Monday, December 22, 2008

Hanging With My Family In Orlando!

We are taking some time off for the Christmas Holidays. I pray that everyone has a safe and wonderful Christmas and remembers the reason for the season!

Whatever It Takes,
Chip

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Thank You Jesus!

One of my favorite passages from Psalms today....

Psalm 16:5-8
5 LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup;
you have made my lot secure.

6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.

7 I will praise the LORD, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.

8 I have set the LORD always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.

Thank you Jesus for all you have done for me!

Whatever It Takes,
Chip Moody

Monday, December 15, 2008

"Christmas At Skipstone" Basket Raffle Winners Announced!

Here are the names drawn for the basket raffle during "Christmas At Skipstone"......

Sports Basket - Austin Eure
Family Basket - Lori McAllister
Salon Basket - Carol Eure
Scrapbooking Basket #1 - Erik Hogan
Scrapbooking Basket #2 - Kim Frey
Scrapbooking Basket #3 - Sarah Robinson
Mary Kay Basket #1 - Jamie Burford
Mary Kay Basket #2 - Denise Coker
Christmas Basket - Lynn Dorney
Princess Basket - Ted Moody (Ha! HA!)
Bulldogs Basket - Peggy Crosby
Nascar Basket - Jimmy Wade
Coffee Basket - Pam Walters

Congratulations to all the winners - PLEASE PU before Friday, December 19th (Our Offices are Closed the following week!)

Weekend In Review

I don't know how to adequately thanks the dozens and dozens of volunteers that have worked so tirelessly over the past two weekends to make "Christmas At Skipstone" a huge success. I want to especially thank our sponsors for this year's event.... Truett's Grill, Internal Medicine Of Griffin, Maxi-Lube of Griffin, and Buddy's Tire & Service Center. The generosity of these fine businesses in a struggling economy is especially noteworthy. I may forget someone if I start calling out star volunteers, but some of these ladies, men, and teenagers worked every night for the entire four hours of the event. You all are just AMAZING! Thank you to everyone who helped and to all of you who came out and visited with us!

It was after midnight before we got settled in after the last night of "Christmas At Skipstone", but we were up and at it again Sunday morning for a full day. We spent the afternoon celebrating my oldest son's 18th birthday (I know I look to young to have an 18 year old!). I had fun calling Chase our "man-child" all day, and it was a great celebration. I don't think a parent could ask or pray for their child to become anything more than what Chase has become. He loves Jesus, loves his family, respects his parents, and has more character than a lot of adults I know. I'm very proud of the young man he has become (in case you haven't picked up on that by now!)

I found this prayer as part of my devotional recently.....

A Father's Prayer
by General Douglas MacArthur
Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough
To know when he is weak and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid;
One who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat,
And humble, and gentle in victory.

Build me a son whose wishes will not take the place of deeds;
A son who will know Thee – and that to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge.
Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge. Here, let him learn to stand up in the storm; here let him learn compassion for those that fail.

Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goal will be high, a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men, one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past.

And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor, so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously. Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, and the meekness of true strength.

Then I, his father, will dare to whisper, "I have not lived in vain."

(This reflection was written by General MacArthur, during his early days in the Phillipines during the Pacific War, and was left as a spiritual legacy to his son Arthur. Made public after the general’s death in 1964.)


Today we begin the process of cleaning up after the Christmas event and working through our last week of school before the Christmas break. We have "stuff" all over the campus, so it will be a busy week getting everything back to where it belongs and returning all of the "stuff" we have borrowed!

Our Elementary kids will be on a short field trip this morning to Pike Manor Nursing Home. They will be taking some cards and gifts to the residents there and spending some time with the saints as part of our synergy study this month on "The Generosity Factor".

I hope everyone has a great week.....

Whatever It Takes,
Chip Moody

Friday, December 12, 2008

The Value Of Others

The following was part of my devotional this morning. I'm amazed at how many people I meet who are so disheartened with the church. At the same time, even having served in full time ministry for most of my adult life, I went through a season of my life when I felt the same way. One thing that God continues to show me is that His church, even with all of its faults and problems is still HIS church - the bride of Christ that Jesus died for. If you are not connected to a spiritual family somewhere, maybe this will speak to you as it affirmed some things to me this morning.

