Monday, November 30, 2009

Hey hey!

Hey Yardigans! We hope you had a great Thanksgiving and enjoyed your time off from school.

D-Groups and The Yard are back in action this week! We hope to see you at your host homes Wednesday night and at 201 on Sunday. We'll be kicking off our Christmas series this week, and you won't want to miss it!

Also, registration for Sky Ranch is now open! It will be an awesome time of fun and fellowship, and it will also be a great opportunity to prepare our hearts and minds for next semester. To register, click here: Register for Sky Ranch.

We love you, and we'll see you soon!

-Karen

Monday, November 2, 2009

Long Time!!!

What up Yardigans??

Ok, so I know that it has been forever since we posted anything, but come on can't you forgive us..

I just wanted to pass along some great opportunities for all of us to be a part of. Pay close attention and check this out.

1. "Bring MIMI Home" - Kierstin is selling key chains for $10 to help bring her new cousin MIMI home from Ethiopia. Please bring $10 with you next weekend to order yours and help BRING MIMI HOME!!!

2. November 14th - We are having an all Yardigans on deck service day at Mendenhall Elementary in Plano. We will be painting the playground, fixing the courtyard and painting logos on the street. Please Please be there. It will be so much fun and lunch is provided.

3. Sky Ranch Retreat - We will be traveling to Sky Ranch Camp January 1-3 for a winter retreat. We will have the WHOLE camp to ourselves!! Any YES we will have our 2nd annual FLOUR WAR!!!

Ok, check back Wednesday for Karen's blog and see you soon.

Rocky

Monday, September 28, 2009

Baptism/Next Week

Just wanted to say once again how proud I am of Jessica, Nathan & Stephanie, for being baptized last night. It was a great celebration of God's redemptive work in their lives. I would ask that you would continue to pray for them and encourage them in their pursuit of knowing Christ more.

Thanks so everyone who was there to support them and I can't wait to see everyone Wednesday.

Reminders:
1. D-Groups start Wednesday @ 7:00 at the Big Church building. Please Please be there!!!!
2. You can sign up for LOCK OUT NOW!!!! {{{CLICK HERE}}}
3. Sign Up for Text Messages
4. Subscribe to the Podcast in the itunes store

This Weekend: We will be kicking out our first series of the Fall this Sunday called Status. We will be looking at some basic theology through the lenses of FaceBook statuses. It is going to be so fun and we will even have life size statuses for you to update and profile pages for all the Team Members printed all over the building. Can't wait to see you.

Rocky

Monday, September 21, 2009

Why did He come?

Life Hurts God Heals

What a great opportunity for us!! Last night we dug deep into why Jesus came and what He did when He got here. We looked at the bigger picture of Christ, His power, His desires and His plan for us.

The thing is, we fit in the story. We belong there, we fit there and He wants desperately for us to step in. We are all broken and we are all in need of something greater to intervene in our lives and release us, free us and restore us.

I hope you check out the podcast and ask yourself this week:

1. Why did Jesus come?
2. What did He do when He got here?
3. What is He doing now in me?
4. What is my hurt, habit or hang-up?
5. Am I ready to start a change?

Have a great week.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Worldview Wednesday | Send Me

What's up Yardigans?

This week I want to share one of my favorite songs with you. Every time I listen to it, it really renews my passion for missions. Click Here

I love you all, see you Sunday!

Monday, August 31, 2009

Who Are You?

What a night!!!

I was so pumped up last night to see all of you there and to have a chance to chat with you about "who you are". I know that for some of us it was a little overwhelming to hear all at once, especially if we haven't heard it before. But I think that in the end, we have to be reminded of who God is and and who we are because of Him.

I have put the podcast up on itunes and you can also sign up for texting over on the right of the screen. I can't wait to see you next Sunday and remember, you have been purchased, freed and you are a son/daughter.

Rockstar

Monday, August 24, 2009

First, Fun, Freshman

What UP!!!

