The Brio staff hopes these activities will help shape and sharpen you to do and be your best for God this summer! You can begin by flipping to Page 20 in your June 2008 issue of Brio or Brio & Beyond. Below are tips and ideas for completing the challenge as well as answers to frequently asked questions.

Got Questions???
Drink 8 cups of water.
You may use a measuring cup to make sure you’re drinking enough water.

Read through the Bible with Brio.
Get your daily reading plan here.

Eat a nutritious breakfast between 5-9 a.m. Here are some ideas, or think of your own!
Super Smoothie
Banana Corn Muffins
• Try Cheerios, Life or Kix instead of Froot Loops, Lucky Charms or Cocoa Puffs.
• Add fresh fruit to pancakes or waffles instead of syrup.
• Spread peanut butter on whole grain toast or tortilla. Then add banana slices.
Scramble, poach or boil an egg.

Tithe a portion of your income, time or talent at church. Here are some ideas, or think of your own!
• Sing a solo.
• Work in the nursery.
• Give 10 percent of your baby-sitting money, allowance or summer-job paycheck.
• Donate new crayons to a children’s Sunday school class.
• Help clean the church.
• Volunteer to help with vacation Bible school.
• Lead worship.
• Bring a dish to share at the church potluck.

Express love and kindness with physical touch, service, kind words, quality time or gifts. Here are some ideas, or think of your own!
Week Pink This week love to your parents in practical ways.
• Prepare dinner for the family.
• Write a thank-you note.
• Give them each a hug.
• Say, “I love you.”
• Go out for coffee.

Week Green This week show love your siblings or extended family.
• Play at the city park.
• Go out for French fries.
• Help clean their room.
• Write them a letter.
• Give a hug.
• Say, “Good job.”

Week Blue This week think about your future husband and how you can prepare for marriage.
• Pray for him.
• Write a love letter and save it for your wedding day.
• Read a book about relationships.
• Commit to sexual purity.
• Respect the young men around you.

Week Orange This week be kind to your friends and neighbors.
• Go out for ice cream.
• Say, “I’m glad you’re my friend.”
• Help with her least-favorite chore.
• Pat her on the shoulder.
• Lend her your favorite book, CD or DVD.
• Water your neighbor's garden.
• Introduce yourself to your neighbors if you've never met them.

Do something special with your family. Here are some ideas, or think of your own!
• Watch a movie.
• Eat dinner together.
• Play a game.
• Make a snack.
• Go for a walk.
• Help one another with the chores.
• Take a Sunday drive.
• Create your own game.
• Build ice cream sundaes or make homemade pizzas.

Participate in a physical activity for 30 minutes straight. Here are some ideas, or think of your own!
• Walk around the neighborhood.
• Swim laps.
• Ride your bike.
• Rollerblade with a friend.
• Do aerobics with an exercise video.
• Run.
• Play a game of basketball.

One-Hit Wonders
Complete the following activities once during the challenge:
• Memorize Matthew 5:1-16 in any version.

• Read a Christian biography. (These specific books are not required. They are just ideas.)
Rachel's Tears: The Spiritual Journey of Columbine Martyr Rachel Scott by Darrell Scott, Beth Nimmo, Steve Rabey
In The Presence Of My Enemies by Gracia Burnham, Dean Merrill
Saving Levi: Left to Die . . . Destined to Live by Lisa Bentley
Castaway Kid: One Man's Search for Hope and Home by R.B. Mitchell
Into the Deep: One Man's Story of How Tragedy Took His Family but Could Not Take His Faith by Robert T. Rogers, Stan Finger
A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael by Elisabeth Elliot
Family Man: The Biography of Dr. James Dobson by Dale Buss

• Read a book by Max Lucado, Lee Strobel, Elisabeth Elliot or C.S. Lewis. (These specific books are not required. They are just ideas.)
Facing Your Giants Teen Edition by Max Lucado, Teen Adaptation by Monica Hall
Case for the Creator: Student Edition A Journalist Investigates Scientific Evidence That Points Toward God by Lee Strobel & Jane Vogel
Passion and Purity by Elisabeth Elliot
Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis

• For seven straight days, do not watch any TV or movies.
• For seven straight days, do not spend any time on the computer.
• Help organize an event for your youth group or closest friends to volunteer at a charity or another venue.
• Donate any clothes, CDs, books or other items you no longer use.
Donate to a thrift store.
Donate to your church library.
Donate to a friend.

• When you’re standing in line at your favorite fast food joint, coffee shop or grocery store, pay for the order of the person in front of or behind you.
Before the person pays, ask the cashier to add your items to the order and then pay.
Or before you pay, invite the person behind you to add their items to your order. Then pay.

• Go to persecution.com and sign up for the free monthly newsletter.
Voice of the Martyrs will send you 10 issues so that you can get an understanding of what is happening to Christians around the world. With the first issue you will receive a summary of all the places where Christians are persecuted and a pull-out map to put on your wall to help you remember to pray for persecuted Christians.
After the 10th issue, you will get a note and a reply card asking if you want to keep getting the newsletter.

