Friday, January 22, 2016

BTLN UPDATE




Congrats Phoenix! This was the first time that Phoenix has ever won the Helmet! It is always fun when one of the guys wins the Helmet for the first time! Luke was there at the end with Phoenix, but was unable to break through on the last round.

We hadn't played Murderball at Btln since the Three B's, so we were long overdue! My team easily won the first game, so we gave Dan's team GeRRald. Before the second game my team looked like we were going to be in trouble, but we managed to pull out the win! In the third game Dan's team battled back to take the win! In the fourth and final game, my team finished the night with a win, giving us a 3-1 series win!


In Bible study this week our title was "Where I Belong".

Ephesians 1:3   Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
Ephesians 2:6-7   And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
Colossians 3:1-3   Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

The first two passages tell us that we are already blessed and seated in the heavenly realms! The third passage tells us that we should be setting our hearts on things above. If we are blessed and seated in heavenly places then we should think and act as if we are already in heaven.

Philippians 3:20-21   But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

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!

Not only are we blessed and seated in heaven, we are also citizens of heaven! Jesus had to leave heaven, become a man and die on the cross so that I could become a citizen of heaven! Amazing!


2 Corinthians 5:20-21   We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
 
If Jesus made us citizens of heaven, then why has he left us on earth? We have been left on earth to be Christ's ambassadors! Jesus has left us on earth to share the gospel with others that have not already heard or accepted it!


THE CAPTAIN

Sunday, January 17, 2016

BTLN UPDATE - MIKE NIGHT

 

 

 

 

Congrats Nate! This was Nate's second Helmet of the Btln Season! Nate has been close to winning a few times this year, this time he would not be denied!

Mike Night is always a special night, and this week was no exception! We didn't have as many guys as we have had for Mike Night in the past, but that meant that there were more chances to help your team win. Instead of having your number called four times in a night, it was probably seven or eight times! We also used more balls this time than we have ever used! The last round had 62 balls! This meant that if your team had an amazing last round that you could have a huge come from behind win. GeRRald's team picked up 18 balls to pass Lukas' team in the final round, but Nathan's team added 23 balls to their 35 for a total of 58!

Mike Night Final Scores
Nathan's team  35 + 23 = 58
GeRRald's team  25 + 18 = 43
Lukas' team  30 + 9 = 39
Nate's team  25 + 12 = 37


In Bible study this week Ben talked about new years goals and resolutions.

Often we have plans and goals for the new year, things that we would like to accomplish. Ben talked about how we will reach some of our goals and others we will not. He told us that this is because we usually do not know what is best for us. God on the other hand, does! It is comforting to know that God has plans for us and that he loves us very much!

Ephesians 3:14-21   For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

This passage talks about the glorious riches that God has for us! We also read about God's great love that cannot be comprehended. Lastly, we learn that God wants do more for us than we can ask or imagine!

If God loves us this much, and understands us better than we can, obviously we should give him control of our lives!


THE CAPTAIN

Sunday, January 10, 2016

BTLN UPDATE



Congrats Noah! Noah won Bulldog this week, bringing his Helmet total up to Four! Nathan was there at the end with Noah, just barely missing out on his third Helmet!

As you can tell from the above picture, we have GeRRald back at Btln for the month of January! I am so glad to have GeRRald around! For those of you that are thinking of doing the Memory Work, GeRRald will be at Creation 2016! This alone makes doing the Memory Work worth the effort!

Our game this week was Handball. Most times when we play Handball we use two balls, but this week we added a third ball. This is hard on the goalies and the defensemen. At first my team struggled so we moved Lukas onto my team. Shortly after adding Lukas, my team was dominating! Lukas was definitely the difference! He was scoring and intercepting the ball almost at will! At the end, the game was tied 24-24. I can't remember who scored for my team to win, but I'm going to guess that it was Lukas. Final score 25 for Lukas, 24 for the other team!


In Bible study our topic this week was forgiveness.

