As we prepare to “invest and invite” our friends, co-workers, and even family members to Fuel’s kickoff session, “Wide Open”, I was reminded of the buffoonery of my first attempts to share my faith about 13 years ago…

 First, I bought everyone in my family a bible, and thought they’d magically start reading it and discover the error of their ways, and call me and thank me on the spot.  I am still waiting for those phone calls…

 About a year or two later, I visited my college buddies on a retreat weekend.  This weekend was all about how many beers you could drink and stupid things you could say.  Yet, undeterred to save their heathen souls,  I brought everyone a copy of the book, “Man in the Mirror” and was quickly called David Koresh for the rest of the weekend.

 After needling me the entire weekend about how much I “sucked” for my new found faith, I finally retorted, “God shall not be mocked.”  Yet, I was mocking God by doing the exact same thing my friends were doing.

 Why is that I seem to forget that God can creatively show up in the lives of the people I love,  just as creatively as He showed up in mine? Its almost as if–unless someone mimics my relationship with God, and sees Him through the same lens I see him, their salvation is in jeopardy.

 Romans 5:10  ^0 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!

 Why can’t I seem to let this verse play out in the lives of the people I love?  That verse works well for me–that God saved me, while I was his enemy.  But, all you sinning evil doers better start looking more like ME, so God can love you too.

 It’s ridiculous.  It’s almost like trying to go on a diet your friend went on—hey, jack, it worked for me. Therefore, it should work for you too. But diets don’t work the same.  And our faith is very individualized as well—open to great possibilities that many of us never think of.  And often times, when we frame God for others to see him just as we saw him…He rarely comes into focus.

 I am not saying there are multiple pathways to God outside of Jesus—HE is the ONE way to God—but what I am saying is there are multiple pathways to Jesus that look nothing like the pathway He blazed for me (or you) to find Him. And I need to—we all need to—be aware that our experience with Him was made for us, uniquely.

 I find God when I am with my sons, when I am fishing, and when I am discussing life with my fellow Christian brothers.  I do not find God through systematic theology, interpretive dance, long sermons, or meditating.  IF those were my only options, I’d be doomed.

 I have friends who find communion with God on the gun range, when they hunt, on the golf course, or when they go camping.  Whatever it is, it is something that I shouldn’t judge—

 I should be open, wide open, to the fact that with God, all things are possible.

 See you in the morning!

6:30AM, Hidden Creek Country Club.

Pat Mancuso

Men of Fuel

Tomorrow is the last day of our third year at Hidden Creek. What better way to celebrate than to sit around with the guys and crush a few breakfast burritos. If you have not been with us before for a year end wrap up, allow me to explain. At 6:20 hidden creek is going open up the serving trays on an assortment of egg and cheese, bacon, egg and cheese, and sausage, egg, and cheese breakfast burritos. As soon as you walk in the door, please feel free to grab a burrito and head to your table. We will give some time for the guys to catch up, before opening up the floor.

Once the floor is open, anyone is free and encouraged to stand up and share with the room. This can be something God showed you this year, something that stuck with you, something that changed you, or basically anything you want to share. At the same time if you do not want to share, please do not feel any pressure at all. Our three biggest series this year were “The Greatest Story ever Mistold, Lust Vegas, and Imagination Movers, and we (the room) would love to hear something/anything that you will take from our time together.

I know the voice inside our head tells us that no one wants to hear what we have to say, but I can tell you that is a lie. I would encourage you to pray about it tonight. Ask God to show you if there was anything this year that moved you. Cause if there was, we love to know what it was

See you guys in the am

D.R. Carlson

Men of Fuel

Crazy to believe that we are but two meetings away from wrapping up our third year at Hidden Creek. Per tradition, NEXT week (5/22) will be our Breakfast Burrito Bonanza and Year End Wrap up Extravaganza, where we will open the floor to anyone who would like to share with the group.

This week (tomorrow morning) Bill Clark will finish out our final series of the year “Imagination movers”. Set your alarms and come on out as we wrap the final series of the year.

Invest and Invite

My daughter Kasey, who will turn five this July has become completely captivated by a show called Imagination Movers (www.imaginationmovers.com/about/). I have never seen a complete episode of this show, but I do know that there are four guys who are in a band who dress is blue coveralls that encourage their young (and not so young) viewers to use their imagination to assist them in accomplishing their task at hand. Their motto: “Reach high, think big, work hard, have fun!”
I had never given it much thought before, but do young children need to be encouraged to use their imaginations? With an 8, 4 (almost 5), 2, and 9 month old, I can tell you that the use of imagination is NOT in short supply in the Carlson household. I hear stories of imaginary friends, imaginary situations, and amazing imaginary outcomes.

What happened? Weren’t we at one time those children, children that stood in the glory of all that could be……real or imagined? Maybe it’s not that children need to be encouraged to use their imagination, maybe it’s they just need to be encouraged to never stop using their imagination. Again, it wasn’t that we never used our imagination; it was just somewhere along the way we stopped using it as much as we once did.

But what if our imagination was a big part of understanding God? After all think of all of the times the Bible calls us to use our imagination. We are continually told that God is like……. Or Heaven is like………How many times when asked a question does Jesus tell a story? Why not just answer the question. Why not tell the Pharisees and Scribes the reason he was accepting sinners and tax collectors? Why in the world would he go into this long story about lost sheep, and lost coin and a lost son? Was He not compelling us to use our imagination?

Maybe we are the ones that need the Imagination Movers, to move our imaginations out of the places where we tucked them away and back to the front of our minds where they once were. Join us tomorrow morning as we start our last (two week) series of the year: Imagination Movers.

Imagine how fun it will be

See you in the AM

Men of Fuel

Looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow morning. Last week Bill Clark answered a few questions that we collected over the last few weeks, as well as several that came up that morning. Tomorrow we will dive back in to the questions which I am guessing will again produce more questions. None of us have all of the answers but I can assure you that after tomorrow morning we will have more than we have today. I know that was the case last week.

I hope you can join us
D.R. Carlson