Take a [basketball] poll. Please.

It's March, which means that the college basketball season is coming to its glorious end. So that's why we want you to take part in the following poll (as seen on page 39 of this month's issue). Enjoy! (Because we sure do enjoy hearing what you think about things!)

What's your opinion?

Happy New Year, blog readers! We hope 2011 is off to a great start for each of you. To kick off a new year of blog posts, we want YOUR opinion. You may have seen the poll on page 39 of this month's issue; if so, here's your chance to let us know what you think. Please take our quiz below and let us know your thoughts on winter.

Monthly poll!

If you have already blazed through the November issue of ec, maybe you noticed the poll on page 39. Whether you did or didn't, we want to know what you think about singing. Take our poll below!

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!

Get in here and VOTE!

Hey ec readers! It's that time again . . . time for you to answer our monthly poll. This month's poll can be found on page 39 of the September issue, but you can cast your vote below. Thanks for your input!

Monthly Poll!

Calling all ec readers! It's time for your monthly poll (as featured in Snippets & Soundbites on page 38). We want to know something about you . . .

Your opinion STILL wanted!

A few weeks ago, we asked you to give us some feedback on a new design we tried out on Randy Fields' story "When Church Goes Bad" on page 45 of the March issue.

We'd still like to hear what you thought! So just click this link and answer our poll. We appreciate your feedback and need it to make ec the magazine the best it can be!

YOUR OPINION WANTED

Hey faithful ec blog followers!

Here at ec headquarters, we like our readers. We like to listen when they tell us things. And one of the things some of you have told us is that you'd like less words on the pages of the magazine because you think it looks a little crowded. To honor your request and spice things up a little, we tried something new in the March issue of ec. If you haven't already, check out the article on pages 45-47 and then take our poll below. Thanks in advance for your opinion. We really do have the best readers around!

It’s that time of year again—the time to make (and hopefully keep) your New Year’s resolutions. While lots of people are resolving to hit the gym, eat better, read more, or be more green, what will you be attempting to change about yourself in 2010?

Personally, I will be attempting to not talk over people. (I really enjoy “helping” other people finish their sentences, for some reason.) I think I can show more respect for people by not assuming that I know everything, including what they’re thinking.

What about you? Are you a New Year’s resolution(s) person? Take our quiz below! (And if you’re feeling the need to share your resolutions, leave a comment. We’d love to hear what your resolutions are!)

Communication: More important than you think

Your devotion today is about priorities—and one of Jesus’ priorities was prayer. Prayer is a form of communication that should be the foundation of your relationship with God. Actually, good communication is the foundation of any healthy relationship. So we want to know:



Communication is vital to our friendships and relationships. When was the last time you got in trouble with your parents for saying the wrong thing or speaking before thinking? What about your boyfriend or girlfriend? Ever been in a relationship where there wasn’t a lot of talking going on? How did you feel? Bored? Unsure of where things stood between you two? Or did you feel understood and in sync because you two talked about what was going on in your heads? Think of a person in your life (teacher, parent, coach, friend, etc.) where communication helped or hindered your relationship. Now, think about how you communicate with God.

Have you ever given much thought to your communication with God before? How frequent is it? What do you talk to Him about? If communication is the key to good relationships and your most important relationship is with God, then what are you doing to communicate well with Him? With whom do you currently spend most of your time communicating? Do you spend more time texting your friends than you do praying? Do you see the problem with that? (And please know that my prayer life isn’t perfect and my toes are feeling a little stepped on, too.)

Part of communicating is understanding what the other person is saying. Are you taking time to listen to God, or are your prayer times all about you and your requests? We’ll admit, it’s not easy to sit still, calm your mind, and wait for the Lord to speak. And sometimes He doesn’t speak to us when we’d like Him to. But know that the more time you spend listening, the more able you’ll be to recognize His voice and grow closer to Him.

