Times they are a-changing

When we said new, we weren’t joking. When we said redesign, we meant it. Or, as we like to say around the ec offices, this ain’t your daddy’s ec.

And if you’ve gotten a peek at the new, improved ec, you know exactly what I’m talking about. The redesigned ec magazine has probably already found its way to your churches and shown up in your mailboxes. And if you’ve looked at it at all, you’ve probably noticed it’s not quite. . . . the same. And that’s a good thing. (Or at least we think so!)

That said, I’d like to spend some time talking to you about the changes you’re going to see. And I want to do more than just tell you that we made changes. I also want to tell you why.

Understand this: we didn’t go into this redesign and just make changes because we thought it might be fun to switch things up. We made changes because over the past year or so, we’ve been taking a good hard look at ec and evaluating the magazine. Does it say what we want it to? Does it achieve what our readers want it to? Is our way the best way to handle devos, stories, and issues teens are facing.

The truth: the resounding answer to that question was no. After conversations with teens all over the place—about devotions, stories, music, and magazines in general—we came the conclusion that our way probably wasn’t the best way. Our magazine wasn’t the magazine you needed it to be.

So change had to come.

And that’s what you’ll see with the new, improved ec magazine. We’re very aware that we don’t have all the answers, but we also know that we know the One who does. We fully recognize that we’re older than you and your high school experience isn’t the same as ours and we’re not afraid to say that you have it tough. We want to walk through all of this with you—disappointments, college decisions, dating, acne, music, depression, school, and dealing with your families. WE don’t know everything, but we want to walk through it all with you and point you to a God who never leaves you, forgets you, or falls asleep.

We hope you recognize that in the redesigned ec. The changes we’ve made don’t just include paper size and colors, but an attitude and voice. You know more than we give you credit for, and we want you to see what it means to really live for Christ in this crazy world. We want to encourage you, to walk beside you, to tell you what we’ve learned along the way. We want to keep you from the mistakes we’ve made and spur you on to a new level in your relationship with Christ.

So check back over the next week or so. We’ll be detailing the specific changes and talking about the reasoning behind those changes. First up (on Monday): devotions.

Anticipation

I don’t deal well when I have to wait. I’m not a fan of long lines at the grocery store, red lights, or slow computers. I’m working on it, though. I may not be a fan of waiting, but I am a fan of anticipation. You know that feeling that builds in the weeks before a big trip? Or that feeling you get when Christmas is just around the corner and you can’t wait to open your presents, especially if you don’t know what some of them are? I love those feelings! I don’t mind being kept in suspense when I’m excited about the event to come.

Have you read today’s devotion yet? (If not, go ahead and do it. I’ll wait until you come back.) I read it and wondered how many of us wait with anticipation for Christ’s return. Kenny Chesney has a song out now called “Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to go now.” I heard it on the radio a few days ago as I was flipping through the stations and stopped to listen to the words. It hit me that a lot of people feel that way. And honestly, I used to too. A few years ago, I secretly hoped that Jesus wouldn’t come back until I was older and had done all the living I wanted to do. Do you feel that way?

But once I started looking around at the world we live in—the war-torn, impoverished, natural-disaster riddled, economically troubled, violent planet we inhabit, I realized that our earth is wearing out. But it’s not just our fault. This earth wasn’t meant to last forever in its present state.

Even earth’s good parts—the beauty of the Rocky Mountains, the near paradise of the tropical isles—are just pointing to how great this planet will be when Christ returns and redeems it. (You know that “all things new” idea in the Bible? [See Rev. 21:5.] That applies here. God will transform all of creation.) And our relationships with others—which can be so difficult to understand, unfulfilling at times, and painful to end—point to just how fallen we are. I crave a perfect place where I can be in perfect relationship forever with one who loves me. Do you know why? That’s what we were created for. And do you know where that exists? Heaven.

So yeah, my life is great here on earth, but I’d be happy to leave it all right now if God called me home. I look around me at all the turmoil in our world, and I actually long for Jesus to come back. I know the earth has good things to offer (and I enjoy them!), but I realize that they are only glimpses of what heaven contains. And heaven is worth anticipating.

What about you?
What about life on earth makes you want to go to heaven?
What makes you want to stay here?
Are you ready for Jesus to come back? What if He came back this afternoon?
What do you need to do to make yourself less attached to the things of this world?

FRIDAY SNIPPETS AND SOUNDBITES

• When you’re in middle school, it seems like all the girls are taller than the boys. I know I was! At least our proportions are not as out-of-the-ordinary as Chinese man He Pingping and Russian woman Svetlana Pankratova. He is the shortest man in the world (2 feet 5.37 inches tall!) and Pankratova has the longest legs of any woman in the world (more than 4 feet long – she’s a total of 6 feet 4 inches tall). Check out the pictures taken of them to advertise the release of the 2009 edition of Guinness World Records. 

