Highlighted SFC Value:  B.R.I.D.G.E.

“Engaging” – Like Jesus, we intentionally meet all people (Christian and non-Christian) where they are, both physically and spiritually. Matthew 28:19-20

Applicable SFC Brah-verb:  Brahverb #12

Know the culture you are ministering to. Learn the lingo before you share your testimony thing-o. Don’t share your testimony in German if you’re ministering to Joe Cuba.

 STORY:

I just finished an interesting book by Carl Medearis called “Speaking of Jesus”. It is focused on putting all “churchianity” aside to focus on the Savior, Jesus, when talking to non-believers.

He even goes so far as to suggest that we call ourselves “Jesus followers” rather than “Christians” as the idea of Christianity has developed various negative connotations amongst the non-believing world in our culture – mostly judgmental, hypocritical and the like.

The book has caused me to reflect on a lift ride I had with a guy in his twenties last season. This guy told me he was a Buddhist and life was all about seeking “the inner peace”. I wasn’t exactly sure what that meant and wasn’t too knowledgeable about Buddhism, so I asked some questions about how one goes about obtaining this “inner peace”.

Although he couldn’t really explain it – it was easy to see that this concept was more of a vaguely personalized ideal to him than a lifestyle of serenity. His bride sat between us, and she remained very silent and distant. What this young man COULD tell me, however, was that Christianity was evil because of the Crusades and a zillion other shortcomings.

I told him that my belief was not centered on the “Christianity” that he was talking about, but the “Christianity” of the Bible – and I said it just so happened that I know the author of inner peace personally!

The lift-ride was ending and I asked him this question, “Looking at this beautiful snow, the trees and the mountains – can you believe that this was NOT just a random happening, but an intentional gift from a Creator?” He answered definitely, “No.”

 Application for SHRED LIFE:

I had an eight minute lift ride to share my heart and I felt I could have done a much better job, but his book by Carl Medearis has helped me understand a little bit more about our culture’s “baggage” with the idea of Christianity. I’ve got some different ideas for the next time I find myself in one of these off-the-cuff chairlift spiritual conversations.

I can’t defend the history of the church, I can’t dump on a guy’s passion for inner peace, but I can tell him about Jesus – that He is the source of inner peace and is ready for us to cast all our cares upon Him.

It’s not about me and my pursuit of inner peace or righteous living – it’s all about a relationship with Jesus and what He can do in us. I just pray, as I learn more about this culture, I can learn to relate that more effectively.

 _{Look up these scriptures:} Philippians 4:4-9

ASK: Do you have friends who would never go to church with you, but who would easily go shred with you? How can you learn to be sensitive to your friends’ needs and be the light of Jesus to them in “their language”?

It has just been announced that the discount on early registration for the Action Sports Ministry Conference (which is also SFC USA’s national conference this year) has been extended until the end of April.  The conference will be held in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida this October 9th-12th.  This is a definite DO-NOT-MISS opportunity to get encouraged and equipped to share Christ with the shred culture and rub shoulders with some amazing people!

Click the image above or head to http://www.actionsportsconference.org to sign up!

Highlighted SFC Value:  B.R.I.D.G.E.

“Gospel” - The most important thing in our lives is the Good News; we readily share that message of hope in our words and deeds. John 8:12

Applicable SFC Brah-verb:   Brahverb #26

“There are many ways down the mountain but only one way to God: Jesus Christ!”

Jesus Christ is the only way. There are zero options.

STORY:

We live in a world of pluralism. There is more than one. There are choices, options, and different ways of thinking, doing, and feeling. According to the World Christian Encyclopedia (2000), global Christianity has 33,820 denominations! Accurate or not that is a ton of different views just within Christianity. People believe that getting to heaven and getting into right standing with God is like the many different paths that lead down the mountain. Along with this view, many believe they can simply take the cat-walk over to the next trail if it looks more fun.

However, Christianity is extremely exclusive. It denies all other options for humanity to be saved and set into right relationship with God. Jesus claimed this exclusivity when he said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). It’s simple. There are zero options. But how can Jesus be so exclusive? Why can’t we find our own path to God?

Jesus was born of a virgin. A voice from heaven proclaimed him as the Son of God when he was baptized. Jesus healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, made the lame walk, cast demons out of people and raised people from the dead. The religious leaders were baffled by his teachings. The wind and waves obeyed his commands. He forgave people’s sins. Jesus set people free from lives of prostitution, deceit, greed, religious piety, leprosy, and being complete outcasts. Jesus was tempted but never sinned. He forgave those who hung him on a cross to die. He rose from the dead. Try claiming that trick from the drop-in.

Bro, lets be real. Whoever walks out of his own grave, is WHOEVER HE SAYS HE IS! Jesus told us, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Period. Zero options. Jesus is the only way.

I don’t know of any other religion whose god has done the things Jesus did. Buddha is dead. Muhammad is dead. Gandhi is dead. Confucius is dead. Joseph Smith is dead. Jesus is alive! Jesus is God and God is perfect, holy, the Creator of the world, the Creator of you and me. He makes the rules. Imperfect beings, such as you and me, cannot become perfect, as God requires “perfection” without the intervention of a perfect being, namely Jesus. God sent Jesus to pay the penalty of sin for us. Jesus died in our place. God took the initiative and intervened on our behalf. Something only He can do because He is perfect; only HE can make us perfect. Only Christ can bring us back into a right relationship with God. Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to God. That’s just the way it is.

_{Look up these scriptures:} John 14:1-11

Highlighted SFC Value:  B.R.I.D.G.E.

“Believing” – Our faith is grounded in biblical truth. We, as the body of Christ, pursue a lifestyle of prayer and worship. Psalm 119:105

Applicable SFC Brah-verb:   Brahverb #15

“Should I send it?” “I don’t know, the season total is less than a foot. I wouldn’t.” Make sure there’s a decent base before you drop it. Like early season snow, if our faith is shallow, we run the risk of being thrashed by spiritual rocks and stumps. Pray and study the Word to shore up your “spiritual base.”

 STORY:

As an older retired guy, I’ve been fascinated by the concept of “like-ing” and “friend-ing” in the growing social media culture. It’s really fun to see new followers of our ministry’s Facebook and website.

The interesting part is that I don’t even really know some of these people who are liking our posts or becoming our “friends”, but I’m happy to have these new mystery friends, because it means they are being exposed to the messages we post.

Sometimes I “friend” someone because one of their posts really interests me or I find the resources useful. But sometimes that “friending” results in an avalanche of emails, texts and other notifications that I never really wanted.

So are we really friends? Is that really what friendship means in our culture today? A bunch of junk mail? Enough already! I really just wanted these “friendships” to be one-way so I could pick and choose what parts of this “friendship” that I wanted.

I think lots of people treat Jesus like they treat Facebook “friends”. We’re interested in Him if it’s entertaining for us or if He can “do something” for us.

I find myself talking to lots of people about God and His Son, and I’m still amazed at the popular response, “Well, he was a good teacher”. Or even, “Yeah, I’ve heard of him, and he’s pretty cool I guess…”

We can’t be satisfied with just “FRIENDING” Jesus in the casual, non-committed way we are friends on Facebook, keeping “connected” with random acquaintances from a distance. Or the way we are only friends with our favorite restaurant so that we can get discounts. Even the term “follow” has become skewed, as people now “follow” Jesus like they would news feeds or the daily snow reports.

The Bible defines a relationship with Jesus in a drastically more serious tone. Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth and the life – no man comes to the Father, but by me.” Jesus says, “Follow me and I’ll make you fishers of men!” Jesus was talking about a committed, sold-out dedication to Him, not a shallow, at-a-distance Facebook kind of following.

 Application for SHRED LIFE:

Jesus wants more than a friendship with us – He wants all of us! Jesus is calling you and me to be His followers – His sold-out disciples! Instead of hearing us agree, “Ok, I’ll add him as a friend,” He wants to hear us say, “I love You, Jesus, with all my heart and with all my soul and with all my strength and with all my mind!” He wants us to sell-out to him and abandon our old sinful lifestyles.

 _{Look up these scriptures:} John 14:6_, Luke 9:23

ASK: How does Jesus “up the ante” in the Luke 9:23 passage? How does this level of “selling out” to Jesus challenge us?

Highlighted SFC Value:  B.R.I.D.G.E.

“Engaging” - Like Jesus, we intentionally meet all people (Christian and non-Christian) where they are, both physically and spiritually. Matthew 28:19-20

Applicable SFC Brah-verb:   Brahverb #28

“Be a neighbor-lover bro…”

It’s not about ‘who’ your neighbor is. It’s about ‘being’ a neighbor in a selfless way.

STORY:

Jesus said to love your neighbor as yourself. That means the things that you do for yourself, the things you pursue, you are to do for your neighbor. You are to pursue your neighbor’s needs with the same effort and ferocity that you pursue things for yourself. Every time you eat, think about if you have fed your neighbor. Every time you buy something, ask yourself, “When was the last time I bought something like this for my neighbor?” Every time you go to work, think about spending half your paycheck on your neighbor. Could you buy an extra snowboard for my neighbor when you buy yours?! That is wicked radical! How is that possible?! How can I love my neighbor as much as I love myself? Come on, really?!

The Apostle Paul said, “I consider my life worth nothing to me” (Acts 20:24, NIV), because he had something greater than life itself! As we seek after and live in Christ, His love is in us. His all-powerful, amazing, beautiful love that drove Him all the way to the cross to die in my place; that same love, is in me! Because His love is in me, I am fulfilled, I am satisfied by Christ. (Matthew 5:6, John 4:13-14; 10:10) I no longer need to pursue the things of this world to attain love, I need nothing, and therefore I am able to give freely to my neighbor. Because I have all that I need in Christ, I can give all to my neighbor. I can love my neighbor as myself!

