Latitude| Velocity || HMCC Youth Group

[The 'Truth' of this age]

2010-10-18T20:20:00.000-07:00

And we continue in the TRUTH series!!

For this study we looked at a term called POSTMODERNISM.

Postmodernism is a very attractive worldview that's very appealing to people living in these times. It allows for anybody to define their own truth.

Let's review: God's Truth has five big properties. It's objective, absolute, unchanging, universal and knowable. Let's compare these things to postmodernism:

Wha.... they're complete opposites!!!

It's so much easier to accept Postmodernism worldview because it lets anybody be the boss. You can make up your own rules without letting anybody else be the authority. It sounds nice... but it's very selfish, isn't it?

Let's read what the Bible has to say!

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two- edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Hebrews 4:12-13

We know then, that God's authority as the Bible isn't static. What was true back then in Jesus' time is still very true for us.

Our application was to take the Bible verse, the truth from God, and put it into practice this past week. Thank God for His unending promises!!

[ The Bible: God's Authoritative Truth ] and [ HGAMES!!! ]

2010-10-09T12:56:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Sorry this is a little late. Without further ado!!

So last saturday we had a Bible study that followed up from the one we had a few weeks ago about TRUTH.

We started with this scenario:

Funny, right? Why?

Because yes, the 911 operator could help the boy with his homework... but that wasn't his purpose. He had a more significant role in saving the lives of others... in the same way, the Bible isn't a manual for life. It holds the truth because it's the authority straight from God.

So we looked into different Bible verses to help us think on the promises of God and hold onto them for the week. Can't wait to see how it's blessed everyone!

The same weekend, we had HGAMESSS!!!!!

We were teamed up with the lifegroup GLU! And here are the pictures!!

Relay!!! Human treadmilling bridge!!

Ethan settles a score with his big brother??

The Lat/Vel human pyramid

Our fearless leader...

It was a cold cold sunday afternoon full of riddle-solving, sourpatch kids consumption, tug-of-warring and lat/vel bonding! Good job everyone, we really made a presence out there, I think!! GO LV!!!!!

[ September Activity Day ] Cornmaze!!!

2010-10-03T17:59:00.000-07:00

Hey Lat/Vel!!!

Sorry this post is a little late!! There are two more posts following this one, so keep your eyes peeled!!

Last saturday we took a trip out to Saline to a corn maze. Since pictures would do more justice to what sort of fun we had, here they are!!


The van!!! Off to the maze!!!


And we're off!!

Annie: "Where are you guys going...?"

Josiah: "Uh..... I dunno....."

Becki: "I don't think you're in the corn maze anymore........"

Use the Force, Dylan!!!

We killed the donuts....... so good @__@;;

"LV!!!!!!"

And that's all for now!! Stay tuned for the "YOUR WORD IS TRUTH" Bible Study and exclusive scoops from HGAMES!!!

[ First Fall Bible Study!!!! ]

2010-09-22T12:54:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all!!!

it sure has been a while since we've seen updates here, huh?? But after a busy summer of vacations and studying and rest, we've already launched the Fall semester in Latitude and Velocity, yaaay!

This past saturday, we had our first Bible study of the '10/'11 school year, YOUR WORD IS TRUTH.

Truth can be a pretty confusing topic, but we learned a few very important things in this study.

TRUTH IS OBJECTIVE

TRUTH IS ABSOLUTE

TRUTH IS UNIVERSAL

TRUTH IS KNOWABLE

And here are some pictures from the night!

A quote about truth and science by Carl Sanger. A contradiction?!?!


no lat/vel meeting is complete without a game of ninja!!

banana splits courtesy of Monica!! Yaaay!!

G-Force (Gifts)

2010-05-14T16:36:00.001-07:00

Hey Everyone,
It's been a while, but this past meeting we learned about our gifts. Those gifts that God has given us to help build up His church. Each of us play such an important role and those roles are so important.

This activity helped us to assign specific roles in accomplishing a task. I hope you all will remember that we all need to do our part. Let's continue to build one another up!

Planning and Prep

An amazing plan coming together...

Pre-race psych out!

The OREO CART WINS!!!

G-Force!

2010-01-23T18:45:00.000-08:00

Tonight was the first night in our commitment to grow deeper in our relationship with God. We started our bible study series called, G-Force and studied what it really means to be FULLY DEVOTED as a Christ-follower. We know that this will be a steady and bumpy process to start, but as we journey together I'm confident that we'll learn to understand Jesus in a deeper way. We just need to dig deep and dig with determination. It's in anything we learn to do for the first time...if we fail...try, try, try, try again. Let's continue to persevere no matter what happens through this journey together. Remember to keep each other accountable! Just as we lit the candles together, let's remember that we need to let the light of Jesus Christ shine in our lives and through us to others. Let's learn to love God and others in this way! Have a great week!

ONE DESIRE RETREAT!

