CYG Fantasy Football party

As we close out the year of the first annual CYG fantasy football season, it's worth remembering that everyone is a winner in Christ but in sports, like in highlanding, "there can be only one." That one, was me. After weeks of strategizing and scrutinizing every potential player in the nfl, it turns out that a few preseason phenoms would turn the tables. Matthewgate landed the great Ferguson in a respectable third slot. He really should have faired worse for dumping off a star quarterback with a season ending injury into the hands of an unsuspecting brent pyle. He even got Tyler to dump all of his good players and give them to him for the playoffs. As the Patriots proved last year, in football, cheaters sometimes prosper.
So we ended the year like this: 8) Rebels (Nate Dog) 7) Mohawks (Cale) 6) Ice Cubes (Tyler White) 5) Colts (Cody Allsup) 4) MC Hammers (Matt Chaffin) 3) Trojans (Matt Ferg) 2) Rockstars (Brent Pyle) 1) Uberhawkes (Paul B.)
We all had a lot of fun with this and hope to have more of you playing with us next year. This year the frog (trophy) goes to me. Next year... who knows... probably me.
So we all met at Chilis to celebrate the season and finish up with a Madden Bowl. Chilis seems to be the go to feeding joint for all major youth gatherings. I had the Jack nachos (excellent). After a hearty meal we returned to the youth room, (we really need a cool name for it. If you have any suggestions, comment on the blog and let me know) and began an all night adventure in football and felt the Call of duty. We played til about 3:30 am and only Tyler White remained undefeated. He's almost as good on TV as he is in real life. Until next year.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas CYG!!! We just finished our third day of Christmas with the Bennett clan. How has your Christmas gone? Do you have any traditions? What has been good? Any crazy presents? Comment and let us know.

Jared Clark

Just to let everyone know. Jared Clark is having surgery on his shoulder in Tuscaloosa on Monday. Please keep him in your prayers throughout the week. Comment and let us know that you are praying for him. Here's the update. I went to see Jared before his operation. He was in good spirits and was really happy after they gave him the "Jared Juice" aka happy drug. He instantly went into uncontrolled laughter, but wouldn't divulge any personal info no matter times i asked. He was in surgery for about 45 minutes to reattach his right shoulder ligament. The Right shoulder was marked with ink and then confirmed at least eight times with eight different doctors. Why do i feel like they have mistakenly operated on the wrong body part before? Just a hunch. Jared came out and went home pretty quickly. He's looking at three months of rehab and 2 weeks of sitting in a lazy boy being waited on hand and foot. Give him a call this week and let him know you love him. God is good

CYG Christmas Party

This past Wednesday night the Pyle's invited our youth group to come to their house to have the "Annual CYG Christmas Party." We ate, played Dirty Santa, fellowshipped, and had a great time. Now for the past two years (that I know of) we've had it at their house and it's been just great. The lesson was, you can wrap a present and make it as nice and pretty as you want it, but if there's nothing good inside the box, then what's it worth? And you can look like you have it all together but in reality you're lost and you don't know what to do. And alot of the time we do that and fool people. I know I have done that and I most likely will again but we need to let God in and show us the way. Because no matter how much we fool others we couldn't, can't, and will never fool God into making ourselves look like we've got it together. I hope everyone takes this lesson and applies it to the way they live.



For those of you who read this, it's my 1st blog so don't laugh I know it's not the greatest. Thanks!
Logan Ferg.

SNL @ the Brooks House

So we were blessed to have our SNL at the Brooks' house. Not too many parents are brave enough to let us into their home. Even fewer would invite us in when their Christmas decorations were in full bloom. I asked everyone to get together by the Christmas tree for prayer before we ate. Problem was, there were eight! People were gathering all over the house.
Matt led us in praise and we shared a devotional thought about being genuine from Isaiah 58.
The highlight of my night was throwing fruit at Emily Chaffin. She's not so bad at catching citrus products. Might be a real future for her in produce. The grossest thought imaginable award goes to Patrick for sharing that he had just recently put an entire kittens head in his mouth and, upon pulling an unidentified object from in between his dogs mouth, decided to smell it. ewwww...... May be a future in sanitation for him If you weren't able to check out the progressive photos of Alliemarie and Tinsley in the hallway you need to make that top priority for the next time we are able to be with them.
Happily, as far as I know, no one got lost on the way home this time. The last time we left I had a close encounter with wild life and wound up leaving the neighborhood from an area I didn't know existed. in fact I'm still not sure God didn't have mercy on me and create an exit. I know everyone had a great time and I'd like to hear some of your stories from tonight. leave a comment and let us know what you will remember

