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WWW.LIFEWAY.COM 

july 2009 // U.S.A. $2.95

July 

09 

ec magazine contents 

volume 15 • number 4 / ecmagazine.blogspot.com 

“The work of Jesus was not a new set of ideals 

or principles for reforming or even revolutionizing society, 

but the establishment of a new community, 

a people that embodied forgiveness, 

sharing and self-sacrificing love in its rituals and discipline. 

In that sense, the visible church is not 

to be the bearer of Christ’s message, but to be the message.” 

—Stanley Hauerwas 

6 famous trios 

throughout 

history 

by ec staff 

check out all the famous trios we 

dug up just for you! 

8 What’s the deal 

with devotions? 

by Mandy Crow 

confused about ec’s devotions? 

Here’s your guide! 

16 finding God in 

american History 

by jerry Faught 

Faith is part of the history and 

traditions of America. Investigate 

its impact in this story. 

30 community Q&A 

by Jennifer Denning 

meet Nick, a teen in North Carolina 

who’s striving to live according to 

God’s idea of community. 

40 Indescribable 

 

by michael cummings 

Confused about the concept of 

God’s three parts? So were we 

until we read this. 

4 5 Summer Movie 

Madness 

by ec Staff 

Want to wow your friends with your 

movie knowledge? Here’s how. 

4 6 Summer fun 

by Hannah Wakefield 

From roller coasters to beaches, 

we’re here to help you beat 

summer boredom. 

56 Modesty for girls 

AND guys 

by jen mCcaman/will Snipes 

this his-and-hers article will show 

you that modesty is about more 

than dressing like a grandma or 

trying to keep your thoughts pure. 

60 Second chances 

by Amber mushegan 

god forgives freely. Do you? 

Read this article to find out why 

forgiveness is so important. 

26 Living in Community 


We were created to live in community because it’s a reflection of the 

character of God. Do you? 

This month's student contributors: 

A big thank you to Austin Simmons, Kendra Stahl, Laura Cole, Morgan Mikulencak, Aimee Osborn, 

Hannah Kirchner, Will Johnston, Lerinda Baham, Lotti Bublitz, D.D. Smith, Chelsea Csuvilla, Jonathan 

Cants, Chris Vasquez, Elias Hernandez, Abby Jones, Mallory Crayne, Lacie Lane, Rebekah Kissinger, 

Abbie Garner, Maria Morslender, Zephaniah Pilcher, Kaitlyn Turvaville, Kelsey Powell, Kaylen O’Neal, 

Paige Stout, Shiane Roten, Cordeija Carter, Danielle Fink, Lady Tatum, Justin Vogtsberger, Kayla Drew, 

Kristi Phillips, and Chris Dupree. Thanks for making us your FUGE track time! 

cover photo: Scott Greenwalt / makeup: Mary Elizabeth Long 

ec magazine jul 2009 | 3

departments 

volume 15 • number 4 / ecmagazine.blogspot.com 

July 

09 

1 Contents 

3 writer's block 

4 Statements 

you said it; we printed it. 

4 Q u e s t i o n 

of the Month 

5 The connection 

by Chansin bird 

Intentional community is never 

boring. Get Josh’s perspective on it. 

9 Father 

Devotions: Week of July 5 

by Kaylan Christopher 

god wants you to know Him as a 

loving Father. 

15 Life:Essentials 

Take a break, then learn about 

improving your soccer skills. 

19 His Father’s Son 


by David Burnette 

He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. 

Trust Him. 

. 

2 5 Fun:Miscellaneous 

read this for everything random 

and July-related you ever wanted to 

know! 

31 Counselor 


by Amy Keys 

you are not alone, no matter how 

often you feel that way. 

37 In Your own words 

“Forever Friend,” a student poem 

by Sheryl Pang 

38 S n i p p e t s 

& Soundbites 

Goofy information to brighten your 

day: doughnuts, the world’s longest 

ear hair, and wedgies used to fight 

crime! 

43 Campus Connection 

by Maria Nuguid 

Use ec’s weekly devotion themes to 

lead a Bible study on the Trinity with 

these helpful tips. 

48 f i n d i n g c o m m u n i t y 

in CHile 

by chansin bird 

god is all about community among 

His believers all over the world! 

49 M y s t e r y 


by Randy Fields 

learn more about how God loves you 

in three Persons. 

55 Mk Corner 

By Ashley Brents 

ashley loves the Japanese in Jesus’ 

name. 

62 Mandisa on Modesty 

by Tifany Borgelt 

Get Mandisa’s take on modesty in the 

spotlight. 

63 music connection 

by Kevin Sparkman 

Read reviews of a few recent 

album releases you need to hear. 

64 The Parting Shot 

Don’t forget the final five! 

essential connection 

Production & Ministry Team 

editorial Project Leader Mike Wakefield 

content Editor Mandy Crow 

production Editor Emily Cole 

graphic designer Jen Showalter 

Student Ministry Specialist 

Sherry Spillman 

National Student Ministry Leader 

Paul Turner 

Send questions or comments to: 

Mandy Crow, Editor 

One LifeWay Plaza 

Nashville, TN 37234 0174 

or ec@lifeway.com 

Management Personnel 

Senior Director, 

Student Ministry Publishing Jimmy Hester 

Director, 

Student Ministry Scott Stevens 

Director, Publishing, 

LifeWay Church Resources Gary H. Hauk 

Advertising 

One Lifeway Plaza Msn 136 • Nashville, Tn 37234 

phone (615) 251-2289 / fax (615) 251-2039 

magazineadvertising@lifeway.com 

media kits lifeway.com/magazines/media 

director, magazine advertising & circulation 

Rhonda Edge Buescher 

advertising production Scott Hancock 

Printed in the United States of America 

essential connection, JULY 2009, (ISSN 1078- 

2788; Item 005075081) is published monthly by 

LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern 

Baptist Convention, One LifeWay Plaza, 

Nashville, TN 37234, Thom S. Rainer, President. 

© 2009 LifeWay Christian Resources of the 

Southern Baptist Convention. For inquiries, 

visit www.lifeway.com, or write LifeWay Church 

Resources Customer Service at the above 

address. For subscriptions or subscription 

address changes, visit www.lifeway.com/ 

magazines, fax (615) 251-5818, or write to the 

above address. For bulk orders shipped to one 

address, visit www.lifeway.com/magazines, fax 

(615) 251-5933, or write to the above address. 

Annual individual or gift subscription, $24.95. 

Bulk orders shipped to one address when 

ordered with other literature, $1.50 each per 

month, plus shipping. Please allow six to eight 

weeks for arrival of first issue. 

To investigate the possibility of advertising in 

essential connection, visit www.lifeway.com/ 

magazines. 

Advertisement Disclaimer: This magazine includes 

paid advertisements for some products 

and services not affiliated with LifeWay. The 

inclusion of the paid advertisements does not 

constitute an endorsement by LifeWay Christian 

Resources of the products or services. 

All Scripture quotations are taken from the 

Holman Christian Standard Bible ® , copyright 

© 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible 

Publishers. Used by permission. 

Do you really KNOW God? 

Take a look at the plan of salvation 

Know God. To be sure you are going to 

heaven, it is essential that you know God 

in a personal relationship. Without this 

relationship, you are completely separated 

from Him (Rom. 3:23; 6:23). 

Name jesus as your lord and 

savior. You must believe that Jesus is who 

He said He is—God’s Son. As the perfect, sinless 

Son of God, only Jesus can forgive your 

sin (Rom. 10:9-10). 

Writer's Block 

Community. 

I grew up in a small town in a simple house with one brother. 

I didn’t have to share a room with anyone. My brother and I shared a bathroom, but 

it was big and had two sinks. If someone in the family was being overly annoying, 

you could find solace and privacy in your room, in the basement, or somewhere else 

where no one would bother you. That was my idea of perfect community. No one was 

really messing up my stuff; I didn’t have to share, at least not all that much; and my 

brother mostly kept his mess contained in his room. 

Then, I went to college. Suddenly, I was sharing the world’s tiniest room with 

a girl I’d never met who was even more shy than me. She was neat and a good 

roommate, but living with her was an experience. I didn’t always get to watch what 

I wanted on TV. I couldn’t invite my friends over whenever I wanted. I sometimes 

had to be a friend when all I wanted to do was curl up on my bed and think about 

my problems. I had to share a bathroom with girls who weren’t so great at cleaning 

up after themselves, and the guys down the hall often woke me up in the wee hours 

of the morning playing some crazy hallway game they’d dreamed up. It was crazy; it 

was chaotic; it was community. 

And you’ve probably noticed that community is the big theme of this month’s 

issue of ec magazine. That’s because God Himself is community. He is God in 

three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And if community is such 

an integral part of who He is, shouldn’t it be a vital part of the way we live? The New 

Testament is very clear: Jesus called us to be a community of believers who live life 

completely differently from everyone else. Christ followers are to be known for their 

crazy love, their radical forgiveness, and their desire to live lives that don’t blot out 

His light. Jesus has called us to live as a community of believers, broken and needy as 

we are, to display His love and His glory to the world. 

You’ll learn more of what that means in Jennifer Denning’s story, “Living in 

Community” on page 26 and the profiles on pages 30 and 48. Confused about the 

Trinity? Read Michael Cummings’ story on page 40. Wondering why forgiveness is 

such a big deal? Check out Amber Mushegan’s article, “Second Chances,” on page 

60. Dig deep into the truths of God’s Word this month, learning to relate to Him as 

Father, Son, and Spirit. Let go and understand that not understanding everything 

is OK. God is big enough, good enough, and awesome enough to handle anything 

we can throw at Him. Let go this month. Let Him show you what it means to live in 

community with Him, with other believers, and with the world. 

Own up to your sin. Take personal 

responsibility for your sin and confess it to 

God. He will hear your prayer and forgive 

you of your sin. Forgiveness is a free gift 

—all you have to do is ask (Rom. 6:23; Eph. 

2:8-9; 1 John 1:9-10). 

Walk a different direction. The Bible 

calls this turning away from your sinful 

choices repentance. To repent really just 

means to go in a different direction. As a 

Christian, you will want to live differently 

(Luke 13:3; Eph. 5:8). 

4 | jul 2009 ec magazine ec magazine jul 2009 | 5

Statements 

Have something to say? Send us an e-mail at ec@lifeway.com, write ec letters at One Lifeway 

Plaza MSN 174, Nashville, TN 37234-0174, or stop by ecmagazine.blogspot.com. 

Reader wants to share 

her talent 

I have a few poems that I would like 

you to read, but I don’t know how to 

message them to you. I just started 

out on Facebook today. My dream 

is to have a poem featured in the 

magazine. 

Lindsay on Facebook 

(Lindsay, thanks for finding ec’s fan 

page on Facebook and taking the 

time to write on our wall. We would 

love to read your poetry. Getting 

it to us is actually pretty easy. You 

can e-mail us at ec@lifeway.com 

or godlifefun@gmail.com. If you’d 

rather send us hard copies and use 

the U.S. Postal Service, just send the 

Overheard 

poems to Mandy Crow, One LifeWay 

Plaza, MSN 174,Nashville, TN 37234. 

Include your contact info when you 

send us the poems, including your 

mailing address. If we like your work 

and decide to use it in an issue of ec, 

we’ll send you a letter and other information 

in the mail. Keep writing, and 

please, share your talents with us!) 

Fan offers article ideas 

I don’t want to sound like a wannabe, 

but the blog you posted about my 

problem [with anxiety] was so helpful. 

My friends thought it was great, 

and we were wondering if you would 

do some article about that topic for 

people who read the mag but don’t 

have Facebook. I want everyone who 

has this problem to have inspiration 

to keep going with this wonderful 

advice. Thanks so much! 

Madison on Facebook 

(ec: We are so humbled that you 

turned to us for advice about dealing 

with anxiety and that the post we 

put on the blog featuring Scripture 

passages spoke truth into your life. 

It’s humbling to be used by God! 

Your idea about doing an article in 

an upcoming issue of ec is a good 

one. We’re currently planning several 

months in advance and always want 

to include articles about stuff you’re 

actually dealing with. So let us know 

if you have more ideas for articles, 

because we crave your input!) 

just in from the Facebook fan page: 

 

“I love your magazines! Our church orders them 

every month, and they inspire me.” —Nikki 

 

“Are you sure that’s the right address because 

I would really like to know that Web site.” 

—Michaela* 

things we wonder about: “I love the new cover and 

everything in it!” —Jennifer, on Facebook 

*Michaela’s right, guys! On page 5 of the March issue, we printed a Web address that no 

longer works. We’re trying to find out what happened to www.thirstnomore.org. Sorry! 

Question of 

the Month 

What’s your favorite 

way to serve other 

people? 

“I like just to be their friend and 

then when they need someone 

I am the first one to give them 

some help. ” 

Rebekah, on ec’s facebook 

fan page 

“My favorite ways to serve others 

is just random acts of kindness! 

They’re so much fun and people 

don’t expect them, so I love 

seeing their faces when I do a 

random act [of kindness] for 

them!” 

Anna, on Ec’s Facebook Fan 

Page 

“By helping with anything I can 

do.” 

Clayton, on ec’s facebook 

fan page 

Read more answers at: 

http://cli.gs/S5LShn 

Next month’s question: 

What’s the worst 

assignment you’ve ever 

gotten at school? 

So just what are you thinking? Here at ec 

magazine, we want to know. Each month 

you’ll find a question we want your input 

about. So check it out and e-mail us with 

your thoughts! We can’t wait to hear from 

you! 

© istockphoto / Scott Griessel 

Living 

the Truth 

God is Three. Three in One. The 

Father loves the Son who loves the 

Holy Spirit. There is a relationship 

involved. We, created in God’s 

image, have been made relational 

beings as well. We were made to 

connect not only with God, but with 

other people. 

Just the Facts 

Josh Corlew cares a great deal about living in 

rich, soul-satisfying community with others. 

He isn’t famous, and he doesn’t have all the 

answers. But he’s trying to take Jesus’ words seriously, 

and he has experienced a different way 

of living because of it. For one year Josh lived 

with two families and two other single guys. 

The nine of them shared the space of half of a 

quad-plex. It wasn’t very roomy. They each came 

Word study 

Trinity. A word meaning 

threefold; the way we 

have chosen to refer to the 

relationship between God 

the Father, Jesus the Son, 

and God the Spirit. The word 

does not appear explicitly 

in Scripture, but the concept 

is clear. The Trinity is 

difficult to understand, but 

at its very core it helps us to 

understand that God loves 

community and wants to 

relate to us through relationship 

rather than religion. 

god the connection 

from wealthy backgrounds but chose to live as a 

racial minority in a low-income neighborhood. 

Why? 

“I used to live according to what most people 

consider the American dream. I aimed for a 

high-paying career so I could have my own 

place and complete control over my surroundings. 

I spent all my time and money in ways 

that were self-indulgent.” 

Though that’s the way many people live, 

Josh realized it wasn’t in line with his faith. 

He’d been living a decent Christian life by most 

standards, but when he examined himself, he 

wasn’t pleased. Investing everything into himself 

just left him empty. 

So Josh and some other people decided to 

find a house, move in together, and share everything, 

similar to what the early Christians did 

in the Book of Acts. 

“Can you really put nine people together in 

that small of a place and still love each other 

and call yourself Christian at the end of it? The 

answer was a resounding yes. Spiritually, I grew 

the quickest and most I’d ever grown.” 

They didn’t have to plan a worship service or 

Bible study meetings. Around the dinner table, 

conversation would naturally turn to Scripture 

and how it related to life. Living with people 

who cared about God, love, and their neighbors 

motivated Josh to embrace a radical faith. 

“I’m effective in my walk if I’m with people 

doing the same thing. For me to really grow, I 

have found that I need the constant interaction 

with other people who are also trying to live out 

their faith. Left to my own, I sit back and ignore 

all the problems that are around me.” 

What about you? 

getting started • By chansin bird 

◼ Are there people in your life with whom you can 

be completely honest and who will be honest with 

you? How might you foster such a relationship? 

◼ Think of someone you admire who has a strong love 

for others. How is that person living out his/her 

faith, and what can you do to follow the example? 

◼ Do you know what Jesus said about loving other 

people? Look through the Gospels for examples. 

◼ How have you watered down God’s Word with 

excuses and rationalization? What changes will you 

allow God to make in your life this week? 

Read 

The Irresistible 

Revolution: 

Living as an 

Ordinary Radical 

Shane Claiborne 

(Zondervan, 2006) 

“Seeing Claiborne’s 

interpretation of 

Scripture . . . and of 

the current inclination 

of Christianity 

in America was 

encouraging and 

convicting.” Josh 

Browse 

⊲www.rebaplace 

fellowship.org, 

⊲www.thesimple 

way.org, and 

⊲www.churchofthe 

sojourners.org 

All of these are Web 

sites of organized 

intentional Christian 

communities. 

Listen 

Mockingbird 

Derek Webb (INO 

Records, 2005) 

“He is one of the most 

prophetic musical 

artists I’ve ever 

heard. It is about 

re envisioning the 

Church.” Josh 

Send us your answers! Find us on Facebook 

6 | jul 2009 ec magazine 

or visit ecmagazine.blogspot.com. 

ec magazine jul 2009 | 7

8 

famous trios 

throughout history 

by the ec staff 

all illustrations © istockphoto 

Three. It may not seem like 

that important of a number, but 

there sure are a lot of good (or 

at least interesting) things that 

come in threes. And since you’ll 

be learning about the Trinity in 

this month’s devos, we thought 

we’d kick the month off with 

a lighthearted look at some 

famous trios. 

The Jonas Brothers 

(Kevin, Joe, and Nick) 

Three Little Pigs 

Three Stooges 

(Larry, Moe, and Shemp—and sometimes Curly) 

Three Wise Men 

The Three Musketeers 

(Athos, Porthos, & Aramis) 

Three Blind Mice 

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod 

Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato 

The Three Amigos 

Stop, Drop, and Roll 

Snap, Crackle, Pop 

Huey, Duey, and Luey 

Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria 

Past, Present, and Future 

The Three Tenors 

(Plácido Domingo, José Carreras, and Luciano Pavarotti) 


ea h me Y ur wa s! 

0 | j L 2 09 ec ma az n e 

to b ne r t em? 

ace o God nd i e? 

JoHn 6 27 28 

EpHE i nS 1 3 14 

Hi i pi nS 3 1 - 1 

pSA m 6 : -3 

m ttH w 6 3 - 3 

H brEwS 1 6 

4 | j l 2 09 ec ma az n e 

o k ow G d t e F t e in n 

n i a e r l t ns p ou a e 

o s en t me w h H m and 

k ow w a ’ i po t n to im 

O e wa to o ha i to e d 

H s W rd O r s g e t o s 

w l h l yo r ad h ou h he 

B b e n a ear 

• E ra 1 N hem ah 6 

• A ts 1 7 

What’s the deal 

with devotions? 

By Mandy Crow 

Sometimes, honestly, it 

irks the ec staff when we 

hear ec referred to simply 

as a devotional magazine. 

Not because it isn’t, but 

because we’ve worked very 

hard to make it more—it’s 

a magazine for your whole 

life, we say. We make 

sure ec includes articles 

and information to guide 

you along this journey of 

faith, along with the daily 

devotions. 

But the point of ec magazine—if we 

had to pick just one—is to help you start 

and develop a deeper relationship with 

Christ. If we put out an issue of the 

magazine that didn’t encourage you to 

dig into God’s Word and experience His 

still, small voice for yourself, would we 

be doing anything worthwhile? 

Scripture is one of the ways God 

has chosen to speak to us, urge us to 

action, and show us what it means to 

live holy lives. The Bible changes lives 

because it is God’s Word. It is truth. And 

we want our readers to dig deep into 

Scripture—to read it for yourselves and 

let it change your lives. We can’t do that 

for you, but we can give you devotions 

that guide you in that pursuit. 

And if ec magazine can be a part of 

helping just one of you have a deeper 

relationship with God, we want to! 

So, maybe you’re ready to dig into 

Scripture and find out what God has to 

say to you. Maybe you want to use ec to 

help you do that. Well, then this is the 

article for you! 

First of all, we at ec urge you to 

set aside some time each day that is 

devoted solely to reading Scripture and 

prayer. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you 

understand God’s Word. Let God speak 

to you through the Bible and show you 

how to take the truths you learn and put 

them into practice in your life. 

As someone who didn’t get the 

importance of daily Scripture reading 

until college, I can attest to you that this 

is vital. Don’t depend on your student 

minister, your pastor, your parents, or 

anyone else to tell you what Scripture 

says. Read it. Study it. Think about it. 

The Bible has something to say about 

your daily life. Let the truth of Scripture 

take root in your heart now while you’re 

young and let it guide your steps. That 

way, you won’t look back on blessings 

you missed because you didn’t take the 

time to read God’s Word and hear what 

He had to say. 

Next let’s talk about the basics. 

Understand that ec’s devos are 

arranged by week and start on Sundays. 

