Men of Fuel,

As we begin our preparations for Easter, I couldn’t help but think of the experience I go through at the end of every quarter at my job:  The death and resurrection of my deals.  A co-worker of mine has coined a mantra, which is, “A Deal is not a deal, until it has died three times.”

Just last quarter I endured this process through this complicated deal that was moving towards closure, but it died because of budget issues.  Then it was brought back to life because they figured out, after all, they did not have budget issues, and had ample room for the down payment, which could be issued as a modification to the existing order.  Deal was alive.

But the existing bank required new terms and no new terms were acceptable under the “continuing resolution” so the deal was dead.  Again.

Then we brought a new bank in and they approved the existing terms, so long as we could insert specific linking language connecting the new order to the existing order.  Both parties agreed to the language and the deal was back alive.  Again.

So on the last night of our quarter, the customer issued the draft order, and everything but a few numbers needed to be changed.  We had 2 hours left in the quarter, and it appeared the final contracts were coming.  However, that’s not how this game works.

When the contracting officer submitted the final order, correcting a few of the numbers from the draft order, she decided to remove the linking language that was approved by her, and required by the bank.  So with an hour and half to go in the quarter, the bank walked away from the deal because the language was gone.  Deal is dead, again.

This process that I am summarizing took several months, and negotiations began last year.  Hours and hours of time spent getting us to this point, and here we were 90 minutes from the deal expiration, and the bank walks away again.  This was dead. Again.

And yet, somehow (after a ton of prayer, and convincing) we were able to get it done. So, at 2:52AM—8 minutes from the deadline I was able to submit a valid order, and had a great story to tell.  But was the story great because the deal closed?  No, the story was great because it shouldn’t have closed but somehow at the 11th hour came back to life.  That’s what makes the story so great…at least for me.

Sound familiar?  Ever had something come back to life after thinking it was long gone?  Did you keep it a secret or did you tell anyone that would lend an ear?  Was it a job, a deal, or a relationship that you thought was ruined but it came back to life?

What is it about stories of resurrection that captivate us?

Why is there something that draws us to the story of things coming back to life long after we have written them off?

Isn’t that the story of Easter?  Sure we have made it about colored eggs and baked ham, but the true story of Easter is that death was overcome.  Come on out this Wednesday as we begin our three week prep for Easter with week one: Back from the dead.

Pastor Mike Minter from Reston Bible Church will share his personal insights and stories of resurrection from 35+ years of ministering in Northern Virginia and beyond.

If you ever wanted to hear stories of hope, when there was none left…of victory being snatched from the jaws of defeat, of transformation from death to life…then join us this week.

Invest, Invite…Inspire

Pat Mancuso
patmancuso@mac.com
(703) 401-8302
FUEL
See our Blog at: https://menoffuel.com/blog

“It’s what you need to keep you going…”

Our mission is to create a comfortable, relevant and honest environment where men can explore and discuss aspects of life, purpose and faith.

We accomplish our mission by reviewing pertinent issues in men’s lives, examining them through relevant biblical principles, followed by a time of discussion with other men.

Wednesday mornings, September through May…and beyond
6:30 AM to 7:30 AM @ Hidden Creek Country Club, Reston, VA.

http://www.hiddencreekcc.com

As pirates who are locked-into a continual pursuit of more, we are often blind to the impact of our actions or way of life.  Either we fail to realize the impact we are having on others or we just don’t care as the consequences of our actions negatively effect those around us.  Regardless, in the end, a “pirates life” tends to leave a wake of destruction in its path.

I know I can be an insufferable wretch when things don’t go according to my master plan, or the treasure map that I have laid out.  And my quest for MORE often means LESS for the people in my life.  My wife and kids…especially.

The pirate’s creed says, “Dead Men don’t tell tales…” but we know the truth:  all dead bodies rise to the surface and tell a story of gluttony, selfishness, and pride.  And you don’t need a forensic scientist to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

This week Dr. Bill Clark will be wrapping up our three week series “A Pirate’s life for me”.

In our first week, Mark Joseph covered “X Marks the spot” and spoke about how we think about contentment as an ‘Out there” sort of thing.  Like pirates, we believe that we can find contentment if we get to a predetermined location, or achieve a certain status.  What we learned was that the whole “X marks the spot” thing is a lie. Contentment isn’t in front of us or behind us, but instead inside of us.  The great news is we actually have the ability to “Learn” to be content in all things.