2010-01-19T09:51:00.001-08:00

After the first night, we all went to "Andrew Down" to get corn dogs and I met the rest of the gang at the hotel where we were staying. I asked my roommate Jet, "What did you think of the message?" He replied, "Uh...it was AWESOME! I think it was the best sermon I've E-V-E-R heard in my life." :) So yes. Simply put, the ONE DESIRE Retreat was simply AWESOME! God did amazing things in each of our lives and it was great to see each one of the students learn and grow from our time together. Let's continue to grow as ONE and have ONE DESIRE to grow in our relationship with God as Lat/Vel!

Latitude Velocity Christmas Party

2009-12-23T05:40:00.000-08:00

We hope everyone had a blast at the Christmas Party. Enjoy the White Elephant gifts you got and remember no hard feelings. Anyways, we hope you continue to remember the TRUE meaning of Christmas and as we have the rest of the break to reflect on that let's respond in thankfulness and a greater love for God for giving us His one and only Son, Jesus Christ. Thank you Lord, and Happy Birthday Jesus. We love you! Latitude/Velocity.

White Elephant...Toblerone Madness!!!

Part 2 of the Toblerone Drama

The Toblerone Finale!!!

Old Pictures

2009-12-13T18:10:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone,
It was great seeing everyone this past weekend at the Baptism Service. It's so exciting to see God moving in our church. Let's continue to pray that God will continue to move in our youth group too! Here's the picture link from our trip to Dearborn! Enjoy!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/45550846@N06/sets/72157622869252783/

Fall Baptism

2009-12-09T08:32:00.001-08:00

Please save the date for this coming Saturday. December 12, 2009 will be the date of HMCC's fall baptism. We will be attending this together as a youth group to celebrate with our fellow church members at HMCC. We're praying for a joyous and memorable time!

MythBusters: Friendship

2009-09-27T15:36:00.000-07:00

This past Friday we had an opportunity to discuss friendships. What does true friendship mean?

Take a look at the picture which has our responses. Let's all strive for true God-centered friendships in our lives.

Lat/Vel Friday Worship Gatherings

2009-09-21T21:11:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite pictures from HMCC of Chicago. I remember about 3 years ago traveling to that church on the weekends and having the amazing privilege to worship and gather with those in Evanston. It's these moments that remind me of how we are created to worship. No matter if we are here in Ann Arbor or in Chicago, God calls us to be worshipers in all that we do.

Even when we look at our youth group I've always been inspired by Hillsong United Youth Worship, in Australia. Thousands of students gather to worship and experience God. They want to worship God and experience God with other students in their youth group. It's our prayer that the times we have on Friday evenings at ACCESS will be those purposeful times to experience God together as a youth group. Let's be worshipers of Jesus Christ in all that we do! See you all this FRIDAY! Let's be ready to experience God together.

2009-09-21T20:48:00.000-07:00

APPLE PICKING
Wiard's Orchard
9.19.09

Action Shot at the Orchard!!!

Yay!!! APPLES!

Making Caramel APPLES!

INTENSE FOCUS

Cedar Point Trip

2009-07-25T18:27:00.000-07:00

Cedar Point!

It all started at 6AM and it was a long trip but we got there with our first ride on the RAPTOR! All in all I think we managed to get on 8 or 9 rides total! What an awesome day! There was forecast for rain in the weather but God held it back so we could overcome our fears of rollar coasters. I guess that was the main test for Dyon. I hope all of you had a great time and the next time we can have all of us enjoy the Maverick together!

1st James Bible Study (Faith that Works)

2009-07-25T18:04:00.000-07:00

Our first bible study was on FAITH! Yes Faith! Our bible study consisted of a couple of activities which the Velocity students dominated!

We learned that we need to really develop a greater faith to trust as we listen to the holy spirit. We need to persevere even though we encounter trials of many kinds. Let's press on together!

"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." James 1:12

This Week!!!

2009-07-09T06:58:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,
We hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July weekend. Sarah and I got to spend some time with her parents in Ann Arbor. What great weather and fun in Ann Arbor. We're excited to say that we're going to start our bible study this week on Saturday as we look into the book of James. We will be meeting at our home at 5pm. Please bring your bibles and pens.

MORE TO COME...but please remember we'll be going to Cedar Point on Saturday, July 18th. We'll meet to sleep over at our house on Friday night and in the morning, bright at early, we'll be heading out Saturday. Parents if you'd like to join us for the trip please let us know ASAP. More details on the pricing and agenda for that trip are to come this Saturday. See you all then!

Again, if you need rides please email back and let us know. The earlier the better. Thank you.

Camping Highlights

2009-06-30T07:56:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of our trip...

Enjoy!

Getting ready to feast on RAMEN NOODLES!!!

So hungry!!! YUM!

Trying our best to build the fire.

Latitude Family!

goofy pic 1

goofy pic 2

goofy pic 3

Morning Devotions

Dyon got too much sun.

WATER ULTIMATE!!!

Ready to go back home.

Latitude Velocity Camping Trip!

2009-06-25T13:51:00.000-07:00

Aloha! And we're back! Now with the added excitement to hit the great outdoors of Michigan! Home sweet home. Hawaii was great, but believe it or not, something about Michigan hits home. It's really great to be back! We leave for Dune Lake Campground, in Coloma, Michigan in about 24 hours. It should be a great time! Please bring lots of excitement and mosquito repellent! :)

I checked the weather and it should be a beautiful sunny and 85 degrees of goodness. The tents are picked up, food lists made, and smores ingredients are packed and ready. However, one more thing we should remind ourselves is that we can experience God as we head into His beautiful creation! Let's worship God even before we see all the great splendor he has created. Very stoked to see you all it's been a while. Please refer back to the email I sent to know what you should pack for this trip. See you soon.