In the story in Luke 10:25-37 the dude raises a great question, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus responds by telling the parable of the Good Samaritan. Notice, Jesus’s response doesn’t answer the guy’s question directly, but reveals a heart issue in him. Jesus focuses not on “who is my neighbor?” but rather on, “who was being a neighbor?” to the guy who got all jacked up in the parable. Jesus purposely turned the man’s outward focus inward to reveal the man’s heart. His heart was concerned with who should receive love (as if he might run out of it).

Instead of wondering who your neighbor is, be a neighbor! Maybe your neighbor is rich, maybe homosexual, maybe they’re intimidating, maybe an addict, maybe they’re an arrogant skier or that obnoxious snowboarder in the lift line, maybe they’re old and cranky. Jesus wasn’t concerned with who your neighbor is. God’s love is for everyone regardless of who they are. Christ is concerned with you being a neighbor lover.

 Application for SHRED LIFE:

This week, be challenged by these two things. First loving your neighbor as yourself really does mean ‘as yourself’ and it is possible, because our needs are satisfied in Christ. Secondly, it’s not about WHO your neighbor is, rather it’s about BEING a neighbor. Be a neighbor-lover this week and do it in such a radical way that demonstrates to the world that your heart and treasure is in Christ alone!

_{Look up these scriptures: Luke 10:25-37}

Highlighted SFC Value:  B.R.I.D.G.E.

“DOING” – We selflessly demonstrate our love for Jesus by putting others ahead of ourselves and serving one another, the local communities we live in, and the entire snowriding culture. Matthew 5:16

Applicable SFC Brah-verb:   Brahverb #14

Cultivate a No-Shotgun-Lifestyle. “Shotgun! I called it.” “Hey, Jonny, the first shall be last, bro; the first shall be last.” Live selflessly. Put others be- fore yourself. Live the example. People will notice and ask why.

STORY:

I spent a night in Steamboat Springs, a town with that rustic old ski town feel with a bar on every corner.

The SFC guys there inherited an old resort van that had been handed down to local rafting companies and rec departments before landing in their lap.  They prayerfully decided to serve their community by offering a free taxi shuttle after the bars closed at night.

We were there to christen their new van in prayer before the snow fell for the winter.  One of their leaders, a kayak guide in the summer, fittingly prayed, “God, let this vehicle be an ark, transporting people home safely.”  Their next leader prayed, “Lord, when people step into this van let them experience Your glory.”

Then God lead me to pray “God let this van be like the ARK of the covenant where your glory dwells.”  We all laughed at the picture of God’s mystical, noble presence filling the air of that old, run-down van.  Sometimes when we think of God’s glory in its concentrated form, we imagine a kind of holy soupiness that fills the air and anyone who comes into contact with it is blasted and overcome by His presence.

Sometimes, God DOES work that way, but it seems often times He works in quieter and sneakier ways.  The bible says things like, “know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with ALL THE FULLNESS of God,” and, “WE are God’s workmanship, created in Christ to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” and even, “so that they may see your good works and give glory to God in heaven.”

So, it seems that people tend to experience God’s glory more often THROUGH OUR ACTIONS; through the miraculous changes that God is performing in us.  When we are willing to lay down our selfishness to serve others and make the difficult inner decision to choose the Spirit over our own desires, God uses us to influence others in a way that we may not even realize.

Let’s take a step back…how crazy is this?! God, the Creator of the entire Universe (the known and “yet to be known” Universe) has chosen you and me to be His catalyst, His vessel, His ark to carry His presence all around this giant ball of rock hurtling through space, all in order to reveal Himself to the world!

What an honor. What a privilege. What a picture of extreme grace and mercy; the King of the world reaching down to redeem us, His fallen Creation only to restore them to a place of family and fellowship!

Application for SHRED LIFE:

And to take that honor and privilege one step further, the Creator of the Universe has allowed us to serve Him within the fun, laid-back shred culture. Talk about privilege. Talk about honor. Talk about a people who should live in a perpetual state of thankfulness and heightened gratitude! The next time one of our fellow shredders asks about how our day is going, may we remember this truth and share it.

A lot of this visible glory that God allows us to share with others starts in the quiet places of our own hearts; when we’re confronted with daily decisions, when we humble ourselves before God and follow the still small voice of the Holy Spirit and choose the Spirit over the flesh.

_{Look up this scripture:   Ephesians 3:9, Ephesians 2:10, Matthew 5:16}

ASK: How are you allowing God to reveal Himself to the shred kids around you? How should a major truth like this change our posture towards others on the hill? How does “the hype” of MY tricks and MY style and MY image and MY fun pale in comparison to this identity as one of God’s chosen vessels; as a vessel purposed for spreading His glory?

Highlighted SFC Value:  B.R.I.D.G.E

“Gospel” – The most important thing in our lives is the Good News; we readily share that message of hope in our words and deeds. John 8:12

Applicable SFC Brah-verb:  Brahverb #13

JESUS is worth talking about.

 STORY:

A couple years ago, a lady who was finishing up her psychology degree contacted me through a friend and asked if I would take a survey. She was researching the mental block that happens when athletes try to come back from a serious injury. Although, I thought a couple broken bones didn’t necessarily qualify as a “serious injury,” she had me run through the survey anyway.

I warned her later that the results she finds from shredders may be a little less telling of the mental block most athletes feel. I think shredders are just, by nature, a little more daring than most athletes.

I was recently coaching this camper, JaneDoe, who wanted so badly to get upside down. She had been shredding for years and wanted to flip since she started. She was certainly good enough, so I explained each step to her and was encouraging her to try it. She would say, “I’m doing it!” and then proceed to just roll over the knuckle. She had wanted to flip for so long, but never made the commitment. So, over the years she had created a mental block about the dangers of getting upside down. Now, even though we’d walked through every step of the trick she knew HOW to do it, but couldn’t pull the trigger.

Other kids would see her trying to work up the courage and they would roll up and say, “I want to try it too! ” I’d explain the same 3-step process to them and they would go down and chuck themselves. Fearless. Many of them landed on their first try.

Later that evening, to everyone’s surprise, Jane committed and came up just a little short. When she got to the top, she said, “Oh wow. That wasn’t so bad. What was I so afraid of?!”

A couple coaching tips and in two more tries Jane was comfortably landing them.

Jane had allowed her fears of getting upside down to keep her from trying. Even though she knew the steps to take, she had let fear bind her up.

Application for SHRED LIFE:

As Christians, we are told by the popular media that we are judgmental and hypocritical and that sharing what Jesus has done in our lives is wrong. Many Christians have let fear of what others will think of them keep them from telling people about how awesome Jesus is. Don’t let fear bind you up. We as shredders are daring people. Drop in. Go for it.

COACHING ANALOGY:

Understanding the body mechanics of the trick + the daring attempt = bag o’ tricks!

Understanding “the hope in you…with gentleness and respect” + the daring words = LIFE!

 _{Look up these scriptures:} 1 Peter 3:15_,

ASK: Why are we afraid to share with our friends what Jesus has done in our lives? What is the difference between “Bible bashing” and what Peter explains in this verse? What are some practical ways we can strike up a “Jesus-conversation” with our friends without being judgmental or hypocritical?

Highlighted SFC Value: B.R.I.D.G.E

“Believing” - Our faith is grounded in Biblical truth. We, as the body of Christ, pursue a lifestyle of prayer and worship. Psalm 119:105

Throughout the Bible, God is continually exhorting his people to “remember.” Remember where I brought your from. Remember how I provided for you in the wilderness. Remember what I did here. Remember who you are and to whom you belong. He continually reminds us because we have a diabolical ability to continually forget these very important things. When our life is going really well, we forget God and take the credit for where we are and for how things are going. When things take a turn for the worse we either think that we did something wrong and we’re being punished OR that we did nothing wrong but God is unjust in bringing this trial on us. These responses are wrong. God leads us and builds in us a trust in Him so that regardless of the circumstances we know that He is in control. Thus, in all circumstances we can and should be looking for how it is that he wants to use us, no matter how dire the situation. 2 Corinthians 4

Applicable SFC Brah-verb: Brahverb #21

Whether I shred on the highest mountain in the deepest powder or make my bed in the world of despair, You are there. Ps. 139:8

STORY: God Is There. Even In the Dark

When Corrie Ten Boom was a young girl, she would travel with her Father, a watch maker, to Amsterdam so that he could set his watch according to the Naval Observatory time. On one occasion when she was six, she asked him what “sex-sin” was having heard this word as school. Sex, she thought, was whether a person was a boy or a girl. And sin, she knew, was something that made her aunt very mad. The two together didn’t make any sense at all. Usually her father was glad to answer questions. This time however he remained silent. When they were getting off of the train, her father took down his traveling case that was now full of watches and spare parts and set it on the floor. Then he asked her to carry for him. When she tried she found that the case was too heavy and she could not lift it. Then her father said, “Yes. And it would be a pretty poor father who would ask his little girl to carry such a load. It’s the same way, Corrie, with knowledge. Some knowledge is too heavy for children. When you are older and stronger you can bear it. For now you must trust me to carry it for you.”

Many years later, as a penalty for hiding Jews from the Germans, Corrie and her sister found themselves in Ravensbruck, a concentration camp in Germany. Here they experienced true horror. In barracks designed to hold 400 men were crammed 1600 women who had to sleep on lice infested, putrid hay mats. At 4 AM they were forced to stand at attention for hours, even in the dead of winter, while they heard the screams of people being tortured. They worked 11 hour days and were practically starved. There was no medical attention. The bathrooms were overflowing with raw sewage. Death was a daily reality. In the middle of this hellhole, Corrie found herself asking the Lord how He could allow this. Then she remembered her father’s words, “For now you must trust me to carry it for you.” And she found that she could trust Him because He had proven himself time and again throughout her life. And because of this confidence in God, even in the midst of this deep sorrow, anguish, and humiliation she and her sister not only experienced God’s continued provision for them but they found that they had the strength to minister to those around them. Corrie lived to tell this story. Her sister Betsie died in the concentration camp. In the end, Corrie came to understand that our truest hiding place was to simply be in God’s will. As for the questions, she found she could trust God to carry them for her.

