Hey all! It has been some time since we posted on the blog, so apologies on that end. It was awesome to see so many of you all on the Fall retreat, hope that you enjoyed yourselves. I think it took me about a week to recover from sleep deprivation, but I am happy to report I am about back to normal. I hope that all of you will start planning ahead for the Spring Retreat. Its good times.

We are now moving into that time of holiday madness so stay tuned to whats going on. We are starting up the toy drive for our annual YWCA Christmas party on the 17th of December, our Christmas Edge is coming up, and a bunch more.

Now something slightly more serious. This past Sunday, discipleship talked about prayer. I think that it is an important thing for all of us to think about, and I would be interested to hear your thoughts. First off, here is a quote for you to think about.

"Prayer is like breathing. If you don't breathe, you die. If you don't pray, you die spiritually."
- Soren Kierkegaard

Thoughts?

SO MUCH STUFF

Ok, so there is alot happening around the office. We are bustling bees over here getting ready for tons of exciting events you can and should be looking forward to. Before I talk about those things, I just want to say kudos to everyone who came to NEON night. I was a little afraid that the Edge staff would be the only ones to dress up, but to my great relief ya'll showed up in your best neon fashions. Neon night taught me that the most cost effective way to make the biggest neon punch is to wear a glow stick bracelet and purchase neon tights. For future reference...

As far as upcoming events, here we go: The first is the EDGE diaper drive. It starts this Sunday and the class that brings the most diapers and wipes will be rewarded with a desert party. I think Costco will be my personal diaperand wipe hot spot. I predict the sponosor/staff team will be giving ya'll a run for your money.

In addition, we are planning a bonfire on Alki beach for the last Wednesday of this month. I don't know about you, but I love love love fires and s'mores. Seriously. Once my friends had a surprise fire and s'mores birthday party for me. Unfortunately my birthday is in the middle of summer and I was in Tucson, AZ at the time. Needless to say, we were so hot from the flames and the 110 degree temp. and we could have very easily set the entire desert on fire (it's so dry there...) Afterwards we went swimming and that was better. All that to say, end of October in Seattle on Alki beach is sure to provide prime bonfire conditions. You should come - be it with your Bible study or just as you are.

Finally, we are in the midst of planning the Fall Retreat, and I don't want to give too much away, but I think it is going to be AWESOME. This Sunday we will be priemering the Fall Retreat Trailer at the Edge, so come and check it out. I think there is also going to be a Fall Retreat website coming online to a computer screen near you very soon!

Ok that's about all I've got. Have a good week. Enjoy the Fall season! (Pumpkin is my favorite flavor so I'm totally lovin' life right now)

Many Blessings,
julie

Why "Edge"

Why the Edge? I am not speaking directly to "why do we even have the Edge" (though if anyone wants to talk about that, we can discuss it), but I am asking why "Edge" at all? Is there a point? Is it just a name that someone made up and no one has had the guts to change? Why not the Rock?

Well, believe it or not, there is a point.

This is a time of transition on many levels. As Jefe talked about at the last Edge, you are in the process of becoming individuals. Most of you have already realized that you are not your parents (parents can tend to find out this truth a little late, but don't worry, they will), but there is still the question of who you will become and even who you are at the moment. What defines you? Is it school? Is it church? Is it what you are not? You are no longer a child but you do not have all the freedoms of adulthood. It is exciting and frustrating. Basically you are coming to the end of what your life has been up to this point. This does not mean you are coming to a cliff, but things are changing.

This is true whether you are a freshman or a senior. True, most seniors are closer to the edge, but you are all involved in the process of discovery. So what happens now? As you begin or end these four years of transition and realization, what do you take with you? Do you seek a brand new identity in a new place away from parents and friends? Do you stick with what you know and "stick to the status quo?" (sorry)

Another area which is in transition is your faith. What should it look like at this point in your life? What does it mean, I mean really mean, for the daily nitty gritty of life that some dude 2000 years ago died and claims to have risen again and, oh yeah, claims to be God as well. What does it mean that despite all the crap that is happening in your life he claims to love you and wants to be in your life and actually calls you to a life of discipleship? This is the perfect time to ask these questions. I asked them. It is healthy. It is natural. And the Edge is the perfect place to seek answers. We are excited about helping you to think through these questions. And we are excited about you answering these questions for yourself. We want you to take your faith to the edge, and we believe that you will not be disappointed. This is an important step in becoming an individual in the context of a community of faith.

