Friday Snippets and Soundbites

It's hard to believe that October is already drawing to a close! We hope you have fun, safe weekends planned—and we at ec are here to help you get the weekend kicked off right with today's online edition of "Snippets and Soundbites."

Ready? Let's go!

Farewell, Fluffy.
Fluffy is such a perfect name for a cat, dog, and even a random guinea pig or rabbit? But a snake? Alas, Fluffy was the name of the longest snake living in captivity, and he passed away this week in the Ohio zoo where he lived. Fluffy held the Guinness world record for the longest snake living in captivity, measuring in at 24-feet long. Fluffy was 18 years old, about as long as a moving van, as thick as a telephone pole, and weighed 300 pounds. Zoo officials think the python died as a result of a tumor. To learn more about Fluffy, go here.

The sleepwalking shooter.
The story sounds like an episode of an crime procedural TV show: man is asleep in his house, wakes up when he hears a bang, and discovers he's been shot in the knee. Investigators would then search for the culprit and solve the mystery, right? Well, it appears the mystery police investigators in Colorado solved this week when a man called in with that story wasn't quite that simple. Police think the 63-year-old Colorado man shot himself while sleepwalking. After making his initial report, the man told police he had no clear recollection of the events early Tuesday morning and no one else was in his home at the time. The Boulder Colorado police did say that the man slept with a 9 mm handgun near his bed and takes prescription pain medication, which could have played a role in the shooting. He was treated at a local hospital and appears to be just fine. To learn more, go here.

"Weed dating"? 'Nuff said.
While this news story didn't happen this week, it's just off-kilter enough to be included in this week's edition of "Snippets and Soundbites." You've heard of speed dating, right? The phenomenon where couples meet and chat for a few minutes, trying to see who they connect with in the least amount of time? Well, in Vermont, local farmers have taken it a little further: weed dating. In weed dating, singles come to a farm where the event is being held and get to work weeding a row and chatting until a goat bell is sounded at 7 minute intervals. Then, it's on to the next person and the next conversation. Organizers say they came up with the idea after noticing that young, single farmers seem to have trouble meeting people to date due to their unusual work schedules and outdoor lifestyles. It's a plus for the single farmers who get to meet other people who share common interests. And it's a definite plus for the farmers who host the event. Who wouldn't want to get their field weeded for free?! To learn more about the concept, go here.

And if today's tales of world record-holding snakes, sleepwalkers, and weed dating weren't enough strange news for you, check out page 38 in this month's issue (and every month's issue) of ec!

DECLUTTERING YOUR LIFE IN 13 WEEKS (10 MINUTES AT A TIME): WEEKS 11 & 12

We’re back with more tips to help you declutter your life. This week, we’re going to talk about sleep, stress, and how to focus on what you really want to do.

Week 11: Sleep, sleep, sleep.

One of the best ways you can get a handle on your stress level and therefore simplify your life is by getting enough sleep. Spend ten minutes this week working on your sleeping environment, and ten minutes at night getting yourself ready to sleep, and you’ll feel a lot better at the end of the week.

First, go into your room and look at your bed. Is it messy, smelly, dirty, or cluttered? Are there clothes all over your bed? Do you have so much stuff you’re reduced to two square feet of sleeping space? Clean it up, clear it off, and give yourself a nice big space to stretch out on.

Then take a look at your blankets, pillows, and pajamas. Are they comfortable? Are you warm enough when you sleep, or too warm? (I’m from northern Michigan, and most comfortable sleeping in a cold room with lots of blankets...but I didn’t realize that until I was in my twenties!) If you’d rather be cold at night, ask your parents to help you close the vent in your room. If you’re not warm enough, try adding a layer to your pajamas to warm you up, or get another blanket. If you look at your room and suddenly realize your pillow is right next to the wall your little brother kicks all night, it might be time to move your bed to the other side of the room.

Now think about what you do before you go to sleep. Do you talk on the phone, play video games, or watch TV till you drop off? If so, it could be affecting your sleep. If you’re way too hooked on electronics, try imposing electronic twilight on yourself this week. Just turn everything off thirty minutes before you want to go to sleep. Spend that last half-hour reading, praying, journaling, or just relaxing.

