BTLN BIRTHDAYS - APRIL

It is the last day of April and I am finally finishing the birthday post! There is so much going on at Battalion in April that it is hard to keep up! I never get tired of looking through these pictures. So many good men and so many good memories!

Happy Birthday and may God bless you again this year!


1 Timothy 4:7-10   Train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.


KALEB HORKOFF - April 4
JUSTIN THOMPSON - April 7
LANDON WARWARUK - April 11
SKYLER MYER - April 12
CHRIS HENDERSON - April 13

ALEX ST. ONGE - April 13

UZZIEL COCHRAN - April 24
DAN DIMOCK - April 29

SAM ANDERSON - April 30

 

 

THE CAPTAIN

BTLN UPDATE - LAST NIGHT OF 2016

One more amazing "Last Night" is in the books! 52 guys showed up for Last Night of Btln 2016! First on the agenda was Murderball! (What else would we play on Last Night?) My team lost the first game of the night, but we won the next three games taking the series 3-1! (And as Uncle Tim says, "He who wins on Last Night wins best!")

After Murderball it was time to devour the 9 foot party sub! In the twelve years that we have had the party sub, there has never been leftovers. It looked like there might be leftovers, until I mentioned seconds! Needless to say, the sub was gone in seconds! After the sub we had homemade cookies. I think the guys ate 70 cookies. I'm thinking Bonuts for next years Last Night!

The Btln Grad ceremony was next on the agenda! The grads all received there Bibles and Btln dog tags as well as a piece of paper with the English translation of the Hebrew Btln motto! Btln tradtition is that, after reading the motto the grads must eat the piece of paper.

This year there was something new added to the Last Night Grad festivities. One of our Btln Alumni members decided to start a Btln scholarship! This Alumni member will be donating One Thousand dollars to one Btln Grad every year! Ben and Noah are the first recipients of the Btln Grad Scholarship! Because Ben and Noah are going to YWAM in Norway together and are pooling there funds it was decided that the scholarship would be shared. Congrats to both Ben and Noah!

2016 BTLN GRADS
Mitchell Bron
Nate Klassen
Harley Kovacs
Noah Makortoff
Nathan Mckenny
Skyler Meyer
Ben Nicolson

I am so proud of all of these guys! May God bless you in all of your future endeavors!

Next was our traditional Last Night picture and then it was onto Bulldog! With so many guys, the gym was crowded, and it was a little crazy out there! Dane and Tyson had a huge collision and so did Sam and Owen. I'm glad to say, that nobody was too badly hurt! Nathan Mckenny outlasted and survived the crowd to win his third Helmet of the Btln Season! Congrats Nathan! It was fitting to have a grad win on Last Night!

This year Noah Makortoff was the Winston Champion! Former Champions, Sam Schiesser (2010) and Lukas Boschmann (2015) both presented Noah the Winston Trophy. Congrats Noah! You are a worthy Champion!

Before finishing the night with the Brigade Watchword, Josh Martens received his Btln Medallion for completing the Memory Work! Congrats Josh! Welcome to the world of gentlemen!

After saying the Brigade Watchword the grade 11's, 12's and Alumni were off to the Station for the After Party! At the After Party the grade 12's received their Btln Medallions! Next there was more food and visiting and then Last Night and the Btln year were both over!

Thanks to all of the Alumni that came out to Last Night!

Special thanks to the leaders that helped out all year long!

Dan Trithardt
Ben Jepsen
Devin Chursinoff
Nathan Klassen
Lukas Boschmann


THE CAPTAIN

2016 BTLN GRADS AND BTLN GRADS FROM THE PAST

I absolutely love our Btln Grad ceremonies that we have on Last Night of Btln! The grads will receive a Bible, Btln Medallion, Btln dog tag and will find out what the Hebrew saying is on the back of the shirts! It is so good to see these guys grow in Btln, but so sad to see them go! Very bittersweet! But, once in Battalion, always in Battalion! The grads are welcome back anytime!


THE CAPTAIN

LAST NIGHT PICTURES FROM THE PAST!

It is year twelve for the big "Last Night" party! I feel so blessed to have been a part of this!

"Last Night" is this Wednesday, April 27th at 7:00 p.m. at the church gym.

Remember, Battalion is like Heaven, there is always room for one more! So bring a friend!



THE CAPTAIN

BTLN UPDATE - THE 11TH BTLN MASTERS

Congrats to Isaac Holitzki! Isaac is the 11th Btln Masters Champion! Isaac was in second place last year, just one stroke behind Deshawn, last years winner! This year Isaac was the winner and Deshawn was in second place! Looks like we have the makings of a rivalry!

