Friday, February 24, 2012

Tonight

The WIldmen camp out is tonight if you want to stop by and hand out by the fire we welcome you. Woodland the Comunity Church St road 70 in Bradenton.

Bring the kids and have some fun under the stars, a cold front is moving in so it will be a nice night.

See you there

Peter

from Max

Take Up Your Cross
The phrase “take up your cross” has not fared well through the generations. Ask for a definition, and you’ll hear answers like, “My cross is my mother-in-law, my job, my bad marriage, my cranky boss, or the dull preacher.” The cross, we assume, is any besetting affliction or personal hassle. My thesaurus agrees. It lists the following synonyms for cross: frustration, trying situation, snag, hitch, and drawback.

The cross means so much more. It is God’s tool of redemption, instrument of salvation—proof of his love for people. To take up the cross, then, is to take up Christ’s burden for the people of the world.

Though our crosses are similar, none are identical. “If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross each day and follow me” (Luke 9:23 CEV, emphasis mine).

We each have our own cross to carry—our individual calling. Discover your God-designed task. It fits. It matches your passions and enlists your gifts and talents. Want to blow the cloud cover off your gray day? Accept God’s direction.

“The Lord has assigned to each his task” (1 Corinthians3:5 NIV). What is yours? What is your unique call, assignment, mission? A trio of questions might help.

In what directions has God taken you?
What needs has God revealed to you?
What abilities has God given to you?

Direction. Need. Ability. Your spiritual DNA. You at your best. You and your cross.

While none of us is called to carry the sin of the world (Jesus did that), all of us can carry a burden for the world.

Check your vital signs. Something stirs you. Some call brings energy to your voice, conviction to your face, and direction to your step. Isolate and embrace it. Nothing gives a day a greater chance than a good wallop of passion.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Prayer Request

Hi all I am asking for prayer for Frank Malina. He is one of our Wildmen brothers. He is having back surgery on thur at 7.30 am. If you could Please help and pass this on. Thanks as always Jim Colucci New Port Richey Wildmen.

Please also pray for Angie she is having surgery tomorrow as well.

There are several other spouces that are in need of prayer for healing and we ask our God the ultimate healer to touch them and heal their bodies and we ask him to give us the strength to support them in their time of need.

All Glory to God.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

very funny

LITTLE GIRL ON A PLANE

An atheist was seated next to a little girl on an airplane and
he turned to her and said, "Do you want to talk? Flights go quicker
if you strike up a conversation with your fellow passenger."

The little girl, who had just started to read her book,
replied to the total stranger, "What would you want to talk about?"

" Oh, I don't know," said the atheist. "How about why there is
no God, or no Heaven or Hell, or no life after death?" as he smiled
smugly.

"OK," she said. "Those could be interesting topics but let me
ask you a question first. A horse, a cow, and a deer all eat the same
stuff - grass. Yet a deer excretes little pellets, while a cow turns
out a flat patty, but a horse produces clumps. Why do you suppose that
is?"

The atheist, visibly surprised by the little girl's
intelligence, thinks about it and says, "Hmmm, I have no idea."

To which the little girl replies, "Do you really feel qualified
to discuss why there is no God, or no Heaven or Hell, or no life after
death, when you don't know shit?"

And then she went back to reading her book.

Unbelievable

Unbelievable
This is the world [God] has made. This is the world that is still going on. And he doesn't walk away from the mess we've made of it. Now he lives, almost cheerfully, certainly heroically, in a dynamic relationship with us and with our world. "Then the Lord intervened" is perhaps the single most common phrase about him in Scripture, in one form or another. Look at the stories he writes. There's the one where the children of Israel are pinned against the Red Sea, no way out, with Pharaoh and his army barreling down on them in murderous fury. Then God shows up. There's Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who get rescued only after they're thrown into the fiery furnace. Then God shows up. He lets the mob kill Jesus, bury him . . . then he shows up. Do you know why God loves writing such incredible stories? Because he loves to come through. He loves to show us that he has what it takes.