CYG Christmas Party

If you got pics from the Christmas party please e-mail them to me or let me know if they are on your facebook account so i can get them from there. Matt and Logan are working on an article for the blog about the party and they need some pics

Hey everyone! It's been an exciting 3 months in the drama ministry. We are having a blast! I hope everyone is enjoying our skits and getting the most out of them. We really have had so much fun learning new skits and being able to perform, for not only the youth group, but also for the church in general. So far we have performed in October for Church-wide SNL, for the youth in November, and because of such a great response- in December for another Church-wide SNL. Also, we took part in Super Church this past Sunday morning as the Nativity-we thank Morgan McNabb and Sacha McNabb for taking part and helping in that as well. We look forward to learning new skits to share with everyone after the Holiday Season. We all truly enjoy what we are doing to contribute to our youth group and church and hope that all of you are enjoying the fruits of our labor as well. Thanks for all the support you all give the team with your words of encouragement. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!!

Caption of the week

How would you caption this photo

Earl Harris

In case you didn't know. Earl Harris fell from his rooftop tonight 16 feet onto concrete. He's in the hospital with a broken wrist, 3 broken vertebrae (the tips), and 15 staples in his head. The doctors have said he will be o.k. Please keep him and his family in your prayers tonight and throughout the week. God has really blessed them. Give him the glory.

Barber Riddle...Enjoy

A man was in a small town for the day, and needed a haircut. He noticed that there were only two barbers in town, and decided to apply a bit of logical deduction to choosing the best one. Looking at their shops, he saw that the first one was very neat and the barber was clean shaven with a nice haircut. The other shop was a mess, and the barber there needed a shave and had a bad haircut as well. Why did the man choose to go to this barber?

Where do we go from here

We have been studying the life of Abraham for the past few weeks and I am looking at the next direction we will head in our Sunday morning discussions. I thought I might ask those of you that check out the CYG blog what you might be interested in. meeting the needs of such a spiritually diverse group is always a challenge. I know that questions are sometimes left unanswered and topics aren't always addressed. So what would you like to talk about in the upcoming weeks. let me know by leaving an anonymous (or not) comment here.

Happy Birthday Will West

Is it just me, or were a lot of people in our youth group born in December? Happy birthday Will! Feel free to leave will a comment here.

Riddle of the Week

A frog fell into a hole that was 14 1/2 feet deep. He could jump 3 feet, but he slid back a foot each time he jumped. How many jumps does it take him to get out of the hole?

Hunter Johnson's big day

God has told us that his angels celebrate whenever one is added to his number, so you know there was a celebration Sunday. God added to our number Sunday when Hunter Johnson made the decision to clothe himself with Christ in baptism. He told me that a big part of his decision was how God used last Sunday to speak to him. He told me it was just the whole day that made an impact. All of you who are in one of our ministry teams should really feel good about the way God used you to reach one of your friends.

There are always things you will remember about the time you gave yourself to Christ. For me, it was walking back after services and timidly telling the preacher I was ready. Then the preacher ran out and called the church back in the building. I put on the white baptismal robe and after coming up out of the water my robe was pretty much clear. How's that for turning the other cheek? Hunter, was also the victim of a wardrobe malfunction. His zipper just would not budge. luckily, we had a second robe or Hunter would of had to come out looking like a 70's disco star. Bruce was ready with the songs and everything else went off without a problem. What do you remember about the time you gave your life to Christ? Comment back and tell Hunter how proud you are of him and tell us about your memories from the day placed your life in Christ's hands.

Happy Birthday Matt and Logan

Today is Matt and Logan Fergusons birthdays. Comment and let them know they are loved

Happy Birthday Cody

Happy Bithday shout out to Cody Allsup!

Altars and signposts

Ever been in a big shopping mall? After walking around and browsing you begin to wonder what all is in this place. Usually, somewhere along the walkway between stores, there is a small tower with a map of the shopping center displayed. After a little looking you'll find a small red arrow that says, "you are here". That red marker serves as a point of reference. It lets you know where you are in the grand design of the shopping center.

Whenever followers of God experienced his presence among them, in past times, they would build an altar. They would place stones in a pile and as people traveled through that area the stone altar would serve to be a signpost. It was a way to proclaim that God was there. A reminder that on a grand earth a greater God gave direction and purpose to those who most desperately needed it. 

When Christ established his church he laid us, as living stones, on the foundation of his identity as the son of God. We no longer piece together piles of stone to acknowledge God. We as Christians are the stones. We are the altars. We are the signposts. He uses us to proclaim His presence. I am moved by the way God uses his people. There are people in my life who will have an everlasting presence because of what God has been to me through them. They are altars that point me to God. They are little red arrows showing me where I am in relation to my God. Who are your altars? How are you doing as an altar? Leave a comment and let us know how God is using others for his glory.

