.5 million Israelites, enslaved in Egypt.

On the night of the first Passover as recorded in Exodus 12, death came to the firstborn sons as a result of the Pharaoh's unwillingness to let God's people go. The people of Egypt were so sick of the inconveniences, plagues and now death that had resulted from all of this that they wanted to do anything they could to get the Israelites to leave their country and never return. So guess what happened, the masters turned to their slaves and said,"You can have whatever you want of my stuff." Exodus 12:36 say, "The Lord caused the Egyptians to look favorably on the Israelites, and they gave the Israelites whatever they asked for. So they stripped the Egyptians of their wealth!"

So catch the circle of things that is happening? It is crazy that in Exodus chapter 12 God is causing the Egyptians to give the Israelites whatever they ask for and then in chapter 32 the Israelites are making a god out of the jewelry that God caused the Egyptians to give them.

POINT: How often do we take the things that God has given us and turn them into gods? In what ways do we take the things we have and turn them into gods, forgetting that they were from God. Like the Israelites, sometimes we are given blessings from God and instead of thanking God, the blessings become our gods.

Fewer announcements this week. More thoughts on our possession obsessions. May God give us the strength to obsess less over possessions and more over loving the people around us.

Below are this week's high school announcements. I'm currently taking ideas for future announcement locations, themes and costumes (LEAVE A COMMENT).

BONUS Contact Carpool reminder here!

 

Revolve Tour, the conference for teenage girls is coming to Sacramento, November 20-21 and YOU are invited!

Revolve Tour includes great speakers, Christian musicians, worship and more that connects with a wide variety of teenage girls. Our group will be staying in a hotel near the arena. The cost of $69/person includes dinner Friday night, breakfast Saturday morning, lunch Saturday afternoon, hotel costs, transportation costs AND the ticket for the Revolve Tour. Tickets are limited.

To sign-up: fill out the Revolve Tour Sign-up Form (located under HS or MS links) and turn it in along with $69. Remember scholarships are available, because we don't want you to miss out on this weekend.

Those who are planning to attend are encouraged to sign-up to participate in the Bake Sale on October 4th and ZoneSit on Saturday, October 24th.


Check out RevolveTour.com for more info on the conference.

E-mail mhalfenger@gmail.com for additional information.

Here you go high school students and parents...

After a month and a half of being offline, the Zone Student Ministry Blog is back online! In the coming weeks look for pictures from the summer, previews of the fall, resources for parents and encouragement for the journey with and towards Jesus.

Please note the blog is still under repair/construction.

This slide show is a collection of pictures of the Class of 2009 participating in events with The Zone Student Ministry.

Night of Remembrance pictures are now up and available in the High School folder on the left.  Or you can simply click on the picture below.