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UTURN is Always Turning. Today’s pressures have robbed teenagers of their families, their purity, and their safety. UTURN is about turning this around. Weekly meetings at UTURN are loaded with fun, encouragement, and inspiration. UTURN is a safe place to grow up!

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Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Rise up (Week 10)-The final week, again and again

These are the last 22 comments made by our teens.

  1. Good fruit that I am producing now is forgiveness. Bad fruit I was producing was lying
  2.  I have been reading my bible every single day, and feel much closer to God
  3.  I have been trying to not blame people for my mistakes
  4.  I learned to truly seek God and turn to Him for everything
  5.  I learned that what I think in my heart and what God knows is what really matters
  6.  I have wanted to seek God. I want God in my life, I want to be different
  7.  TAKE RESPONSIBILITY
  8.  God has tested me like crazy and I haven’t realized it. But this verse helps me understand the why, He wants me to stay connected with Him
  9.  Don’t use the “I’m young and I just want to live life” excuse
  10.  If someone does something good, be happy not jealous
  11.  God takes all the junk from our hearts to get to the gold
  12.  Others should know I am a Christian by my speech and actions
  13.  I can not blame my sin on anybody or anything except me
  14.  You can tell so much about a person based on their actions, its our choice
  15.  When God is testing me I have to ask what is He trying to show me, rather then why is He doing this to me
  16.  The things I say is what I am judged by
  17.  Purity is not only of sexual purity, but thoughts, actions and whatever we wear. God will do whatever it takes to get the most of us
  18.  With our bad fruit God prunes us when we allow him to. This changes our lives
  19.  I need to think before I speak
  20.  I learned that God is really looking for faith
  21.  I learned that we have to be pruned so that we can grow more. And good fruit is good actions, and bad fruit is bad actions
  22.  You are what you do
Posted By Tim Salzarulo At 11:30 AM •
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Rise up (Week 10)-The final week, again

This is the next eleven things that teens said they learned after the small groups.

 

  1. What good fruit am I producing in my life?
  2.  If you reach out for God you’ll get Him
  3.  Have a friend to talk to about God
  4.  I need to have a close friend to talk to
  5.  Dare to be rare, change the way you think, show your difference in your actions
  6.  What you say can make you or break you
  7.  If you don’t have faith you lose! I must seek Him for what he wants not what I want.
  8.  You will only be successful if you do it God’s way

9.      You should date someone with the same conviction

10.   I want to show people its not about me

  1.  We can only control ourselves. We can not blame others for our sin
Posted By Tim Salzarulo At 1:59 PM • Comments (1)
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Rise up (Week 10)-The final week

WOW 10 weeks done. So much hard work, and what a great journey for both you and your teen. The Parent classes went great, but those of you that went you pretty much know what those looked like. But what did your teens get out of their 10 weeks? Well I have that answer, over the next few blogs I will post only a few of the hundreds of comments/ feedback I received (written down) from our teens. The following are only the first eleven. Love you all.

_pastor tim

 

  1. To obey my parents
  2. Nothing matters unless Jesus is there
  3. I started noticing my influence on others and I have to set an example of Christ
  4. I am a Christian so act like it
  5. I need to man up to my screw ups
  6. To be an “alien” to this world
  7. Read the bible
  8. Just do what is right
  9. This was a big verse for me it is hard for me to love my sister
  10.  It takes lots of time for God to make us pure, it doesn’t happen overnight it’s a lifetime
  11.  Its not the outside that counts, it’s the inside that shapes us
Posted By Tim Salzarulo At 11:53 AM •
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Rise up (Week 9)

During this week our focus was to Finish Strong. I took a simple outline from Steve Farrar’s book “Finishing Strong” and discussed it with our teens. We live in an instant world, not understanding the importance of being consistent in the little things that God has given us, so we can hear, well done you good and faithful servant. The following are some notes from the small group discussions. You can take it further, and ask your teen about some of these things. Love you all _pastor tim

 

Finishing Strong week 9

 

THEY STAY IN…THE SCRIPTURES

Joshua 1:8-9

 

What does meditate mean to you?

 

Are you careful to do ALL that is written in it?

 

Do you see the benefit of meditating and doing what the Bible says at the end of the verse/ or in your own life?

