AO: mountainbiking
Q: Tank (Chris DeFranco)
PAX: Abscess, Billy Goat, Tank (Chris DeFranco), Flashback, Frosty, Imaginary, Toebox, Repeat (Todd Reynolds), Waxjob, Tortoise, Sambo, Curtis Leipold “Electric Slide”
FNGs: 1 Curtis Leipold “Electric Slide”
COUNT: 12
WARMUP:
We got out of the car
THE THANG:
Started at Coldwater lower lot. Climbed 3mi up Tortoise and then climbed up and down Chilhowee 1.5mi. Went down Goldilocks 1.3mi. Climbed up Cassidy 1.3. Climbed a brutal Rock Slot .6. Went 4mi of downhill on Bomb Dog. Down baby bear .5. Stopped for lunch and BOM. Named Curtis “Electric Slide”
Baby bear down, mama bear down, mama bear up. 1.5 total. Papa bear up .7. Up Cassidy 1.3. Up talladega then down Talladega. Then down Trillium. When we split up and some took Hare down to the cars, some brought a little further, and went to Chi and oval office and came back to go down Hare. Three of us session the blue downhill track afterwards.
MARY:
None
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
None
COT:
Confession and repentance are relatively common words with scary implications. It’s tough for any person, let alone men who feel the need to be strong, protective, and proficient, to admit a weakness or inadequacy. Confession comes at a cost, and we don’t often want to pay that price.
But what are we missing out on if we continually refuse to engage in accountability? What could we begin to experience if we were a measure braver than we were afraid?
The writer of Proverbs 28 weaves the thread of vulnerability and integrity throughout the passage. We see a few verses in that “better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.” Later in the text, we come to a similar-sounding verse, “Whoever walks in integrity will be delivered, but he who is crooked in his ways will suddenly fall.” Clearly, the author is trying to drive home a point through his repetition: integrity is to be highly valued and is a primary component of a life of freedom.
But how do we increase integrity? How can we ensure that we are developing the right kind of roots, growing deeper in our faith while cultivating the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5)?
Accountability. The conviction and practice of moving out of the shadows and into the light. It’s the fundamental idea written right in the middle of Proverbs 28:
“Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. Blessed is the one who fears the LORD always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity.”
He who confesses his transgressions and forsakes them (i.e., repents, turns away from, moves in a new direction), that man will obtain mercy and be blessed.
If we recoil back, being more content in the comfort of our shadows, if we are convinced that we are strong enough, smart enough, and tough enough to go through this life on our own, we will reap the harvest of that isolation. We will not prosper, and we will not mature into the men of integrity that God is calling us to become.