Another thing you might try is telling yourself a wake-up time before you go to sleep at night. This one is borderline spooky when it works, but it doesn’t always, so don’t use it instead of your alarm. Just tell yourself a few times before you go to sleep that you’re going to wake up at 6 and be ready to go. There’s a very good chance you’ll find yourself wide awake at 5:58, feeling just a little freaked out that your brain managed to time that one so well. (I’d like to be all scientific here and tell you how that works, but the truth is, I don’t know. All I can say is that it’s something my dad told me when I was a kid, I’ve been doing it for years and it mostly seems to work.)

One last thing (and this IS scientific): Be sure to give yourself enough time for sleep. Only babies need more sleep than teenagers, and if you ignore this fact you can cause yourself a lot of trouble.

Week 12: Make a list of your goals.

The last time we made a list, it was to help you figure out what you need to do and when. This time, I’d like you to jot down some goals you want to work toward.

One of the things that almost every grownup will tell you about being an adult is that life kind of gets in the way of you doing what you want. In other words, you’d like to learn kickboxing, but your work schedule conflicts with the class time. Or you’ve always wanted to try your hand at photography, but you find yourself getting caught up with day to day life so much that you never get around to using your camera. Having a list of goals can help you stay focused on what you want and what you feel God is calling you to do.

Also, it seems a little weird but writing down your goals is kind of like saying I’m really going to do this. It can be scary, but this first little step can make all the difference in whether you actually do something.

Some people are naturally goal-oriented...and then there’s the rest of us. If you’re not good at setting goals, just remember that nobody is grading you on this. Try to make your goals attainable, measurable, clear, and real. Here’s what I mean.

Say your goal is “get into college.” That’s a good goal, but it’s not very specific, and after 18 months of striving you probably won’t feel any closer to it. So how can we form your goal in a way that actually helps you achieve it?

1. Make it attainable. Break your goal into steps that can be accomplished one by one until you arrive at your final goal: Talk to parents, talk to guidance counselor, attend college night at school, investigate colleges online, make at least a 3.0 in each semester till graduation, keep up extracurriculars, send in application by deadline. See what just happened? Instead of a vague goal, you now have a pathway that will get you there.

2. Make it measurable. Sending your application in by the deadline and making certain grades each semester are goals that have to be accomplished in a certain, measurable way, and help you stay on track.

3. Make it clear. Don’t just say “make good grades,” but don’t be too specific, either. Be clear enough so that you know exactly what to do, but not so clear that you won’t be happy if anything goes awry. The best goals are also a little flexible.

4. Make it real. This isn’t the place to shoot the moon and list completely unattainable things you’d love to do someday if you were rich, famous, and universally liked. You can make another list for those things if you want.

This week, take 10 minutes to write out some general goals you have in life. Go back to this list whenever you feel you have another piece of the puzzle, like a specific person to talk to, or another step you can take. Revisit and revise your list as often as you need to, and celebrate a little when you’ve accomplished one of your steps or goals.

Have you grasped that I want to make a list-maker out of you? Come back next week for one final chat about clutter and organization!

The Halloween debate

Halloween is fast approaching, and you'll be sure to have some decisions to make. As believers, it's easy to be confused about the holiday. We know it can be fun, but we wonder if we're doing something wrong or setting a bad example when we participate in the festivities.

We'd like to guide you to think through your decisions about how you celebrate this year. Here are a few things you need to know:
• Halloween does have its roots in the beliefs of ancient druids, a pagan, pre-Christian religion.
• Christians have historically regarded the day as a way to honor saints (faithful believers) who had died and were now with Christ.
• In order to know what to do about celebrating Halloween, you need spiritual discernment, meaning you seek direction and understanding from God. Make decisions based on wisdom and obedience, not what seems like the most fun or what your friends are doing.
• You may choose not to participate in Halloween at all, and that's fine! If you're uncomfortable with the creepy and evil focus Halloween has taken in our culture, not participating may be your best choice.
• If you do decide to celebrate, think through how you do so. Don't compromise your faith to fit in or do something that would cause others to stumble.
• Think through costumes. Is it scary, evil, or mean-spirited? Is it demonic or seductive? Would your costume choice honor Christ?
• Consider who you'll celebrate with. Will the group of friends you're hanging out with encourage you to make choices that reflect your relationship with Christ? Will they present choices or pressure you to do things that make you uncomfortable or fly in the face of how God has called you to live?
• What kind of celebration will this be? What activities will you be taking part in? Will they honor God? Would you want your mom, grandma, or Jesus Himself to catch you doing those things? Ask questions and think through what is going to happen at the party before accepting the invitation. And if you get there and the party makes you uncomfortable or compromises your stand for Christ, LEAVE!
• Haunted houses and gory movies seem to be a major focus of Halloween celebrations in this country. Think before you go or watch. What messages do these activities send? What thoughts do they put into your mind? Would you participating cause another believer to stumble?