 

 

 

THEY STAY CLOSE…TO A FRIEND

Hebrews 3:12-13

 

According to this verse it is important to have a good Christian friend to help encourage us so we do not turn from God, what do you think about that?

 

Do you have this kind of relationship?

 

Give some specific examples of how this friend encouraged you away from sin and encouraged you towards God?

 

 

 

STAY AWAY…FROM UNEQUALY YOKED RELATIONSHIPS

1 Corinthians 6:14-16

 

What kind of relationships is this verse talking about?

 

Do all the relationships you have look like the relationship in the previous scripture?

 

Are you afraid to talk about the truth? Are you concerned that they may cause you to stumble? Do they want the best for you? Do they agree with your convictions? Do they care what you believe to be truth? Are they asking you hard questions? Do they agree with boundaries…

 

 

STAY ALERT…TO THE TACTICS OF SATAN

1 Peter 5:8

 

Just remember Satan wants you to turn from God, and he will use relationships, circumstances, etc. to create a way for you to turn from God.

 
Posted By Tim Salzarulo At 11:02 AM •
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
Rise up (Week 8)

 This week was amazing; my goal was to challenge these teens in just being a “Christian”. This verse confirms what James says about being a doer of the word, not just a hearer. I really believe the teens were convicted of this and responded to God during worship, they were really challenged to look in the mirror and ask God to help them change. Yes, that is what we want. Here are some notes from the small group discussions. Love you all. _pastor tim

 

Fruit Week 8

 

Matthew 7:16-20

You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. 19 So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. 20 Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.

 

Does your life produce “good fruit” or “bad fruit”?

 

 

What does your “good fruit” look like?

 

 

What does you “bad fruit” look like?

 

 

What do you think of vs. 19?

 

 

Is that going to be you? Why or why not?

 

 

 

James 2:14-17

What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions (FRUIT)? Can that kind of faith save anyone? 15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, 16 and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?

 17 So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds (FRUIT), it is dead and useless.

 

 

What does “good deeds” look like in your life? Give some specific examples/ stories.

This verse is saying you prove you are a Christian by your “good deeds” (FRUIT), what do you think about that?

 

Do you think people see you are a Christian by the way you act?

 

John 15:1-2

“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.” _Jesus

 

Are you willing to be pruned?

 

How are you pruned? What do you have to do? (you kind of have to think about this one and remember Pastor Tim’s sermon and the next verse can help you)

 

 

Do you want to be like Jesus and produce “even more”?

 

 

 

 

 

 

John 15:4,5,8
Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing…When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.

 

We need to remain in Jesus, how do we do that? Be vary specific.

 

 

 

Matthew 3:10

Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.

 

Can we please remember this verse! As you go to worship, “remain in Him”.
Posted By Tim Salzarulo At 10:56 AM •
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Rise up (Week 7)

During this week I gave the parable of purifying gold. Did you know that it takes over 6,000 pounds of ore to get 1oz of 99.99% gold? Do you think that the 6,000 pounds of ore is purified only once, or does it take many processes, a lot of heat and many other tests before it is certified pure? YES!!! Just like us in our spiritual life. God creates a pure heart through, fire and testing. It hurts, but each time we repent and begin to change God removes the junk, and we become even more pure. It is the process of sanctification, all we can do is humble ourselves, and let God turn up the heat, and stay close to Him. The following are some scriptures and questions I asked the teens.

Love you all.

_pastor tim

 

Purity

 

1 Timothy 4:12

Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.

 

 

Matthew 15:19 (read the context Matthew 15:10-20)

 

What are some things that come out of you that show your defiled heart?

 

Are you saddened by what you see?

 

 

 

Proverbs 17:3

 

What temptations have you given into, that you know you should not be doing?

 

As we repent we become more “pure”, do you want to me more pure? Just give it to God.

 

 

 

Daniel 3:18 (read the context Daniel 3:8-30)

 

This story represents what happens when we let God work on our hearts. It becomes external, and people can see the power of God work from a pure heart.

 

What do you think would have happened to the 3 young men if their hearts were not “pure”?

 

Did they just become “pure” or did they have to work hard at it?

 

Do you want to see God work through you?

 

How do you get to the place where God can work through you?

 

 

 

Psalm 86:11

 

Is this your desire?

