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YS STUDENT NEWSLETTER #338
April 21, 2008
Contents
1. Something for Your Heart
2. Surf Report
3. Forgettable Fact
4. Potent Quotables
5. Parting Shot
DCLA 2009
BE LOVE SERVE * REPEAT
Living into the Mission of God
Save the Date!
DC July 10-13, 2009
LA June 25-28, 2009
www.dcla2009.com
SERVE GOD BY SAVING THE PLANET
Our world is a mess. But you can help save our planet as you learn how to honor God in the choices you make and understand the impact those choices have on the environment.
Learn more about "It's Easy Being Green" here.
https://shop.youthspecialties.com/store/product.php?productid=584
Also available in your local Christian bookstore.
Find a Christian bookstore near you:
http://www.youthspecialties.com/store/dealers/
1. SOMETHING FOR YOUR HEART
This month we celebrate Earth Day and Arbor Day. In honor of these days, and because we think you can do something to help, we're going to spend the next two weeks focusing on how you can help save our planet.
WITH GREAT POWER COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY
There is a mistaken impression that God gave us this world to do whatever we want with it. Right after Adam and Eve were created, God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth" (Genesis 1:28, NKJV). People sometimes think that because humans were granted "dominion" over other living things, that gives us the right to do whatever we please. But that word "dominion" really includes a responsibility to care for the planet. And in the years after they were expelled from the garden, more rules were given to the Hebrews about how they were to take care of nature, with specifics on everything from how to harvest a field to the humane treatment of domesticated animals.
The president or prime minister of a country has dominion over that country. He or she has been appointed to oversee the running of the nation. Does that mean these leaders can do whatever they want? All checks and balances aside, if government officials hope to be reelected, they can't just do anything they choose, serving only themselves and ignoring the needs, wants, and opinions of the people who elected them. Because of the trust countries put in their elected leaders, government officials have a greater responsibility to serve the nation than ordinary citizens. As one of my closest friends is always saying, "To whom much is given, from him much will be required" (Luke 12:48, NKJV). Or, as Uncle Ben from Spider-Man paraphrases the Holy Book, "With great power comes great responsibility."
Because we are God's people, we are "presidents" of nature. The Creator of the universe has elected us to look after the world he has made. Does this mean we can do whatever we want? On the contrary, it means we have a huge responsibility to care for his creation. The earth is a precious gift we've been asked to care for, not an entitlement. Just because it was my turn on my big brother's scooter didn't give me the right to destroy it.
Don't make the mistake of thinking that, because you are young, you don't have great power or great responsibility. We teens have a huge influence on our nation. Our parents are moved by our passion; younger kids think we are the coolest thing since sliced bread. We can use that influence for God. If we are on fire, the world will follow. Our generation is a generation that can change the planet.
Taken from "It's Easy Being Green" by Emma Sleeth, copyright 2008 Youth Specialties/Zondervan. Used by permission. Order the book here.
https://shop.youthspecialties.com/store/product.php?productid=584
Also available in your local Christian bookstore.
Find a Christian bookstore near you:
http://www.youthspecialties.com/store/dealers/
THREE SIMPLE THINGS YOU CAN DO TO CHANGE THE WORLD THIS WEEK:
1. Pack an after-school snack instead of buying one from a school vending machine. By purchasing a larger bag of your favorite treat and bringing some each day in a reusable container, you avoid the waste of unnecessary packaging.
2. Turn off your computer at night or whenever you won't be using it.
3. Get potted plants for a classroom and volunteer to keep them watered. Not only will they look nice, but they'll also clean the air for a less polluted indoor environment.
2. SURF REPORT
~ How to be a Kid Environmentalist
http://www.wikihow.com/Be-a-Kid-Environmentalist
~ Friday, April 25 is World Malaria Day. Bite Back.
http://www.biteback.net/
3. FORGETTABLE FACT
A group of kangaroos is called a mob.
4. POTENT QUOTABLES
"Don't blow it--good planets are hard to find."
~Quoted in Time
"We never know the worth of water till the well is dry."
~Thomas Fuller
5. UH, THAT'S FUNNY?
You didn't hear about the three big holes in the ground? Well, well, well.
*All outside Internet links are here to inform or entertain you...we at YS don't necessarily endorse or support every link you find here.
copyright 2008 :: Youth Specialties
300 S. Pierce St. // El Cajon, CA 92020
888.346.4179
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