The Prize

The message at Winterfest last weekend revolved around Philippians 3:14

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Through worship songs led by Watershed, drama by Unbound, comedy by 3,2,1 Improv, to testimonials from an astronaut and another one by a two time Olympic gold medalist, and talks from Jeff Walling and Mitch Wilburn the theme for Winterfest was reinforced. We have a God who loves us and has promised us a “Prize” far beyond our wildest imaginations.

It reminded me of the Geico Insurance commercial with the Gecko spokesanimal telling the interviewer that not taking them up on lower rates is like being asked to stand up if they want to save loads of money and the interviewer choosing to remain seated because he already is so rich. Who would do such a thing? But don’t many do just that when they are given the opportunity to become a child of God. We become content with the material trash in our lives and do not consider the real treasure of Heaven.

These are some of the things that I will remember as I participated with our chaperones and teens at Winterfest 2007.

For those who attended last weekends rally, what impressions did you have from the largest gathering of churches of Christ in the world on Sunday?

For those who missed out on this youth rally what were some of your memories from previous years?

Roger, over and out!

Winterfest 2007

The Prize
The weekend was great and the teens and adult chaperones had a wonderful time together with 14,000 of their closest friends in Gatlinburg, TN. Jeff Walling presented terrific lessons from Paul’s letter to the Philippian church. For those of you who have never had a youth rally experience as a teen or chaperone it is a little hard to explain…but let me try.

We gathered Friday morning at 6:45 and left the church parking lot at 7:00 AM. By the time we made it to Richmond we had to take one of many bathroom breaks and this one took over 20 minutes before we were back on the road again. We stopped again to pick up Bob and Kate in Charlottesville, VA. His parents live there and they were going to watch the baby while we were at Winterfest. We again spent about 20 minutes at their home for “potty break” and then filled up with gas at a local service station. From there we traveled down the road for a couple of more hours and then stopped for lunch at Subway. Again we loaded back into the van and continued our journey to Gatlinburg stoping one more time in Sevierville, TN for gas, and of course another bathroom break. Are you getting the picture yet??? The remaining 18 miles to Gatlinburg took over an hour due to traffic from the other 14,000 inconsiderate attendees who thought to arrive at the same time we did. Finally after checking into the Best Western Motel (they gave us the Honeymoon Island rooms because the management thought that it was probably best for us to be separated from their regular cliental) we walked into town towards the convention center and got some dinner. We decided to meet at the convention center about 30 minutes prior to the beginning of our session (this became our standard time to meet) and stood outside until we were allowed into the building for the second of the two sessions that night. Many of our group then realized that it can get quite cold in freezing weather and that there really is such a thing as a wind chill factor…and the next morning brought snow on top of the cold weather.

After enduring these conditions four times during the 36 hours we were in town we were back in the vans heading home for another repeat journey, but this time with a crew of cranky tired kids and adults. Actually I was very pleased with the attitudes of all those who went this year. We finally arrived back where we started around 10 PM at the church building.

What would cause a group to endure such a trip? The experience, adventure and hanging out together is one reason why but mostly it is the message of the gospel delivered in a “teen friendly” environment. Was it worth it you ask? You bet and if God blesses me with the opportunity again next year I will once again get in the big green pickle and drive.

Roger, over and out!!!

Romance Is In The Air

I heard this morning on “The Daily Buzz” that the average guy spends around $160 on his Valentine while the average woman spends around $70. I don’t fully know what that means other than maybe guys try to make up in one day what their sweethearts do all year long. WHat do you think?

For you married couples in blogland let me pass along a great Passion Plan that will improve your relationship with your spouse. I cut and pasted the article below from Jim Burns “HomeWord" email I received this morning.

Have a romantic day!!!

Roger, over and out!



Here’s The Passion Plan:
1. Kiss passionately for at least 15 seconds every day. This releases feelings about each other that say, “I love you; I want to be with you; you are special to me.” This is not about sex, it’s about romance. Also, there is no rule that you have to keep it to fifteen seconds – go ahead and splurge!
2. Take 15 minutes a day for at least 5 days a week to connect and talk. Frankly, if there is not emotional intimacy or connection there will be little interest in healthy romance. The kids can take a 15-minute break, your church doesn’t need you for those 15 minutes and this investment speaks volumes to your spouse.
3. Date and court your spouse for at least 1.5 hours a week. This is not a time to talk about insurance, the bills or your work problems, but rather to focus on each other. The question I have to ask myself as I prepare to go out with Cathy is, “Am I only giving Cathy my emotional scraps?”
4. Schedule into your life 1.5 hours a week for sexual intimacy. I know the word schedule probably caused you to stumble, but marriage authorities do agree that a scheduled regular time for sexual intimacy can bring a spark back to the relationship quite quickly. Believe me, if you do this you will suddenly get past the word schedule!

If you aren’t winning in the romance department you can improve very simply as you become more proactive about your romantic relationship. These four easy steps can also been found in my book, CREATING AN INTIMATE MARRIAGE.

Jim Burns, Ph.D., is President of HomeWord and host of Homeword's 30 minute daily radio broadcast, 30 minute weekly broadcast, and the 1 minute daily broadcast. Each weekday in cities across America, over a million people hear Jim through his radio ministry to families. His passion is communicating to adults and young people practical truths to help them live out their Christian lives. Jim is a three time Gold Medallion Award winning author and has written books for parents, youth workers, and students. His books include The 10 Building Blocks for a Happy Family, The Youth Builder, and Devotions on the Run.

Valentine’s Day

Have you thought about how you will treat to your loved one on Valentine’s Day? I just finished reading the Christian Chronicle and on the front cover was an article on marriage around the world. The opening lines begin… “To the Makua people, buying flowers for your wife isn’t romantic. It’s absurd. If you really want to please your wife, you need to bring home rats for her to eat, me from the tribe in Mozambique told missionaries during a discussion of Christian marriage.”

The article’s point is what works for most marriages in our Western culture may not work in another. Not only are cultural ideas on marriage different but each individual marriage is different from another. As married couples we need to learn what works and does not work in ours. So I ask you how will you treat your loved one this Valentine’s Day?

Keri has never been impressed with flowers and I never really knew why, now I do and I am looking for a good buy on rats. Any ideas? 

Roger, over and out!