 

During worship, pray this and read it!!!!
Posted By Tim Salzarulo At 9:58 AM •
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Rise up (Week 6)

The following questions and scriptures were just a couple posed to the teens in their outline. The heart of the teaching was to challenge the teens to begin to understand faith and how it looks in their own lives.

love you all,

_pastor tim

 

Week six:

Faith

 

1 Timothy 4:12

Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

 

Hebrews 11:1

 

What do you hope for?

 

What are you assured by in your faith?

 

Hebrews 11:6

What do you think about this verse?

 

Hebrews 11:7

Noah was on his own with his Faith, no one believed him. Do you think you could stand alone in your Faith, to the point of mockery and being labeled as “crazy”?

Has this ever happened to you, where you were like Noah and had Faith about God and you were ridiculed because of it?

 
Posted By Tim Salzarulo At 1:05 PM •
OOOOPS!!!!!!!!!!

Ouch, I just realized that my blogs were not outlined properly. I swiched to a different internet browser and when I posted my blogs they were not submiting properly. I figured out the problem and from now on they will actualy be look and read right. Sorry about that, love you all. 

_pastor tim
Posted By Tim Salzarulo At 1:05 PM •
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Rise up (week 5)
Love 1 Timothy 4:12 Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in LOVE, in faith, in purity. For each scripture please discuss how you can apply then in your personal life. Mark 12:31 The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” Romans 12:10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Galatians 5:13 For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. 1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. 1 Peter 2:17 Respect everyone, and love your Christian brothers and sisters. Fear God, and respect the king. 1 John 2:15 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 1 John 3:10 So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God. 1 John 3:14 If we love our Christian brothers and sisters, it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead. 1 John 3:16 We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.
Posted By Tim Salzarulo At 10:49 AM •
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Rise up (week 4)
Conduct 1 Timothy 4:12 Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Galatians 6:5 For we are each responsible for our own conduct. Look at Galatians 5:22-23 for a list of conduct we should desire and live by (that we are responsible to ask for) Do you practice any of these fruits in your life? Why or Why not? Philippians 1:27 Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News. What does it mean to “live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ”? Why does God want us to be “aliens” on earth? Can we live as “aliens” but still “blend in” here on earth? Proverbs 20:11 Even a child makes himself known by his acts, by whether his conduct is pure and upright. What does this verse mean in your own life? Will you live differently now that you know this? Proverbs 21:8 The way of the guilty is crooked, but the conduct of the pure is upright. Is your conduct upright? Do you care if your conduct is upright? If it is not, what can you do about it?
Posted By Tim Salzarulo At 10:16 AM •
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Rise up (week 3)
Week three: Speech 1 Timothy 4:12 Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Discuss theses verses with your small group and what they mean in your life. Ephesians 5:4 Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes-these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. Matthew 12:37 The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.” Matthew 15:11 It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.” Matthew 15:18 But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you. Luke 4:36 Amazed, the people exclaimed, “What authority and power this man’s words possess! Even evil spirits obey him, and they flee at his command!” Luke 21:33 Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear. John 15:47 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! Luke 6:45 A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart. James 3:1-12 Controlling the Tongue Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly. Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way. We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself. People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring.
Posted By Tim Salzarulo At 11:53 AM •
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
K-HTS interview
We were interviewed by our local radio station, check out what they said about us... http://hometownstation.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=17974:the-sanctuary-church-2009-10-05-11-16&catid=26:local-news&Itemid=97 ... just clip and paste the link in your browser and check us out.
Posted By Tim Salzarulo At 3:48 PM •
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Rise up (week 2)
“…that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2b What does “by testing” mean? What does “discern” mean? What is “the will of God”? Are you choosing what is “good”, “acceptable”, and “perfect” in your life? What are some things that are not good in your life? What are some things that are not acceptable in your life? What are some things that are not perfect in your life? How can you begin to change those “not good” choices in your life to be what the verse is talking about (“good”, “acceptable” and “perfect”)?
Posted By Tim Salzarulo At 3:13 PM •
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Rise up (week 1)