Therefore, the first week of devotions 

begins on 

the first 

☞ 

Sunday of 

the month, 

whether it 

falls on the 

first day 

or not. The 

previous 

month’s issue will take care of the daily 

devos for the first week of the month in 

such cases. 

Also know that all of ec’s devotions 

are now dated and there are devotions 

or application of Scripture for each 

day of the 

month. Our 

reading 

plan for 

each 

week is 

simple. You 

read the 

Weekend 

devotion 

on Sunday 

and read 

and think 

U 

1 

Weekend > 7/5 

teach me 

Your W a y s 

Moses sa d to the Lord 

Look You have to d me 

Lead th s people up but 

You have not l t me know 

whom You w ll end wi h 

me You sa d know you 

by name and you have 

a so found favor n My 

ight —Exodus 33: 2 

R ad ex dus 3 12 7 

ve you e eR gone h ou h 

a m z ? I s c nf s ng It 

au es ou to sk W er do I o 

n w? nd W o kn ws he way u ? 

t s fu l f un xp c ed wi ts u ns 

nd s r r se ar und v ry c r er 

The l er we et he mo e 

on u i g God way and fe s 

o r ey b com s Our ea ch or w o 

He i and w at He an s us o do an 

som t mes eem i e a ma e We ave 

qu s i ns so we m ke a d c s on nd 

ch o e a pa h to o ow W f nd ho e 

an we s a ou d t e co n r ut un 

i to no h r f rk n t e pa h wh re 

mo e qu s i ns a a t nd so n 

n er od y s S r p ur pa sa e 

E en wh n he d dn un er tand 

G d s wa s M se s i l u re d ed 

a d so gh God ut s y ng P e se 

Th s s t e s me k nd o pr ye we 

eed o p ay d i y E ch d y p es n s 

a ew tw t or u n n un am l r 

a h to o l w a ew de i on to 

m ke Don you w nt o kn w th t 

he er on w o knows t e way 

th ou h t e maz is u d ng y ur 

s ep ? F r H m o t a h you H s w ys 

you ave o a t a ly now H m 

Ma y pe p e don kn w od 

be au e hey ren se k ng H m or 

s en in t me w th H m ev ry ay 

The ma e o seek ng H m may 

s em ov rw e mi g at im s but e 

s no un t a na le r u kno ab e 

He es es o ha e a de p u he t c 

re at o s ip w h you one n wh h 

ou w l se k H m nd s y S ow me 

our w ys a d I w l f l ow! 

H 

Monday > 7/6 

God wants to know you. 

T 

k 

h nk ba k to when y u w e a k d o you emem er he im s y ur 

d d r nd a her a e ch r or ome o h r ma e f g re n y ur i e wa ed 

n o a oom? l be some f hem c r i d a ce t in u ho i y a d p es nce i h 

th m w ev r t ey w nt D d you a e re p ct or ho e p op e? id ou wa t 

Re d th ou h ex dus 3 18 23 nd c re u l co s der e se 19 

W at o yo th n Mos s me nt w en e a ked od o sh w H s g o y? 

W y i i th t h co l n t ee he 

He sa d w l cause l My 

goodne s to pass n f ont of 

o you v r d s re o eel t e 

r se ce f F t er od mo e? 

h nk ac on he men ou e 

e p c ed o had c os bo d wi h 

in fe Do ou h nk od d s r s o 

ha e a c o e i t ma e e a i n h p 

wi h u as H s h dr n? 

M se wan ed o f l y k ow God nd pe t me n H s g o i us p e en e n 

o ay s cr p u e pa s ge Mo es r l t on h p w th G d appea s v al nd 

n ma e M ses e med o be v ry omf r ab e w th od so mu h t at e 

s mp y as ed G d t e qu s i n he d b en d i g to ask to ee G d s g o y God 

d dn t h de r m M s s or g ore i re ue t He a sw red M se and ho e to 

ho or Mo es equ st b t n H s own w y and n H s own me 

T e po nt? G d de i es o h ve an n ma e re a on h p w th you e wan s 

to i p ay H s lo y as mu h as ou an h nd e and l ow y u to now mo e 

and m re f H s c ar c er T i k ab ut t ke t i : G d ori i a ly r a ed he 

r l t o sh p b tw en a at er nd h s h ld o be a eep on ec on Some 

of ou ave he i d of ad t at ou n w x er e ce ha k nd o co ne t on 

w th a d ot e s of ou d n t No ma t r wha k nd o dad ou h ve God he 

F t er d s r s t sh w im e f c e r y o you He w nt to now y u i t ma e y 

a d ha e t e k nd o r l t on h p w th ou t at a a he has w th h s n or 

d ug t r But ou h ve o be w l ng 

you nd w l proc a m the 

name Yahweh efo e you 

I wi l be g ac ous to whom 

I wi l be g ac ous nd w l 

have omp ss on on whom 

I w l h ve comp ss on 

—Exodus 3 19 

about the Monday through Friday 

devotions on their respective days. 

How is 

God like 

a Father 

in your 

l i f e? 

Then comes the journal page. This 

is intentional. We’ve given you a lot to 

consider during your weekly devotions, 

and we don’t want to do anything that 

encourages 

journal Week of july 5 

f a t h e r 

Known > 7/11 

n h s we k s de oti ns y u ve s u i d who G d i as at er t s t e way 

He as cho en o r l te o us a d He c ls a h one f us n o a F t er 

h ld e a i ns ip i h H m B t wh t do s hat m an And ow do s t 

a f c yo r da y i e? et ta e t i week de o i ns a t le eepe : 

h nk bou yo r G d as F t er nd wh t we e l ar ed bou H s 

h a t r Do y u be eve e i l v ng mer fu and omp ss o ate? 

W y or w y no ? W i e do n some m re ha a t r s i s hat ou now 

o be ru of G d t e F th r Now ch o e to e i ve t a ou Him 

A e th e t in s n yo r i e hat ou eed o c n es to our a he so 

t at e can o g ve ou Are ou ea y to u r nd r yo r i e o H m n 

ob d en e a d t us ? Som t mes h s s a d i y d c s on ) 

Mak a l st W at re ome s e i i way you an pur ue G d t day 

th s w ek t is mon h nd h s y ar Star s mp e ra th s i ht ow: 

God ea h me Y ur w ys 

Going 

Deeper 

To ig ee er n o who G d 

t e Fa h r i and ow to 

pu su Hi ways ea : 

 

Abba meansf at h e r ordaddy i n 

Aramaic And it’s what God allows us 

to call Him See Galatians 4 6 

 

Personal Space 

Prayers thoughts 

& questions: 

Read Through 

the Bible 

t 

s 

3 

Wednesday > 7/8 

It really did hurt him more 

than it hurt you. 

A 

you to be 

only hearers 

of the Word. 

Our plan at 

ec is not to 

ask you to 

simply read 

Scripture, 

but to 

engage in 

it. We want 

the truth of God’s Word to change 

your attitudes, behaviors, and lives. 

That’s why we included a journal page 

when we redesigned the magazine. Our 

plan is that you read and meditate on 

the “Known” section of the journal page 

as your Saturday devotion. The idea is 

that you simply take some time out of 

the week to look over the big themes 

and truths of that week’s devos. We 

want you to ponder those truths, apply 

them to your life, and let God’s Word 

and the Holy Spirit spur you to action. 

Finally, you need to understand 

why ec’s devotions are written the 

way they are—with an intro, questions 

about the Scripture passage, and a 

final thought. The opening is designed 

to help you start thinking about that 

day’s topic; the questions make you dig 

into the Bible for yourself; and the final 

paragraph drives home the truth we 

want you to understand when you close 

the magazine and go about your life. 

Our hope is that we’re giving you tools 

that you can use, 

both now and all 

throughout your 

journey 

of faith. ec 

s a chi d you pRobably expeR enced d sc p i e n some s nse r ght? 

Mo t of us h ve—whe her hat was a pank ng be ng gro nded i t ng 

n me out or ometh ng e se And orma ly when you we e di c p in d t was 

be ause ou did ometh ng wr ng How do you emem er f el ng a t r you were 

d s ip ned? D d you want o go and mess up a ai ? W re you s rry or y ur acti ns? 

Then the Lord passed in front of him and proclaimed 

“Yahweh—Yahweh is a compassionate and g acious 

God slow o anger and rich in faithfu love and truth ” 

—Exodus 34 6 

today read th ough exodus 4:5 9 nd ake a car ful ook at ve se 6 

Make a l st of he cha ac er s ics u ed in his pa sage o esc ibe God 

What s ands out o you the mos ? 

Have ou een God act n any of hese ways n your i e? How id th t m ke 

y u ee ? Wha did t tea h you about H s cha ac er and His lan f r your i e? 

What s God s at i ude towa d si ? 

For you he w rd f ther may make y u r nge or t may br ng back w et 

memor es of a c ose el t onsh p w h y ur dad i her way h s pass ge of 

S r ptu e sc eams G d s our F the ! So w at does hat ac ua ly mean? 

G d i st t ld Moses hat He was compa si nate gr ci us ai hf l ov ng 

or iv ng nd me c ful But He went on o ay th t He wa ts our ho ness 

wh ch means He won t i nore our in He s de in tely a fa her of or iv ness 

and sec nd hanc s but He an t nd w n t ver ook when we choo e o l ve n 

oppos ion to H s st ndar s 

Does t at sound i e a d d o you? Su e it do s! We of en th nk of God as his 

gra dfa he -f gu e w th a ong wh te be rd i t ng on a ock ng cha r n h aven 

j st wa t ng o st i e s down f we m ss up B t that s n t the rue p ctu e of 

God s cha ac er H s ch rac er s to l ve org ve and ble s us for ur obed ence 

and f i hfu ness 

week of july 5 

Photos this section: © istockphoto / eileen groome, mike manzano, kristina castagnola, gene chutka & jamie carroll : p. 9, © david sacks / getty Images 

father 


You may have a lot of names for your dad. You may even use 

different ones for different situations, like Father when he’s 

trying your patience, Dad when you want to talk, and even 

Daddy when you want something. 

But those words aren’t just names; they’re also descriptions of the relationship 

you have. Fathers are supposed to be the people who protect us, take care of us, 

know all our faults and still love us, and encourage us to be the best people we 

can be. 

Some of us are lucky to have great relationships with our dads. Others of us 

don’t—and not for any lack of trying. Earthly fathers mess up, forget, and make 

mistakes, but that doesn’t change the fact of the relationship. Your dad is your 

dad. Always. 

So, why—in a world of messed-up father/child relationships—would God 

choose to reveal Himself to us as Father? Because there’s an intimacy in that 

relationship. Like the best earthly dads, God loves us in spite of our mistakes. He 

wants to protect and guide us. He wants us to be the people He created us to be. 

He sees the best in us and wants the best for us. He loves us in spite of all the 

times we’ve failed and doesn’t hold those against us. God wants to know us as 

His children—not just His followers. The Trinity may be confusing, but this fact 

isn’t: God wants to know you, love you, take care of you, and dream dreams for 

you. God wants to be your Father. 


Weekend > 7/5 

U 1 

teach me 

Your Ways 

Moses said to the Lo r d , 

“Look, You have told me, 

‘Lead this people up,’ but 

You have not let me know 

whom You will send with 

me. You said, ‘I know you 

by name, and you have 

also found favor in My 

sight.’” —Exodus 33:12 

Read Exodus 33:12-17. 

Have you ever gone through 

a maze? It’s confusing! It 

causes you to ask, “Where do I go 

now?” and “Who knows the way out?” 

It’s full of unexpected twists, turns, 

and surprises around every corner. 

The older we get, the more 

confusing God’s ways and life’s 

journey becomes. Our search for who 

He is and what He wants us to do can 

sometimes seem like a maze. We have 

questions, so we make a decision and 

choose a path to follow. We find those 

answers around the corner, but run 

into another fork in the path where 

more questions await—and so on. 

Enter today’s Scripture passage. 

Even when he didn’t understand 

God’s ways, Moses still surrendered 

and sought God out, saying, “Please 

teach me Your ways!” 

This is the same kind of prayer we 

need to pray daily. Each day presents 

a new twist or turn, an unfamiliar 

path to follow, a new decision to 

make. Don’t you want to know that 

the Person who knows the way 

through the maze is guiding your 

steps? For Him to teach you His ways, 

you have to actually know Him. 

Many people don’t know God 

because they aren’t seeking Him or 

spending time with Him every day. 

The “maze” of seeking Him may 

seem overwhelming at times, but He 

is not unattainable or unknowable. 

He desires to have a deep, authentic 

relationship with you—one in which 

you will seek Him and say, “Show me 

Your ways, and I will follow!” 

Monday > 7/6 

God wants to know you. 

Think back to when you were a kid. Do you remember kthe times your 

dad, grandfather, a teacher, or some other male figure in your life walked 

into a room? I’ll bet some of them carried a certain authority and presence with 

them wherever they went. Did you have respect for those men? Did you want to 

be near them? 

Read through Exodus 33:18-23 and carefully consider verse 19. 

What do you think Moses meant when he asked God to show His glory? 

He said, “I will cause all My 

goodness to pass in front of 

you, and I will proclaim the 

name Yahweh before you. 

I will be gracious to whom 

I will be gracious, and I will 

have compassion on whom 

I will have compassion.” 

—Exodus 33:19 

Why is it that he couldn’t see the 

face of God and live? 

Do you ever desire to feel the 

presence of Father God more? 

Think back on the men you’ve 

respected or had a close bond with 

in life. Do you think God desires to 

have a close, intimate relationship 

with us as His children? 

Moses wanted to fully know God and spent time in His glorious presence. In 

today’s Scripture passage, Moses’ relationship with God appears vital and 

intimate. Moses seemed to be very comfortable with God, so much that he 

simply asked God what he’d been dying to ask: to see God’s glory. God didn’t 

hide from Moses or ignore his request. He answered Moses and chose to honor 

Moses’ request, but in His own way and in His own time. 

The point? God desires to have an intimate relationship with you. He wants 

to display His glory, as much as you can handle, and allow you to know more 

and more of His character. Think about it like this: God originally created the 

relationship between a father and his child to be a deep connection. Some 

of you have the kind of dad that you now experience that kind of connection 

with, and others of you don’t. No matter what kind of dad you have, God the 

Father desires to show Himself clearly to you. He wants to know you intimately 

and have the kind of relationship with you that a Father has with his son or 

daughter. But you have to be willing. 

How is 

God like 

a Father 

in your 

life? 

2 

w 

Tuesday > 7/7 

Need a 

second 

chance? 

Maybe it was a collectible, 

expensive electronic, or 

family heirloom. Think back to when 

you broke something very valuable— 

something that belonged to someone 

else. How did the owner react? Was 

he or she angry or upset with you? 

How did you react? What would you 

have done differently if you could do 

it again? 

The Lo r d said to Moses, 

“Cut two stone tablets like 

the first ones, and I will 

write on them the words 

that were on the first 

tablets, which you broke.” 


Read through Exodus 34:1-4 and 

focus in on verse 1. 

Do you recognize that these tablets 

were the Ten Commandments? 

Because you know this, how valuable 

do you think they were to God? Why? 

Why do you think God gave Moses 

a second chance to redeem himself 

after he broke the tablets in anger? 

What does this teach you about 

God’s forgiveness in your life today? 

For what do you need forgiveness 

and a second chance? 

The tablets were important to God 

because He made them as a physical 

reminder of what it meant to live 

according to His ways. He had an 

important message for the Israelites, 

but Moses broke the first set of 

tablets in anger. God could have 

cursed Moses, struck him dead, or 

replaced him with another leader. 

But, instead, He gave Moses a second 

chance and asked him to create two 

new stone tablets. This also says a lot 

about how God the Father treats us as 

His children when we mess up. We’re 

going to mess up, but He doesn’t 

reject us or give up on His plans 

for our lives. He is a God of second 

chances. Even for you. 

3 


How well 

do you 

obey? 

Are you 

abusing 

His grace? 


It really did hurt him more 

than it hurt you. 

As a child, you probably experienced discipline in some sense, right? 

Most of us have—whether that was a spanking, being grounded, sitting 

in time-out, or something else. And, normally, when you were disciplined, it was 

because you did something wrong. How do you remember feeling after you were 

disciplined? Did you want to go and mess up again? Were you sorry for your actions? 

Then the Lo r d passed in front of him and proclaimed: 

“Yahweh—Yahweh is a compassionate and gracious 

God, slow to anger and rich in faithful love and truth.” 


Today, read through Exodus 34:5-9 and take a careful look at verse 6. 

Make a list of the characteristics used in this passage to describe God. 

What stands out to you the most? 

Have you seen God act in any of these ways in your life? How did that make 

you feel? What did it teach you about His character and His plan for your life? 

What is God’s attitude toward sin? 

For you, the word “father” may make you cringe, or it may bring back sweet 

memories of a close relationship with your dad. Either way, this passage of 

Scripture screams, “God is our Father!” So, what does that actually mean? 

God first told Moses that He was compassionate, gracious, faithful, loving, 

forgiving, and merciful. But He went on to say that He wants our holiness, 

which means He won’t ignore our sin. He is definitely a Father of forgiveness 

and second chances, but He can’t and won’t overlook when we choose to live in 

opposition to His standards. 

Does that sound like a dad to you? Sure it does! We often think of God as this 

grandfather-figure with a long, white beard, sitting on a rocking chair in heaven, 

just waiting to strike us down if we mess up. But that’s not the true picture of 

God’s character. His character is to love, forgive, and bless us for our obedience 

and faithfulness. 



“You will never know the joy, the love beyond feeling that resonates 

in the heart of a father as he looks upon his son.” 

—Kent Nerburn 

You 

are His 

joy. 

4 

How authentic are you with God? 

Thursday > 7/9 

God wants it all. 

5 

Do we have any overachievers out there? You know who I’m talking 

about. It’s the student who always waves her hand in class to answer 

the teacher’s question as if she’s working air traffic control. It’s the guy who 

goes above and beyond in his chores to please mom and dad—even tackling 

the disgusting jobs no one else wants. You know exactly to whom I’m referring. 

Think about every area of your life. Are you that person in any of those places? 

“He has told you men 

what is good and what it is 

the Lo r d requires of you: 

Only to act justly, to love 

faithfulness, and to walk 

humbly with your God.” 

—Micah 6:8 

Read Micah 6:6-8 and really pay 

attention to verse 8. 

According to these verses, what 

does the Lord require of us? 

Now pick these things apart and 

match them to your life. Are you 

fulfilling the requirements? 

Where could you improve? 

Look over the list of sacrifices and displays of devotion listed in this passage 

as you consider verse 8. How does what God wants compare to these things? 

What does God want from you? 

God doesn’t require you to slaughter a lamb and prepare it as a burnt sacrifice 

for your sins each week. He doesn’t ask you to shave your head and commit 

your whole life to serving Him in a monastery in the remotest parts of Europe. 

He won’t ever ask you to quote at least 100 verses of Scripture back to Him each 

night before bed. 

He doesn’t need your big, over-the-top displays of devotion. He just wants 

you—ALL of you. Micah told us exactly what God wants from you. More than 

anything else, He wants your holiness, obedience, loyalty, and love while 

walking in a close, daily relationship with Him. 

Friday > 7/10 

Don’t be fake. 

You go to church every 

Sunday. You sit in the 

uncomfortable chair or pew for at least 

an hour. You sing the same hymns and 

songs you did last week. You hear a 

sermon. You leave and go home. Next 

week, you come back to do it all again. 

Does this sound like your worship 

routine, or do you go deeper? 

“God is spirit, and those 

who worship Him must 

worship in spirit and truth.” 

—John 4:24 

Take a look at John 4:21-24. Then, go 

back and reread verse 24. 

What does it mean to worship in 

spirit and truth? 

Is your worship rehearsed from week 

to week? Why or why not? 

How can you worship God intimately 

in spirit and truth? 

What steps will you take in order to 

do so? 

Jesus had this intense conversation at 

high noon one day with a Samaritan 

woman who was drawing water from 

a well. He confronted her about her 

worship style, saying, “You worship 

guessing in the dark . . . It’s who you are 

and the way you live that count before 

God” (John 4:22-23, The Message). 

Jesus said the Father wants 

“those who are simply and honestly 

themselves before Him in their worship 

. . . [They] must do it out of their very 

being, their spirits, their true selves, 

in adoration” (John 4:23b-24, The 

Message). 

People get too caught up in worship 

styles—what to do and what not to do, 

what to sing or not to sing, and what to 

wear. These minor things have actually 

caused churches to split. God cares 

about these trivial things—but more 

than those, over everything, He simply 

desires your pure, unfiltered praise and 

adoration. He just wants the true you to 

worship the true Him. 


journal: Week of july 5 

father 

Known > 7/11 

In this week’s devotions, you’ve studied who God is as Father. It is the way 

He has chosen to relate to us, and He calls each one of us into a Fatherchild 

relationship with Him. But what does that mean? And how does it 

affect your daily life? Let’s take this week’s devotions a little deeper: 

Think about your God as Father and what we’ve learned about His 

character. Do you believe He is loving, merciful, and compassionate? 

