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document.write('<li class="rss-item"><a class="rss-item" href="http://apps.sunrisechurchspokane.com/Blog/?e=48000&d=04/27/2010&s=Phony%20Christianity" title="In his book Hurt, author and youth worker Chap Clark  describes a conversation he had with a boy named Jeremy, who  shared the following: &ldquo;Okay, I&rsquo;ll tell you something I&rsquo;ve  never told an adult. In fact, I&rsquo;ve never told anybody. T..." target="_blank">Phony Christianity</a><br />');
document.write('<span class="rss-date">published on Tue, 27 Apr 2010 12:37:00 GMT</span><br />');
document.write('In his book <i>Hurt,</i> author and youth worker Chap Clark  describes a conversation he had with a boy named Jeremy, who  shared the following: <blockquote>&ldquo;Okay, I&rsquo;ll tell you something I&rsquo;ve  never told an adult. In fact, I&rsquo;ve never told anybody. Three  years ago my parents got divorced, and they decided to keep it a  secret. They told me and my sister that we weren&rsquo;t allowed  to tell anyone, not even our grandparents, or we would get in big  trouble. So for three years we all have been living a lie. I  haven&rsquo;t told my friends, my coaches, my teachers, nobody,  and neither has my little sister. My parents hate each other, and  they fight all the time, but they pretend to be happily married  around everyone else. It stinks!&rdquo;</blockquote> Chap then noticed a quiet girl on the other side of him starting  to squirm and bite her nails. She said, &ldquo;Me, too.&rdquo;  Chap said, &ldquo;Pardon me?&rdquo; She said, &ldquo;Okay, I guess  it doesn&rsquo;t matter anymore anyway. My parents did the same  thing last year to us. I hate them! I hate them both!&rdquo;  <p>These situations might represent extreme cases, but they  demonstrate the hurt and pain caused by phoniness, by not living  like genuine Christians. From my 12 years of serving in the youth  ministry and seeing teenagers enter their adult years, I would say  that the most troubled young adults are those who were raised by  parents who put on a good act at church but lived a different life  behind closed doors at home. I say this not to criticize past  behavior, but to challenge us to &ldquo;get real&rdquo; for the  sake of our young people. This goes not only for parents, but for  everyone with influence over teens, including grandparents, youth  leaders, and teachers. </p><p> We should also take note of what a 15-year-old boy named  Christopher wrote in his journal: &ldquo;Today is my birthday.  I&rsquo;m 15. The day is foggy, it may rain. We are inside.  I&rsquo;m going to watch TV. I got my journal today. My dad would  like for me to go to church with him. But nobody likes me there.  But I would like to go.&rdquo; </p><p> Let us never be a church where someone feels unloved or disliked.  We can do better than this; we MUST do better than this. Maybe now  is our time to tear down whatever has been dictating how we live  and to declare that we are simply ready to live a real life before  God and others. Our lives, and the lives of our young people,  depend on it.</p>');
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document.write('<li class="rss-item"><a class="rss-item" href="http://apps.sunrisechurchspokane.com/Blog/?e=45795&d=03/08/2010&s=LEAVING%20Burdens%20At%20The%20Cross" title=" Someone wrote a little poem that goes like this:     Lord, I\'m so discouraged; I don\'t know what to do I have so many burdens, and I gave them all to you. But you didn\'t take them, Jesus; Will you tell me why that\'s  so?  The answer\'s simple, little..." target="_blank">LEAVING Burdens At The Cross</a><br />');
document.write('<span class="rss-date">published on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 02:37:00 GMT</span><br />');
document.write('<p> Someone wrote a little poem that goes like this:  </p> <p> <center><i><p> Lord, I\'m so discouraged; I don\'t know what to do</p><p> I have so many burdens, and I gave them all to you.</p><p> But you didn\'t take them, Jesus; Will you tell me why that\'s  so? </p><p> The answer\'s simple, little one: Because you won\'t let go</p> </i></center> </p> <p> I read these words this morning and they reminded me of a  process  we walked through during the recent \"Portland Youth Rally.