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Week one: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind… What does it mean to not be conformed to this world? What world are we to conform to? What are the expectations, laws, culture we are to conform to? How do we not conform to this world, but to another world we cannot see? What does it mean to be transformed, transformed into what? What do we need to renew our minds from? What does a renewed mind look like? How do we stay renewed if the world around us is not? How do we live, function, and not reject the world but at the same time not conform to it?
Posted By Tim Salzarulo At 2:40 PM •
Psummer Psalms (week 9)
Psalm 150 1 Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heaven! 2 Praise him for his mighty works; praise his unequaled greatness! 3 Praise him with a blast of the ram’s horn; praise him with the lyre and harp! 4 Praise him with the tambourine and dancing; praise him with strings and flutes! 5 Praise him with a clash of cymbals; praise him with loud clanging cymbals. 6 Let everything that breathes sing praises to the LORD! Praise the LORD! After reading this psalm a few times, what are some verses or phrases that stand out as particularly meaningful? Explain why. What is confusing or difficult to understand? What “path have you chosen” (the example from Psalm 1), have you made your life a life of praise (Psalm 150)? Do you only go to God when you are in trouble, depressed or disappointed? Why do you “praise” (and I don’t want just a pat answer be honest, if you don’t know really think about it)? Is it important to you? Have you made “praise” a priority in you life? (Again be honest, this is a safe place) Do you want to be better at praising? What are some specific areas that you chose to Praise God? What are other areas YOU (be specific to your personality) can praise God?
Posted By Tim Salzarulo At 2:39 PM •
Psummer Psalms (week 8)
lesson 8 - psalm 116 PSALM 116 1 I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. 2 Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. 3 The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came upon me; I was overcome by trouble and sorrow. 4 Then I called on the name of the Lord: “O Lord, save me!” 5 The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. 6 The Lord protects the simple-hearted; when I was in great need, he saved me. 7 Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you. 8 For you, O Lord, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, 9 that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living. 10 I believed; therefore I said, “I am greatly afflicted.” 11 And in my dismay I said, “All men are liars.” 12 How can I repay the Lord for all his goodness to me? 13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. 14 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people. 15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. 16 O Lord , truly I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant; you have freed me from my chains. 17 I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the Lord. 18 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people, 19 in the courts of the house of the Lord — in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord. After reading this psalm a few times, what are some verses or phrases that stand out as particularly meaningful? Explain why. What is confusing or difficult to understand? What has God done in your life to “save” and help you? Describe a time in your life when you were overcome with “trouble and sorrow.” What happened? What did you do? Did you turn first to God for help? Did you only rely on your own strength? What does it mean to be simple or simple-hearted (verse 6)? How does this verse help answer this question? How can verse 7 be powerful for your life? Reread verse 18. What does it mean to “fulfill your vows”? What are some clues from the text that help answer this question? This passage repeats the same verse twice . . . what is it? Why is this important? What would it mean for you to “fulfill your vows” to the Lord? Have you made any commitments to Him that you need to “make good” on? How does this psalm challenge or encourage you to worship God better?
Posted By Tim Salzarulo At 2:37 PM •
Psummer Psalms (week 7)
PSALM 32 1 Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 2 Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. 3 When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Selah 5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”— and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah 6 Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him. 7 You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah 8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. 9 Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you. 10 Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him. 11 Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart! After reading this psalm a few times, what are some verses or phrases that stand out as particularly meaningful? Explain why. According to this psalm, how does one achieve the blessings of God? What does it mean to “deal” with your sin? What are some roadblocks that hinder you from dealing with it? How does this passage describe physical effects that happen when a person doesn’t deal with sin? Do these really happen? Has this ever happened to you? Has it caused you to change? If so what/how has it caused you to change? Is the covering in verse 1 the same as covering in verse 5? Why is it good for the sin to be covered in one verse, but not the other? This psalm encourages the godly to pray while God can still be found. Obviously the part about prayer makes sense, but what about the second part? What does it mean, “while you can be found”? Since God is loving, won’t we always be able to find Him? Explain the metaphor of the horse and mule. Considering where you stand with your faith right now, how is this psalm personally inspiring or challenging for you?