Here's what you had to say about Halloween:
“I think Halloween is a great way to reach out to people. My church and other churches come together and have a trunk-or-treat. Kids can have fun, receive candy, cards with Scripture, and even pocket Bibles. Halloween is OK if you use it correctly!” —Ashley

“Halloween is basically a holiday to celebrate evil, and we don’t. However, we often have church activities to balance it; we have trunk-or-treat in the parking lot, and sometimes an All Saints’ Day party.” —Elizabeth

“We don’t celebrate Halloween, but so that we still get candy we have a harvest party on November 1. We wear costumes, but the costume can only be an animal or something from the Bible (no demons or anything scary).” —Jackie
“We haven’t really celebrated it most of my life, but if we do something it usually is a celebration at a local church. I don’t like to dress up, and I don’t think it is a very good witness for me to be dressed in something that is demonic. Sometimes if we just stay home on Halloween, when kids come to our door we still give out candy and try to hand out Christian tracts, too!” —Joy

Sam O'Neal explored both sides of the issue for us in his story "Halloween: Horror Movies, Haunted Houses, and Faith" on page 52 of the October issue of ec. If you'd like to dig deeper, it's a good resource.

Friday Snippets and Soundbites

Hello, ec readers!

We hope your weekend is off to a great start. And if it's not, we've been poring over this week's news stories in hopes of finding some news of the weird gems to share with you and hopefully, brighten your day!

Ready to see what sort of strange goings on have happened this week? Let's go!

It's the world's biggest pumpkin, Charlie Brown. 

(Oh, how much the ec team loves that movie! It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, for those who have no idea what we're rambling on about.) Anyway, a Wisconsin pumpkin has run away with the Guinness World Record for world's heaviest pumpkin this week. The massive gourd, grown by Chris Stevens of New Richmond, Wisc., weighed in at 1,1810.5 pounds—85 pounds heavier than the previous record holder, a 1725-pound pumpkin grown in Ohio and took the title last year. Just so you can get an idea of how big this pumpkin is, the circumference is a little more than 15 feet. Stevens unveiled his award-winning pumpkin earlier this month at the Stillwater Harvest Fest in Minnesota. His secret to growing such a large gourd? Sunshine, rain, cow manure, fish emulsion, and seaweed. Eww. To see the pumpkin and read more, go here. To check out the Guinness World Records, go here.

Do you want fries with that?

It wasn't so strange when the Kocian Law Group in Manchester, Conn., opened a law office in a building that once housed a Kenny Rogers Roasters fast food restaurant. It was a vacant building and they needed an office. But what to do with the drive-through? Use it, of course! Clients use the driveo-through window at the Manchester site to pick up and drop off legal documents and other information. A paralegal works at the window, handing out whatever documents or paper work the clients need and answering questions they might have. The law office is clear that the drive-through is NOT where they'll be dispensing legal advice, though. All consultations and meetings will take place inside the building. If you'd like to learn more about the drive-through law office, go here.

The whole enchilada

Guinness World Records officials must have been busy this week—certifying the world's heaviest pumpkin in Wisconsin and also taking a gander at the world's largest enchilada in Mexico. On Sunday, residents of Iztapalapa, a borough of Mexico city, made a 230-foot-long enchilada. The enchilada weighed in at almost 1 ton and included ingredients such as corn tortillas, white onions, serrando chiles, avocado, cheese, and numerous kinds of salsas. . . among other ingredients! The city's tourism secretary said the record attempt (and win) was an effort to so the world that Iztapalapa is a "high-level tourist destintation." But if you think about it, good food does make a difference in where you travel. To learn more about this record and see the massive enchilada, go here. 

As always, if this week's online edition of "Snippets and Soundbites" just wasn't enough news of the weird for you, be sure to check out page 38 of this month's (and every month's) print edition of ec. In the meantime, find us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and keep reading our blog!

