Fore!

This afternoon was the launch of KidPak Espanol, our service aimed at Spanish-speaking kids that will take place each Sunday at 3:00.  It was a big deal!  There was an adult service upstairs too, of course - and afterwards a party with all sorts of Hispanic food, including fish tacos.  This is something I would have laughed at a few years ago, but the truth is that I really love fish tacos.  It doesn't make any sense at all to have a perfectly good fish in a taco shell, hard or soft.  But there it is, sitting there.  Might as well eat it, right?  So we did.  And it was good!

Madison had a little cough in Florida, which went away today, thankfully.  We're attributing it to some unusual allergy down there.  It's hard to imagine pollen worse than the kind we see up here, but that's the insidious nature of pollen, isn't it?  Moo-ah-ah-ah!  She was dealing with a bit of drainage this morning, but by day's end we had determined she had the all-clear to go to school tomorrow morning.

Meanwhile, Daddy was at church putting things together for an entire day of services.  It was busy, but it was all good for the most part.  We can nitpick about this or that, but as a whole, we still have the best services in the world for these kids.  Today, we talked about a great outpouring - a message of faith in better things to come.  Our Storm Chasers messages continue, but we're approaching a wrap-up point.  And we're really approaching Summer Xtreme, which we all have to get very busy with!

In the meantime, Mommy and Daddy have been working on our Wednesday night messages for the next few months.  The next theme is a golf one, which Daddy has had in his mind for about three years now.  Both he and Mommy developed a few messages on the ride home yesterday - and as a surprise, our friend Chris made a bumper for the series that we're pretty pleased with!

It's very simple, but it's fun.  We'll have more golf-related videos and things going on, including a green that we'll set up on the stage for putting contests, and a give-a-way where the kids can go play mini-golf for free just down the street from the church.  It'll be a fun series, one we're looking forward to.

Fore!

The Masters

     It’s easy to find the Masters in the Bible.  These legends of Amen Corner performed great miracles – they were no amateurs!  People like Joshua and Elisha did incredible deeds, but only after years of training, following other masters like Moses and Elijah.  If we want to stay on par for the course, we need to follow their example, and then we too can become Masters!

     First, choose your iron. You have to pick the right golf club to have a shot, and the Bible tells us that “iron sharpens iron.”  Simply put, we need to hang around those that can improve our game, and not sink us down.  In a tournament, one of the best things to happen is getting paired up with someone better than you.  Life is no different – in our Bibles, we read about people like Elisha and Joshua spending a lot of time with incredible leaders, only to become champions themselves. 

     Next, listen to your caddy.  Caddies help carry a golfer’s burden, and give helpful tips for aspiring players.  Don’t ever shrug off helpful advice.  Don’t be unteachable – you’ll never learn anything if you ignore the guidance of those walking with you.

     At the end of the Masters, it’s time to pass on the jacket.  Each year in Augusta, they pass on the green jacket to the next worthy champion.  As Elijah’s work was finished, he passed on his mantle to Elisha, an amateur who himself went on to become a champion.  And as we go to the next level, we too must train up the next generation that follows, and be ready to pass on the jacket.

     One day you’ll be wearing that jacket – and one day you’ll be able to proudly place it on someone else’s shoulders.  That’s right:  one day, you’ll be one of the Masters!

The Masters

     Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here. The Lord has sent me to the Jordan River.”
     Elisha replied, “I won’t leave you. And that’s just as sure as the Lord and you are alive.” So the two of them walked on.
     Fifty men from the company of the prophets followed them. The men stopped and stood not far away from them. They faced the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan River.
     Elijah rolled his coat up. Then he struck the water with it. The water parted to the right and to the left. The two of them went across the river on dry ground.
     After they had gone across, Elijah spoke to Elisha. He said, “Tell me. What can I do for you before I’m taken away from you?”
     “Please give me a double share of your spirit,” Elisha replied.
     “You have asked me for something I can’t give you,” Elijah said. “Only the Lord can give it. But suppose you see me when I’m taken away from you. Then you will receive what you have asked for. If you don’t see me, you won’t receive it.”
     They kept walking along and talking together. Suddenly a chariot and horses appeared. Fire was all around them. The chariot and horses came between the two men. Then Elijah went up to heaven in a strong wind.
     Elisha saw it. He cried out to Elijah, “My father! You are like a father to me! You are the true chariots and horsemen of Israel!”
     Elisha didn’t see Elijah anymore. Then Elisha took hold of his own clothes and tore them apart.
     He picked up the coat that had fallen from Elijah. He went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan River.  Then he struck the water with Elijah’s coat. “Where is the power of the Lord?” he asked. “Where is the power of the God of Elijah?” When Elisha struck the water, it parted to the right and to the left. He went across the river.

2 Kings 2:6-14 NIrV

1. Choose your _______. You have to pick the right golf club to have a shot.  In a tournament, one of the best things to happen is getting paired up with someone better than you.  Life is no different – in our Bibles, we read about people like Elisha and Joshua spending a lot of time with incredible leaders, only to become champions themselves.
“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." Proverbs 27:17 NIrV

a. iron             b. golfball             c. tam o’shanter

2. Listen to your _________. Don’t be unteachable – you’ll never learn anything if you ignore the advice of those walking with you.

“Young men, follow the lead of those who are older. All of you, put on a spirit that is free of pride toward each other as if it were your clothes.” 1 Peter 5:5 NIrV

a. footsteps             b. caddy             c. golfcart

3. Pass on the _________. The Masters pass on the green jacket to the next worthy champion.  As Elijah’s work was finished, he passed on his mantle to Elisha, an amateur who himself went on to become a champion.  As we go to the next level, we too must train up the next generation that follows, and be ready to pass on the jacket.

“Then he struck the water with Elijah’s coat. 'Where is the power of the Lord?' he asked. 'Where is the power of the God of Elijah?' When Elisha struck the water, it parted to the right and to the left. He went across the river.” 2 Kings 2:14 NIrV

a. money             b. hope            c. jacket