Mona

Winter Retreat: Designed

2012-01-25T08:51:00.001-08:00

Winter Retreat 2012 was awesome! The weekend was full of LOTS of laughing, playing games, & hanging out building friendships. Our theme was "DESIGNED" focusing on Ephesians 2:10. We discussed how we are designed by God with a purpose to serve in His story. The teens were super involved in the sessions by leading the music, sharing testimonies, reading Scripture, praying, & discussing life issues. Two highlights from the sessions for me were...

1. We had each teen use pipe cleaners to create a symbol that represented their current relationship with Christ. At first, I wasn't too sure if they would buy into it but was pleasantly surprised to see & hear about their creations. Several teens explained their creation and it was really cool to hear the various ways God is working in our lives.

2. One of the teen girls was supposed to share her testimony on how God is helping her with her nervousness. She was prepared & ready to go but when I asked her to come forward to share, her nervousness took over & she didn't want to do it. When she came to the front, I put my arm around her & she buried her head in my shoulder. I tried to encourage her & had her look only at me. With tears in her eyes, she was hesitant to do it but after promising her a MNU blanket if she shared, she made a little more effort. :) It was truly a God moment as we began to dialogue. Her whole countenance changed and she began to relax as she focused only on our conversation and tuned everyone else out. She was able to share everything she had prepared. After she finished, the entire group had a great discussion about what we had just experienced. What an awesome way for us to see how God works first hand in a real life situation!

Yeah, God!!!

New Year's Eve Eve

2012-01-04T11:00:00.000-08:00

New Year's Eve Eve was a lot of fun! Almost 40 teens & sponsors participated in Cosmic Bowling, Knockout, Dodgeball, Minute 2 Win It, Nerf Wars, Video Games plus eating lots of great snacks including smores at 2 am & pancakes for breakfast! We had a wonderful time celebrating the end of 2011 and looking forward to 2012. Can't wait to see what God has in store for each of us individually and as a group!

Celebration of Lights

2011-12-06T09:29:00.000-08:00

It's been another fun year working with Celebration of Lights at Ft. Zumwalt Park! This past weekend, our teens & sponsors jumped in to help run two Gate Nights...directing traffic & collecting money. Saturday night, we dealt with rain & Sunday night, it was cold but our parents & teens are real troopers and hung in there with smiling faces & great attitudes! If you have the opportunity, you should fill your car with family & friends and drive through the park. Admission is $9 but if you bring a canned good, it's only $8.

COG Retreat

2011-11-06T20:01:00.001-08:00

Centering On God 2011 was fantastic this year! We had a great group of teens & sponsors that went to Pinecrest Campgrounds. We experienced a lot of fun and built stronger relationships with each other but more importantly, we heard from God and were responsive to what He asked of us. Big Chap was the speaker & Samestate led worship. Both were awesome! Big Chap challenged us to trade our symbols of shame for the symbol of salvation and to own our faith so we can share it with others. Friday night was a powerful service to experience as teens found healing, forgiveness, & peace as they trusted in Christ and released their shame. The whole weekend was one big YEAH, GOD!!

Fall Festival 2011

2011-11-01T08:00:00.001-07:00

Fall Festival was awesome!! We had about 270 people in the building! 75% of the children attending were not from New Life! We had a great group of volunteer teens & adults that were great at welcoming people, running the games, and making sure things ran smoothly! I was super proud of Diverse City teens for jumping in to have some fun with the kids as they worked the games. The whole night was one big YEAH, GOD!!

Halloween Pumpkin Party

2011-10-26T08:26:00.001-07:00

Mission Possible had a little different twist to it Tuesday night. Everyone was encouraged to bring a friend with them for the pumpkin festivities. We enjoyed snacks such as cupcakes, apples & caramel dip and lots of games...Pumpkin Bowling, Mummy Wrap, & Pumpkin Decorating! During the night, the teens were encouraged to write on a large pumpkin things that worried them, angered them, or issues that seemed too big to handle. At the end of the night, we read some Scriptures that reminded us that God cares about us and everything we are facing. He asks us to give Him our worries and concerns so that we may find rest and peace. To finish it off, we took the large pumpkin outside that had all of our worries & concerns and smashed it to pieces as a symbolic gesture that we were giving all of our problems to God and trusting Him to work things out. It was awesome!

Homecoming Court

2011-10-04T10:28:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Brittany for being nominated for the CHS Homecoming Court! She looked beautiful! A group of us went to cheer for her during halftime and were super proud of her!

Cake Off

2011-09-29T09:12:00.001-07:00

We had a cake off Tuesday night at Mission Possible! Each family group baked a cake as a team and at the end of the night we had a taste test. Yummy!! Even better than that though was our special speaker...Jessica! Jessica shared with the group the importance of being united. She also talked about the important ingredients required for a united youth group...worship God 24-7, lend a helping hand to those in need, and encourage one another as a family. She had each of us write an encouraging note to another person in our family group, & put it into a "slice of cake." All the slices went together to form the cake in the picture above. The green ribbon represents God who holds us all together! What a great illustration! It is soooo awesome to be a part of God's work in allowing the teens to use their gifts and abilities to glorify God!

Current Adolescent Drug Trends

2011-09-16T10:39:00.000-07:00

Tuesday night, we held a workshop on Current Adolescent Drug Trends with special speaker Jenny Armbruster from the National Council on Alcoholism & Drug Abuse. She provided great information on various drug forms and their use among teens in our county. Alcohol, binge drinking, inhalants, & over-the-counter medications for non-medical use were four areas that St. Charles County teens are above the state averages in current substance use. It's important that we continue to discuss with our teens the issues, consequences, and pressures they face not only individually but also with their friends. For more information about NCADA, please visit their website at www.ncada-stl.org/nindex.html.