Week two, D.R. took us through “More” where we looked at how we seek to get life from something– be it a job, a higher pay grade, or relationship, and we think that once that initial feeling of life wears off all we need is “More” of whatever it is that gave us that feeling in the first place.  We looked at how God, through His prophet Jeremiah, referred to those things in our lives as a Cistern, or a container of stagnant water, while referring to Himself as “Living Water”.  As if that wasn’t bad enough, He goes on to let us know that they are “broken Cisterns, that can’t hold water.”

We can come to this conclusion about the Pirates life: It’s a lie, it’s actually the opposite of what it promotes. The X does not mark the spot, and “more” often gives us less, and judging by the discussions at the tables over the last two weeks most of us need to look no further than our own lives for confirmation.

So what can we learn from all of this?

Well come on out this week , and invite a fellow pirate as Dr. Clark closes out our series with “Dead men do tell tales.”

Invest, Invite…Inspire

pat

Pat Mancuso
patmancuso@mac.com
(703) 401-8302
FUEL
See our Blog at: https://menoffuel.com/blog

“It’s what you need to keep you going…”

Our mission is to create a comfortable, relevant and honest environment where men can explore and discuss aspects of life, purpose and faith.

We accomplish our mission by reviewing pertinent issues in men’s lives, examining them through relevant biblical principles, followed by a time of discussion with other men.

Wednesday mornings, September through May…and beyond
6:30 AM to 7:30 AM @ Hidden Creek Country Club, Reston, VA.

http://www.hiddencreekcc.com

Long before the series, “Pirates of The Caribbean” captured the hearts and imagination of mainstream America, I was living the life of a pirate: completely obsessed with my own treasure hunt and my desire to overtake whatever lay on the horizon.

There was no fear nor second thought about eternity, nor concern about what happened next; every waking moment was spent on a hedonistic pleasure quest, pillaging and going on to the next best thing.

Sure, I thought I was living nobly, even Pirates have rules…but rules weren’t for me, and I would allow nothing to get in between me and my pleasure.  Nothing else and nobody else mattered.  As long as I got my way, had fun, got paid, all was good.  That’s all that mattered.  And if I could have a few laughs while doing it, even better.

Captain Jack Sparrow is make-believe.  If Johnny Depp wants to play a real pirate, he should buy the screenplay rights to my life. A Modern Pirate.  Or Modern-Day Jack(ass) Sparrow.  Probably a better term.

My life was all about the quest for MORE.  More food, more booze, more money, more title, more power, more, more, more.  However, as we all know, even the best parties must come to an end.  The buzz wears off, the job wasn’t all they said it would be, the drinks lose their flavor, and frankly, some of the other pirates in our lives start to bug the crap out of us.

The answer; MORE.  Not saying that’s the right answer, I’m just saying that’s the pirate answer, and that’s the way I lived a large chunk of my life.

Got any other pirates out there?  Ever thought the answer was more?

Well come on out this Wednesday and bring a pirate friend as we continue with our series ‘A pirates life for me”, with part II: More.

Invest, Invite…


Pat Mancuso
patmancuso@mac.com
(703) 401-8302
FUEL
See our Blog at: https://menoffuel.com/blog

“It’s what you need to keep you going…”

Our mission is to create a comfortable, relevant and honest environment where men can explore and discuss aspects of life, purpose and faith.

We accomplish our mission by reviewing pertinent issues in men’s lives, examining them through relevant biblical principles, followed by a time of discussion with other men.

Wednesday mornings, September through May…and beyond
6:30 AM to 7:30 AM @ Hidden Creek Country Club, Reston, VA.

http://www.hiddencreekcc.com

There are several essential elements that must be included when it comes to great pirate stories: classic sword fights, giant Man-of-war ships, pirate hats, and the Jolly Roger.  But all of these elements are means to an end.  The end we all know is buried treasure, the location of which is indicated by a giant X on a map.  In the end it’s all about the map and the giant X.  Once a pirate finds his map,  his course and direction is set, and nothing will get in his way.

If you think about it, we might not be all that different. However unlike pirates, instead of getting the map where the X marks the spot, we  put our X’s on places where we think we will find our hidden “Treasure.”

Back in 1994 or so, when I was a swash-buckling pirate of sorts, I planned this huge trip to New Orleans to celebrate the infamous Jazz Fest.  We decided where and when and after we had it all locked in, I put a giant X on my calendar.  This would be where I would find all that I had hoped.  Just like a pirate with my map in hand.

