Tag: Pusher

THE THANG: Mosey up Mini Cardiac. We will stop at the top for 10 Imperial Walkers.
Mosey to small parking lot located on north side of roadway as roadway goes west. We will bear crawl across parking lot.
Mosey to stop sign at northeast corner of Admin Bldg. We will stop to do 20 Hello Dollies.
Bernie Sanders on semi-circle roadway to guard rail on north side of roadway. We will stop to do 20 American Hammers.
Lunge to Big Tree on right side of roadway. We will stop to do 20 Merkins.
Sprint to where roadway is even with bat house. Take 20 second rest.
Sprint to beginning of gravel parking lot. Take 30 second rest.
Lunge to end of parking lot.
Sprint to where the road curves to the east. We will take 20 second rest.
Sprint to tree on right down the road. We will take 20 second rest.
Bernie Sanders to end of semi-circle road. We will do 20 American Hammers
Sprint south to the circle at the middle of the intersection with the main roadway. We will stop to do 20 Rocky Balboas.
Mosey to parking lot west of ball fields. We will stop to do 10 Hand Release Merkins.
Mosey to picnic tables in baseball fields’ pavilion. We will do the following exercises stopping after each one to run around the pavilion twice:
40 Baby Crunches (single count)
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40 Freddie Mercuries (two count)
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20 Picnic Table Pull-ups
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20 Bench Dips
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Mosey to Basketball Courts. We will play Knock Out and continue until we have a champion. All those knocked out run laps around the other half of the court three times before getting back in line. Rinse and repeat two more times.
Mosey east to the circle at the intersection of main roadway and roadway that heads to the admin bldg. We will do 20 more Rocky Balboas.
Mosey to driveway that leads to Outdoor Chapel Parking Lot. We will take 20 second rest.
Alternate between mosey and gentleman moseys until we get to last speed bump before AO and then sprint to the AO.

MARY: Nada, we were behind time!

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Lizzy has bachelor’s party next Saturday, 6 pm at the Orange Hat. The Banjo AO will now be an OTB

COT: Message

The Ninety-Nine are Not Forgotten

Luke 15:1–7

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

[1] Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. [2] And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

[3] So he told them this parable: [4] “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? [5] And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. [6] And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ [7] Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. (ESV)

I love Jesus’ parable of the lost sheep. I have certainly felt lost in sin and it is good to know that my God will come after me when I am lost and rejoice when he takes me home. At the same time, verse number 7 can trouble me at times, especially when I am trying to be righteous. So is God going to ignore me and only rejoice with the sinner? Sometimes I feel like the brother of the prodigal son.

I think all of us can relate to that desire to be noticed. That is why kids are thrilled to see their parents in the stands when involved in a sports game. That is why sibling rivalry occurs. Sometimes, kids will act up and do something bad, just to be noticed by their parents. I used to do some consulting work on the Oncology/Hematology Unit at Children’s Hospital. Every year, they would have a one week camp for the siblings of patients with cancer. At the hospital, they realize that the siblings of patients with cancer are not only suffering the grief of their brother or sister having cancer but also suffering because their parents are required to pay so much attention to their child who has the cancer.

In the parable of the lost sheep, Jesus is speaking in hyperbole as he often did in parables. Of course he isn’t ignoring us when we are righteous. God delights in our righteous acts. And, isn’t it good to know that God wants us to walk along side of him and reach out to help sinners? He wants us to be a disciple and work with him. In doing so, we don’t have to be the focus. Others become the focus. We give up childish things.

And, if we can do that, God still loves us. He isn’t forgetting us. He is pretty damned proud.

Pele knows that one of my favorite songs is No Hard Feelings by the Avett Brothers. It is not only a song about forgiveness but is about living for God. One of my favorite lines in the song is one that captures what the writer foresees after death: “Will I join with the ocean blue? Or run into a savior true? And shake hands laughing.”

Imagine that. You are in heaven. You meet God, who knows you, who has seen you through it all, although He has seemed so far away. And, you shake hands with him laughing! God is saying yes, Brick, I saw your struggles but I also saw how much you loved and gave to others. Yes, Pele, I knew you were frustrated so many times with the conflict between others, but you hung in there with them and loved on them. Yes, Waffle House, I saw all the work you did on missions. Yes, Lizzy, I saw how you suffered through the deaths and sicknesses of family members but continued to serve others. Welcome home, welcome home! I have loved you through your sins but I have always seen and been proud of your righteousness. That message goes out to you, my brothers, for God sees the many righteous acts among you.

Prayers
Prayers for Crash Dummy’s 91 year-old grandmother, Sue, as she most likely will not be on this good earth for much longer but will join God in heaven. Prayers for Sue’s and Crash Dummy’s family. Prayers for Lebowski who strained his ankle during the Knock Out portion of our workout today. Prayers for Pusher as he travels to the Phillipines soon to see family, including his father.