If you have some of these questions or others (and lets be honest, we all have questions), I would definitely recommend getting into a small group, but we also want this blog to be a place where you can ask questions and discuss issues. We hope that you will take the chance to ask what is on your mind and, hopefully, we will be honest enough to ask the questions that we are dealing with as well. You all Rock. See you at the Edge!

Dan

Edge Follow Up

Hey all, so if you have been at the Edge the last couple weeks and were paying attention at all (you know who you are…), you know that we are in the midst of “High School 101” and have been discussing what it looks like to take our faith into the world around us. For me, this is one of the most intimidating challenges of being Christ’s disciple. I care what people think. I don’t want to look dumb.


This last week Jennie talked about hope, about Christ’s life, death and resurrection. The exciting thing is that there is an endless supply of this hope. Part of the joy of being a disciple is sharing this hope with others. In past years the Edge has volunteered around Seattle, and whether serving a meal to someone in need or gathering together supplies for families starting up a new life, these opportunities are exciting ways to get involved and serve those around us. Not to mention that they can be challenging times of growth. Simply walking around in Seattle reminds me that there is a lot of need out there. Our trips to Mexico and L.A. are important experiences which I hope you will all participate in, but I know that I can loose sight of those things which are right in front of me.


When Christ commissioned the apostles, he told them that they would be his disciples in Jerusalem, and Judea, and ultimately, to the ends of the earth. It started with what was right in front of them, with Jerusalem, their home town.


So in case the rest of this blog was too subtle, we are in the midst of planning some events for the fall and we would like to have your opinions. Maybe you know a family member or friend who is involved with an organization that could use the help of an energetic group for a day, whether helping to move furniture, rearrange a warehouse, serving food, or something else. If you have ideas, please respond to this blog or send us an e-mail. You rock! I look forward to hanging out with you all at the Edge!


Dan


PS. One more thought about this type of outreach. Invite your friends, Christian, non Christian, whatever. This is a great opportunity for you to show them your faith through your actions. Poverty etc are things that people care about, and thus is a great, unobtrusive way to start taking your faith outside the Edge.

Welcome

Welcome to the newly created EDGE blog. Dan and I will be updating the blog throughout the year to keep you posted on the exciting festivities going on in the YMM office and at the EDGE. We are now two weeks into the EDGE and in the midst of "High School 101." Thanks to everyone who has helped put together the first two EDGEs of the year.

Jennie, Jefe, Dan and I went to lunch at Garfield. It was fun to see everyone and the new school looks pretty nice (though I hear not everything is up and running yet...)

I hear there is a Roosevelt home football game this Friday and I think all the YMM interns will be making an appearance, so if you're at the game, look for us. Some people gave up their Carrie Underwood concert tickets to go to this game - that's dedication.

Other happening up in the YMM office this week include countless YouTube videos and facebook stalking. Lauree and I might begin a tetris tournament (arguably inspired by the human tetris stunt at last week's EDGE...thanks Ben and Max.) We received a surplus of early Halloween candy from Rita and I've re-discovered a childhood quest to find how many licks it does it really take to get to the center of a tootsie pop and what in the heck is tootsie even made out of? It's certainly not chocolate, but it has a coaco flavor...if you have any ideas, let me know. Oh and today we participated in taking an all staff photo to give to Earl as a going away gift. I only mention this because Earl definately does not know who any of the YMM interns are but we were corralled into the front row of the picture by the woman organizing the entire deal. Fortunaely another intern grouped with us convinced said organizer to let us exchange our positions for a farther back row.... it was funny and awkard.

I hope ya'll can all make it to the EDGE this coming Sunday. I think it will be a good one!
Oh, and here is the YouTube video from last week.
blessings!
julie