Application for the SHRED LIFE:

As we shred, what are we learning about who God is? In our day on the mountain are we asking the Lord, “How do you want to use us today?” If our shred life were stripped from us, would we be able to rest in His will for us?

Highlighted SFC Value:  B.R.I.D.G.E.

“Doing” - We selflessly demonstrate our love for Jesus by putting others ahead of ourselves and serving one another, the local communities we live in, and the entire snowriding culture. Matthew 5:16

“Prove it Bobby Bigtalker, point it, huck it and stick it…”

Faith without action is dead. Faith and works must exist together.

STORY:

When I was just a grom, I wanted to prove that the Bible was not always true. So I started reading and found a contradiction between Ephesians 2:8-9 and James 2:24. Paul writes in Ephesians, “For it is by graceyou have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works,so that no one can boast” (NIV). Whereas James writes, “a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone” (NIV). Faith and works are often placed in opposite corners of the ring ready to battle because of these two verses. However as I studied the scripture I learned that faith and works are not opponents but different players on the same team.

Faith is invisible. It is the “confidence in what we hope forand assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1, NIV). By this faith in Jesus Christ that we are saved as the apostle Paul says. Faith gives us the capacity to do good works. Works are visible. They prove faith exists. “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:17, NIV) and works without faith is legalism.

Take it to the jump line in your local park. Bobby Bigtalker is calling a switch rodeo nine off the booter. He has confidence and hope that he’ll land this trick even though he has never tried it. He believes he can do it. He has faith. I tell Bobby to quit jawin’ about it, point it, huck it and stick it. But he just straight airs the jump and never tries the trick. Unless he tries it (works) his belief that he can do it (faith) is simply empty. Bobby has faith without works and it is dead, useless and pointless.

Again faith and works are different players but they are on the same team. We are saved by faith alone for good works. If we don’t do anything about our faith, our faith is not real and has not saved us. Faith that is saving is faith that moves you to action. If faith is real and saving, then works, actions and behaviors will prove it.

Application for SHRED LIFE:

Titus 1:16 brings the heat, “They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good” (NIV). John 13:35 gives us clear simple direction, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, [if you do something] if you love one another” (NIV). This is my challenge for you: you say you believe in God? Prove it! What are you going to do about it this week? I dare you to.

_{Look up these scriptures:}  Ephesians 2:8-10, James 2:14-26

Highlighted SFC Value:  B.R.I.D.G.E.

“Relationships” – We intentionally build up our community, connecting people to the global network of Christian riders and the body of Christ. Romans 13:8

Applicable SFC Brah-verb:   Brahverb #19

Jesus’ job is change; ours is love. Love unconditionally. Love with no agenda other than, “This is how Jesus calls me to live.” True, selfless love speaks volumes about our integrity and the truth of Jesus’ life-changing power in our lives. But we aren’t responsible for changing people. We’re just the messengers.

 STORY:

Rachel was our “coffee lady” at the resort for two years. She always had a smile and a hug for us and was extra excited when we came by with our weekly Sunday “Jesus loves you” cookies.

We invited Rachel to our Sunday night dinners and some of our other events, but she never came (even though she said she would numerous times). It would have been easy to give up on Rachel, but she seemed to truly enjoy our visits and three-minute chats waiting for our cup of coffee – so we didn’t give up.

Just this past week she told us that she was leaving because she was ready to get a “real job” and pursue “reality” after playing at the resort for two years. I must say our hearts sank because we had such higher hopes in building our relationship with Rachel. My last words to her were, “Seek after God, Rachel…” She said she understood and would. She told Pat and me that we were really special to her and she would miss us greatly.

What we realized is that not every relationship we make in the shred community is going to work out like we expect it should or how we want it to. We tried to get Rachel to connect on a deeper spiritual level while she was in town and if that was the only reason we spent time with Rachel, then it seems like we failed.

But after having some time to think about our relationship with Rachel, our motives were as right as our best efforts could make them. In hindsight, perhaps we did everything we could have done in Rachel’s life, and that was simply casting the seed of Jesus’ love.

God knows Rachel’s heart – He knows her needs – He knows where she is in her relationship with Him. No one could know Rachel better or have a better plan for Rachel than Him.

 Application for SHRED LIFE:

Living in the transient shred culture that we live in, we have no choice than to give all of those relationships we’ve built, like Rachel, over to Jesus. We can only pray that each one of our friends who have moved on meets up with another person on their journey who will love them and nurture those little seeds we’ve planted with the water of Jesus’ love. Hopefully, someone will share Jesus’s message of Hope with them and get to see the fruit of their spiritual growth.

 _{Look up these scriptures:   1 Corinthians 3:5-9,}

ASK:  This is a tricky one. How can we “learn to let go” and trust God to finish the job of reaching our friends, but at the same time do justice to giving an honest effort to share our faith? What does that look like to be available to God in His timing and at the same time not controlling or overbearing?

Highlighted SFC Value:  B.R.I.D.G.E.

“Identity” – Like Jesus, we intentionally meet all people (Christian and non-Christian) where they are, both physically and spiritually. Matthew 28:19-20

How we come to understand ourselves is a very confusing and often-times difficult process especially when we have so many messages bombarding us every day telling us how we are to define ourselves. The Lord teaches us to understand what we are in light of who He is and who He made us to be. Jesus boiled all of the law and the prophets down into two commandments: (1) “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all you soul and with all your mind.” And (2) “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Mt 22:34-40 If we adhere to these commands, we will not only avoid being deceived and exploited by the god of this world but we will be freed to operate in the fashion for which we were designed and to experience life to the fullest this side of heaven.

Applicable SFC Brah-verb:   Brahverb #? (Mystery Brahverb)

To Shred is deceitful. To land a backside 9 is vain. But a shredder who fears the Lord shall be praised.

STORY:

In 1998 I moved to Summit County Colorado and joined in with the thousands of other adrenaline junkies to hit the mountains and “really live.” So I got a job in the ski industry teaching skiing. It was really just a way to get a free ski pass. I would stand at the back of line up hoping I wouldn’t get picked to teach so that I could go and shred.

I was also introduced to many “equations” of the Summit County life – all of which, in one way or another – said that if I did X then Y would happen. It was no coincidence that many others and myself found ourselves thinking along these lines. The advertising industry invests millions of dollars every year to engineer our thinking. Some of the equations we are sold are like the following: If I (X) move to the mountains for the ski bum lifestyle, then (Y) I will be happy. If I (X) jump into the party scene, complete with the alcohol, drugs and casual “hook-ups,” then (Y) I will find true fulfillment. If I ride on this board, I will be part of the rad community and life will be great. Obviously the equations are more subtle in nature but once you see them it is hard not to see them for what they really are: businesses reaching into your pocket and taking your money and the god of this world reaching into your soul to steal your happiness, joy, peace of mind, purity of heart, health of mind soul and body.

And now, having spent twelve years in the ski industry, I have seen in others lives and experienced in my own the outplaying of these bad equations and understand more accurately what is going on. By feeding us these equations, the world is “helping us” understand what we are. To “shred” is to be human. And so we believe the lie and invest our time, energy, and money trying to be as “human” as we can be. The problem is this: we end up running into a diminishing return on our investment and to get the same high as before, we have to invest more and more and more as we try to fill and infinite space with a finite commodity. Ultimately that which used to sustain us proves to be empty.

Jesus told us that the greatest commandment is to love God. By doing so, we understand that we are made in the image of God AND that we were made for Him. The development of our talents, the use of our time and allocation of our resources point to HIM as an act of worship and serve as the most fundamental definer of what we are as human beings. Then Jesus told us to love our Neighbor as ourselves. We grow to understand that to serve is better than to be served: to give, better than to receive: to live for others, better than to live for one’s self. By learning to walk with these two commandments we grow to understand what it truly means to be human and what it is to truly live. To be a shredder is fine.

Application for SHRED LIFE:

As you’re out on the mountain, talk about the equations that are being thrown at you on the mountain, in the movies, in the culture of your town. Call them out. Talk about them. What are they offering? And what is it they promise to deliver? Discuss the greatest commandments. How do they promise to offer life? And how do they change the way we view the “shred” life?

Highlighted SFC Value:  B.R.I.D.G.E.

“Engaging” – Like Jesus, we intentionally meet all people (Christian and non-Christian) where they are, both physically and spiritually. Matthew 28:19-20

Applicable SFC Brah-verb:   Brahverb #20

Name dropping? More like,“lame dropping.” If we are finding our identity in the celebrity status of our friends or in the attention we get from bragging about our abilities, we’ve overshot the landing, so to speak. Within the shred culture, this is taboo. Avoid it. You’re trying too hard.

STORY:

There are millions of participants, but for those who live within it, the ski and snowboard world feels very tight knit. And even more so, if your home mountain is a popular one frequented by professionals (who you see in the magazines and videos) you likely see or meet or ride a chair with the “faces” of the shred world. If you’re a backcountry shredder, more than likely you’ve skinned up behind (or have been passed by) pro shreds.

It’s a small, tight-knit industry. That’s just how it is. And it’s for that reason, when a new kid comes into town or goes to summer camp and meets a pro for the first time, he gets starry eyed and begins telling all of his friends about it. This is taboo in the shred world and the culprit is referred to as a “name dropper.”

One early-season morning many years ago I was headed to the mountain to spend two hours in the park before work. The lifts had just begun to turn, and my first lap through the park it was empty. In my quiet time that morning, God had been challenging me in my relationship-building, so I said, “Okay, Lord, let me meet someone today who challenges me.”

On my second lap through the park, there was one person there, and he was hiking a rail by himself, and I said out loud, “Yep. That’s the guy.”

I introduced myself, asked if I could hike it with him and asked where he was from.