Why or why not? Write down some more characteristics that you know 

to be true of God the Father. Now, choose to believe it about Him. 

Are there things in your life that you need to confess to your Father so 

that He can forgive you? Are you ready to surrender your life to Him in 

obedience and trust? (Sometimes this is a daily decision.) 

Make a list. What are some specific ways you can pursue God today, 

this week, this month, and this year? Start simple. Pray this right now: 

“God, teach me Your ways.” 

 


Prayers, thoughts, 

& questions: 

© istockphoto 

Footwork 

Frenzy 

It’s summer and that means more time for 

soccer for a lot of you. It’s no secret that foot 

skills are important in the game of soccer. 

As a middle school soccer coach, one of the first 

things I look at during try-outs is a player’s foot 

skills—how they handle the ball with their feet. 

And you can bet that if I’m evaluating a player 

on his or her footwork, so are other coaches 

around the country. So maybe you want to take 

your soccer game up a notch this summer? One 

way to do so is to use your time off from school 

to work on the fundamentals of footwork. 

life essentials 

around the ball to disguise the direction you plan 

to go.” It could also be described as: “using the 

different surfaces of your feet to control the ball.” 

Being a good soccer player involves more than 

just being able to kick the ball. Being able to control 

the ball allows you and your team more time 

to develop the perfect play. 

unde rstand th e e le m e nt 

of surpri se . 

Your ability to disguise the direction you plan 

to go is one of your greatest weapons in soccer. 

It has everything to do with the development of 

your foot skills. Players such as David Beckham 

and Ronaldinho are fun to watch because of their 

highly developed foot skills. Moves like the scissor 

and step-over are deadly weapons on the soccer 

field. They come from developing foot skills. 

Work it out. 

Set up two cones 10 yards apart. 

5 mins: dribble between cones cutting with the 

inside of your left foot 


inside of your right foot 


outside of your left foot 


outside of your right foot 

w h o ’ s 

playi ng? 

Tournaments 

leading up to the 

2010 World Cup 

include: 

• FIFA U-20 World 

Cup: Sept. 24– 

Oct. 16 in Egypt 

• FIFA U-17 World 

Cup: Oct. 24–Nov. 

15 in Nigeria 

• FIFA Beach 

soccer World 

Cup: Nov. 16-22 

in United Arab 

Emirates 

Going 

Deeper 

To dig deeper into who God 

the Father is and how to 

pursue His ways, read: 

John 16:27-28 

Ephesians 1:3-14 

Philippians 3:12-21 

Psalm 63:1-3 

Matthew 6:32-33 

Hebrews 11:6 

 

Abba means father or daddy in 

Aramaic. And it’s what God allows us 

to call Him. See Galatians 4:6. 

Read Through 

the Bible 

To know God the Father in an 

intimate relationship, you have 

to spend time with him and 

know what’s important to Him. 

One way to do that is to read 

His Word. Our suggestions 

will help you read through the 

Bible in a year. 

• Ezra 1–Nehemiah 6 

• Acts 1–7 

Know what it i s . 

Tim Betts, a former assistant coach for Trevecca 

Nazarene University and a current staff coach 

for Brentwood Soccer Club in Brentwood, Tenn., 

defines foot skills as “movements of your feet 

Sleep Study 

Learning to let go, trust 

God, and relax is something 

you learn over a lifetime. 

But you can do something 

about getting a good night’s 

sleep now. Like: 

• Develop a bedtime 

routine. Doing the same 

things each night forms a 

habit and tells your body 

it’s time to wind down. 

• Have a bedtime. Yes, 

you’re almost grown, but 

bedtime is still important. 

Get up at the same time, 

too. It helps! 

• Exercise in the afternoon. 

Exercise is always 

good, but exercising in the 

afternoon will help your 

sleep patterns. 

© istockphoto / jason stitt 

The answer you need to hear: 

How do I let go and relax? 

Remember the Sabbath? The Fourth 

Commandment requires us to take time 

out of our week for a sabbath for rest. This 

is an act of obedience on our part, but also 

an acknowledgement on God’s part that 

sometimes we just need to slow down and 

Have fun. 

Players with great foot skills stand out, but we 

hope you’re playing because you love the sport 

and enjoy the challenge. 

by Greg Joiner 

relax. So, He instructed us to take time to 

enjoy Him and the blessings He’s given us. 

But how do you put a little sabbath into every 

day? Here’s how: 

Spend time seeking God. Spending time 

worshiping, praying, reading the Bible, and 

listening for God’s wisdom and direction 

gives a sense of peace and a clarity that can 

be found nowhere else. Then, enjoy life. 

God is glorified when we enjoy the world He 

created and the relationships He’s given us. 

Take time to rest and be realistic about 

learning to let go. Take a few minutes every 

day or set aside one evening per week to 

simply rest. Once this habit has been 

established, it will be hard to break. Our 

bodies and souls were designed to need and 

desire rest. Don’t let your life run you! 

by Rachel Carrozziere 


Finding God in 

American History 

By Jerry Faught 

At of our country’s 44th president, 

the beginning of the year, all of 

America witnessed the inauguration 

Barack Obama. As he took the oath of office, he 

declared that he would execute faithfully the 

duties of his office with God’s help. 

© istockphoto / john kropewnicki 

The last phrase of the oath—“so help me God”—reminded 

me of my trip to New York City just a few weeks earlier. I had 

traveled by bus to Ground Zero to see the work being done on 

the new World Trade Center. I then walked across the street 

to visit St. Paul’s Chapel. St. Paul’s, built in 1766, miraculously 

survived the collapse of the twin towers on September 11, 

2001. For eight months after the tragedy, this church served 

as a place for volunteer relief workers to eat and rest. Inside 

the chapel, I saw pictures of many who died in the terrorist 

attack. A feeling of deep sadness came over me as I looked at 

the pictures and other memorabilia. 

That’s when I saw a sign indicating that George 

Washington, our nation’s first president, had been inaugurated 

in St. Paul’s in 1789. I walked over to a bench called 

Washington’s Pew where he knelt to pray during his inaugural 

service. As I exited the church, I surmised that the pew 

and the chapel itself stood as a monument of hope in a confusing 

and chaotic world. 

That experience reminded me that God shows up in a big 

way throughout the history of our nation. Let’s discover a 

few of the significant ways that our nation has expressed its 

dependence upon God. 

Religious freedom doesn’t mean no religion 

Virtually all the men involved in the founding of our nation 

believed in God. Although some were Deists who believed that 

God did not intervene directly in the world, most of the founding 

fathers were Protestant Christians. These leaders realized, 

however, that making Christianity or any other religion the 

official or established religion of the nation would not be 

healthy for religion or the 

state. That is why Congress 

passed the First Amendment 

to the Constitution which 

prohibits the government 

from establishing or favoring 

any religion and protects the 

free exercise of religion in 

our land. 

Although we Americans 

have prized religious freedom, 

this has not prevented 

us from making public 

statements about our reliance 

upon God. Take out a 

coin from your pocket or 

purse, and you will see the 

motto “In God We Trust.” 

These words were placed on 

United States coins 

America’s religious freedom 

has not prevented us from 

making public statements 

about our reliance upon God. 

during the terrible days of the Civil War. Religious fervor 

among Americans had increased during the crisis of war. 

Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase received many 

appeals from pious persons throughout the country urging 

the government to honor God on United States coins. 

Congress passed an act on April 22, 1864 that allowed “In 

God We Trust” to first appear on the 1864 two-cent coin. The 

phrase later appeared on other coins. 

The phrase “In God We Trust” does not only appear on 

coins. In 1956 President Eisenhower approved a law passed 

by Congress declaring “In God We Trust” to be our national 

motto. A year later the phrase was found on paper money 

for the first time when it appeared on the one-dollar silver 

certificate. 

Another famous American phrase mentioning God comes 

from the pledge of allegiance and is recited daily by millions 

of schoolchildren around the country. The pledge was originally 

written in 1892 by a Baptist minister named Francis 

Bellamy (1855-1931). In 1953, the Roman Catholic fraternal 

service organization, the Knights of Columbus, mounted a 

campaign to add the words “under God” to the Pledge. At the 

© istockphoto / lee pettet 



Trying to remove God 

from American history is 

a misrepresentation of our 

nation’s history. 

week of July 12 

His Father’s Son 

time the nation found itself opposing the spread of atheistic 

communism in the world. The country was engaged in the 

so-called Cold War with the Soviet Union. Partly in response 

to these events, Congress passed a bill which was signed 

into law by President Eisenhower in 1954 to add the words 

“under God” to the pledge. President Eisenhower said at the 

time: “From this day forward, the millions of our schoolchildren 

will daily proclaim in every city and town, every village 

and rural schoolhouse, the dedication of our nation and our 

people to the Almighty.” 

Our fervent dedication 

How to pray 

So you understand the 

importance of praying for 

our country’s leaders but 

want some tips on how 

to do so? We’ve got some 

ideas: 

• Take a look at today’s 

political headlines. Pray 

for President Obama to 

approach these things 

with wisdom. 

• Pray for the First Lady, 

Michelle Obama, and the 

president’s family. Pray 

that they will be godly 

parents to their children 

and teach them to rely on 

God’s truth. 

• Check out the White 

House Web site 

(www.whitehouse.gov) or 

your state government’s 

Web site and get a list 

of government officials. 

Pick a name and pray 

over that leader for a 

week. Pray for God’s 

wisdom, guidance, and 

peace to be a part of his 

or her decision-making. 

Thank God for seeing the 

big picture we can’t see. 

Ask Him to remind these 

leaders of the things that 

are important to Him and 

close to His heart. 

to God has been memorialized 

repeatedly in our 

nation’s capital. Take a tour 

of Washington D.C. and 

reflect in amazement at the 

many references to God on 

famous buildings and monuments 

throughout the city. 

Take the Capitol building 

for example. In the House 

chamber is the inscription, 

“In God We Trust.” Above 

the gallery door stands a 

marble relief of the great 

lawgiver Moses. At the east 

entrance to the Senate 

chamber are the words 

Annuit Coeptis. This Latin 

phrase, which also appears 

on our paper currency, 

roughly means that God has 

favored our undertakings. 

In the chapel, a beautiful 

stained glass window 

depicts George Washington 

in prayer under the inscription 

“In God We Trust.” 

The Supreme Court building, 

dedicated in 1935, has 

a number of images of Moses with the Ten Commandments. 

These can be found at the center of the sculpture over the 

east portico of the Supreme Court building, inside the actual 

courtroom, engraved over the chair of the Chief Justice, and 

on the bronze doors of the Supreme Court itself. 

Our treasure hunt could continue, but hopefully you 

have discovered that God is our national treasure. In the 

end, Americans should understand that while separation 

of church and state is vital to protect our religious 

freedom, trying to remove God from American history is a 

misrepresentation of our nation’s history. ec 

Praying for one nation under God 

How much time do you spend praying for politicians? The Apostle Paul 

instructed Christians to pray, “ . . . for everyone, for kings and all those 

who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life” 

(1 Tim. 2:1b-3a). Elected or appointed officials of our nation, whether 

at the local, state, or national level, serve the people. 

Besides the fact that we have a Christian responsibility to pray for 

our leaders, we should desire to pray for those who serve us in the 

political arena. We should pray for our president and his family to be 

able to enjoy quality time together even though the demands of the 

job are enormous. We should pray for him to have wisdom in making 

decisions, especially ones that will have a profound impact on people 

in our nation as well as individuals around the globe. 

We should pray often for our Congressmen and women, our governor, 

our mayor, and state legislators as well. Politicians pass laws that 

often have a powerful bearing on our quality of life. The prayers we 

send to God on their behalf carry significant weight. 

© istockphoto / stephen finn 

Photos this section © istockphoto /dori o’connell, nick schlax, andrzej burak, matthew hertel, and dmitriy tereschenko 

She’s the spitting image of her dad. He’s his father’s son. 

When someone looks like his or her dad, we love to pull 

out every available cliché to describe the situation. 

Sure, those phrases are trite and overused, but there’s a bit of truth 

in them. You tend to take on the characteristics and mannerisms of 

the important people in your life, dads included. You’re a testimony 

to your father because your life and the way you live it say something 

about Him. 

God hasn’t left us to figure out what He’s like all on our own. He 

sent His own testimony of Himself into the world in the form of 

Jesus, His Son. Jesus, the Son of God and the second Person of the 

Trinity, lived on this earth, facing the same fears, trials, and temptations 

we face. And He lived to tell His Father’s story. Most of all, He 

lived out His Father’s love. 

Jesus is the eternal God. He is His Father’s Son, and therefore, 

loves you even when you fail. He is the Messiah, the Son of the living 

God, the One who makes an eternal difference. Does He make an 

eternal difference in your life? Are you your Father’s child? 


weekend > 7/12 

Do you 

know him? 

He is the image of 

the invisible God, the 

firstborn over all creation. 

—Colossians 1:15 

Read Colossians 1:15-17. 

when you hear someone 

mention the name “Jesus,” 

what comes to mind? A baby in a 

manger? Or maybe just a religious 

feeling? Regardless of who you are, it 

is crucial that you figure out who this 

Jesus is. Your forgiveness, joy, and 

eternity are at stake. The good news 

is that God’s Word gives us a clear 

answer. 

In Colossians 1:15 we learn that 

Jesus Christ is the very image of God, 

showing us exactly what God is like. 

In fact, He is the divine Son of God 

who came in the flesh. It may surprise 

you to learn that everything in the 

universe was created through Him 

and for Him. Even now, the world 

holds together because of the living 

Lord Jesus. Mountains, oceans, and 

all people were created for the glory 

of Jesus Christ. 

Some people claim to know God 

and love Him while rejecting Jesus. 

Our passage makes it clear that 

this is not possible because God has 

revealed Himself perfectly in the 

person of His Son. The Father not 

only created and sustains the world 

through Jesus, but He also saves 

sinners through Him. The Son of 

God became a Man in order to save 

people like us who deserve God’s 

punishment. 

Amazingly, Jesus Christ, the 

Creator and Lord of the universe, died 

for our sins on a cruel cross and rose 

from the dead that we might have life. 

This is the Jesus of the Bible. Do you 

know Him? 

You have to let 

Jesus be Lord 

of your life. 

It’s a decision 

YOU have to 

make. 

1 

monday > 7/13 

Is He at the center of your life? 

whom do you look up to in our culture? Do you often wish that others 

thought more highly of you? What do you think that says about your heart? 

Read Colossians 1:18-23 and look closely at verse 18. 

He is also the head of the 

body, the church; He is the 

beginning, the firstborn 

from the dead, so that 

He might come to have 

first place in everything. 

—Colossians 1:18 

What does it mean that Jesus is to 

have the “first place in everything” 

(Col. 1:18)? 

What does it mean that all of God’s 

fullness dwells in Jesus? 

What does it say about the 

greatness and worth of Jesus’ 

sacrifice in light of the fact that He 

is fully God? 

Does He have first place in everything in your life? Why or why not? 

Our culture tells us constantly that the way to happiness and meaning in life is 

to have better self-esteem. After all, they say, you need to learn to love yourself 

because it is all about you. This may sound appealing, but it completely goes 

against God’s design. No wonder it leaves us so empty in the end. 

God has designed creation so that His Son, Jesus Christ, would have first 

place in all things. This makes sense, for Jesus is fully God. The simple truth: 

God never intended for us to be the center of the universe. When we get a 

glimpse of His glory, we begin to realize how unworthy and sinful we are. Yet, in 

His grace, God has provided the way for us to be forgiven of our sins because of 

Jesus’ great sacrifice on the cross. Everything we need in life is found in Him, for 

He is Lord of all. 

So what does that mean for your daily life? If Jesus is Lord of everything in 

this world, He is Lord of your life—all the drama, decisions, dreams, fears, and 

doubts. But you have to let Him be Lord of your life. Have you submitted to 

Jesus as Lord? 

2 

tuesday > 7/14 

Here’s how to get a life. 

why do you think some students live to get a “rush” from things like 

drugs, adventure, and relationships with the opposite sex? Do you think 

these things will bring true and lasting pleasure? Where do you look in life for 

true enjoyment and fulfillment? 

Life was in Him, and that 

life was the light of men. 

—John 1:4 

Read John 1:1-5. What does verse 4 

mean to you? 

Who is the Word in these verses? 

How was He involved in creation 

according to verse 3? 

According to these verses, what is life? From where does it come? 

Who gives it? 

Does it surprise you that physical and spiritual life come from the Word 

of God? Why or why not? 

Where have you found yourself searching for life other than from Christ? 

Do you love the latest thing in technology? You will soon discover that you are 

fighting a losing battle. Just when you think an iPod ® could not possibly hold any 

more songs, they come out with a new one that holds twice as many. Your iPod 

then becomes an ancient artifact. Many people take this same approach to life. 

Because of our sinful nature, we are always looking for something or 

someone other than God to satisfy us. You’ve seen it in yourself and your 

friends, in that constant search for meaning through money, sex, popularity, 

whatever. But the One who created us offers true life. 

Jesus is referred to as the Word of God in today’s passage, and it is through 

Him that God created the world. Both our physical and spiritual lives depend on 

Him. Other things may offer us a short-lived sense of security and excitement, 

but eternal life comes only through Jesus Christ. Only He truly satisfies us 

forever. 

3 


wednesday > 7/15 

He’s Got 

power. 

when was the last time 

you went to the doctor? Have 

you ever felt like you needed more 

than physical healing? Does it ever 

seem like no one can handle all the 

problems that overwhelm your life? 

So that what was spoken 

through the prophet 

Isaiah might be fulfilled: 

“He Himself took our 

weaknesses and carried our 

diseases.” —Matthew 8:17 

Read Matthew 8:14-17. Reflect on 

verse 17. 

What does this passage teach you 

about Jesus’ attitude toward those 

who are physically sick? Toward 

those who are spiritually sick? 

What does this episode in Jesus’ 

ministry tell us about His mercy and 

His power? 

Is there a sin in your life that seems 

too great for Jesus to overcome? 

How does this passage speak to that? 

It is rare that we see someone who is 

both powerful and merciful. But this 

is exactly what we see in Jesus Christ. 

Matthew 8:17 refers to Isaiah 53:4, an 

Old Testament prophecy about a man 

to come who would take upon Himself 

the sickness and sin of His people. This 

prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. 

In Matthew 8:14-17, the situation 

surely seemed grim. However, Jesus’ 

healing touch was more than just a 

“hang-in-there” pat on the back. It was 

a touch of divine mercy and power. 

In fact, the woman was completely 

and instantly healed! Jesus Christ 

has power and authority over all of 

creation, but His greatness does not 

mean that we are insignificant to Him. 

He cares for the weak and sinful. He 

has the power to deal with sickness— 

physical and spiritual. He can free us 

from the spiritual effects of our sin. 

True satisfaction is in Christ alone. 



“Jesus is God spelling Himself out 

in language 

that men can understand.” 

—S.d. Gordon 

5 

Friday > 7/17 

Jesus did it 

on purpose. 

How would you answer if 

someone asked you about your 

purpose on earth? What about Jesus— 

what was His purpose on earth? Does 

it affect yours? How so? 

“For the Son of Man has 

come to seek and to save 

the lost.” —Luke 19:10 

Don’t you understand? 

Jesus came for you! 

4 

Jesus came for you. Trust that. 


It’s not a popularity contest. 

when was the last time you visited a hospital? How would you describe 

your emotions in light of what you saw? What do you think would lead 

someone to work in such an environment? 

When Jesus heard this, He told them, “Those who are 

well don’t need a doctor, but the sick do need one. I didn’t 

come to call the righteous, but sinners.” —Mark 2:17 

Read Mark 2:13-17 and contemplate what Jesus said in verse 17. 

Who were the people Jesus spent time with in these verses? Why is that 

important? What does it say about His attitude toward us? 

Who are the “sick” ones Jesus referred to in verse 17? 

Why was it surprising that Jesus called on Levi to follow Him? 

Do you see yourself as sick or well? Why is it better to admit our sickness? 

Do you regularly confess your sins to God, asking for His mercy and 

forgiveness and admitting your need for Him? 

Those who are privileged to grow up with Christian parents in Christian 

churches often forget the truth taught in today’s lesson. If we have received 

salvation through Jesus Christ, we need to remember that we have done nothing 

to deserve it. In fact, Jesus came to us because we were sick and sinful. He came 

because we needed healing and forgiveness. 

Every person on earth needs one thing from Jesus—mercy. Remembering 

this should keep Christians humble and grateful. We should see non-Christians 

with compassion, since we are dependent on the same mercy. Jesus did not only 

come for people who are moral, popular, athletic, or smart, for there is no one 

who is righteous (Rom. 3:10). He came to show His love and His mercy to sinners 

like us, no matter what our background. He reaches out to the least deserving— 

to the people like us, like you. He loves you. It doesn’t matter who you are or 

what you’ve done. 

Read Luke 19:1-10, stopping to think 

about verse 10. 

Why was it a big deal that Jesus 

spent time with Zacchaeus, 

a tax collector? 