LifeGroups @ Chilis

Lisa Ferguson pulled me aside a few days ago and asked if we were still all going out to eat Tuesday. To which I replied, as I often do, "huh". She then shook me (which is almost as fierce as her finger snap during church) and I suddenly remembered what she was talking about. Every so often we all get together for a mixed Bible study group. It's a great time for people who haven't gotten in a LifeGroup to hang out and see what we're about. 

Last night the girl's and guy's LifeGroups met together at Chilis for some much needed time together. I can see why so many of Jesus' great stories and experiences involved food. There is just something about sitting around a table and stuffing your face that puts everyone in a good mood. We had a blast. There were about eighteen of us so the waitress just gave up on refilling our drinks and left us with pitchers. 

We all have different tastes and the food choices ranged from salmon to salad to a skillet loaded down with nothing but fries (Which Tinsley will not eat by the way. He hates all things potato. He never would have survived in Ireland). I was surprised at how much food some of our girls can scarf. Sure, I expected Nate Dog to finish his Philly ,but Emily, JP, and Alliemarie can hold their own as well (just kidding, they actually shared food with some other big eaters). Notice in the pictures that Anthony continues to make odd faces. Maybe it wasn't the sour gum that messed him up last week after all. Maybe its just in Anthony's nature to be a little odd. 

I just want to say also that Cale Ferguson, Lisa Ferguson, and Amy Crownover are doing an excellent job leading their groups. Give them a pat on the back next time you see them and let them know they are appreciated. Feel free to drop some comments in . I'd like to know what you think.

Riddle of the Week

A man wanted to enter an exclusive club but did not know the password that was required. He waited by the door and listened. A club member knocked on the door and the doorman said, "twelve." The member replied, "six " and was let in. A second member came to the door and the doorman said, "six." The member replied, "three" and was let in. The man thought he had heard enough and walked up to the door. The doorman said ,"ten" and the man replied, "five." But he was not let in.

What should have he said, and why?

Caption of the week

Take a look at this photo and let us know what is really happening here. Use your imagination and lets see who comes up with the best scenario. Here's mine:

looks like Paul is doing his best Michael Phelps imitation. Probably would need about ten more gold medals to catch up to that merman. Anyway, let us know what you think.

Show Choir

Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, Matthew and Logan Ferg's show choir group, Take One Show Choir, performed their winter show. I myself, went to their Sunday performance.

The name of the show was "December Download", and it was wonderful. The music was well sung as well as the choreography well laid out. And to top it all off, the pictures that will be held over Matthew and Logan's heads for the rest of their lives were priceless.

The songs that were sung ranged from the good oldies, Cruisin', to the good time christmas songs. Even from the tear-jerkers, Christmas Shoes, to the tributes to one of the greastest, Tribute to Queen. The performers also varied, from the junior varsity, to the varsity, with a solo/duet or two thrown in there.

Overall, it was great, i can't wait for the next one. I also encourage those who didn't see it to come see them perform the next time they do. Feel free to comment...please...

Experience SNL

It's easy to take things for granted. It's easy to get into a routine, go on autopilot, and forget how special being a part of the family of Christ really is. That's why seeing Christ work through others is so important. That's why I love experience SNL. Each member of Christ's body is blessed with a unique talent. All of us speak the language of God in a slightly different form much like an hours drive changes the accent of those around you. Some of us speak God's love with their hands, others use words. Some are dramatic others give the gift of presence.

On months with five Sundays, we minister to our congregation with the language Christ speaks to us. Last night (I realize this was a first Sunday and not a fifth. Last month's fifth Sunday was so close to thanksgiving that we changed weekends) we had the privilege again. The night began with our prayer ministry. They made cards available to everyone. These are to be filled out with prayer needs and will be brought before God as a group on Wednesday nights. Our praise ministry led us in worship through song. They taught some new songs and sang some of our favorites. Our drama ministry (Sinner Stage) spoke to us through short stories focusing on evangelism and authentic Christianity. Afterwards our care ministry offered to send care packages  and cards to people members of our congregation know need to be reached out to. We also have a teaching ministry. they teach bible class on Wednesday nights. 

