Sunday: Prepare for the Holy Week Challenge!!!
Scripture: Matthew 21: 1-11 (am)Romans 12:1-2 (am) | 1 Timothy 4:12-16 (pm)
Action: Prepare for the week. Pray. Ask yourself: Is my mind renewed? Am I good example?

Monday: Refrain from watching Television
Scripture: Psalm 119: 9-11 (am) 2 Timothy 3:10-17 (am) | Matthew 21:12-17 (pm)
Action: Meditate on understanding and the importance of God’s Word. Read the Bible and exercise in place of watching television.

Tuesday: Refrain from using Cell Phones
(Exceptions: Evangelistic purposes or Emergencies.)
Scripture: Philippians 4:4-7 (am) Colossians 4: 2-6 (am) | Matthew 25:1-13 (pm)
Action: Pray for something or someone that you never have before. Send scriptural text messages to unsaved friends.

Wednesday: Avoid the Internet
(Exceptions: School Work and Emergencies.)
Scripture: II Corinthians 5:11-21 (am) Ephesians 3:14-19 (am) | Luke 22:14-30 (pm)
Action: Pray over your broken relationships. Show the love of God to everyone you encounter. Use the time usually spent on the internet to help someone in need.

Thursday: Refrain from eating food from Sun Up Until Sun Down (6:30am-7:00pm)
Scripture: I Corinthians 6:12-20 (am)Matthew 6: 16-18 (am) | John 13:1-17 (pm)
Action: Ask God to show you those things that you focus on more than Him. Ask Him to remove them. Pray when you are tempted to eat. Exercise!

Friday: Don’t Attend Social Gathering (No movies, clubs, parties, skating, bowling, etc.)
Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:11-16 (am) Isaiah 55: 6-7 (am) | Mark 15:25-38 (pm)
Action: Meditate on making your relationship with God stronger. . Attend a Good Friday service!

Saturday: Avoid “Fast” Food. Refrain from eating at Fast Food restaurants (ex: McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Wendy’s)
Scripture: Mark 15:40-47 (am) Psalms 92: 1-4 (am) | Psalms 98: 1-6 (pm)
Action: Praise God today by singing songs of praise all day.

Sunday: Attend Worship
Scripture: John 20:1-19 (am) Psalm 66:1-7 (am) Matthew 28:16-20 (am)
Action: Attend a sunrise service. Sit closer to the front of the church. Decide to worship God without concern for what others may think!

DOWNLOAD the Overview, Prayers and Schedule HERE!

I cannot lie, when Winter Meeting 2009 was all wrapped up, I exhaled with great joy! All done! Tenure over. Of course that sentiment was extremely premature.

There are quite a few things on my 2006-2010 VCYC to do list. I have to write, compile, produce, create, mobilize, communicate and follow through! <== That was a lot of verbs.

Here’s what will happen ASAP:

• I need to check our GMail email account. #Fail
• Add two youth (13-18) who are both young AND young at heart to the planning committee for quad convention. (If that’s you, comment to volunteer).
• Organize a documentary initiative for youth, journeying towards Quad Convention. (An idea I’d love to take credit for but creation value goes to Guy Sanders from LA.)
• Figure out what happened with the innovative Executive Committee initiative concerning Google-Groups that never quite seemed to get finished.
• Mobilize the 5 volunteers from Winter Meeting 2009 who offered themselves to maintain this website. (I haven’t forgotten about you and desperately need your help.)

Whew. Let’s Rock.
Vajaah

Ironically, Burger King was one of the first phrases that I could spell. There was a location near the house where I was living when I was 3 or 4 years old and I would practice on my way to preschool.

When I became a little older, I got excited about the BK Club for Kids. They had a portion of the tray place mat to fill and turn in, after the mazes were played and the characters were colored in. I don’t even remember what the benefits of being a BK Club Kid were, but I was cool and I knew it.

Have you been to Burger King lately? I went today while on a road trip. I ordered a Kid’s Meal with 4 chicken nuggets, apple fries, apple juice and some awkward Playdo fossil maker. Apple fries, were one of the few healthy alternatives to the fast food joint’s grease and calories. I’m glad I cut a couple of calories by passing on the french fries. My diet is haphazard, it’s something I need to work on.

How’s your diet? It’s easy to get caught up in the business of life and to set aside our health. Even though we make it through the day, bad habits always catch up with us!

Remember, our bodies are the temples of God and we can all use some building maintenance. Grab a piece of fruit. Take a walk. Pass on the church fundraiser, fried chicken dinner (don’t forget the donation though) and call the name of Jesus when you’re gobbling down that salad with low fat dressing instead of the buttermilk ranch dressing w/ a side of lettuce.

Vajaah E. Parker
VCYC President 2006-2010

I’m sure that we have all heard of the metamorphosis process that a caterpillar undergoes to become a butterfly. I had heard it numerous times, particularly in elementary school and also in sermons. The process is a popular illustration for spiritual transformation. This past Friday, Dr. Mary Love noted something ridiculously obvious, that I had never considered. She said, “Butterflies can never become caterpillars again. The transformation is complete.”

Wow. That’s the ideal scenario! A complete transformation! That should be our goal! That when we build up the courage to CHANGE and to TURN AWAY, that we maintain the strength, by grace to stay CHANGED. To sin less, not committing the same sin again. That’s our aim. That’s how our lives and the lives of our families, friends and communities are changed. That’s how our culture is changed. Not by us, blending in, but by our complete Godly transformation!

“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” (Romans 12:1-2, The Message Bible).

Vajaah E. Parker
VCYC President 2006-2010