I am so pumped up about last night. It was so awesome to see everyone there. We had the largest group of students we have ever had and not only that, but we had more freshman join us then we have ever had also. I AM SO STOKED!!!!!

Well, now that I have calmed down and peeped a little I wanted to share some cool info with you and ask you a couple questions about last night. I hope you take some time to help me out by answering some of the questions and I can not even wait to see you Sunday night.

A few quick reminders:

1. Back to School Event with TOMS shoes is September 13 at 6:00 @ 201. We will have a cookout, games and a Style Your Sole event where you can pre-order shoes (before Sept. 1 by emailing me) and then pick them up that day at The Yard and decorate them with paint, makers and other crazy stuff. The 5 people who bring the most friends get an AMAZING prize.

2. D-Group sign-ups are going on now. You can sign up Sunday nights at The Yard or you can sign-up Sunday mornings at the Connection Center at LIVE!

3. Remember to fill out the surveys on the blog, over to your right.

4. I love ya!!!


Rocky

Monday, August 10, 2009

Kicking Off the New Year

Wut up Yardigans? Last night we talked about a couple of exciting opportunities for the fall: D-Groups and serving.

If you are not in a D-Group yet, start thinking about signing up for one! There will be two new groups starting up this fall. D-Groups meet in homes on Wednesday nights at 7pm. They will start meeting on September 30th and will go for ten weeks (with a break for Thanksgiving). Your D-Group is where you can be a part of a smaller community within The Yard. It's a great place to grow closer to other students and leaders and be challenged in your faith.

Also, start thinking now about serving. You will have the opportunity to serve in Kidzone, Vibe (if you're at least a sophomore), or The Yard. More information on that will be coming in the next few weeks.

At the end of the night, I challenged each of you to take a hard look at how you're really doing. Are you merely a hearer of the Word, or are you a doer? Is there anything standing between you and a growing relationship with your Savior? Then do whatever you need to do to take care of it. Remember, we're given one short life here to determine how we'll live for eternity.

Monday, August 3, 2009

James | Now vs. Forever

Wut up Yardigans!

Last night we talked about James 1:9-12. In these verses James draws a very stark contrast between living with a "now" perspective and living with a "forever" perspective.

We learned that rich or poor, young or old, male or female, we are all made equal in Christ. We saw that persevering under trial is a characteristic of those who truly love God, because trials are the times when what is really in our hearts is seen most clearly. Once we put our faith in Christ our salvation itself is secure, but God gives us the opportunity to earn eternal reward that goes beyond simply getting into Heaven.

For those of you who want to persevere under trial but don't know how to, I challenged you to seek intimate fellowship with God daily and to live in true community with other believers. That means being open and vulnerable about what is really going on in your life.

For those of you who haven't yet decided that it's worth it to persevere under trial, I showed you that James reminds us that there's much more at stake than the life we see. Most of what is going on, we don't see. When standing before Christ one day, I believe that many Christians will regret having wasted time, but no one will ever regret difficult things they endured for Him. What we do here on earth during the years we are given literally determines how we'll live for eternity.

Live each day with eternity in mind, because it is always more than worth it.

I love you all very much. Have a great week!

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Worldview Wednesday | Backpack School Supply Project

Good afternoon Yardigans!

If you were at church on Sunday, you heard about the Backpack School Supply Project that Chase Oaks is partnering with other churches and organizations to put on. This is a great opportunity to help needy children in our community by providing them with school supplies!

What can you do to help?

1) Purchase a backpack and fill it with the required supplies for whatever grade level you choose. Supply lists are inside of the brochures that are located in seat backs in the main building at church and in 201.
2) Purchase any amount of random supplies from the list.
3) Volunteer to serve at Resurrection Lutheran Church separating and packing supplies from 10am-12pm any weekday from July 20th-August 21st. Call Lee Mullen at 972-979-8715 to volunteer.

If you purchase backpacks or random supplies, bring it to church this Friday evening, July 31st or this Sunday, August 2nd.

I love you all, see you Sunday!