December Update

Hi Legacy Students, Parents and Leaders...It's December and I am jumping out of my skin. All I can think about is Christmas.... hot cocoa, cinnamon candles, advent calendars, Christmas lights and, dare we say it, possibly even SNOW! I even bought all of my kids matching footed PJs to wear Christmas Eve night! (I have a feeling they will dread this holiday tradition when they get older, but if Cora can wear them to a lock-in, then maybe there is still hope!) Although we try our hardest, it is hard to keep our head on straight when it comes to the holidays. I mean, we know that God should be the center, but a lot of times He is the One that gets left out in the cold as we decorate our house for family. We don't mean to do it, it's just that the holidays come so quickly and it's tempting to lose track of the real reason for Christmas.

What can you do different this year to make sure that God is your focus? What about taking some extra time to spend with Him in the morning? Could you share with your dad or mom the things that God has been showing you lately in His Word? How about sharing a testimony with a loved one at your Christmas dinner? There are so many ways we can continue to give God glory during the season we celebrate His birth, so take the opportunity to make Him #1!
Check out this video called Advent Conspiracy to be inspired to do something different this Christmas season.
{Pastor Lori}

Here are a couple of upcoming events for the month of December:
Make sure you mark your calendars!
Wednesday, December 1st- Last session of FEAR series
Monday, December 6th- Special Ops Meeting 7pm-9pm
Wednesday, December 8th- "12 Words of Christmas" Series
Wednesday, December 15th- Legacy Christmas Party
Sunday, December 19th- Church Christmas Service
Monday, December 20th- NO Special Ops Meeting
Wednesday, December 22nd- All-Church Christmas Worship Service in Legacy 7pm
Saturday, December 25th- CHRISTMAS
Wednesday, December 29th- Legacy Worship/Prayer Night (preparation for January's fast)
Friday, December 31st- New Year's Eve
(Tent of Meeting Registration forms and Work-A-Thon packets will be out the 2nd week of December, but here are the dates to put on your calendar: Tent of Meeting is February 11-13 and the Work-A-Thon is January 8th)


More details for our services and events for December:

12 Words of Christmas
December 8th
DVD Series by Louie Giglio
It's the greatest story ever told. Completely unforeseen, yet long awaited was the voice of God breaking through the darkness and four hundred years of silence with the cry of a baby. And not just any baby, the gift of God. God's people, having waited generations for their Creator to reveal Himself, never would have imagined that rescue and redemption would come in the simple, vulnerable form of a child, a baby born under the radar and into the chaos-- announced by twelve words that changed history and brought hope to humanity. That's the message of Christmas, God with us, full of grace and truth. And no one on earth is too far from His love. No one beyond His reach. He's at work in your life, even in the midst of the chaos, and promises to bring you through. Merry Christmas. The Savior is here.
Watch the Promo Video HERE

2011 Month of Prayer and Fasting
The month of January
Just a challenge to be prayerfully considering what God would have you do for our January fast at New Life.
Here are a couple of resources to get you started:
Jentezen Franklin's Fasting Website
A Hunger For God book by John Piper


Re-Cap of November:
Black Friday Outreach
Thanksgiving night, Thursday, November 25th from 9pm-1am
We had a wonderful turnout for our 2nd annual Black Friday Outreach (about 22 people, with about 75% of them being youth).
Here are a couple of pictures from my blog and an excerpt from my sister Keri's blog:
"Black Friday Outreach was created to meet the needs of the community. The needs of our community on Black Friday is warmth as they stand outside and battle freezing cold rain waiting in line for an amazing deal they can only hope to obtain. Around 9-10 pm, a group of us arrived at Toys R Us and Best Buy. The lines were around the building and the response was amazing. We passed out free hot chocolate, hot coffee, water, soda, cookies and snacks. These people were truly grateful and received God's love. God stopped the rain again during this outreach....He is good! What an amazing opportunity to participate in a selfless outreach to honor God and reflect his goodness."

FEAR Series
Wednesdays, November 10, 17, 24, December 1
Taught by Mr. Brian and Miss Jill
Series for both Junior High and High School Ministries
So many people live their lives paralyzed by fear. Four most common fears people suffer from are fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of intimacy, and fear of losing control. God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power. On the final night of this series, God used Mercedes to share a very personal story of fear, which in turn opened the door for a lot of students to be vulnerable about their own fears. We were able to see God's divine hand touch these students and show them His unconditional love for them.
Some of the videos watched are available for download here.


Prayer Requests for December:

1. For opportunities for all of us to share our faith with our loved ones during the holiday season
2. That God would continue to be the center of our thoughts throughout Christmas and the New Year
3. That those struggling with loneliness and insecurities would feel God's unconditional love

Parting Thoughts:
Some more resources to check out....

Book: "Jesus Among Other Gods (for youth)" by Ravi Zacharias
In this youth edition of Jesus Among Other Gods, Ravi Zacharias gives solid evidence as to why we should choose Jesus Christ as THE God among all other gods. Zacharias contrasts the truth of Jesus with the founders of Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism, providing strong descriptions of each faith and solid defenses for the cause of Christ. In addition to the religion comparisons, the book answers questions such as: "What about all the hypocrites at church?" "How scientific is science?" "How can you best share what you believe?" and "Does the Bible teach reincarnation?" You can never be too young to learn how to defend your faith . . . and this book will tell you exactly how to do just that!

Website: Dave Ramsey's Financial Resources for Teens and Kids
Dave Ramsey has a ton of resources for your family to get on track financially, as well as special resources and online tools for your teens and kids to get started. Check out his articles and "Jr's Clubhouse."

Music and DVDs:
"Here Is Love" by Bethel Live
I just got this CD/DVD in the mail a couple of weeks ago and it's been playing in my house ever since. Contains songs from all of their different worship leaders: Brian and Jenn Johnson, Kim Walker-Smith, Chris Quilala, and Kristene Mueller.
"Come Away" by JesusCulture
Jesus Culture released its 5th full-length album, a CD/DVD combo entitled Come Away. Recorded live at the Redding Conference to a full house of passionate youth and young adults.