CHAOS

The CHAOS Blog has MOVED!!!

chaosatnaz — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 16:38:10 +0000

We’ve moved our blog!

The new site is CedarValleyStudents.org

Be sure to check it out!

The new site includes blogs, videos, pictures, podcasts & more!

Enter your email address on the new site to receive updates from all the CHAOS happenings!

God Gives You Your Value [CHAOS Recap!]

chaosatnaz — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 02:01:21 +0000

[CHAOS Weekly Announcements Video]

[Our Theme Tonight]
> God Gives You Your Value

[The Game]
> Ski Trip Blend-up – We took some of our left over food from the ski trip and blended it up to make a tasty drink! Water, juice, cheese, honey buns, blueberry muffins, and more!

[The Worship Music]
1. No One Like You
2. Jump
3. Happy Day

[The Message]
> Dave Bartlett shared with us that it is God who determines our value. Many times, we look to things of the world to determine how valuable we are. Things like, what our friends say, how we look, dress, how smart, or athletic we are, on and on and on. It’s not that way. You see, a teddy bear has little value. But the teddy bear of a three-year-old is incredibly valuable. For that child, there isn’t much of anything that is worth more than the teddy bear. And she would go incredible lengths to save it, love it, and be with it. We are the same to God, incredibly valuable! He loves you more than you’re even worth. Let that determine your value.

Saving Sex for Marriage [CHAOS Recap!]

chaosatnaz — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 02:03:53 +0000

[Saving Sex for Marriage Video Interview]

[Our Theme Tonight]
> Saving Sex for Marriage

[The Game]
> Valentine Trivia: In their small groups, students were challenged with some valentine themed questions.

[The Message] Interview with Mark Iehl and Haley Patterson
> Mark and Haley are current CHAOS volunteers and are engaged to be married in August. In the interview, they answered questions about their relationship, what they were looking for in a boy/girl friend, why they have chosen to save sex for marriage, and what helped them to know that saving sex for marriage is the thing to do. Here are some of thee questions and answers:

So, you each had some values and qualities you were looking for in a boy/girl friend. Talk about how those values worked into your relationship.
Haley – I was looking for someone who had faith. He didn’t have to be ‘super Christian’ but I did want to have a boyfriend who was open to growing in a relationship with God.
Mark – We knew that we wanted to save sex for marriage, so it was something that we had to talk about. If you’re just silent then it can get weird and you don’t really know. Satan works in the silence. So we tried to make sure we were talking about that.
Haley – And at that time, we didn’t even know if we’d marry each other. We just knew that we wanted to respect each other in a way that wouldn’t cause the other person harm or trouble if we didn’t get married.

Well, obviously you’re crazy about each other and there’s got to be some times when you’re tempted to cross some of the boundaries that you’ve set. Talk about what happens in those instances.

Mark – It goes too far when no one speaks up.
Haley – Yea, there are times when we have to say “stop kissing.” And it’s okay to say that. Because if you don’t, then the boundaries will be pushed.
Mark – Kissing has been a hard line to walk.
Haley – Yea, because I could go a long time without having to kiss Mark and it’s a-okay. But he wants to kiss me. And that’s good, but then there are times where if we kiss too long then maybe I want to take it farther.
Mark – Yep. That’s an example where kissing can turn from caring into lusting. The boundaries are different for everyone, but I think the bottom line is: don’t tempt the other person. And you’ve gotta be willing to speak out about it.

What Bible verses helped you to know and encouraged you in saving sex for marriage?

Haley – 1 Tim 4:12, especially the purity part.
Mark – The Parable of building your house on the rock from Luke 6 helped me. We are not just doing this because we want to be “good”, but rather because we are seeking to follow God’s plan for dating and relationships because we know that the boundaries he sets out for us are for our benefit and ultimate good rather than just to make life stink for awhile.

Help us in the room here. What would you like to say to these young men and women about the topic of saving sex for marriage?
Mark – I would say that you have to have morals and convictions right now. You have to actually know what you stand for and also believe in it. Then you’ve gotta be willing to talk about it.

Haley – And no matter where you’re at in your life with this issue, God offers grace. He still loves you and wants you to save sex for marriage. Look at it this way, if you got an ‘F’ on a test in class, you wouldn’t just throw in the towel and call it off for the rest of the class. You can still get an ‘A’ on the next test, project, or whatever and raise that grade. You don’t just give up.