It's not the nature of God to limit his risks and cover his bases. Far from it. Most of the time, he actually lets the odds stack up against him. Against Goliath, a seasoned soldier and a trained killer, he sends . . . a freckle-faced little shepherd kid with a slingshot. Most commanders going into battle want as many infantry as they can get. God cuts Gideon's army from thirty-two thousand to three hundred. Then he equips the ragtag little band that's left with torches and watering pots. It's not just a battle or two that God takes his chances with, either. Have you thought about his handling of the gospel? God needs to get a message out to the human race, without which they will perish . . . forever. What's the plan? First, he starts with the most unlikely group ever: a couple of prostitutes, a few fishermen with no better than a second-grade education, a tax collector. Then, he passes the ball to us. Unbelievable.

Monday, February 20, 2012

arows

The Message of the Arrows

At some point we all face the same decision-what will we do with the Arrows we've known? Maybe a better way to say it is, what have they tempted us to do? However they come to us, whether through a loss we experience as abandonment or some deep violation we feel as abuse, their message is always the same: Kill your heart. Divorce it, neglect it, run from it, or indulge it with some anesthetic (our various addictions). Think of how you've handled the affliction that has pierced your own heart. How did the Arrows come to you? Where did they land? Are they still there? What have you done as a result?

To say we all face a decision when we're pierced by an Arrow is misleading. It makes the process sound so rational, as though we have the option of coolly assessing the situation and choosing a logical response. Life isn't like that-the heart cannot be managed in a detached sort of way (certainly not when we are young, when some of the most defining Arrows strike). It feels more like an ambush, and our response is at a gut level. We may never put words to it. Our deepest convictions are formed without conscious effort, but the effect is a shift deep in our soul. Commitments form never to be in that position again, never to know that sort of pain again. The result is an approach to life that we often call our personality. If you'll listen carefully to your life, you may begin to see how it has been shaped by the unique Arrows you've known and the particular convictions you've embraced as a result. The Arrows also taint and partially direct even our spiritual life.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Presidents day

In honor of President’s Day, we’ve listed 25 of the best President’s Day quotes we could find below. Each quote comes from the mouth or pen of a US president.
1. I know only two tunes: one of them is ‘Yankee Doodle’, and the other one isn’t. -Ulysses S. Grant
2. I had rather be on my farm than be emperor of the world. – George Washington
3. If hard work is not another name for talent, it is the best possible substitute for it. -James Garfield
4. Honesty is the first chapter of the book of wisdom. -Thomas Jefferson
5. You don’t get everything you want. A dictatorship would be a lot easier. -George W. Bush
6. Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first. -Ronald Reagan
7. We should live our lives as though Christ were coming this afternoon. -Jimmy Carter
8. Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a certain poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. … Because it’s only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential. -Barack Obama
9. There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America. -Bill Clinton
10. History, in general, only informs us what bad government is. -Thomas Jefferson
11. If men were angels, no government would be necessary. -James Madison
12. Think about every problem, every challenge, we face. The solution to each starts with education. -George H.W. Bush
13. The lesson of history is rarely learned by the actors themselves. -James A. Garfield
14. Order without liberty and liberty without order are equally destructive. -Theodore Roosevelt
15. Older men declare war. But it is the youth that must fight and die. -Herbert Hoover
16. When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. -Franklin D. Roosevelt
17. It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit. -Harry S. Truman
18. I am rather inclined to silence, and whether that be wise or not, it is at least more unusual nowadays to find a man who can hold his tongue than to find one who cannot. -Abraham Lincoln
19. Neither a wise man nor a brave man lies down on the tracks of history to wait for the train of the future to run over him. -Dwight D. Eisenhower
20. I leave you, hoping that the lamp of liberty will burn in your bosoms until there shall no longer be a doubt that all men are created free and equal. -Abraham Lincoln
21. As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. -John F. Kennedy
22. The success of our popular government rests wholly upon the correct interpretation of the deliberate, intelligent, dependable popular will of America. -Warren Harding
23. The chief business of the American people is business. -Calvin Coolidge
24. No president who performs his duties faithfully and conscientiously can have any leisure. -James Polk
25. Officeholders are the agents of the people, not their masters. – Grover Cleveland

This in from a friend that is great

It was Valentine’s Day this week so I thought I would share this with a few of my friends.