\"  Each  of us was challenged by the featured speaker, Bob Witte, to  write  down, on a small index card, our \"biggest\" sin, the one thing  we  most needed to kill and cut out of our lives. After that, we  were  encouraged to nail the card to an actual cross, symbolizing  our  death to that sin. For the next step of the process, we were  urged  to grab a rock and not let go of it until we told someone  else,  out loud, what we wrote on our cards and nailed to the cross.  We  were not allowed to let go of the rock until we shared our sin  verbally with someone else. </p> <p> How powerful it was for so many people to confess their sins  and  leave their burdens at the cross where they belong! This  exercise  was just one element of a powerful weekend that prompted many  of  our young people (and adults) to initiate real life change  through  the power of Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross.  Whenever I  am tempted to commit my \"big\" sin, I now picture my little  card  hanging on the cross, reminding me that I gave my burden to  Jesus  Christ, the only one who can really carry my heavy load. I  left my  sin at the cross where Jesus paid it all to set me free. </p> <p> Won\'t you let go of your burden today? </p>');
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document.write('<li class="rss-item"><a class="rss-item" href="http://apps.sunrisechurchspokane.com/Blog/?e=45793&d=01/04/2010&s=One%20More%20Year" title="A story is shared by Don Holliday that goes like this: There  once was a sorcerer who fell into disfavor with the king and was  sentenced to death. On the day of his scheduled execution, the  sorcerer told the king that if the king would allow him to live..." target="_blank">One More Year</a><br />');
document.write('<span class="rss-date">published on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 07:56:00 GMT</span><br />');
document.write('<p>A story is shared by Don Holliday that goes like this: There  once was a sorcerer who fell into disfavor with the king and was  sentenced to death. On the day of his scheduled execution, the  sorcerer told the king that if the king would allow him to live  for one more year, he would make the king world-famous. The  sorcerer guaranteed to make the king\'s horse talk, and in so doing  give the king worldwide fame. If the sorcerer failed, the king  could kill him and the sorcerer wouldn\'t object. The king agreed  to this and the sorcerer was spared for one year and placed in the  palace dungeon. A duke, who was a friend of the sorcerer, sneaked  into the dungeon and said, \"You are indeed a fool. I know and you  know that you don\'t have the power to make the king\'s horse talk.  You have no hope at all of success. You will surely die!\" \"But,\"  the sorcerer replied, \"I have one year to live. Many things can  happen in one year. Perhaps the king will die. Or I may die. Or I  may even teach a horse to talk. Regardless, I still have one more  year!\" </p> <p> God has given us another new year that started just a few days  ago. What will we do with it? Perhaps we can take to heart and  apply the truths we will learn at the \"Avalanche\" Youth Rally in  Deer Park. The theme is \"Underground\" and over the course of the  Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend, we will explore the lives  of Daniel and his friends, who were bold followers of God even  when it was unpopular, even dangerous. These young people did not  hide their faith or keep it \"Underground;\" rather, they greatly  influenced those around them, including the rulers and authorities  of their day. As we participate in this youth rally, we hope,  along with the event organizers, that our teens will be  strengthened in their faith and passionate about living it out  each and every day, even when the world is opposed to it. This  will be extremely challenging at times, but nothing is impossible  with God and, hey, we \"still have one more year!\"</p>');
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document.write('<li class="rss-item"><a class="rss-item" href="http://apps.sunrisechurchspokane.com/Blog/?e=39930&d=11/10/2009&s=Not%20Yet%2C%20Not%20Yet" title="I ran across an interesting tidbit regarding American  artist James  Whistler, who was never known to be bashful about his talent,  and  who was once advised that a shipment of blank canvases he had  ordered had been lost in the mail. When asked if the ca..." target="_blank">Not Yet, Not Yet</a><br />');
document.write('<span class="rss-date">published on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:05:00 GMT</span><br />');
