Contents
1. Something for Your Heart
2. Surf Report
3. Forgettable Fact
4. Potent Quotables
5. Parting Shot
===========our|sponsor===========
CALLING FOR TRUE GOD STORIES
Has God made himself evident in your life? Do you have an experience or story you want to share?
TRUE Volume 2 is the follow-up book to TRUE Volume 1: Real Stories about God Showing up in the lives of teens, a book which covered issues such as sexual temptation, teen pregnancy, pornography, and other challenges. Teens shared how their prayers were answered, how they overcame illness and addictions, and how they sensed God's presence and direction in their life.
We're seeking stories for TRUE Volume 2. If you or someone you know has a powerful God experience to share, please send it to true@lifewriters.com
Check out True Volume 1
http://www.youthspecialties.com/product/252687
See the TRUE homepage for more info on the book and how to write for it.
http://www.lifewriters.com/true.homepage.html
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1. SOMETHING FOR YOUR HEART
You gotta know when to fold ’em.
Kenny Rogers sang it first. But that’s also the attitude of many counselors and researchers when it comes to the recent upswing in teenage gambling. It seems that in response to the televised popularity of high-stakes and celebrity poker, more and more young people are taking up the game. Some have set up in-home poker parlors. Others play at every opportunity at school. And the Internet makes it easy to gamble unnoticed, without being hassled by parents.
But then, many parents don’t mind their kids’ participation in poker. Some are happy to know their children are in a safe and supervised environment. Others take pride in seeing their otherwise geeky kids defeat the school’s best athletes and more popular students. Some defend poker as a means of honing math skills and decision-making. And when it’s only a $10 buy-in to participate, poker night is a cheaper evening than dinner out and a movie.
However, as you might expect, not all participants have the self-control to limit their involvement to $10. A recent survey suggests that eight percent of teenage gamblers show signs of having a gambling problem. The numbers will almost certainly grow higher as more people get involved. In response, many schools are cracking down.
As Christians, we have another consideration when it comes to gambling. We may tend to see accumulated cash, possessions and time as ours, when in fact they all belong to God. In his grace and love, God entrusts many blessings to us, which we are to oversee as stewards (managers of someone else’s property, finances or other affairs).
Many of Jesus’ parables focused on the importance of good stewardship. In one, a homeowner entrusts three servants with cash while he goes on an extended trip. Two of them worked hard to double what he gave them, which pleased the master. The third, however, buried his cash and didn’t put it to good use, which made the master irate. So it’s hard to imagine what the homeowner would have done if the servant had told him, “I’m sorry, but I lost everything you gave me in a big game of Texas Hold ’Em.”
Gambling may be a simple diversion for some people. But for others, it is a road to ruin. We’ve been taught to look for warning signs of alcohol or drug abuse, but out-of-control gambling can be just as dangerous. Warning signs include gambling longer than planned, until all money is gone or to get money for financial obligations. Additional signs are remorse, depression or losing sleep following gambling losses. Even one such sign can indicate a serious problem.
Promoters always showcase the big winners. What we don’t see are the broken homes, ruined relationships, and personal desperation of thousands of others who gamble and lose. If you’re ever tempted to score big by gambling, never forget that the odds are ALWAYS stacked against you. You can bet on it.
On your own ...
Read the parable about the master and his three servants in Matthew 25:14-30.
http://biblegateway.com/cgi-bin/bible?language=english&version=NLT&passage=Matthew+25%3A14-30
On a scale of 1 (lousy) to 10 (excellent), how would you rate your stewardship of the gifts and possessions God has given you? How might gambling affect that score?
2. SURF REPORT
~ National Council on Problem Gambling
If you or someone you know has a problem with gambling, please get help. If you have nowhere else to go, start with this site.
http://www.ncpgambling.org
~ Disposable Income Calculator
How much disposable income do you have? If you’re serious about being a good steward of God’s money, you need to know about that kind of stuff. This is the place to find out.
http://www.disposableincome.net
3. FORGETTABLE FACT
The first VCR, made in 1956, was about the size of a piano.
4. POTENT QUOTABLES
The best throw of the dice is to throw them away.
- English proverb
Horse sense is a good judgment which keeps horses from betting on people.
- W.C. Fields
The better the gambler the worse the man.
- Publilius Syrus
5. PARTING SHOT
We have enough youth. How about a fountain of smart?
FROM: YouthSpecialties
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