FAQs
What if I’ve already read a book by one of the authors mentioned? Can I count that?
No. Read another one.

To whom do I say my memorized verses?
Say them to a parent, because he/she will be signing the paper stating you did this.

What paper do I send in? What paper do they sign?
You’ll need to provide your own sheet of paper. You’ll write a paragraph saying you completed all the requirements and how Brio’s Challenge positively affected your life. A parent will sign that paper.

I’ll be out of town during the first part of June. Can I begin the challenge later in the month?
Yes, but it needs to be done in four consecutive weeks. You can’t do part of it in June and the rest of it August.

What if I accidentally forget to do something one day?
This is a challenge, so you need to follow the directions listed. We’ve tried extra-hard this year to make the calendar in your mag easy for you to keep track of the required activities.

Can my friends who don't subscribe to Brio do the challenge?
Yes! Gather your friends, a sister or even your mom and complete the challenge together if you want. Each participant needs to send us all the required paperwork in order to receive a prize. As long as each participant’s items are clearly labeled and organized, you may send them in the same envelope.

What if I’ve already memorized Matthew 5:1-16?
Refresh your memory and recite it again.

I play sports and am already physically active. Does that count?
If you have sports practices or games, you may count that as your exercise for that day.

I'll be at ____________ (boarding school, band camp, vacation) during part of that time. What should I do since I’ll be away from my family?
The deadline for this challenge is July 19. If you can’t complete all the activities in four consecutive weeks before then, you will not be eligible to receive the prize. If it helps, you may rearrange the weeks to fit your schedule (blue/pink/green/orange, pink/orange/blue/green, etc.)

I don’t like water. Can I drink something else?
You may drink unsweetened fruit-flavored water, but no other drinks will satisfy this requirement.

What if I miss a day of “Read through the Bible with Brio”? Can I make it up the next day?
Our desire is that reading the Bible becomes a daily habit for you. If you miss a day, yes, you may make it up the next day. But if you miss several days and are constantly playing catch up, you will not qualify to receive the Brio water bottle.

Do I have to pray for what is on the calendar? Or can I pray for other things?
We ask that you pray for the items on the calendar in addition to your regular prayers.

I’m never hungry in the morning. Do I have to eat?
Eating breakfast is a good, healthy habit. For this challenge, you need to eat a nutritious breakfast four days a week between 5-9 a.m. No exceptions.

Once I’ve cut out the symbols and put them on my calendar, can I move them?
These squares may be moved throughout the week as long as each activity is completed that week. Also, you should not put any green symbols in Week Pink, blue symbols in Week Orange, etc.

I keep all my past issues of Brio/Brio & Beyond. Can I make a copy of the challenge instead of cutting it up?
Yes. We also recommend making a copy if you plan to complete this challenge with a friend, your mom or anyone who does not receive her own magazine.

Does Week Pink/Blue/Green/Orange have to start on a Sunday?
A week may begin and end on any day of the week. Some activities in this challenge must be completed within a week. Other activities (“One-Hit Wonders”) must be completed within the four consecutive weeks.

I began sponsoring a child ____ weeks/months/years ago. Can I still get the Compassion International Bible prize?
The Compassion Bible will only be given to new sponsors who have chosen to sponsor a child during this challenge.

That Bible looks really cool! May I skip the challenge and just sponsor a child?
To receive the Compassion International Bible, you must complete the challenge and sign up to be a new sponsor of a Compassion International child.

Do I have to sign up for the Voice of the Martyrs newsletter? My parents don’t let me sign up for things on the Internet.
Try asking your parents if they will sign up for the newsletter for your whole family to read and discuss together.

I'm already reading through the Bible. Right now I'm finishing up 2 Corithinians, do I have to read based on your plan or can I continue with the one I'm already doing?
Are you using another “Read Through the Bible in a Year” program? If not, you need to follow our reading plan for this challenge. It gives you a passage in the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs every day.

If I'm at a place with no computer access for five out of seven days, and I don't do computer all seven does it still count?
Yes.

What happens if I babysit and the kids have the TV on the week of no TV? Do I make them turn it off? And if I looked do I have to start over?
We encourage you to engage the kids with a different activity, or finish this part of the challenge during a week you're not babysitting.

What if I really don't have anything to donate to a charity or friend? (I'm a little on the poor side and all my stuff gets handed down to my sister.)
Donating stuff to your sister is just fine.

What if I already give 10 percent to church AND sing for church AND help out a lot regularly? Where is the challenge for me in that?
Sounds like you're doing well! Ask God if there's more you could be doing or how you can do what you're already doing, better.

I already get the Voice of the Martyrs newsletter. Does that still count?
That counts!

I went to persecution.com just to check it out before I started the challenge. I was looking at signing up for the newsletter, but it said for the U.S. only. I live in Canada. What can I do instead?
The VOM sister office in Canada would love to send their newsletter to Canadian residents who want to receive it. Their web site is persecution.net