No SNL is complete without food. After worshiping together we shared a meal and were able to talk to the many visitors that were a part of our service. I'm proud to be a part of what God is doing with us. God has promised that his word never goes out empty. It is already bearing fruit. you'll hear and see more about that this Sunday. Comment and let us know what it is like to be a part of this ministry. Let us know how you feel

Your Comments Please

Last night, after class, a person came up to me with a glint of enthusiasm in her eyes and showed me a scripture she was really excited about. She had thought on it all day and felt that it applied to our discussion. God's living word, like liquid, seems to always find a way to squeeze itself into every crack, every available opening of thought. When a person decides to meditate on the water of life, it seeps in. I wanted to share with you, what she shared with me. Read it and let me know how it makes you feel and what it makes you think about.

"As water reflects a face so a man's heart reflects the man" - Proverbs 27:19

CYG Fantasy Football "Season 1"

Fourteen long and brutal weeks ago five of my CYG comrades, along with myself, embarked in a long-lived tradition in hopes of soon making it a tradition we could call our own. Yes, i am talking about fantasy football. With Paul at the helm as commish, we were off into our first season of fantasy football, CYG style.

Before we could dive headlong into the competition, we first had to pick the teams. Finally, it was time for the season to begin for our teams: "Ice Cubes"/Tyler "Icy" White, "Uberhawke"/Paul B., "MC Hammers"/Matthew C., "Trojans"/ Matthew F., "Rebels"/ Nate Dog Allen, and "Rockstars"/Brent "BP" Pyle.

Although after week 2 we found ourselves with two new members/teams, "Mohawks"/Cale F., and "Colts" led by Cody Allsup, which bumped our number up to eight teams.

After the first 4 weeks of play there had already been enough contraversy to last us the whole season, from the trades, to the "all stars" that turned out to be nothing more than "busts", and even our own little scandal a.k.a "Matthewgate". After a few more up and down weeks of play we already found ourselves at the mid-way mark of our season with the MC Hammers clutching to a slim lead in the standings, but of course knowin' the luck of the Chaffin, somethin' was bound to happen.

And sure enough, as we reach the final stretch of the regular season, with the playoff race being thrown into full throttle, the MC Hammers held a 2 game lead with just four weeks left to play. But no, oh no, he couldn't just coast on in and claim the first seed in the playoffs, looming in the background was the pack nipping at his heels. He loses his next game, then his next, and you might be thinking to yourself, "Self, i'm sure after two straight loses he straightened out..". But no, the Hammers soon found themselves losing their third in a row, bumping them forever out of first place and into third. Then came what could only be called the most unexpected #1 vs. #2 game of the season, between the two teams many of us counted out at one point or another in the season. Matt Ferg's Trojans, against BP's Rockstars. Ferg found his way on top of the matchup and into the first seed for the playoffs. And that is where we find ourselves, in the playoffs, with the seedings going as follows: 1st-Trojans, 2nd- MC Hammers, 3rd- Rockstars, 4th- Uberhawke, 5th-Ice Cubes, and 6th- Colts. While the Rebels and Mohawks found there way into the 7th place consolation game.

We will keep the blog updated with the weekly scores as the playoffs go on.

Generation Change

Not too long ago we challenged ourselves to change. Change the way we look at money and use money. We used a lesson series by Dave Ramsey called Generation Change that came complete with enthralling videos and introspective discussion. (o.k. cheesy, but good videos) After 8 weeks of discussion, prayer, and a materialism maze many of us took the challenge. I'm wondering how many of us are still fighting for a different lifestyle. I can remember one conversation with Lenora (photo on right) when she told me how well the envelope deal worked. Personally, I am using the envelope system right now (for about the tenth time) and hopefully will be able to stick with it. We have been challenged to change the way we live and the way we give. We've been called not to be sucked in by the bells and whistles of the next big thing. Called to be wise. I believe the statements were:

I know I have value in God's eyes.

I know that know amount of stuff can change my self worth.

I know the dangers of debt, from credit cards to car payments.

I know why and how to save money and pay cash for what I want.

I will live a lifestyle of generous giving that can change the world around me forever.

How are you doing with that? Write in and let us know

RIDDLE TIME!!

Mark walks into the local diner for his weekly burger, as he sits down at his usual booth he notices a young boy and his mother sitting just across from him talking. He soon picks on their conversation and realizes that the young boy's mother is asking him a series of math questions, such as: 31+12...the boy says 43...13+23...the boy says 36...45-15..."30", the boy says...the next question was 35+23...Mark, who was following along in his boredom, answers 58...although the boy answers 42...and the mother continued right along asking her questions...13+38...49 says the boy....45-10...45 the boys answers...soon Mark, who is quite puzzled by this time, notices what the young boy is wearing, and all the boys answers finally make sense...

So, what was the boy wearing?