Monthly poll

We want your feedback on Halloween. No matter your feelings toward it, October 31 is coming. So how do you feel about that? Vote in our poll and let us know!

Fall break for any budget

Fall break is right around the corner (or maybe even this week) for many of you. What are your plans?

Never fear if you don't have any! We've broken it down into three budget levels and each level gives suggestions on how you can relax, have fun, connect with God, and serve others while school is out of session.

Budget Level #1:
Flat broke, going nowhere
It’s not as bad as it sounds, and you’re definitely not alone. Plan well and throw in a lot of creativity, and you’ll never know your wallet was empty. Try to:

• Chill out by going for a long walk every morning and evening. Yes, exercise does help you to relax! Plus, it’s even more fun when you’re joined by a ­family member or friend!

• Have a blast by learning something new. Learn how to solve a Rubik’s Cube, perform some magic tricks, or cook something extraordinary. Ideas on all kinds of feats to amaze your friends are available online and are not too difficult if you take time to practice.

• Connect with God by planning a day of prayer for you and some of your friends. Meet at one house, choose a few passages of Scripture (the psalms are great), and only talk at meal times.

• Serve others by volunteering for a local church’s ministry or mission outreach to people in need. Ministries can always use help sorting donations, cleaning, folding, scrubbing, and ­delivering. And don’t forget—it doesn’t take any money to go through your own stuff and give it to someone in need.

Budget Level #2:
$100 bucks and my mom will drive
You may not have tons of funds, but you’ve got a little money plus reliable transportation. Why don’t you:

• Chill out by heading to the closest body of water to camp. Take a tent, a few books, and enough trail mix to keep you full. Fall is a great time to camp because most of the creepy-crawlies are gone.

• Have a blast by spending a day at an indoor water park. Yes, you really can find your swimsuit in October. Though it’s not cheap, it’s not too bad when you invite a few friends.

• Connect with God by updating your Christian library. Get some new books, download some new sermons or devotional thoughts to your MP3 player, or buy some new Bible-searching software. But don’t let all this cool stuff just sit on the shelf or the computer; use it to study God’s Word more deeply!

• Serve others by using your money to buy some much-needed items for families in your neighborhood. Do their kids need toys or clothes? Do the parents need some groceries? Help the family without letting them know it was from you.

Budget Level #3:
Ready to blow my vacation fund
You’ve really been saving, and you (or maybe your parents) have the cash for a never-to-be-forgotten fall break. You can:

• Chill out by heading to Ocracoke Island, North Carolina. At the tip of the Outer Banks, you can’t even get there except by ferry or plane. You’ll love the locally-owned ­everything (not a single fast food place!) and the beach-bum attitude.

• Have a blast by going to Disney theme parks. Yes, it was fun as a little kid, but there is stuff for teens, too! Check out the American Film Institute Showcase at Hollywood Studios, where you can look at costumes, props, and sets from some of your favorite movies and TV shows.

• Connect with God by concert-hopping. Look up your favorite Christian bands online and see if you can make up your own concert tour by hitting a few big concerts in a few days. As you travel between events, compare the lyrics of your favorite songs to God’s Word!

• Serve others by going on a short-term mission trip. Get your pastor or another staff member to put you in touch with someone from your church or community who is serving overseas and see if you can stay with them as you work for Jesus.


It goes without saying, but be sure to take pictures or videos and make a journal of what you do. Fall break is there for a reason—so take advantage of your time off!





From the October 2010 issue of ec. Written by Leslie Hudson, p. 54.

Friday Snippets and Soundbites

Welcome to Friday. . . which also means welcome to this week's online edition of "Snippets and Soundbites." We're doing everything we can to help you get your weekend started off right.

That's why we've been reading through some of stranger news stories reported this week and all ready to share some of the. . . err. . . more interesting ones with you. Ready?