Dyon

84 Days and Counting

2009-06-12T08:21:00.000-07:00

photo: Photobucket

84 Seconds, 84 Minutes, 84 Hours...84 DAYS!!!

We have 84 Days of Summer from this coming Sunday! What a thought that we have so much time that God has given us to rest and recuperate, but when I think about this number I realize that there's so much more that God desires to experience than rest. Granted, I know that finally you can sleep in after waking up at 6 in the morning to get ready for school. (I know some of us probably woke up 10 minutes before the bus came :) ) Perhaps, this summer there is more than just rest, video games, camps, etc. Perhaps, he wants and desires for us to grow in Him. In any situation and any circumstance we are called to be Jesus Christ's disciples. We are to be Christ Followers no matter if all we can see in our planners is TEST, PROJECT, QUIZ, PRESENTATION...God is worthy to be praised in every situation and every moment of our lives. From the stresses of our lives to the joys of of lives God is worthy to be praised!

Let's get rest this summer, but let's also remember to grow in these three areas. I'd like to propose the 3 Radical F's. Radical Foundations, Radial Formations, and Radical Followership.

Radical Foundations: Deeper understanding of the Gospel and Jesus Christ's RADICAL LOVE! Deepening or love for God and understanding that “we are more sinful that we will ever know and more loved than we can ever imagine” (from sethskim.com). Let's build our foundations through our gathering times this summer.

Radical Formations: Maturing is Christ-likeness is something that involves a daily devotion to God. We need to become more like Christ through our daily obedience. Let's be committed in becoming more Christ-like this summer.

Radical Followership: Developing a change in perspective. Does what we know become translated into our daily lives and the decisions that we make? Sometimes we say we believe, but the hardest thing is to live those things out in our everyday life. We need to understand at times what keeps us from following hard after God. Let's be committed to becoming a radical Christ-follower this summer!

In a nutshell, this is our vision for this summer. Where are you in each of these 3 area? Where do you need to grow? What do desire for God to teach you this summer? When it comes down to it we all need to grow!

Let's thrive and hunger for more of God this summer. We have 84 days to do it and in fact many more when we think about how God has and continues to work on our lives no matter what. Let's not miss out this summer but make most of every moment that we have!

BBQ: RAIN PLAN (Dyon and Sarah's House)

2009-06-11T12:18:00.000-07:00

Photo: www.rocbike.com

Hey Crew! As you can see...lots of rain and wetness! We're going to move the picnic to our house, so please come on over. Remember we want to celebrate the summer! So bring over a hungry stomach and and excited-ness to start the summer! We're going to be sharing the vision of the summer and all that we want to accomplish throughout our time together. We'll also have time for some fellowship also!

Dyon

LatVel End of the Year Celebration

2009-06-06T19:33:00.000-07:00

June 6th, 2009
With some of us done with school and others eagerly anticipating the end of another school year we gathered at Dyon and Sarah's place for our final meeting of the year. Today at Lat/Vel we started off with some great food as always and spent the evening capping off year through a time of sharing. We each had an opportunity to share one praise, one lesson learned, and a prayer request. We had the privilege of recognizing one of our seniors, Jessica Lee and also recognizing our leaders Junia and Amy as they will not be serving in Latitude/Velocity any longer. It's been great serving along side of them. God has really blessed us with two sisters who love the youth.

As always...Junia (the pampered chef).

They aren't mad...they're just really hungry. :)

Dylan: Before eating this monster mutant strawberry he had to stab it a few times. These aren't camera effects...this thing was as big as his face!

We closed out the evening with a nice bonfire and some smores!!! yay!

Check out the Alka-seltzer punishment from our game tonight.
And the winner is!?!?!? Saline Pride! You go buddy!

As we transition into the summer months, Sarah and I are excited to be your Latitude/Velocity leaders! We believe God wants to continue to bring us closer to Him as a youth group this summer. We also want to see God do great things in us and through us! We're excited to encounter so much more of God with you!

We're out until this coming Thursday. Latitude Summer Kickoff BBQ @ Montbellier Park

Latitude Velocity Blog!!!

2009-06-06T11:12:00.000-07:00

Hey Latitude/Velocity! We're pleased to introduce to you the new BLOG!!! As we head into the tech savvy era of our day we're moving online. This blog will allow you to see what you missed during a previous meeting and also helps you to see what's coming up next! This summer will be filled with many bible studies, activities, and F3 Meeting [Friday Fun Fellowship - more details to come :)]. We're so excited for the close of the school year, which means more time to hang out and grow together! YAY!

Please continue to check the calendar and the rest of the blog. This will be a work in progress and we're excited to utilize this resource to stay connected.

Stay tuned for EPIC blogging. :)
Dyon

p.s. Dyon and Jet want YOU to read this BLOG!!! YEAH BOY!