document.write('<p>I ran across an interesting tidbit regarding American  artist James  Whistler, who was never known to be bashful about his talent,  and  who was once advised that a shipment of blank canvases he had  ordered had been lost in the mail. When asked if the canvases  were  of any great value, Whistler remarked, &ldquo;not yet, not  yet.&rdquo; This brief story caught my attention for its  similarity  to the potential I see at our Wednesday night Youth Group  meetings.  Since school started back in late August and early September,  we  have had some great turnouts on Wednesday nights, thanks in  large  part to Rose driving the van and Katelynn coordinating the  transportation details. We are seeing many new faces including  several you may not have seen on Sunday morning-well, not yet,  not  yet. Our young people are showing up and bringing friends with  them.  Although we do not have a large number of strong, heavily  involved  young Christians (not yet, not yet), we do have some blank  canvases  on which God is beginning to create beautiful masterpieces. I  am  eager to see what the Great Artist has in store and I am  thankful to  have a front-row seat in watching one of God&rsquo;s most  incredible  works: life change!</p>');
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document.write('<li class="rss-item"><a class="rss-item" href="http://apps.sunrisechurchspokane.com/Blog/?e=38612&d=10/08/2009&s=God%27s%20Bank%20Account%20%2D%2D%20No%20Solicitors%2C%20Please" title="Just a couple of weeks ago, we hosted our 13th annual  Spokane Youth Rally here at Sunrise! We addressed the theme,  \"It\'s Not All About Me,\" with the help of our special guest  speaker Gary Zustiak (\"Zus\"), from Ozark Christian College.  Part of wha..." target="_blank">God\'s Bank Account -- No Solicitors, Please</a><br />');
document.write('<span class="rss-date">published on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:22:00 GMT</span><br />');
document.write('<p>Just a couple of weeks ago, we hosted our 13th annual  Spokane Youth Rally here at Sunrise! We addressed the theme,  \"It\'s Not All About Me,\" with the help of our special guest  speaker Gary Zustiak (\"Zus\"), from Ozark Christian College.  Part of what Zus shared was the fact that young people can,  and should, do hard things for God; youths are just as capable  as adults of serving and meeting the needs of others. To this  end, he related a story that I want to share with all of you: </p> <blockquote> <p> Just this past week I learned about a great illustration of  youths who did something great! This takes place in a little  nowhere town called Vinita, OK. The youth minister had to take  over the responsibilities of the minister also, because the  minister was fired. One day he was meeting with a woman who  needed money for a prescription that she couldn\'t afford. She  was a single mother, out of work, and just couldn\'t afford to  pay for her needed prescription. So, the youth minister paid  for it out of his own pocket. </p><p> When he made his board report, he mentioned this need and told  the elders what he had done. They informed him that a lady in  the community had died and had left $50,000 to the church to  be used to help people in the community. He could just use  some of that fund. </p><p> He was glad to learn that and so the next month he spent $200  helping people who had needs in the community, taking money  from that fund.  When the next board meeting was held he told  them what he had done. The board got upset that he was  spending that much money. The youth minister told the board  that the community people needed that kind of help. They were  firm. You cannot use that money?we need to save it in case a  tornado or flood comes through. He told them that he was going  to spend $200 next month and that they should prepare to be  amazed. They told him if he took the money from that fund, he  would be fired. </p><p> The youth minister went to the youth group and shared the need  with them. This youth group had only about 30 kids. They  decided to take up an offering to help with this need. They  pledged to give $200 every month. And they raised it! So when  the next board meeting was held the youth minister told them  he had spent $200 helping people in the community. The board  was angry! They started to dress him down and were ready to  fire him when he said, \"Wait. I told you that you were going  to be amazed. I didn\'t take the money from your fund. I  challenged the youth group and those 30 kids not only raised  that much money, but have pledged to give that much every  month. </p><p> The board got real quiet! Most of the guys were pleased and  they were saying, Oh, well.  Great!  Finally one man said,  \"Guys.  I don\'t know about you. But I don\'t feel good about  that. I feel guilty. Those teens have shown a better example  of Jesus than we have. I move that we give $200 a month from  the fund for this need. </p> </blockquote>');