If your prayer life could use an overhaul, try out these simple steps:

• Try to pray in the same place and the same time every day.
• Start by breathing deeply and trying to clear your mind of all the thoughts and distractions swimming around in your head.
• Read the Bible. (We recommend the Scripture passage you studied for your devotion in ec this morning.)
• Just talk. Present requests to God, pray for others, tell Him what’s going on . . . the sky’s the limit. If it involves you, He’s interested. You can do this silently, out loud, or by writing in a prayer journal.
• Consider alternate positions as you pray: kneeling, lying face down on the floor, hands folded, etc.
• Be still. Wait for Him to speak. If you can’t keep your mind focused, then move on to reading Scripture, writing to/about Him, singing to God, or drawing a picture of how you feel about Him.
• Don’t fret if you just can’t seem to carve out large chunks of time to spend in prayer. Short prayers (like “Be near to me, Jesus,” “Help me control my words,” or “Please heal my grandmother’s cancer”) are perfectly acceptable, especially when you’re taking time out of your day to stop and focus on the One who holds it all in His hands.
• Pray with others (one at a time or all together). It’s always interesting to hear how others talk to God.

We hope that you make some time today to talk to God. He’s always listening.

Who you say you are

Are you who you say you are? If you’re a Christian, it should be obvious. But is it? If someone overheard you talking to your friend in the mall, would your language help them know what you believe? Would someone looking at your Facebook page know that you love Jesus? Or would they be convinced that you’re more interested in worshiping yourself? If you’ve got lots of pictures and videos of just yourself (especially pictures you’ve taken yourself), this might be the case. And what about the kind of language you use on your friends’ walls? Or even the negativity you give off in your status updates? (I’m definitely guilty of this one!)

Instead, why don’t you try posting positive things, like the Scripture you studied that day or something you love or admire in a friend or family member? You never know who might see it and be encouraged or reminded to also make a stand for Christ in his or her online world.

The school year’s new. Show your classmates who you really are this year. Be a shining light for Christ!

Fun (and helpful) stuff for you!

Hello, all you ec fans! If you’ve made it to page 39 of this month’s issue, then you know it’s time for your monthly poll!



And in other news, we’re here with this month’s “Read Through the Bible” Scripture passages. Some of you have said that having the whole week’s worth of readings on the Journal page is confusing because you wish you knew exactly what to read each day. Your wish is our command!

Daily Bible readings this month:
Week One:
Saturday, August 1: Psalms 9–12; Acts 20:1-16
Sunday, August 2: Psalms 13–19; Acts 20:17-38
Monday, August 3: Psalms 20–25; Acts 21:1-25
Tuesday, August 4: Psalms 26–30; Acts 21:26-40
Wednesday, August 5: Psalms 31-36; Acts 22
Thursday, August 6: Psalms 37–42; Acts 23
Friday, August 7: Psalms 43–48; Acts 24
Saturday, August 8: Psalms 49-53; Acts 25

Week Two:
Sunday, August 9: Psalms 54–58; Acts 26
Monday, August 10: Psalms 59–63; Acts 27
Tuesday, August 11: Psalms 64–69; Acts 28
Wednesday, August 12: Psalms 70–73; Romans 1:1-17
Thursday, August 13: Psalms 74–78; Romans 1:18-32
Friday, August 14: Psalms 79–82; Romans 2:1-16
Saturday, August 15: Psalms 83–86; Romans 2:17-29

Week Three:
Sunday, August 16: Psalms 87–92; Romans 3
Monday, August 17: Psalms 93–98; Romans 4
Tuesday, August 18: Psalms 99–104; Romans 5
Wednesday, August 19: Psalms 105–109; Romans 6
Thursday, August 20: Psalms 110–114; Romans 7
Friday: August 21: Psalms 115–118; Romans 8:1-17
Saturday: August 22: Psalms 119:1-88; Romans 8:18-39

Week Four:
Sunday, August 23: Psalm 119:89-176; Romans 9
Monday, August 24: Psalm 120–126; Romans 10
Tuesday, August 25: Psalm 127–132; Romans 11
Wednesday, August 26: Psalm 133–138; Romans 12
Thursday, August 27: Psalm 139–143; Romans 13
Friday, August 28: Psalm 144–150; Romans 14
Saturday, August 29: Proverbs 1–3; Romans 15

Week Five:
Sunday, August 30: Proverbs 4–6; Romans 16
Monday, August 31: Proverbs 7–9; 1 Corinthians 1

Campus Connection

On occasion (four times a year, to be precise), the ec team ventures out of our offices and into your hometowns. We meet with students all across America and get feedback on what’s going on in your lives and how ec can help.

