On August 22nd, 2010 we had a church wide picnic and dunk tank extravaganza. There were deserts made up by the Men's Ministry, hot dogs and hamburgers grilled up fresh, baked beans, a slew of other delectables, a jumper for the kids and a dunk tank to send the pastors and elders down to Davy Jones Locker (not permanently of course).
It was a time to hang out with friends and family and a time to meet someone new. It also marked the start of New Covenant Church's Start Strong Sunday.
Weren't able to attend? Don't worry. We got it all on film. Ok not film, film, but digital film. Digital film? Maybe SD card. Aah, forget it. We captured it on camera and made a fancy snancy video out of it so you can enjoy all the hoot nanning fun!
I don't know if humidity rocks, but when you are out sweating like a goat high up in the Andes bounding from rock precipice to rock precipice you sure do appreciate refrigerated air and a delicious slice of Dion's cheese pizza after a long morning of work.
What do I mean when I say a long morning of work? I really mean a great opportunity to serve.
If you were unable to lend a hand this last Saturday from 8:30am to 12 noon on July 31st at the Albuquerque Christian Children's Home (ACCH) you missed out on one of those great serving opportunities.
There was everything you would expect from an opportunity like this to serve, plus more! If you guessed wild carnivorous creatures lurking around every corner waiting to devour you or your small children or poisonous neon colored frogs whose secretions are utilized by the inhabitants of the area to paralyze unsuspecting rodents you would be . . . well. A tad bit incorrect. Just a tad, mind you.
Actually, this was a pretty non-life threatening, malaria free service event filled with all types of opportunities that virtually anyone could perform. Ok, maybe not everyone I am sure infants might have a bit of a problem pulling weeds, but you get my point.
If I had to narrow down what tasks and jobs where performed it all could be lumped into about three categories.
Landscaping
Weed Pulling
Office Cleaning
Not so bad.
Landscaping consisted of a few different jobs. One was replacing dead or dying plants with the newer models of oxygen producing plants for the ACCH entrance. The other was transporting river rock by wheel barrow, bucket and hand from large mountainous piles and spreading them over a large planar surface adjacent to a tranquil but bustling pond of life.
Weed pulling was your typical weed pulling. Tumbleweeds. Goatheads. Silverleaf Nightshade and some other common weeds you would expect to find by the Bosque. The main bulk of the weed pulling forces were concentrated on the ACCH's garden area where massive weed termination was successfully accomplished.
Office cleaning consisted of your basic house hold cleaning duties such as dusting, scrubbing floors, organizing office supplies, sweeping and cleaning cabinets just to name a few.
Overall, it was a great time to meet new members, say howdy to friends, get some blisters and sweat your little heart out all to the glory of God!
Its been a little over 2-weeks since my last post about the 4th of July and I am back with some good news.
Feel the suspense, you can cut it with a karate chop or maybe a ninja Hei Yawh! Ok? Maybe not.
Either way you choose your martial arts suspense cutter technique is your call, but with all silliness aside . . .
Lately, I have been heavy pressed with the state of America and all the problems that seem to hang in the air like a thick fog. There is something lingering around that just doesn't feel right.
It's like when you are driving your car and for some odd reason the car just doesn't seem to be driving like it use to. There seems to be a slight pull to the left, or the engine hum sounds slightly different, or there is this little wobble in the ride, but you can't pin point exactly what seems different? Well, for me the car is very much like the United States of America. We are actively driving. Stopping at gas stations, doing commerce. Sometimes speeding. Sometimes parking. Sometimes fixing a flat tire. But in it all there is that slight wobble, that odd sound, that slight pull to the left that makes you pause for a second and say "hmm, I should get that checked."
Well, lets not put that check-up off any longer. Lets go schedule that appointment with the One Mechanic with all the answers today. Lets take a moment out of each and every busy day, humble our selves before our God and ask for His will to be done in our lives and not our own. Lets ask Him to forgive us from those little selfish desires that distract us from knowing our Father in Heaven and pour out His Love to our fellow Americans in need of His saving Grace.
This Sunday on July 25th after the 10:30 service lets gather in the sandy volleyball area on the north side of the main church building and pray for our Country. If you feel led to join us or you feel like you will be the only one standing in the sand that's ok. I can understand. Think on this. You won't be alone. There will be at least three of us there. You, me and Our Lord!
For all of us who live in the USA, we all know what is just around the corner. That's right, some rockets' red glare and bombs bursting in air time.
Well, more importantly it is a great time for us to remember what happened over 200 years ago that changed the world forever. The birth of this Great Country. For some of us this brings back memories of ol', commitments made to those we love, backpacking trips to the middle of nowhere, neighborhood BBQ's, fireworks gone awry, city extravaganzas and I am sure a whole lot more.
