Graeme and Christen got married on March 21st! Now they’re on their honeymoon in Costa Rica. They’ll be back in town just in time for the youth trip to Birmingham. Here are a few pictures from their wedding:
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Looking for something fun and inspirational to do over Spring Break? Join Shoreline’s youth April 1-2 as we travel to Church of the Highlands in Birmingham to attend their Switch youth church! Everyone leaves at 10 AM on April 1, although they may return at different times (see options 1 & 2 below).
Permission slips will be available at the Real Info booth on Sundays and at Epic on Wednesdays. RSVP to Darlene at sailsfaster@yahoo.com ASAP! Your payment officially reserves your spot. Space is limited! Select from two options…
OPTION 1 — Do not spend the night and return to Destin at 2:30 AM on April 2. $30 covers travel expenses and your dinner. Bring extra $ for shopping and one lunch. Pack your own snacks.
OPTION 2 — Stay the night in a hotel and return to Destin around 2:00 PM on April 2. $45 covers travel expenses, hotel, and dinner. Bring extra $ for shopping and two lunches. Pack your own snacks.
Questions? Call Darlene at 502-1099.
As you know, Shoreline’s youth has been split into Epic (high school) and Groundswell (middle school) for several semesters. Well, everything is about to change. But don’t panic, because it’s going to be awesome!
The NEW Epic Youth Service
Epic is now a youth service for students in 6th-12th grade. Services are held on Wednesday nights at the Destin Community Center Annex (”the fishing museum”), located at 108 Stahlman Avenue in Destin. Pizza is served at 6:30 pm and the service starts at 7:00 pm.
As for Groundswell…
Groundswell is still for 6th-8th graders, but it’s now considered a Life Group. This group will meet a couple times per month rather than every week. And it’s no longer a Bible study. It’s an activity group! For example, we’ll have a beach party and a bowling night in April.
Questions?
If you still have some questions, call Graeme at (850) 502-6811. He should be able to clear up any confusion.
You know you want to see photos from last night, so click here! What did you all think of our guest speaker Robbie (Graeme’s 7-foot-tall brother)?
By the way, Epic & Groundswell will get together for a pizza and pool party next Wednesday, March 25th, 6:00-7:30 pm, at the Egstad family’s house in Miramar Beach. Graeme and Christen will be on their HONEYMOON, so call Mrs. Egstad for driving directions: 837-8082
Epic and Groundswell will be combined at the fishing museum (Destin Community Center annex) Wednesday night from 5:30-7:00 pm. Our special guest speaker is Robbie Cowgill (Graeme’s 7-foot-tall brother). Questions? Call Graeme at 502-6811.
As you know, Pastor Eric and Darlene’s daughter Michaela left this week for Hawaii. She will be working with Surfing the Nations and will be Shoreline Church’s first full-time missionary. Read about her experience on MobileLikeTheWind.com.
Hey, guys! Just wanted to make sure you knew Epic will not be meeting again until January 14th. However, mark your calendars for January 7th, which will be Shoreline’s first Night of Worship at Fudpucker’s in Destin. Hope you can check it out!
So, we’ve been taking photos at our weekly meetings for the past 25 years or so (not really – more like a few months). We’re FINALLY posting them for your viewing pleasure. Consider it an early Christmas present or something. Ha! Enjoy!
Have you ever done something really stupid, but at the time you thought it was genius? Welcome to my 8th grade year(s). That’s right, there is an “s” after year. And it all started with a few friends getting together and deciding to fail 8th grade on purpose.
You have to understand at the time I was still a teenager who was still reeling from a recently divorced home. I also had a group of idiot friends who were also trying to stay afloat in their own shipwrecked families. We were young, angry, and tired of adults telling us what to do. Can you relate? So we decided to band together and make a stand – one which we thought was absolutely genius. “You aren’t going to fail me this time. I’m going to fail you!” That was the message we thought was going to be remembered as we all failed 8th grade. We expected getting some flack. But what we got was not what we predicted.
The next year most of my idiot friends were expelled, leaving me and my best friend Paul to return to the gawks and stares of our new classmates – the same classmates who were the 7th graders we made fun of the previous year. There is nothing more humiliating and annoying than to sit next to them in a class you already had, with a teacher you still can’t stand. Our once bannered genius idea was crashing into the realm of stupidity – an 8th grade realm that lasted 36 torturing weeks. Even though we survived and passed the second 8th grade year, Paul and I were both asked not to return.
To this point in my life, I had been forced to go to church and endure the predictable services. I reluctantly sang the songs from the back row as I played with the half pencils located in the back of the seat in front of me. But one specific youth service, I was thinking why my life was so difficult when I realized that I was part of the problem. It wasn’t just my parents or idiot friends. I was responsible. Then I realized I didn’t want to live that same way anymore. I was tired of lying, being angry all the time, and sick of the tension I always felt. Maybe you know what that feels like, too. It was then when I started listening to my goofy youth pastor, and that night I also started listening to God. That is where I met Christ. Cue the sappy music and we all lived happily ever after? Not even close.
Going to a new school was hard. Starting out your Christian walk at a new school and not knowing anyone can be even harder. So I still stayed in touch with Paul even though we went to different schools. Soon I began making new friends. But these new friends were different than the idiot friends I used to have at my old school. They actually brought out the best in me, rather than what happened when I was at my old school. I was invited to play volleyball with a few of them and I fell in love with the sport. But in order to be on the team I had to keep my grades up. But here is the lesson I wish to share – something changed in my life. I actually desired to keep my grades up! I even graduated top of my class. Now, was it because I suddenly got really smart? It was because what I valued had changed, and my behavior changed to reflect that. It was because I valued my new friendships, my new volleyball passion, and my new relationship with God that the way I behaved and acted in everything else had to follow and reflect that. But that is how we all act, really. If you really value something you protect it, guard it, feed it, and enjoy it, whether it be a hobby, career, relationship, or even a baseball card. Because I discovered my value in Christ, I was able to discover the value of living a life that brought value to others.
“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” -Jesus Christ
What in life do you treasure the most? Where is your heart? Is what you value the same as what God would want you to value in your life? What’s in your “wallet” in life?
P.S. If you are wondering what ever happened between me and my friend Paul, that is another life lesson for another blog…
Pastor Dani Karvonen