My Epic Journey

Eva Hyder, EPIC Photographer, took pictures at this years EPIC Couch Races.  Thought I would share some with you.

Our June series will be The Battle Within.

Each one of us faces a battle within, a battle that may go unseen by those around, but inside there is major brawl. It’s a battle with temptation. And depending on the temptation and its hold on your life, it may be a battle that seems impossible to win. In this series, we will be taking a look at the temptations Jesus faced in the desert, and identify the driving forces behind the temptations we all face every day. Because once you realize what the pull is behind the temptation, you can find the confidence to follow Jesus’ example and respond as He did.

Week One: The Main Event (June 7th)

Bottom Line: In every single temptation you face, there is always more at risk than you think.

In the sport of boxing, the main event is the big fight, the moment where everything is on the line. But for most of us, we are oblivious to the truth that in every temptation we face, there’s a lot at stake as well. When face to face with temptation, the choice feels insignificant sometimes. There are times when it feels like no one will notice, or it’s not really a big deal. But in looking at the temptations Jesus faced, we realize just how much is at stake—not only in His life, with the temptations that were before Him—but in our lives as well, with the ones we face every day.

Week Two: In This Corner (June 14th)

Bottom Line: Every time you’re tempted, your confidence in God is at stake, not just your self-control.

When facing temptation, it seems like it’s always about the choice, the decision, the temptation. But it’s always about more than that. It’s not just your reputation or your innocence that’s at stake—it’s your confidence in God. The lure of temptation makes us question whether we can really trust God to come through for us, to be there for us, to provide for us. We begin to think He’s not in our corner, that He’s not looking out for us. But what if we began to see Him there? What if we realized that whatever is luring us away really has nothing to do with what we think it’s about, and there’s a deeper issue, a trust issue, at work? It might completely weaken the pull of that temptation, and it might help us get to the heart of what is really going on.

Week Three: Fixing the Fight (June 21st)

Bottom Line: We are tempted to believe we know how God works and how we think we can work Him.

In the boxing world, sometimes things aren’t always what they seem. Sometimes the winner is known before anyone walks into the ring. Sometimes the outcome is pre-determined by a person who has manipulated things behind the scene. Sometimes a fighter takes a dive. Sometimes a boxer throws the fight. And if each one of us were completely honest, sometimes we try to work things as well in our fight with temptation. And who or what we are manipulating isn’t the temptation, it’s God.

Week Four: Hook and Jab (June 28th)

Bottom Line: We are tempted to pursue the right thing the wrong way.

Temptation doesn’t always have to be about doing something bad. In fact, sometimes it’s not the end result that’s not necessarily a bad thing, but how we plan to get there. It’s the shortcut, the path, the compromise. And in this fight, this struggle with temptation, sometimes the punches we throw and the ones thrown at us are simply about pursuing the right things but in the wrong way.

7 Things EVERY Parent NEEDS to Know

1. Middle School May Mayhem

Here at EPIC, we have been wrestling over ways to get the Middle Schoolers more involved and better connected to each other. Our event planning team met and came up with some GREAT ideas for events JUST FOR the Middle Schoolers. These MS events will meet the second (2nd) Saturday of every month.

Our first event is on Saturday, May 9th from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. We will begin at 6:00 with registration and connection games. We will then feed them pizza and after pizza it is off for Controlled Mass Chaos. We will conclude the night with the world’s largest sundae.

Cost is $5.00 per student and we are asking EPIC MS students to sign up and give us an estimate of how many friends they will be bringing. IT’S TIME TO GET YOUR GAME ON!!!!!!!!!!

2. April—May SERIES—Origins

Starting in April, we will be taking a fresh look at Genesis. We feel it is important for our students to have a foundation in what the Word of God says and there isn’t a better book to start with then Genesis. This will be an 8 week series which will take us through May.

3. Easter

EPIC will NOT be meeting Easter Sunday. We are encouraging students to worship with their family.

4. Purpose of EPIC

EPIC Student Ministries @ Grace Point exists to connect students to the love of Christ, to love them in what ever condition they are in, to instruct them in their spiritual walk, to magnify God before them and to build into them the passion to serve their world.

5. PATH (Parents Applying Truth and Heart)

Our next P.A.T.H. meeting will be on May 2nd. That is a Saturday. We will be meeting from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon. The topic will be Overextending Your Student: getting back to the basics.

6. EPIC @ the Park

I know it sounds like a ways off but starting June 3rd, EPIC will be holding a special time at Orange Park every Wednesday Night. We are excited about finding ways to connect with the community on “their” turf. Here are the details:

• —When: Every Wednesday June through August
• —Where: Orange Park (off of SR 23)
• —Time: 6:00-8:00 pm Middle School/7:00-9:00 pm High School

7. Prayer Needs

Would like to put before you some prayer needs we have here at EPIC:

• God will continue to bring in new students
• God will help us meet the spiritual needs of all our students
• God will supply more leaders, especially in Middle School
• God will give the leadership team clear vision on what HE wants EPIC to look like.
• God will begin working in the heart of each student going to Lake Ann Camp this summer!