Monday, March 31, 2014

BTLN PREVIEW - "POP N DOGS" & BTLN FOOTBALL!


That's right, it is time again for Btln Football! Can't believe that it is that time of year again! Rumor has it that Cody Harp will be in attendance! Btln, Football and Menno, doesn't get better than that!

We are meeting at the high school field at 6:30 p.m.

THE CAPTAIN

Friday, March 28, 2014

BTLN UPDATE


 

Congrats Noah! Second Helmet of the Btln Season for Noah! It seems like the Dynamic Duo are always doing everything together! Ben won the Helmet last week, so Noah had to win it this week. Is it Ben's turn next week? Anyways, big win for Noah this week!

We played Handball and somehow the teams ended up being a little lopsided. Jason's team was really dominating early. We reset and played first to two goals. Harley scored first for my team, giving us the early 1-0 lead. Jason's team tied it up and then Jason scored the game winner on a spin/backward bounce shot! It was impressive! The Dynamic Duo were unable to keep the ball out of the net. I guess they were saving it for Bulldog. ;)

In Bible study we looked at the Transfiguration. (Matt. 17:1-9, Mark 9:2-10, Luke 9:28-36)

Matthew 17:1-9  After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.
Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”
While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”
When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.
As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

Why did God the Father want to honor Jesus in this way? I think that God wanted to encourage the disciples. Seeing Jesus with two of the greatest prophets in Israel's history would have been amazing for Peter, James and John. Hearing God the Father speak out of the cloud like he did at Mount Sinai would have made these men think back to Israel's past. Jesus power and majesty were both mostly hidden while he was on earth. Now these men were seeing Jesus as he really is! This moment had a lasting impression for Peter.

2 Peter 1:16-18  For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.

We can be encouraged like Peter, James and John! We will also get to see Jesus in his Majestic Glory when we get to heaven! We can also be thankful that he humbled himself! Dying for our sins on the cross!

Philippians 2:5-11  In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to deatheven death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  

THE CAPTAIN

Monday, March 24, 2014

WINSTON UPDATE

 
 
With six weeks left in the 2013/2014 Btln Season it was time for a Winston Update! It looks like it is going to be either Max or John that will win Winston this year! We will not likely end in a tie like we did last year. Luke is still mathematically in the race for Winston, but he would have to win three out of the final six Helmets to win it all. (That would be amazing!)
 
 
WINSTON STANDINGS
 
MAXWELL NICHOLSON - 5 Helmets and 1 Major
JOHN VAN - 4 Helmets and 2 Majors
LUKE BOSCHMANN - 3 Helmets
DAVID BARNEY - 2 Helmets
JOSH RIDSDALE - 2 Helmets
LANDON WARWARUK - 2 Helmets
JONATHAN FOJT - 2 Helmets
BEN NICOLSON - 2 Helmets
JAKOB BOSCHMANN - 1 Helmet and 1 Major
NATE KLASSEN - 1 Helmet
NOAH MAKORTOFF - 1 Helmet
JAMES PODMOROFF - 1 Helmet
 
THE CAPTAIN

Friday, March 14, 2014

BTLN UPDATE



 
 
Congrats Ben! Second Helmet of the season for Ben! It was Noah and Ben at the end. (They didn't like my Sedin comparison, so how about Maddux and Glavine or maybe Ruth and Gehrig or Mantle and Maris?) The Dynamic Duo will more than likely finish first and second many more times in the future!
 
This week we played Murderball and my team was taking it to Devin's team! They didn't win a game until we gave them both Max and Jonathan! The final score was 3-3 when we ran out of time. So good to play Murderball again! Four weeks is too long between games!
 
How about those pics of the guys studying God's Word? So exciting to have all these guys reading and studying God's Word! This week in Bible study we looked at Daniel.
 
Most Christians are striving to be more consistent in their daily walk. Daniel is a great example of consistent godly living. When Daniel was young (around 15 years old) he was taken away from his family and brought to a godless foreign country. Daniel could have justified a godless lifestyle but instead he chose to continue to follow God!
 
Daniel 1:1-20  In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia and put in the treasure house of his god.
Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians.
The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service.
Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.
But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. Now God had caused the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel, but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.”
Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.
At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.
To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.
At the end of the time set by the king to bring them into his service, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service. In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.


Daniel was willing to live according God's Word, even if it meant going against the kings wishes! Sixty five years later when Daniel was eighty he still chose to follow God rather than men! This time he was thrown into the lions den!


Daniel 6:10  Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.


Daniel was thrown into the lions den for praying to God! This was also the reason why Daniel was able to live such a consistent godly life! If only we would pray and dwell on God's Word three times a day like Daniel! God's Word would begin to permeate our lives and we would become consistent like Daniel!


THE CAPTAIN


Friday, March 07, 2014

BTLN UPDATE



 
Congrats Jonathan! Second Helmet of the season for Jon! It was Luke and Jon at the end but Jon would not be denied!
 
This week we played Stickball! I love Stickball, not sure why. Probably because it is always unpredictable. There are always funny moments when we play Stickball. Alex and Dion are always good for one of these funny moments. I never actually gave the final scores, so here they are.
 
Stickball Final Scores
Jason's team - 10
Devin's team - 6
Ben's team - 6
Ryley's team - 5
 
This week in Bible study we had Zach leading us through the story Naaman.
 
2 Kings 5:1-14  Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.
Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”
Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. “By all means, go,” the king of Aram replied. “I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing. The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.”
As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, “Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!”
When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: “Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.” So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”
But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage.
Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.


Zach pointed out that Naaman was a proud man just like the rest of us. Naaman did not deserve to be healed from his leprosy, but when he humbled himself and accepted God's terms he was healed! In the same way, we do not deserve to be saved from our sin, but God does save us if we will humble ourselves and accept his forgiveness! Notice how Namaan was completely cleansed! His skin was like the skin of a small child! When God cleanses us from our sin we are completely cleansed!


THE CAPTAIN

Wednesday, March 05, 2014

BTLN BIRTHDAYS - MARCH

 
It is March already and I am four days late with this post! Two grads this month, can't believe that we are nearing the end! It feel like Josh has been around for forever (In a good way!) and David has become a good friend! We have two more months to make good memories and hopefully more in the years to come!
 
Happy Birthday and may God bless you again this year!
 
Psalms 1:1-3  Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.
 
David Barney - March 4
Tyler Francis - March 8
Phoenix Thomson - March 11
Josh Ridsdale - March 14
Evan Podovinikoff - March 28
 
THE CAPTAIN

Tuesday, March 04, 2014

BTLN UPDATE - BRIGADE NIGHT 2014

 

Congrats to Jake, the 2014 Btln Ping Pong Champion! Luke B. was a worthy opponent, winning the first game! Jake battled back winning the next three games and the best of five series 3-1! The games were all close and could have went either way, but in the end it was Jake raising the trophy for the second straight year! Can Jake tie or beat Calvin Peters record of four wins in a row? Can't wait to find out!
 
Earlier in the night Max, Jonathan and Luke M. all recited scripture on the stage! So proud of these guys! It's never easy to get up on the stage and recite Scripture.
 
Max recited - Ephesians 1:3-14
Jonathan recited - 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Luke recited - 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
 
Thanks to the guys that came out!
 
THE CAPTAIN