moving up?

Are you going to be in TST this summer? If so, check out The Well, SpringHill's newsletter for 9th-12th graders. Subscribe today!

Love one another and you will be happy. It's as simple and as difficult as that.
—Michael Leunig

This is my commandment, that you love one another.
—Jesus, In John 15:12

play the game

Want to win a free week at SpringHill AND a great waterproof digital camera to record all the fun? Go to the SpringHill Game website to play the new-and-improved game and be entered in the drawing! (Plus, we’ll be giving away an iTunes gift card every month!)

springhill stunt

If last month’s stunt — Cracker Pyramid — stumped you, watch the video solution to see how it's done. (If you missed the stunt, check out the challenge first!)

Now for a new stunt, which won't require much brainpower. In other words, yes, it's kind of stupid, but it'll help you get rid of all that Valentine's Day candy... One-on-One Skittle Skattle Battle!

1. Find a partner and some Skittles (or other small crushable candies like M&Ms).

2. Put a candy on your thumb. Have your partner do the same.

3. On the count of three, press your thumbs together. Whoever's candy cracks first loses. The winner gets to eat both candies. (Two sweaty, crushed candies. Now that's a good prize!)

talk about it

Okay, admit it. Loving people who love you back is pretty easy. But loving those who won’t give you the time of day or who are downright mean can be difficult at best. Jesus was all about love and he never hesitated to share his love, especially with the most unlikely people. We know that following Jesus means that we should offer this same kind of unconditional, impartial love to others. So, what holds you back? Why do you have a difficult time loving certain people?

Talk about it with other SpringHill campers and counselors on the SpringHill MySpace page. Or, if you have another question you'd like to discuss, email us.

say something

1. Has there ever been a time in your life when you felt unlovable?
Yes
No

2. Who makes you feel most loved?
Family
Friends
God
People at SpringHill
Other

3. What keeps you from loving someone?
A bad experience
My own prejudice
Selfishness
Seeing something I don't like in myself
The way they treat me
Other

4. If you heard something juicy about a friend, would you tell someone else (even if you knew it would hurt your friend)?
Yes
No

5. Have you ever gossiped?
Yes
No

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what you said

· About 70% of you say that God is the one you ask forgiveness from most; another 16% ask siblings the most.

· More than 60% of you ask for forgiveness because you are truly sorry; 21% say you ask because it makes you feel better; and 11% do it because Jesus forgave you. 

·  32% say you handle conflict listening and talking it out; the rest of you are split between avoiding conflict, arguing to get your way and trying to make the other person happy.

· Is there someone in your life who's really difficult to love? More than 90% say "yes."

who do you love?

Do you befriend people who don't fit in? Do you show love toward people who leave you out? Most of us wouldn’t be able to say, “yes,” because loving those outside our circles — or who won't let us into theirs — is tough. In fact, in our last survey, more than 90 percent of Bounce readers said that there is someone in their life who is really difficult to love. With Valentine’s Day, hearts and signs of “love” are everywhere this month, making it a good time to think about how we show our love and who we show it to and who we leave out. In this issue of Bounce, we’ll take a deeper look at Jesus’ command to love our neighbor and explore about why it’s so difficult to love certain people. We’ll also give you all the latest SpringHill news, link you to our new-and-improved online game and share some music we think you’ll dig. Read on. We think you’ll love it!

news @ springhill indiana

Are you ready for Summer 2007? Check out the SpringHill summer schedule and the great majors for InPursuit. Then, start planning the week you’ll be talking about for the rest of the year! Be sure to remind your mom or dad that they can go to the SpringHill website NOW to register!

Want to help SpringHill get ready for an awesome summer? Bring your family or your youth group to SpringHill for a volunteer day or weekend: Saturday, March 2; Saturday, May 12; or Memorial Day weekend, Friday, May 25 - Monday, May 28. It’s a great opportunity to serve at SpringHill and have a blast doing it! For more information, visit our website. Then, have your parents or your youth group leader call Pam Wilkerson at 812-479-0008, ext. 102, to register. Don’t wait — space is limited! 

when love means saying “hello”

If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. —Matthew 5:46-48

Chances are you probably have a group of good friends. Maybe you’re in the popular crowd, or maybe you hang with other athletes, or maybe your close friends are from church or youth group. There’s probably a reason you’re with your friends — you like to do the same things or you have the same values or other people look at you all in a certain way. But what if someone who didn’t “fit” into your group wanted to join? What if someone from the outside wanted to be your friend? Are you open to new people? And, if you are an outsider and someone doesn’t let you into their circle, do you think they’re a jerk and have bad feelings towards them?

In these verses, Jesus is talking to his followers about just this sort of thing. He’s saying, “Okay, sure you love the people who are easy to love and you say ‘hey, what’s up?’ to the people in your group, but what about the people that don’t fit in? And if you’re not welcomed, what then? Do you still show love to people who don’t love you back?” To do these things — to love those who are difficult to love, to welcome outsiders — is not just good, it is a way to become more like your heavenly Father.

Think about this: Would a new person be welcomed at your lunch table or in your youth group? What if the person was different or odd or unkind? Have you ever been shunned by someone? How did you feel? Why does Jesus want us to show love toward those who don’t love us and say “hello” to the outsider?

a springhill counselor talks to bounce

A lifeguard for InPursuit this past summer, Jenny Bunge spent many years before that as a camper at SpringHill. Now a junior at Asbury College majoring in exercise science, Jenny will be back again as the aquatics coordinator for Summer 2007. Here, she talks to Bounce about the deeper meaning of love.

Bounce: Was there a time in your life when you felt unlovable?
Jenny: In junior high I was trying to fit in but I wasn’t following God. I tried to be popular and really good at soccer. Basically, I was trying to be lovable those years but I never felt loved.

Bounce: Do you remember a time when you felt really loved?
Jenny: At the end of my sophomore year of high school I surrendered my life to Christ. It was the first time I could see people loving me with Christ’s love and it was incredible.

Bounce: Is there someone in your life who’s been difficult to love?
Jenny: It sounds strange, but I’d have to say my best friend. There were a couple times in school when she turned her back on me. I had to learn what it means to love someone without wanting anything in return.

Bounce: What keeps you from loving someone?
Jenny: Self. In other words, only loving to get something out of it. Not doing it out of humility or because God calls me to do it.

Bounce: What advice do you have for students about how to follow Jesus’ command to love God and love others?
Jenny: Pray about it. We are not capable of loving God’s way on our own. When we realize our inadequacy, then God can really work through us. When we look to God and say “please help,” that’s when we can love with God’s love.

now playing

A Collision from The David Crowder Band: Described as one of the most wildly creative modern worship discs ever made, this 73-minute album is fully deserving of a listen. If you’re anything like SpringHill lifeguard Jenny Bunge, the songs on A Collision will dominate your play list. “I love how this album, with songs like ‘Come Awake,’ challenges people to wake up,” says Jenny. “When you listen to David Crowder’s music you understand what it means to be completely alive in Christ.” Read a review of the album and an interview with David Crowder. Also, be sure to visit the band’s website.

Over the Rooftops from Sevenglory: In addition to addressing honest struggles people have with doubt and self-image, Sevenglory’s pop/rock debut proves that these guys really do love the God they’re singing about. Check out the band’s website. Also, watch an interview with the band on SpringHill’s MySpace page.

Heartbeat by Sharon Creech: SpringHill counselor Ashley Warning raves about this poetic novel about how we become who we are and to what degree we should conform. Told from the perspective of 12-year-old Annie, the book explores how big changes can affect relationships and the love we feel for a parent, a grandparent or a friend. Learn more on the author’s website.