It is a time that brings us together as a Nation, as a State, as a Community, as a Neighborhood. It's a time known to us as the 4th of July and it is so close you can already smell the BBQ lighter fluid and see those carnival tents sprout up all over the city selling fireworks. So in the spirit of celebration lets make it extra special and do something a little different. Something some of us haven't done since our high school days. Lets all brush up on some good ol' fashion patriotism and turn a few minutes over to reading our Bill of Rights and Constitution and reflect on our current state. Maybe we'll all learn something new. Maybe it will ignite an explosion of activism. Maybe it will make you smile. Or maybe it won't do anything at all.
Either way it is important for the continued success of our Country for every citizen to have an understanding of the laws that govern us as Americans and be vigilant to how our government of today stays true to these laws.
Whats that old saying. Oh, yes. "All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing."
If you were unable to attend the Youth Group Talent Show you missed out on some fun and entertaining times.
First off there was the food. Juicy, plump mouth water hamburger patties cooked slowly to perfection and carefully and meticulously placed aside baked beans, chips and light and fluffy buns. As you progressed along towards the end of the table, you where greeted with faint whispers of enticements by the homemade brownies, Entenmann's glazed doughnuts and strawberry mini-bundt cakes.
While the smells of burgers and sugary baked goods filled the air of the New Covenant Church Warehouse Worship Center, the Youth Group wasted no time at all and kicked-off the event without a hitch.
From youthful displays of talent such as original musical compositions, daring escapes from ropes and duct tape, hoedowns, Taekwondo stunts to a full blown skit of the betrayal of Jesus, Star Wars style, the Talent show was a great success!
If you haven't done so already and would love to help the Youth Group out with their up-coming ministry project, you are in luck! There is still time to send a few bucks their way. Simply contact the Robbie or the church office and they will lead you in the right direction.
Yeah, it's a spin off title from the last post in the hopes of relating the two blogs.
Was it successful? I guess we shall see.
The manly gathering on Saturday May 8th at 8:30am started out with tasty eats and the prospects of great weather. The sky was overcast with a generous layer of cloud cover keeping the hot sun at bay and that nasty wind that plagued us all earlier in the week was barely a breeze. All signs for a perfect day doing little projects around the church were pointing to YES.
After filling up with breakfast burritos to get our engines moving, the first task at hand was to move construction supplies from the upstairs room to either two eagerly awaiting white trucks or the garbage bin. From the trucks it was off to a storage facility, where we were greeted with a spacious unit that became the new home for these various supplies.
From the storage unit it was back to the church for some internal operations and no, I do not mean the removal of appendices and such. Had to clear that up, cause I knew you were thinking it. The operations included various tasks like arranging of chairs, adjusting sound equipment, vacuuming the floor and trash removal to name a few.
Once the internal duties where accomplished it was on to the external extravaganzas. If you were thinking weed pulling. You would be thinking right! I mean what other extravaganzas could there be? The rest of the hour was allotted to tearing, pulling, yanking and ripping those vermin out of their life sustaining earth. Some call it cruel. Some call it horrific, but we like to call it weeding.
Other than a scratch here and a minor bruise there no injuries where had and the event was a success!
Thank you to all you guys who showed up and lent a manly helping hand.
Ok, maybe not the best title in the world, but hey it got your attention right?
Let me explain.
This coming Saturday, May 8th to be exact, starting at 8:30am, the Men of New Covenant Church are getn' together at the Church for some breakfast, fellowship and to lend a helping hand on some church projects. Shouldn't be too hard of work. Just the typical ol' barn raisin', trench diggin', pig wrestlin', put a big ol' smile on your face type of work.
Ok, ok, maybe not that extreme of work but more to the tune of little projects here and there that with the help of a group of guys like yourself, excuse me if you are a lady reading this, can get accomplished in no time flat.
So, get your work clothes ready, invite your pals, plan a car-pool and give Craig Vineyard a call and let him know you are coming on down. Or if you are not sure until the morning of, just come on down anyways and surprise us all. Either way it will be a great way to get the blood flowing and the weekend started.
That's right, the Church Picnic is just around the corner and begins right after the 10:30am service this Sunday May 2nd.
Unsure about hanging around for some good old tasty hamburgers and hot dogs cooked right on the grounds? How does jumpers for the kids, beach volleyball, mingling with friends and spending some good old fashion time with the family sound?
Ok, ok I know there is no water with the beach volleyball but there sure is a lot of sand and a bunch of us people to hang out with and have a good time. So join us all for a beautiful day out in a day God has made! It'll be fun.