Do you know people who seem 

unlikely to be saved? How would 

you use this passage to counsel a 

friend who feels too sinful to 

follow Jesus? 

What was Jesus’ purpose in coming 

to earth? 

Why is it important that Jesus 

stayed focused on His purpose? 

Jesus never ceases to amaze us in the 

way He interacted with people. He 

refused to let the world influence the 

way He acted. In today’s passage, the 

crowd complained when Jesus went 

to stay with a sinful tax collector. 

After all, why would Jesus associate 

with someone who got his money by 

cheating others? 

The fact of the matter is that we 

are just like Zacchaeus. While we 

may not be rich or cheat people out 

of money, we too have sin that needs 

to be forgiven. As sinners, all of us 

need the salvation that only Jesus 

gives. He knows the particular sins in 

our own lives, yet He extends grace. 

After we receive this grace, we should 

feel compelled to extend it to others. 

The good news is that no matter how 

sinful and lost a person may be, Jesus 

came “to seek and to save the lost” 

(Luke 19:10). And His purpose is now 

our purpose. 



fun miscellaneous 

journal: Week of July 12 

His Father’s Son 

Going Deeper 

Build on what you have learned 

this week by reading the 

following passages: 

John 17:1-3 

Isaiah 53:1-12 

Philippians 2:5-11 

1 Timothy 1:12-17 


& questions: 

statue of andrew jackson in jackson square, new orleans © istockphoto 

The War of 1812 

actually ended 

in 1815. Andrew 

Jackson became 

an American 

hero during the 

war when he led 

troops to victory 

in New Orleans. 

© istockphoto / david h. lewis 

Betsy Ross: Fact or Fiction? 

Some historians doubt her role in creating the first 

flag; others say it’s true. We may never know the full 

story. Consider what we do know: 

She did sew a flag. Betsy Ross was a 

seamstress in Philadelphia. Legend and affidavits 

from her family say that she was visited by a small 

flag committee (including George Washington) in 

June 1776 and asked to sew the nation’s flag. No 

invoices or concrete proof exist, but we do know 

from records that were maintained that Ross did 

indeed sew flags during that time period. 

Congress didn’t adopt a flag until 

later. An official flag design wasn’t adopted until 

July 1777, but the wording of that resolution is very 

unspecific. It appears that Congress was adopting a 

design already recognized as the national symbol. 

For more info on the debate, visit http://www. 

ushistory.org/betsy/index.html. 

Known > 7/18 

Jesus. For many of us, He may be the Person of the Trinity to whom we 

find easiest to relate. He knows what it’s like to be human, to walk on this 

earth and dream, hope, plan, and doubt. He is the only way to salvation 

and, sometimes, we find ourselves believing our own misconceptions 

about Christ. So, what misconceptions have this week’s devotions 

revealed to you? How have this week’s lessons caused you to think 

differently about Jesus? 

How might your new understanding affect the way you share the gospel 

with others? How will this affect the way you relate to Jesus? 

What things in your life have you failed to submit to the Lordship of 

Jesus Christ? What steps will you take to submit them this week? 

How will you respond when others claim that Jesus was only a good 

moral teacher? What passages from this week assure us that He is so 

much more? 

How have you allowed the idea that you must somehow earn Jesus’ 

love and affection to creep into your relationship with Him? What steps 

will you take this week to rest in His grace and trust Him at His word? 

? 

To have a relationship with someone, you 

have to spend time with him or her. How 

much time do you spend with Jesus? 

Read Through 

the Bible 

If you want a deeper 

relationship with Christ, a good 

way to start is by reading His 

Word. Follow our suggestions 

and you’ll read through the 

Bible in a year. 

• Nehemiah 7–Job 3 

• Acts 7–10:48 

Playlist facts about freedom songs 

Song: “God Bless America” 

Written: in 1918 by Irving Berlin and revised by him in 1938 

Facts: Known as the unofficial national anthem, “God Bless America” 

is a prayerful song often sung at sporting events and has gained in 

popularity since the tragedy of September 11, 2001. Berlin, who was 

Jewish, wrote the song while serving in the U.S. Army. He decided to 

give royalties from the song to a fund called The God Bless America 

Fund, which in turn distributed the money to the Boy Scouts and 

Girl Scouts. The song was first performed by singer Kate Smith on 

Armistice Day 1938, and quickly became her signature song. Berlin’s 

song is sometimes preferred over the more musically complex “Star-Spangled Banner.” 

Song: “The Star-Spangled Banner” 

written: in 1814 (as a poem) by Francis Scott Key 

Facts: Key wrote his poem during the Battle of Baltimore in 1814, a 

key battle in the War of 1812. Key, a lawyer, had been working with the 

British for the release of a prisoner. He was successful, but the British 

feared Key had heard their battle plans, and forced him and others 

to wait out the bombardment aboard a ship downstream from Fort 

McHenry, where the battle raged. When he saw the American flag 

flying proudly above the fort on the morning of September 14, 1814, he 

knew that America had not surrendered. He wrote the poem on an envelope in his pocket! 

Song: “America the Beautiful” 

Written: in 1893 by Katharine Lee Bates 

Facts: Bates was an English professor at Wellesley College. In 1893, 

she took a train out to Colorado Springs, Colo., to teach a summer 

school session. As she rode from the East Coast to Colorado, the 

sights inspired her. She wrote a poem about everything she saw, and 

it was first published in 1895. The preferred tune is one written by 

Samuel Ward and published as a hymn called “Materna.” That tune 

was first applied to Bates’ poem in 1904. Ward had passed away in 

1903, though, so he never knew the renown his music would one day achieve. Many have 

lobbied Congress to elevate the song to the status of national hymn or even to serve as the 

national anthem, equal to or in place of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” 

If you’re a baseball 

fan, you’re probably 

gearing up for the 

MLB’s All Star game. 

This year, the 80th 

All Star game will 

be played at Busch 

Stadium in St. Louis, 

Mo., on July 14. This 

will be the fifth time 

the game has been 

played in St. Louis, 

though the last time 

was in 1966 the 

first season that the 

Cardinals played in old 

Busch Stadium. Will 

your favorite baseball 

player be among the 

All Stars? Let’s hope! 

26 | jul 2009 ec magazine ec magazine jul 2009 | 27 

© istockphoto / valerie loiseleux

photos by 

Scott Greenwalt 

Living in 

Community 


Go back in time to the year A.D. 420. A Syrian monk 

at that time decided to live out his faith in God by 

isolating himself from the rest of the world. Other people 

have done this throughout history; we refer to them as 

hermits. But Simeon—who became known as Saint 

Simeon Stylites or Simeon the elder—took the idea of 

isolation to what we might call the extreme. 

He chose to live away from people, perched atop a 

pillar, at first 6 feet tall, later extended to about 50 feet. 

There he resided for 39 years, exposed to the weather, 

sitting or standing in a small space where only a railing 

prevented him from falling to his death. His only access 

to the world around him was a ladder, which his followers 

used to bring him just enough food to survive. 1 

Reflecting on the way Simeon lived his life, you’ve 

got to admire his discipline and self-denial. This guy 

took his faith seriously and sacrificed radically to show 

his dedication to God. Still, you have to wonder if his 

extreme devotion was a little misguided. His example 

raises the question, “Does God really intend for His 

people to live unto themselves, all alone?” The words of 

Scripture indicate otherwise. 


uilding 

community 

in your life: 

• Get involved in 

a church. We’re 

not talking about 

getting your name 

on the membership 

list. We’re talking 

about serving, 

getting to know 

people, and 

getting involved 

in ministry. You 

cannot read the 

New Testament and 

come away with 

the idea that being 

an active part of a 

church body is not 

important. It is! 

(continued on page 29.) 

God’s Design 

for Us: 

Community 

Nineteenth-century 

poet John Donne 

famously wrote, “No 

man is an island.” 

He went on to 

describe people as 

parts of a continent, 

all interconnected. 

Just as Europe 

becomes smaller 

when a mere clod of 

its land washes out 

to sea, so each of us 

is diminished, he 

said, by the death of 

any individual. We 

are part of the whole 

and belong to each 

other. 2 

This analogy 

accurately portrays 

God’s intent for 

His people. From 

the moment God 

created the first 

man, He declared, 

“It is not good 

for the man to be 

alone” (Gen. 2:18). 

Even God 

Himself is one in 

three. The three Persons of the Trinity— 

God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy 

Spirit—exist in relationship with one another. 

Made in His image, we too are meant to live 

in relationship with others. Before His death, 

Jesus prayed for His followers that they might 

be one as He and the Father are one (John 

17:11). 

The Old Testament Book of Ecclesiastes 

echoes the idea that people need each other. 

Ecclesiastes 4:9-11 says: “Two are better than 

one because they have a good reward for their 

efforts. For if either falls, his companion can 

lift him up; but pity the one who falls without 

another to lift him up. Also, if two lie down 

together, they can keep warm; but how can 

one person alone keep warm?” 

This concept of living in community with 

others, particularly with other believers, is 

fleshed out in New Testament teachings about 

how Christians make up the body of Christ. 

Like the various parts of our physical bodies, 

we are interdependent; we need each other 

(1 Cor. 12:12-26). We are to be concerned for 

each other. When one of us suffers, that suffering 

should bring pain to the rest. When 

one of us receives some honor, everyone in the 

body should be glad about it. 

Within the body, we all have different spiritual 

gifts, like teaching, preaching, or serving, 

to name a few. These are given by God so His 

people can work together to build up the body 

of Christ (Eph. 4:11-13). As members of Christ’s 

body, we are instructed to love one another 

deeply and to serve one another (1 Pet. 1:22; 

4:8-10), to carry each others’ burdens and to 

help those caught in sin (Gal. 6:1-2). God’s 

design for the community of believers is that 

we be a support network, an accountability 

system, a team, and a family. His intention is 

that we do life together, not alone. 

What Community Looks Like: 

Sharing 

During the 1960s, a phenomenon of 

American culture was the commune. In communes, 

people (your grandparents call them 

hippies) lived together in groups, sharing all 

their resources. Their way of life was aimed 

at rejecting materialism and getting back to 

nature. 3 

But communes neither originated nor 

ended with hippies. They have been present 

throughout history in different cultures, and 

there was an element of communal life in the 

early church. Acts 2:42-47 describes the early 

church life as one in which members held 

their possessions in common, sharing with 

one another and selling what they owned to 

help those among them in need. They met 

together daily for meals, fellowship, teaching, 

and prayer. 

Living in community with other believers 

today doesn’t necessarily mean sharing all 

property. But it certainly does demand a 

willingness to share with those among us in 

need. It also involves hospitality—opening 

not just our homes but our hearts and lives to 

one another. That means being transparent, 

or real, with others, sharing and caring about 

what’s going on in our lives. 

Living in community also means being 

inclusive. Galatians 3:27-28 says, “For as many 

of you as have been baptized into Christ have 

put on Christ. There is no Jew or Greek, slave 

or free, male or female; for you are all one in 

Christ Jesus.” God welcomes all who receive 

Christ into His family. No one is excluded, 

and no one is inferior. The community of 

God’s family is not a private club, and it is not 

designed to be divided into cliques. 

In an article for Brio magazine, Christian 

singer/songwriter Brandon Heath talked, 

among other things, about his own experience 

of living in community with other Christians. 

When seven guys moved next door to him, 

Brandon and his new neighbors started a 

community of sorts on their block by holding 

a Wednesday night group. They started 

working together to serve their neighborhood. 

What began as a small group attracted others 

and grew to the point that it became difficult 

to find a parking spot on Brandon’s street. 

Asked to describe what true community 

is, Brandon replied: “True community is 

being broken in front of each other and realizing 

how equally we need Jesus. Hearing 

what Jesus is doing in each other’s lives is 

so encouraging. Real community is serving 

together, being humble together, serving each 

other, and being available. I think it’s providing 

for the needs of others, period.” 4 

Where Community Begins: 

You 

If you are a believer, you’re part of God’s 

family and a member of the Christian community. 

There’s more to doing life together 

than just putting your name on the roll at your 

local church. Meeting regularly with other 

believers for worship and fellowship is part 

of living in community. Hebrews 10:25 urges 

Christians not to give up meeting together 

but rather to encourage one another more and 

more as the day of Jesus’ return approaches. 

Living in community also means working 

to build relationships with other Christians 

outside of regular meeting times. Connecting 

with others this way doesn’t just happen 

by itself. You can’t always wait for others to 

approach you to initiate relationships. The 

person who lives out his or her faith in community 

is one who reaches out to others. That 

could mean asking someone new at church 

to hang out with you or it could mean sharing 

what’s hurting you with your Sunday School 

class instead of trying to carry that burden 

alone. 

Living in community means you recognize 

that you belong to a body that includes 

all believers—those of different cultures, 

races, denominations, and so forth. Your 

community reaches across the globe to 

believers in Africa and India and China; 

Living in community 

means you recognize that 

you belong to a body that 

includes all believers. 

so should your concern. It means you 

understand your connection to believers 

of all ages in your own church and live in 

relationship to them, treating all with respect 

and compassion. That might mean you take 

time to stop and speak to an elderly gentleman 

sitting alone at church or volunteer to 

help care for the kids in the nursery. Living 

in community means you keep your circle of 

friends open, rejecting cliques and inviting in 

newcomers. 

It’s been said that this life is just a dress rehearsal 

for the main event, which is spending 

eternity with God in heaven. Our time here on 

earth is miniscule compared to the never-ending 

existence we will enjoy after this life. 

But consider this: heaven will not be a 

lonely, isolated place. The Bible describes it 

as a home where throngs of believers from 

the whole world throughout human history 

will live together united by our love for and 

worship of God. It only makes sense then, if 

we are going to spend all of eternity together 

with other Christians, that we learn to live in 

community with them here on earth. Once we 

learn to give and receive encouragement, work 

together for a common purpose, and share 

our joys and sorrows by living in community, 

we may feel that we’ve found a little bit of 

heaven . . . right here on earth. ec 

Sources: 

1. “Saint Simeon Stylites,” Encyclopedia Britannica 

[online], cited 6 February 2009. Available from the 

Internet: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/ 

topic/545077/Saint-Simeon-Stylites. 

2. John Donne, “XVII. Meditation,” The Literature 

Network [online], cited 6 February 2009. Available 

from the Internet: http://www.online-literature.com/ 

donne/409/. 

3. Judy Keen, “Thriving communes no haven for 

‘deadbeats,’” USA Today [online], 29 August 2007 

[cited 6 February 2009]. Available from the Internet: 

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-08-28- 

communes_N.htm. 

4. Gina Rossing, “From Songwriter to Singer,” Brio 

Magazine [online], 2006 [cited 6 February 2009]. 

Available from the Internet: http://www.briomag. 

com/briomagazine/entertainment/a0007123.html. 

• Find a community 

group at church. 

It may be your 

Sunday School 

class or a small 

group sponsored 

by the church. It 

may be people who 

speak God’s truth 

into your life. Share 

life together and 

make an effort. 

• Community 

isn’t just a church 

thing. God has left 

us in the world 

for a reason, and 

often, the best 

way for people to 

come to faith in 

Christ is through 

relationships with 

those of us who 

profess Him as 

Lord and Savior 

and actually live 

out our faith. Your 

whole life, not just 

one little part of 

it, should be about 

serving God and 

bringing glory to 

Him. 


Community Q&A 


week of July 19 

Counselor 


NICK: If I didn’t have those relationships, 

I would probably get in trouble 

a lot more at school. They provide an 

example for me. Even if there are kids at 

my school who don’t do the right thing, 

the people at my church help me out 

and show me what I should be doing. 

They have a positive influence on me. 

Nick is an eighth grader in Raleigh, N.C., who attends public school. 

He knows very few professing Christians in his school but has found 

community in connecting with other believers in his church. Nick 

has attended church all his life. He became a Christian when he was 

7 years old. Here’s what he said about what it means to him to live 

in community when ec magazine writer Jennifer Denning recently 

took the opportunity to talk with him. 

JD: Nick, what are some ways you 

connect with other believers? 

NICK: My church is small, and so is 

my youth group. Because our church 

is small, I’ve gotten to know everyone 

there pretty well. I have relationships 

not only with other teenagers but also 

with adults as well as kids younger than 

me. I’ve gotten to know a lot of the 

adults by going out to eat with them 

after church and talking to them. I can 

relate to them a lot because the things 

they talk about I like to talk about, too. 

With the kids younger than me, I have 

already been where they are now, so I 

can understand them. 

JD: Why is it important to you to 

have close relationships with other 

Christians? How would your life be 

different if you didn’t have those 

relationships? 

© istockphoto / jacob wackerhausen 

JD: Give an example of how have other 

believers have helped you. 

NICK: When my grandfather died last 

year, my youth leader encouraged me 

and helped me get through it. He came 

to visit me and attended the funeral. He 

talked to me about it at youth group. 

Also, another leader at my church took 

some of us young people through a 

video series about the creationist theory 

of the earth’s origin and taught us about 

apologetics [defending our faith]. It 

really prepared me for all the teaching 

of science material that conflicts with 

my faith at school. It helped me stand 

up for what I believe at school. 

JD: How have you helped other 

believers in your community? Can you 

give an example? 

NICK: A friend in my youth group also 

lost one of her grandparents this past 

year. When my friend’s grandmother 

died, I tried to comfort her. 

JD: What advice would you give to a 

teen who wants to connect with other 

believers but doesn’t know how? What 

could that person do to build solid relationships 

with fellow Christians? 

NICK: Try to connect with people and 

work to become friends with people at 

your church. Just be yourself and don’t 

try to be all good and different just 

because you’re at church. If you do that, 

people will grow to know you as someone 

you aren’t really. ec 

Photos this section: © istockphoto / juan estey, tania oloy, viorika prikhodko, gina addison, & brandon laufenberg 

Guidance counselor. Career counselor. Substance 

abuse counselor. 

You live in a society that is always seeking counsel. When 

we don’t know what to do, we turn to our “counselors”— 

friends, family, and sometimes, professional therapists. 

We want to know what to do or how to fix the problem. At times, 

you just want someone who will listen and counsel—a guide, adviser, 

mentor, that person who will help you figure out what to do and 

discuss what the next step is. 

A good counselor, though, doesn’t just tell you what to do. A good 

counselor helps to shed light on the problem and guides you to 

the right decision. The best counselors don’t leave you alone in the 

situation, but they also don’t coddle you. They guide, but you have to 

be willing to make the effort. 

Life is hard. But God didn’t leave us alone in the middle of this 

messy life. As believers, we have the Holy Spirit, our Guide and Counselor. 

If you are a believer, God’s own Spirit lives within you, guiding 

you, giving you wisdom and power, and lighting the steps of your life. 

It’s the Holy Spirit that enables you to do God’s work. The Holy Spirit is 

at work in your daily life as your Guide, your Friend, your Counselor. 


Weekend > 7/19 

Streams 

of living 

water 

f 

“The one who believes in 

Me, as the Scripture has 

said, will have streams 

of living water flow from 

deep within him.” 

—John 7:38 

Read John 7:37-39. 

In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy 

searches the land of Oz tirelessly 

for the wizard, whom she hopes will 

help her get home. When the wizard 

proves to be a phony, Dorothy sobs 

desperately, fearing she will never get 

home. Only then does she discover 

that she has had the power to get 

home all along. 

However, it isn’t Dorothy who 

has the power; it’s her red shoes. 

Discovering this truth, she smiles 

serenely and clicks her heels together, 

uttering those famous words, “There’s 

no place like home.” 

Sometimes, we act just like Dorothy. 

We search tirelessly for something to 

take away the dry and empty feeling 

inside, but we can’t find anything to 

satisfy us. Good grades, a new car, or 

going on our dream date don’t change 

the way we feel. We may even begin 

to feel desperate, thinking our soul’s 

thirstiness will never be quenched. 

If we’re Christians, we don’t 

need to look any further than inside 

ourselves for streams of living water 

to quench our spiritual thirst. No, we 

don’t possess these streams ourselves 

any more than Dorothy possessed 

the power to get herself home. The 

Holy Spirit, who lives inside us, causes 

streams of living water to flow from 

deep within us. The living water we so 

desperately crave has already been 

given to us. 

Jesus has sent the Helper, the 

Counselor, the Holy Spirit Himself to 

live within us and give us everything we 

need. When we drink of His living water, 

we never have to be thirsty again. 

1 

O 

Monday > 7/20 

Sometimes, you don’t 

have to say anything. 

have you ever had a conversation that left you speechless? Perhaps 

someone said something so incredibly rude that you couldn’t believe 

what you just heard. Maybe you received the terrible news that someone you 

loved had just died. Whatever it was, you had no comeback. You might not have 

even been able to think straight, let alone push intelligible words out of your 

mouth. 

Sometimes, you might feel like that when you pray. During those times, the 

Holy Spirit is faithfully bringing your deepest pains before the Father. And He 

isn’t using words, either. 

In the same way the Spirit also joins to help in our 

weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as 

we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with 

unspoken groanings. —Romans 8:26 

Read Romans 8:12-27 and spend extra time considering verse 26. 