Welcome to Diverse City 2011!

2011-08-10T09:24:00.001-07:00

We welcomed four new 7th graders into Diverse City last night with New Life "limo" rides, food, games, and intros! It was an awesome time! We are soooo excited to have Josh, Emily, Maddie, & Duncan join the youth group and look forward to seeing what adventures God has planned for their lives!

Chicago Mission Trip

2011-08-04T09:09:00.001-07:00

"Don't push your way to the front. Don't sweet talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside and help others get ahead. Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand. Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself." Philippians 2:3-5 (The Message)

July 17-22, 19 teens and sponsors lived out those verses as they shared Christ's love with the south side of Chicago. We had an awesome time working and ministering together! Our projects were serving in a Kid's Club where we built relationships with 30-50 children and doing a variety of work projects around the community...doing minor repairs & cleaning up the back yard of a family living in the slums, serving at the Chicagoland Prison Ministry, sorting & packing food at the Chicagoland Food Depository, and serving breakfast at a homeless shelter.

The teens left with their eyes opened to how much they take for granted & their responsibility they have to help those in need. Some left with a new perspective on how they view their peers...seeing each individual as a person created by God. Some walked away with better connections within the youth group. Some realized that it doesn't take a lot to make a difference in someone else's life. Valuable lessons for all of us to learn.

Now the challenge is taking those eye-opening moments and heart felt experiences and discovering what God wants us to do with them as we serve back at home. My prayer is that the teens and sponsors will continue to allow God to break their hearts for others and open their eyes to ways that they can serve Him wherever they find themselves.

Thanks to all those who prayed and supported us before, during, & after the mission trip! Yeah, God!

Freedom Fest

2011-07-06T09:49:00.000-07:00

What an interesting year at the O'Fallon Heritage & Freedom Festival! Every year, New Life goes out to the festival and offers free painting in the Kids Area. We paint 1000s of faces each year and have a blast. However, this year, the weather turned out to be rather challenging. Sunday afternoon, all was good. Sunny & hot but our New Life face painters did an awesome job. As the 2nd shift arrived, clouds began to roll in and things weren't looking so good. The Kids Area was clearing out pretty quickly. A major storm came through with lots of strong wind and rain but our face painters were quite the troopers and hung in there through all of it. By the time the evening shift arrived, there were hardly any people around and the rain continued. Our face painters didn't complain but used the time to paint anyone who might stop by and to connect with each other. Even though the festival closed early and we didn't paint many faces, we had a very good day.

Monday was much improved with lots of sunshine and clear skies. Our volunteer face painters kept painting and painting. There wasn't a break in the action all day long! We painted around 1400 faces in 9 hours...that's about 155 faces every hour! We were busy but it was an awesome day!

This is one of my favorite service opportunities we do as a church family. Not sure which part is most fun but I love watching the eyes light up and the big smiles come across the face of the kids. It's also fun talking with parents and interacting with the people from the community. I also really enjoy watching our church family members show the love of Christ to our neighborhood with such great attitudes and willing hearts. It's especially exciting to see a "rookie" face painter who is super nervous begin to relax and enjoy the moment as they realize God is using them to brighten someone's day. Good stuff! Yeah, God! Looking forward to doing it again next year!

Encounter God 2011

2011-06-23T07:48:00.000-07:00

Teen Camp was one big YEAH, GOD!!

The weather was awesome...absolutely beautiful...no rain, not too hot, perfect!

The teens were great...wonderful attitudes, participated in everything, demonstrated Christlike love to others, open to what God wanted to do in their life.

Jeff & Bri were terrific counselors adding wisdom, energy, & excitement to the group.

We had a blast playing the games from Jousting to Sand Sculptures to Dodgeball Tournament. Lots of fun and pictures....check out Facebook!

The worship services were powerful with great songs and good preaching.

Most importantly, God challenged each of us to grow our relationship with Him!

What more could we ask for? Thanks for all your prayers!

Luke the Artist

2011-06-01T14:52:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to Luke! His art work was chosen to be displayed in the Fort Zumwalt District Art Show at St. Charles Community College! Great job, Luke! We are proud of you!

Congratulations, Class of 2011!

2011-05-25T14:39:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to our graduating high school seniors! We are proud of you and look forward to seeing what God has planned for the next step in your adventure with Him.

Austin Jones - Ft. Zumwalt South
Brad Chapman - Ft. Zumwalt East
Dustin Diebold - Ft. Zumwalt North
Jennifer Filsinger - Silex

30 Hour Famine---Huge Success!

2011-05-05T16:55:00.000-07:00

April 29-30 was our 30-Hour Famine. We had 15 teens and 3 adults that went 30 hours without eating to raise funds and awareness for world hunger. Our goal was $2160 which would provide care for 6 children for one year in Malawi, Africa. God truly blessed the experience, people were generous, and the teens worked hard. We raised $2190 which will provide care for 8 children!!! We were so excited to watch as the money came in little by little. One of the ways we collected funds was to stand on the street corners and ask for donations. We collected over $800 in about 2 1/2 hours! It was amazing!

Not only did we collect money for Malawi, we also went door-to-door collecting food, bottled water, and blankets for emergency relief. Little did we realize during the planning stage for the famine how valuable those supplies would actually be to our own community after the tornado. Once again, we found people who were very generous and we collected lots of items that will help our neighbors.

I was super proud of the attitudes and effort of the teens. They stayed with it even when they were super tired and hungry. I think we all learned a valuable lesson about world hunger and God's provision. Yeah, God!!!