THE VALUE OF OTHERS
by Charles R. Swindoll

Read Acts 9:28--31

The Message, Eugene Peterson's paraphrase, wraps up this part of the narrative nicely: "Things calmed down after that and the church had smooth sailing for a while. All over the country---Judea, Samaria, Galilee---the church grew. They were permeated with a deep sense of reverence for God. The Holy Spirit was with them, strengthening them. They prospered wonderfully."

They didn't need Paul. In Tarsus he had the time to learn that he needed them. It wasn't about independence. It was about his discovering the value of dependence. Tragically, some never learn.

This is a good time to pause and make a twenty-century jump to today. Learn to appreciate and embrace the value of other people. Don't try to go out there on your own. Rather than viewing others around you as hindrances, become aware of their value. Remind yourself that they play a strategic role in your survival and your success. God rarely asks us to fly solo. When He leads us to soar the heights, there is safety in others soaring with us.

God has designed His family to be that sort of support network for all of us. Nobody can handle all the pressure over the long haul. Companionship and accountability are essential!

You may be resisting becoming an active member of a church or enrolling in a small-group fellowship at your church. You think you can go it alone, and so far your plan has worked. But it's only a matter of time before a gust of adversity knocks you off your feet, and you'll need someone to pick you up. Don't let a stubborn spirit of independence rob you of the joy of sharing your life, your weaknesses, your failures, and your dreams with others. You and I are not indispensable. You and I are not irreplaceable. God is both. It's His church. He's looking for broken vessels, wounded hearts, and humble servants, even those with bad track records who have some scars, who have learned not to hide them or deny them---people who understand and appreciate the value of others. Is that you?

Whatever It Takes,
Chip Moody

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Get Fit Spiritually!

I had a busy day on Wednesday.... no time to blog. We had a great staff meeting in the morning and I had a lot of catching up to do in the office. It rained here ALL DAY, so it was just one of those days that you would rather being taking a nap!

I got home and it was still raining, so I did something I try not to do... I pondered whether or not to go to church (I am learning to make this decision ahead of time and not base it on how I "feel"!). So I did end up going and I'm glad I did. I heard probably one of the best explanations of why we need to spend time in God's word on a regular basis that I've ever heard.

Mark shared with our students about a recent "weight loss battle to the death of chubbiness" that he has entered with Bart Millard from the group "Mercy Me". It's really been funny to watch these guys....



So anyway, Mark went on to talk about his efforts to drop a few pounds and specifically how he had stopped eating certain things, quit drinking sweet tea (I'm praying for him!),etc. He said he has lost five pounds as a result. But he went on to say that he will not only have to stop eating certain things, he will have to start eating some good stuff in order to really be healthy.

He then related that to our walk with God many times. We come away from church or youth meeting with the idea that "I need to stop listening to that" or "I have to doing this", etc. While that is important, if we fail to add some things to our life, and only take away, we miss the boat when it comes to our walk with God. That's why God's word is so important. It's vital that we know what His word says if we are attempting to live according to it. Mark put it this way ..."If you are going to live your life based on a book (God's word), it might be a good idea to read it!".

While that is a simple lesson that most of us already know, I think if we are honest, sometimes we just plop open the Bible and try to find a verse that gets us through the day, rather than developing a systematic approach to study and really know God's word. I was greatly challenged to "get fit" spiritually and I pray that if you are in the same pattern that I tend to fall into from time to time, that you will take this lesson to heart as well!

Have a BLESSED day!

Whatever It Takes,
Chip Moody

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Bear Fruit Today!

I had a fresh reminder this morning about how important it is for us to stay connected to "the vine". Sometimes it's very easy to get caught up in the busyness of our lives, and forget that, without Jesus, we can do nothing..... nothing that is worthwhile or makes a difference in eternity.....

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”- John 15:5,8


Whatever It Takes,
Chip Moody

Monday, December 8, 2008

Weekend In Review!

A very special thanks to the dozens of volunteers who made our first weekend of "Christmas At Skipstone" a huge success. While we don't know exactly how many guests we had, we do know that several hundred folks were here each night. I don't think I've ever seen so many funnel cakes in my life!

