Welcome Letter

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Digital APeX Attacks #1 February, 18th 2000
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Yes it is finally here. The first (real!) issue of Digital APeX
Attacks and we are only 35 days late. Because of the tardiness of our
first issue we are offering a full refund. Please send all refund
requests to our circulation department.

Digital APeX Attacks is very exciting for us. This is the second stage
of our digital strategy of finding new ways of communicating with you
(the first being the web page). We look at this as an opportunity to
stay in touch with all you wonderful people we have been blessed to
meet over the last three years of our ministry. We hope that this not
only makes you laugh, but also causes you to think a little. The third
stage of our digital strategy is the most exciting and will be rolled
out by mid summer (which means you can expect it by Christmas), but we
will save that for another day.

We always are looking for writing and art work by you (as well as
cookies) to add to this and to our web page. All submissions are
welcome (and become the property of APeX Youth Ministries, Inc.)

As always we ask that you continue to pray for the ministry we are
blessed to participate in and for those we are blessed to serve. We
hope you enjoy reading Digital APeX Attacks as much as we enjoy
putting it together.

Your brothers in Christ
Gene and Brad

PS: Don't forget to forward this on to your friends who would
appreciate this.

1) Letters and E-mails
2) Question
3) Ask APeX
4) Just a thought
5) Web Page updates
6) Up coming shows

Letters and E-mails

Here is an e-mail from one of our favorites, Steve Nespor, from whom
it is always a joy to get letters and e-mails (now we are just
waiting for the chocolate chip cookies). This note came in response
to Steve's being added to the Digital APeX Attacks' mailing list.

>>Subject: Re: You've Been Added!
>>I've been added! I gotta tell ya, this ranks right up there with
>>getting my name in the phone book for the first time!

Gene is still waiting for the day when he gets his name in the phone
book. Rumor has it that it has already been listed, but unfortunately
for Gene the phone book is listed alphabetically by last name and Gene
doesn't know how to spell his own last name (or the word "quiet" for
that matter).

In another e-mail we found a fruit of Brad and Joia's marriage for Gene

>>at first i was going to like u and brad equally, but then
>>i found out he was married and u were funnier, so now i like u
>>better. i hope your hair color changes are going well, and i hope
>>all those chemicals don't seep into your brain and damage u
>>permanently (well that explains a lot).

Brad feels that marriage has indeed NOT made him any less cool, but
being married to someone as amazing as Joia in fact makes him MUCH
cooler! Unfortunately the colors have seeped into Gene's brain. He no
longer has grey matter, he now has blue matter.

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Question

In each Digital APeX Attacks we are going to ask a question that we
would like you to respond to. We will publish our favorites in
Digital APeX Attacks as well as on our web page. Please include a
mailing address with your response because if we use yours we will
send you free stuff (though getting your named published in Digital
APeX Attacks would be honor enough)

>> What is your favorite scripture passage and why?

Send all responses to Question@APeXMinistries.com

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Ask APeX

In each Digital APeX Attacks you, our fine reader, will have the
opportunity to get those burning questions which keep you up at
night answered.

>> Why did Gene leave a promising computer programming career
>> to juggle?
>> How did Brad know he was called to full time ministry?
>> Why is the sky blue?
>> Where can I find the Holy Grail?
>> How does Brad get his hair to do that?
>> Is it true that Gene still sleeps with his blanky?

Please send all Question to AskAPeX@APeXMinistries.com

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Just a thought
by genedavid

Maybe it can be attributed to my impeccable fashion sense or maybe it
is just a manifestation of my hyperactivity. Either way about once a
month for the last year and on and off for much of the last seven
years I have colored, cut, bleached and styled my own hair. In the
last year my hair has been shades of blue, green, red, pink, black,
blond and many colors in between as my hair morphed from one color to
the next. At current it is blue (and can be seen at
http://apexministries.com/PastMailingLists/GeneBlueHair.html ) I was
in Chicago recently visiting my sister. We went out to dinner at the
Navy Peer, which is a mall that stretches out into Lake Michigan. As
we were waiting to be seated at a restaurant for dinner on three
different occasions small children stopped, grabbed their parent's
shirt sleeve, pointed, and blurted something to the effect of, "Look
mom! He has blue hair!" Now this is an improvement from the normal
response of simply causing children to cry. My experience has taught
me two things. The first is the fact that I love to mortify parents.
When their children would point and scream the parents would became
infinitely embarrassed, as if outburst by their child was indictment
to the fact that they were poor parents. I could read their minds,
"Oh my child should know better than that." In one case I decided
I would help the situation out by walking over and asking the child
if he would like to touch my blue hair. The small boy cackled with
delight while the mother looked for a rock to crawl under. The
second thing I learned (or was re-reminded of) was the shear delight
children take in something that is new and wonderful and different.
The fact that they are completely unafraid to let they joy show.
Brad and I see this all the time when we work with first graders in
elementary schools. The instant we start juggling we are crushed by
a wave of laughter and unadulterated joy. Why, as we grow older and
more mature (and supposedly wiser), do we lose this uncontrolled joy
and wonder? In the name of candor, discretion, decorum, and
politeness we managed to train ourselves to not look with wonder at
the world around us. We have some how blocked out the part of our
soul which is calling out to play. We have muted the small child
which is inside of us which looks at the world with wonder.

My challenge: Find some Lego's or Tinker Toys and build something.

My prayer: "Lord help me everyday to see the glory and wonder of your
creation. Help me to give myself permission to be playful and
celebrate your great gift of joy. Help me to not be too concerned
with what others might think and just let my hair down and play. He
me to not be afraid to get my clothes dirty jumping in mud puddles.
Help me to not be so worried about the tasks at hand that I forget to
look up at the clouds and try and figure out what they look like.
Help me to not be scared of things that are new and wonderful and
different (even blue hair), but instead be able to grab a friend's
sleeve and say 'Look at that!'. Amen"

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Web Page updates

The photo gallery has been updated:

http://apexministries.com/PhotoGalleryMain.html

The first four APeX Attacks (the paper issue) are now on-line:

http://apexministries.com/APeXAttacks.html

APeX's 2000 travel schedule has been up-dated:

http://apexministries.com/FutureShows.html

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Up coming shows

Please pray for us and for those we are blessed to serve on these dates

>> February 19th Diocese of Beaumont/Beaumont, TX
>> February 20th St. Elizebeth's/Beaumont, TX
>> February 27th Diocese of Corpus Christi Youth
>> Rally/Corpus Christi, TX
>> March 4th Pasadena, MD
>> March 5th St. John's/Frederick, MD
>> March 9th Shawe Memrial Catholic High School
>> and C.O.W./Carmel, IN
>> March 10th-12th Diocese of West Lafayette/West
>> Lafayette, IN

For a complete list of APeX's Schedule please visit:
http://apexministries.com/FutureShows.html
For booking information you can contact APeX at 888/522-2739

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Important note: If you received this e-mail as a forward from someone
else and would like to receive Digital APeX Attacks every time it is
published, or if for some reason you have received this e-mail in
error from APeX please follow this link to add or remove (though we
couldn't imagine why) yourself from the mailing list:

http://apexministries.com/MailingList.html

--
"Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words."
St. Francis of Assisi
http://APeXMinistries.com