19 HIM leaders of all levels hit the gloom hard this morning… it wasn’t even a fair fight.
@Timeshare, @flash dance, @Foosball, @Rudolph, @Operation, @MaryAnne, @Ginsu, @Hot Mic, @Lone Star, @Cosmo, @Fertile Myrtle, @Three’s Company, @Cross-Stitch, @Dizzy Gillespie, @Pancreas, @Heidi, @Dipstick, @ToeJam, and YHC @Peewee

Warm-o-Rama:
1. Arm circles OYO
2. Backwards arm circles OYO
3. 5 good mornings OYO
4. Willy Mays Hays (both sides)
5. Crowd pleasers
6. 10 SSH in cadence

Thang:
1. Mosey 1 lap on the path around the playground, stopping at the flag.
2. 50 burpees, plank till 6
3. Bear crawl 1 lap around flag pole on path, 50 SSH
4. Mosey towards Peewee’s playhouse
5. Stop at first light pole to do 20 hand-release merkins
6. Stop at next light pole to do 50 iron mikes (each leg counts as 1)
7. Stop at light pole at top of the hill, do 50 high knees (each leg is a half)
8. 25 dips/25 Freddy Mercurys – then repeat with 25/25 of each.
9. 50 high knees at light pole on the hill (each leg counts as a half).
***At this point panic started to set in as the PAX realized the pattern and what was coming in their near future :grinning:
10. Mosey to next light pole, do 40 iron mikes (each leg counts as 1)
11. Mosey to next light pole, do 10 hand-release merkins
12. Mosey to crosswalk, do 30 SSH
13. Bear crawl a half lap around the flag pole
14. 40 burpees

*during the burpees we received a visit from a police officer…. nobody knew why he was stopping.  Turns out he was curious about the group and spent at least 5 minutes getting EHd by @Pancreas.  We’ll see what happens there.
Amidst the commotion, the workout stopped 2 minutes early, so first f chair @Heidi answered the call of duty and ordered the troops to finish off with 2 minutes of Mary.
Time!

Announcements:
1. convergence Saturday:  park at church
2. see @Pancreas for shield lock
3. @Cross-Stitch Q at TRAPP tomorrow
4. Testimonials needed for promo video.  See @Pancreas
5. See @Heidi about Grit Lab.  I think he said there was something happening with Grit Lab later today.

Prayers Requests:
1. @odouls is having trouble sleeping
2. @2Buck job interview at 1:00
3. Friends in hospital with COVID – @Mulligan and @Hot Mic
4. @Cross-Stitch’s girlfriend’s grandad has Parkinson’s disease
5. April 5th – vaccine available for all who want it, per @Cosmo.  Look into making an appointment if desired.
6. @Fertile Myrtle’s business deal hopes to close soon.

Moleskin:
Don’t wait to lead right until you get right and live right.  It’s all a simultaneous process.  You’re never gonna “get right” and meet the standard of perfection in your thinking/mindset.  Even if you did, you’re never going to perfectly live out what you know you need to do.
You’ll get better, but you won’t ever reach perfection.  I have never known a leader who had all their stuff together.  If we wait until we get right and live right before we ever lead, we’ll be waiting a long time.  And leaders are needed now!

I can guarantee you that the people who look like they have it all together, who are strong leaders, have their own issues too!

They are still working through the “get right” & “Live right” steps while they’re working towards leading right, even if it looks like they have it all together from the outside.  It’s a continuous process, and it will be until the day we die.

As crazy as this sounds, God doesn’t just use people who “have their stuff together” to accomplish his purposes, or to be his leaders.  Actually, He often uses sinful, broken, weak people to accomplish mighty things in His name.  He actually prefers it that way, I believe, because it highlights the depths of his grace and heights of his power… He demonstrates that he can turn graves into gardens (as the song goes), so there’s no mistake about who was behind the success.

Here’s a few examples:
1. David is described as a “man after God’s heart.”  He was the king of Israel who committed adultory, then he schemed to have the husband killed in battle to cover it up.
2. Paul, the writer of most of the NT was a persecuter of believers in Jesus.  He was against the church and Christians and had them jailed and killed prior to his conversion on the road to Damascus
3. Peter (the leader of the apostles) denied Jesus 3 times…said he didn’t know Jesus when he was questioned about whether he was one of his companions.  He’s not known for his denials but for his boldness in preaching the gospel.. being crucified upside down as martyr.
4. Moses killed the Egyptian and fled to the desert of Midian as a fugitive from pharaoh.  God later told him to go and tell pharaoh to let Israel go and he basically said no, send someone else.

What defines them?  How are they remembered?
1. David – known as the “Man after God’s own heart”, & the greatest king of Israel.
2. Paul – wrote much of the New Testament.  Known as  “the apostle to the Gentiles”
3. Peter – known as the leader of the apostles.  He preached the first sermon on Pentecost.  He preached boldly about Jesus and gave his life as a martyr.
4. Moses – he was a hero of the Jewish People.  He led Israel out of Egypt and up to the borders of the promised land of Canaan.  He received the Law on Mt. Sinai and delivered it to the people.  The Law was named after him by the Jews.
Do you ever feel like you’re not good enough to really step into leadership?
Do you think that your mess-ups and sins disqualify you from being a good leader at home, work, church, the community?
Are you afraid you’ll be viewed as a hypocrite if you put yourself out there to lead when you have so many flaws?

If you feel that way, you may be just the person God is looking for to be a leader.
Most people who lead feel those things on a regular basis.  But if you step forward in kindness, humility, and sincerity, others will be receptive, and I believe It will bring joy to the Father as well.

Do yourself a favor and listen to this song by Matthew West.  I’ll post a link.
It was playing on the radio as I pulled into Fort Pain this morning.  Was it coincidence?  I’ll let you be the judge of that.
@Peewee out
“Broken things” by Matthew West
If grace was a kingdom
I’d stopped at the gate
Thinkin’ I don’t deserve to pass through
After all of the mistakes that I’ve made
Oh but I heard a whisper
As heaven bent down
Said child, don’t you know that the first will be last
And the last get a crown
Now I’m just a beggar in the presence of a King
I wish I could bring so much more
But if it’s true
You use broken things
Then here I am Lord, I am all Yours
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
The pages of history
They tell me it’s true
That it’s never the perfect
It’s always the ones with the scars that You use
It’s the rebels and the prodigals
It’s the humble and the weak
All the misfit heroes You chose
Tell me there’s hope for sinners like me
Now I’m just a beggar in the presence of a King
I wish I could bring so much more
But if it’s true
You use broken things
Then here I am Lord, I am all Yours
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Grace is a kingdom
With gates open wide
There’s seat at the table just waiting for you
So, come on inside