"Chuck" Reinhold, 1972-2007

I did not get to Ben's Chili Bowl yesterday. I got to be a part of something bigger and better.

I attended a funeral. No, not a funeral, a celebration. The celebration started at noon and went for over two hours. By the time it concluded, I made the call to avoid traffic instead of satisfying a craving for Road Food. The celebration was filled with music that reflected God and with words that celebrated His work in the life of a man who died far too young. I was struck time and time again as I listened to Chuck's friends comment on his loyalty and his compassion and his vast knowledge of sports.

I was challenged by the first two character traits and with the third, I figured it was too late for me to become a human sports almanac like Chuck.

Chuck was the guy that his friends felt like they needed to protect but he was also the guy who was probably the most Christ-like. Lee Corder commented how Chuck lived out each of the beattitudes of Matthew 5 and that now he is enjoying the fruit of each one of them. He is being comforted, He is satisfied, etc.

There is a small part of me that is disappointed at not getting by Ben's Chili Bowl yesterday, but there is a much bigger part of me that is thankful to have had time to reflect on what God did in one man's life and to consider what He desires to build into mine. I am grateful for Chuck's example.

Great New Online Bible Tool

I'm not sure what tools you use for your devotional life or how you read the Bible, but I've got to tell you I'm excited about how technology continues to improve my spiritual life. First of all, I get my daily Bible reading from Scripture Union (check out the link to your right) and now there is a new souped up version of the Scriptures brought to you by the guys at LifeChurch. It is called You Version.

Here are just a few things it can do that your leather-bound Bible just can't do...

Discover: Easily find a passage in one of many translations. Search by reference or use the table of contents.

Contribute: You can share what God is teaching you and you can read how He is moving in the lives of others. You can also contribute images, video, text or links. You can even email something meaningful to a friend. Can your hardback handle that?

Reflect: You can journal online about what you are reading as you are reading. Each journal is linked directly to what you are reading so you can easily reference back to those passages. I like Destiny's Blueprint Journal but I love the simplicity of this one.

Remember: You can mark references with tags that make sense to you. It works like your own personal concordance.

Surf on over to www.youversion.com and take the tour.

Ministry Teams and Life Groups

Destiny Church has become such a friendly place. When you walk in, you are greeted with a hot cup of joe. When you sit down you are welcomed with a warm environment and when you leave you are encouraged to stop by anytime.

In the midst of all that good cheer, you'd think anyone who steps into Destiny Church would immediately feel "connected". Sadly, that is not the case, there are many who feel disconnected at Destiny. For some it is by their own choosing and for others it is because of the urgency of life taking over. Whatever our reasons, we still need to be connected with one another.

At Destiny, the two best ways to connect are through serving on a Ministry Team and participating in a Life Group. Over the next two weeks, Dan Morgan and I are going to be making some calls and inviting folks to connect. We don't want anyone to miss out on the great opportunities Destiny has lined up for those who want to Know God, Grow with Others and Serve the World.

Do us a favor and don't screen our calls when you hear that phone ring! Talk to you soon...

Road Food

Food is a good thing. In fact, you could argue that food is essential. But even better than food is Road Food.

Road Food, n, (slang): that out of the way restaurant that makes it worth your while to drive a few miles off of the interstate.

One of the classic road food establishments in Washington, DC is Ben's Chili Bowl. I have never been there, but I have always wanted to and this week, I'm attending a funeral nearby. So on Thursday I'm planning on making that trek. I'm planning on ordering Ben's Original Chili Half Smoke at a whopping $4.80. I'll let you know how it goes.

Now, if you do not share my infatuation with greasy spoons, I'll get back to more important blogging later. If you are, however, a Road Food person, then you already know what it is like to plan your trips around where you get to eat....

91!

Today from 9-1 Destiny Served.

91 bikes were donated and prepared for shipment. The bikes we worked on today will be shipped to Costa Rica tomorrow. It was a blast watching and feeling the excitement that was evident as folks served out on the Smart's Mill patio. A huge thanks goes out to Amy White who coordinated this great effort.

Here is the team after prepping and loading all 91...

Mke Marrotte hard at work.