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document.write('<li class="rss-item"><a class="rss-item" href="http://apps.sunrisechurchspokane.com/Blog/?e=38609&d=09/10/2009&s=So%20Long%2C%20Self%2E%2E%2E" title="In my completely objective, totally unbiased opinion, I  have  the best, cutest, smartest, most special kids on the planet!  But  they do have this problem sometimes, and I hear it in certain  statements they make such as: \"This is MY room!\" \"Dad, Kael..." target="_blank">So Long, Self...</a><br />');
document.write('<span class="rss-date">published on Thu, 10 Sep 2009 12:22:00 GMT</span><br />');
document.write('<p>In my completely objective, totally unbiased opinion, I  have  the best, cutest, smartest, most special kids on the planet!  But  they do have this problem sometimes, and I hear it in certain  statements they make such as: \"This is MY room!\" \"Dad, Kaelynn  is  using MY coloring markers!\" \"Mom, Nolan took the remote and I  had  it first!\" Even our little three-year-old will protest:  \"That\'s MY  candy!\" and cry if we have to take it from her. </p><p> And then I look at people in their teens, 20s, 30s, 40s, all  the  way up to the oldest people I know, and I still hear some of  the  same sentiments expressed by my young children, just in more  \"mature\" sounding ways. All of us say and hear things like,  \"Well,  I think we should do this,\" and \"I really don\'t like that,\"  and \"I  prefer this,\" etc. We get better at hiding it, or at least we  think we do, but this selfish thing, this overwhelming desire  to  have things OUR way, is a constant battle we must face and  overcome as Christians. </p><p> Although we\'ve struggled with this problem since the very  beginning when Adam and Eve chose to disobey God, I believe  that  many of us do know that God should be the focus, as opposed to  ourselves, but we often fail to live like we really believe  it. As  difficult as it is to realize that life is \"not about us,\" we  know  instinctively this is right; we connect with this idea and we  are  very drawn to it, which at its heart goes back to the  teachings of  Jesus Christ. </p><p> In just a couple of weeks (yikes!) we will host our 13th  Annual  Spokane Youth Rally with the intention of helping teenagers  throughout the northwest understand that, \"It\'s Not About Me.\"  We  are excited to welcome back Gary Zustiak (\"Zus\") from Ozark  Christian College, who will share three powerful messages that  address our tendency to think it IS all about me, and then  help us  to realize that it\'s NOT about me, but rather it\'s about God  and  other people. As we approach this youth rally, which takes  place  from Friday, October 2 through Sunday, October 4, please keep  the  event in your prayers and, if you\'re a member of Sunrise, I  would  ask that you consider opening up your home for a few out-of- town  kids to have a place to lay their head for the weekend. I know  God  will bless your willingness to serve His young people!</p>');
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document.write('<li class="rss-item"><a class="rss-item" href="http://apps.sunrisechurchspokane.com/Blog/?e=30969&d=06/15/2009&s=He%20sees%20you%20when%20you%27re%20sleeping%2E%2E%2E" title="During our High School class last Sunday, we discussed the  fact  that God knows everything about us and still loves us anyway.  The  great Bible passage in Psalm 139:1-6 says,    &ldquo;O Lord, you have searched me and you know me.  You know when I sit a..." target="_blank">He sees you when you\'re sleeping...</a><br />');
document.write('<span class="rss-date">published on Mon, 15 Jun 2009 08:55:33 GMT</span><br />');