Well, without embarrassing myself too much, lets just say that this trip did not bring me the happiness I was so convinced that it would.  Matter of fact, I was so sick on the flight home, they asked me if they should land the plane.  And I asked that they just shoot me instead, or push me out the back hatch.  I was miserable.  Suffice it to say, I’ve never been back to Jazz Fest.  And cringe when I hear Jazz music.

The more I think about this, I have done this with many aspects of my life. Now while I didn’t actually have a map with a giant X on it, the course of my life is often filled by events or things that I hope would give me all that I was seeking, just like buried treasure.  My career, an X on a map, my title, an X on a map, the house I was going to buy– an X on a map.  But just like all the pirates in all the pirate movies, once I reached the these X’s, I started looking for another map. You never see Pirates who retire, because just like me, they never have enough, and are never satisfied, thinking their real happiness lies in the next treasure.

Just like that disaster trip to New Orleans, in my life, all of these things that I searched for and found didn’t end up being the “treasure” I thought they were going to be.

Got any other pirates out there? Ever put a giant X on something, a career, a relationship, a title, a house, a fill-in-the-blank, thinking this would be the treasure that made it worth it?  And after making all the effort and energy into getting to that X, only to realize that in a very short time we had put an X on something else and set sail yet again?

Well put a big fat X on your calendar for this Wednesday as we start week one of our series:

X Marks the spot.

Invest and Invite, and you will inspire…

Pat

Pat Mancuso
patmancuso@mac.com
(703) 401-8302
FUEL
See our Blog at: https://menoffuel.com/blog

“It’s what you need to keep you going…”

Our mission is to create a comfortable, relevant and honest environment where men can explore and discuss aspects of life, purpose and faith.

We accomplish our mission by reviewing pertinent issues in men’s lives, examining them through relevant biblical principles, followed by a time of discussion with other men.

Wednesday mornings, September through May…and beyond
6:30 AM to 7:30 AM @ Hidden Creek Country Club, Reston, VA.

http://www.hiddencreekcc.com

I am now 10 weeks into my NEW lifestyle, and currently weigh 33 pounds less then I did before I started. Some might call it a diet, but I have been on diets before and I can tell you they don’t work.  For one, they are not sustainable, as I was completely unbearable trying to survive on celery sticks and diet coke only to blow it with a binge eating extravaganza that would last weeks.  And all the hard work would be thrown away…

Not only was a diet too restrictive, I also made them too complex, and I’d tire out tracking all the ridiculous spreadsheets I would create. One for calories, one for pounds, one for points, one for exercise—which was actually two, one for cardio, one for weights.  It would become an obsession that would wear me out, and rather than helping me, these tracking spreadsheets became just another source of frustration and frankly, I would become weirdly shackled to the complex system I created to help free me from my obsession with food.  These diets would work for about 2 months.  Then I’d be back to my old ways.  And I’d put all the weight on, and then some.

I call my new endeavor a lifestyle change, because it is something I can do and simply fit into my lifestyle.  Its not a diet, and its not filled with complexity.  At the center of this new lifestyle sits a very simple truth:  If I burn more calories than I consume, I will lose weight.  Pretty simple huh?

But can’t we say that about most things?  If we were to peel back the onion on every complex idea, or program we would find a simple truth that when followed or put into action could generate great results.  Now, I’m not saying I know what all of these “One Things” are, I am just saying that I think we tend to make things so complex, that in the end we end up doing way more things than we need to do.

What if instead of making things more complex we just start finding out what the “one thing” was and pour our effort and energy into that?

Let’s take Fuel for example, in the last five months we have covered a lot of topics.  The “Prodigal Sermon”, Stepping out when there isn’t enough, accountability, accepting correction, giving correction, maintaining relationships, denial, and remembrance to name a few, but what if instead of trying to do all of these things as individual action items, we found out what the “One thing” was that we could do in every situation to ensure that everything we were discussing was scalable and sustainable…

Come on out this Wednesday to see if there is “One thing” behind all that we have discussed.

Bring a friend.

Invest and Invite.

Pat

Pat Mancuso
patmancuso@mac.com
(703) 401-8302
FUEL
See our Blog at: https://menoffuel.com/blog

“It’s what you need to keep you going…”

Our mission is to create a comfortable, relevant and honest environment where men can explore and discuss aspects of life, purpose and faith.

We accomplish our mission by reviewing pertinent issues in men’s lives, examining them through relevant biblical principles, followed by a time of discussion with other men.

Wednesday mornings, September through May…and beyond
6:30 AM to 7:30 AM @ Hidden Creek Country Club, Reston, VA.

http://www.hiddencreekcc.com