Is anyone getting excited for ATF yet?  I can’t believe it is happening in a few short weeks! 

I’m sure many of you are finalizing last-minute details for your youth groups before the event begins.  A large part of that, as you know, is finding a place to stay Friday night.  There are so many possibilities … hotels, church floors, houses.  For those of you who live close by the Coliseum, lodging is not that difficult.  However, for those of you driving hours to get to Richmond, this becomes a little more challenging.

Everyone wants to save money, right?  Therefore, I am asking for at least 5 groups that live close by the Coliseum that would be willing to host another youth group Friday overnight during the event.  If you have a little extra room at your church, please e-mail me your contact information so that I can give it to another youth leader who needs a place to stay.

If you decide that you would rather stay at a hotel instead of a church, here is a list of hotels with disounts for ATF attendees that you may want to check out:

Holiday Inn Express

201 East Cary Street

Richmond, VA 23219

804.788.1600

Distance from Venue: 1.4 miles

Rate: $99.00

Reserve By: 01.09.09

Holiday Inn – Central

3207 N Blvd

Richmond, VA 23230

804.359.9441

Distance from Venue: 3.2 miles

Rate: $70.00

Reserve By: 01.15.09

Don’t forget that tomorrow, January 9, is the last day to take advantage of our Early Bird prices of $52 for the lower level and $63 for the floor.  Please call us to register at those discounted prices.

Also, next Friday, January 16, is our Pre-Registration deadline.  After the 16th, prices on tickets go up $10 each.  Our sections are filling up, so be sure to call or register online soon!

As you know, the Richmond event is coming up at the end of this month, and I am very excited. My name is Arielle Burroughs and I am privileged to be a part of the Richmond call team.

When I was asked what call team I would prefer to be a part of, Richmond was my first choice. It has a special place in my heart because I attended Acquire the Fire for the first time there in 2004. It changed my life forever.

I look forward to seeing the lives of the youth of Richmond, Virginia, changed just like mine was. These youth will have their hearts restored and be set free from strongholds in their lives. They will not only become followers of Christ but warriors on the frontlines to save their generation. As I write this my heart is being filled with the joy and the fire of the Lord because I am so blessed to be a part of what God is doing in the lives of so many Richmond youth.

Arielle Burroughs

Richmond ATF Representative

I know a lot of you have been out of the office, on vacation for Christmas and New Years, and haven’t been able to purchase tickets for ATF yet.  Therefore, we’ve decided to extend the Early Bird Deadline prices for another week, until Friday, January 9.  In order to take advantage of this, you will need to call us and register over the phone.  (You cannot get this offer through our online registration system.)  Please call 1-800-329-3473 and ask to speak with a Richmond representative, or feel free to call me directly at 903-324-8225.  We look forward to speaking with you!  God bless!

Happy New Year!  I pray that 2009 is a year full of growth for you and your students!  I pray that you would grow closer to the Lord and closer to each other, that you would have a deeper understanding of God’s love and would be filled with His heart and His passion!

Friends, also don’t forget that today is the last day to purchase tickets for the Early Bird price!  To take advantage of this, please call us or visit our registration website.

Everything you ever wanted (or didn’t want) to know about registration!

Don’t forget to purchase your tickets by this Friday, January 2, in order to take advantage of the Early Bird prices for Richmond!  As you think about registering, here is some information that may clear up questions you may have about the registration process.  As always, if you have a question and cannot find the answer, feel free to contact me!

First of all, when you register either online or over the phone, you will have the opportunity to choose the level and section that your seats will be in.  We will then assign you to a section, but within that section, seats are first come, first serve (so you may want to arrive a little early so you can choose the part of the section you sit in).  We will NOT be selling tickets per seat.  This way, if you need to add on, we can try to fit you into the same section, as long as there is room, so that your group can sit together.  Also, please keep in mind that on Saturday, the seats that you get in the morning will be your seats for the whole day.  We ask that you do not try to move your group in the middle of the day to eliminate confusion.

To choose your section, please refer to the following map of the venue (which is also on the registration page).  Please keep in mind that some sections may sell out sooner than others.  To find out which sections are still available, feel free to check online when you register or call us.

When you register, there is a $1.99 processing charge that will be added to your order.  If you create more than one order, you will be charged this fee again for every additional order.  Also, when you register, you must pay for the whole amount of your tickets. 

Whether you register online or over the phone, you may pay by check or credit card.  At the door we will also be accepting cash.  If you are mailing in a check, you will need to print off our check form (which can be found online when you register or which we can e-mail to you) and mail it in with your check.  This way, we will be able to process your order quickly and efficiently.  Also, please mail in your check as soon as you can after you register.  If you are registering before a deadline, your check must be postmarked by the deadline in order to still receive that price.