Habakkuk 1:12-13a   Lord, are you not from everlasting? My God, my Holy One, you will never die. You, Lord, have appointed them to execute judgment; you, my Rock, have ordained them to punish. Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing.

Psalms 130:3-4   If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you.

The question we were trying to answer was, if God cannot tolerate sin or look on evil, how can he forgive us?

Ephesians 1:7-8a   In him (Jesus) we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us.

Romans 3:23-24   For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

We have forgiveness because Jesus shed his blood for our sins! What a huge price that Jesus paid for us! There is none bigger!

Colossians 3:12-13   Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Ephesians 4:32   Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Once we have accepted God's forgiveness, we should learn to forgive others. There is no better way to show our appreciation for what Jesus has done for us, than to forgive others!



It is Mike Night next week at Btln!



THE CAPTAIN

Monday, December 28, 2015

10TH ANNUAL BTLN ALUMNI NIGHT





I can't believe that we have already had 10 Battalion Alumni Nights! Each year is a little different from the rest. This year it was Derek Taylor's turn to receive his Sergeant Jersey! Derek was the 13th Sergeant of Battalion 3739. Derek was the Sergeant in the 1999/00 Btln Season. Derek was the 16th Sergeant to receive his Jersey in our  "One forward and one back" Sergeant Jersey program! Congrats Derek!

Derek was also added to the Btln Ring of Honour! Last year we added Ryley but he was unable to attend so we gave both Derek and Ryley their Ring of Honour mugs. We are so proud of both of these men! Congrats to both Derek and Ryley!

Murderball is always fun, but at Alumni it is played at a whole different level. It seems that the team that gets up early rarely loses, so those first moments of every game are so important. Each new game it seemed like the momentum was changing. In the end Jeremy's team beat my team 5 games to 4!

Noah started in the middle for Bulldog because, it has been tradition lately that a grade twelve starts in the middle. There are always big collisions when men this big play British Bulldog together, but no one seems to mind. When we were nearing the end it was Zach, Austin, Nathan (1999) and Kenny battling it out for Btln Alumni supremacy! Kenny's speed was the deciding factor, nobody could put a hit on him! Congrats Kenny!

We finished the night playing Ping Pong and Poker and visiting in the Youth room. This was the first time that we have not gone over to Bruce and Katie's. I want to thank them both again for hosting us in the past!


Thanks to all the came out to Alumni Night 2015!


THE CAPTAIN

Thursday, December 17, 2015

BATTALION ALUMNI NIGHT 2015



I can't believe that this year we will be having our 10th Btln Alumni Night! Some of the guys that are Alumni, were not even in Btln the first year that we had Alumni Night! So many good men and so many good memories! I can't wait to see who will be at the 10th Annual Btln Alumni Night!

Anyone in grade 11 or 12 and all Btln Alumni are invited!


Dec. 27th at the G.C. at 7:00 p.m.


THE CAPTAIN

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

BTLN BIRTHDAYS - DECEMBER


 
 
I can't believe that it is December again! It is so good to celebrate Jesus' birth! It is also good to celebrate the birthdays of these men! I hope and pray that you will experience the hope and joy of Jesus' birth this Christmas season and throughout the rest of the year!
 
Happy Birthday and may God bless you again this year!
 
Luke 2:8-12   And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
 
 
MIKE TRAINER - December 4
KEVIN HAYASHI - December 9
DEVIN CHURSINOFF - December 10
DYLAN ZORN - December 19
LUKAS BOSCHMANN - December 19
CALVIN PETERS - December 21
STEPHEN LAWRENCE - December 23
JEREMY MARTENS - December 28
ZANE LAWSON - December 31


THE CAPTAIN


Friday, December 11, 2015

BTLN UPDATE - THE THREE B'S




Congrats James! This was James first Helmet of the Btln Season! In the last round of Bulldog there were three grade tens left. Keegan, Dylan and James all delivered a Big hit Before they were taken down on the last round! James outgained Keegan and Dylan to take the win and the Helmet!