Stand tall.
It appears the title of world's shortest man now belongs to Khagendra Thapa Magar of Nepal. The 18-year-old man measured in at 26.4 inches tall and his title was certified by Guinness record officials. Magar took the title form a Colombian man, Edward Nino Hernandez, who is 27 inches tall. Magar's family has been campaigning for years for him to be declared the world's shortest man, but Guinness officials rejected all earlier attempts because Magar was under 18 and there was a possibility that he would grow. So the family waited until he was 18. In addition to receiving the coveted shortest man title on Thursday, Magar also received presents for his 18th birthday. Magar's parents say that he's always been tiny. He only weighed 1.3 pounds when he was born and now weighs in at just over 12 pounds. His father says no one has ever really given them an explanation for why Magar will never grow any taller. His younger brother is 13 and of normal height. Magar's doctor for the past five years says he has the body of a 3-year-old. “His body structure is like that of a small child and he also thinks and behaves in that manner,” Hum Prasad Newpane said. To learn more about Magar and his new title, go here. To see a video about Magar's big day, go here.






He passed?
We all have worse-case scenarios in mind when it comes to taking the driving portion of the drivers license exam. What if you can't remember which way to turn the wheels when parking on a hill? What if you speed? What if you run a stop sign? What will cause the administrator NOT to give you your license? Well, one Pennsylvania teen had just passed his driving test when one of those worse-case scenarios actually happened. He was driving back to the state drivers license center in western Pennsylvania to drop off the man who had administered his driving test. The teen driver thought the car was in park, but it wasn't. And then the bad thing happened: the car crashed into the building. Three people were injured in the accident, but officials say none of the injuries were serious. To learn more, go here.

The role of a lifetime.
These days, people in any area of finance or stocks is used to drama—but Thailand's minister of finance is taking on drama of another kind: a soap opera. Korn Chatikavanij, the minister of finance, appeared on an episode of the popular Thai soap opera “Wanida” on Wednesday. The appearance was part of the government's effort to garner attention for their plan to help the public repay high-interest debt. The soap opera is set in the 1940s and Korn appeared in a scene with a debt-ridden character. During their discussion, he detailed how the government's real-life plan works, saying: "The government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has helped over 500,000 people and reduced debt burden by about 3 billion baht ($100 million) per month. It's lucky that Mr. Prajuab [the character] registered." To learn more about Korn's appearance, go here.

And if today's edition of “Snippets and Soundbites” simply isn't enough news of the weird for you, be sure to check out page 38 of this month's (and every month's) issue of ec! 

DECLUTTERING YOUR LIFE IN 13 WEEKS (10 MINUTES AT A TIME): WEEKS 9 & 10

Hello again! Here’s hoping you’ve been doing some decluttering in your life a little at a time with ec. Take a look at the next two weeks and let us know how you're doing!

Week 9: Exercise for ten minutes a day, every day.

Whaaaaat? I know you’re saying it. I can hear you. I’m going to give you several good reasons why you should get in the habit of exercising. It’s only ten minutes, and if you have a life that is so busy you can’t spare 600 seconds to do something important, you are too busy.

Exercise is a fancy way of saying “move your body.” You have 206 bones and over 600 muscles. You have tendons that hold muscles to bone, and ligaments that hold bones together. And all of your bones, muscles, tendons and ligaments need oxygen, blood, and nutrients in order for you to have energy and feel good. So how do you get the oxygen, blood, and nutrients into your body? Exercise. It’s a great way to clean out physical and mental clutter.

Exercise burns off the extra calories you’ve eaten so you don’t store them as fat. Exercise gives you a feeling of well-being, improves your mood, and helps you fight stress and negative emotions. Exercise gives you confidence in your body physically, so you trust it to hold you up, steady your balance, or move in an easy and comfortable way. It is one of the best habits you’ll ever develop in your life.

So why ten minutes? Because you should start slowly. Because anything is better than nothing, and because you should get in the habit of doing something intentionally every day. Any movement is better than just sitting around on the couch. There’s nothing wrong with sitting, but also giving your body a little workout is going to really improve how you feel.

So which exercise? Assuming you’re in reasonably good health and your doctor would say OK, go for a walk, or alternate walking and running for ten minutes. Run up and down the stairs, ride your bike, jump rope, or stand on the curb at your house with one foot on the curb, one off, and jump-switch like you’re in second grade. You could do jumping jacks, wave your arms around like you’re crazy, jump on a trampoline, or practice your kung-fu kicks. You could raise yourself up on your toes while you watch TV. You could lift weights (but do it safely). You could clean your room and go so fast you get a workout. Vacuum the house. (If you’re already in sports, then you know the value of exercising to keep yourself in top condition. Just keep it up and enjoy it.)

