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Keeping the
Faith
If you spent a couple weeks of your
summer on TST at SpringHill or with Alpha Expeditions, you probably spent
a lot of time in God's word and growing your faith with peers and
mentors. Now it's back to the "real world." School, family
and friends...responsibility and freedom...the choice to let your
commitment to God slide or to stand firm. It's where the rubber hits the
road. It's where we make the decision to be disciplined and stay strong
or we get lazy and let things slip away. Dig into this issue of The Well and
be encouraged to keep the faith!
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News @
SpringHill Michigan
Summer camp may be over, but there are still plenty of opportunities
to get back to SpringHill this year (and next)!
For example, there's Family Camp! Finish out the summer by flying
down the zipline with your mom or ducking for cover in the paintball
field with your dad or sending your little sister soaring off the blob.
Have out-of-this-world fun and experience God in a real way with your
whole family. It all happens here September 1-4! Check out all the
details on our
website.
Get SpringHill fall retreats on your youth group's calendar! At Michigan we'll be
meeting at the Hill for the High
School Kick It! retreat October 6-8. Out-of-this-world activities,
time to grow with God and as a group - it's an awesome way to end a great
summer. Or, tell your youth leader about our awesome winter retreats,
with heart-thumping live bands, incredible speakers and wild and crazy
snowy fun: January 12-14, 19-21 and 26-28 and February 2-4, 9-11, and
16-18. Confirm a date now by having your youth leader call Mike Krick at
231-734-2616!
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Tell Your
SpringHill Story
If you've spent a couple weeks of your
summer at SpringHill this year, we want to hear about it! What's the craziest
thing that happened? The most significant moment? The biggest
"ah-ha"? Did you serve on TST or conquer some incredible
challenges on an Alpha Expeditions trip? We want to know!
Email us and give us the
lowdown on your summer at SpringHill. Be sure to let us know if we can
share your story in an upcoming issue of The Well. Inspire your
peers. Reminisce with your friends. Just speak your mind (and heart).
Write to us today!
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A Firm Resolve
Once you were
alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil
behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through
death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from
accusation - if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not
moved from the hope held out in the gospel. -Col 1:21-23a
Jesus Christ has paid for our sins;
through his body and blood we have been reconciled to God. It's easy to
leave it at that.
Many Christians today see Jesus as our
free meal ticket and nothing more. They make the Christian life out to be
a walk in the park, free from any responsibility. But doesn't the New
Testament make it clear in that the Christian life is a struggle? A
battle against Satan?
How does "keeping the faith"
impact our relationship with Christ? Can we simply accept Him and then go
on to live our life as we choose? By all means no! Notice the
"if" towards the end of the passage. Isn't that implying that
our freedom from accusation and blemish comes with responsibility? We
must consistently train ourselves to stand firm and continue in faith, as
Paul indicates in this passage. Being established and firm does not mean
that we achieve perfection-only that may be attained in heaven-but it
does mean that we are sober-minded and developed in our faith, so that we
can be ready for battle against sin.
Think about
this: Consider your summer
experiences. Is there anything you've learned or seen that you'd like to
remember? What obstacles will you face in your daily life that will draw
you away from remaining "established and firm"? How can you overcome
these obstacles? Be encouraged by this Bible passage to continue on in
your faith. Don't let it end now. Let your experiences with the Lord spur
you on; resist lazily floating away!
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Websites Well
Worth It
www.godspeak.info:
Want some encouragement in keeping the faith? Check out this website
devoted to testimonies, culture and Christ. It's a great way to get
connected to other believers and share in what God is doing around the
world.
www.xt3.com:
An excellent Christian eZine, xt3 is another great website dedicated to
Christians and culture: check out movies, music, sports, and lots of
other cool links.
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A Couple of
Reel Winners
Keeping the faith takes on new meaning
in the face of unfathomable tragedy and life-threatening situations. When
others might cut and run or do anything to save their own skin, there are
brave men and women who "stay strong" in ways we can hardly
imagine. Two films depicting the lives of such heros are worth viewing: World
Trade Center and Hotel
Rwanda . Also, if you are interested in the man whose story inspired
the film Hotel Rwanda, check out his riveting autobiography An Ordinary Man
by Paul Rusesabagina.
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The greatest oak
was once a little nut that held its ground.
-Unknown
The art of
living is more like that of wrestling than of dancing; the main thing is
to stand firm and be ready for an unseen attack.
-Marcus Aurelius
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In the Real World
Spiritual
Warfare: Is It Real?
Is there a real battle being waged between
angels and demons? If so, what does this mean for us? Are Christians
susceptible to evil spirits? Are we under attack? Are we helpless? 1 John
4:4 says this: "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome
them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the
world." It is true, we are no match for the devil, but God who
lives in us and fights for us is infinitely powerful. We need not fear:
the war has already been won through Christ!
Check out these articles and then email us your thoughts on
spiritual warfare.
Understanding
Spiritual Warfare
Possessed
or Obsessed?
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What You Said
More than half of you surveyed think modesty is all about
balance; 11% don't think about it at all.
In regard to today's culture, 56% of
you think it's focused on self; the other 44% say the dollar.
82% think God is most interested in
a pure heart; the
rest say needy people.
Just over half
of you polled are looking forward to going back to school.
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