The Three B's was an amazing night! We had 50 guys in the Battalion room! We ate 8 Battalion Baconator pizzas and devoured the Bean pot that Ted made for us! We also drank 60 cans of Barq's rootBeer! The atmosphere in the Btln room at the BBB's is second to none. It is quickly Becoming one of my favourite nights of the year!

After the food we played MurderBall. MurderBall is always fun, But when you have that many guys in one room throwing Balls at each other it is a whole different level of fun! My team won the first two games, making it look easy in the process. Ben was not about to go home winless. He rallied his team and won the third game! Time was running out on us so we ended after only three games, my team winning 2-1!

Next we watched a Creation video meant to inspire the Boys to memorize the Bible. There were pictures from the last three years at Creation. It is crazy to see how the guys have changed over the last three years!

The BBB's would not be complete without Bonuts! I think that there were about 120 Bonuts when we started. Needless to say, there was not one left at the end of the night!

We ended the night with a present for each guy that came out to the BBB's! After all, we are celebrating Jesus' Birth, which was the greatest gift ever given! I decided to give everyone a retro Btln shirt from my old stock! It was so much fun to watch the guys pick a shirt! One of my highlights of the night for sure!



THE CAPTAIN

Thursday, December 03, 2015

BTLN UPDATE




Congrats to Noah! Noah now has three Helmets and the lead in the race for Winston! Jakob was there at the end with Noah, pushing hard for his second Helmet of the season, but came up a little short this week.

This week we played Gym Football! Gym Football is a Btln classic that we haven't played for years!  With the limited space in the gym there are always plenty of turnovers. Nearly every possession ended with an interception or a touchdown. Tyson scored first for my team, giving us the early 7-0 lead. Jakob scored for Dan's team tying up the game at 7-7! Noah took over the game at the end scoring twice for my team to give us the 21-7 win!
After Gym Football we played one round of Fire, Fever, Flood. Tyson was our winner! It is always fun to watch the guys hustle when we play Fire, Fever, Flood.

In Bible study we looked at how the shepherds, Magi and the people of Jerusalem responded to Jesus' birth.

Luke 2:15-18   When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.


The shepherds response is what you would expect from people that had been waiting for the Messiah for two thousand years! The shepherds hurried to meet the Messiah, and then spread the good news that the Messiah had arrived! The last thing that we read about the shepherds is that they are praising God! Where is the mad rush of people to meet the Messiah after hearing the shepherds testimony?


Matthew 2:1-11   After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

The Magi traveled great distances to see the long awaited Messiah. The people of Jerusalem that were living only five miles away and must have heard the shepherds report are disturbed when the Magi come asking about the Messiah. You would think that there would be a huge crowd of people going along with the Magi to see the Messiah, but they go to Bethlehem alone. The question is, how will we respond to the Messiah? Will we ignore Jesus like the people of Jerusalem? Or will we praise and worship Jesus like the shepherds and Magi?


Three B's next week at Btln! Share Btln with a friend!


THE CAPTAIN

Monday, November 30, 2015

BTLN BIRTHDAYS - NOVEMBER




It is the last day of November and I am finally getting this birthday post done! There are eight guys having birthdays this month. Some of guys having birthdays are young and some are older, some of them are Btln Legends and some are future Btln Legends!

Happy Birthday and may God bless you again this year!


2 Thessalonians 2:16-17   May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.


MITCH BRON - November 6
MATT BARG - November 9
DAN TRITHARDT - November 9
LUKE MARTENS - November 10
NATE KLASSEN - November 17
DEVAN ENGLAND - November 19
NATHAN BALL - November 20
QUINTON MCIVER - November 30


  
THE CAPTAIN

Thursday, November 26, 2015

BTLN UPDATE - THE 21ST BATTALION OLYMPICS

 


 

Congratulations to Zach, the 2015 Btln Olympic Champion! Zach is the youngest Olympic Champion we have ever had! Zach is in grade 9! (The previous record was held by Zach Gobbett! He was in grade 10.) For the second year in a row we set a new attendance record for the Btln Olympics! There were 37 competitors plus our Sergeant Ben Nicolson! (It was so good to have Ben back at Btln!) We couldn't get all the names on the triangles or on the posters! This was the first time that the top three scores did not include a first place finish in any of the events. So many firsts this year!

