Brrrr..on the Bay

Tonight I am leaving to meet some of the guys in the Outdoor Ministry - Brent Bosher, Tod Danaker, and fellow blogger Greg Edmonds (http://trophytalk.blogspot.com). We will be heading out of Reidville to the Bay for some good Striped Bass / Rockfishing. I hope the fish will be biting, because I do not particularly want to go on a boat ride in 29 degree weather for the scenery! Hope to post some photos of my upcoming citation.

Christmas Fact

The city of Santa Clause is located in Indiana.

Story of Our Tree

First of all, my family is a "fresh cut" Christmas Tree kind of family. While I have an appreciation for the "artificial," it just doesn't make its debut in our home. We are also good old fashion fat bulbs kind of people as well. And I love to sit and look at the tree with its light and all its glory.

As I was sitting this morning and gazing into the bulbs and the ornaments, my mind began to run wild. Looking at each of the ornaments reminded me of a particular moment in my life, Kelly's life, Tyler's life, and Brendan's life. You see our tree is full of ornaments that have a story. Some are photos from each of our childhoods, some are hand made creations, some are gifts from people, and some are from other countries in the world. With each ornament comes a reminder of how God has orchestrated our lives, developed us as individuals, and provided great opportunities to experience His story in our own lives. The tree we share together is also representative of the life we share together.

The same should be true of our relationship with Christ. Like the Christmas tree and it's decorations, our lives have been decorated with spiritual markers. Those moments in our lives where God provided, led us in a new direction, brought hope in difficult times, and the list could go on. And as we reflect on those spiritual markers, our response should be a beaming glow of joy, trust, and worship.

Take a few moments to think back in terms of your spiritual journey. See how God has guided your path and hold tight the spiritual markers. For that's what has decorated your life and given you a story to tell.

Noble Warrior

This morning a group of guys from our Outdoor Ministry had breakfast with Mike Young - director and founder of Noble Warriors Ministry.

Mike has been working with Noble Warriors since 2004 and is focused on men capturing a passion to be leaders in their home, family, work, and wherever they go. It is estimated that the average man following Christ will spend 100 hours or less a year reading their Bible outside of traditional church service opportunities. Noble Warriors is working hard to help men understand the need for daily fellowship with Christ in order to have positive fellowship with their spouse, children, and other relationships. Currently Mike is on his 2009 Cracker Barrel Tour where he meets men of the community in order to connect with them and help them move forward in their lives, as well as practical ways to live out out our their faith.

Check out noblewarriors.org for more information.

Wizards of the Adult League

Tonight we are hitting the "hardwood" in DC. The two teams who won their leagues in the Cool Spring Adult Basketball League will be watching the Washington Wizards and the Toronto Raptors.

Each season we try to improve our league from various levels. This year we are providing the winners with tickets to the Wizards game. It will be a time for us to have fun together, talk about life, and develop better relationships. And for the guys, it will be a time for them to enjoy the reward of a winning season.

Popcorn, basketball, hip hop, and the Cool Spring Adult League...what a combination!

Organization

Though I am a little behind where I would like to be, currently we are looking at the 2010 Recreation Calendar. This calendar holds all the key dates for leagues, seasons, classes, and you name it. And it fills up fast.

As I have been reflecting on our calendar from a recreation perspective, I have learned that we are busy. This is not a negative. But it does require one leadership principle: organization. Organization helps us achieve our mission statement, "combining the gift of leisure with the companionship of Christ." Being organized allows us to ensure we have the volunteers needed, the gym available, classroom space open, league schedules prepared, and future events that do not overlap.

I've been reading the book of Nehemiah and I am a long time fan of Nehemiah! This book opens all obstacles in regards to leadership and gives us directives in how to be better leaders. One leadership principle that Nehemiah demonstrates is: organization. Chapter 3 is simply a list of those who were grouped together (professions, individuals,, and families) to accomplish specific tasks. And it really is awesome to see how the vision of God was brought about because one man, following God's plan, was organized.

The combination of recreation and ministry will open a lot of doors for opportunity to connect with people and offer recreational activities. As you begin to plan and implement them, work hard to be organized. It will be a benefit that will enable you to accomplish your goal/mission and it will speak volumes to those participating.

As you look at your own personal life, work hard to be organized. Today's culture pulls us in all directions with activities and jobs. It takes intentional focus on our part to work at knowing our calendars and family activities. And, leadership in the home is needed as much as it is in the work place.

So, be a leader and be organized.

Living the Upward Spirit

This week our Upward Leadership team lost a creative and passionate member, Beth Pett. Beth entered eternity to be with the Lord following a difficult period of illness. Throughout the last several years, Beth served as a parent, coach, picture day coordinator, and end of season celebration coordinator. In each of these areas, Beth gave it her best. She looked out for the interest others over herself. It was her desire to see that families had a great experience playing soccer and that children were given the opportunity to be introduced to a relationship with Christ.

As we celebrate Beth's life, we can be reminded that today she is rejoicing in the arms of her loving Savior, Jesus Christ. The scripture speaks to us clearly in regards to eternal life. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him will not persih, but have ever lasting life." For Beth, the words of our Lord can be heard, "well done thy good faithful servant."

If you have questions or want to talk more about having the assurance of eternal life, simply contact me - genglish@coolspring.org

Beth will be missed and remembered for "Living out the Upward Spirit and Mission."