What kind of stories are we telling with our lives? A good story depicted in a book or a movie will often be a kind of condensed version of a life, with the boring and meaningless bits cut out. Here’s a challenge for us this week- what if life could be lived more like a good story in the first place? What if we could live more intentionally?

Life is remarkable. Fact. But so easily we can be sucked in by apathy, impartiality, and lies. We are part of a bigger story, we are citizens of Heaven! Donald Miller, author of the book, says that we are trees in a story about a forest, and the story of the forest is better than the story of the tree.
What are we giving our lives to? What stories are we telling with our lives? Stories can be all sorts- from building an orphanage to doing the washing up. One thing you can do today is committing to give just £2.50 a month which will provide a young believer with a much desired and needed bible. Get involved and give

Because the world needs for us to write something better.

This time next week we’ll be joining with others around the world to pray for our persecuted family. We’re praying for those living where faith costs the most. The Open Doors youth team will be at SHOCKWAVE events in Belfast, Cardiff, Glasgow, Manchester and Reigate. If you live close by to one of those places pop us an .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) and we’ll give you the details. It’s also not too late to pray with your mates, your cu, youth group and church and speak up for the persecuted to the most powerful!

As well as praying we’re asking people up and down the UK to make their MP to be aware of the reality of persecution faced by Christians around the world and that this is a matter of concern to their constituents. Speak up now!

A group of brave souls met in the middle of nowhere in Oxfordshire and got well and truly inspired to keep loving God and loving his church. We had 3D glasses, celebrated the DNA of our faith, had a dawn Bible raid, 4 gutsy types downed chilli, some nutters ate as much Weetabix in a minute,lit a bonfire and had communion outdoors, big Booty became a game to remember for some, and others had a bad encounter with shaving foam and wotsits!

“An immense weekend filled with laughter, worship, insane number of accents, early morning wake up calls, awesome food and some inspiring and chilling stories from our persecuted family.” Tom

“Thank you guys so much. It was so much fun and a great time with God.” Andrew

See more photos on the Open Doors youth facebook page

Thanks to everyone who came! Especially those who braved coming on their own and those who came a long way. A big shout goes to the Linthithgow crew coming from north of the border.

Not sure how you find prayer. A breeze maybe? Or hard work? I find it inspiring that little me who’s words are often given in a sleep induced state (!) or feeling inadequate can pray to the God who created the universe and I can pray to him anytime, anywhere, about anything! And my words are powerful. Your words are powerful.

Brother Andrew the founder of Open Doors said this “The first and last thing persecuted Christians ask for is prayer.” Prayer doesn’t cost anything except your time. Would you join us in praying for the persecuted church sometime over the 5-7th March and get involved in SHOCKWAVE? We’ve some great resources for you at www.odshockwave.org  and have a Prayer Passport on it’s way for the end of the month.

Pray its the least the most important thing you can do.

I’m reading ‘The art of compassion’ at the mo. The call to love justice is reverberating around my head especially as I watch the truly tragic scenes from Haiti. Every day on the planet people made in the image of God suffer whether it be from monumental natural disasters, gripped by poverty or at the hands of those who hate the name of Jesus… We live in a world where God’s people - his family - need to really start loving justice and mercy and have compassion on all he has made.

This week please remember those in Haiti do what you can. Also don’t ever forget your brothers and sisters who share your faith but not your freedom. In the last few days I’ve read about two Christians in Pakistan critically wounded after they were attacked at a wedding. I’ve also read about ‘new’ Christians in Vietnam being violently forced to renounce their faith. Right now you can pray into those situations asking God to break in. Talking of prayer we’d love you to get involved in SHOCKWAVE