Paintball The Elf was probably our most popular activity. We had a couple of our staff members cruising the lake in a pontoon boat and gave guests the opportunity to fire paintballs at "the elf". It was hilarious (at least to me, since I wasn't the elf!).

Our ziplines were packed both nights for the full four hours. I'm guessing that we had at least 400 zipline riders the first two nights combined.

The kids area was also buzzing with activity with three or four bounce units and a couple of giant slides. The little ones seemed to have a blast over there as well as riding the train around the lake and back.

The dining hall was full of vendors with some very unique handcrafted items, as well as plants, jewelery, clothing, etc. It was a great chance for a lot of our guests to pick up some great gifts.

Most of the 300,000 lights stayed lit all weekend, although I'm not sure we could have plugged in another 50 light set because we were using just about every amp of power we had!

We'll be doing it all over again this weekend if you missed it the first time. Check out the "Christmas At Skipstone" link on our homepage for more information.

I hope everyone has a great week!

Whatever It Takes,
Chip Moody

It's Time To Wake Up!

We had a great unexpected blessing to our weekend by getting some last minute tickets to the Casting Crowns Christmas Concert at Phillips Arena last night. I have their new Christmas album, and have really enjoyed listening to it, but to hear it live and understand the stories behind the songs made for a very memorable time. One of the songs that Mark Hall talked about was "O Little Town Of Bethlehem". I guess I had never really considered what that song was all about. His rendition and explanation brought a whole new meaning to the song for me......

Oh little town of Bethlehem Looks like another silent night
Above your deep and dreamless sleep A giant star lights up the sky
And while you’re lying in the dark There shines an everlasting light
For the King has left His throne And is sleeping in a manger tonight
Oh Bethlehem, what you have missed while you were sleeping
For God became a man And stepped into your world today
Oh Bethlehem, you will go down in history As a city with no room for its King
While you were sleeping While you were sleeping

Oh little town of Jerusalem Looks like another silent night
The Father gave His only Son The Way, the Truth, the Life had come
But there was no room for Him in the world He came to save
Jerusalem, what you have missed while you were sleeping
The Savior of the world is dying on your cross today
Jerusalem, you will go down in history As a city with no room for its King
While you were sleeping While you were sleeping

United States of America Looks like another silent night
As we’re sung to sleep by philosophies That save the trees and kill the children
And while we’re lying in the dark There’s a shout heard ‘cross the eastern sky
For the Bridegroom has returned And has carried His bride away in the night
America, what will we miss while we are sleeping Will Jesus come again
And leave us slumbering where we lay
America, will we go down in history As a nation with no room for its King
Will we be sleeping Will we be sleeping

Behind the Song:“I set out to set the classic hymn “Oh Little Town Of Bethlehem” to new music and, in the process, rediscovered the song and its message. They slept through it. Bethlehem missed the birth of the Savior of the world. Jerusalem did the same with Jesus’ ministry among them. Seems crazy – til we as a nation look in the mirror.” - Mark Hall (Casting Crowns)

Wake Up America!

Whatever It Takes,
Chip Moody

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Countdown To Christmas At Skipstone Begins!

With less than 36 hours until Christmas At Skipstone kicks off, it would Be fair to say that we are all feeling a little anxious. While the bulk of the work is done, as my grandmother would say "the devil is in the details". We still have a LOT of details to handle today in preparation for a "practice run tonight.

We added a new "pole tree" at the entrance yesterday. It's over 30 feet tall and is absolutely stunning. I built it with the new LED lights that are out this year and I must say...."I'm Impressed". It has over 2000 lights on it and almost 700 feet of wire. It will be hard for anyone to drive by without wanting to stop in for a closer look!

As I pondered and ultimately surrendered my anxious heart this morning, this verse really spoke to me....

Phillipians 4:4-7
4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

We have several items that need to be picked up today and tomorrow and we are looking for someone who can pull a trailer (we have truck & trailer) who can pick up canned drinks, an ATV, a boat, etc. If you can help, please let us know.

We also need 3-4 wired microphones and 3-4 microphone stands for our Celebration Stage. If you have access to these things that we could borrow, please call the office 770-227-8966 or email me at chipmoody@bellsouth.net .