One side note...the teens, sponsors, & I made a deal that if we reached our goal, I would sign up for E-harmony and let the sponsors pick the date. Oh my! What have I gotten myself into? :)

Baptism Service

2011-04-26T09:04:00.000-07:00

Easter Sunday was an awesome day celebrating the resurrection of Jesus! During our baptism service, 6 teens were baptized! It was a special time as we celebrated their testimony of following Jesus! Congratulations Luke, Robert, Zach, Jessica, Katelynn, & Maddie! We are so proud of you!

Beach Party

2011-04-21T20:46:00.000-07:00

Tuesday night, it was Beach Night at Mission Possible. We had surfboards, sand pits, beachball volleyball, food, luau music, and all sorts of fun! The teens created & decorated their own surfboards and they looked awesome! I am so grateful for the God-given artistic abilities of the teens.

The party started out a little rough with major thunderstorms blowing through our area but we were all safe and sound inside. We encouraged everyone to bring a friend and almost a third of the people there were new people! It was awesome meeting new friends and having fun together. Can't wait to do it again!

Trivia Night...Yeah, God!

2011-04-13T11:50:00.000-07:00

We hosted a Trivia Night on Friday and it was a huge success! Thanks to all those who participated! We had a great turnout and people were very generous in their giving. One of Ms. Beatrie's desserts sold for $55!!! God is so awesome in always providing just what we need. Yeah, God!

Go Brad!

2011-03-22T14:28:00.001-07:00

Stltoday.com posted this picture after Brad's game Monday when he made a stand up double late in the Lions' win over Holt! Go Brad!

BLAST 2011

2011-03-17T12:50:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to the Diverse City teens who participated in BLAST this past weekend! I was super proud of them for their attitudes and Christlike spirit! The icing on the cake was walking away with several top placements too!

*Jessica Emmons received an Excellent rating for her vocal solo!
*Tyler Chapman & Luke Jungermann won 2nd place in the Video Production category for their video of the Crucifixion of Jesus using Legos!
*The Volleyball team placed 3rd!
*The Dodgeball team placed 2nd!

Good job everybody!

Congratulations, Ian!

2011-02-22T09:37:00.000-08:00

Ian was part of a Lego Robotics challenge and was interviewed by the St. Charles Suburban Journal. Click here to read the article or watch the video. Congratulations to Ian for a job well done! We are proud of you!

Valentine Dinner

2011-02-16T17:58:00.000-08:00

Saturday, February 12, Diverse City hosted a Valentine Dinner to raise funds for their mission trip and summer camp. It turned out really awesome as teens, parents, and sponsors worked together to make it happen. I am super grateful for the New Life family who supported the event not only in their attendance but in their generosity to the teens! We are well on our way to raising the necessary money for the summer mission trip to Chicago and teen camp. Thanks, New Life family!

Winter Retreat: I Refuse!

2011-01-25T11:24:00.000-08:00

We had an awesome time hanging out, playing games, building friendships, and hearing from God! I Refuse was the theme of this year's retreat. Josh Wilson wrote a powerful motivating song that challenges us to refuse to sit around and do nothing but rather get busy doing what God has called us to do. We looked at the life of Paul and decided that we are going to refuse to make excuses, sit around and wait, and divide our group. Rather, we want to accept God's challenge, get out there and do what we were made to do, and unite together.

College Students

2011-01-11T10:26:00.000-08:00

It was really awesome over the Christmas holidays to spend some time with our New Life college students! So much happens in their lives in such a short amount of time from high school graduation to college graduation. It always amazes to me to realize how much they have grown each time they come home. Many of them are searching and looking for direction in life, spouses, and careers...not to mention where God fits in to their busy lives. It's important that we continue to pray for our college students...especially while they are away at school...that they develop an active relationship with God as they seek to figure out their future. If you get a chance, drop them a line to let them know you are praying for them....it would make their day!

Celebration of Lights

2010-12-15T09:04:00.001-08:00

Congratulations to Diverse City for taking 2nd place in the Celebration of Lights! You can check it out by driving through Fort Zumwalt Park off Veteran's Memorial in O'Fallon. The park will be open until December 30th. Diverse City Parents will be working the gate on Wednesday, December 29th. Come by and see us! Cost: $9 per car.

Welcome Baby Mabel!

2010-12-01T14:27:00.000-08:00

We are so excited to welcome Baby Mabel into the New Life family! It was so awesome to meet and hold her! She is a precious bundle of joy! Congratulations to Jeff & April! Definitely worth the wait. :)

Are you behaving?

2010-11-15T09:45:00.001-08:00

Bro. Gronemyer went home to be with Jesus last Thursday. He was such an awesome man...kinda like my spiritual grandpa. I always enjoyed talking to him and our conversations usually began with me asking him, "Are you behaving?" which he would respond with, "I can't do much else but behave." We would both laugh and then move on to talk about life, family, church, and anything else that was on his mind. He took a genuine interest in people and demonstrated what it means to love others like Christ does. He was my buddy and I will miss him greatly but am so happy that he is finally home with Jesus, his wife Georgia, and other friends and family.

COG Retreat

2010-11-10T12:25:00.000-08:00

The Centering On God Retreat was this past weekend and Diverse City took 20 teens and 4 sponsors. We had a great time hanging out and having fun...as you can see in the picture. A special surprise was to see Brianna there representing MNU!