document.write('<p>During our High School class last Sunday, we discussed the  fact  that God knows everything about us and still loves us anyway.  The  great Bible passage in Psalm 139:1-6 says,   <p><center><i> &ldquo;O Lord, you have searched me <br>and you know me.  <br><br>You know when I sit and when I rise; <br>you perceive  my  thoughts from afar. <br><br>You discern my going out and my lying down; <br>you  are  familiar with all my ways. <br><br>Before a word is on my tongue <br>you know it  completely,  O Lord. <br><br>You hem me in?behind and before; <br>you have laid  your  hand upon me.  <br><br>Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, <br>too lofty  for  me to attain.&rdquo;</i></center></p>   Too wonderful, indeed! God watches, in fact, studies us when  we&rsquo;re sitting, standing, far away, walking, and  sleeping.  And amazingly, God still loves us completely even though he  knows  everything about us!</p> <p>On occasion I have asked our young people to consider the  following question: What if your closest friend or family  member  could see everything you did, hear everything you said, and  even  know every thought you had? They all admit how horrifying that  would be. Thankfully, no other person has that knowledge, but  God  does! And what&rsquo;s even more incredible is that He  continues  to love us, unconditionally, despite our sins and failures and  weaknesses. Of all the amazing qualities of God&rsquo;s love,  this  is one of the most unfathomable and yet wonderful. God has  always  loved us and He always will love us. Our young people need to  hear  and understand this truth &ndash; in fact, we all do!</p>');
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document.write('<li class="rss-item"><a class="rss-item" href="http://apps.sunrisechurchspokane.com/Blog/?e=29006&d=05/14/2009&s=Troy%20Would%20Like%20To%20Thank%20The%20Academy%2E%2E%2E" title=" 			Leading a youth ministry, even in a  smaller setting such as ours, is truly a team effort. I could  never dream of keeping up with half of our &ldquo;goings on&rdquo;  without the support and assistance of our faithful volunteers.  With this in mind, ..." target="_blank">Troy Would Like To Thank The Academy...</a><br />');
document.write('<span class="rss-date">published on Thu, 14 May 2009 09:08:23 GMT</span><br />');
document.write('<p> 			Leading a youth ministry, even in a  smaller setting such as ours, is truly a team effort. I could  never dream of keeping up with half of our &ldquo;goings on&rdquo;  without the support and assistance of our faithful volunteers.  With this in mind, I want to take the opportunity to express my  sincere gratitude to some of the key adult helpers we&rsquo;ve had  this past year. 		</p> 		<p> 			Bud and Teresa Gothmann are tireless  servants of our Lord, His young people, and our congregation as a  whole. They participate in nearly all of our Wednesday night  meetings and activities. They even sacrifice some of their  vacation time to make sure our teens get to summer events such as  Clear Lake Christian Camp and New Life Northwest. Although their  own children are grown up now, they continue to answer God&rsquo;s  calling by leading and serving in the youth ministry at Sunrise. 		</p> 		<p> 			Along with Bud and Teresa, I want to thank  Jenni Detling and Emily Bond for taking over the &ldquo;Jesus  Chicks&rdquo; ministry and spending important time with our  teenage girls. They teach our young women about God, model what it  means to live as Christians in this world, and work hard to have  quality relationships with our young people. 		</p> 		<p> 			Additionally, I would like to thank my  good friend Wesley Steele for all of the support and assistance he  has provided, not only this year, but in many years past. He  genuinely enjoys spending time with our teens, and the kids in  turn love to see him at Youth Group meetings and activities. He is  always someone we can count on to do whatever is needed, no matter  how large or small the task. He is a servant leader who sets a  great example for our youths at Sunrise. 		</p> 		<p> 			Last but not least, I want to say,  &ldquo;THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!&rdquo; to Rose Carlson for  transporting a van load of teens to and from Youth Group every  Wednesday. She has made a huge impact by enabling our teens to  show up consistently and bring some friends with them. Rose may  not consider herself one of our leaders, but she certainly  demonstrates what it means to serve God and His young people. 		</p>');
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document.write('<li class="rss-item"><a class="rss-item" href="http://apps.sunrisechurchspokane.com/Blog/?e=28833&d=05/08/2009&s=The%20Curious%20Case%20of%20Inquiring%20Thomas" title="Near the end of a recent Wednesday night Youth Group meeting,  our students began asking some challenging questions, such as  &ldquo;How do we really know Jesus is God?&rdquo; and &ldquo;What  about people with other religious beliefs?  Are they all going..." target="_blank">The Curious Case of Inquiring Thomas</a><br />');