Thank you Lord for promising peace to guard my anxious heart these next 36 hours.

Whatever It Takes,
Chip Moody

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Be A "Gift" To Someone This Christmas

We had a great day yesterday. It was really cold outside, but we managed to get most of the big lights ups and got a lot of loose ends tied up. I really want to thank all of our staff and volunteers for your response to our need for help. We've had great support so far!

I talked with two friends yesterday who are really struggling this holiday season. One owns a small business that is struggling, and the other is without work and is extremely discouraged. As I was praying for these two families, I was reminded through my devotional today about how we are to respond to situations like this.....

Proverbs 3:27-28 CEV
27Do all you can for everyone who deserves your help.
28Don't tell your neighbor to come back tomorrow,if you can help today.

I hope that you are planning to be a blessing to someone this holiday season with even the smallest gift of your time, talents, or treasures. Most of us, even if we are struggling, are still BLESSED far beyond what we deserve.

There are still openings for volunteers this weekend for Christmas At Skipstone.The areas we need help are:
General Drivers (army truck..must be 25 or older and trustworthy)
General Riders (must be fun)
Parking (must have good arms to give directions)
Welcomers (must be happy, fun & sweet)
Fire Tenders (must be able to keep a fire going)
Kids' Games Workers (must love kids)
Adventure Games (must love kids)
Food (must love funnel cakes)
Book Fair (must love books)

If you can help in any of these areas for a 2 hour block on Friday or Saturday, please email shondimoody@bellsouth.net or call and tell Carolyn 770-227-8966 today. Thanks so much for your help!!!

Whatever It Takes,
Chip Moody

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Brrgh..... Frost On The Ground At Skipstone!

There is a heavy frost on the ground at Skipstone this morning, but the work on "Christmas At Skipstone" continues. Today I'm picking up a 45ft bucket lift to build our BIG Christmas tree displays and tidy up on some of the high lights.

I hope that everyone will make time to join us for this very special event. Admission is free and there are free tickets with information at many area locations including Maxi-Lube, Truett's Grill, Internal Medicine of Griffin, Buddy's Tire & Service Center, Curry's Collision Center, Heaven 2 Earth, El Charro, American Pie Pizzeria, Souhern Pit BBQ, Serendipity, Clothesline, and many others. You can also find information on our website at skipstoneadventures.com

Here is a really cool devtional I picked up this morning by C.H. Spurgeon...
Our Holiest Example
"I have set the LORD always before me: because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved" (Psalm 16:8).

This is the way to live. With God always before us, we shall have the noblest companionship, the holiest example, the sweetest consolation, and the mightiest influence. This must be a resolute act of the mind. "I have set," and it must be maintained as a set and settled thing. Always to have an eye to the LORD's eye and an ear for the LORD's voice--this is the right state for the godly man. His God is near him, filling the horizon of his vision, leading the way of his life, and furnishing the theme of his meditation. What vanities we should avoid, what sins we should overcome, what virtues we should exhibit, what joys we should experience if we did indeed set the LORD always before us! Why not? This is the way to be safe. The LORD being ever in our minds, we come to feel safety and certainty because of His being so near. He is at our right hand to guide and aid us; and hence we are not moved by fear, nor force, nor fraud, nor fickleness. When God stands at a man's right hand, that man is himself sure to stand. Come on, then, ye foemen of the truth! Rush against me like a furious tempest, if ye will. God upholds me. God abides with me. Whom shall I fear?

Monday, December 1, 2008

WOW - What A Morning!

I guess God knew I needed a little something extra today as we get back into the groove with school starting back and the pressure of completing preparations for Christmas At Skipstone this week. Take a minute to watch this clip I found this morning....



I pray this challenges you as it did me this morning. Here a passage I read as part of my devotional this morning that really spoke to me too....

From Psalm 61: 1-4 NLT
1 O God, listen to my cry!Hear my prayer!
2 From the ends of the earth,I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed.
Lead me to the towering rock of safety,
3 for you are my safe refuge, a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me.
4 Let me live forever in your sanctuary, safe beneath the shelter of your wings!

Have a BLESSED week!

Whatever It Takes,
Chip Moody