You can do anything as long as a) your body starts to feel warm after a few minutes, b) you’re being safe, and c) you aren’t pushing yourself so hard you’re gasping for air at the end. You should definitely feel that you’ve been working, but don’t overdo. If you have a medical condition like asthma that means take it easy, then take it easy. Listen to your body. Give your body what it needs; don’t hurt yourself or make yourself sick.

Before, during, and after, try to get a handle on how you’re feeling. At the end of the week, have a little sit-down and think about what you’ve done. Did you like it? Do your muscles feel better, even with a little bit of working out? Did you get bored or have problems with motivation?

What stood out to you as fun, interesting, or worth doing more of? Try to find something you can keep doing, and then start working at it. Set a goal of eventually working out for three hours a week, divided up into whatever segments you can do.

Yes, I said three hours. That is 180 minutes, or 7 25-minute workouts. If you work out for 45 minutes at a time, you’ve only got to do 4 workouts. You can schedule your workouts any way you want. Can you do this? Absolutely. Will you find the time? That’s up to you.

Week 10: Go through your closet again.

Take ten minutes, a new playlist, and try to set aside a few things that you don’t use anymore, are worn out, broken, in bad condition, or out of style. You’ll find more than you think. Set what is still useful aside for donation, and chuck the rest.

For ten weeks, you’ve done something every week to reduce the amount of clutter you have. I hope you’re seeing places where you can develop habits that keep your life from getting cluttered in the first place! See you in two weeks with some all-new challenges.

Friday Snippets and Soundbites

It's Friday—which means a long day at school followed by the weekend, football games, and "Snippets and Soundbites"!

We can't wait to get your weekend off to a quirky start with our review of the best strange news stories we've found reported by reputable sites this week. This world sure is a crazy place!

Let's see what we found. . .

Wait a minute!

Have you ever worried you'd mistake something else for your toothpaste? Use body wash instead of shampoo on your hair? Put the wrong kinds of solution in your contact case? Well, Irmgard Holm of Arizona doesn't have to worry about that anymore. That's because the woman, who had cataract surgery a year ago, mistook a bottle of super glue for her eye drops this week—and accidentally glued one of her eyes shut. She has to use several eye drop medications every day and just thought the bottle was one of them. Holm said the super glue burned when she put it in her eye, which is what made her realize it wasn't eye drops she'd just put into her eye. She then tried washing the glue out, but super glue is made to dry quickly and had already sealed her eye shut. She had to go to the hospital and the doctors and nurses had to cut off the hardened glue covering her eye. After the glue was removed, the doctors washed it out to prevent any major damage. It appears Holm will be fine, but we bet she'll put her super glue in a safe place—one that's NOWHERE near her eye drops! You can read all about it here.


Hot potato!
It's fall, meaning some of us (those who love food) are already thinking about all the wonderful things that will hit the table during the Thanksgiving season. Turkey. Dressing. Green beans. Mashed potatoes. Cranberry sauce. Yams. But even if you're not already dreaming about casseroles and cranberries, you thoughts probably would have turned to Thanksgiving foods this week if you'd been driving down Interstate 5 near Glendale, Calif., this week. That's because a tractor-trailer loaded with 50,000 pounds of yams caught fire on the southbound lanes of the interstate early yesterday morning, stalling traffic for 7 and a half hours. Two of the southbound lanes had to be closed while officials dealt with the truck fire, then the yams had to loaded onto another truck. No injuries were reported. To learn more, go here.

That's what you'd call a real fan.

Major Hester is a huge Michigan State football fan. So much so that when doctors wanted to install a pacemaker yesterday, he told them he'd prefer to wait until after the school's football game this weekend against Michigan. Seeing that Michigan is Michigan State's big rival, we get it. . .but really? Hester plans to watch his 17th ranked Michigan State Spartans take on the 18th ranked Michigan Wolverines on Saturday at home on his television. Hester says he's willing to risk death to watch the game and has already been thinking about the pep talks he's going to give himself during the game to keep from getting too excited. Hester says he put the procedure off mainly because he didn't want to risk something going wrong on the operating table that would prevent him from seeing Saturday's game. We wish him the best! Read more about it here.

If this week's online edition of all things weird just wasn't enough for you, check out page 38 in this month's (and every month's) issue of ec. You won't be sorry!

Consequences

Are you a rebel?