“I know a bunch of pros up here that I stay with like all the time,” was his response. It was so overtly name-dropping that I almost laughed out loud. Then I realized he was serious. He quickly rattled off the names of three local pros and mispronounced two of their names. His efforts to impress me with a list of his friends was so overt and such a hard pill to swallow that I laughed at how the Lord had responded to my prayer from just minutes ago.

So…I invited him to SFC.

Some of the “regulars” at SFC came up to me after our meeting and said, “wow, that dude is quite the name dropper,” but we recognized that this dude WAS DESPERATELY LOOKING FOR GENUINE RELATIONSHIPS.

Every week, he’d come back to SFC and over the course of a year or so, he began following Jesus, and one day over a meal, I brought up the name-dropping issue. He said, “I know I’ve always been a bit self-conscious and insecure, but I had no idea that I was doing that.”

Application for SHRED LIFE:

Sometimes, our actions are so overtly telling of our insecurities that they are easily seen by others, even if we don’t see them at all. But the Truth of God’s Word spoken in a respectful relationship brings fruit in our lives and the lives of those around us.

Now, we talk about “if you’re name-dropping, it better be the name of Jesus.”

_{Look up these scriptures:} Matthew 10:32-33 _{Phillipians 2:9-11 James 3:5-12}

ASK: When are we guilty of bragging or seeking attention from others? Are we sensitive to hear the Holy Spirit’s leading when we let our insecurities show? How do we respond to the loud guy in the lift line crying out for attention? How would Jesus have acted if he were a shredder? How can we challenge each other to overcome those insecurities in our lives?

Highlighted SFC Value:  B.R.I.D.G.E.

“Believing” – Our faith is grounded in biblical truth. We, as the body of Christ, pursue a lifestyle of prayer and worship. Psalm 119:105

Applicable SFC Brah-verb:   Brahverb #14

No-Shotgun-Lifestyle. “Shotgun!” “Hey, Jonny, the first shall be last, bro; the first shall be last.” Live selflessly. Put others before yourself. Live the example. People will notice and ask why.

STORY:

When I go back to visit my family, we spend a lot of time hanging out in the yard, which just seems to make sense, as we were one of those families that didn’t have a lot growing up. Our favorite thing we had to play with growing up was “the outside” so we grew up in the rocks and dirt of our family’s 7-generations-old farmland.

My grandfather had his Masters in “gardening” and lived on the same plot of land with us, so we spent countless years of our lives picking beans and shucking corn and trimming the apple trees and grape arbors. Tomatoes, pumpkins, squash…his gardens provided us plenty of chores.

Often, we had no idea what the rows of plants in his gardens were, I mean they all look exactly the same until they begin producing little veggies or fruits. I remember pulling all of the “weeds” in an entire garden one day only later to learn that they were actually premature, fruit-bearing plants. We got in so much trouble, and certainly never saw the 2 bucks that we were supposed to be paid for the job. Haha.

Jesus loved to speak in parables using examples that the people around him (farmers and shepherds) could relate with. In the parable of the sower, He spoke of His followers as ones who received His words and produced fruit.

As the spiritual beings that we are, our lives produce “fruit.” Our sinful nature, when obeyed, will produce bad fruit; sin and destruction and all kinds of sadness and shallowness and hurt, but as followers of Christ, we have the Holy Spirit living inside of us. A life lived by the Spirit of God produces GOOD fruit. Have you ever had an amazing piece of fruit? One where it’s just perfectly sweet and juicy and just the right texture and its so good you almost can’t savor it enough? Have you ever looked at a piece of fruit and thought, “that looks amazing!” and then first bite it’s all soft or rotten or wormy? Nasty. Or come home after vacation and your house just smells of old rotten fruit? Bummer.

Our lives are either producing sweet, delicious fruit that everyone wants to join in (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control) or they are producing gross rotten fruit that no one wants to be around or taste or smell (fighting, selfishness, conceit, envy, gossip, drunkenness, depression, hate).

 Application for SHRED LIFE:

Fill your life with the Spirit of God and allow His words to till the soil of your heart. Follow His leading and guiding, tending your faith as it grows in Him, and then allow Him and the shredders all around you to enjoy the fruit of your life.

_{Look up these scriptures:}Galatians 5:16-26

ASK: Does the fruit of your life reveal you to be a rotten old MeTree when you’re on the hill or a delicious fruit-bearing HeTree? How can we be sure we are encouraging each other in bearing GOOD fruit?

Applicable SFC Value: B.R.I.D.G.E.

“Gospel” – the most important thing in our lives is the Good News; we readily share that message of hope in our words and deeds. John 8:12

Applicable SFC Brah-verb:  BRAH-verb #24

“The gospel is not a suggestion…”

The gospel is a demand from God for sinners to be reconciled with God through Jesus Christ.

STORY:

One major issue has been getting a lot of attention lately between me and my local SFC buddies. The gospel.

What is the gospel? I know that I am supposed to be sharing the gospel. I have heard of gospel music. People say, “That’s the gospel truth” as if this gospel qualifies even truth itself. Then there is the Bible, that is called the gospel too, right? Or is the gospel just the story of Jesus recorded in the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John? If that’s the case how am I to share the gospel on a two or five minute chairlift ride? What really is the gospel?

We are not sharing the gospel with someone when we say that God has a purpose for their life, or that Jesus loves them, or even that they can have a personal relationship with Jesus. That is diluted and is not the gospel. First we must understand our problem: sin. We are separated from the only holy and righteous God because of sin, we are sinners and therefore we deserve nothing but death. Second we must understand God’s intervention to save us. God sent Jesus Christ to die in our place and be raised from the dead so that through faith in Christ alone we can be reconciled with God and be with God for eternity.

The gospel is a demand from God for sinners to be reconciled with God through Jesus Christ. It is not a suggestion. It requires a response, either repentance of sin or denial of Christ. The hearer’s response results in either salvation or continued damnation. “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). It is then that a person is forgiven and promised life with God for eternity. This gospel is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16).

Application for SHRED LIFE:

The only reason we, as shredders, are still on planet earth is to share the Gospel. (Matthew 24:14) We can worship God better in heaven. We can experience love and life beyond anything this world will ever know when we reach heaven. Fellowship will be greater in heaven. Our desires will be fully satisfied in heaven (not even in the sickest park or deepest pow). The one and only reason we remain on this planet is to preach the Gospel. Go and share what the Gospel is, this good news, this power of God so that our friends (and even total strangers) in the shred culture might be saved and then the end will come!

Check out this super inspiring video from our friend Propaganda: http://vimeo.com/20960385

You should read: Romans 3:23, 6:23, 5:8, 10:9

Highlighted SFC Value:  B.R.I.D.G.E.

“Relationships” – We intentionally build up our community, connecting people to the global network of Christian riders and the body of Christ. Romans 13:8

Applicable SFC Brah-verb:   Brahverb #3

If you’re not plugged into a local church or if you’re building relationships without sharing Christ, you’re a bridge to nowhere. The SFC bridge to Jesus and the church is a two-way bridge. Make room for more lanes.

 STORY:

Mindy was from the South, and this girl could COOK! We first met Mindy when she showed up to a Bible study where I was frantically cooking hotdogs and mac n’ cheese before playing music and sharing from the Word. Thankfully, she asked, (with her fun Southern drawl) “Y’all need some help in the kitchen?” She never let me cook again.

Years later, when Mindy moved away, we were kind of freaking out, because no one…and I mean NO ONE wanted to eat what I was cooking. Right around that same time, someone asked me to come and share with the Women’s Bible Study at one of our local churches.

Women’s Bible study is a place where no young man belongs. It is a scary and intimidating place. I nervously stood with nothing prepared and explained how God had called my friends and me, through a series of events, to reach out to the shred kids in our community. And in an attempt to meet the needs of these shred kids, we were serving them through genuine relationships, Bible studies, free wax, coffee and food.

What we learned was that the older ladies in our church were not psyched to go shredding. They thought shredding meant getting rid of old documents. Although, they WERE in fact familiar with the droves of young people smoking weed and hanging around our town all winter. They told me, “We’ve tried a dozen different types of events to reach those kids, but they never come, and now you have 70 of them HERE in the church twice a week?! Can we help?”

In one of those fun God-moments, one thing lead to another and soon we had dozens of ladies on a cooking list for all of our meetings for the entire season. It was a puzzle-piece match made in Heaven.

Their set of skills was different from my set of skills. And my set of skills was not theirs. I had tried my hand at their skills and failed. They tried their hands at mine and failed. But as a community, as a Body, we could serve our community in an AMAZING way that honored God and offered all of us a chance to serve together.

Towards the end of the season, this inked-up dude who would come and hang out at SFC was standing with me outside the church and an older lady walked up and he said, “Oh heeeyyy, Miss G!” And she said, “Heyyy, John, how are you?”

After she left, I said, how do YOU know HER? He said, “She dropped off food that one night and then I saw her in the grocery store last week. She’s cool.”

 Application for SHRED LIFE:

Sometimes, we’re guilty of thinking we have to DO everything ourselves when there are others around us with complimenting gifts and talents, waiting for us to ask.  What’s worse is that sometimes in the Church, we let our differences come between us. Often, we as followers of Jesus, especially those of us “on the front lines” put down the work of the Church. We say judgmental things like, “THEY don’t get it,” or “They’re no help.”

That is an arrogant, unbiblical and offensive way of viewing God’s Church. The Church is the Body of Christ. WE are the Church. If it’s operating poorly, we’re to blame. When we set ourselves against the Body of Christ, we’re setting ourselves up for failure. When we see the beauty of God in each other or when we commit to working together, despite our differences, God moves in a RADICAL way. And the spoils of working together can be…well, delicious!

 _{Look up these scriptures:  1 Corinthians 12:12-27}

ASK: How are you trying to work together with the Body of Christ? What is your place in the Body? What practical way can you serve your church with your complimenting gifts?