What does the author, Paul, think about our present sufferings? 

Do you agree with him? Why or why not? 

What do you think is the weakness Paul refers to in verse 26? 

Do you ever lack the words to pray? When? 

How does it make you feel to know that even when you don’t know how to 

approach God, you are still being prayed for by God Himself? 

You don’t have to get it all together to come to God. You don’t have to sound 

spiritual or use big words. You don’t even have to use words at all. It is perfectly 

fine to just sit before God and sob or simply utter that amazingly powerful 

word—help. In those moments, the Holy Spirit brings our painful, hopeless 

situation before the Father, praying in ways deeper than we can imagine, always 

perfectly aligned with God’s will. Our God is completely faithful, not only to hear 

our prayers, but to actually voice them for us in our times of need. 

When you 

can’t say 

the words, the 

Holy Spirit 

can. Let Him. 


“I believe in the surprises of the Holy Spirit.” 

—L.J. Suenens 

Be 

surprised. 


2 

Tuesday > 7/21 

You are 

not alone. 

It had been an amazing ride for 

the disciples, spending every day 

with Jesus. They’d hung out together, 

witnessed amazing miracles, and 

reveled in the pleasure of asking 

Jesus anything they wanted to know. 

Then, Jesus told them He was going 

back to the Father. This was actually 

going to be a good thing, though, 

because the Holy Spirit was coming. 

The Holy Spirit, whom they couldn’t 

see or touch. The disciples had to be 

longing to keep Jesus with them, but 

it wouldn’t happen. But it would be 

for their benefit, or so Jesus said. 

Read John 16:5-11. Ponder verse 8. 

Why will the Counselor convict 

the world about sin? About 

righteousness? Judgment? 

How have you experienced each of 

these convictions in your life? 

How would Jesus’ absence benefit 

the disciples? 

Why do you think Jesus considers 

having the Spirit a benefit? 

Has God ever allowed a blessing to 

be taken from you, only to replace 

it with something better? How did 

it affect your relationship with 

Him? 

“When He comes, He will 

convict the world about 

sin, righteousness, and 

judgment.” —John 16:8 

When the Holy Spirit lives within us, 

we get to have a one-on-one running 

conversation with God. No one else’s 

prayers ever interrupt ours. We have 

a personal mentor to explain God’s 

Word to us, and when we step out 

of His will, He immediately lets us 

know. He continues to keep us in 

check, not because He’s out to get us, 

but because He loves us and wants a 

healthy, growing relationship with us. 

3 

The Holy Spirit wants to talk to 

you. Are you listening? 


You can hear him now. 

Remember playing “GOSSIP” when you were a kid? Usually, the end 

result was so different from the original message that it was barely 

recognizable because someone paraphrased, couldn’t remember what they’d 

been told, or just made up another message to be funny. 

The Holy Spirit passes messages from God the Father to us, but He never gets 

them wrong or changes them around just to mess with us. When He speaks to 

our hearts, we can be sure we’re hearing exactly what the Father intends to say 

to us. 

“When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into 

all the truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He 

will speak whatever He hears. He will also declare to 

you what is to come.” —John 16:13 

Read John 16:12-15 and focus on verse 13. 

What will the Spirit of truth do when He comes? 

How do you think this happens? 

How will the Spirit glorify the Father? 

What truth has the Holy Spirit given you from the Father recently? 

The next time you open God’s Word, sit through a sermon at church, or even 

listen to your favorite music, ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand God’s 

truth. He never intended for you to have to figure it out on your own. You have 

your own personal tutor available every moment of the day, but you can choose 

whether or not to call for His help or pay attention to His voice. 

It can be frustrating and confusing trying to recognize the Holy’s Spirit’s 

voice, but don’t give up. Ask Him to help you hear Him better. And keep 

practicing. The closer you pay attention and the longer you listen, the better 

you will become at identifying His voice. He wants you to recognize it. He wants 

to talk with you. 

4 

How can you use your gifts for God? 


You have gifts. Use them. 

What are you really good at? You’ve probably heard that God gave 

you that talent or ability, but if you are a Christian, there’s more. God has 

given you at least one special gift for the purpose of benefiting the church. Just 

like how only your fingers know exactly where to scratch that itch on your head 

or how your nose is vital to breathing in the air your body needs to survive, the 

gift(s) given to you help out the church, the body of Christ, in a unique way. 

Read 1 Corinthians 12:4-7, stopping to read verse 7 aloud a few times. 

From where do believers’ gifts come? Are there any exceptions? 

For what purpose does God give 

A manifestation of the 

Spirit is given to each 

person to produce what 

is beneficial. 

—1 Corinthians 12:7 

What special ability has God given you? 

How can you use that ability to benefit the church? 

gifts to believers? 

How do you honestly feel about 

believers who are really different 

from you? What might need to 

change about your attitude toward 

others? 

What does God say about these 

people and their gifts? 

Do you know how God has gifted you? The same Holy Spirit who prays for you 

with groaning too deep for words, the Spirit who knows you better than you know 

yourself, has personally placed something in you. It’s alright if you haven’t figured 

out what that is yet, but it’s not too early to begin trying. Check out some different 

places to serve in your church. Make a list of things you’re good at and like to do. 

Ask people who know you well what gifts they see in you. Above all, pray. Ask God 

to help you discover what special gifts He has placed within you for the benefit of 

the church. 

5 


Friday > 7/24 

Speak up! 

If you were invited to a Bible 

study where you thought the Holy 

Spirit would show up in a powerful 

way, would you go? Some people 

wouldn’t want to miss it, while others 

would stay away at all costs. Perhaps 

they’re afraid, or they doubt that the 

Holy Spirit’s power is alive and active. 

What do you think? What happens 

when He shows up? 

When they had prayed, 

the place where they were 

assembled was shaken, 

and they were all filled 

with the Holy Spirit and 

began to speak God’s 

message with boldness. 

—Acts 4:31 

Read Acts 4:29-31. Consider how 

you would have felt had you been 

present in verse 31. 

What were the threats these 

Christians faced? Look over Acts 4 

if you’re not sure. 

What threats, either real or 

imagined, keep you from speaking 

about Jesus boldly? 

How did these Christians respond 

to the threats they faced (v. 29)? 

Why do you think they didn’t ask 

God to remove the threats? 

How do you think they knew the 

Holy Spirit had come upon them? 

Does this sound scary to you? Why 

or why not? 

Perhaps you’re in a difficult situation 

at home or school. You might be 

tempted to ask God to take you out 

of it. Sometimes, that does need to 

happen, but perhaps God wants to 

give you strength, through His Spirit, 

to speak about Jesus boldly in the 

midst of difficulty. He just might 

change the lives of those around you 

through the bold words He empowers 

you to speak. Next time you find 

your faith threatened, ask Him for 

boldness to speak His truth. 



Counselor 

 


life in your own words 

Known> 7/25 

you’ve spent this week learning about the third Person of the Trinity, 

the Holy Spirit. Frankly, the Holy Spirit is often the most ignored member 

of the Trinity, since He is by nature mysterious and difficult for us to 

understand. But the Holy Spirit is real and a daily part of your life if you 

are a Christian. So how do you become more attentive to His leading in 

your life? How can this week’s truths about the Holy Spirit affect your life? 

Think about your response to the Holy Spirit. Do you ignore Him? Do 

you appreciate Him? Do you understand Him? Do you obey Him? Do you 

know Him? 

What is something that still doesn’t make sense to you about the Holy 

Spirit? Do you have to understand every last thing to believe? 

Make a list of times when you personally experienced the Holy Spirit’s 

presence. Perhaps He comforted you, caused God’s Word to come alive, 

or gave you boldness to speak God’s message in a difficult situation. 

Write out a prayer thanking the Holy Spirit for His intimate presence in 

your life. 

Going 

Deeper 

To learn more about 

the Holy Spirit, read the 

following: 

Luke 12:11-12 

John 14:25-26 

Acts 1:8 

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 



 

The Holy Spirit isn’t just your 

conscience. He is God in you. 

Pay attention when He speaks. 


& questions: 

Read Through 

the Bible 

One of the ways the Holy 

Spirit helps us grow in faith 

is to open our understanding 

of Scripture. Let Him work 

in your life as you read 

God’s Word. Follow our 

suggestions, and you’ll read 

through the Bible in one year. 

• Job 4–28 

• Acts 11–16:15 

Jesus died for you and me; 

Jesus died so we could be free. 

© istockphoto / jill fromer 

Forever 

Friend 

By Sheryl Pang• via e-mail 

Best friends come and go, 

but Jesus stays, this I know. 

He is there when you don't 

understand. 

Put Him down and blame Him; 

Firm will He stand. 

He loves you beyond all compare, 

even when you are unfair. 

Jesus will never leave nor 

forsake; 

His love for you will never shake. 

Jesus died for you and me; 

Jesus died so we could be free. 

I don't deserve Him, no one does. 

He will always love all of us. 

Never let the Devil break you 

down. 

Just remember who wore that 

crown. 

Lay your crown at His feet. 

Jesus is strong and can't be beat. 


Snippets & 

Soundbites 

By the quirky and über-talented ec team 

Fun run or Yum run? 

Ever get Hungry during your run? Just 

try the Krispy Kreme Challenge in Raleigh, N.C. 

During this race, more than 5,000 runners jog 2 miles to the 

local Krispy Kreme, eat 12 doughnuts each, and then jog back 

to North Carolina State University, where the race begins. 

And they all do it in less than an hour. Back in 2004, the event 

started as dare among some college friends. This year, the 

event raised more than $35,000 for charity. Unfortunately, the 

participants consumed more calories than they burned in this 

race. Twelve Krispy Kreme doughnuts contain 2,400 calories 

and 144 grams of fat. And running 4 miles only burns about 

400 calories. Oh, but who cares? These folks got in a run, a 

meal, and raised money for a good cause. Not a bad deal. 

Wedgies:crimefighting 

secret? 

Yes, they’re 

uncomfortable, and we 

don’t advocate you giving 

them to your little brother 

or sister. But a wedgie was 

the only thing that stopped 

a man who’d tried to break 

into a car in Salt Lake 

City, Utah. A woman saw 

him attempting to break 

into her coworker’s car 

and chased the guy. She 

caught up to him, but he 

was a squirmer who kept 

nearly getting away from 

her. That is, until she gave 

him a forceful wedgie and 

put him in a headlock. 

Needless to say, he stayed 

very still until the cops 

were able to get there and 

arrest him. We bet he’s 

regretting ever thinking 

about stealing THAT car! 

Featuring: doughnut runs, ridiculously long 

ear hair, kissing bans, crime-stopping wedgies, 

and hand-knit sweaters for balding chickens! 

5 things 

to 

remember 

this 4th of 

July: 

Don’t jump 

over lit 

fireworks 

As fun as it may 

look, it’s not smart. 

Watch the 

Mayo 

You wouldn’t want 

to get sick, so 

ask yourself (or 

your host) how 

long something’s 

been without 

refrigeration. 

Lather up 

Don’t forget the 

sunscreen! 

be Patriotic 

Fly a flag, wear red, 

white, and blue, 

paint your face, 

or whatever. Let 

people know you’re 

proud to be an 

American! 

be grateful 

You’re fortunate 

to live in the USA. 

Thank a veteran for 

his or her service 

to our country. 

You have a lot of 

freedom as an 

American citizen, 

but even more as a 

child of God! Thank 

Him for it. 

160 

The most miles 

ever run in 

24 hours on 

a treadmill. 

(Record set by 

Arulanantham 

Suresh Joachim 

in Canada.) 

As men get older, the hair on 

their heads slows its growth. 

Meanwhile, the hair in their ears 

and noses continues to grow. 

Turtle gets fake flippers 

After a shark attack left “Lu” 

the loggerhead turtle with severe 

injuries to her forelimbs, Japanese 

scientists have fitted her with new 

prosthetic ones. 

While her swimming capabilities 

are only up to 60 percent of a healthy 

turtle her size, researchers are hopeful 

about her recovery. 

Erika Akai, a researcher at the nonprofit 

Sea Turtle Association of Japan 

said, “She should eventually be able 

to lay eggs on a beach.” They’re trying 

to get her strong enough to actually 

climb up to the beach after swimming 

there. 

Mind the lip 

Kissing banned in British 

train station 

In an Effort to speed up commute 

times, couples are no longer allowed to kiss 

at the train station in Warrington, UK (about 

3.5 hours northwest of London). While the 

public thinks the new “no kissing” signs are 

a little silly, city officials say the ordinance is 

more of a reminder to not hold up the lines. 

Cut your hair! 

Radhakant Baijpai claims his 10-inch 

ear hair has brought him luck and prosperity. 

The 58-year-old Indian grocer has been 

growing out the hair in his ears since age 

18, and he has never taken scissors to the 

bushy masses protruding from his ears. 

Baijpai takes special care of his ear 

hair, washing it with a specially formulated 

herbal shampoo (aren’t we glad to hear 

that he washes it!) and making sure to not 

If you’re in England, 

don’t bother 

referring to that 

warm shirt of yours 

as a “sweater.” They 

call it a “jumper.” 

Interview? 

You? 

Yep, you read that correctly. 

We want to interview YOU! 

Here’s the deal: we love to hear 

from our readers. When we get 

to hang out with you at focus 

groups, you make us laugh, help 

us to see this world through 

your eyes, and give us reason to 

celebrate that God didn’t make 

us all with the same personalities 

and talents. 

So, we’re trying to find out more 

about our readers with the ec 

Reader Five-Minute Interview. 

We ask a few simple questions; 

you answer them. Then, we print 

them here. Look for the Reader 

Five-Minute Interview thread 

on our page on Facebook or 

check out the link on the blog at 

http://ecmagazine.blogspot.com. 

Stop by soon! 

Take your ec somewhere 

that makes you happy 

and take a picture. Then, 

send it our way. Use the 

link on our blog! 

wear rings so that he doesn’t accidentally 

catch and rip out some of the hair. 

His wife has asked him to cut the ear 

hair, but he never has. And now that he’s 

the Guinness World Record holder for 

longest ear hair, she’s quit asking him 

about it. She said she knows it’s a source of 

pride for him. But the sheer amount of hair 

protruding from this guy’s ears makes one 

wonder if he ever heard her ask him to cut 

it in the first place. 

People Are Talking 

You live in a world that tells you a lot of lies— 

about yourself, what matters, and how you should 

look or act. See what some celebs had to say about 

that recently. 

“People say, ‘It’s 

part of being 

famous,’ but I 

didn’t want that. 

I wanted to be a 

singer. I’m probably 

lying when I say that. I did want to be famous, 

but I didn’t realize what famous was. I thought 

fame just meant ‘Everyone will love me.’” 

—Lily Allen, Spin, February 2009, pg. 46. 

“I definitely took my hits, and I definitely got 

punished for the bad things I did. And you 

know what? Some of those I deserved. Having 

been given a second, third, whatever chance, 

I don’t think that’s being a magician. Maybe 

it’s about having an absolute blind faith in a 

higher power. Maybe there’s something I’m 

supposed to do that I haven’t done, and that’s 

why I keep getting chances.” 

—Actress Shannen Doherty, Radar, October/ 

November 2008, p. 64. 

Featherless chickens get 

hand-knitted sweaters 

Rescuer calls on community to knit 

for 1500 rescued fowl 

Lucky hens end up at the Little Hen Rescue 

Centre in Norwich, UK, where Jo Eglin takes in 

hens deemed poor egg layers by the farms where 

they lived and layed. Saving them from certain 

death, Jo noticed that many of the hens were so 

stressed out by the large farms where they had 

lived that they lost their feathers. So Eglin called on 

anyone who knew how to knit to start making 

sweaters for the 1500-member brood. The 

chickens are naked no more! 

fun random notes 

The Buzz 

Dates you don’t want to 

miss in July: 

July 1: Creative Ice Cream Flavors 

Day 

July 4: Independence Day 

July 7: Chocolate Day (as if Feb. 14 

wasn’t enough for this food!) 

July 11: Cheer Up the Lonely Day 

July 17: On this day in 1790, 

Washington D.C. was 

established as our nation’s 

capital. 

July 22: Hammock Day 

July 27: Take Your Pants for a Walk 

Day (Hmm. OK?!) 

July 30: National Cheesecake Day 

(yes, please!) 

Overheard: 

• Former dcTalk member Michael 

Tait joined the newsboys, replacing 

Peter Furler as 

their lead singer. 

He performed 

with the group for 

the first time on 

March 7, 2009. 

• Remedy Drive 

will be playing the 

Cornerstone Festival this month in 

Bushnell, Ill. For more info, check out 

page 46 or visit 

www.cornerstonefestival.com. 

• Talk of BarlowGirl and Everyday 

Sunday releasing new albums sometime 

this summer. 

Next month in ec: 

Articles on living with purpose this 

school year, pursuing God’s will, an 

interview with Henry Blackaby about 

hearing God, time management 

and organization tips, DVD reviews, 

and five weeks of devotions about 

pursuing God and His will. 


Indescribable: 

The Trinity 

by Michael Cummings 

Trinity. You won’t hear a great deal of 

conversation about that word in the school cafeteria, but it is 

a very important component of Christianity. Webster defines 

Trinity as “the unity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three 

persons in one Godhead according to Christian dogma.” 1 The 

term “Godhead” refers to the nature of God, while a “dogma” is 

a belief held to be true by a certain group of people. 

© istockphoto / matthew hertel 

If you’re confused about the Trinity, then you are in good 

company. The early Christian fathers struggled with this 

concept for hundreds of years before they drew the conclusion 

that Yahweh was the three-in-one God. 

The Trinity is one of the great mysteries of our faith. It 

is hard to wrap our three-and-a-half-pound brain around 

this concept. One of the reasons it is difficult is that no 

solid examples of this can be found in the natural world. 

However, this has not stopped us from trying to understand 

God’s nature. 

I have heard examples all of my life, such as the one 

that compares the Trinity to water. Water can have three 

forms—liquid, gas, and solid, yet all of these forms come 

from the same substance. This is a really good effort, but it 

falls short. God the Father had a relationship with the Son 

and the Spirit, and this is where things get tricky with the 

water example. First of all, water cannot have a relationship 

with anything because it is an inanimate object. Second, 

the human form is a bit more complicated than even water, 

not to mention how infinitely more complicated the nature 

of God as Father and Spirit is. Third, all three forms of 

water cannot co-exist for a sustained amount of time. If 

you don’t believe me, try putting ice into boiling water to 

see how long they co-exist. It is best not to try to explain 

the indescribable God we serve using this or any other 

analogy. 

The God we serve chose to reveal Himself to humanity 

throughout history as three distinct Persons, and yet He is 

One. We do not worship three gods. God tells us so when 

He gave Moses these words to speak: “Listen, Israel: The 

Lord our God, the Lord is One” (Deut. 6:4). 

How can this be? The answer is simple: we don’t know 

how it can be true, but we know that it is true because the 

Word of God is true. 

The Scripture provides 

much evidence which 

confirms that, throughout 

time, the three Persons of 

the Trinity have co-existed 

(Gen. 1:26, Gen. 3:22, Gen. 

11:7, Isa. 6:8, Matt. 3:16-17, 

Luke 4:14, John 1:1-2, and 

1 Cor. 2:10-11). These are 

just a few of the Scriptures 

in which the different 

Persons of the Trinity are 

interacting and co-existing. 

Some people might debate 

this topic, but even though 

the Bible is God’s Word 

and is true, not everyone 

holds to this view. 

The Trinity is one of the great 

mysteries of our faith. It’s hard 

to wrap our three-and-a-half 

pound brain around it. 

So what evidence do we have that it is true? The evidence 

is in you! Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep 

My commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He 

will give you another Counselor to be with you forever. He 

is the Spirit of truth. The world is unable to receive Him 

because it doesn’t see Him or know Him. But you do know 

Him, because He remains with you and will be in you” 

(John 14:15-17). 

In our world, people are constantly searching for heroes 

with supernatural abilities like Wolverine and Harry Potter. 

However, we have the Hero the world really needs. He 

is the One and only true Hero. He is the Triune God who 

lives in each and every one of us who call ourselves Christians. 

If you want to prove to the world that God exists and 

that His Word is true, then simply let the God who resides 

within you out into the world. Show His love, mercy, and 

grace to a world that is desperate for a real hero. 

If you do this, you will give the world a small glimpse of 

the indescribable God we serve. ec 

1. “Trinity,” Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th ed. 

(Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2003). 

© istockphoto / tim mccaig 


Understanding the Trinity 

by Michael Cummings 

The Trinity is by no means an 

easy concept to understand. 

That’s why believers have 

employed various analogies 

throughout the years as they 

attempt to wrap their brains 

around the concept of a God 

who is Three-in-One. So let’s 

take some time to consider a 

few of those analogies and discuss 

their limitations. 

The one-person analogy: 

One person takes on many different 

roles throughout their lifetime such as 

father, son, and husband. 