Some people fight hard to maintain the label of “rebel.” Other people work hard to fit in, to be one of the crowd. Where do you find yourself on that continuum? Sometimes, being a rebel is a good thing, especially when the crowd is doing the wrong thing. But when you’re rebelling against the standards God has put in place, it’s never a good thing.

Case in point: A guy I knew in high school was a likable guy. He was funny and good-looking. He had tons of friends. Won all the accolades at our school. Went to church. But he didn’t think the rules (God-given or otherwise) applied to him. So he rebelled against them. He drank on the weekends. Flirted with lots of girls without regard to their feelings. Didn’t bother to apply himself in school. That guy, with so much personality and potential, ended up dead on the side of the road after a terrible car wreck. He was in his early 20s. A mix of drugs and alcohol caused him to lose control of the car, ultimately costing him his life. His rebellion had big-time consequences.

While that example is pretty extreme, here’s another example of rebellion whose consequences aren’t quite as obvious:

A sweet teenage girl is in church every time the doors are open. She knows where to find every book of the Bible. But once the preacher starts talking, she tunes out. She’s thinking about what happened last night, or where she’s going for lunch, or what that guy she likes is doing right now. She passes notes to her friends, distracting others from the message. She’s been present for almost every sermon and lesson since she got baptized after Vacation Bible School one summer when she was 6 years old, but she’s not learned much that she actually applies to her daily life. Sure, she knows what’s right and what’s wrong, but she’s not thinking about God all day. She’s thinking about herself.

This girl's rebellion may not look that bad. While the consequences may not be obvious to others, she feels them. She wonders why life seems so frustrating. Why others are able to get close to God and she isn't. And she wants to know there's more to life than what she's experiencing.

This week’s devotions are about rebelling. Today’s devotion talks about consequences. What consequences are you dealing with in your life right now? Are there any situations in your life where you’ve rebelled and think you’ve escaped punishment? Make no mistake, you will be held accountable by God for your rebellion.

In what parts of your life do you need to stop being a rebel? I’m not saying that you have to follow the crowd instead. I’m just saying that you need to stop going against God’s standards. That means you’ll do your own work at school instead of getting the answers from your friend. It means you’ll keep the music in your car at a low volume and not text or talk on the phone, like you promised your parents you would. It means you’ll go where you say you’re going and do what you said you would do.

Rebellion doesn’t always come with a bad attitude. It’s easy to rebel against God with a smile on your face and a Bible in your hand. It’s the heart that matters, remember? And God always knows what’s in there.

ec's 4th annual fiction contest: THE RULES

Want to enter our 4th annual fiction contest? Here's everything you need to know:

• An original, never-before-published fiction story written entirely by the person submitting it to the competition. Be creative! Strive to write a story that is interesting, relevant, and inviting to teens. Your submission should somehow highlight what it means to trust God in all areas of your life.

• Each story should begin with the sentence: “The teen walked into the room, shut the door, then leaned against it and sighed.” You CAN change the word teen to describe your character. For example, 15-year-old girl or the young man.

• Use proper grammar and run spell check before submitting your story.

• Submissions should be no more than 750-1000 words long and must be typed. Your submission will not be returned to you.

• Your story should be submitted as a .doc or .docx file and sent as an attachment via e-mail to godlifefun@gmail.com. (If you cannot create those types of files, please copy your story into the body of your e-mail.) Put “4th annual fiction contest” in the e-mail subject line.

• Submissions must be received by midnight on December 15, 2010, to be judged.

• Please include your name, mailing address, grade, e-mail address, phone number, and T-shirt size with your submission.

• The competition will include two divisions: high school and middle school. Students currently in grades 6-9 should enter the middle school category and mark their submissions accordingly. Students in grades 10-12 should enter the high school competition. Writers must be between the ages of 12-19 to enter.

• A panel of judges will name one winner and one to two runners-up in each category. The winning stories will be featured in an upcoming issue of ec or on our blog (http://ecmagazine.blogspot.com). Winners will also receive ec T-shirts and a small prize.

• To read the official rules and regulations, please visit: http://www.lifeway.com/ecfictioncontest.