Highlighted SFC Value:  B.R.I.D.G.E.

“Doing” – We selflessly demonstrate our love for Jesus by putting others ahead of ourselves and serving one another, the local communities we live in, and the entire snowriding culture. Matthew 5:16

Applicable SFC Brah-verb:   Brahverb #10

“Dude, SFC USA for life, bro! But I’m moving to Cali next week….” Have a committed team. Be sure to communicate expectations of commitment.

STORY:

While on a mission trip in Cambodia, I met a man. Let’s call him Ken. Ken and I sat with the leader of our team at a hotel restaurant in that evening mood-lighting that fancier restaurants are notorious for. The crystal glasses sparkled, and as a young 19-year old hillbilly, I remember feeling intimidated by the two extra forks beside my plate. Moreso, however, I remember as a wannabe missionary, I was enamored with Ken and his passion for seeing people miraculously healed.

Ken spoke very passionately about his history of seeing people miraculously healed. His stories were those of power. In one story Ken said God told him to punch an elderly gentleman in the stomach to cure him of a history of stomach ailments. He did and the man was healed. I couldn’t believe it!

Later that evening, Ken began lambasting the Church for its failed efforts around the world. The mission team we were on had plans to go to several villages and take part in manual labor, ministering to people through prayer and inviting the community to a revival service to be held at the local church later that week. Ken said he would have no part of it unless it was done HIS way. He had his agenda and refused to be a Team Player.

I remember being so frustrated. Why wouldn’t Ken join us? If he had such a heart for Jesus, why did he refuse to work with US, fellow members of Christ’s Body with intentions to minister to the community? That week, our team partnered with the local church and ended up seeing many people healed and come to Jesus. It was incredible! Why would Ken refuse to take part in the efforts of the whole team? No one from our team or from the local church heard from Ken again after that. I don’t know where Ken ended up, but after watching his grand display of immaturity and stubbornness, it caused me to question the truth of his earlier claims and left me feeling very sad for him.

On that trip I learned the power of working as a team. I learned that when we choose to be a Lone Ranger, we can hurt the mission of the entire team, and we risk missing out on opportunities to be the light of Jesus to others.

Application for SHRED LIFE:

The “Shred Nation” is considerably small, and there are even fewer of us who love Jesus within this culture. The small, New Testament church was constantly being attacked by members who were causing dissension through false teachings. The disciples spoke harsh words against those causing this division. It is very important for us as members of the Body of Christ (and especially as the limited number of Believers in our shred communities) to continue loving each other and working together to be the light of Jesus to our shred communities!

_{Look up these scriptures:}  1 Corinthians 12:12-26

ASK: How are we working towards partnering with the churches in our shred community? How can we avoid looking at other churches or other Christians with an “us versus them” perspective? Do we know other Believers that we might be able to make amends with?

Highlighted SFC Value:  B.R.I.D.G.E.

“Identity” – We enjoy living in the laid-back, recreation-focused culture, but we recognize the culture’s identity crisis. While we relate with the culture, we remain obedient to God’s Word and find our eternal identity in Him. 1 Peter 2:9

Applicable SFC Brah-verb:   Brahverb #16

Check yourself before you wreck yourself. If our motives (or identity) go unchecked, we can let ourselves get tripped up by shred hype or fun-dimensional thinking. Tripping up hurts. Test your motives (and identity) through prayer and the Word.

STORY:

My brother is a big dude. I mean BIG. For a while, he was bench-pressing like 415 pounds. Now he’s an electrician. He has a lot of those scary (but now funny) stories about getting zapped by large amounts of electricity. Imagining his giant frame being thrown the entire length of a room is kind of a scary thought…and he thinks I’m the crazy one for being a snowboarder.

I mean, I wouldn’t say I am “afraid” of electricity, but after hearing his stories, I have a “more than healthy respect” for the power of electricity. Truth be told, I don’t even like to change out light bulbs anymore. I’m probably that way because I don’t fully understand how electricity works. The most I know about electricity is that when I walk into a room and flip the light switch, the lights turn on. They just do. I don’t know how it all happens, but the lights come on regardless. I don’t need to understand it.

The other day I was talking with one of my fellow shredders about Ephesians 3:14-21 Where Paul tells the Ephesians that we as humans can be filled to “all the fullness of God.”

It’s one of those phrases from the Bible that suggests an idea so magnanimous that it almost makes your head spin. Theologians for centuries have commented on how this specific phrase bewilders and confounds our understanding. It sounds so radical! Think about it. “All the fullness of God” living in us?! It’s really hard to comprehend. Could the actual “fullness of God” really live in ME?! In me?! In all my shortcomings and everything else? That sounds hard to believe.

But even though it is difficult to understand, we believe it is 100% true. We as Believers have the “fullness of God” somehow pulsing through our beings in some mysterious way even though we don’t understand it.

Just like the light switch, whether we believe it fully or understand it at all, it’s true and it works. As Followers of Jesus, He has taken away all of our sin and lives in us in all the fullness of God. I am changed. I am no longer who I once was. I have a new identity. So, in the light of that gnarly truth, it seems absolutely silly that we should try and find our identity in our newest shred trick or sponsored status or our fashionable clothing or anything else so silly and fleeting. We have the fullness of the God of the Universe living in us! We are exactly who he has made us to be, and He is intimately in love with and at work in us. US! Yeah, the God of the Universe in all His fullness is living in a bunch of Jesus-loving shred kids! Insane, right?! It boggles our minds, but we know that it’s true.

Application for SHRED LIFE:

The challenge in this scripture is to “flip the switch” on your old way of thinking. Through Christ and the grace of God (and only by that grace), we are now so much more than we sometimes give ourselves credit. We are sons and daughters of God. We are capable of “all the fullness of God” living inside us. What an honor! What a privilege! Let this truth overflow into your daily shred life; how you see others, how you see yourself and how you see God’s creation.

_{Look up these scriptures:}  Ephesians 3:14-21

ASK: Most of us don’t think of ourselves as walking containers filled with the fullness of God. How does that differ from our normal perspective? What does this new identity do for you? Scare you? Recognize the honorable status God has freely given you? Fill you with a sense of responsibility?

Highlighted SFC Value:  B.R.I.D.G.E.

“Gospel” – The most important thing in our lives is the Good News; we readily share that message of hope in our words and deeds. John 8:12

Applicable SFC Brah-verb:   Brahverb #19

Jesus’ job is change; ours is love. Love unconditionally. Love with no agenda other than, “This is how Jesus calls me to live.” True, selfless love speaks volumes about our integrity and the truth of Jesus’ life-changing power in our lives. But we aren’t responsible for changing people. We’re just the messengers.

STORY:

There was this kid in town who seriously just ripped. He was the super quiet kid who never cracked a smile; always focused and serious and kind of always looked like he was scowling. But he stomped everything. He rode super hard. He got shots. He intimidated me and everyone else on the hill or in the skatepark.

He rarely talked to anyone, but after being in town for a while, we started to build some cred with him. We weren’t chummy by any stretch of the imagination, but if we saw him on the hill, he’d give us the head nod. Dude was just straight up intimidating. There was no other word for it. Then one day he texts and says, “Let’s go to the backcountry tonight after midnight. I wanna drop this cornice for a night shot,” and I’m like, “This dude is crazy. That cornice is stupid big, even in the daytime.” We went. I didn’t hit it.

Later, he began attending SFC and he would sit and stare at everyone during the entire half hour of worship. People would be singing and have their hands raised and he sat there staring, kind of confused-looking but stoic as always. He was stone cold. It was actually difficult to lead worship because when you would open your eyes, he was sitting there staring and intimidating. We found out that he was coming because he liked one of the girls who volunteered, and when she stopped coming, so did he.

Probably a year after he moved out of town, I ran into him and he had this huge smile on his face and this relaxed peacefulness about him. He was like, “Hey man! How are you? Dude, can we please hang out? It’s so rad to see you!” I had no idea how to respond. I was in shock. Who was this dude?! He was so calm and relaxed that anyone who wasn’t familiar with Jesus would’ve thought maybe he was high or something, but he wasn’t. I knew that this was a Jesus thing immediately. He said, “Me and some of the SFC dudes have been going to this church that just teaches the Bible. I love it. It’s SOOO good.”

I still have no idea at what point he began to follow Jesus and surrendered his life to God, but I am 100% sure he has met Jesus. He is a TOTALLY different person. His entire disposition has changed to one of joy and peace as opposed to intimidation and anger.

It’s wild how powerfully Jesus changes people’s lives and how the evidence can be soooo easy to see.

Jesus called Zacheus, a despised and dishonest tax collector to Himself and Zacheus climbed out of the tree, went straight to his house and gave four times the amount back to those he had cheated. True encounters with Jesus change people. It’s just that simple.

 Application for SHRED LIFE:

Each of us who have encountered the life-changing power of Jesus have a story to tell. There are dudes I shred with maybe once a week who are continuously looking for the next big thing. I’ve developed solid relationships with them. I’ve been praying for them, and I’m praying for more opportunities to talk about what they’re “seeking” in life and share with them about how Jesus came to “seek and save that which was lost” and share what He’s done in me.

_{Look up these scriptures:  Luke 19:1-10}

ASK: Are you praying for the people you meet on the hill? How often do you pray for an opportunity to share your story with these friends of yours? Would you and your buddies commit to taking a couple minutes to pray for your friends before you get on the hill this week?

Highlighted SFC Value: B.R.I.D.G.E

“Engaging” - Like Jesus, we intentionally meet all people (Christian and non-Christian) where they are, both physically and spiritually. Matthew 28:19-20

Applicable SFC Brah-verb: Brahverb #10

“Never forsake the gospel for the sake of the relationship…”

If you truly love someone, you will share the truth with them today

STORY:

No doubt you have heard different opinions and arguments on same-sex marriage. Often folks say that as Christians we are to just love people and to be loving, we are to be a people of tolerant acceptance. However, there is a difference between showing a person Gods love and accepting someone’s behaviors and beliefs. In other words, loving others is not the same as tolerating sin.