Problem: Although the different 

roles are covered here, the interaction 

between the three could not happen 

unless the individual liked talking to 

himself. 

Three-leaf clover analogy: 

A three-leaf clover has three parts, 

but it is only one clover. 

Problem: Each leaf is only part of the 

clover, and, if taken apart, each part 

does not represent the whole clover. 

Also, the clover is impersonal and does 

not have the complex personality interaction 

found in the Trinity. 

The three interlacing circles 

analogy: 

We have all seen this symbol for the 

trinity. 

© istockphoto / Denise Bentley 

Problem: This analogy breaks down 

from the beginning, because each circle 

is never really in the whole. Also, if they 

are taken apart, they are separate and 

have nothing that connects them back 

to the original symbol. 

The arm analogy: 

This analogy emphasizes three parts 

of the arm: the shoulder, the elbow, 

and the hand. All of these different 

parts function as a part of the whole 

arm, but each has different task to 

complete. 

Problem: If you take an elbow out of 

the arm, the function of the arm is hampered. 

Also, the elbow in and of itself 

is not an arm; it is simply a part from 

the arm. And once again, there is not 

interpersonal relationship between the 

different parts of the arm. 

The tree analogy: 

This analogy emphasizes three parts 

of the tree: the roots, the trunk, and 

the branches. All of these parts are 

said to make up the whole tree, and 

all have different functions within the 

tree. 

Problem: These different parts have 

a similar problem with all of the previous 

examples. They are only a part of 

the tree, and, when separated from the 

tree, they are not considered a tree. 

And yet again, we see the lack of the 

interpersonal and complex personality 

relationship contained in the Trinity. 

Conclusion: 

There are no perfect analogies that 

can be used to represent the complex, 

amazing, and indescribable God we 

serve. The analogies we’ve listed are all 

imperfect because we can’t describe a 

God we can’t fully understand. To me 

this isn’t a disappointment. If we could 

explain the great God we serve with 

words found through human wisdom, 

just how big of a God would He be? ec 

1 

Father 

Read and study Micah 

6:6-8. 

The gist: 

How can people tell you’re 

related to someone? By the obvious 

resemblance. More than your 

words, people will know you are 

God’s child if you act like Him. 

Face Time: 

• Read Micah 6:6a. Do you ever 

get confused over what God 

wants of you? Why? 

• Micah reminds us of what God 

requires in verse 8. List the 

things he said God requires. 

• What does it mean to act justly? 

What does that look like today? 

• What are some examples of 

loving faithfulness? 

• What does it mean to “walk 

humbly” with God? How can we 

strive to do that today? 

• We dream of achieving big 

things for God. Micah’s list, however, 

is very practical. Which is 

harder to fulfill: big things or 

the day-to-day practical things? 

• God wants a heart response 

from us—not just a material 

offering. Why? 

Making it personal: 

When we truly know God, our 

hearts are changed to be like His. 

The evidence will be there: we 

spend time in His Word; we value 

what He values; we act accordingly. 

It’s important to note that Micah’s 

list is concerned with our daily 

walk with God. 

In your small group, list everyday 

ways you can apply Micah’s list. 

Pray together for opportunities to 

do these. Realize that God honors 

the obedience that prompts your 

actions, and He will continue to 

provide you with ways to glorify 

Him. 

2 

god campus connection 

Bible Studies You Can Use • By Maria Nuguid 

The Trinity. Personal Bible study should be a part of your Christian life, no 

doubt. But there’s also something to be said for talking about God’s Word with 

other believers. Maybe you’re part of a small group Bible study at your church, 

meet with a few Christian friends before school, or are involved in a Christian 

club at school. Think about using this month’s devotion themes to guide your 

study and discussion. We’ve provided some talking points and questions to 

guide your discussion or help you lead a devotion time. 

His Father’s 

Son 

Read and study Colossians 1:13-23; 

Matthew 16:15-16. 

The gist: 

Why has Jesus’ reputation taken 

such a beating? Is He actually just 

a prophet or a good man from long 

ago? The Bible says Jesus is the 

exalted Son of God, and the only 

One who can make an eternal 

difference in our lives. 

Face Time: 

• Colossians 1:13 sums up what 

Christ did. Are you one of those 

who has been rescued and 

transferred? Explain. 

• Why is it important that Christ 

was involved in creation? 

• What does the passage in Colossians 

teach you about Christ’s 

divinity? 

• Colossians 1:15-20 lays out who 

Jesus is and what He did. Which 

action means the most to you? 

• Read Matthew 16:15-16. If you 

were Peter, how would you 

answer? Why? 

• In Colossians 1:21-23, we see the 

need to continue in the faith. 

What does this entail? 


Peter’s admission of long ago still 

rings true today. Jesus is ultimately 

more than who the world thinks He 

is. He isn’t just a good teacher or a 

prophet who taught some worthwhile 

truths. He is the Christ, the 

Messiah, God in the flesh who calls 

us to a new way of life. We will know 

the awesome reality of His glorious 

presence when He returns. For now, 

He wants us to get busy introducing 

Him to our friends. He wants to 

touch their lives the same way He 

touched yours. 

Encourage your small group to 

share Jesus with a friend this week. 

Discuss ways you can do this. 

Remind yourselves of how Jesus 

called you into relationship with 

Him and discuss how God is working 

in your life today. Pray together, 

thanking Jesus for His sacrifice and 

continued presence in your lives. 


campus connection god 

Bible Studies You Can Use • By Maria Nuguid 

Too often, we 

make our faith 

about how we 

feel. The truth: 

faith really isn’t 

about you. It’s 

about God’s 

unchanging love; 

Jesus’ salvation 

through grace; 

the Holy Spirit’s 

presence. 

3 

Counselor 

Read and study Galatians 5:22-25. 

The gist: 

The Holy Spirit is the third person 

of the Trinity. He is fully God, and 

your body is His temple. And it’s true, 

to live by the Spirit is to bear fruit in 

the Spirit. 

Face Time: 

• Read Galatians 5:22. The word 

“fruit” is singular, yet Paul 

listed several. Did Paul make a 

grammatical error? Explain. 

• Are the fruit of the Spirit Paul 

listed interconnected? How? 

• Do you think there is such a thing 

as a defeated Christian? Why? 

• How do you sometimes allow yourself 

to live as a defeated Christian? 

• What do these verses teach you 

about the Holy Spirit’s role in the 

Christian’s life? 

• Do you see any of these qualities in 

your life? Where? 

• How have you experienced the 

Holy Spirit developing these 

qualities in your life? 

• What qualities do you think the 

Holy Spirit is trying to grow and 

develop in you today? Why? How? 

• Acts 7:51 describes those who 

resist the Holy Spirit as stiffnecked 

and uncircumcised in heart 

and ears. What do you think this 

means? 

• When have you resisted the Holy 

Spirit’s leading in your life? What 

happened? 

• In verse 25, we are instructed to 

live by the Spirit. What does that 

mean? 

• Why is it important that God has 

given us the Holy Spirit as a guide? 


The Holy Spirit is available 24/7. He 

convicts us of sin and gifts us to do 

our part in God’s church. He is our 

comfort, encouragement, and faithful 

Friend. 

So think about it. Are you overwhelmed? 

Sound the alarm! Plug into 

the power that is waiting. The Holy 

Spirit will never turn you away. 

Spend some time in reflection. As 

a small group, discuss ways you allow 

the enemy to make you lose sight of 

the hope that is yours. Encourage 

each other through prayer. 

God loves you because He is love. It’s a mystery of mercy 

and grace that He wants a relationship with each one of us! 

4 

Mystery 

Read Genesis 1:26; Luke 3:21-22. 

The gist: 

Face it. The Triune God is a 

mystery we’ll never resolve. But 

that doesn’t stop us from getting 

to know Him. Although unable 

to fully comprehend, we can be 

certain that all three Persons of 

the Trinity are lovingly involved in 

our lives. 

Face Time: 

• Read Genesis 1:26. Was God 

speaking to the same Persons 

present at the baptism in Luke 

3:21-22? Explain. 

• Do these passages help you 

understand the Trinity? Explain. 

• Does it bother you that the 

Trinity is a mystery? Why or 

why not? 

• What role does faith play in believing 

the truth of the Trinity? 

• How does this affect how you 

relate with God? 


What’s one more thing that unites 

the Triune God? You. Each Person 

of the Trinity loves you and longs to 

fulfill His part in your life. 

Reflect together in your small 

group. Do you really know God as 

Father? How is Jesus truly your 

Savior and Lord? Is the Holy Spirit 

actively at work in your life? 

We may not fully understand 

how the Trinity works. We may 

have more questions than answers, 

sometimes. But one thing is for 

sure. God loves us, and we need 

never question that. Pray together, 

understanding that you don’t have 

to have everything figured out to 

be a person of faith loved by God. 

ec 

says: 

Summer Movie Madness 

by ec’s staff 

July is here and the summer movie season is in full swing. Harry Potter and the 

Half-Blood Prince is expected to release this month. And without a High School 

Musical release on the horizon this summer, Ashley Tisdale will take on aliens in this 

month’s They Came from Upstairs. So before you head out to the theater to see 

whatever summer movies have piqued your interest, we thought it would be fun to 

take a look at some interesting stats about the silver screen and summer releases. 

Top 10 

ec 

says: ec 

says: 

ec 

says: 

ec 

says: 

This movie is a 

classic, but it’s long. 

Make watching it 

an event! 

While rated PG, 

this film is violent 

and includes 

questionable 

content and 

profanity. We don’t 

recommend you 

watch it. 

This movie 

perennially tops 

lists of good movies. 

Know that it is 

very long and deals 

with adultery. 

This movie is 

based on a true 

story. It is intense 

and full of peril, 

along with repeated 

misuse of God’s 

name. 

highest grossing movies 

ever: * 

Top 10 movies 

with best July 4 

opening: 

Gone with the Wind (1939) 

Star Wars (1977) 

The Sound of Music (1965) 

4 E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) 

5 The Ten Commandments (1956) 

6 Titanic (1997) 

7 Jaws (1975) 

8 Doctor Zhivago (1965) 

9 The Exorcist (1973) 

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 

(1937) 

* 

Stats are for movies released domestically 

and adjusted for ticket price inflation. 

1 Spider-Man 2 (2004) 

2 War of the Worlds (2005) 

3 Superman Returns (2006) 

4 Men in Black II (2002) 

5 Men in Black (1997) 

6 Independence Day (1996) 

7 Terminator 3: Rise of the 

Machines (2003) 

8 The Perfect Storm (2000) 

9 Armageddon (1998) 

Terminator 2: Judgment Day 

(1991) 

ec 

says: 

ec 

says: 

ec 

says: 

This is an 

emotional, 

fictional account 

of the doomed 

luxury liner. For a 

more historical look 

that’s less focused 

on sex, try A Night 

to Remember or 

Titanic: Death of a 

Dream. 

This movie is very 

dark, offers little 

hope, and portrays 

flawed heroes in a 

world that is falling 

apart at the seams. 

Don’t mistake us 

mentioning it here 

as endorsing the 

movie or its content! 

This movie is full 

of ungodly content 

and themes. We 

do not recommend 

you watch it. 

This movie is 

darker and more 

intense than its 

predecessors. It 

pushes the truth 

that all people are 

valuable, but it is 

less clear on what 

tolerance and/or 

acceptance should 

look like. We’d 

suggest turning to 

Scripture for a more 

informed idea. 

Top 10 movies 

with the best summer 

opening: 

1 The Dark Knight (2008) 

2 Spider-Man 3 (2007) 

3 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead 

ec 

says: 

Man’s Chest (2006) 

4 Shrek the Third (2007) 

5 Spider-Man (2002) 

6 Pirates of the Caribbean: At 

World’s End (2007) 

7 Star Wars: Episode III—Revenge of 

the Sith (2005) 

Summer wouldn’t be the 

same if we didn’t include 

some sports movies. 

Here are a few of the 

American Film Institute’s 

favorite sports movies: 

• Hoosiers 

• The Pride of the Yankees 

• National Velvet 

8 Shrek 2 (2004) 

9 X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) 

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of 

the Crystal Skull (2008) 

10. Mandy and Emily of the ec team 

were left wondering why they spent 

their money on a ticket after seeing 

this one in the theater. 


Top 10 Beaches 

1 Caladesi Island 

State Park, 

Dunedin/Clearwater, 

Florida 

2 Hanalei Beach, 

Kauai, Hawaii 

3 Siesta Beach, 

Sarasota, Florida 

4 Coopers Beach, 

Southampton, New York 

5 Coronado Beach, 

San Diego, California 

6 Main Beach, 

East Hampton, New York 

7 Hamoa Beach, 

Maui, Hawaii 

8 Cape Hatteras, 

Outer Banks, North 

Carolina 

9 Cape Florida State 

Park, 

Key Biscayne, Florida 

Beachwalker Park, 

Kiawah Island, South 

Carolina 

Whale Watch 

Cruise, San Juan 

Island near Seattle, 

Washington 

Watch for orca, 

humpback, and gray 

whales in Friday Harbor 

near Seattle. Don’t miss 

the opportunity to get a 

close up of these giant 

sea mammals! 

Top 10 Ballparks 

1 Wrigley Field 

Chicago Cubs 

2 Fenway Park 

Boston Red Sox 

3 Old Yankee Stadium 

New York Yankees (new 

stadium opened in 2009) 

4 Oriole Park at 

Camden Yards 

Baltimore Orioles 

5 Coors Field 

Colorado Rockies 

6 Jacobs Field 

Cleveland Indians 

7 Turner Field 

Atlanta Braves 

8 Ballpark 

at Arlington 

Texas Rangers 

9 Dodgers Stadium 

Los Angeles Dodgers 

Safeco Stadium 

Seattle Mariners 

http://americasbestonline. 

net/baseball.htm 

Broadway in 

Bryant Park, 

New York City, NY 

Can’t afford to see a 

Broadway show while 

in New York? Well, on 

Thursdays in Bryant 

Park, cast members 

perform snippets of 

Broadway shows. It 

is a free event! You 

can even pack a picnic 

lunch for these outdoor 

shows. 

New England 

Carousel Museum, 

Bristol, Connecticut 

Remember the days 

when you begged to 

ride the carousel? 

Well, now you can see 

a collection of 300 

antique carousels in 

one spot! It’s much 

better than spending 

five bucks on one ride 

at the mall. 

http://www.drbeach. 

org/drbeach/best beach 

list 2008.htm 

 

 

Top 10 Most 

Visited National 

Parks 

1 Great Smoky 

Mountains National 

Park, North Carolina/ 

Tennessee 

2 Grand Canyon 

National Park, Arizona 

3 Yosemite National 

Park, California 

4 Olympic National 

Park, Washington 

5 Yellowstone 

National Park 

Wyoming 

6 Cuyahoga Valley, 

Ohio 

7 Rocky Mountain 

National Park, Colorado 

8 Zion National Park, 

Utah 

9 Grand Teton 

National Park, 

Wyoming 

Acadia National 

Park, Maine 

http://www.nps.gov/pub aff/ 

refdesk/10MVUNP.pdf 

 

Carlsbad Caverns, 

Carlsbad, New Mexico 

Tour a cave the size 

of 6.2 football fields, 

stand in a Hall of 

Giants, view an 89 foot 

rock column, watch bat 

flights in the evening. 

Carlsbad Caverns 

provides family fun. 

Tickets are cheap, 

and tours can be easy 

(for younger siblings) 

or difficult (for the 

adventuresome). Just 

make sure you don’t fall 

in the Bottomless Pit! 

Cornerstone Festival, 

June 29 July 4 • Bushnell, Illinois 

Cornerstone is a five day event 

attended by over 20,000 people to 

celebrate Christianity in culture. This 

year’s festival features renowned 

artists Anberlin, Hawk Nelson, Relient 

K, and many more. But it is not just 

a concert. Cornerstone also offers 

classes and workshops, seminars, 

and many outdoor activities as well. 

St. Louis Zoo, 

St. Louis, Missouri 

This is an impressive 

free zoo! It houses 

5,000 animals including 

bears, penguins, big 

cats, antelope, and 

many more. 

Schlitterbahn 

Water Park, 

New Braunfels, Texas 

Schlitterbahn 

showcases 17 slides, a 

sandless shore, surfing 

simulation, and more 

stunning slippery sites! 

One of the best water 

parks anywhere. 

Louisville Slugger 

Museum, 

Louisville, Kentucky 

Visit the birthplace of 

bats used by sluggers 

from Ty Cobb and Hank 

Aaron to Ken Griffey Jr. 

and Derek Jeter. Tour 

the factory and get your 

own legitimate (though 

miniature) Louisville 

slugger bat at the end! 

 

Zorb Smoky 

Mountains, Pigeon 

Forge, Tennessee 

Because who wouldn’t 

want to bounce down 

a hill inside a giant 

inflated ball? 

Summer 

Fun 

by Hannah Wakefield 

Top 10 Roller 

Coasters 

Superman 

Ride of Steel 

Six Flags, New England 

Agawam, Massachusetts 

Millenium Force 

Cedar Point 

Sandusky, Ohio 

3 Nitro 

Six Flags Great Adventure 

Jackson, New Jersey 

4 Montu 

Busch Gardens 

Tampa, Florida 

5 SheiKra 

Busch Gardens 

Tampa, Florida 

6 Fahrenheit 

Hersheypark 

Hershey, Pennsylvania 

7 The Incredible Hulk 

Universal Studios 

Orlando, Florida 

8 Apollo’s Chariot 

Busch Gardens 

Williamsburg, Virginia 

9 Superman 

Ride of Steel 

Six Flags America 

Largo, Maryland 

Kingda Ka 

Six Flags Great Adventure 

Jackson, New Jersey 

http://themeparks.about. 

com/cs/coasterbooks/a/ 

bestcoasters.htm 

http://americasbestonline. 

net/index.php/pages/ 

rollercoasters.html 


Finding community in Chile 

By Chansin Bird 

Caidon George knew the 

people in her church loved her. 

At 18 years old, she’d grown 

up surrounded with the support of the 

members of Lakeside Baptist Church 

in Texas. Even without her asking, they 

helped her find the money to go on a 

mission trip to South America. What 

Caidon didn’t know was that she’d find 

a community of love and acceptance in 

Chile as well. 

“It was such an open and loving 

culture. I’d like to go back.” 

She was the youngest of 150 missionaries 

from all over the world who 

met in Chile to serve for two weeks. The 

only person she knew on the trip was 

her pastor. All the missionaries were 

divided amongst 30 local churches. 

From house visits to conducting a mini- 

Vacation Bible School to visiting a prison, 

Caidon’s job was to socialize and get 

involved with the youth and children’s 

activities. The missionaries’ goal was to 

encourage the small group of Christians 

there and share Jesus with the church’s 

neighborhood. 

Though she was scared on the plane 

ride and didn’t know what to expect, 

it didn’t take long for her to fit right in 

with the Chileans. 

“The pastor of the [local] church was 

intimidating to me at first,” Caidon said. 

“He seemed strict. But by the fourth 

day we were already joking around. He 

had a daughter my age, and they would 

invite me to hang out. They called me 

their hija—that’s ‘daughter’ in Spanish. It 

© istockphoto / jan rihak 

was one big family for me. In a random 

city in a random country—to be connected 

in that way was really touching.” 

They not only welcomed Caidon in 

their group, but the small church of 

about 100 people had its own special 

relationship. 

“In that one church, everyone took 

care of everyone. I would walk with 

Carlos, the 17-year-old translator, and 

we would go to someone’s home from 

the church. He didn’t know the person 

well, but they opened their homes to 

each other because they had a bond 

between church members.” 

Caidon liked the Chilean’s focus on 

family time. At 4 p.m., no matter what 

the person was doing, everyone would 

go home for once time. They drink tea 

or coffee, have a snack, and visit with 

their family. 

“I’d be at a different house every day 

during that time. It was neat to be a part 

of each family. We’d stop and relax and 

ask how their day was.” 

The Chileans were also open to 

accepting tracts. 

“We all had tracts that had our personal 

testimony translated on them. 

Throughout the day we’d pass them 

out. Here in America if you pass out 

tracts, people ignore you or grab it and 

throw it away. In Chile, I was afraid I’d be 

rejected a lot.” 

But she wasn’t. The passersby would 

come up to her and ask what she was 

passing out. They often immediately sat 

on a bench and read the tract. 

“Even if they weren’t interested or 

if they were from a different religion, 

they’d still stop and listen to whatever 

you had to say.” 

At the end of the week, the church 

threw a farewell party for the missionaries. 

After the barbecue, Caidon’s new 

friends stayed up until 5 a.m. dancing, 

goofing off, and enjoying each other’s 

company. Even the pastor came over 

late in the night. 

“Coming back, I was in tears. It was 

the hardest good-bye I ever had to do, 

and I was just there two weeks.” ec 

Week of July 26 

photos this section: © istockphoto / shelly perry, jason stitt, ron hohenhaus. 

Mystery 


Movie thrillers, murder mystery novels, and crime shows have 

made the word mystery commonplace. 