Once you have submitted your order, you will receive a confirmation e-mail with your order ID number and receipt.  Please keep this e-mail for your files.  Approximately a week before the event you will receive another e-mail, containing a link to a barcode.  Please print this page off and bring it with you to the event.  When you get there, we will scan the barcode and give you your tickets.  We will NOT be shipping any tickets this year.

Instead of using wristbands as tickets this year, we will be using lanyards.  It is very important that your students do not lose or throw away their lanyards before the end of the weekend since they will need them to enter the event on Friday night and Saturday.  If someone does lose one, there is a $2 replacement fee.

Finally, be sure to enjoy the event!  If there is anything we here at ATF can do to help make the registration process easier for you, please let us know! 

We’ve had to make a few changes to our schedule for the event.  Here is the updated one:

HERE COMES TROUBLE 08-09 Schedule

Friday PM

4:00 – Registration/Will Call open

6:00 – Doors open

6:30 –YP Event Briefing (lay out tracks for YP’s, parents)

6:59 – One Minute Countdown - START

7:00-7:30 – Worship

7:30-8:20 – Session 1:: Troubletown

9:00 – Concert 

Saturday 

7:00 – Registration/ Will Call

7:45 – Doors open

8:30-8:40 – Session 2:: the Trouble with the Opposite Sex

8:45-9:35 – Gender specific Sessions

9:45-10:20 – Worship

10:20-11:00 – Heart of Missions

11:00-11:30 – Session 3 :: the Trouble with The Letter (Parent workshop begin)

11:30-12:00 – Session 4 :: the Trouble with Being a Christian

12:15 -1:45 – Lunch – Optional Fast in Workshop room

1:45-2:05– Worship

2:05-3:00 – Session 5 :: the Trouble with Parents

3:15 - Break

3:25-5:00 – Bands/YP Training Tools Workshop (highly recommended to attend)

5:00-6:30 - Dinner

6:45 – 7:20 – Worship

7:20-8:00 – Session 6 :: Calling all Troublemakers

9:00 – Finale

Don’t forget that this Friday, January 2, is our Early Bird Deadline!  Right now, tickets are $52 for the bowl and $63 for the floor.  After Friday, these will go up $5 each.  Also, since Thursday is New Year’s Day, we will be out of the office on that day, but will be back on Friday.

As you get ready to register, let me know if there is anything I can do to help you!  God bless!

Good afternoon, friends!  I pray that you all had a wonderful Christmas!  I was blessed to be able to go home for 10 days on vacation to see my family and just got back to the office today.  While I was home, I was once again reminded that Jesus truly IS the reason for the season and that the God we serve is a powerful and faithful God who cares about even the smallest details of our lives.  Here is just one example …

I live in Western New York state, in the middle of the snow belt.  For all you southerners, that means that we get a lot of snow each year, from about November-March.  However, the last few years that I have gone home for Christmas there was no snow.  It seemed like no matter how many times I sang “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas,” it didn’t happen!  Needless to say, I was very disappointed. 

This year it seemed like the same thing was going to happen.  I guess I had resigned myself to a gray and ugly Christmas day.  As I sat on the plane, looking out the window, I was somewhat discouraged.  There were various circumstances in my life that I had allowed myself to worry about, things I had no control over but that seemed hopeless.  As I sat there, worrying, I felt the Lord speak to me. 

He started by asking me what was wrong.  Of course He already knew, but I decided to tell Him anyway.  I started at the beginning of my “worry list” and gradually worked my way down.  Then, as a true woman, I added the lack of snow to the end of my list.

I felt God chide me for worrying and not trusting Him.  He reminded me that He is bigger than anything I will ever come against.  He also reminded me that He is always in control and that He wants the best for me.  I felt like a child as I listened to my Heavenly Father tell me that He will always take care of me and that He really wants to bless me, if I will let Him.  Then, to my surprise He told me that since it meant so much to me, He would make it snow for Christmas.

I wish I could say that I immediately accepted this and was full of faith.  However, I must confess that I was still a little doubtful.  Even still, the very next day, it started to snow!  And it kept snowing for the next 3 days!  It snowed so much that roads were closed and people were encouraged to stay inside.  And, sure enough, we had a white Christmas!

I know this is a silly story, but it reminded me that God truly is faithful, and He is more powerful than anything in our world.  He’s even more powerful than our meteorologists and weather reports!  I don’t know what you are facing in this New Year, but whatever it is, please remember that God is faithful.  Just like a Father, He loves you, wants the best for you, and is just waiting to bless you!

Here is a picture that I took outside our town, the first day I was home