T.E.N. Spotlight’s Weblog

http://www.usw.salvationarmy.org/youth/sac.nsf/d6plinks/CTOY-7RSNR2
http://vimeo.com/4513792?pg=embed&sec=

Check out Podcast #14.

http://skitguys.com/skitguys/podcast.php

Thanks Tommy for the love.

Jim

The greatest of all Christmas movies. Buy it now.

A great article I found at getrichslowly.org. Check out the whole article here (CLICK)

1. Set a budget. This is difficult at first — you don’t know how much things cost. But eventually you’ll be able to tell yourself, “I’m going spend $20 today”. It becomes a game to see how much you can buy for $20.
2. Discard your prejudices. Some people consider thrift stores and used clothing shops nasty dirty places. Some are. Most aren’t. Explore your neighborhood. Find a shop or two that you like, and you’ll be hooked.
3. Go with a friend. It’s good to have a second opinion. Your friend may have an eye for what looks good on you — and vice versa.
4. Try things on. Sizes vary widely between manufacturers and even by eras. (Today’s clothes have looser fits.) But go in knowing your general size and measurements. Note that some places don’t have dressing rooms, so it’s smart to wear a modest thin layer in case you need to strip down in the aisle.
5. Examine each item thoroughly. It sucks to get home to find your new shirt has a hole in the pocket. Or that the slacks you thought were a steal actually have a broken zipper.
6. Check washing instructions. You don’t want to pay $3 for a silk blouse if you’ll never dry-clean it.
7. Use the tags as a guide to find quality brands you like, but don’t limit yourself. Sometimes a brand you’ve never heard of can yield a favorite piece of clothing.
8. Think layers. Maybe that shirt with a stain on the sleeve has a great collar for wearing under a sweater. For $3, you can afford to buy a single-purpose shirt.
9. Use thrift stores as a way to diversify your wardrobe. Buy colors and styles on which you normally wouldn’t spend much. Wear the new clothes a few times to see how you like them, and to gauge the reaction of others.
10. Used clothing stores are great for certain accessories. Why pay $30 for a new belt in a department store when you can get a better belt in your size for just $2? I like to shop at second-hand stores for hats. (Nice hats.)
11. Look for clothes new with tags. Sometimes unsold department store inventory finds its way to used clothing stores and thrift shops. You’ll generally pay more for these items, but not much.
12. If you won’t wear it, don’t buy it. You don’t save money buying a $3 shirt if it just sits in your closet for two years.
13. Wash clothes when you get them home.
14. Watch for sales. Used clothing stores (and thrift stores) run periodic specials. Our favorite local store just ran a half-off sale. The local thrift stores often have specials on certain items.
15. If you go to the same store often, ask when they rotate stock. Stores get new shipments regularly. Most also have extra stock in storage. If you become familiar with the owners, you might even ask them to keep an eye out for particular items.
16. Take your time. At normal clothing shops, everything is neatly organized. Not so at most thrift stores. When thrifting, it’s more important to be patient, to browse the racks methodically.
17. If buying used clothes becomes a habit, institute a “one in-one out policy”. Every time you bring home something new, get rid of something old. (Give it away, take it to a thrift store, or save it for a garage sale.)
18. Have fun! Buying used clothing can save you money. It’s also a fun way to kill a Saturday afternoon. At $3 an item, you can afford to be adventurous sometimes.

+ Scary ride for kids as Dad goes on a rampage. I think he will lose his chance for father of the year.

+ This horse is clearly having a bad day.

+ Great! First we showed a father losing his bid for father of the year, now a mother takes the plunge!

+ This ref can’t let go.

feed the brain

Got this from ysmarko.com

really interesting article about a new program out of duke university to help teenagers make the most of their brains. it’s totally in line with the stuff i’ve been reading (and writing about on this blog) for a couple years, about adolescent brain development. in fact, when i asked an adolescent brain specialist, at our junior high pastors summit a couple years ago, how we can help teenagers develop their brain capacity, he listed three things: lots of sleep, good diet and exercise, and living with the consequences of their choices. the “learn now what you want to remember for the rest of your life” point also confirms what i’ve been reading and talking about in terms of “hard wiring” the brain in the years following the onset of puberty, when the pre-pubescent proliferation of neuron development switches into reverse, and begins a winnowing process based on a “use it or lose it” principle.

this would be a good article to pass along to teenagers, and/or to parents:

7 Ways to Learn More Without More Study

(here are the 7 points — but you’ll need to click through to see what the article says about them.)

1. Get to bed and go to sleep.

2. Start studying a few days in advance of a test.

3. Feed your head.

4. Body exercise is brain exercise.

5. Learn now what you want to remember for the rest of your life.

6. Harness the power of risk-taking.

7. Learn what you love.

(ht to heidi turner)

Eating veggies shrinks the brain

MELBOURNE: Scientists have discovered that going veggie could be bad for your brain-with those on a meat-free diet six times more likely to suffer brain shrinkage.

Read the article here (curiousread.com)

Got this from YSMARKO and thought it would helpful.

my top youth ministry website picks

i had a little column in the last issue of christianity today. they have a monthly column with someone’s top website picks in a particular area or theme. they asked me to compile one on youth ministry websites. since they’ve just posted it on their website, i’ll do the same here:

Youth Ministry Exchange
By youth workers and for youth workers, YMX is the place to discuss all things youth ministry, with thousands of threads on every imaginable subject. Some sections are free, but a $5 annual pass gets you access to the whole thing—and it’s totally worth it.

The Source for Youth Ministry
Jonathan McKee started this site (formerly Jonathan’s Resources) as a labor of love for youth workers. Chock full of free resources and ideas (the game section alone is amazing).

The Center for Parent/Youth Understanding
This website, from CPYU founder Walt Mueller, is really for parents, but youth workers find it extremely helpful. It’s loaded with blogs, articles, links to relevant stories, and more resources than you can imagine to help you learn about youth culture. And the free, weekly e-mail updates are a must.

YouthMinistry.Com
When Group Publishing partnered with Doug Fields’s Simply Youth Ministry, they resurrected this long-dormant domain to create a new site, distinct from their two other sites. They’re just beginning to move from a commerce-only site to a content-and-commerce site.

Especialidades Juveniles
Youth Specialties’ Spanish division has its own website, completely separate in location, content, and maintenance from the English-language YS site. Based on traffic stats, it’s the most popular youth-ministry site in the world. Of course, it’s all in Spanish.

Youth Specialties
Okay, it’s a bit self-promotional, but it truly is my favorite for all things concerning youth ministry, with thousands of pages of articles, ideas, and free stuff—plus the most comprehensive youth-ministry job bank anywhere (with over 700 listings at any time).