We had an awesome time focusing on God. The worship band Samestate was incredible leading us into worship during each service. Mike Edinger was the speaker and he challenged all of us to make decisions that would deepen our relationship with God. Each session had time for us to individually journal and pray, examining our hearts, and asking God to trust Him with our lives. It always amazes me how God speaks to so many people in different ways...He is truly an awesome God!

New Life is 10 years old!

2010-10-27T15:35:00.001-07:00

It's hard to believe that New Life is 10 years old! It doesn't seem that long ago that we were setting up and tearing down in the Boys & Girls Club...don't really miss that part of it. :) God has done some awesome things in the lives of many people over the past few years. I never get tired of seeing new people come and discover what a relationship with Jesus is all about. It excites me even more to think that God has more in store for us as we continually follow His leading. I'm praying that God will continue to stretch us out of our comfort zone so that we may continually depend on Him and watch as He does things that should be impossible from man's perspective. Can't wait to see what lies ahead! So glad to be on this adventure at New Life!

Yeah, God!

2010-10-07T13:09:00.000-07:00

On one of our mission trips, we were encouraged each day to look for ways that God had shown himself during our day. Every night, we would get together and share where we had seen God that day. It was an awesome learning experience to anticipate and watch for what God wanted to accomplish around us. I realized it so easy to miss out on the little blessings God gives us each day. Now, each week when the youth group meets, we continue to share our Yeah, God! moments. It's a cool reminder that God works in every area of our life. He's concerned with the little things we deal with as well as the big things that come our way. Each day, God is moving and working if we will watch and be aware. What Yeah, God! do you have to offer today?

2010-09-02T12:19:00.000-07:00

Join us at Culver’s on Monday, September 13 to help our teens raise money towards their fall retreat. The teens will receive 10% of sales from 5-10 p.m. at Culver’s on Hwy K.

The Intern

2010-08-25T11:12:00.000-07:00

This summer, we have been blessed to have Brianna Davis as a volunteer intern for Diverse City. Bri has been super involved in learning and experiencing the responsibilities of youth ministry. She has taught the lesson on Tuesday nights during Mission Possible, mentored a small group of teen girls, planned various youth activities such as the Summer Olympics & Girls Night Out, and assisted with a variety of administrative tasks around the office. Brianna has been super helpful in doing whatever was asked. She has invested herself into the lives of our teens this summer because of her desire to follow God's call on her life. We are going to miss her while she is away at MNU but are excited to see what God has in store for her this year at school. Thanks, Brianna for demonstrating a servant's heart! We will be praying for you!

Welcome to Diverse City 2010!

2010-08-03T21:01:00.001-07:00

The new 7th graders have finally arrived in Diverse City! We are looking forward to getting to know them better! Welcome Hannah, Gabbi, Tyler, Madison, & Zach!

Summer Olympics

2010-07-13T10:15:00.000-07:00

Thursday, the teens competed in Diverse City Summer Olympics. Teams competed in Shaving Cream Kickball, Alka-Seltzer tag, Steal-the-Noodle, YUCK! wrestling, Sponge Relay, Team Relay, plus other games. It all ended with an Every-Man-For-Themselves Water Fight! It was fun, awesome, wet, and messy! Thanks to Bri Davis for all her hard work in making it fun for everyone!

Teen Camp 2010

2010-06-22T09:55:00.000-07:00

7 teens & 2 sponsors had an awesome time at Pinecrest Campgrounds for Teen Camp 2010! The theme of the camp was "Wii will all be changed." Each day, we played fun games, ate delicious food, and experienced awesome worship. The speaker Chad Bohi challenged us to be changed by what we see, what we hear, what we touch, and what we speak. Several of our teens made spiritual decisions to grown in their walk with Christ. Yeah, God!!

Summer of Service in St. Louis

2010-06-09T07:20:00.000-07:00

Try saying that 5 times fast. :) This summer, we are going to focus on service in our local community. We will have a party at the end of the summer for teens who participate in at least 4 of the service opportunities.

June 10: Bake Off...Making goodies to thank the firemen in our community.
June 23: Operation Food Search...Sorting food & preparing boxes of food for distribution.

July 1: Cold Water Drive By...Pass out cold water to people in the community
July 3-4: O'Fallon Heritage & Freedom Festival...Face painting in the Children's Area

July 15: Lend A Helping Hand...Collecting items for a local family who lost everything they own in a fire.
July 22: Therapeutic Horsemanship...Preparing the facility for a benfit horse show.

July 29: Backpack Blessings...Stuff backpacks for Bridge of Hope.

Congratulations, Class of 2010!

2010-05-18T19:12:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to New Life Seniors who are graduating from high school! I am so proud of each of them and can't wait to see what God has planned for them!

Nick Boyer - Francis Howell North
Julie Emmons - Wentzville Holt
Hannah Lovekamp - Christian High School
Allison Rough - Fort Zumwalt North
Stephen Zahner - Wentzville Holt

Never forget you have a youth pastor and church family that loves you and are praying for you that you will continue to discover and experience God's plan for your life.

30 Hour Famine

2010-05-04T14:51:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, 18 teens and sponsors participated in the 30 Hour Famine. We had a great time playing tribal games, collecting donations on the street corners, going door-to-door for a food scavenger hunt, and finally eating together after 30 hours of no food! I was so impressed with the attitude and effort of all that participated. They did whatever was asked and without complaining. We raised over $1800 to send to World Vision to help feed and care for children in Malawi, Africa! The food that was collected will go to a local food pantry to help restock their shelves.

One cool story...while collecting donations on the street corner, a lady stopped to give one group an envelope with not only a donation but a letter of encouragement. She had just returned from Africa and saw the need firsthand. She encouraged the teens to keep doing what they are doing...not just during the famine but throughout their lives...to help the least of these. It was awesome! Yeah, God!

