“Heavy on the Head”

“Snap his head down”.
“His head is on the mat!”
“Get YOUR HEAD off -the-mat!!”
“Heavy on the head – HEAVY ON THE HEAD!!!!”
During the winter I spend my life in the gym.  That sounds like a good thing…except I don’t actually work out….or use any equipment…or build any muscles.  It feels like every waking moment is shomehow involved with about 250 sweaty, smelly, over-active pre-teen boys with high levels of testosterone.  I guess that could be a good thing – maybe – if you are a teenage girl.  Anyway….
When you are a spectator in a wrestling gym you hear all kinds of crazy stuff.  One of the most important things that you will hear a coach (or a mom) yell – is for the wrestler to keep their head off the mat.  If your head is on the mat it means you are tired.  it means you have given up.  It means your opponent is going to win.
This week was a rough week for me personally.  Life was feeling very heavy for lots of reasons.  Friends were sick and hurting.  Finances were tight.  Commitments were pressing.  I wasn’t being a very good Christian (and I knew it).  The weather was cold and dreary – and my spirit felt the same way.
What kept running through my brain was “Heavy on the head – HEAVY ON THE HEAD!”
That’s what a wrestling coach yells when he sees the other guys is giving up. If you can force your opponents head down to thematt with pressure you can defeat him (in more ways than one) and win the match.
And that’s what Satan was doing to me.  He was heavy on my head.  It was awful how it affected the entire rest of my body.  I felt so lethargic, my limbs were weary, my very heart hurt.  I was ready to give up.  But I realized THAT is exactly what the evil one wanted me to do.
If I put my head on the mat – I GIVE him the match.
I wish I could tell you the winning combination.  I wish there was some amazing move that cuold turn the score around, give me the win and score points for the team.  Life is a struggle.  The game is hard.  My best advice is to surround yourself with a great team (try an actiongroup!) and depend on your coach (Jesus) to help you keep your head off the mat.
Psalm 121: 7-8  “The Lord will keep you from all harm – he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”

Spring 2013 actiongroups

On Sunday, I shared with everyone my actiongroups story. I decided to “try out” an actiongroup and it led me to incredible positive changes in my life like accountability, friends, and a social life (I seriously had none before actiongroups).

My challenge to all of you is to “try out” an actiongroup this spring. Now is the time to do it. We have NINE incredible groups and there’s a group for everyone:

  • Ladies
  • Men
  • College Students
  • Middle School and High School Students
  • People who like to work out (or people who need to workout)
  • People who care about getting their finances in order
  • People who like board games
  • People who like to smoke a cigar every now and then
  • People who like conversing and gaining insight from the Bible with friends

Instead of trying to re-invent the wheel, I’ll send you over to our actiongroups web page for more information on each of the actiongroups and when they meet: http://actionchurch.com/actiongroups/

The actiongroups for the spring will be kicking off in February on their respective days of the week. There’s plenty of time to contemplate and sign up for an actiongroup. Just make sure that you do at least “try” one of them. If you have any questions or want to sign up, just e-mail groups@actionchurch.com

“Further, Faster”

We “borrow” (church word for steal) a lot of ideas about small groups from Pastor Andy Stanley and Northpoint Community Church in Georgia. I’m fine with revealing that, since Andy is the closest thing “church world” has to a Jedi Master. We talk about moving people from “rows to circles”. We say that because we truly believe that what happens in the “rows” on Sunday morning is important, but what is learned in the “circles” of an actiongroup is even more life-changing.  Andy also says OFTEN that small groups will allow you to go “further, faster” than simply attending church on Sundays.  I know that to be 100% true…

I’ve been a member of the #aFIT actiongroup started by Darin Boling for the past two weeks.   We meet at 6:30 am (you read that correctly) at the park for an hour of cross fit -meets- bootcamp-meets-the most torturous gym class you still remember from high school.  (The one where the coach was angry because someone egged his car.)  The group is made up of predominately 40+ year old “vintage” men, and we’re doing push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, etc. and actually (GASP) running before most of us even want to be AWAKE on a weekend morning.   I love it.  I’m surprised to be writing this…but I’m so glad I joined.