21st Battalion Olympics Final Standings

Zach - 32 (#1)
Jakob B. - 29 (#2)
Keegan - 27 (#3)
Nathan - 27
Noah - 27
Luke - 25
Jake M. - 25
Mike - 25
Tyson S. - 24
Sam A. - 24
Dylan - 23
Nate - 22
Dane - 22
Derek - 22
Kaylon - 22
Landon - 22
Colton - 22
Harley - 21
Mitch - 21
Christian - 21
Jacob S. - 20
Isaac - 20
Dolan - 20
Stephan - 20
Anthony - 20
Caleb T. - 20
Sam P. - 19
Josh - 19
Matt - 18
Phoenix - 18
Deshawn - 17
Riley - 17
Skyler - 17
Talon - 17
Tyson T. - 16
Caleb H. - 14
James - 10


ARM WRESTLING CHAMPION
Nate Klassen

BASKETBALL CHAMPION
Matt Donovan

BENCH WRESTLING CHAMPION
Dylan Warwaruk

BOX HOCKEY CHAMPION
Luke Martens

FOOTBALL TOSS CHAMPION
Deshawn Dennis


Congratulations to all the winners!

THE CAPTAIN
 

 

Sunday, November 22, 2015

BTLN 3739 OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS



BTLN 3739 OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS and margin of victory

Courtney Friesen - 1995/96 - 1 point
Courtney Friesen - 1996/97 - 3 points
Aaron Friesen - 1997/98 - 1 point
Aaron Friesen - 1998/99 - 1 point
Derek Taylor - 1999/00 - 5 points
Justin Bekker - 2000/01 - 4 points
Justin Bekker - 2001/02 - 0 points
Justin Thompson - 2002/03 - 4 points
Dan Neufeld - 2003/04 - 0 points
Ben Jepsen - 2004/05 - 2 points
Ben Jepsen - 2005/06 - 2 points
Cam Thompson - 2006/07 - 0 points
Devin Chursinoff - 2007/08 - 5 points
David Podovinikoff - 2008/09 - 1 point
Zach Gobbett - 2009/10 - 1 point
Dalton Shore - 2010/11 - 4 points
Zach Gobbett - 2011/12 - 3 points
Gerrald Nicholson - 2012/13 - 1 point
John Van - 2013/14 - 2 points
Lukas Boschmann - 2014/15 - 3 points
 
 
Twenty years and counting! What name will be adding to this list? Can't wait to find out!
 
 
THE CAPTAIN

Friday, November 20, 2015

BTLN UPDATE




Congrats Nathan! This is Nathan's second Helmet, and his first ever win in British Bulldog! Nathan's first Helmet was when he won the belly flop competition at the pool party in September! It seems so appropriate that our English friend would win British Bulldog!

This week we played Stickball for the first time this year. We have had a hard time trying to teach everyone the rules and strategy of Stickball. I feel like this was the best game of Stickball that we have ever played. I love the four corner/four team games that we play at Btln. I think that Stickball can be as good as Mike and Mike 23. We probably need to play Stickball a little more often.

Stickball Final Scores
Dan's team - 14
Ben's team - 12
Nathan's team - 10
Devin's team - 7


In Bible Study, Ben had us looking at some of the prophecies fulfilled by Jesus.

Isaiah 53

But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
    each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed and afflicted,
    yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
    and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
    so he did not open his mouth.
 
 
This was written 700 years before Jesus was born! Only God could plan that far ahead and be perfectly accurate!

 
 John 19

32 The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. 33 But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.


Luke 23

When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform a sign of some sort. He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer.


There are so many prophesies that Jesus fulfilled (Like where he would be born, what family he would be born into and how he would die.) that he had to be God.