Craig Bittenbender serves as a part of the Mission Team.

Kurt Seekford may be sitting down but not "sitting down on the job".

Many of the kids involved today were our hardest workers.

Average Bike Drives

By the way, the Bikes for the World folks tell me that the average number of bikes donated for a first-time bike drive like we are doing on Sunday is 50. Destiny is way above average, I'd love to see us hit the 150 mark. Keep cleaning out those garages...

Take a Friday Off

This could potentially be the best day off I've had in a while...

Here is how I plan for this day to progress:

-Morning run.
-Some time in Matthew 12 (it just happens to be where I am today).
-Lunch with my 1st grade daughter at her school. Who would have thought that a trip through the drive through at Mcd's would make you the most popular dad in the cafeteria?
-Heading out to Bonzai Sports (www.tribonzai.com) to try on a triathlon wetsuit. Brand new experience for me...
-Back by the time the school bus brings home my other kids, then it is a toss up between driveway basketball or street hockey.
-Cook something on the grill, and then call it a day...

Phew! Does it get any better than that?!

Clean out your garage or basement...

This Sunday from 9-1, Smart's Mill Middle School will be the collection site for Destiny's Bikes for the World drive. Simply bring in that bike from the back of your garage that is still in good condition but that nobody rides anymore. This helps to provide transportation to some of the poorest people in the world (while clearing some additional space in your basement). BFTW asks that you also provide $10 to help cover their shipping costs.

Just take one good look at the smiling face of this girl on the right, that smile is there because she is holding onto her very own K-Mart bicycle. This will allow her to get to school, to the market or even to church without having to walk miles. This is such an easy thing for us in the United States to do, that it is almost embarassing. It does, however, have a significant impact on the lives of others. Do you recall Jesus saying "whatever you do for the least of these, you do for me"?

On your marks...

The now almost offical Destiny Triathlon Club (or DTC) has got an informal, although binding and full, calendar of events for the Fall.

At the end of the month Kurt Seekford and Don Oesterblad are hitting a triathlon on the beach in Delaware. The very next weekend, Kelly Oesterblad, Paul Edellmann and I are hitting the Giant Acorn Triathlon at Lake Anna. Then, the month of October finishes up with the Smart's Mill Get Smart 5k that Destiny is co-sponsoring. There is a lot of buzz about this race. Greg, Dan, Kyle and I are lined up for this one and I think there will be a big Destiny presence at and in this race on October 27th. We will then "Freeze our Gizzard" in November, and make good on our resolutions on New Years Day at the Rotary Resolution race.

If you are looking to improve your fitness or simply be around others who are attempting to do so, then get connected with the DTC!

know, grow, SERVE

The word SERVE is a homograph. One word with multiple meanings...Roger Federer has a killer tennis serve. OJ Simpson may have to serve time. If Britney Spears' career continues to spiral she may be serving tables at the local Denny's. Do I really need to go on?

At Destiny, Serve is a critical part of who we are. It is our mission. As followers of Christ, serving is not just what we do, it is who we are...it is a lifestyle. Our hope is to build relationships by impacting people through service. This our opportunity to see lives transformed by showing God's love.

Just this week, we are serving through our Bikes for the World bike drive on Sunday and through an opportunity to help out a family in need through a special offering during our worship service. I know there are many different opportunities for us to serve, and I'd like to hear from you.

Where would you like to see Destiny begin to serve in our community, in our country and in our world?

Grow Green Part Deux

This Sunday Destiny will look at how we are created in the image of God, the Imago Dei. If you didn't catch Greg's message beginning this series last week, be sure to head over to www.destinychurch.info and give it a listen. Once you are up to speed, you will be ready for this Sunday. It is going to be great!

The A-Team

I'm not proud of the fact that I am about to quote from the A-Team, but sometimes sayings from culture (even the more embarassing elements of our culture) communicate just too well.

So here goes, "I love it when a plan comes together." Destiny Church is beginning to ask and answer the question "How can we help?" We are asking it about our church family, our community and our world. Even before we asked this question, God began to stir the hearts of a few people who want to be a tangible part of our answering this question. Just today I got to meet with two different guys whose hearts are for the needy. As I enjoyed barbeque with one and Starbucks with the other, I was reminded about how it is only God's plan that is worth following and that God is always ahead of us in the carrying out of his plans.

