Many of the teens in OTM have taken on the challenge of reading James everyday for a month. To give you another James resource we decided to post the mp3 of James on this blog (below). This is a reading of the entire letter. You can listen to this mp3 on your computer or download it to your mp3 player.

Click here to listen to James (mp3) 

Congrats to Malee who on June 3, 2007 was baptized into Christ! To see pictures of this great event click here.

 

 

May 12th is an evangalistic event. It is at Champions Sports Complex from 1-3pm, this is for teens from 7th through 12th grade and their parents.

Bowling pics are up! Check them out.

Click here to see the pics

I just uploaded a bunch of pictures that were taken this year. Check them out here.

Check out the new section on the left of the page: YouTube Bible Study. It's just a trial for now, so let me know if you want me to keep doing it. It's basically me reading a chapter of the Bible on video so that you guys can use it as a part of your own Bible study.

I was recently at a hotel dropping friends off, and when I turned around I noticed a girl crying in the hall. I honestly dont know what about or what for, but it caught my attention and I decided I would try and make a difference. So, I went over and asked her what was wrong. Without even looking up she said,"nothing". I pushed my elevator button and asked,"do you need any help?" and she looked up and said,"no". So i hopped on my elevator and left....

And i have been wondering is there anything I could have done like sit down and talk or something else. right?....

What would you do in this situation?... and please answer honestly. The reason why that simple moment bothers me so much is that I feel that it was my moment to show what kind of a person I am, and when that great defining moment came along I just did the bare minimum and walked away.

_{Too many times we stand aside and let the waters slip away, till what we put off till tomorrow has now become today. So don't you sit upon the shoreline and say you're satisfied. Choose to chance the rapids and dare to dance the tide.}

Our next evangelistic event is on February 2nd. This event will be with the campus ministry, ice skating at RDV Sportsplex in the Ice Den. Start inviting your friends now. More information is under up coming events on the side of this page.

The pictures from the White Elephant Exchanges, Elix's powder-puff game and a Christian Group meeting are up. Check them out on the photos page.

Several years ago, a friend of mine and her husband were invited to spend the weekend at the husband's employer's home. My friend, Arlene, was nervous about the weekend. The boss was very wealthy, with a fine home on the waterway, and cars costing more than her house.
The first day and evening went well, and Arlene was delighted to have this rare glimpse into how the very wealthy live. The husband's employer was quite generous as a host, and took them to the finest restaurants. Arlene knew she would never have the opportunity to indulge in this kind of extravagance again, so was enjoying herself immensely.

As the three of them were about to enter an exclusive restaurant that evening, the boss was walking slightly ahead of Arlene and her husband.
He stopped suddenly, looking down on the pavement for a long, silent moment.

Arlene wondered if she was supposed to pass him. There was nothing on the ground except a single darkened penny that someone had dropped, and a few cigarette butts Still silent, the man reached down and picked up the penny.

He held it up and smiled, then put it in his pocket as if he had found a great treasure. How absurd! What need did this man have for a single penny? Why would he even take the time to stop and pick it up?

Throughout dinner, the entire scene nagged at her. Finally, she could stand it no longer. She casually mentioned that her daughter once had a coin collection, and asked if the penny he had found had been of some value.

A smile crept across the man's face as he reached into his pocket for the penny and held it out for her to see. She had seen many pennies before! What was the point of this?

"Look at it." He said. "Read what it says." She read the words " United States of America "
"No, not that; read further."
"One cent?" "No, keep reading."
"In God we Trust?" "Yes!" "And?"
"And if I trust in God, the name of God is holy, even on a coin. Whenever I find a coin I see that inscription. It is written on every single United States coin, but we never seem to notice it! God drops a message right in front of me telling me to trust Him? Who am I to pass it by? When I see a coin, I pray, I stop to see if my trust IS in God at that moment. I pick the coin up as a response to God; that I do trust in Him. For a short time, at least, I cherish it as if it were gold. I think it is God's way of starting a conversation with me. Lucky for me, God is patient and pennies are plentiful!

When I was out shopping today, I found a penny on the sidewalk. I stopped and picked it up, and realized that I had been worrying and fretting in my mind about things I cannot change. I read the words, "In God We Trust," and had to laugh. Yes, God, I get the message.

It seems that I have been finding an inordinate number of pennies in the last few months, but then, pennies are plentiful! And, God is patient...

~The Puertorexican worker

On the top left of this page you'll see a new link called "OTM Chat". If you click on it you can chat with other people who are on the website. You can even chat with them while you browse the site.

If you are in the Foundations Class, starting this Sunday, we will be meeting in portable # 911. The class will begin at 8:30am so please get there early enough to walk around and find the right portable. When we are at Dr. Philips next week we will be in portable # 229. For up to date information on the class you can visit our Foundations Class page.

This Sunday, January 7th from 12:30-2:30 we will have a Senior meeting at the Taylor's. Pizza will be provided. We will be talking about college preparation and the senior trip.

If you haven't played our "Where's Andy Cooper" game yet then click here. 

OK, I counted this morning and I got 75, but I know a few of you all counted 77 and 78. I was very careful so I'm not sure which ones I missed. Post a comment and tell me the picture numbers of the ten hardest ones to find, and then maybe I'll see where I missed.

The class will meet every week from 8:30-9:30am. This will be a class for teens who are wanting to learn more about Christianity, or teens who want to become Christians. The following topics will be covered:

1. Honor Parents
2. Accountability
3. Bible Study
4. Involvement
5. Time with God
6. Serving
7. Who is God
8. Who is Jesus
9. Faith
10. My Sin
11. The Gospel
12. The Church
13. My Mission
14. My Purpose
15. Baptism
16. Count the Cost

This class will cover the same material that is in the OTM Bible Study Handbook. We will go through one or two studies each week which makes the Foundations class last for 10 weeks.

Every teen who wants to be a part of this class must bring a mentor to the class as well. A mentor is someone who is already a Christian that would like to help you as you learn more about Christianity. Your mentor may be a teen, teen leader, friend, parent, etc. Your mentor must come with you to each class, and they will be in contact with you each week to help you along.

This is not a class for all the teens. This is for teens who are willing to make a 10 week commitment to studying the Bible and being at church earlier than usual. Also, just because a teen finishes the Foundations class does not mean that they will be ready to become a Christian. After they finish the class they can sit down with their mentor and their parents and discuss what plan of action would be best. We fully expect some teens to get baptized after the class is completed, but we also expect others to use these classes as a time of learning as they make their decisions about Christianity.

If you would like to sign up for this class please send an email to taylor_mm@yahoo.com and include the following information: your name, your birth date, your phone number, your email address, mentor's name, mentor's phone number, and your mentor's email address.

The south west teen midweek will have their white elephant gift exchange this Tuesday. The east teen midweek will have their white elephant gift exchange this Thursday. Please bring a gift from home (fun, stupid, just want to get rid of something, etc) or if you buy something keep it under $5.00. Wrap the gift and we will have a great time exchanging and stealing them at midweek.

Reminder: This Sunday, December 17th, is our monthly Christian Group meeting. Grab some food and come to our house (The Taylor's) from 12:30-2:30. Please let us know if you will not be able to make it. See you then.

The 2006 Teen Christmas Ball pictures are up! Instead of "Where's Waldo" we're going to play a game of "Where's Andy". Count how many pictures Andy Cooper is in. We'll release the official number next week some time. Post your answers in the comment section, and we'll see who can get closest.