Another point of interest in tonight’s play is the fact that the PTA ran the event for the second time that I have been to one of these. I assume they always plan the plays/events, but to be honest I really have no idea what they do other than act as a voice for the parents as I have never been involved with it. The surprising thing though is that before the play started, the PTA president for our school led us in the pledge of allegiance and then had a chaplain lead us in public optional prayer. Why was this so shocking to me? Maybe it is the fact that I have heard so many instances where teachers would even say the word God in a public school in front of students and they would be scolded for it. Are these same constraints not there for the PTA or even for after school programs such as this? I found it quite refreshing and love that God still has some place in our school systems.

What are your thoughts and experiences with this type of situation? I live in an area that is still heavily religious for the most part compared to some of the rest of the country.

Ponder those questions while you check out the pics I promised below…

My son played in the basketball program and my daughter was a cheerleader and they really enjoyed themselves and was a great opportunity for them to learn more about Christ and also to learn about teamwork and self-esteem. In this program, winning is achieved in a different way than most sports programs promote. Score is not kept and the children gain iron-on stars through both practices and the games they put on their sleeves. The stars given out in practice are for learning a weekly Bible verse and reciting it together. The game stars are handed out after each game and have different colors that represent “best offense”, “most improved”, “most spirited” and things like that. Every child receives a star. Also, each week during practice, the kids gather around their coaches and have a devotional and prayer time.

All in all I think it was a great program and I know the children enjoyed it as well. I’m not against the normal sports programs that are available in our area as both of my children have participated in Soccer and Tee-ball. However, having the chance for them to play sports and learn about Jesus is just a blessing for us.

If you would like more information about Upward, visit their site by clicking here.

Below are several pictures from this past season…

Well, as you all know my name is Brett and I have been married to a very beautiful woman named Starla for 10 years now. We have a daughter Karson (8), who loves soccer and cheerleading, and a son Ethan (6), who loves playing on computers and playing basketball. Ginger is the fifth addition to our family and she is still a puppy (Terrier and Pug mix).

Below are photo galleries for each member of our family. If you are on the gallery page and wish to go back to the album page, please click back arrow on your browser or click the title of the blog post again.

Brett

1 Photos

Starla

1 Photos

Karson

4 Photos

Ethan

1 Photos

Ginger

2 Photos

Group Shots

4 Photos

I vaguely remember going to church at a young age but like a lot of kids, I stopped going at some point mostly because my parents did not go or I thought I had found “better” things to do with my time. In December of 2006, I stepped back into a church for the first time in at least 25 years (well, aside from getting married and other sporadic functions). I was like a lot of people that would not let Jesus into their hearts. I was stubborn in the ways of the world and easily accepted what I had always been taught growing up with other non-Christian peers. Thankfully, I soon found that the Lord had blessed me with a wonderful Minister (Kirby Lloyd) at East End Christian Church who showered my wife and I with kindness and the knowledge needed to start taking the steps toward my new life as a Christian.

After a few months of attending church regularly with my wife, we both felt in our hearts that we should repent of our sins to Jesus, accept him into our hearts and be baptised. Before I had gone to church for those few months and truly learned what sin was, I had thought I was living a pretty good life. After all, I had not murdered anyone or really done any bad things to anyone. I quickly found out that I had plenty of repenting to do for the things that I had done over the years. Personally, I found this step the hardest because it puts things in perspective on how you have lived your “old” life. Shortly after we had repented of our sins, my wife and I came forward during invitation at the next Sunday morning service and accepted Jesus as our one and only Savior publicly in front of the congregation. We were then baptised later that night on February 11, 2007, which just also happened to be our son’s 5th birthday. Thus began our “new” life cleansed of all our sins and with Jesus in our hearts.