Congratulations!

2010-04-27T07:27:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to Dustin Diebold for making the All-State Jazz Choir! He was one of 16 students chosen statewide!

MidAmerica Xtreme

2010-04-20T11:08:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to Austin Jones who competed at MAX this past week! He scored a 94% on his guitar solo! We are proud of you, Austin! Keep using your talent for Christ!

Something To Live For

2010-04-13T09:40:00.000-07:00

Diverse City has been talking for the past couple of months about how to make a difference in our schools by reaching out to the hurting. As a result, two of our teens decided to do something at for their school where several students have committed suicide over the past few years. Dustin Diebold and Allison Rough along with their friend Eric Bean organized a schoolwide barbecue in less than 2 weeks! They gathered donations, prizes, food, and supplies from local businesses and offered free food and drinks for those who attended. They auctioned off baskets of goodies and had a bake sale to raise over $500 for suicide prevention. Over 200 students showed up this past Saturday to hang out and celebrate Something To Live For! It was awesome!! The teens played volleyball, washers, kickball, had a balloon toss, ate lots of food, watched a movie, and just enjoyed being together and having fun. I was so proud of Dustin, Allison, & Eric for making their faith practical and showing Christ's love to their friends! It reminds all of us that when God calls you to do something, He provides everything you need to do it. Yeah, God!

Trivia Night

2010-03-25T16:25:00.000-07:00

Trivia Night 2010 was a huge success! We raised almost $2000 to apply toward summer camp and local service projects! Thanks to everyone who participated by donating items, volunteering their time, or playing the game!

BLAST!

2010-03-17T07:42:00.001-07:00

BLAST was a huge success for Diverse City! The teens had an awesome time, they demonstrated great Christ-like attitudes, worked together as a team, and supported each other in all the activities! What more could you ask for! I was so proud of all of them! In sports, our girls competed in volleyball and our guys competed in dodgeball. Our girls placed 5th and our guys placed 2nd!! Congratulations to both teams! In talent, Luke J. and Stephen Z. entered an art piece. Stephen received 1st place for his photograph! Austin J. performed an instrumental solo that placed 3rd overall and Stephen Z. performed a dramatic reading that won 1st place overall! Congratulations to these young men for using their talents for the Lord!

Words of Affirmation from the Bible

2010-02-09T15:43:00.000-08:00

I cast my cares on You Lord (right now!). I Peter 5:7
I walk by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7
I seek You first and You meet ALL my needs. Matthew 6:33
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13
In You Lord I have peace, a future and a hope. Jeremiah 1:4,5, 29:11; Zechariah 4:6b; Romans 8:31; I Corinthians 6:20; Philippians 1:6b
You are faithful to complete the good work You have begun in me. Philippians 1:6
I trust You with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding; in all my ways I acknowledge You, and You direct my paths. Proverbs. 3:5,6
I am not given a spirit of fear, but of love and of power and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7
I think and speak positive. I focus on what is good. I refuse to fear or dwell on the negative. Philippians 4:8; Ephesians 3:20,21
I bring the tithe into the storehouse and You open the windows of Heaven to pour out such blessings that I cannot contain them and you rebuke the devourer for my sake. Malachi 3:10,11
I am thankful and content today. Psalm 136:1; Philippians 4:6,7,11
You give me success and favor with people. Psalm 1:2,3; Proverbs 12:2
Your timing is perfect, Lord. Psalm 37: 7
I do not fret, it only causes harm. Psalm 37: 8
You help me to make wise decisions. James 1:5
You have a huge calling on my life and You will fulfill it! Jeremiah 1:4,5
I trust You with all my heart; You never fail me. You provide for and protect me. Deuteronomy. 31:8; Psalm 18:48; Proverbs 3:5,6; Is. 54:17; Matthew 6:33, 6:25-9, 10:29-31, 17:26; Romans 8:28,29,38,39
I am anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, I let my requests be known to You Lord; and the peace that surpasses all understanding guards my heart and mind through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6,7
I seek You Lord and You hear me and deliver me from ALL my fears. Psalm 34:4
I honor and revere You Lord and Your Angel encamps all around me and there is NO LACK of any good thing in my life! Psalm 34: 7,9,10
I trust You Lord and You bless me deliver me from evil and save me from condemnation. Psalm 34:8, 22; Psalm 37:39,40
I cry out to You Lord and You hear me and save me from ALL my troubles. Psalm 34:17
I delight in You Lord and You give me the desires of my heart. Psalm 37:5
I commit my way to You and You bring my desires into reality and increase my righteousness and justice. Psalm 37:6
I wait patiently for You, rest in You, and keep Your way Lord and You exalt me to inherit the land! Psalm 37: 7, 34
Because I am righteous (in Christ), Your eyes are on me and your ears are open to my cry. Also, I will not be forsaken, and my descendents will never beg bread. Psalm 34:15; 37:25
I live uprightly (in Christ) and You know my days, meet my needs even in times of famine and bless me with an inheritance that will last forever. Psalm 37:18, 19
I diligently obey Your word and commandments Lord and You bless every part of my life with health and fruitfulness. Deuteronomy 28:1-14
God-defiers are always in trouble; God-affirmers find themselves loved every time they turn around. Psalm 32:10
Whatever God has promised gets stamped with the Yes of Jesus. In him, this is what we preach and pray, the great Amen, God's Yes and our Yes together, gloriously evident. God affirms us, making us a sure thing in Christ, putting his Yes within us. By his Spirit he has stamped us with his eternal pledge—a sure beginning of what he is destined to complete. 2 Corinthians 1:20

YES Conference

2010-02-02T11:03:00.000-08:00

Our goal in Diverse City is that teens will discover a relationship with Christ and serve Him for a lifetime. Serving Christ can take place in a lot of different ways and in a variety of vocations. This past weekend, four teens and myself joined about 150 other people in Olathe, KS for the YES Conference which was designed for teens to explore God's calling in their life for vocational ministry. It was pretty exciting to listen to the teens share how God is working in their life and to hear the desires of their heart to serve Him. Some are searching and trying to figure out where God is leading them, others already know. Regardless of where they are on their journey, the one thing that stood out was their availability and willingness to do whatever and go wherever God wanted. I can't wait to see what God does in the lives of these young ladies.

