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