Twenty-seven guys packed into four vehicles and headed out to Cascade Par Three for the 11th Btln Masters! This year we had the nicest weather that we have had in eleven years! We even had a full moon to go with the warm weather! (There were shadows from the moonlight!) It was amazing!

THE 11TH BTLN MASTERS
Top three final scores

1) Isaac - 35
2) Deshawn - 40
3) Dylan - 43


Special thanks to all the leaders that helped make this happen!
Dan
Ben
Devin
Cam
Lukas


THE CAPTAIN

BTLN PREVIEW - THE 11TH BTLN MASTERS

This week we will be having our fifth and final Major of the 2015/16 Btln Season! Can Deshawn win back to back Green Jackets? Will someone else win and have to find space in their closet? Can't wait to find out!


BTLN MASTERS CHAMPIONS
Jordon Walsh - 2005/06
Jordon Walsh - 2006/07
Parker Steadman - 2007/08
Drew Brown - 2008/09
Rik Brown - 2009/10
Rik Brown - 2010/11
Rik Brown - 2011/12

Rik Brown - 2012/13

Rik Brown - 2013/14

Deshawn Dennis - 2014/15

 

We are meeting at the church at 6:45 p.m. and will be leaving for Cascade Par 3 at 7:00 p.m.

Don't be late! Bring your clubs (If you have clubs.) and ten dollars. If money is a problem come out anyway! (We will cover the cost!)

 

 

THE CAPTAIN

BTLN UPDATE - FOOTBALL AND "POP & DOGS" (PART 2)

Congrats to Tyson! This was Tyson's second Helmet of the Btln season! Keegan and Luke were there at the end with Tyson but were unable to gain more yards than Tyson. (Keegan is a beast, he ran me over in football!)

This week we had the lowest scoring game of football that we have ever had at Btln! Dan's team was knocking on door for most of the night but was unable to cross the goal line. My team did move the ball but was also unable to score. The only touchdown of the game came on an interception run back from my teams end zone! Tyson Soobotin's cousin from Cranbrook ran the ball 110 yards for the one and only major of the game! Final score 7-0. (I didn't throw one touchdown pass in the last two weeks of Btln!) The quality of the football wasn't that great, but it was still so much fun!

In Bible study our topic was, "Was Jesus a victim or the victor"?

First we tried to establish why Jesus came to earth.

1 Timothy 1:15   Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.

Secondly, did Jesus know that he was going to die for sinners?

Luke 18:31-33   Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, "We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him and spit on him; they will flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again."

Thirdly, did Jesus go to the cross of his own free will?

John 10:17-18   "The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life- only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."

If Jesus went to the cross of his own free will, is he then a victim or the victor?

Colossians 2:13-15   When you were dead in your sins, God made you alive in Christ. He forgave us all our sins, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

One last passage that talks of Jesus' current glorified position.

Philippians 2:9-11   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

BTLN UPDATE - FOOTBALL AND "POP & DOGS"

Congrats to James! This was James' third Helmet of the Btln season! Dylan was there at the end looking for his fourth Helmet, but this week it was James walking away with the Helmet and the Yorkie!

In recent years we have added "Pop and Dogs" to spring Football. This week the guys devoured 64 Menno dogs and drank 20 Liters of Gatorade! And we will do it all over again next week!

I love spring football at Btln! If I had it my way we would be playing football every night in April. It is so good to go outside after being in the gym for most of the year! The weather was perfect, it was still 13 degrees when I went home at 9:30!

Most times when we play Football, the game is low scoring and the score is very even. This week my team got schooled! At first, the game was back and forth without any scoring. Then Dan's team started moving the ball and we could not stop them! I'm not sure what the final score was, but I believe that it was 35-0. Yeah, we got skunked!


In Bible study, Ben talked about counting the cost of following Jesus.

Matthew 19:16-22
Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”
“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”
“Which ones?” he inquired.
Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”
“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”
Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

 

For the rich young ruler the cost of following Jesus was too high. Will we be willing to give up our finances or security to follow Jesus?

 

Luke 14:25-27

Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

 

 

Jesus should be our number one priority. We are supposed to put Jesus ahead of our own interest and even our families!

 

Philippians 2:5-8

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 death— even death on a cross!

 

 

Jesus gave up everything for us! He even gave up his life! We should be willing to live our lives for him! Following Jesus is worth it, no matter what it costs us!

 

 

 

THE CAPTAIN

BTLN PREVIEW - "POP N DOGS" AND FOOTBALL

Battalion is back! Spring break is over and it is time to play some football! (Touch Football) There will be Gatorade and Mennonite sausage, so bring your appetite and a friend! We will be meeting at the high school field at 6:30 p.m. so that we can take advantage of a little more daylight. (We will still be finishing at 8:30 p.m. at the field.)

Wednesday, April 6th at the High School field!

 THE CAPTAIN