Posted By Tim Salzarulo At 2:36 PM •
Underachievement and Overachievement Part 2
Some causes of under and over achievement can be, 1. personality, lifestyle factors, like emotional immaturity, inability to adjust, excessive fear and anxiety, low self-esteem, deep-seated feelings of hostility, resentment, negativism, perceptions of unfair treatment, and rejection of adult authority. 2. Societal and economic factors, according to Richard Jaeger, a professor of educational research at the University of North Carolina, “economic support and family stability are…essential to school success.” 3. Family factors such as; parental pressure, uninvolvement, parental disharmony, or conflict, and parents who are not consistent or in agreement with discipline. Another family factor is parental indifference to their child’s accomplishments. “At the very heart of the cause for nonachievement or overachievement are unmet emotional needs of children.” Some very important emotional needs are, unconditional love, consistency and predictability, congeniality, approval, accountability, an example of excellence (kids do what they see). I think the consequences are obvious like poor grades, limited options, and loss of confidence, social problems, and health problems. It is important to work hard, but we must also work smart and toward the goal that God has placed before us. Every Christian is given a gift, to allow God to use through us. It is up to us to figure out what that gift is and to continue to develop it. If we are a teacher than learn to teach as best that we can without anxiety, frustration, unrealistic goals, and on the flip side if our gift is teaching we don’t just waist the gift. We must study and work towards His goal for our lives. love you all _pastor tim
Posted By Tim Salzarulo At 2:35 PM •
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
Psummer Psalms (week 6)
lesson 6 - psalm 84 Psalm 84 1 How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty! 2 My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. 3 Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young— a place near your altar, O Lord Almighty, my King and my God. 4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. Selah 5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. 6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. 7 They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion. 8 Hear my prayer, O Lord God Almighty; listen to me, O God of Jacob. Selah 9 Look upon our shield, O God; look with favor on your anointed one. 10 Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. 11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. 12 O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you. After reading this psalm, what are some verses or phrases that stand out as particularly meaningful? Explain why. What is confusing or difficult to understand? What kinds of attitudes are described in this psalm? (Use specific words from the text.) Which of these attitudes are difficult for you to display in your own life? What would it take for you to “get there”? Why does the psalmist talk about the sparrow? What do you think it means to go from “strength to strength”? Consider what it means to be a pilgrim. Have you ever undertaken a “pilgrimage” with your faith? How did it end up? What did you find? Is it time for you to take one? Can you honestly say you’ve discovered God? How is this psalm comforting?
Posted By Tim Salzarulo At 4:04 PM •
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Cursing Under Cover
I found this article below on Plugged in Online and it was very interesting so i thought i might pass it on to you, our Parents. Love ya all. _pastor tim Cursing Under Cover One of the more tedious duties I have, as a Plugged In movie reviewer, is counting profanities. Trust me, people, it's harder than you'd think. While the folks around me are laughing and crying and screaming, I'm making messy little scribbles in my notebook and asking myself, "Did he just say what I thought he said?" That happened a lot just recently as I was watching Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. All through it, my swear-o-meter was buzzing. It wasn't so much because it contained lots of f-words—technically, it steered clear of those. What gave me writer's cramp was all the f-word euphemisms: "Frigging," "fricking," "effing," even "pork." Ultimately I was confronted with a bewildering array of cuss substitutes. How many were there? Twenty? Thirty? I lost count somewhere in all the explosions. But there were enough to make me think that the PG-13 Transformers film—already one of the summer's biggest blockbusters—is really an R-rated movie in disguise. Turns out, Transformers 2 is hardly alone. According to Melissa Henson, director of communications and public education for the Parents Television Council, f-word euphemisms are on the rise in both movies and television. And the PTC doesn't like it one bit. "It creates an environment that promotes and cedes ground, that it's OK to drop in that kind of language in normal conversation," she told Plugged In. "And I don't think we should stand for that." Curses! Foiled Again! Using euphemisms as swear word stand-ins is nothing new, of course. It's as old as swearing itself, and that likely dates back to the origins of language ("The Tower of Babel will never be finished