Bridge of Hope

2010-01-19T20:11:00.001-08:00

We had a blast serving at Bridge of Hope tonight! We were only there for about an hour but together we accomplished a lot of stuff. Half of us spent the time cleaning the worship area, children's area, kitchen, bathrooms and wiping down chairs while the other half worked in the clothing area sorting and organizing all kinds of clothes. It's amazing how much we can accomplish working together as a team!

The clothing area needs lots of help sorting and organizing. We're hoping to make another trip down in the near future.

To Save A Life

2010-01-19T11:37:00.000-08:00

Cost: $5 per person (minimum of 25 people)
Time: 1:30 pm at St. Charles Cine 18

You can watch a movie trailer and get more info about the film at http://tosavealifemovie.com/.

This is an independent film about the real-life challenges of teens and their choices. But it’s more than just a movie—it’s a feature-length film that we will follow-up with a group curriculum centered around the concept that we reflect and share God's love the best when we are reaching out to the hurting and lonely.

Unfortunately, teens today are hurting and facing challenges like never before—I see it in our own high school and middle school groups and in our local schools. Because of that, To Save A Life doesn’t shy away from tough topics. It deals with social divisions, school violence, cutting, suicide, teen pregnancy and divorce—not in a graphic way, but in a way authentic to too many teens’ real lives. And it points to a way out of these problems through following God’s path and reaching out to others. Ultimately, it asks the question “What’s my life going to be about?” and dares teens to answer with boldness, honesty, and open-handedness.

Word of caution: The movie is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America “due to mature thematic elements involving teen suicide, teen drinking, some drug content, disturbing images, and sexuality.” (It also contains a few words of profanity.)

John 10:10

2010-01-05T13:39:00.000-08:00

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Teens love an adventure and this verse reminds us that following Jesus is an adventure of a lifetime. We have an enemy that wants nothing more than to steal our joy, kill our faith, and destroy us. However, Jesus has already defeated our enemy and He wants us to experience all that life has to offer. Jesus didn't come to give us a miserable life or an okay life. He came that we might experience life to its fullest. Following Him will take anyone on a journey of a lifetime...full of twists and turns, surprises, and challenges. As we start 2010, I anticipate it will be a year unlike anything I can imagine...can't wait to see what lies ahead.

Happy New Year!!

2009-12-28T12:50:00.001-08:00

I can't wait to ring in the new year with the teens at the lock-in on Thursday night! 2010 is going to be another exciting year! I am anxious to see what God wants to accomplish in us both as individuals and as a group!

Merry Christmas!!

2009-12-21T09:45:00.001-08:00

I hope you have an awesome time celebrating the birth of Christ with family and friends!

Santa's Helpers

2009-12-16T10:54:00.001-08:00

The past few years, the teens have given the gift of free babysitting for New Life Kids so parents can have a night out. It's one of my favorite things we do. I love watching them all interact and you can't beat the laughter. The kids love hanging out with the teens and the teens always do a great job of making the night about the kids. This year was no different. We had so much fun playing games, making crafts, eating snacks, and watching a movie. Thanks to Allison Rough for organizing this service opportunity!

Celebration of Lights Walk-Thru

2009-12-09T08:50:00.001-08:00

We had a fun time last night at the Celebration of Lights Walk-Thru in spite of the rain and the cold! I always enjoy walking through the park and checking out the lights but the best part for me is hearing and watching other people's reactions. You see, by the time the walk-thru happens, I've already been through the park many times checking on our display to make sure it's still in great shape. It's easy to go by the decorations and become sort of numb to what makes the place special. However, I'm quickly reminded how cool it is as 1st-timers walk through oohing and ahhing.

It made me stop and think of how often I take God's blessings for granted. It's so easy to get caught up in the day to day activities and become numb to how special life is. I don't always notice the special thinks God brings my way. As I thought about walking through the park last night, I prayed God would help me to enjoy the walk through life with even greater awe than I saw in people last night.

Isaiah 9:6

2009-12-01T14:23:00.000-08:00

For a child has been born—for us! The gift of a son—for us!...His names will be: Amazing Counselor, Strong God, Eternal Father, Prince of Wholeness.

What a great verse for us to memorize this Christmas season! I am so thankful that we have a loving God who was willing to give us the gift of His Son so that we could have a relationship with Him! The names Isaiah uses to describe Jesus remind me once again that God is all we need. He is able to meet any and every need we face in life.

Celebration of Lights

2009-11-17T09:35:00.000-08:00

Thanks to all the parents, youth sponsors, and teens who came to help set up our new display for Celebration of Lights! It's always exciting to watch as we all work together to accomplish a task! The scene looks great and we are already brainstorming more ideas for next year! :) Mark it on your calendar: Tuesday, December 8th is the walk-thru night and you won't want to miss it!

Psalm 136...Diverse City style

2009-11-10T19:30:00.000-08:00

The teens created a modern day version of Psalm 136. Enjoy!