As part of a contest, a group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds: 'What does "love" mean?'



The answers they got were broader and deeper than imagined. I think you will appreciate their insights.


'When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love.'
Rebecca- age 8


'When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.'
Billy - age 4


'Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.'
Karl - age 5

‘Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.' Chrissie - age 6

‘Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.'
Terri - age 4

'Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.'
Danny - age 7

‘Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that.. they look gross when they kiss'.
Emily - age 8

'Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.'
Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)

‘If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate.'
Nikka - age 6
(we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet)

'Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, and then he wears it everyday.'
Noelle - age 7

‘Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.'
Tommy - age 6

‘During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore.'
Cindy - age 8

‘My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.'
Clare - age 6

'Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.'
Elaine-age 5

'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.'
Chris - age 7

'Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day'.
Mary Ann - age 4

‘I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.'
Lauren - age 4

'When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down real fast and little stars come out of you.' (What an image)
Karen - age 7

'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross.'
Mark - age 6

'You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.'
Jessica - age 8




And the final one -- author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge.
The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child.

The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbour was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.

Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.

When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, 'Nothing, I just helped him cry.'



Hope you are having a great week.



Mark

3rd annual WIldmen Camp Out

Join us on the 24 for the 3 annual wildmen campout at woodland the community church. it will be a great time for bonding with other brothers and for the kids to have a special time under the stars with dad.

Bring your own tent and food and come gather around the fire.

For more infomation email me at peter@cactussky.com

good read

FEBRUARY 15

Valentine's Year

Be exhilarated always with her love. PROVERBS 5:19

"I really thought romance was something you did on special occasions like Valentine's Day and your anniversary. But you know, I think my wife might want romance a little more often."

You think?

Valentine's Day came and went yesterday. All over the country, beautiful cards were opened, heart-shaped candy boxes exchanged hands, and flower vases sprouted up on tabletops and nightstands. Last night, lingerie was worn and thrown on the floor where it belongs. And somewhere in the back of your mind, you might have given yourself some pats on the back for points scored.

Money in the marriage bank. "Okay, that's done."

Actually, though, Valentine's Day should function as a small reminder of the kind of romance we should be cultivating 365 days a year. It should help us see that the reason why Valentine's Day brings out the best in us - romantically speaking - is because it's something we mark on the calendar. We plan for it. We go to the store a week in advance to avoid that sick feeling of choosing from the picked-over cards left on February 13.

What if you were that thoughtful and deliberate every time you made plans to romance your spouse? What if you regularly flipped through the Sunday ads, seeing if there was something you could give her that would bring out a smile? What if you gave yourself the assignment of pulling off a surprise Valentine's Day in the summer or the fall or a week from Wednesday or a month after her birthday—not to give expensive gifts, but just to pick some ordinary days to do some out-of-the-ordinary things?

I hope your Valentine's Day was fun. But wouldn't it be a lot more fun if this became your Valentine's Year?

DISCUSS
What if you took turns doing romantic things for one another for the next 30 days? Share what would be fun and romantic to you. Set a minimum of each of you doing three to five things in the coming month.

PRAY
Thank God for His gift to you and for the love of your life—and for keeping your love life with each other from growing stale.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Passionate Love Conference - April 14th

Wildmen are pleased to announce that we are partnering with Men at the Cross to bring their Passionate Love Conference to the Tampa Bay Area!

It will be Saturday evening April 14th in Largo, FL.


More details are on our parent organization's website - http://WildmenMinistry.com

Friday, February 10, 2012

From John

Few Have Felt So Pursued
Few have ever felt so pursued. Sometimes we wonder if we've even been noticed. Father was too busy to come to our games, or perhaps he jumped ship altogether. Mother was lost in a never-ending pile of laundry or, more recently, in her own career. We come into the world longing to be special to someone and from the start we are disappointed. It is a rare soul indeed who has been sought after for who she is-not because of what she can do, or what others can gain from her, but simply for herself. Can you recall a time when a significant someone in your life sat you down with the sole purpose of wanting to know your heart more deeply, fully expecting to enjoy what he found there? More people have climbed Mt. Everest than have experienced real pursuit, and so what are we left to conclude? There is nothing in our hearts worth knowing. Whoever and whatever this mystery called I must be, it cannot be much.