Here’s some things I KNOW about actiongroups:

1.  There IS a group that “fits” you…and if there’s not…you probably should start one.  (BTW Darin’s group is GROWING even though it meets before the sun comes up)

2.  You will NOT want to join…but you will be glad you did.  Seriously.  Even if you feel like throwing up afterwards.  (Probably not applicable to the other actiongroups…hopefully.)  :-)

3.  You will get to know and share with other actionchurch folks in a way that NEVER will happen on Sunday morning.

4.  Leadership will be developed and recognized.  (I’ve been so impressed with the leadership Darin has shown since the start of the #aFIT group.  Want to be developed as a leader at actionchurch?  Serve in an actiongroup.)

5.  You will go “further, faster”…just like the wise Mr. Stanley often says.  I have run/jogged/whimpered/wheezed further in the last two saturday mornings than I have in the past 25 years since my last high-school gym class.  I am NOT a runner.  I don’t even like to walk fast. BUT…because of the guys at #aFIT, I keep going.  There are guys in the class that are SLIGHTLY slower…there are those that are so much faster that we secretly suspect them of doping, but TOGETHER we are all heading toward a fitness goal FURTHER and FASTER than I would have ever imagined.

Where do you need to go in your life?  How can we help you get further, faster with the help of others in an actiongroup?

 

 

actiongroups, Babysitting, Corn Mazin’, and Rollerskating!

actiongroups are kicking off and being AWESOME, so we wanted to let you know lots of the details of what is happening and how you could help us! We’re not trying to re-invent the wheel, so check out the actiongroups page for reference on what each actiongroup is all about and read on to learn about the amazing things happening in each of these groups!

BABYSITTERS WANTED!!! We’d like to create a master list of actionchurch babysitters that we can provide to parents who need a babysitter. If you (or your older child) are interested in helping out with babysitting, e-mail groups@actionchurch.com! We want everyone to be able to connect with an actiongroup, so please consider this opportunity to serve your fellow actionchurch friends.

Young Adults and a few other actiongroups will be going Corn Mazin’ on Saturday, October 20th. You can join in on the fun too, even if you’re not in an actiongroup. Let us know and we’ll connect you with the details.

Kids Play is going to make Thursday Night Skating a regular monthly event and wants to invite everyone of ALL AGES to join them at Roll ‘R’ Way. It won’t ever cost you more than $2.05! We’ll remind you closer to each date, but if you want to plan early, it will be the last Thursday of each month from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. $0.30 to get in the door and $1.75 for skate rental. It’s awesome fun, no matter what the weather is like outside.

Men of Action has kicked off and still has room for more guys who want to get connected with the other men of actionchurch. They are going to work on the Crazy Love series, so if you want to join in on the action, let us know soon and we’ll hook you up with the book.

Womens’s Group will be starting on Sunday, September 30th, so there is still time to join the group. They will be looking into the Seed series by Priscilla Shirer. Download the video promotion and check it out for yourself.

Running Group will be meeting at various times and locations, so e-mail Laura for more information to get involved at laura4ei@gmail.com.

Action Fitness will be kicking off this Saturday at John Rudy Park at 6:30a.m. This will be an assessment day. All fitness levels are welcome and all you need is a bottle of water! It’s not too late to sign-up. Let us know so you can get fit with actionchurch!

Action Art Group has an awesome serving opportunity available for those who want to help inner city youth make art. They’re looking for volunteers. If you’re interested, let us know.

Insights will be kicking off next Thursday. If you’re interested in joining, let us know soon so that we can get you the study book.

Book Club is meeting next Monday, so if you want to jump into the discussion, let us know so we can tell you when, where, and what book we’ll be talking about.

Financial Peace University will be kicking off next Sunday, so this is your last chance to let us know so we can get you the kit you need for the series.

ActionGames will be starting in October. Let us know if you want to join in on the fun!

To let us know about joining actiongroups, babysitting, or any questions you have, e-mail groups@actionchurch.com

Thursday Night Rollerskating

Are you interested in getting together with other actionchurch families for a skate night on Thursday?

On Thursday, August 30th, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Roll ‘R’ Way on Vander Ave., the Kids Play actiongroup will be meeting for a skate night.

Cost is $0.30 in exact change to get in. If you need to rent skates, it costs $1.75. The actiongroup will be meeting inside since there is no place to meet outside. Bring your family and friends for a budget-friendly night of fun!

For more details, check out the Roll ‘R’ Way website!