Give thanks to God for He gave us life. His love is always there.
He expresses Himself through us. His love is always there.
He gives us relationships. His love is always there.
The tunes of His Word encourage. His love is always there.
He always brings out the truth. His love is always there.
We are the ones He says He loves. His love is always there.

Give thanks to the Lord for his divine creation of beautiful men. His love never ends.
Give thanks to the God of gods for our five senses. His love never ends.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords for bubble baths. His love never ends.
Give thanks to the Lord for our families. His love never ends.
Give thanks to the God of gods for a bountiful table of food. His love never ends.
Give thanks to the Lord for his shelter. His love never ends.
Give thanks to His Word to govern the day and night. His love never ends.

The Healer...our God. His love is eternal.
We are forgiven. His love is eternal.
The Guardian...our God. His love is eternal.
His creation...diverse. His love is eternal.
His inspiration...worthy of praise. His love is eternal.
His creation...full of humor. His love is eternal.
He holds us forever. His love is eternal.

COG Retreat

2009-11-10T12:45:00.001-08:00

The Centering On God retreat was awesome! The teens had a great time focusing on their relationship with God and building stronger connections with each other. The weekend centered around removing the labels we (or others) put on us and remembering that we are the ones that Jesus loves. What an awesome concept to truly grasp and remember! Thanks for praying for us.

Psalm 136:1-3

2009-11-04T10:29:00.000-08:00

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever.

Thanksgiving will be here before we know it! What great verses for us to memorize this month! Psalm 136 is one of my favorite chapters to read. David does an awesome job of reminding us that regardless of what happens in life...good or bad...God's love is constant. We have so many things to be thankful for...family, friends, health, home, freedom...but the one thing that I am most thankful for is God's love. I am so thankful that He loves me enough to have a personal relationship with me...even when I tend to make a mess of things. God's love never quits. I love that! :)

Fall Festival

2009-10-27T10:13:00.000-07:00

Fall Festival was awesome! This is a great ministry opportunity for our church family to reach out to our community! We had over 40 people help with decorating and running the games plus a whole lot of others who stayed to help clean up. I was especially proud of the teens with almost all of them volunteering to help run the games! It's so important that we continually show the love of Christ to people of all ages.

2 Timothy 1:7

2009-10-07T20:34:00.000-07:00

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.

This month, Diverse City is focusing on facing our fears. God wants us to live free of our fears and has given us everything we need to overcome them. We are going to look at how power, love, and self-discipline give us the ability to be fear-free.

Joshua 1:9

2009-09-23T12:40:00.000-07:00

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.

Diverse City has been memorizing and discussing this verse throughout the month of September. It's a great verse to remember as we face all the challenging situations of life. It's easy to become scared or depressed when things seem to be falling apart and you are losing control. However, we don't have to face life issues by ourselves. God says He is with us 24-7. He gives us the strength and courage we need to make it through the tough times.

School Is Starting!

2009-08-20T14:46:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe summer is over and school is starting. We need to be praying for all of our teens...middle school, high school, and college...as they face the various challenges in each of their schools.

Welcome to Diverse City

2009-08-05T11:11:00.000-07:00

We are so excited to have the new 7th graders in Diverse City!
Welcome to Maleah, Rebekah, Noah, Brandon, Dallas, & Ian!

Yeah, God!

2009-08-05T10:41:00.000-07:00

We had an awesome time on our mission trip to Denver, Colorado! Thanks for all the prayers! Our New Life teens were great about jumping in to help, going the extra mile, and having Christlike attitudes and hearts.

Our theme verse for the week was from Luke 4:18-19, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for He has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord's favor has come." God brought freedom to our teens through physical healing, emotional healing, and spiritual healing. Yeah, God!

We also experienced God working in our lives through the nightly programs, youth group devos, and service projects. Many of our teens met individuals at their project sites that made a lasting impact on them.

I'm so thankful God gave us the opportunity to minister in Colorado but I'm even more thankful that we have some of those same opportunities to minister here in Missouri. Yeah, God!

Denver, Here We Come!

2009-07-23T14:50:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning, 18 teens and 4 sponsors will start making their way to Colorado to serve the people of Denver for a week. Please pray that we will be open to whatever God wants to do in us and through us. While we are there, our ministry opportunities will include:

Painting fences and cleaning projects at a special needs horse riding facility
Assisting, tutoring, and serving lunches to low income children
Feeding programs
Assisted living centers

If you would like to email our teens with an encouraging word, go to GroupWorkcamps.com and click on the link "Email a Camper" in the top right corner.

Pringles Raft

2009-07-21T22:26:00.000-07:00

Who would have thought that Pringles cans could be used as a raft! Youth worker Doug did...using 193 cans representing 21 different flavors from 4 different countries! He constructed a raft that took its maiden voyage on Creve Coeur Lake. Way to go, Doug! I hear a canoe made of guitar picks may be next...stay tuned. :)

Mona Lisa Adventures

2009-07-14T08:44:00.001-07:00

I love spending time with my sister. We always have a great time no matter what we're doing. Last night, we were on our way to Family Camp and noticed we had a tag-a-long visitor...an icky bug! Lisa tried to roll the window down and let it out but that didn't work. I tried to flick it out the window and we thought it was gone. However, about 30 minutes later, Lisa discovered it in her hair! It was quite the excitement as she was driving and trying to get the bug out of the car. Once it fell to the floor, Lisa tried to kill it but it wouldn't die. I tried to kill it and finally gave it a good whack and brought the poor bug to its death. It's really a wonder that we managed to arrive safe and sound to Pinecrest. It's always an adventure when you have the Mona Lisa together. :)

Allison

2009-07-02T10:56:00.000-07:00

Allison is serving as a student leader for 3 weeks at Big Creek Missions in Kentucky. Please keep her in your prayers that God will watch over her and use her to show the love of Christ to others.