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. 



Jesus came to earth in the form of a man so that he could die for our sins! This was all a part of God's perfect plan! Nothing that happened to Jesus took God by surprise! God also has a plan for our lives! Nothing that happens to us will take God by surprise! We just need to trust that God is in control!



It is the 21st Battalion Olympics next week! Don't be late!



THE CAPTAIN

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

WINSTON UPDATE



Time for the first Winston Update of the year! The race for Winston could not be any closer than it is right now! We are ten weeks into the 2015/16 Btln Season and we have nine different winners! The race for Winston is wide open! Everyone is still in the running and we are nearing the end of the First Half of the 2015/16 Btln Season!


WINSTON STANDINGS

NOAH MAKORTOFF - 2 Helmets and 1 Major
MITCH BRON - 1 Helmet
NATE KLASSEN - 1 Helmet
NATHAN MCKENNY - 1 Helmet
BEN NICOLSON - 1 Helmet
TYSON TILLER - 1 Helmet
JAKOB BOSCHMANN - 1 Helmet
STEPHAN KALNIN - 1 Helmet
DYLAN WARWARUK - 1 Helmet


THE CAPTAIN

Friday, November 13, 2015

BTLN UPDATE




Congrats Stephan! Dylan and Stephan were the final two in British Bulldog this week! Both guys battled hard but were both taken down on the last round. Stephan made it five yards further across the gym to take the win and the Helmet!

This week we played Murderball and had two very evenly matched teams! My team took the first two games fairly easily and it looked like we were going to do it again in the third game. We had Ben's team on the ropes before they came storming back for the win to make the series 2-1! With the momentum gained from the comeback win, Ben's team won the next two games pulling ahead 3-2! My team won the final game giving us a tie, which seemed fitting for Remembrance Day.

In Bible study we finished our series on Faith, Hope and Love. In the first two weeks we looked at Faith and Hope, this week we turned our attention to Love.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8   Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

This passage in 1 Corinthians does a very thorough job of explaining what love is and what love is not. The worlds definition of love is the opposite to what is described in this passage.

1 John 4:7-11   Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

In this passage we learn that (1) Love comes from God, (2) God is Love, (3) God showed his Love by sending his only Son to die for us and (4) that we should Love each other because God Loved us!

John 15:13   Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

Romans 5:7-8   Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:10   For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!

In the book of John, Jesus tells us that the greatest way to show Love would be to die for one's friends. When Jesus died for us he took it one step further! He died for us when we were still his enemies so that we could be his friends!



THE CAPTAIN

Saturday, November 07, 2015

BTLN UPDATE - MIKE 23





Congrats Mitch! This was Mitch's first ever Helmet! It is always exciting to see one of the guys win the Helmet for the first time! Like Dan said, It won't be Mitch's last Helmet!

This time around, Mike 23 was the game of the week! Mike 23 always makes for great pictures! With the balls flying around and the funny looks on everyone's faces the pictures are priceless! I love how the rules change and the scores rise and fall with each mini game that we play. Mike 23 is Btln chaos at its best!

Mike 23 Final Scores
Nathan's team - 8
Ben and Noah's team - 6
Nate's team - 4
Lukas' team - 3

In Bible study we looked at Hope in our mini series Faith, Hope and Love.

1 Corinthians 13:13   And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Romans 8:24b-25   But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

I have heard it said that the hope of the Bible is a confident expectation. The hope of every Christian should come from the promises found in the Bible.

Titus 3:4-7   But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

Titus 2:11-13   For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of the great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,

Colossians 1:26-27   The mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Our hope is eternal life with our savior Jesus Christ!

Is our hope secure? Is our hope trustworthy?

Hebrews 6:17-19   Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.

Hebrews 11:1   Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

God who promised us eternal life cannot tell a lie! Our hope is sure, certain, firm and secure!

1 Peter 1:3-4   Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you.

We have a living hope because we have a living savior!


THE CAPTAIN