• An elderly Muslim man from Nigeria has more wives than years of life. He is 84 and has 86 wives … and 170 children. Men of the Islamic faith are usually restricted to no more than 4 wives, but Mohammed Bello Abubakar has somehow gotten around that so far. He has a reputation for being a healer and says the women come to him. None of them work, and he won’t reveal how he gets the money to feed and clothe everyone. Read more of this disturbing story here.

• Public bathrooms are the worst, but we all need to use them sometimes. One man in Michigan found a particularly disgusting public bathroom – and cleaned it. He then billed the city $156.94 for the work he did. He’s not going to get reimbursed, but city officials did honor his work with the Golden Plunger Award. This story is cited here.
  

Friday Snippets and Soundbites

• Has your pet ever gone missing? Nine years ago a Ginger cat in England disappeared from its home. Amazingly, “Dixie” was recently found only a half mile from its owners. They thought their cat was hit and killed by a car, but now they are overjoyed to be reunited. Read the full story here.

• The dentist and your mom tell you to brush your teeth every morning and night for good hygiene, but now there’s another reason to keep brushing. Poor dental hygiene increases your risk of heart attack and stroke. Being young and healthy, a heart attack might be the last thing on your mind, but heart disease is the No. 1 killer in the world. Want to know how brushing your teeth makes a difference? Learn about it here.

• A couple of Polish designers built a house in Germany . . . upside down. The regular-sized house will never be home to a family, but visitors are enjoying the strange exhibit, complete with chairs, tables, and carpet stuck to the ceiling. Check out the picture slideshow.

• The Jonas Brothers wear purity rings to represent their commitment to abstinence. This past Sunday the host of the MTV Video Music Awards, Russel Brand, made fun of them for that commitment. Brand suggested the guys shouldn’t keep their virginity for marriage but take advantage of their youth and status and become sexually active. It goes to show that many in our culture don’t understand God’s design for marriage and sex. In response, “American Idol” winner Jordin Sparks, who also wears a purity ring, stood up for them onstage. See the Jonas Brothers' response:

Unfamiliar Territory

Have you ever found yourself in a situation in which you were asked to do something that forced you completely outside of your comfort zone? One time, I was at a karaoke birthday party at a friend’s house when I was pulled out of the crowd, given a microphone, and cajoled into singing a duet with my boyfriend. I do not sing, so this was particularly humiliating for me. But other people couldn’t get enough of hearing themselves on the microphone that night. I just wasn’t one of them.

But that’s kind of the gist of this whole post (and the articles on page 34 and 52 in this month’s issue). We’re all completely different. God made us that way so that we’re not all fighting for the microphone but we’re not all happy to be spectators either. What things do you love to do that your parents/friends don’t seem to understand? What activities do they enjoy that make you completely uncomfortable?

I’d never have thought that my ability to make a way-too-detailed plan would serve me well, but it’s an ability that kind of freaks out my less-organized friends. When a problem comes up, I’ve usually already thought of alternate options because I anticipated the problem. People are surprised that I even had a contingency plan when it comes through in the clutch. I chalk it up to my spiritual gift of Administration, which comes in pretty handy both at work and in planning to lead my sophomore girls small group at church. While this “gift” may frighten some of the more creatively-minded free spirits in the world, if we were all messy or all neat, this world would be pretty mundane, don’t you think?

So I ask you, what are you good at? Do you know your spiritual gifts? Have you started looking for places to serve that make the best use of your unique combination of gifts and abilities? God doesn’t expect just people your parents’ age to take care of the church. But maybe keeping the nursery like your mom, feeding the homeless like your friend, or greeting newcomers like your dad doesn’t interest you. What can you do?

Here are a few suggestions:
Do you like to cook? Offer to bring some homemade snacks to youth group to save your youth minister some money that would normally be spent on food.
Do you like to play sports? Volunteer to play on the church softball/basketball/soccer team.
Are you patient? Ask how you can serve in the nursery or elementary Sunday School classes.
Do you love to act? Ask your pastor about serving (or starting!) a drama ministry in your church.
Do you make good grades because you really understand what you’re learning? Offer to tutor friends or younger students for free.

Get creative! God wants to use you, so don’t waste the gifts and abilities He’s given you.
First Timothy 4:12 says that young people should set the example for others to follow. But don’t think that you have to minister in the exact same way as everyone else. You might be surprised where you’ll meet God when you start to serve Him in unfamiliar territory.