Allison made the local TV news in Kentucky as they reported on texting and driving. You can watch the video by clicking on http://www.wkyt.com/wymtnews/headlines/49632027.html.

Caregiver's Inn

2009-06-18T14:31:00.000-07:00

Tuesday night, the teens had a party with the residents of Caregiver's Inn and we had a blast! Most of the people were already heading to bed by the time we arrived at 6:30 pm! However, once they found out there were visitors with ice cream, many of them dressed and came out to join the party. We had a lot of fun talking with them, eating ice cream & cookies, dancing, and playing Bingo. One lady was so excited that they had all of that in one night! Baby Carter went with us and he was the highlight of the evening...what a cutie.

It reminded me of the passage in Matthew that talks about when we do things for others it is the same as doing it for Christ. When we first sat down to talk to this group of people, there was some awkwardness and uncertainty of what to say. However, once we relaxed and realized they were like our grandpas and grandmas...ordinary but special people...it was much easier to have fun with them. As you looked into their faces, you realized that they might be older but they still are people with lots to share. I'm glad we had a chance to make some new friendships this week.

Teen Camp

2009-06-08T06:53:00.001-07:00

Pray for the following teens and adults as we head to Teen Camp this week that God will do something incredible in each of our lives:

*Mona Downs
*Jeff Killion
*Julie Emmons
*Brittany Killion
*Stephen Zahner
*Zach Elkin
*Luke Jungermann
*Robert Killion

God's Protection

2009-06-02T12:34:00.001-07:00

Saturday, several teens and sponsors went on a float trip down the Courtois River. Before we left the ThunderDome, we gathered in a circle and prayed...as always...that God would watch over us and keep us safe. Little did we realize how important that prayer would be.

About halfway through the float, one of the canoes with 3 of our girls flipped and one of them was caught underneath for a few seconds...but it seemed like an eternity. After everyone was safe and the canoe was landed, we started talking about what had just happened. We realized God had been watching over us and kept us safe. We were truly thankful for God's protection in a situation that could have been a whole lot worse.

God's protection...we pray for that before every trip we take as a youth group. I wonder sometimes if we take God's protection for granted...not realizing how often He answers that prayer and not thanking Him enough for watching out for us. Saturday's experience reminded me that God is continually watching and working in our life and He does answer our prayers. Thanks, God!

Congratulations, Class of 2009!

2009-05-25T14:10:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to New Life Seniors who graduated from high school this past weekend! All of them graduated with the honor of Cum Laude or higher! I am so proud of each of them and can't wait to see what God has planned for them!

Glyn Coakley - Fort Zumwalt West
Brianna Davis - Fort Zumwalt South
Kelsey Jungermann - Fort Zumwalt South
Amanda Lovekamp - Fort Zumwalt West
Dawn Schnettler - Fort Zumwalt West
Meghan Talley - Fort Zumwalt West

You are a great group of young adults! Never forget you have a youth pastor and church family that loves you and are praying for you that you will continue to discover and experience God's plan for your life.

Family

2009-05-19T07:32:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, my cousin's family threw him a surprise party for receiving his master's degree. It was sweet to see the look on his face when he walked in the door. It was even sweeter when his brother, sister, and brother-in-law walked in the room...especially since they all live out of town! His brother drove all the way in from Houston, Texas just to be there for the party. He made a very quick trip to surprise his brother and celebrate with him.

As I sat around the table watching and listening to everyone interact, I was very grateful for family...the laughter, the prayers, the sacrifices, the talks, everything that makes a family special. It was really cool to be a part of it and renewed my appreciation for my family. I love my family.

Post 30-Hour Famine

2009-05-04T16:15:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the prayers! The famine was a great experience for those who participated. We were able to raise almost $1300 that will help feed needy children in Malawi, Africa!

We had scheduled a couple of outdoor activities for Saturday but I was a little nervous because the forecast called for rain all weekend. However, when we awoke on Saturday, the sun was shining and it was actually a nice day. We went ahead with the work day in the morning. The teens had great attitudes about pulling weeds and worked hard in spite of feeling tired and hungry.

That afternoon as we headed to the car wash, I was still a little uncertain about what kind of response we would have. Afternoons usually aren't the best time for a car wash...especially with more rain in the forecast. However, we set up and waited for the first car. It didn't take long for the first one to arrive and the cars kept coming. We actually stayed busy the entire two hours raising almost $300! It was definitely a God thing!

I am so grateful for a God who takes interest in our daily lives and answers our prayers. He is too awesome!

Answered Prayer

2009-04-30T17:12:00.001-07:00

We have been praying for Brianna Davis and some of her friends that they would be able to perform the Lighthouse human video, "Everything" at their school talent show. There were a few possible hang ups along the way but God was bigger than all of them and there entry was approved! They are performing it at Ft. Zumwalt South tomorrow in front of the whole school! What an awesome way for teens to see the gospel! Keep them in your prayers!

30 Hour Famine

2009-04-30T17:00:00.000-07:00

I am excited for this weekend as 25 teens and sponsors go 30 hours without food...by choice :)...to raise money to fight world hunger. We are doing lots of activities that will help us understand what true hunger is plus helping with the church work day and hosting a car wash. My prayer is that God will give each of us a deeper compassion for those who are hurting and move us into action to make a difference.