At a conference recently, well-known evangelist Louis Palau invited Portland, Oregon’s openly homosexual mayor Tom Potter onto the stage to speak about their partnership in addressing the cities issues of homelessness, trafficking, etc. The Louis Palau Association, a Christian organization, partnered with a progressively secular city government to serve the needs of the disadvantaged in their community.

The Mayor and Palau discussed that although they did not agree on the issue of homosexuality, they were able to work together. In this daring example the Palau Association demonstrated the ability to love others without backing down on their understanding of truth and the results have been astounding!

Being that SFC is a relationally based ministry we constantly talk about loving people in this way. But where does this love come from? Is it truly the love of Christ? If the love we are sharing with others is really from Christ, why are we afraid to stand on the truth that Christ proclaimed? Often I am afraid of rejection. This fear holds me back and excuses me from sharing truth. Far too often we rely on ‘relational evangelism’ to excuse ourselves from boldly sharing the truth of Jesus Christ because we fear rejection. We excel at building ‘relationships’ with people and disregard the ‘evangelism’ aspect. We forsake the gospel for the sake of the relationship. In essence we say that we love people, yet we withhold the very truth that will set them free because we fear our own rejection. My friends, that is a selfish endeavor not rooted in the love of Jesus Christ whatsoever!

Application for the SHRED LIFE:

Christ made it known that we would be rejected because of him. Relational evangelism is not building a relationship with hopes to someday share the truth. Relational evangelism is simultaneously sharing the love and truth of Jesus Christ through a relationship from day one. Throughout Jesus life we see him proclaiming the truth boldly and demanding immediate repentance from sin. No less, no more and at the same time Jesus loved people, took care of their needs and made disciples through a relationship over a lifetime. Love and truth cannot be separated. John Piper says, “Love lives by truth and burns by truth and stands on truth.” The two must exist together.

_{Look up these scriptures:} 1 John 3:18, Ephesians 4:15, 1 Corinthians 13:6, John 8:32

Highlighted SFC Value: B.R.I.D.G.E

“Believing” - Our faith is grounded in Biblical truth. We, as the body of Christ, pursue a lifestyle of prayer and worship. Psalm 119:105

In our culture, especially up here in Summit County, we run into a lot of people trying to tell us who we are and what we ought to be doing with our time and money and we don’t even realize it. If we walk, or shred, unaware of these “unwritten rules” we become susceptible to being manipulated, taken advantage of, and lied to.  We need understand who and what we are in light of who God is as revealed to us in his word.  Mathew 7:24-29

Applicable SFC Brah-verb: Brahverb #23

The fool has said in his heart, “Shred now for tomorrow we die.” Life is more than shredding or partying or fun-having. God has created us to do good works. Ephesians 2:10

STORY: Where to Start Thinking?

In the late fifties and early sixties, Christian thought in the universities was beaten, bruised and running scared. If there were Christian philosophers teaching and studying in the academy, they kept their heads in the sand. The reasons for this are many. Since then, thanks to a few brave (and wickedly smart) men and women, things have changed dramatically. Alvin Plantiga is one these who spent his entire professional career battling Christian thought back into mainstream academia.Thanks to him and many others like him, Christian philosophers now stand, once again, on very solid ground and can go toe to toe with the best thinkers on the planet. One of the things that Plantiga came to understand when the questions of God was brought to the table, was that the rules of the game were rigged. The skeptics were declaring that in order to prove that God exists, one has to start without God – as if God doesn’t exist – and work your way up to prove in fact that He does.

Plantiga refused to play by these rules however and decided to make his own. He could clearly see that where one starts with philosophical inquiry plays a large role in determining where one ends up. And so he started with God and began philosophizing from there. From this vantage point, he was able to argue that the world makes a lot more sense when looked at through the lenses of faith in a God than it does through those of the atheism. From the order of the universe, to the laws that govern nature, to the irreducible complexity found in organisms, to the moral code that seems to be burned on our consciences, things simply make more sense if there is a rational intelligent mind behind the universe orchestrating the many things that we observe and experience.  Also, he noted that IF atheism is true and we are just the random bi-product of chance, then we have no reason to believe that our reasoning capabilities lead us to truth.

Today, some would say that faith in God is a blind leap in the dark. A good question to ask those who would make this statement is, “Where are you standing (i.e. what ground are you standing on) when you make this statement?” and “what position (there is a God v. there is not a God) makes more sense of our experience of life on earth? As I see it, to start with God is to go from blind footing to sure footing.

Application for the SHRED LIFE:

As your out shredding, begin looking for the unwritten rules and definitions. What does it mean to be a rad shredder? What are the “important” things that we are supposed to invest in with our time and money? Is it ME or OTHERS oriented?

Highlighted SFC Value:  B.R.I.D.G.E.

“Identity” - we enjoy living in the laid-back, recreation-focused culture, but we recognize the culture’s identity crisis. While we relate with the culture, we remain obedient to God’s Word and find our eternal identity in Him. 1 Peter 2:9

Applicable SFC Brah-verb:   Brahverb #1

Shred not for thine own self, for it is better to shred for others. (“Take out your earbuds, and make some buds, bud.”)

STORY:

Many, many moons ago, some friends of mine and I were sitting around at SFC (in our house) after a long day of shredding. Like typical shedders (or old men after a round of golf) we were sharing our “war stories” from the day.

One guy had crashed really hard on the biggest jump in the park. He was okay, so everyone was laughing about it. Another guy had learned a new trick on a rail and was fishing for compliments in the typical male fashion, “Yeah, did it look wack or was it okay?”

Then, another guy chimed in who had been at a different resort that day. He said, “Oh yeah? Well, I landed a backside 9 off of the second one at the other resort.”

The room immediately went silent, and everyone knew what was happening. This dude didn’t land a 9, but he was claiming it so that he could get some attention. From the silence, someone spoke, “Back it up.”

Out of the conversation that followed, the crew of us decided that at any given moment, when one of us claimed he or she had done something rad, we were opening ourselves up to a “back it up” challenge. So if Joe says, “Oh yeah, I could drop that cliff”, or “Yeah, I’d front-board through that kink,” someone would yell, “Back it uuup,” and Joe would be forced to go do it.

“Back it up” was our friendly way of holding each other to our words and for years, it served as a reminder that our words are powerful and that bragging or lying to build ourselves up is an unhealthy and ridiculous way to live. “Back it up” revealed the true motives of our hearts and helped us to humble ourselves.

We talk a lot about how our “ACTIONS speak louder than WORDS.” It is imperative that we as followers of Jesus do what we say in our hypercritical culture, especially as Christians are being labeled as hypocritical.

Application for SHRED LIFE:

After “Back it up” showed us the shallow nature of “talking ourselves up,” we began to take it to the next level with “Back ‘em up” where instead of telling everyone how rad “I” was that day, I would encourage my buddy by telling everybody, “you guys should’ve seen HIM. HE was killing it.”

_{Look up these scriptures: 1 John 2:15-17, Matthew 5:33-37, Luke 18:14}

How do these scriptures challenge us to live within the shred culture? How can we hold each other accountable to staying humble in our arrogance-enriched shred culture?

We at SFC USA have been busy “Bridging the shred culture to Jesus, partnering with the local Church” for almost 8 years now. After our humble beginnings in our meager apartment living room in December 2004, we quickly realized the pressing need within the shred culture for someone to bring the Gospel message and train shredders in a discipleship lifestyle.

Currently, we have over 30 active SFC groups in the USA and another dozen or so overseas. With more and more groups organizing, the pressing need for LEADERSHIP TRAINING has become our overarching focus.

We just finished our 6^th annual national conference last week (held for the first time ever on the East coast) in Lynchburg, Virginia. With around 65 leaders in attendance and new leaders coming out of the New England and mid-Atlantic woodwork, it is shaping up to be another busy winter casting the vision of SFC and training these new, excited leaders.

 We spent the full weekend riding on “Snowflex” (a hillside covered in this new, high-tech, synthetic snow surface) encouraging and equipping our leaders with worship, workshops and our brand new SFC Leaders “Toolbox” full of resources and tools to equip our leaders to be more effective at “Being a Light on the Hill” in their own unique ski towns.

We have also been asked by a number of SFC chapters throughout Europe (and have agreed) to bring a team of SFC guys and girls through Europe this spring to train their leaders in our new clarified values system and Toolbox. So, in addition to our mid-season regional conferences across the USA, we will also be running 3 weeks worth of conferences and outreach events in England, France, Switzerland and Slovenia leading up to our SFC International Conference in Japan.

As we continue to grow, we’re encouraged that God has found us faithful in the little things (in those days of 3 people in a living room) and continues to give us stewardship over the bigger things (100+ leaders in 30+ locations across the USA). What an honor and privilege to serve the Almighty Creator of the Universe through our silly little snow-recreation-focused lifestyles! What a wild opportunity to serve Him with these kids’ snow toys! It’s encouraging to REMEMBER that our God is willing and able to redeem any and every one of us to use for His good purpose and glory!

Highlighted SFC Value:  B.R.I.D.G.E.

“Gospel” – The most important thing in our lives is the Good News; we readily share that message of hope in our words and deeds. John 8:12

Applicable SFC Brah-verb:   Brahverb #4

“Build up for yourself [coolness] in Heaven, for where your [coolness] is, there your heart shall be also.” (Adapted from Matt. 6:20-21) The gospel of “cool” is not the focus. Just being a “good dude who fits in” isn’t the goal. We build relationships with the hope of sharing the gospel of Jesus with our friends.

 STORY (throwback devotional from Bruce “the GodFather” Nelson, circa 2006):

Last weekend Michelle and I had one more day of riding before we packed our gear away for another season.  We were riding the slush at Sunshine with some of the SfC crew from Banff and Calgary.  After a fun day of jibbing we had a long drive home to Fernie, as I drove and Michelle slept I started to reflect on SfC and the last few years.