Camping Trip Hijinks

Seems like we have a talent for picking the coldest wettest weekend of the year for camping. We returned to Bankhead National Forest for our second biannual guy's Bible study camping excursion. We stopped at Sonic on the way and discovered that Javier loves cheese sticks like Sacha loves twilight. I think he ordered 4 helpings. The hike in was challenging. Luckily, with a guide like Kelly Monahan and a brave Guard dog named Gus, we had no worries. After a half mile (if you ask the right people you may find that we hiked somewhere between 2 and 5 miles) of trekking through soggy terrain in the black of night we arrived at our camping site and set up our tents. After everything was unloaded, Logan discovered that his and Matthew's food was dropped somewhere on the trail. Logan and I searched for it and the food was well hidden. After a few minutes we began to hear things going bump in the night and decided to return to the camp site before we were eaten. On the way back we found a bottle of fake blood that Morgan dropped on the way in. Logan and I kept our find hush hush and planned to have some fun with it later. After a little while talking we settled in for the night. Sleeping in a tent the first night is always a challenge. There are roots that you didn't see but definitely feel, room mates, and noises that no one expects. At about 12am as I lay in my tent I heard what could have only been a screaming warmonkey cry out in the wilderness. I only heard it once and never wish to hear it again. 

We woke up the next morning and heard news of Logan's food. It would seem that a group of our guys had taken an early morning stroll and saw it beside the trail. They walked past it twice and left it where it was. I guess they figured we were in a national forrest and that things laying on the ground weren't meant to be disturbed. Great conservationist, horrible friends. We got Logan's food and then settled in for devo and quiet time with our new study material. 

As the day progressed the temperature dropped and we all went searching for fire wood. logan and I went up a hillside to a rock bluff. It was time for the jug o blood. We spread it on the rock face and placed a hand print on a tree. Logan stuffed some leaves in a crevice and then went down and Got his brother. I sat by the camp fire as Logan showed the bloody wall to Matt. They both came and got me and I pretended to know nothing and then freaked out. Logan did a great job not laughing as Matt began to get more and more nervous. Chaffin was then brought into the fold and after a few minutes was ready to pack up the tents and get out. We let them stew over it a while and just as night was coming into the woods, I turned to Morgan and said, "hey, I found your bottle of fake blood on the trail last night". Both Matthews looked up at the same time with eyes as wide as a baby's after a loud noise. Chaffin found a tree to support him and didn't speak for a long time. deep down, I know they thought it was funny. 

With the fire blazing hot, Nathan Allen waded into the creek and then took a plunge into the frigid water. Yep, he's a polar bear. He talked about how he would do it and no one thought he would, but he did. Crazy Nate! Javier also took a dip because he slipped and they both spent some time in close communion with the fire. 

It got dark and began to rain again so most of the guys went into their tents. After the bigger logs burnt down and I went into mine at what i thought was close to midnight, i checked my watch. It was 7:30!!!! When the guys heard that they went crazy and started up with wild singing and crazy madness. I laughed myself to sleep and all the sudden was awake at five am. The trip back was long and stinky! There are of course many more stories to tell from the weekend but I will let some of the guys write in and share them with you. Please put some of your stories from the trip in the comment section

Thanksgiving Riddle

Try to figure out this Thanksgiving Riddle.

(Hint): Susan is the Grandmother

Susan has invited her family to Thanksgiving Dinner. As her plates are not the best, Susan wants to buy new plates – one for each person at her Thanksgiving Dinner.

There’ll be a grandfather, a grandmother, two fathers, two mothers, four children, three grandchildren, one brother, two sisters, two sons, two daughters, one father-in-law, one mother-in-law and a daughter-in-law

How would you caption this Photo

Tyler White has just become an editor. Let's celebrate. Check out this photo and let us all know what is really going on in Tyler's mind. Leave a comment as a caption. Put your name in the box that says Url/name.

SNL

Almost every Sunday night we can be found in the Youth Room @ 5:45 enjoying SNL. We eat together and then share in some hands on worship. The overall purpose of SNL is to experience and respond to the love of God. 

This week we had a bubble blowing contest with some "special gum". It was extremely sour! Jaden almost puked. We discussed how what we have on the inside will always shade how we are seen on the outside. As Jesus said, "Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks".

We'd love to see you there sometime.

Back in action!

Well,

Haven't been here in a while. After a few long years we are back and updating the CYG Blog. During SNL Sunday night suggestions were made. One of them was that we go back to having a blog or website. I didn't even know we still had this blog up. After about two days of trying to figure out what the password was, my medula finally gave up the fight against my superior will and gave up the goods. 

I need you to get the word out to the rest of the CYG that we are available. So send them a link and post comments. I would like to know what you want to see here. So get on and post your thoughts.