Two weeks ago, we were in South Carolina and met with 33 students who told us a lot about their likes, dislikes, issues, and needs. They also gave us some very honest feedback about ec. One of the things I was surprised by was the confusion over Campus Connection (on page 43 and 44 of each issue). That made me think, I bet a lot of our readers just skip right over those two pages because they don’t know what those two pages are or what to do with them! Am I right?

Of those students who realized what Campus Connection’s purpose was, many of them said they felt they weren’t old enough or outspoken enough to lead a Bible study. Do you feel that way?

The fact of the matter is that you CAN do it! If you can read, find passages in the Bible, and are willing to put in a little time and effort, you’re perfectly equipped to lead a Bible study. The questions, discussion topics, and activities are all laid out for you in Campus Connection. Go ahead . . . check it out. We’ll wait here until you’ve given it the once-over.

*whistles the “Jeopardy” theme song*

Still feeling unqualified, inexperienced, and unwilling to lead a Bible study? If you’re scared that your peers won’t listen to you, try starting up a Bible study group for students younger than you. If you’re worried that no one will come, try turning part of the time that you already spend with your friends into a Bible study time. Or ask some folks in your youth group to make a sacrifice and get to school a little early one day a week to study the Word with you. You could even take turns leading it each week. Biblical expertise isn’t required. If someone asks a question you don’t know the answer to, then ask your parents or youth minister to help you figure it out so you can give an answer the next week. (Even experienced Bible study leaders have to do this!)

This month’s issue of ec is all about community. God exists in it, and so should we. You need other believers to walk with as you grow in your faith. Those meetings with other believers should have a purpose, and we have just the thing to get you started! If you read ec, this tool is already in your hands. If you’re meeting with a group of Christian friends who want to grow in faith together (or want to start meeting with such a group), try out Campus Connection. We think you’ll find it quite helpful. :) But first, answer our poll:

Time for your monthly poll!

Perhaps you noticed the rather peculiar article in this month's ec about the 14-year-old police impersonator. (If not, it's on page 38.) We'd like to think this guy was very mature-looking for his age. So in light of his little foray into the police department, we'd like to know how old people think you are!



We realize that it's not just about how you look that determines how old people think you are, either. If you consistently find yourself wondering why your parents, teachers, or other authorities treat you like a kid, it might be because you're acting like one. Now, there's no point in acting all grown-up when you should be enjoying your teenage years, but if you're looking for a little more respect from adults—and your peers!—here are a few things you can do:

1. Think about what you're going to say before you say it. Then think about how you'd respond if someone said it to you. (Handling conversations well is a big mark of maturity.)
2. Recognize that what you do makes an even bigger impact than what you say. Today's devotion deals with casting shadows on Christ. Are you living out your faith, or just talking about church and what a good Christian you are?
3. Look for ways to serve. (There's an awesome article on page 16 about loving others by serving them.) Don't just go on the "fun" youth trips; take time this summer to go on the mission trips or service projects too. Help your youth minister or small group leader to plan some service activities in your community. (We’d love it if you’d leave a comment below with ways you serve. Other readers might be inspired by you!)

No matter how mature other people think you are, if you do those things, you'll definitely start to look a little more like Jesus to everyone you encounter. And isn't that the point?

No one should despise your youth; instead, you should be an example to the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. —1 Timothy 4:12

It's Now or Never: An Elvis Poll

Have you seen our poll on page 38 of this month's issue of ec?
Yes?
Well, here's your chance to tell us your answer. Watch for the results in an upcoming issue!

March Poll

In this month's issue of ec, we included a poll in "Snippets and Soundbites." We'd love to hear what you have to say about senior pranks. So submit your answer to the poll below, and we'll print the results in an upcoming issue of ec.

It's Super Tuesday, so how's about a poll?

In the February 2008 issue of ec, we asked for your feedback regarding the kinds of groups you join on MySpace and Facebook. You can also let us know by participating in this poll.



And join ec's group on Facebook. And check out our blog and fan page.

Hows about a poll?

I'm checking out some online sites that make polls...so please humor me and leave a response!