"In fact," we continue, "if I am not pursued, it must be because there is something wrong with me, something dark and twisted inside." We long to be known, and we fear it like nothing else. Most people live with a subtle dread that one day they will be discovered for who they really are and the world will be appalled.

the importance of a dad

The Tie That Binds
I think most folks who know me wouldn’t dare commend me on my sartorial tastes although I’ve been known to look nice in a suit or two. I always admired watching my grandparents go out on their dates when I was much younger; my grandfather loved nothing more than a crisp button-down shirt and an expertly matched tie. I quietly envied his ability to always look sharp no matter the occasion.

I didn’t know how to put on a tie when I was a kid. For church, my mother gave me a array of clip-on ties to choose from and for a while, that’s all I knew. I didn’t learn how to wear a necktie until I was 22 years of age. I can even tell you the month. It was June of 1995. It was the day of my very first official job interview to work at a mailroom for a large corporation in Washington. I thought that it was time I graduated from clip-on ties to a real one. All of my friends were just as clueless as I was about ties, so I called my father in a long shot to ask for his help.

My father and I, to this day, are not close. We were especially estranged at this point although he lived just 2 miles north from me. I took a chance calling him, after so many disappointing days and nights he would promise to see me and wouldn’t show up. The pain of his absence and the longing for my father still exists today. However on a hot summer day, my father heeded my call.

He came to my mother’s house, beaming. I wanted my dad to be proud of me. I tried to tie the necktie myself, making a mockery of it. My father, with his big laugh, stood in front of me and said, “son, let me show you what to do.” He doesn’t know this but it was like being five years old again. When I was in kindergarten, my dad took me to see the classic Sci-Fi film Close Encounters Of The Third Kind. To this day, I’ll watch the movie and I’ll pretend I’m at the Landover Drive-In in his big sedan watching it with him.

Much like that moment, I hold on to the tie lesson because it was one of the few times my father showed he cared about me. He actually was close enough for me to hug him but I feared I would push him away with my emotions. I just held all of those feelings of wanting my dad deep inside. The lesson was a painful reminder of all the things I wish he taught me as a boy that I missed out on in the 17 years he left our home.

It’s been nearly 17 years since that moment. 17 years I’ve been putting on my necktie the same way my dad showed me on that day. I refuse to learn any other method for the most selfish reason in the world. It’s the only thing tangible of my father I have, the only proof that at some point my father may have actually loved me.

It doesn’t hurt as much these days to know all I have are brief memories and small moments with my father. I’m slowly trying to heal from the absence although I’m not out of the woods yet. For now, I find satisfaction in putting on my tie and knowing my dad taught me a skill that I’ll value for life.

Dads and Daughters

Daily Dad News

Indiana Fathers Take Part In Annual Daddy-Daughter Valentine Dance

February 10, 2012

The turnout was impressive for an annual father/daughter Valentine Day-themed dance in the small town of Logansport, Indiana. 84 fathers and 101 daughters took to the dance floor at the Logansport Parks and Recreation Department’s Daddy/Daughter Valentine Dance. For both dads and daughters, the dance has created bonds that will last a lifetime.

“It’s like a prom with your dad,” shared activities director Vicki Ward with paper Pharos-Tribune. “A lot of them will go out to eat first, and then they come in with their little wrist corsages, and then they spend an hour and a half with their dad. You can’t beat it.”

One pre-teen girl and her father certainly cherished the moment. “It’s a tradition, and I love being with my dad,” 12-year old Anna Kesling said at Thursday’s dance while accompanied by her father, Robert.

One father approached the dance with the knowledge that his daughter is growing up fast, relishing moments like this for long as he can. “This is just the last stop before boys and high school,” said Courtney Justice of his 12-year old girl. “It’s bittersweet. It’s a never-ending joy, having a daughter.”

Robert Kesling remarked on the dance with a keen observation, perhaps echoing a sentiment shared amongst all the dads at the dance.

“Next year, it’s going to be dances with boys, I suppose,” Kesling said while looking at his daughter on the dance floor. “But Dad won’t be far away.”