There is something I have seen in the last years that is starting to disturb me.  It is a trend that I am going to call the “Gospel of Cool”.  I see it in many aspects of North American Christianity; I see it in youth ministries, board riding ministries and church marketing.  In our efforts to make our faith known to others we have become caught up in the idea that we have to be cool.  That if we have good bands, testimonies from pro athletes, top-notch multi-media and good marketing, THEN we will be cool, THEN people will think Jesus is cool, THEN they will want to be a Christian.

Oh, we need to be careful!  We can so easily become sidetracked.  If you think this does not apply to you, answer me this.  When you ride into the lineup of your local park, do you ever think about your “steez”(that was 2006′s word for style), wonder if others will like the trick you are about to do, or subconsciously compare your clothing of choice to your peers?  Basically, are you more concerned about making a good impression, or being “cool”, then you are about the people you meet and ride with?

Why did people flock to Jesus?  Because He honestly loved, valued and cared for each and every person He interacted with and He had answers for their questions on Life.  Not because He was “cool”.

I know I walk a fine line, and I don’t believe we forsake all modern amenities or purposely dress “anti-cool”.  But let me remind you of a few things:

 Application for SHRED LIFE:

1.  We have ALL been created by a powerful Creator, we have ALL been designed uniquely.

2.  We long to know and be friends with our Creator, but we are not holy like He is.

3.  It is only through Jesus and His payment for our wrong doings that we can know God.

4.  Somehow we all need to know Jesus, if we seek Him, we will find Him.  And if we live in Him, then He will live in us.  We need to let Him take care of all the problems in our hearts.  And then we will have the heart of Jesus.

5.  Then we will love, value and care for all people around us.  We will want to serve them, bless them and be their friend.  Others will know that we know Jesus because we love one another.  This will take many forms, because we have been created uniquely, and it will be cool because it will be real.

 _{Look up this scripture:} Matthew 6:19-21

ASK: How can we challenge each other to put Jesus ahead of our own coolness? What is Jesus’s perception of “treasure” in this passage and how do we need to change our focus accordingly?

Highlighted SFC Value:  B.R.I.D.G.E.

“DOING” – we selflessly demonstrate our love for Jesus by putting others ahead of ourselves and serving one another, the local communities we live in, and the entire snowriding culture. Matthew 5:16

BRAH-verb #10

“Bro I just started snowboarding yesterday, but I think today I’m learnin doubs…” KISS: Keep It Simple, Son. Master the basics and progress smart-ly!

STORY:

You know that guy who shows up and starts talking big about what he’s throwin down, but no one ever really sees any of it? As humans we all have a tendency to over exaggerate the experiences we have, some a bit more than others do. It comes from a need to belong, be accepted and garner attention. I love it when I get props for sticking a trick or when everyone laughs at my joke, of which both are rare occasions. It also comes from our infatuation with dazzling, grandiose pizzazz!

In about sixth grade, my younger brother and I were just learning to skateboard. We both started at the same time and were very competitive to see who could learn things faster. He learned how to flick a kickflip one day and was so stoked! The only problem was he had not learned to ollie yet. Nevertheless he persisted that if he practiced the kickflip enough, he could land it without wasting time learning to ollie. I made it my goal to learn to ollie first and I did. A few years later I could ollie a picnic table and my brother, well he quit skateboarding.

As we plan and do ministry, events, or even just go out and ride for the day, it’s our natural tendency to dream bigger than reality. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that! However, when we do not master the basics we are likely to fail.

Geoffery Canada founded the Harlem Children’s Zone, an organization aimed to break generational poverty in Harlem, NY. The organization has recently been getting a lot of high-level press because of the organizations exemplary success. In response Geoffery said, “I’ve been doing the same thing for 20 years. Just now people have taken notice but I will continue to do the same thing for the next 20 years.” Great leaders like Geoffery Canada have learned that to be a champion you must champion the basics.

 Application for SHRED LIFE:

In order to do something well we need to be patiently available to the process without being preoccupied with dazzling, grandiose pizzazz! As we go out and be the light on the hill, it’s important to remember Jesus parable about being faithful in the little things. Maybe instead of being preoccupied with the next big outreach event, just go out and share Jesus with one person this week. Maybe buy just one person a coffee or hot chocolate. Remember that one homie who always talks a big game? Maybe just spend one day riding with him and let him know that he’s accepted, cared about and loved. Do the basics. Champion the basics!

 _{Look up this scripture:} Matthew 25:14-30

Highlighted SFC Value:  B.R.I.D.G.E.

“Engaging” – Like Jesus, we intentionally meet all people (Christian and non-Christian) where they are, both physically and spiritually. Matthew 28:19-20

Applicable SFC Brah-verb:   Brahverb #6

Mt. Hood kids need hotdogs; Salt Lake kids need backcountry gear. There are social, physical, and emotional needs to be met that vary geographically. So meet the total needs of the riders in your area.

 STORY:

I walked into a weekly men’s breakfast meeting, and in the midst of a bunch of gray-hairs, two shredder-types were sitting all alone as the older men socialized. As I looked at the “loner table”, God sort of nudged me, “That’s your table!” I found out it was the young shredders’ first time at the breakfast, and they had come for a free meal (invited by a guy who met them at a free community dinner the night before).

After we exchanged pleasantries, it was obvious that God was doing something here and that their presence here and my meeting them was NOT just a coincidence. The speaker talked about the difference between trials and temptations. It turned out it was a perfect message for them to hear. These two guys had both been through a lot in the last few weeks – both were homeless and both were trying to just hang on.

Casey wanted to talk some more after the speaker was finished. He had been clean for only seven days, and he told me about his time in detox the week before. The church had put him up in a motel room, and he was trying to figure out what was next in this new, yet bumpy, life of being substance-free, of starting over again. I responded to his comments that God was working on him, trying to determine what he meant by that. I asked him if he would like to experience a deeper relationship with God. “Definitely!” was his response.

In the next few minutes I shared about what Jesus had done for him by going to the cross for his sins. We talked about complete forgiveness and how he could start this new journey with the best friend he could ever have. I simply asked if he wanted to talk to God about this through prayer. We closed our eyes, and I helped him get started as he poured out his heart to his Father in Heaven. I think I could hear the angels rejoicing as this new believer in Christ softly finished with “Amen”.

Casey has a long road ahead of him. There’s no doubt about that. But being “yoked” with Jesus who invites us to allow Him to lighten our burden is the best way to start the journey.

 Application for SHRED LIFE:

God has been teaching me that when an obvious opportunity presents itself (like choosing to sit with a couple of out-of-place shred-kids) that I had better take it, because I just never know what God has in mind. He directed me. He guided Casey. He was ready to hear that heartfelt confession. He welcomed Casey into His family. He allowed me to be part of it. His timing is awesome!

_{Look up this scripture:} Luke 10:25-37

ASK: What are the typical situations you find yourself in when you hear the prompting of the Lord, but have trouble responding? How do we respond to the line-snakers in the lift line? When we see someone crashed on the side of the run, do we stop and help or do we cruise on by? A car broke down in the resort parking lot? The uncool table at lunch?

Highlighted SFC Value:  B.R.I.D.G.E.

“Relationships” – We intentionally build up our community, connecting people to the global network of Christian riders and the body of Christ. Romans 13:8

Applicable SFC Brah-verb:   Brahverb #1

Shred not for thine own self, for it is better to shred for others. (“Take out your earbuds, and make some buds, bud.”).

 STORY:

Steve is the general manager of a restaurant in our shred town. He’s sort of a tough-guy, I mean…he’s a Raiders fan, if you know what I mean.

We met Steve one day in his restaurant when we were spending time talking with three different tables of people we knew. He was surprised we knew so many people, walked up to us and said, “Who are you?”

He sat down at our table about three years ago and asked what our gig was in the community. I explained I was the pastor of a little church in the resort and his response was, “I used to go to church”.

After coming to his restaurant (partially just to visit with him) numerous times over the years, we got to know Steve pretty well. He would routinely come and sit with us during dinner.

Then, Steve was in an accident – a horrible crash that crushed the side of his face. The doctors didn’t think he would live. We were heartbroken, but God, in His goodness returned Steve to health and allowed him to return back to work.

Then, one day we had a group of Christian friends meet at Steve’s restaurant for a meeting. Steve came and sat down wondering what these ten people had in common.

During our conversation I asked Steve to tell the group about his accident. I had never seen him get choked up before. He described the number of people in his life who were praying for him. In Steve’s words, “The power of prayer is freakin’ awesome!”

After his story we all sat there in amazement of what God was doing in his life, and then, the gal sitting next to him began to pray for Steve. Weeks later, we found out that Steve had returned home to see his Dad and attended church with him.

Application for SHRED LIFE:

We’ve been privileged to make and minister to many friends in our shred town. And although many of our friends’ stories are still unfolding, we’ve witnessed the power of prayer at work in these relationships, and like Steve said, it is “freakin’ awesome!” I look forward to God continually opening opportunities for us to see the power of prayer at work in our community.

 _{Look up these scriptures:} Psalm 107:28-30

ASK: How can you and your friends intentionally spend more time lifting up your community in prayer? Do you believe in the power of prayer enough to stop on the hill when you see someone injured and ask them if they want prayer? The next time someone complains about their miserable day or some problems in their life, take a moment to pray before you respond.

Highlighted SFC Value:  B.R.I.D.G.E.

“Believe” – Our faith is grounded in Biblical truth. We, as the body of Christ, pursue a lifestyle of prayer and worship. Psalm 119:105

Applicable SFC Brah-verb:   Brahverb #15

“Should I send it?” “I don’t know, the season total is less than a foot. I wouldn’t.” Make sure there’s a decent base before you drop it. Like early season snow, if our faith is shallow, we run the risk of being thrashed by spiritual rocks and stumps. Pray and study the Word to shore up your “spiritual base.”