document.write('<span class="rss-date">published on Fri, 08 May 2009 09:13:37 GMT</span><br />');
document.write('<p>Near the end of a recent Wednesday night Youth Group meeting,  our students began asking some challenging questions, such as  &ldquo;How do we really know Jesus is God?&rdquo; and &ldquo;What  about people with other religious beliefs?  Are they all going to  hell?&rdquo;  These questions led to others, and eventually  sparked a series of lessons covering these difficult  topics.</p><p>Just the other evening, we discussed &ldquo;Doubting  Thomas&rdquo; and the fact that he often gets a bad rap, as though  he was somehow worse than the other disciples because of his  doubts concerning the resurrected Jesus Christ.  His friends told  him about the resurrection, and Thomas replied with, &ldquo;Unless  I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the  nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe  it&rdquo; (John 20:25).  Because of this answer reflecting his  honest doubt, Thomas is often viewed in a negative light.</p> <p>People forget, though (or perhaps don&rsquo;t even realize),  that the other disciples also did not believe until they had  evidence from Jesus.  In fact, when the women who found the empty  tomb of Jesus shared their discovery with the disciples, the Bible  says &ldquo;they did not believe the women, because their words  seemed to them like nonsense&rdquo; (Luke 24:11).  These disciples  quickly dismissed the news, whereas Thomas sought evidence of the  truth.  As some of our teens said, the other disciples were  &ldquo;lame!&rdquo;  Contrary to what some believe, doubt is not  the opposite of faith; rather it is a tool that leads to faith  when honestly put into practice.  The Greek word for  &ldquo;doubt&rdquo; is <i>skeptikos</i>, and has the meaning of  &ldquo;inquirer.&rdquo;  Thomas did not deny the truth as much as  he asked questions to be sure of the truth.</p> <p>Our young people have doubts sometimes.  If you&rsquo;re honest  as an adult, you will admit that you have doubts as well.  But  don&rsquo;t forget that a tested faith is a strong faith, and as  our students ask and find answers to the tough questions, they  will enter their &ldquo;grown up&rdquo; years with the conviction  they need to stand firm and help others hear the good news of  Jesus Christ.</p>');
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document.write('<li class="rss-item"><a class="rss-item" href="http://apps.sunrisechurchspokane.com/Blog/?e=23508&d=02/11/2009&s=Looking%20forward%20to%20another%20Portland%20Youth%20Rally" title="In just a few weeks we\'ll make the trip to northwest Oregon and  participate in the 2009 Portland Youth Rally. Always a  highlight  among our annual activities, this rally draws more students  from  Sunrise Church and Christian Academy than any other sin..." target="_blank">Looking forward to another Portland Youth Rally</a><br />');
document.write('<span class="rss-date">published on Wed, 11 Feb 2009 10:15:10 GMT</span><br />');
document.write('In just a few weeks we\'ll make the trip to northwest Oregon and  participate in the 2009 Portland Youth Rally. Always a  highlight  among our annual activities, this rally draws more students  from  Sunrise Church and Christian Academy than any other single  event  in which we participate. <br/><br/> This year\'s rally will feature a Christian illusionist who  shares  an amazing presentation that integrates powerful teaching about  Christ. The featured speaker is Chris Duncan, who has served on  the Ministry staff at Canyon Ridge Christian Church in Las  Vegas,  NV, for the past 11 years. At Canyon Ridge, he enjoys being  part  of one of the fastest-growing churches in the United States. He  travels around the country teaching and encouraging Middle and  High school students through his storytelling, humor, and  talking  about the most important person in his life: a man named Jesus.  Chris has been privileged to speak and share Christ with over  100,000 students over the past 19 years. <br/><br/>Please pray for our safe travel and--even more  importantly--a weekend encounter with God that encourages our  young people to stay involved, grow in their faith, and share  Christ\'s love with their friends, families, fellow students,  and  coworkers. <br/><br/> (<a  href=\"http://www.portlandyouthrally.org/\"  target=\"_blank\">Click here</a> to see the official Portland  Youth Rally 2009 website.)');
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