October Daily Bible Readings

If you're reading through the Bible this year with us, here are the daily Bible readings for the month of October:


Friday, October 1: Isaiah 57–60; Galatians 4
Saturday, October 2: Isaiah 61–63; Galatians 5

Sunday, October 3: Isaiah 64–66; Galatians 6
Monday, October 4: Jeremiah 1–2; Ephesians 1
Tuesday, October 5: Jeremiah 3–4; Ephesians 2
Wednesday, October 6: Jeremiah 5; Ephesians 3
Thursday, October 7: Jeremiah 6–7; Ephesians 4
Friday, October 8: Jeremiah 8–9; Ephesians 5
Saturday, October 9: Jeremiah 10; Ephesians 6

Sunday, October 10: Jeremiah 11–12; Philippians 1
Monday, October 11: Jeremiah 13–15; Philippians 2
Tuesday, October 12: Jeremiah 16–17; Philippians 3
Wednesday, October 13: Jeremiah 18–20; Philippians 4
Thursday, October 14: Jeremiah 21–22; Colossians 1
Friday, October 15: Jeremiah 23–24; Colossians 2
Saturday, October 16: Jeremiah 25–26; Colossians 3–4

Sunday, October 17: Jeremiah 27–28; 1 Thessalonians 1
Monday, October 18: Jeremiah 29–30; 1 Thessalonians 2
Tuesday, October 19: Jeremiah 31; 1 Thessalonians 3
Wednesday, October 20: Jeremiah 32-33; 1 Thessalonians 4
Thursday, October 21: Jeremiah 34–35; 1 Thessalonians 5
Friday, October 22: Jeremiah 36–37; 2 Thessalonians 1
Saturday, October 23: Jeremiah 38; 2 Thessalonians 2

Sunday, October 24: Jeremiah 39–40; 2 Thessalonians 3
Monday, October 25: Jeremiah 41–42; 1 Timothy 1
Tuesday, October 26: Jeremiah 43–44; 1 Timothy 2
Wednesday, October 27: Jeremiah 45–46; 1 Timothy 3
Thursday, October 28: Jeremiah 47–48; 1 Timothy 4
Friday, October 29: Jeremiah 49; 1 Timothy 5
Saturday, October 30: Jeremiah 50; 1 Timothy 6

Sunday, October 31: Jeremiah 51; 2 Timothy 1

Friday Snippets and Soundbites

Welcome to October! And Friday!

We want to help you get this first weekend of October started off right, which for us means—you guessed it—"Snippets and Soundbites"!

We know you're excited to see our rundown of some of the strangest stories we found reported on reputable news sites this week. And remember: if today's edition of "Snippets and Soundbites" isn't enough random information for you, check out page 38 in this month's (and every month's) issue of ec.

Ready? Let's go!

If the shoe fits. . .

Shoes are great, right? And no one loves a good pair of shoes more than ec's editor, Mandy. But even she was a little surprised when she read the story of a stiletto relay race that took place in Australia this week.The race, which helped to raise money for the National Breast Cancer Foundation, took place on a section of street near the Sydney Opera House. About 100 women (and one man, reportedly) competed in the 100-meter relay race—all while wearing 3-inch stiletto heels. A team of four women from Canberra (Australia's capital) won the competition and nabbed the world record for the fastest relay race in stiletto heels. To read more about the race, go here. To see raw video of the race, click here. To learn more about National Breast Cancer month (October), go here.

A dog's life.

The downswing in the economy has been tough for everyone—and that includes Wando, a drug-sniffing dog in Western Pennsylvania. That's right, Wando, and his handler, Officer Justin Scalzo, were laid off from the Jeannette, Penn., police force during a city council meeting this week. The financial situation was so bad that the city of Jeannette is predicting a $440,000 budget shortfall this year. Therefore, they had to lay off some of the city's 47 workers. That included three police officers (and Wando), two meter maids, a secretary in the police department, some trash collectors and public works employees. The layoffs will take effect on October 5, but some of the workers could be called back if finances improve. We hope Wando is one of them! To learn more, go here.

Just breathe.

If Wando decided to leave Jeannette in search of other employment options, Boston might be the city for him—and most pet lovers. That's because the Boston Fire Department received a donation of small oxygen masks designed specifically for pets this week. City officials say the masks will become standard equipment on every fire truck in the city. The masks are designed to fit on small snouts of dogs and cats and were donated by a pet food company and the Massachusetts Veterinary Medical Association. The masks will help pets' lungs recover from smoke inhalation. To learn more, go here.