STORY:

I have a close friend. I moved into my first shred town and met him a few weeks in. He was sponsored. I wasn’t. He loved Jesus. I did too. I thought he was pretty rad. Over years of hanging out and shredding and doing work with SFC together, we had the opportunity to travel overseas as part of a 7-man team.

I was put in charge of these trips managing a group of riders, a small film crew and the continuing relationships with the locals. He and I were both young, brazen, leader-types and so it quickly became clear that we didn’t always see eye to eye on how the trips were run and the sort of business we should go about while traveling. With “too many kooks in the kitchen,” we often challenged each other and butted heads, but we always came back to a place of general camaraderie. Like many of us in working relationships with coworkers of conflicting personalities, we “had to” work through it. We were Christians, afterall.

Some years later, he moved away to a different shred town halfway across the country. We kept infrequent communication until one day when a mutual friend invited us both on the trip of a lifetime heli-shredding in Canada. He and I were to rendezvous Stateside and make the long drive together, meeting our friends in B.C.. It had been a long time since we had hung out, and immediately all of those memories of butting heads and travel tensions came flooding back to me.

I had no idea what to expect for the 8-hour car ride, but I wasn’t exactly looking forward to it. I jokingly prayed, “Lord, help us to AT LEAST be civil,” and then the one-sentence prayer took a serious turn, “And as is your custom, Lord, challenge me.”

For the first fifteen minutes of the car ride we talked about old friends and where life had brought us in the past few years. Then for over 7 hours, we talked about what God was teaching us and how amazing the Word of God is. He had been studying the Word every day with some of his new friends and it was really challenging to me and at the same time energizing and invigorating.

We were hooting and high-fiving and fist-pumping at several points in the conversation. I have never in all my long years of traveling had such an amazing, challenging and encouraging time on the road. We were just two goofy shred bums talking about the Bible and how it was affecting our lives. We were on the trip of a lifetime and even though we had been worrying and fantasizing about the heli-shredding part of it for months, the one thing that now had us so excited wasn’t the trip, it was the power of the living Word of the Creator of the Universe!

I knew it was going to be a life-changing trip, but I had no idea that God was going to use a car ride that I was NOT looking forward to as the place where He would challenge and recharge me the most.

Application for SHRED LIFE:

That trip instilled in me a couple of things that have changed my life forever: 1. a new, daily hunger for the Word of God, 2. a respect for brotherly relationships founded on faith despite our clashing personalities, 3. a realization of the importance of accountability to one another and 4. an appreciation for the way God answers our prayers in ways we could’ve never seen coming.

_{Look up these scriptures:} Matthew 4:4, 2 Tim 2:15

ASK: Do you have friends who challenge you to live by the Word? Have you ever asked God to make you hungry for His Word? Use these WWW studies to challenge each other weekly. How can we make sure that we are giving our hearts to Jesus and not to shredding? What are some ways we can be transparent with one another and commit to serving God in the shred culture together?

Every week, we will drop the short devotion here on our NEWS PAGE (you can find it on the dubya-dubya-dubya) and then throughout the week any SFC leader, SFC participant, mom, grandpa, random stranger, high school volleyball coach…literally, ANYONE AROUND THE WORLD can open it up and study through it with their shred friends. In true SFC form, it’ll be a short shred-focused story, a Bible passage to dig into, maybe a couple questions to break the ice and an applicable SFC Value and Brah-verb thrown in there just to keep it on the fun side.

So, find your shred bros, get them pumped for this and plan to study along with us as we open the Word together every week…all Winter.

The conference will be held at the Snowflex Centre at Liberty Mountain in Lynchburg, Virginia.

Sign up now.  REGISTER HERE!

Cost is $150 if registered before October 15th and $200 after October 15th. Registration includes food, lodging, shredding and all conference classes/seminars/activities. New 6 for 5 promotion means if you bring 5 friends who have NEVER BEEN to an SFC conference before, you get in free! Go find some friends and we’ll see you soon!

Encouraging others to BE A LIGHT ON THE HILL!

July 15 - 19 - FULL

July 22 – 26, 2012 – FULL

$500.00 – $1,000.00

If you are interested in being placed on a waiting list, please email the camp director Brent Blakeney at BTBlakeney@liberty.edu and he will let you know if something opens up.

$500.00 per person per week

$850.00 per person for 2 weeks of camp

$1,000.00 per person for 2 weeks of camp also staying over the weekend.

For more information on pricing and discounts please contact Brent Blakeney or Luke Fosse  at 434-582-3539 LM

Next level overnight camp is for the more advanced skiers and boarders. Our overnight camp offers you the opportunity to work on those tricks that you have always wanted to learn. Whether you are on the slope working on the spin you have wanted to master, or jibbing the urban rail you wanted to own, we offer a wide variety of features that are sufficient for each level. We will also have a gymnastic trampoline with certified instructors to help learn air awareness. And if that isn’t enough for the thrill master in you, we have an indoor skate park that will allow you to skate the half pipe, ride the street course, or even air into the foam pit. You are guaranteed to have a great time and experience loads of fun.  As for accommodations, each camper will be assigned to a dorm on the Campus of Liberty University and will receive breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. Campers will also receive LMSC Next Level camp T-shirt as well as a chance to win cool prizes at our end of the week competition. So come and join us at LMSC this summer and experience a unique experience that you can’t get anywhere else in the USA!

Outline for Over night camps:

Sunday -

Camper Registration and Dorm Room Check in 12:00pm – 5:00pm at the Lodge

Dinner 5:00pm – 7:00pm

Skiing and Snowboard until 11:00pm

Dorm Rooms 11:00pm

Monday and Tuesday -

6:30 – 8:00am Breakfast

8:00am – 11:30am Stretching, Skiing, Snowboarding. Rails and Jump 101

12:00pm -1:00pm Lunch

FREE TIME – 1:00pm – 5:00pm -Swimming pool, Video Games, Basketball, Volleyball, Trampoline, Indoor soccer, Skatepark with foam pit, movie theater ($2.00), and 60 miles of hiking and biking trails.

– Paint Ball 12:30pm – 3:00pm

– Weight Training and Nutrition 2:00pm – 3:00pm (Fitness Centre – if you are wanting to      become a pro rider. This class will teach you what it takes to train for the next level)

5:00pm – 7:00pm Dinner

7:00pm – 11:00pm Skiing and Snowboard – Quick Tips and new Tricks from the Pros and coaches

11:00pm Dorm Room

Wednesday

6:30am – 8:00am Breakfast

8:00am – 11:00am Skiing and Snowboarding at the Flex – Progression and Safety are Key

12:00pm - 1:00pm Lunch

DODGE BALL TOURNAMENT and INDOOR SOCCER TOURNAMENT 1:00pm – 5:00pm

– Thomas Indoor Soccer Center

5:30pm – 9:00pm Luau and Pool Party at East Campus Club House -Dinner at the club house

– Movie by the pool

– Pool Games

– and Special Speaker

10:00pm - 12:00am or longer  NEXT LEVEL COMP SLOPE STYLE at Snowflex

Thursday

6:30am – 8:00am Breakfast

Clean Dorm rooms and have everything taken to Snowflex before Lunch

FREE RIDE until your ready to leave or until your ride is ready to leave.

Lunch at 12:00pm – 1:00pm

Camp Ends

2 Thessalonians 1:1-2 (NKJV): “Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Reference to Explore

Look It Up: 1 Corinthians 1:2-3

Insight to Know

The Christians in Thessalonica were grateful to God for Paul’s first letter, but it did not immediately solve all their problems. In fact, the persecution grew worse and some believers thought they were living in the time of the Tribulation. Then a letter arrived claiming to be from Paul, stating that the Day of the Lord was actually present. Needless to say, the assembly was confused and frightened by this prospect. Some of the believers concluded that since the Lord’s coming was so near, they ought to quit their jobs and spend their time waiting for Him. This meant that the other members were under an extra burden to care for them. Satan was working overtime; as the lion, he was seeking to devour (1 Peter 5:7-8), and as the serpent, he was seeking to deceive (2 Cor. 11:3). It was in response to these needs that Paul wrote his second letter. He began with their most pressing need, the persecution they were experiencing because of their faith. 1

Application to Live

1. Does your understanding of the return of Jesus Christ make you proud, boastful and lazy or does it make you humble, pure, and diligent? Will you live Godly and serve wholehearted, even if it should require great suffering and even death?

2. Grace is the gift that keeps giving. Your life is to enriched each day in the faithfulness of God’s love and grace just for you, regardless of how you feel. He “brings it” everyday…So how will you walk in His grace today?

Truth to Treasure

When you come to God as a lost sinner, bringing nothing, and receiving everything from Him, then you have experienced the grace of God. He offers you salvation–the gift of God is eternal life. You cannot work for a gift, and if you do, it ceases to be a gift and it becomes something you have earned. It becomes a payment. God is not patting you on the back because you are a nice Sunday school boy. Salvation is God offering you, a lost, hell-doomed sinner, eternal life if you trust Christ. That is grace.

[youtube id="8tNOfm8ImAU"]

SFC’s Early Bird Rail Jam | 2011 from Josiah Holwick on Vimeo.

HDHR 2011 from TransWorld SNOWboarding on Vimeo.

Ladies and Gentleman,
STEP RIGHT UP for our Annual National Conference Registration!

When: November 17th – 20th, 2011

Where: The Station Camp in MAMMOTH LAKES, California

How much: $100 covers room, board and conference fees

What: This conference is the perfect place to catch the vision and passion of God’s heart for the Shred Nation. It’s also been known to be a pre-season pep-rally for SFC Leaders; being built up in the Word, encouraged by the testimonies of others, challenged to step out in faith in new ways in your own community and to get blown away by the prayer and worship and ministry of Jesus through His Body of Believers within the shred community.