Put a Fork In It!
Put a fork in it – summer is done. Can't believe that this incredible summer is officially over as of tomorrow morning at 8:25 for the Cockrell clan. Our kids school starts on Wed. which is nice coming off of Labor Day. It is crazy getting all of the STUFF together that the kids need today. I remember when I was a kid we needed a notebook and a pencil and you were set – not today. You have to take a small loan out just to get the school supply list. 
This month's VIRTUE in KW is Initiative – seeing what needs to get done and doing it! WoW what agreat virtue to get the whole family talking about. We had an interesting discussion after dinner tonight about the need for all of us to eork on this virtue not just MOM! Can I hear an AMEN from all the moms! The Virtue Packs that we sell at the resource table are great tools to help keep the family dialoging and working on the virtue through out the week and month. We try to learn the verse each month – I must say we were a little slack during the summer – we have to get back at it.
This Sunday is going to be a cool day. One of my passions is to reach men in a practical but inspiring way to be ALL that God has created us to be while we live on this earth. To many times men get laughed at and lampooned as idots and cluless dads. Unfortunately we do a lot toward making some of those things actually true. I am going to come right after the men this week for one reason I know we can take it. Another reason is there is to much at risk for men to stay invisible when it comes to their relationship with Jesus Christ. The statistics are crazy bad when looking at the men and the leadership we are NOT providing in our homes, communities and our country. I will be sharing a couple of environments that will be made avilable for us men this year to grow in our relationship with God and each other. One great experience that we can have is the monthly men's breakfast at The Chapel at Crosspoint. This is something that I started several years ago and has now grown into more of a regional event for men all over Western NY and many different churches. They are kicking off the first one on September 15, it is almost always on the third Saturday of the month. There will be several hundred men there, with a GREAT breakfast and a powerful message just for us dudes. It cost $5 and it starts at 7:30 am so sign up this Sunday at the resource table and we can all sit together.
The second environment that we are going to have for men is something called Men's Fraternity. We will be kicking this off for guys at the new IHOP on Delaware right by the new Tim Hortons. This will be a twice a month gathering for guys early in the morning before going to work. I have led this several times and it has always been an incredible journey for the men who choose to get involved and stay involved. We will be going through a study called The Quest for Authentic Manhood. Every man needs to know what it means to be a man. Every boy needs a man to tell him and teach him what a man is from a biblical world view and every girl needs to know what a man is based upon God's Word. We will be talking about what it means to be a real man and how do we get there at MF. This will be a twice monthly meeting through most of the school year so put it on your Outlook Calendar and plan on being a part of the MF from 6:15 – 7:30 we will have a great time of discussion with other men and developing strong friendships with men of like heart and mind!! Men can also sign up for the MF this Sunday at the resource table.
Back to school in the morning!
