My Epic Journey

This year’s CHILL was designed to help our students become ONE with God and each other.  After our first night’s talk by Tony Pingitore, one our junior girls, Cailin Coane, penned this poem during a SOLO time:

Soul –shaper, heart-breaker,

How long before the dark pain ends?

You said you’d fix me, feed me, show me,

Now I’m waiting for your promise to send . . .

When will the healing begin?

Broken, bruised, and battle-weary,

I came to you to heal my soul

But wounds and scars were rediscovered,

Heartache, sorrow left uncovered

Blood and tears drained out fill up my bowl

When will you give me control?

My own hands broke my heart in pieces,

A scattered life worth less than jagged glass

I glued it together, torn and tattered,

Fragile, weak, ripped and shattered

And watched tears fall as it broke again

And so I offered it to you . . .

You tore me up! You smashed me down!

You ground the points into my suffering

But you take my shame and guilt, my story,

Into a mosaic worth your love and glory

And so now it’s my offering . . .

The artist’s hand knows better than

The work of art could ever know

And so now I take my shattered life

And I finally give you control.

Cailin Coane. February 13, 2010

February 7^th—FUSE Night/Super Bowl

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL??!!!!  I know I am.  I am very excited to have my Colts in the game this year.  Ought to be fun game.  But it would be A LOT MORE FUN if I could watch it with you.  Thanks to Chris Hughes, we can now show the game on the big screens in both the Auditorium and the Multi-purpose room!!!!  So here are the details for February 7^th:

When:  February 7^th @ 6:00 pm –till end of game

Where:  GPCC

Who:  The WHOLE family!!!!!!

What to bring:  if you have a 6^th-7^th grader—dessert.  If you have an 8^th-12^th grader—appetizers/finger foods.

There will be spiritual challenge during half time.

Don’t miss out on the event even if you are not into football, come to hang out with friends!.  It is going to be a lot of fun!

It has been a while since I have posted anything new concerning what is going on in my life.  I hope to do so here.

1.  My goal for this year is to live 1John 2.6, “Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.”  I want to walk just as Jesus walked.

2.  I am transferring degrees from Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology to a Master of Arts in Management and Leadership.  Just sense that the counseling path is the path God has for me right now.

3.  I have read two fiction/non-spiritual books in the past month (that is a record for me, since I prefer non-fiction spiritually related books).  I read, The End Is Now, by Rob Stennett.  Though it is a spiritually focused book it is fiction book.  The other book I just finished up is, Tiger Force, by Michael Sallah and Mitch Weiss.  The book is the account of a renegade group of U.S. soldiers in the Vietnam War.  This book was way out of my normal reading habits but Anna got it for me and I really enjoyed reading it.  I read it all in about 3 nights.  It taught me a lot about human nature especially in moments of extreme crisis and conflict.

4.  I am currently reading, In Common:  Catalyst Groupzine.  It is a compilation of authors discussing the importance of community among Christians. 

5.  EPIC is going well.  I really like our FUSE Nights in which parents are encouraged to attend.  Our current programming breakdown is:

1. First week of the month—FUSE Night (Dinner with families and then parents have separate discussion while students do their regular programming).
2. 2nd and 3rd week of the month—regular EPIC format
3. 4th week of the month—rotate between an outreach activity and service projects.

6.  I am excited that the Colts are in the Super Bowl!!!!

7.  I am focused heavily on The CHILL which is our High School winter retreat.  You can read about it here.

8.  My personal spiritual development has been taking me through the book of Acts.  Though I haven’t been as consistent as I should, I have been impacted about the leadership of the Holy Spirit in the early church.  The result of His empowering of Christ-followers was incredible boldness and compassion which led to incredible growth and ministry opportunities.

9.  The fam is doing well.  Isaac and Noah continually do well at school.  Isaac has been quite the Jesus-witness at school (we are waiting te get calls from the school and/or parents).  Emma is Emma—really enough said!  She is getting sweeter by the day.  I live for our nightly snuggle moments.

10.  Anna and I have been working out.  Though it has been painful,  I have really enjoyed the experience.  I have lost about 10 pounds in the past 15 days.  My favorite snack is Steamed Sugar Snap Peas—and no I am not kidding!

So what is your Top Ten so far this year?