To us, a mystery is simply something to be figured out—unraveled, taken 

apart, and wholly understood. But the word means so much more than that. At 

its very essence, the word mystery describes something that isn’t just difficult 

to figure out, but may be entirely impossible for us to wrap our brains around. 

A true mystery is difficult to explain, puzzling, and sometimes beyond human 

understanding. 

There’s a quality of mystery when it comes to God. You can absolutely know 

Him and live in relationship with Him because of Jesus. You can take on His 

characteristics and become more like Him. You can walk in daily counsel with 

the Holy Spirit and seek guidance from Scripture. You can know God, but 

knowing Him doesn’t mean you understand every last thing about Him or 

His ways. 

Some of that mystery has to do with the concept of the Trinity, God in three 

Persons. No explanation or comparison we come up with actually does the 

Trinity justice or encompasses the concept in its entirety. God isn’t entirely 

comprehensible. We can’t understand Him completely or explain all His ways 

through human reasoning. But we can live in relationship with Him—God 

the Father who loves us without measure, Jesus the Son who has first-hand 

knowledge of our sorrows and joys and gave Himself up for us, and the Holy 

Spirit who guides and counsels. He is God in three Persons. 

And that’s a true mystery of mercy and grace in every sense of the word. 


weekend > 7/26 

Three in one 

After Jesus was baptized, He 

went up immediately from the 

water. The heavens suddenly 

opened for Him, and He saw the 

Spirit of God descending like a 

dove and coming down on Him. 

And there came a voice from 

heaven: “This is My beloved 

Son. I take delight in Him!” 

—Matthew 3:16-17 

Read Matthew 3:13-17. 

It’s one of the most important 

days of your life. It could be your 

graduation, an awards banquet during 

which you are receiving an award, a 

game in which you are starting, or a 

concert in which you are performing. 

Chances are pretty good that you want 

all of your family and friends there to 

help you celebrate that special day. 

Jesus was no different. It was the 

day of His baptism. He didn’t send 

out any formal invitations, post it on 

Facebook, or tell everybody He knew 

about it, but it was still a very special 

day for Him. 

The example of baptism that Jesus 

gave us that day was significant, 

but what was even more significant 

was the fact that the Trinity—God 

the Father, the Son, and the Holy 

Spirit—was present for this day. How, 

you ask? Jesus was baptized, God the 

Father spoke, and the Holy Spirit was 

present in the form of a dove. 

This week’s devotions are all about 

the Trinity. While we won’t find the 

word Trinity in the Bible, we do find 

examples again and again of how God 

exists in three Persons. He is God the 

Father, God the Son, and God the Holy 

Spirit. While these are three distinct 

Persons, they are still one. 

While we try and explain how it’s 

possible for God to be three in one, 

sometimes we just need to accept that 

we will not understand everything 

about Him. It is only when we begin 

living in a relationship with God the 

Father through Jesus Christ the Son 

with the Holy Spirit as our counselor, 

guide, and empowerment that we 

begin to understand this concept 

called the Trinity. 

1 

monday > 7/27 

Listening isn’t the same 

thing as hearing. 

Ever noticed how we want to understand how everything works and 

why it works the way it does? We have a unique quest to discover behind-thescenes 

information on how and why things work. How does a fax really work? How 

is it possible to send a picture from your phone to somebody else? Why do your 

friends do the things they do? Go ahead, take a minute and ask yourself what it is 

that you really want to know. How would knowing it make an impact in your life? 

The spiritual person, however, 

can evaluate everything, yet he 

himself cannot be evaluated by 

anyone. For: who has known 

the Lord’s mind, that he may 

instruct Him? But we have the 

mind of Christ. 

—1 Corinthians 2:15 16 

Read 1 Corinthians 2:6-16, paying 

close attention to verses 15 and 16. 

Up to this point, where have you 

received your knowledge of how God 

does things? 

What is it that you would like to 

know about why God does things the 

way He does? 

How does God say we are given information about His ways? 

To what degree in your life is the Spirit of God giving you knowledge? 

If you are not gaining an understanding of God and His ways, what ultimately 

keeps that from happening? 

What do you think about the statement, “we have the mind of Christ”? 

Understanding the depth of God comes down to whether or not we are willing to 

take the steps to be spiritually alive and grow spiritually. Paul told it straight to 

the Corinthians: when we are alive in Christ, we have access to everything that 

God’s Spirit is doing around us. God’s Spirit was given to us to help us gain a better 

understanding of who God is and what He is doing. God is not something we have to 

wish we could figure out; He gives us what we need to help us understand. But we 

have to be willing and ready to listen. 

God gives us what we need. We don’t 

have to understand it all. 

2 

How much do you look like God? 

tuesday > 7/28 

Don’t you know 

how much you’re loved? 

Want to buy a house or a car sometime in the future? These two items 

are major investments and big purchases in life. Each of them requires 

that we discipline ourselves to save and come up with a down payment to prove 

that we really want those things. Have you ever had to save up for something you 

really wanted it? What was it? For how long did you save? What other resources 

did you use to get it? 

In Him you also, when you heard 

the word of truth, the gospel of 

your salvation—in Him when 

you believed—were sealed 

with the promised Holy Spirit. 

He is the down payment of our 

inheritance, for the redemption 

of the possession, to the praise of 

His glory. —Ephesians 1:13 14 

Read Ephesians 1:3-14. Reread verses 

13-14. 

According to these verses, when did 

God start planning for you? 

What was the down payment that 

God provided? 

What did Christ do for the down 

payment? 

What did the Holy Spirit do for the 

down payment? 

What is significant about the three portions of the down payment provided for you? 

What does this tell you about God’s plan and love for you? 

Your down payment was started long before you were ever born. From the very 

beginning of time, God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit have been planning for you and 

investing in your life. God, before all creation, knew that He wanted to have a relationship 

with you and was making plans to make that possible. Paul reminded us 

in this passage that only in Christ can we discover just how much was given on our 

behalf. Do you understand? Jesus sacrificed the glory and honor He deserved to 

come to earth where He was mocked, ignored, and crucified. He gave Himself up 

for you. And there’s more! God gave us the Holy Spirit to seal you and to remind 

you of what was planned for us. God—in three Persons—loves you. 

3 


wednesday > 7/29 

Whom do you 

look like? 

He looks like his dad. No, he 

looks like his mom. Come on, 

he really has the look of his granddad. 

Ever heard these words before? Every 

new baby is put through this ritual. 

For years to come there is the annual 

squeezing of the cheeks followed by 

the words, “Oh she looks just like . . .” 

Whom do you look like? 

Then God said, “Let Us 

make man in Our image, 

according to Our likeness. 

They will rule the fish of the 

sea, the birds of the sky, the 

animals, all the earth, and 

the creatures that crawl on 

the earth.” —Genesis 1:26 

Take a look at Genesis 1:26-31. Think 

about what God did in verse 26. 

Whom do these verses say you look 

like? 

What does it mean to be made in 

God’s image? 

Who is the “Our” in verse 26? 

Do you look more like God the 

Father? The Son? The Spirit? 

Why is it important that all three 

Persons of the Trinity were present 

and involved in creation? 

While your earthly parents will 

argue for years over whom you most 

resemble, the truth of the matter is 

you were created in the image of God. 

While your physical attributes may call 

to mind your parents or grandparents, 

God created you in His image. But God 

wasn’t talking about physical things, 

like your face or the shape of your 

hands. You were made in God’s image, 

in a spiritual sense. Everything about 

you was created with God’s nature and 

character in mind. That includes the 

Father’s attributes, the Son’s attributes, 

and the attributes of the Spirit of God. 

Nobody has more bragging rights than 

God of whom you look like. 



“The important point is not whether we can understand the Trinity, even with 

the help of illustrations, but whether we will believe what the Bible has to say 

about the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and about their relationship to each other.” 

—James Montgomery Boice 

You don’t have to 

understand. 

You do have to 

trust. 

4 

Acknowledge God as three in one. 

Thursday> 7/30 

God is three in one. 

5 

Eggs are unique. They’re made up of the yolk, the white, and the shell. 

All three are different, but it is still only one egg. Water can take on three 

different forms—liquid, gas, or solid, but it is still always water. Can you identify 

other things that contain three different parts but are still one? Go ahead, see 

how many you can name. 

Read Deuteronomy 6:4-9. Memorize verse 4. 

“Listen, Israel: The Lo r d 

our God, the Lo r d is One.” 

—Deuteronomy 6:4 

What is God the Son’s role? 

What is God the Holy Spirit’s role? 

Why did God choose to show Himself in this way? 

Who is the “One” in “the Lord is 

One”? 

How would you explain the three 

distinct Persons of God? 

What is God the Father’s role? 

There are several things in life that we have a hard time explaining. Trying to 

understand that God is three Persons but still only one God is one of those 

things. However, when we break it down like the egg or water, it is much easier 

to understand. Each Person in the Trinity has a distinct function. They function 

independently but together are still only one God. 

Throughout history, theologians and deep thinkers have spent countless 

hours coming up with analogies to help us understand the concept of the 

Trinity. In the end, they all break down because there’s always going to be some 

mystery about how these three distinct Persons are interrelated. Each One is 

different and relates to us differently, but they aren’t three gods. This is God the 

Father who created us and loves us without limit, yet can’t look upon our sin; 

Jesus the Son who died so that we could have a relationship with God; and the 

Holy Spirit who is our Guide, Comforter, and Friend. You’ve seen the Trinity at 

work in your life. You can’t explain it, but you know it’s true. Trust God. 

Friday > 7/31 

In His Name. 

Have you ever given or recited 

a pledge to something or 

someone? I’m sure you have. How about 

the Pledge of Allegiance? If you have 

obtained a passport, you had to affirm 

a pledge regarding your citizenship to 

this country. Can you think of any other 

things that you pledge? What does it 

mean when we pledge allegiance to 

something? It means that we endorse 

not just the pledge but what the pledge 

stands for as well. 

“Go, therefore, and make 

disciples of all nations, 

baptizing them in the name 

of the Father and of the 

Son and of the Holy Spirit.” 

—Matthew 28:19 

Read Matthew 28:16-20. What do 

you need to be doing, in light of 

verse 19? 

What does baptism represent? 

How is God the Father represented 

in baptism? 

How is God the Son represented in 

baptism? 

What about the Holy Spirit is 

represented in baptism? 

Why do we baptize in the name of 

the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? 

What are we saying when we do 

this? 

Why is this important? 

We know and understand that 

baptism is a testimony and a symbol 

of what has already taken place in 

us when we accept Christ into our 

lives as Lord and Savior. When we 

baptize somebody in the name of the 

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we are 

recognizing and acknowledging that 

God is three in one. We are displaying 

and indicating an oath to the Triune 

God when we follow in obedience in 

baptism. We acknowledge that God 

is our Creator and Jesus’ Father; that 

Jesus is our salvation; and that the 

Holy Spirit is our Comforter, Guide, 

and Teacher. 



MYstery 

Known> 8/1 

So how do you put the truths of this week’s devotions into motion in 

your life? 

Think about what each member of the Trinity means to you. What does 

God the Father mean to you? What does God the Son mean to you? 

What does God the Holy Spirit mean to you? 

How are you allowing each representative of the Trinity to make 

Himself real to you on a daily basis? 

How can you explain the Trinity to those who don’t understand it? 

How deep is your understanding of why God chose to show Himself in 

this way to us? 

What do you need to do in order to gain a better understanding of the 

Trinity? What steps will you take this week to better understand? 

What is one way you can live out the qualities of each Person of the 

Trinity today? 

? 

Faith isn’t understanding every facet of 

God’s character. It’s believing He is who He 

says He is and can do what He promised. 


Going Deeper 

To go deeper into the idea of the 

Trinity we studied this week, read: 

1 Corinthians 12:3-7 

2 Corinthians 13:13 


Hebrews 9:11-14 

1 Peter 1:3-12 

Jude 20-21 


& questions: 

Read Through 

the Bible 

Want to know more about God 

in three Persons? Read His 

Word! Follow our plan and read 

the whole Bible in a year. 

• Job 29–Psalms 12 

• Acts 16:16–20:16 

Sharing 

Jesus 

in Japan 

MK uses 5-minute English 

lessons, park evangelism 

M 

y name is Ashley 

Brents. I’m 13, and I 

live in Tokyo, Japan. My 

parents and I moved to Japan when 

I was 8 weeks old, and my brother, 

Adam (12), and sister, Avery (7), were 

born here. My parents serve as project 

coordinators/volunteer mobilizers 

for the International Mission Board’s 

Tokyo team. 

I love the Japanese people, the 

culture, everything! But I love America 

a lot, too. My mom and I joke about 

where my home really is. We decided 

that it probably is on the airplane 

between the two countries. 

Two ministries I really enjoy are 

Five-Minute English and park evangelism. 

Five-Minute English is a tool 

we use to start conversations with the 

Japanese so we can share the gospel. 

We hold up signs advertising it at train 

stations and call out, “Five-Minute 

English!,” and people come up to us. 

We use a workbook with questions 

such as, “Are you a spiritually 

minded person and why?” 

Park evangelism is going to 

the big parks in Tokyo and trying 

to make friends. When people are 

playing games, we ask if we can play, 

too. We hang out with them and try 

to share Christ. One time I walked 

up to someone who was sitting on a 

blanket, and he asked me to tell him 

about Christ! 

Sometimes our team dresses up as 

clowns and gives out Bible tracts as we 

talk to people who are watching us. I 

make balloons and give them to the 

little kids. It can be hard because the 

kids speak Japanese better than I do— 

and I don’t know what animal they are 

asking me to make! 

I help with park evangelism in the 

summer and Five-Minute English 

year-round. I usually work with other 

missionaries and volunteers who 

come from the U.S. on mission trips. 

It is pretty exciting. Last summer 439 

volunteers came and talked to 12,201 

people, mostly using Five-Minute 

English and park evangelism. More 

than 1,200 Japanese heard the plan 

of salvation, and 88 people got saved. 

Isn’t that awesome? God works in 

totally cool ways. 

I believe God has a plan for the 

Japanese. Three summers ago, 

the Tokyoites seemed closed to the 

gospel. But today they are open and 

love talking to Americans. One of my 

missionary friends said, “The spiritual 

climate of Japan is changing.” 

We would love to have you come to 

Japan on a mission trip! I love volunteers 

and think it would be so cool if 

you would come! If you’re interested in 

learning more about work among the 

Japanese or how you can be involved 

in missions, go to http://thetask.org or 

http://going.imb.org. 

Life mk corner 

photos courtesy IMB 

fast facts 

Japan 

Mk STories • By Ashley Brents 

Climate: varies from tropical in south to 

cool temperate in north 

Terrain: mostly rugged and 

mountainous 

Area: 145,882 sq. miles (slightly smaller 

than California) 

Natural Resources: negligible 

mineral resources, fish (With virtually 

no energy natural resources, Japan is 

the world’s largest importer of coal and 

liquefied natural gas as well as the second 

largest importer of oil.) 

Population: 127,288,416 (July 2008 est.) 

Literacy: 99% of people in Japan age 15 

and over can read and write 

Ethnic Groups: Japanese—98.5%, 

Korean—0.5%, Chinese—0.4%, other— 

0.6% 

Religions: observe both Shinto and Buddhist 

84%, other 16% (including Christian 

0.7%) 

Fact List Source: The CIA Factbook, https://www.cia. 

gov/library/publications/the world factbook/geos/ 

ja.html 

Pray 

• That the people we meet using Five- 

Minute English and park evangelism will 

have a hunger to know Christ. 

• That the pop culture in Asia will shift 

toward God’s truth, the only thing that 

can free the Japanese from sin and 

death. 

• For members of the IMB Tokyo team as 

they work to see house churches started 

in West Tokyo. 


By Jennifer McCaman • illustration by Angela Martini 

Extreme Mod esty Makeover 

Hairnets and Stockings 

She greets you every day with a 

cheesy grin and a hearty scoop of 

green beans. She’s the lunch lady, 

and we love her. But think for a 

moment about her, well, outfit. 

Picture the hair net, shapeless 

dress, apron that falls just above 

her gray stockings, and black, 

flat shoes. 

What words would you use to 

describe this fashion style? Odds are 

“sexy,” “hot,” and “cute” didn’t make the list. 

As Christian girls, we’ve heard the word 

“modesty” preached at us until it starts to 

conjure up a cafeteria lady in our minds. For 

most of us, “modesty” is a list of things we’re 

not allowed to wear, including the scandalous 

spaghetti-strap shirts, two-piece bathing 

suits, and sweatpants with “hottie” printed 

across the seat. Admit it: modesty often 

seems like your less-than-fashionable 

mom’s main weapon in her plot to 

take away everything cute in your 

wardrobe. 

Actually this concept of modesty 

is far from the truth. Modesty goes 

beyond clothes to the core of who 

we are. The world teaches us that 

our waist, bust size, and flirty 

personality give us value as 

females. Psalm 139:13-15 speaks 

another message: 

For it was You who created 

my inward parts; You knit 

me together in my mother’s 

womb. I will praise You, 

because I have been 

remarkably and wonderfully 

made. Your 

works are wonderful, 

and I 

know this very 

well. My bones 

were not hidden 

from You when I was 

made in secret, when I was 

formed in the depths of the earth. 

We have value because 

we belong to God. 

God made us exactly 

as He wanted, and He 

loves us. 

First Corinthians 

6:20b (The Message) 

says, “ . . . let 

people see God in and 

through your body.” 

Like this verse says, 

modesty is letting 

people see God in and 

through your body. 

Modesty does not 

mean joining a convent 

or never wearing 

makeup. Instead, it’s 

Modesty Test 

As girls, clothes are 

woven into our DNA. 

From shoes and 

purses to tops and 

jeans—every choice is 

deliberate. Even girls 

who “don’t care” 

about their clothes 

intentionally don’t 

care, meaning they 

intentionally select 

quirky T-shirts, 

shoelaces, and 

jeans to pull off the 

“I-don’t-care” look. 

As lovers of fashion, 

how can we tell if our 

choices honor God? 

dressing and acting in a way that honors Christ. 

Modesty can be defined as “freedom from 

vanity.” 1 We all know people at school who are 

obsessed with flaunting their image. Modesty 

is freedom from the pressure to conform to 

the world’s standard of beauty. Along with the 

cafeteria-lady lie, the world spews other false 

information about modesty. 

Myth Modesty is restricting. 

Truth Modesty is freedom. 

Google certain girl celebrities, and you’ll see a 

slew of photos that would probably embarrass 

their moms. Hollywood teaches that fashion is 

freedom. They argue that a truly independent, 

uninhibited girl isn’t afraid to show what she 

has. The media equates sexiness with selfexpression. 

In reality, freedom is only found in Christ. 

When you honor God with your life, you 

understand freedom at a level the world can’t 

imagine. This freedom empowers you to 

become the woman God made you to be. 

The world’s idea of beauty is imprisoning. 

Many girls become depressed, anorexic, cutters, 

or at the least, insecure with the way they 

look. Talk about prison. 

Modesty in Christ gives freedom. You are 

free to feel good about who God made you to 

be. You don’t have to draw attention to your 

body or throw yourself at a guy. You never have 

to worry about embarrassing pictures popping 

up on Myspace. Sure, you can still dress cute, 

wear make-up, and fix your hair, but your 

worth is not found in your appearance or your 

wardrobe. That is freedom. 

Myth Modesty is insecure. 

Truth Modesty is confidence. 

More than clothes, modesty is an attitude. 

The world teaches girls that confidence is 

found in looking sexy. Actually, true security 

is learning to see yourself the way God sees 

you. Psalm 45:11 says “the king will desire 

your beauty.” Psalm 139:13 teaches us that God 

knit us together in our mother’s womb. We 

are beautiful because we are made by God. 

We don’t have to draw attention to our bodies 

by wearing revealing clothing or flirting 

provocatively. Running after the world’s idea of 

beauty only leaves us empty and insecure. 

Myth Modesty is boring. 

Truth Modesty is mystery. 

Perhaps the most powerful word to describe 

spiritual modesty is “mystery.” Modesty is 

keeping yourself mysterious to guys and to the 

world. Instead of flaunting your body, wear 

cute clothes, but cover up. Instead of throwing 

yourself at a guy by calling, texting, and flirting 

all the time, hold back. Be mysterious. Let God 

cultivate an inner beauty that is captivating to 

the guy he wants to bring your way. Don’t get me 

wrong. Modesty doesn’t mean being quiet or shy 

necessarily. It’s great to have a bubbly, passionate 

personality if that’s who God’s made you to be. 

Just don’t let a desire for attention cause you to 

make bad decisions. If 

Mini-checklist 

Does this outfit 

reflect who I am in 

Christ? 

Can I move 

around in this outfit 

(standing, sitting, 

leaning, bending 

over) without 

anything showing? 

Will guys respect 

me wearing this? 

a guy isn’t interested 

in you, let him walk 

away. If the loud, less 

clothed girl in your 

class seems to attract 

all the guys, don’t 

worry. You will never 

regret your choice to 

pursue modesty and 

mystery. 