now, dagnabit!"). The very word euphemism goes back to ancient Greece—eupheme being the sunnier, happier antonym forblaspheme. And, because language changes all the time, today's euphemism might well be tomorrow's blasphemy, or vice versa. And you don't have to look any farther than the King James translation of the Bible for proof. That widely revered manuscript uses a few perfectly acceptable 17th century words that, if I were to write them here—out of context—my editor would feel compelled to bleep them out with little hyphens before you were allowed to read this column. Historically, euphemisms were designed to protect society from unwanted, unneeded vulgarity. The British so hated talking about going to the "toilet room" (in itself a euphemism) that they changed the term to "bathroom," then "water closet," then "W.C." It was their way of distancing themselves from the impolite activities that often take place behind the W.C.'s closed doors—the very same instinct that leads us to say that we're "going to see a man about a horse." Phrases like "passed away," "differently abled," "enhanced interrogation" and pert near everything that comes out of Yosemite Sam's mouth are euphemisms. Even reverently using the word God is a euphemistic stand-in, of sorts, for His true name—a name so sacred and holy that, for millennia, few dared utter it at all. Plugged In Online's typographical use of "the f-word" is itself a euphemism—one that alerts our readers to the presence of a salacious swear word without (hopefully) offending their sensibilities. But today's Hollywood screenplay writers appear to be using f-word euphemisms for a different purpose: to skirt the censors, wink to their audience and swear under the radar. What's in a Name? The f-word, despite its growing acceptance in some societal circles, is still linguistic radon in most public forums. Use more than two in a movie, and you can kiss your PG-13 rating good-bye. Use one in prime-time broadcast television, and you'll subject your station to a potential Federal Communications Commission fine. The Supreme Court ruled this spring that even a fleeting use of the f-word on broadcast TV—in an awards show, for example—can legitimately bring down the wrath of the FCC. Because of this, television broadcasters—even many on basic cable—are very cautious about introducing the f-bomb into regular programming. Movie studios, too, know R ratings can hurt a movie's bottom line: The new Transformers movie, which made more than $200 million its first week in theaters, would've likely banked a fourth or fifth of that had the film been given an R. The result? Well, in the case of Revenge of the Fallen, we get Autobots that talk about "frigging" and "freaking" and a character who runs a website called "The Real Effing Deal." In the Sci Fi channel's landmark series Battlestar Galactica, we hear characters regularly use the word "frak" as a noun, verb, adjective and interjection—much as its inspiration, the f-word, would be used. In NBC's 30 Rock, we learn of a fictional TV series titledMILF, which is a sexualized acronym involving the f-word that I can't even begin to detail here. And then there's Scrubs, in which Dr. Elliot Reid (played by Sarah Chalke) has a fondness for the word "frik." "There have been episodes where she strings five or six of them together," Henson of the PTC said. In these instances, euphemisms aren't used to soften a vulgarity: Rather, they're designed to call that very vulgarity to mind—making them not so much euphemisms as profanity placeholders: We'll use this word, the creators seem to say, and you insert the real one. "It's not so much the word itself [that's offensive]," Henson continued. "It's the meaning behind it, the feeling behind it. It's the emotion behind it that carries the weight." Or, as Shakespeare might say, What's in a name? An f-word by any other name will still sound as foul. Word Up There's very little relief in sight from such creative use of euphemisms. The FCC, when it's tried to enforce decency standards, has run into significant interference, so it's unlikely the agency will zealously tackle words that aren't technically indecent. And the truth is, even if the FCC or the Motion Picture Association of America did decide to clamp down on the word "frik," another made-up term would spawn to take its place. Language—particularly profane language—is like that. But it does give us a chance to learn—and teach—something about the nature of language itself: that words have power. We invest that power into the words we use and wield it every time we open our mouths. And, as Spider-Man always says, "With great power comes great responsibility." So my issue with the f-word and all its derivatives is three-fold: First, it's offensive—that's a given. Second, it's unneeded. I'd submit that few people, even the most crass among us, decided to see Revenge of the Fallen because they heard the producers employed a lot of almost-swear words. Third, it's simply downright lazy. In a language filled with hundreds of thousands of beautiful, powerful words, it's a crying shame to see talented people resort to this vulgar crutch again and again and again. To me, it signals a paradoxical lack of creativity—a cinematic security blanket that retards any ability to grapple with the world's ideas, problems and people in bigger, better ways. If the English language is a Ferrari, it's as if the entertainment industry insists on disengaging most of the cylinders, powering the beautiful chassis with an engine that weakly putters along on monosyllabic micro-explosions.
Posted By Tim Salzarulo At 11:34 AM •


His preaching will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers. Malachi 4:6