I can't wait to see who else God has lined up to help us carry out his mission for our Church: Know God, Grow with Others and Serve the World.

Red Letter Weekend

Every once in a while my cup overflows. This weekend it overflowed with pride. I was proud of my family and I was proud of my Church.

My two oldest kids (#548 and #532) competed in their first triathlon this weekend. It was well worth the training and the trip down to Richmond to watch them compete (and do well, I might add!) The Barbeque at Buzz and Ned's in Richmond was great too! Almost the whole family has caught the Triathlon bug and as soon as we take the training wheels off of Emily's bike, she may be bitten as well.

After a triathlon-filled Saturday, we enjoyed the beginning of Grow Green at Destiny. This new series is pressing us to grow spiritually and I am anxious to hear more. Greg was back from his sabbatical and really brought the funk on Sunday, Lathan and the band brought us to worship in a very real way. Bottom line: Sunday morning at Destiny was exciting...people responded by beginning to follow Jesus and many took the time to share their prayer requests with us. I'm proud to be a part of what God is doing in and around Destiny Church.

Stop by one Sunday at 10am, we'd love to welcome you...

Sunday's Lineup

This Sunday Destiny is launching a new series entitled Grow Green and Greg is back from his sabbatical and ready to go. There is a great lineup this weekend as we sharpen our focus on spiritual growth.

Grow Green will be great for those of you who are exploring your faith, because it will help start you on the right path. It will be challenging for those of you who have started following Christ and are wondering where to go next and it will be convicting to those of you who have forgotten just how to grow spiritually in the first place.

Plus, those cool shirts come in all three sizes.
See you Sunday.

Just keep tapping, just keep tapping...

All the main characters in "Finding Nemo" are hopelessly trapped in a fisherman's net, but little Nemo has the solution: If they all simply swim downward together, they can break the net free from the boat and all escape. His rally cry is very simply "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming..."

Now apply that to Destiny Church: All the main ministries at Destiny are looking for more help. If all the leaders simply continue to "tap shoulders" together, they can engage people in ministry and fill all the slots. Our rally cry is very simply "Just keep tapping, just keep tapping..."


Some specific opportunities:
Week Two Setup Team (Wren) needs additional help. Email Tom at tewren2@gmail.com.
ImagiNation needs help in the 2nd and 3rd Grade Classrooms. Email Kim at kimkratz@destinynet.net.

Life Principles Gleaned from Frogmore Stew

Labor Day at Destiny Church is by far, one of my favorite days. If it is Labor Day, then it is time for Frogmore Stew. Frogmore is not only a combination of red skin potatoes, corn on the cob, kielbasa, Old Bay and shrimp, but it is also an annual event at Destiny with a very simple agenda: gather and eat.

Just two days ago, Frogmore was a great success with over 140 people "gathering and eating". There are (at least) 3 life principles that can be gleaned from that great meal.

1. It is good to share. Frogmore stew is served (or rather literally poured) directly onto a table and all that gather at that table simply share that pile together. My mom always taught me to share and I think she would have been proud this Labor Day.

2. Some of the oddest combinations fit well together. The individual ingredients in Frogmore Stew do not make it such a great meal, it is the combination of those ingredients that does. This same principle is true in our families, at work and on our ministry teams at Destiny. God has gifted us all as individuals and together we make up His body (see I Corinthians 12 for more detail).

3. When the heat is turned up, there can be amazing results. Frogmore is cooked in big pots on propane cookers and the heat not only fully cooks each ingredient but fuses together flavors as well. God will often allow the "heat" to be turned up in our lives in order for us to be fully dependent upon him and to help us to rise to all that He has for us. A good friend of mine used to say "The Refiner's fire is very hot." This phrase refers to the purification process in refining fine metals, but it also is a great picture of what God desires for us as he "burns away" the impurities of our lives. Not necessarily a fun process but one we should welcome as God works in our lives.

Now that is something to chew on.