Weekly Update for April

Hey GRIL family!

Welcome to the blog site, and stay tuned for upcoming events, activities, and the overall pulse of GRIL!!  We hope that in the future months this may be a place for you to pick up and see where GRIL has been and where it is going!

Special thanks!-Denise Fase! Denise is the heart and soul of what GRIL is and what it is out to achieve. From behind the scenes to the streets, Denise is energizing teens all around the Grand Rapids area to step up and take charge of their future!!! Don't be surprised to hear about her more in the upcoming months and years!

What's Happening Now!

This week in GRIL U we had small groups with the teens focusing on prayer and spending time with God. The teens really enjoyed the quiet time. As they spread around the building, we could feel God's presence! Some of the teens sang a song of worship, while others prayed or read their Bible.  The CLP and Youth Worker program participants met on Friday and learned about Resource Networking.

GET PUMPED FOR WHERE YOU AT! If you haven't signed up, SIGN UP!!

April's Prayer Requests

PRAYER REQUESTS:
*Douglas - blessings in his new marriage in San Salvador
*For the teens as they put what they've been learning about being empowering leaders to work
*For the adult participants as they work on their break through plan
*Randi Vorhees' mom, Joyce, who has lung cancer
*Merv Griffioen - health
*Tim Brown - health concerns
*Theresa Walker - health

April's Memory Verse

APRIL'S MEMORY VERSE:
  Proverbs 16:24 "Pleasant word are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones."

Carena Shannon

SPOTLIGHT!!!!

Carena Shannon (GRIL U Graduate, 2006)

Ministry: Navigators

Carena Shannon is making a difference in several ministries that she is playing a role in. She serves as a bible study leader for a teen girls group that meets bi-weekly.  In addition to that, she also mentors teens who participate in GRIL U, with the help of the Navigator leaders. She has been working as a mentor for the past 3 yrs.

Takeaways: GRIL U has helped Carena gain a better awareness of herself. In making her mission statement "leading and teaching youth about her spirituality and relationships," Carena has applied that to her life and is now working towards gaining a degree in ministry, with an emphasis of business at North Park Theological Seminary. She has already obtained her bachelors in Social Work, and would like to work in ministry in a more societal focus rather than a church setting.

"Hold to God's Unchanging Hand."

DEVOTIONS: by Pastor Raymond J. Hamilton 

“Hold to God’s unchanging hand. . .”

Just to encourage your hearts this morning Proverbs 14:13-14(KJV) “Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth is heaviness. The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself.”

 Laughter is an emotion; it proceeds from the soul of man. When a man's soul has not been redeemed, he may laugh temporarily at certain things that are funny to him, while deep in his heart he is most miserable. Until we are "born again" we cannot know real happiness and joy because these things only come from a relationship with Jesus Christ. The world has always been amazed at how true Christians could maintain a spirit of joy even in great trials and suffering. This is possible because the Lord gives His joy to His saints and it is not dependant on circumstances, but rather upon abiding in Christ. The power of the Holy Spirit can sustain us in our deepest trials.
Those who are backsliders (those who slide back from God) have no reserves to lean on as they are not filled with the Holy Spirit, but rather are filled with their own ways. They have no inner strength to bring them through their trials.
Consequently, many of God's own people are destroyed for lack of faith, when under attack of the devil. This is why it is so important to use our time wisely. When things are going good in life we need to use that time to study God's Word and store up the truths of God in our hearts. We can be ashamed in our Christian walk if we do not know God's Word. I encourage you to study to show thy self approve…..unto God.