They Don't Know What They're Missing

One of my favorite things about taking middle schoolers skiing is that for most of them it is their first time going. I'm kind of a natural teacher, so I love the opportunity to help kids have fun and stretch themselves. I convinced two little guys to get off of the bunny slope and go up the lift with me.
We go up and they're all nervous. We were just going to do a green, but if it's your first time, then it can be quite nerve-wracking. We ski down, and they both do great. One didn't fall at all, and the other one only fell once. They had a great time pushing themselves and seeing what they could do.
As soon as we got to the bottom, they wanted to do it again. On our way back up the lift, one of the kids looks down at the bunny slope and remarks about our kids that were still just doing that saying "They don't know what they're missing!"
It was awesome to hear his excitement. He was so jazzed about skiing down the big mountain.
The same is true for being passionate about God. So many people are happy to just ski the bunny slope by going to church, but not getting involved in ministry or letting God really impact their lives. They seem scared to go up on the lift and really pursue God with a passion. But once they try it, they realize that everybody else doesn't know what they are missing.

Ski Trip Recap

Our ski trip was short and sweet, just like it's supposed to be. We ran into traffic twice on the way up there (once in Atlanta and once just south of Asheville) so I had to kind of modify our schedule. Basically I ripped out my speaking time that afternoon so that we could still get to skiing on time. I did that because the purpose of this trip is basically to build relationships and have fun. If it had been discipleship or something else, then I wouldn't have cared about missing some of our ski time.
Skied that night for 4 hours. Pretty good weather. Cool, calm, empty, not bad snow. The next day was super windy. Probably about 30 - 35 mph gusts. At one point I was on the top of the mountain pointing my skis straight down a steep grade, but I wasn't moving because the wind was holding my body up like a sail.
Kids all slept well. The hotel was nice. The worst part about it was the night manager who was a little bit stressed out. He talked to me about 3 rooms of our kids that were evidently being loud or something. I went and checked out the rooms. The first room was being quiet and all of them were in there. The other two rooms were from another group. I pointed this out to Mr. Beligerent Night Manager who proceeded to be embarassed and apologize profusely.
Made it home at 8:30 PM (scheduled to return at 9:00 PM). Parents love it when you're early. Anything but late. I try to respect their time, and I hope they respect mine.
Kids were great. Had several visitors that all had a good time. We'll follow up with them and see if we can create some legitimate prospects out of it.
Good time. No injuries. Highly recommend Wolf Ridge. JM

Guess Who's Back...

I got back from ski trip last night. Not much time to post right now, but wanted to get down thoughtlines for posts I need to make over the next day or so:
1. Ski Trip Recap
2. They Don't Know What They're Missing
3. Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
4. The Joys Of Car Ownership
5. Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own Part II
JM