What is something a young man or woman could do to help make that commitment to saving sex for marriage?
Mark – If you really want to save sex for marriage, talk about it with your friends. Instead of talking dirty about girls, talk about the right way to treat a woman. Make a stand, and if you do it together then you’ll be stronger. You could also talk about it with a mentor or someone that you look up to. Tell them that you’re wanting to save sex for marriage and you’d like for them to help keep you accountable and to cheer you on.
Haley – And you could write a letter to your future spouse. Might sound weird, but you could sit down with a paper and pen and write out a letter along the lines of “Dear, future husband/wife, I don’t know you yet but I want you to know that I love you so much that I’m saving myself for you. The relationship that we will share is so valuable to me that I will not carry in baggage of sexual sin…”
Mark – And, guys, I want to make sure you know that porn also has sexual baggage. When I was in 7th and 8th grade I stumbled into a habit of looking at porn and I can’t believe how those images have stuck with me…
Haley – Another thing that I did which helped me make a commitment to save sex for marriage was wearing a ‘true love waits’ ring. My dad actually talked to me about it first… At the beginning of 9th grade my dad took me out to breakfast and he asked if I would like to commit to saving sex for marriage. Then we went out and picked a ‘true love waits’ ring together. I’ve been wearing it ever since and it’s been a good reminder of that commitment.

[CHAOS Weekly Announcements Video]

CHAOS [God's Woman/God's Man!]

chaosatnaz — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 03:27:42 +0000

[Recap video from Week 2 of the Woman/Man of God series]

Our Theme Tonight

Young Women – “The world tells you to be sexy, but God invites you to be beautiful”
Young Men – “Let’s hear it from the Girls”

The Game

The Interlude Dance! We all did some dancing to UNI’s famous “Interlude Dance” that is sweeping the nation.

The Message

The focus of tonight’s message for the women was beauty. The world has so much to tell us about what beauty is and what it isn’t. God sees you as his beauty just the way he created you. Often times, young women spend a lot of time ‘getting ready’ in the morning. Kristina challenged us to think if that ‘getting ready’ time is really what makes us beautiful. Maybe, instead of so much time in the mirror, you could connect with God in the morning. And know where your true beauty is.
There was a panel for the young men, comprised of some women who are high school seniors. We were able to ask questions centered on the topic of what qualities a girl looks for in a guy. The panel had a lot of insightful sharing about qualities that matter, like a trustworthiness, relationship with Christ, and a good listener.

[CHAOS Weekly Announcements Video]

CHAOS [Canceled by big snowman sneezing] Update

chaosatnaz — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 06:34:26 +0000

No School = No CHAOS.

Stink.

Oh well, build a snowman and we’ll see ya back at CHAOS on the 9th
Remember, the 9th is also the deadline to register for the Jr. High Ski and Shop. You can turn in registrations at CHAOS that night.

Here’s the Weekly Announcements video

CHAOS [Choosing to be a Woman/Man of God] Recap

chaosatnaz — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 02:59:57 +0000

[Recap Video from Week 1 of the Woman/Man of God Series]

Our Theme Tonight:

Young Women -> You are created with a purpose.
Young Men -> Your purpose is to glorify God

The Game: Men vs Women trivia. Students went to one side of the gym if they thought the answer was ‘men’ and to the other side of the gym if they thought the answer was ‘women.’ Who knew that women talked about men more often than any other subject, outside of talking about other women?

The Message:

The young women talked about that they were created for a purpose. And that we should avoid things that throw off that purpose. Things like sin, comparison, and being too busy to hear God.
The young men focused on the fact that our purpose is to glorify God. Ben shared about his first basketball jersey that had his name on it, the Jr. Tigers Basketball jersey. Thing is, he was more excited about the individual name on the back instead of the team name on the front. If he were to wear his jersey that way (backwards with the name on the front) everyone would know that’s not the way to do it. In the same way, our purpose is not to glorify ourselves but to glorify God. We can see when we’re in step with God because his fruit will become evident in our lives. As the Bible says, the Fruits of the Spirit are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. When these fruits come out of us, it’s a display of God at work in our lives. Notice that not one of those fruits is forceful or what we think of as ‘manly’. The fruits aren’t “Be first, strongest, loudest, the best, always right, coolest, and draw attention to yourself.” No. The fruits are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. When we’re in touch with God, the fruits of the spirit will be seen.

[CHAOS Weekly Announcements Video]

CHAOS [Choosing to be God's Man/Woman] Recap!

chaosatnaz — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 03:47:42 +0000

Our Theme Tonight:

Young Women’s -> Choosing to be God’s Woman: Character
Young Men’s -> Choosing to be God’s Man: Trust and Obey

The Game: “Tin Pan Bang! Bang!” Students roamed around the room until a spoon would hit a pan from the stage. However many times the spoon hit the pan, that was the number that everyone would have to get into groups of. So 11 hits = groups of 11. Good stuff

The Message:

The young women talked about character and inner beauty. Together, they created a list of the qualities that they would like to have in a future spouse. They looked at the list and then were asked if they reflected those character traits in their own life. The young women were challenged with a journal exercise, here is the question: “Since character attracts like character, take an honest look at your inner character. Would you be attracting the kind of guy that you want? Why/Why not? What changes can you work toward?” The scripture highlighted from tonight’s topic is: 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, 1 John. 4:9-10, and 1 Samuel 16:7.
The young men focused on the topic of trust and obedience to God. Trust and obey. Trust and obey. That’s what it’s all about. There are many things in life that we can misplace identity in like friends, school, sports, girlfriend, family, popularity, and so on. In the midst of all of that, God directs you to trust and obey that He has the best plan for your life

[Announcement Video]

CHAOS [Get Busy Dyin'] Recap

chaosatnaz — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 05:14:15 +0000

Our Theme Tonight: Get Busy Dyin’

The Game: We played the CHAOS-spinoff version of “Million Dollar Drop.” There were no drops, and no million dollars, but we had corners of the gym to declare answers and then winning small group won a big ‘ol cookie cake. Here are a couple of questions we had: If you were driving a car in a 55 mph zone at the speed of as many books in the Bible and got pulled over, what would your speeding ticket be? Or, what sport could the Supreme Court field a team for?

The Message: Jarek Bakken shared from the front tonight and he challenged us with the idea of “chicken” Christians and “pig” Christians. You see, the chicken offers eggs as produce. Eggs here, and eggs there…and yet the chicken is still in control, alive and pulling the strings. As Christians, we do this in some different ways in relationship to God. I’ll go to church, pray a little, crack open the Bible here and there, and actually listen to my mother. But we’re still in control, alive, and pulling the strings. The pig, however, to produce must die. To get bacon, the pig is totally committed and doesn’t live on. And when I surrender to God, it’s not about performing tasks that produce here and there, it’s about total commitment.

[Announcement Video]

Hey 9th graders, NEXT WEEK is the deadline for Caravan registrations for the early-bird rate. This trip will be a high-adventure experience in the mountains! Grab a brochure today
7th and 8th graders, don’t forget about the DULUTH MISSION TRIP! The dates of the trip are June 18-24. This trip is a fun experience to serve God and grow in your faith. Plus Steve, Ben and Nikki are going, so you know it will be good!
The JR. HIGH SKI TRIP is coming up soon! Dates for the trip are February 19-20. That’s a Saturday and a Sunday. The registration deadline is February 2nd, grab a brochure today! We’ll be back after this message.
Starting next week, we are going to be splitting the boys and girls for separate times of teaching. We’ll be doing this for three weeks. Our hope is to go below the surface in what it means to be a Man of God and what it means to be a Woman of God.

CHAOS [Caring About CHRISTmas] Recap!

chaosatnaz — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 03:26:38 +0000

Our theme tonight: Caring about CHRISTmas!

The game: There was an up-front competition called, “Christmas Gift Wrap Race!” Two representatives from each grade were on a team and, with each person only being able to use one hand, they had to gift wrap a box. Our winners won Snuggies!

The Message: The focus tonight was on the birth of Jesus. Q read the story of Jesus’ birth from Luke 2 and also challenged us to care about the CHRIST in Christmas. Let this Christmas season be a time of remembering Jesus and thanking Him for coming to save you.

2658

CHAOS [Grace Under Pressure] Recap!

chaosatnaz — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 03:18:00 +0000

Our theme tonight: Grace Under Pressure!

The game: We huddled up into our small groups and played “Bring Me: Christmas Edition” Groups brought forth various items like ‘a Christmas song on a phone or ipod,’ or ‘Christmas candy,’ and ‘a picture of you with santa’ and (the most popular one) ‘your small group leader!’

The Message: Brad Hillebrand (the High School Director at Orchard Hill Church) visited us and shared about the importance of grace. He talked about all of the pressures we have in life: pressure from our parents, friends, teachers, coaches, and even God. All of those things bring forth a lot of pressure and it’s like filling a balloon until it’s about to pop. The thing with grace, though, is that when we offer grace to someone it lets a little air out of the balloon.

Brad had moved to a new town and built himself up as a great basketball player. He felt a pressure to be good at hoops. Turned out, he wasn’t that good and the guys on the team made fun of him for it. Except for his friend, Cameron, he came alongside Brad and said, ‘Hey it’s ok that you’re not good at basketball. Don’t worry about it.’ The grace that Cameron extended to Brad let some air out of the balloon.

This is the Christmas season, the time when we celebrate Jesus’ birth. The grace that God offers us, through Jesus, is HUGE! Jesus’ grace doesn’t just let a little air out of the balloon, it pops it! We should know that, through the grace Jesus offers, we don’t have to feel any pressure from not ‘living up to standards’ whatever we think they may be. God’s grace is a gift, and he wants us to receive it.