River Wild!

I'm 40 years old and encountered a brand new experience yesterday. A small group from church went white water rafting in West Virginia on the New River. What a great time! We left from the church at about 5 AM and didn't get back until Midnight. We faced mostly class 3 and class 4 rapids with a couple that were class 4+. There were several opportunities to jump out of the raft and float in calm but deep (100') water and one opportunity to jump off a 20' rock for a big splash.
Just like life ,there is a lot about rafting that is counter-intuitive. For example, when you hit a big rock; lean into it and not away from it. Even when our guide was telling us to lean "right" into the rock, our first instinct was to go "left". He would then say, more authoritatively, "your other right!"
Having an experienced guide was absolutely essential!

Insightful Book!

I'm working my way through a great book today.
I thought I would pass along the endorsement.
It's called "Church Marketing 101", written by Richard L. Reising.
I'm only half way through it but it has already been worth the investment.
It's more about being thoughtful toward those who have little church experience
than about any particular PR plan. Refreshing and thought provoking!

Read On!

Anderson Vacation '07

What a great time we had on vacation!
We left Monday around 11:00 a.m. and by 1:00 p.m. we were looking for a tire repair shop. Oh yeah, almost a blow out on 95.
We "luckily" found a Wal-Mart with an EXPRESS tire repair shop. 4 hours later we were on our way!
We spent our first night at Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg. I think they have the largest indoor water park in the country. We all had a blast. They even let me go down a few of the tubes. (After they ran a tape measure around me and concluded that I wouldn't get stuck. Only once did they have to hook up a giant vacuum to suck me out. All kidding aside, I would recommend GWL as a great place for the entire family.
Tuesday thru Thursday we spent in Va. Beach. We rented one of those 4 wheel bicycles. It seemed like a great idea at the time but after 6 miles of peddling I could barely walk. Ronda and the kids wanted to walk the Boardwalk that evening but encouraged me to go back to the room to get some rest. The truth is they were embarrassed to be seen with me due to how I was walking. I was more than happy to waddle back to the room.
Wednesday morning we all went para sailing. 1000 feet above the ocean tethered to a boat. It was AWESOME! We spent the rest of the day playing on the beach. That was when I learned my most valuable lesson. Never leave your flip flops in the room. I got half the distance to the water when I realized that sand gets very hot. I RAN the rest of the way on the sides of my feet. I didn't think it was possible but you can blister the bottom of your feet when it is 104 degrees outside. My family got a big kick out of watching me make a bee line to the water. James was the first to stop laughing... after I took his flip flops for the return back to the room. That evening we attended East Coast Baptist Church with Pastor Chris Brown. A great church with a gifted pastor.
All in all? A great vacation. Even though alot of the laughter was at my expense it still had all the ingredients for a great time.
The entire family was together, a safe trip, and lots and lots of laughter! Oh yeah, I almost forgot; Snowcones!

Sunday was great!

What a great blessing it was to meet on our own property yesterday!
We are still a few weeks away from having everything finished, but we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
There were four special highlights to the day. First, the great attitude of our church family. Even though a lot of loose ends were very noticeable, our folks acted like everything was perfect. What awesome spirits they've shown over this last year. The second highlight was the number of guests that were with us. Maybe one of the most encouraging things about our church right now is that returning guests feel comfortable enough with us to invite their friends and family. We are honored that newcomers can so soon trust us that they feel confident in inviting others to attend as well. The third highlight has to be the cookout that followed. Without a doubt, we have the finest collection of cooks in the country! The final highlight was the fact that I played two volleyball games without collapsing on the field. All kidding aside, the V-ball was a blast!

Already looking forward to this Sunday!

Randall Anderson