Myth Guys only like sexy outfits and 

flirty girls. 

Truth Guys long for a girl who doesn’t 

make them struggle. 

Generally, guys are visual creatures who are 

easily tempted to lust. Your choice to pursue 

modesty hugely impacts their purity. You seriously 

have the power to help your guy friends 

pursue Christ. Simply by wearing a shirt 

that’s not low-cut under a plunging neckline, 

you help guys keep their thoughts pure. Also 

by intentionally not sitting in a guy’s lap and 

avoiding sexually flirtatious contact, you help 

them grow in Christ. Sure it’s difficult. Many 

girls think guys should just control themselves, 

but it’s just not that easy. As girls, we 

connect emotionally. Guys connect physically. 

Help your guy friends—and all guys—stay 

pure when they’re around you. By honoring 

God with your body, you also respect the guys 

around you. It might seem like guys don’t 

notice your effort, but (trust me) they do, and 

more importantly, so does God. 

Myth Modesty is easy. 

Truth Modesty is sacrifice. 

Pursuing Christ-centered modesty is totally 

rewarding, but it is also a sacrifice. As you set 

higher standards for your wardrobe, you’ll 

have fewer choices at stores. You might have to 

go to two or three stores to find a bathing suit 

that doesn’t show everything. Maybe you’ll 

completely ignore a style many of your friends 

wear because it doesn’t reflect who you are in 

Christ. Modesty also means that certain guys 

are totally off limits. (You don’t really want 

these guys anyway.) 

Don’t be discouraged. Your choice to honor 

God with your body will always be worth it. 

Modesty doesn’t just happen. You have to 

choose to go against the world and be different. 

Intentionally decide to dress and act in 

a way that glorifies God. Don’t let anything 

come between you and your commitment. ec 

1. “modesty,” Dictionary.com [online], cited 6 February 

2009. Available from the Internet: http://dictionary. 

reference.com/browse/modesty. 

Warning: 

Confronting 

Immodesty 

Girls who do not 

have Christ have no 

reason to dress like 

Christians. We have 

a different standard. 

Do not freak out 

over their clothes 

until you freak out 

over their lives. 

Your first goal is to 

lead them to Christ, 

not to dress them 

up like a Christian. 

Many non-Christian 

girls think Christians 

judge them and 

look down on them 

because of how they 

dress and act. Choose 

to show these girls 

kindness and love, 

without conforming 

to their choices. 

As Christ changes 

their hearts, He’ll 

eventually change 

their wardrobe and 

attitudes. 

Check out 

ecmagazine.blogspot.com 

this month for some 

modesty quizzes just 

for the girls! 


Modesty: Not just a girl thing! 

By Will Snipes • illustration by Angela Martini 

Let’s be honest for a minute—the truth is 

that writers often draw a blank when beginning 

an assignment. Most of you have probably 

experienced this firsthand when given a 

writing task by an English teacher. Where do 

I begin? What will I say? What will be my main 

points? 

It was no different for me with this task. 

So I did what many of you would do—I did an 

Internet search for the word modesty. 

I found a good definition: moderation in 

speech, dress, or behavior. The word itself 

is linked to the Latin word modestus, which 

means “keeping within measure.” I read about 

styles of dress throughout history and how 

they have changed. 

I even discovered cultural information about 

appropriate behaviors, such as the fact that 

the Australian Aborigines appear indifferent to 

nakedness, but are deeply embarrassed if they 

are seen eating. Although I was beginning to get 

some ideas, I still didn’t have the focus I needed 

to write this article. How do I explain to teenage 

guys why modesty is important? Because, really, 

we only ever talk about that in the context of 

what some girl is wearing, right? 

I found my inspiration buried deep on an 

informational Internet page, under a heading 

titled “Antonyms.” There was the one word 

that was all I needed to get the ball rolling. 

So guess what’s an antonym for modesty. 

Pride. 

Pride is all about focusing attention on 

ourselves. It’s about saying: “Hey everybody— 

look at me!” It’s about being the loudest, the 

funniest, the strongest, the craziest, the most 

watched person in the room. 

When you think about it, there really is 

a reason people use that phrase “proud as 

a peacock.” Pride can be compared to the 

male peacock’s behavior. He displays his brilliant 

plumage in order to gain attention from 

females. Loud, funny, crazy, and trying to 

gain the attention of girls . . . does that sound 

like some of the guys you know? Maybe—just 

maybe—does it sound a little like you? 

Modesty is all about self-control. It’s about 

not drawing attention to ourselves, but rather 

letting our lives direct all glory to God. It’s 

about offering our bodies—our very lives— 

as living sacrifices that point others to the 

redemptive work of Christ in our hearts (Rom. 

12:1). 

Girls often struggle with modesty in terms 

of how they present themselves to the world. 

They use their style of dress and the body 

God has blessed them with to gain attention. 

Because we are wired differently from girls, 

modesty for guys takes a different slant, but it 

is still an important component in the overall 

makeup of who we are in Christ. 

Guys, ask yourself these questions as you 

begin to examine the level of modesty in your 

own life: 

• Do you tend to brag about your accomplishments 

in areas like athletics or 

achievements? 

• Do you play the “one-up” game, where 

you always have to make yourself look a 

little better than others? 

• Do you tell inappropriate jokes or use 

inappropriate language to gain attention 

or laughs? 

• Have you taken a picture of your 

muscles and displayed it for all the world 

to see on Myspace or Facebook ® ? We 

all know you’ve been hitting the weight 

room, but is that really necessary? Is God 

glorified in those pictures? 

• Are you searching for any opportunity 

to draw peoples’ attention to you, your 

physique, or your accomplishments? 

Why are you parading around like that 

peacock? 

As you honestly search your heart for 

answers to these questions, maybe God is 

showing you that your life is not displaying 

much modestus, as our ancient Latin friends 

termed it. Maybe you’re not keeping things 

“within measure.” Maybe you’re proudly soaking 

up the attention of the world while leaving 

the glorifying of God out of the picture. 

Consider the words of the psalmist: Search 

me, God, and know my heart; test me and know 

my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in 

me; lead me in the everlasting way (Ps. 139:23- 

24). 

Let’s make it clear that there’s nothing 

inherently wrong with being concerned about 

your appearance or taking some pride in your 

accomplishments. It’s all about things being 

done within measure. And about God receiving 

glory in the end. 

Oh, and one last thing from my Internet 

search? Recent scientific research has shown 

that it’s not the bright tail feathers of the male 

peacock that draw the most attention from 

the females. Instead, it’s his vocalization—his 

words, so to speak. Although the parallel may 

not be direct, perhaps the best way to gain 

some positive attention in this world might 

be through the kindness, gentleness, and sensitivity 

of your words, through encouragement 

and exhortation of others rather than showing 

off. Maybe focusing more on God and less on 

yourself is truly attractive to the world. 

And that’s a definition of modesty that I can 

take to heart. ec 

Modesty for 

guys? 

Modesty is a big 

deal, right? For girls 

that is. 

At least that’s the 

idea all our Christian 

talk about what girls 

should and shouldn’t 

wear seems to say. 

But modesty is about 

more than clothes! 

It’s a way of life. It’s 

part of pursuing 

purity. We’ve boiled 

modesty down to 

what we can and 

can’t wear, then 

made it all about 

girls. It’s more than 

that. 

Scripture commands 

you to pursue a life of 

purity. Check out 

1 Timothy 4:12; 

2 Timothy 2:22; and 

1 Peter 1:15-16; 2:9. 

Your lives—every 

part of them—are 

supposed to be 

characterized by the 

pursuit of holiness, 

purity, humility, and, 

yes, modesty. 

That should affect 

every part of your 

life, from what you 

wear to what you 

say, where you go, 

and who you think 

is most important in 

your life. 

And when you truly 

understand modesty, 

humility, and 

holiness, the most 

important person 

in your life won’t be 

you. 


Second 

Chances 

By Amber Mushegan 

For being a people who have been so freely forgiven, it sure is 

difficult for us to forgive, isn’t it? Our nature is to become angry 

and hope that others get what they deserve after they have hurt 

or wronged us in some way. But God gave His only Son to die 

in order to cover our sins in forgiveness. We certainly didn’t get what we 

deserved! Our God is the Giver of second chances! We all know that we 

need second chances, but do you give them as well as take them? 

© istockphoto / simon oxley 

Over and over again in Scripture, God stresses the 

importance of forgiveness. Being a person who forgives is 

vital to having a right relationship with God and others. 

Christ even said that we must forgive others in order to be 

forgiven. (See Matt. 6:14-16.) So, how do we do it? How do 

we actively pursue forgiveness in our lives? 

The first key is accepting God’s forgiveness yourself. 

Jesus said that “the one who is forgiven little, loves little” 

(Luke 7:47). In other words, if you haven’t accepted God’s 

forgiveness and live in that 

Famous second 

chances 

Lucille Ball. In 1927, 

the actress was dismissed 

from drama school 

by teachers who said 

she had no future as a 

performer. Later, she won 

four Emmy Awards for 

her performance in 

“I Love Lucy.” 

Michael Jordan. As a 

high school sophomore, 

Jordan was cut from the 

varsity basketball team. 

He made the team the 

next year and went on 

to make history in the 

sport both in college and 

the NBA. 

Jonah. In the Old 

Testament, God 

instructed the prophet 

Jonah to go to Ninevah 

and deliver God’s 

message. Jonah ran 

the other way. When 

rescued by God, he was 

obedient—even if it was 

with the wrong attitude. 

Kurt Warner. In 1999, 

the quarterback led the 

St. Louis Rams to a Super 

Bowl victory. By 2004 

he’d been dismissed from 

the Rams and lost the 

starting QB position for 

the New York Giants. In 

2009, he led the Arizona 

Cardinals to their first 

Super Bowl appearance 

and threw for 377 yards 

despite the team’s loss. 

You. God loves you—too 

much to leave you lost 

without purpose, trapped 

by sin. He gave you a 

second chance in Christ. 

Trust Him in all things, 

with all your heart. 

freedom yourself, there 

is no way you will be able 

to truly forgive others 

and love as Christ loves. 

The ability to forgive is an 

outpouring of Christ in 

us and is impossible apart 

from Him. 

So, you are living in 

God’s forgiveness and 

want to forgive others, 

but how? Peter asked that 

question of Christ, and the 

answer probably surprised 

all who were listening. 

Peter wanted to know if he 

should forgive his brother 7 

times, and Christ said not 

just 7, but 70 times 7. (See 

Matt. 18:21-22.) 

The point? Forgiveness 

is a constant process, not 

an instant one. Christ 

wasn’t saying that we 

must only forgive a certain 

number of times. He was 

demonstrating that we 

must continue forgiving 

again and again, giving the 

matter over to God in obedience 

until it is settled in 

our hearts. He knows it’s 

not easy for us, but He calls 

us to be obedient and allow 

Him to work through us. 

Unforgiveness is like 

a disease that will spread 

through your body like 

wildfire. It will cause you 

to wallow in anger and to 

grow bitter and resentful, 

missing out on the joy 

that the Lord brings. The 

picture of unforgiveness in 

the Bible is that of the un- 

forgiven person being roped 

to the back of the person who 

refuses to forgive. When you 

refuse to forgive another, 

you are truly carrying them 

around on your back, bearing 

the weight of that burden 

day after day. It hurts you 

so much more than it hurts 

them! When you choose to forgive, you release your burden 

to the Lord and allow the person who has wronged you 

to be free. Remember that love does not keep a record of 

wrongs. When you forgive someone, you can release them 

and give them a clean slate. 

What do you do if you just don’t feel like you can possibly 

forgive someone? One of the best ways to align your 

heart with the heart of God is to simply pray for them. 

Ask God to help you see them from His point of view, as a 

person who is dearly loved and bought at a great price, just 

as you are. Pray for God to give you a love for the person 

who has wronged you. 

Forgiving those you love is easier because you generally 

know that they most likely didn’t intend to hurt you. Forgiving 

those who seem unlovable is much more difficult 

because it’s easier to stay angry with them. Pray for God to 

help you love them in humility, recognizing that God loves 

them as much as He loves you. 

Remember that love does not 

keep a record of wrongs. 

Now, what happens after you forgive? I truly believe 

that obedience brings joy, and being obedient to God by 

forgiving others is a great reward in and of itself. But I 

have also found that sometimes the results of forgiveness 

are far-reaching—beyond what we can even imagine. For 

example, in high school I had some friends who constantly 

ridiculed my faith. Their comments were often harsh and 

hard to swallow, but I made a conscious effort to forgive 

them and to show them that I loved them no matter what 

they said. A few years after high school, one of those 

friends called me at college and apologized for how she had 

treated me back then. She said she had accepted Christ and 

couldn’t wait to tell me because I had shown her the love of 

Christ when she seemed unlovable. 

You never know what the impact of your choices will 

be. The way you choose to live your life and your faith now 

can make an eternal difference. Just choose—every day, 

every moment, if need be—to live for God and be obedient 

to His Word. Walk in the freedom that forgiveness brings, 

because you’ve been given a gift you can’t earn by a God 

who will never love you any more or any less. You won’t 

regret living in the power of that love. Ever! ec 

© istockphoto 


Mandisa on Modesty 

Music reviews fresh from ec • by Kevin Sparkman 

fun music connection 

By Tifany Borgelt 

Nowhere is appearance 

more highly valued than in 

the entertainment industry. 

Whether you’re a singer, actor, 

model, or whatever, physical 

beauty and the display of it 

seems to be what makes or 

breaks a person’s career. 

For those of us who live in 

the real world—where camera 

crews and microphones don’t 

follow our every move—we 

fortunately don’t have to worry 

about our looks making or 

breaking us. But what happens 

when you are a Christian whom 

God has given a platform upon 

which millions of people look? 

Are the standards different 

then? 

Simon Cowell blasted 

Mandisa Hundley several times 

during the audition process 

during season 5 of “American 

Idol.” He later apologized, and 

Mandisa ended up as a top 10 

finalist that season. Her first 

album, “True Beauty,” released 

in 2007 and garnered both 

Grammy and Dove Award 

nominations. “Freedom” 

released in March 2009. 

Find Mandisa online: 

mandisa.sparrowrecords.com 

myspace.com/mandisa 

Read more thoughts about 

modesty on our blog: 

(ecmagazine.blogspot.com). 

In your world, modesty is probably 

a synonym for unfashionable and 

lame. That’s not quite the truth, 

though. ec recently caught up 

with Mandisa, singer and former 

“American Idol” contestant to 

chat about modesty and why it 

matters—onstage and off. 

ec: Modesty. What do you think of when you 

hear that word? 

Mandisa: To me, modesty is humility. I believe 

humility can be seen in one’s attitude, speech, 

and appearance. 

ec: Because you have been very outspoken 

about your Christian faith both on “American 

Idol” and beyond, do you think that the world 

holds you to a different standard in how you 

present yourself, in how you look and what you 

say? 

Mandisa: On “American Idol” I learned that 

there is always someone watching you. That is 

especially true in a world where living by biblical 

values is not the norm. This is true for me, 

because of the fame I was given by being on the 

most popular television show in America. But 

this is also true for every Christian who chooses 

to live their lives in a way that would be pleasing 

to God. Some people refer to me as a “star.” 

Philippians 2:14-15 says that you are a star, too! 

ec: Given that there is a certain level of self 

promotion in the entertainment world, how does 

modesty play into how you present yourself? 

Mandisa: I have learned that just as 

Philippians 2 says, God will promote those who 

wa k in humility. Certainly if Jesus, being in very 

nature God, could humble Himself to serve 

humanity by His death, [then] I can present 

myself in humility and allow God to promote me. 

I am fully aware that everything good I am, have, 

and have done is because of the Holy Spirit’s 

work in me and God’s favor on me. 

ec: Is modesty just an attitude of the heart? In 

other words, if your heart is right before God, 

does it really matter what you wear? 

Mandisa: I believe that if your heart truly is the 

Lord’s, it will affect what you do. If my heart is 

right with the Lord, I won’t want to say certain 

things, wear certain things, or act in certain 

ways. I would want to live my life in a way that 

reflects well on Him. 

Joy Lippard 

Joy Lippard 

(independent artist) 

In a world of 

pop princesses, 

Joy Lippard 

shines because 

of her depth 

and originality. 

iPod Picks: 

“Dishes” 

& “Such a 

Time” 

iPod Picks: 

“Get Up” & 

“Elementary” 

iPod Picks: 

“Take 

Everything” & 

“Carry Me” 

iPod Picks: 

“When It Feels 

Right” & 

“One World” 

iPod Picks: 

“Hole in my pocket” may 

be the best female vocal 

performance of 2009! 

“I Will Write You Letters” 

is a feel-good song that 

proves Lippard’s maturity 

beyond her years. 

Weeding through the 

mediocre artistry of today’s 

reality show contests and 

everyday home-grown 

talents, we find a shining 

star in singer/songwriter Joy 

Lippard. The self-titled debut 

release showcases a fully 

armed performer as she 

delivers with pen, piano, and 

power-pop vocals that rise 

above anything you would 

expect from a mic-wielding 

18-year-old. But she has been 

songwriting since the tender 

age of 11. Check out Joy 

online at www.joylippard.com. 

Want an ec subscription 

that’s all your own? 

b YES! Send me a one-year individual subscription, 

12 monthly issues of ec magazine for $24.95. 

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Mail to: LifeWay / ec P.O. Box 113 Nashville, TN 37202-0113 

or visit lifeway.com/ec 

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Flynn Adam Such a Time (Gotee Records) 

Flynn adam’s sound 

is part party music, 

part thoughtful 

Visit ecmagazine.blogspot.com 

and find us on Facebook! 

Signature: 

if you like Gnarls Barkley, you’ll love Flynn Adam. Adam, a 

member of LA Symphony, a Christian hip hop group, has created a 

release that honors his hip hop background, but also establishes a 

more alternative sound. Adam counts the new album as an important 

lyrics. 

milestone in his journey of faith: “I have a better picture of who God is by just being honest and 

upright with Him through this journey.” Learn more at www.myspace.com/flynnadam. 

Robert Pierre Identity (thinkaboutit Records) 

Robert Pierre 

doesn’t let the world 

define his identity or 

his sound. 

this album is a true reflection of an ordinary 16-year-old 

Florida boy finding an extraordinary identity through Jesus Christ. 

There is, however, nothing ordinary about Robert Pierre’s talent. 

Pierre delivers the ballads flawlessly (“I Will Love You” and “I’ll Be 

There”) while turning a 180 with a slate of edgy pop/rock tunes to 

round out this project. Coming from the heart of a teenager, there’s no question where Robert’s 

“Identity” lies. For more, see Robert online: www.robertpierre.com. 

Seventh Day Slumber Take Everything (BEC) 

Bottom line: This Not only does this album feature a new spin on worship 

album invites us to standards known the world over, but when you consider the life 

deeper relationships Seventh Day Slumber frontman Joseph Rojas has been delivered 

with Christ, even in from as a daily cocaine addict, it will put an entirely new 

hard times. 

perspective on this worship experience. On “Carry Me,” you hear 

the soul of this hard rocker crying out to Jesus and offering an 

anthem for people suffering from hard stuff. More online: wwwseventhdayslumber.com. 

Various Artists Hip Hope Hits 2009 (Gotee Records) 

This compilation is 

full of the best of 

the best. 

For the fifth time, Gotee Records releases one of the most 

anticipated hip hop records of the year. In the vein of popular 

compilation formats, Gotee comes strong with its ‘09 version 

featuring favorites tobyMac, KJ-52, GRITS, Verbs, and Pettidee. 

The compilation’s cohesive sound is a testament to the mutualr espect between artists like 

these in the tight-knit Christian hip hop community. 


1 

parting shot life 

The Final 5 

(things ec wants you to remember): 

You can’t do it all alone. You were never supposed to. 

At His very core, God is all about community. He’s Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And that’s exactly why He 

never meant for you to live your faith in a vacuum. See pages 26, 30, and 48. 

photo: © istockphoto / denys sevriukov. illustrations: angela martini. 

2 

Truth that 

will never 

go out of 

style: modesty is 

about more than 

just clothes. 

 

Modesty is about more than 

what you do or don’t wear—and 

it’s not just an issue for girls. 

Modesty is about living your life 

in such a way that it brings glory 

to God. It’s shouldn’t be a fad. 

3 

Summer 

shouldn’t be 

boring. Celebrate 

each day! 

Each day is a gift from God. 

Strive to see them as such. 

Take some time to enjoy the 

ways God has blessed you. 

See pages 16 and 45. 

4 

Your country 

needs you! 

You may think you can’t 

do much to help our country and our 

leaders, but you can. Just pray for 

them. Check out page 18 for ideas 

about what to say. 

5 

Faith isn’t about understanding 

everything. It’s about trusting. 

God doesn’t think exactly like you do, and no matter how hard you 

try, you can’t wrap your brain around every facet of His character. 

But He is good; He is love; and He has made a way for you. See pages 40 and 60 

to see what we mean. 

64 | jul 2009 ec magazine

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