Five Practices of Fruitful Youth Ministry

I finally have one in my hands. I fully intend to read the entire short book this evening after I get settled at home and the kids have gone to bed. This is a follow up book to Bishop Robert Schnase’s book “Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations.”

First UMC Hillsville and Out of the Box are mentioned in the book several times but it is not specified where those mentions are. In the back of the book, Ronnie G Collins is named as a “Contributor.”If you are familiar with the trip to Macon and Christ Chapel in 2008 you will have no problem recognizing us.

I hope that the book does well and I believe this is just one more place where the “Out Of The Box” is being celebrated. “Out Of The Box” is a ministry with youth, for youth and to youth. However we are reaching out to all age groups as we minister downtown.

Ronnie

Here is a link to amazon.com where you can order the book:

Lead youth to live radically, passionately, intentionally, extravagantly—taking risks to become fruitful disciples of Jesus.

These ten ready-to-use sessions teach the fundamentals of Christian living. Radical Hospitality, Passionate Worship, Intentional Faith Development, Risk-Taking Mission, and Extravagant Generosity– these five practices, designed to shape both heart and mind, will help youth grow in their discipleship as they transform the world.

Features: 2 ready-to-use interactive sessions for each practice Reproducible pages Scripture references Suggestions for discussion Questions for reflection Planning helps Tried-and-true activities from youth groups across the country

Robert Schnase is Bishop of the Missouri Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church and bestselling author of Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations.

Terry B. Carty is Director of The Youthworker Movement.

IMG01786.jpg Sportstowne

I found my shirt from last year and it flooded me with thankfulness. Those folks made a lasting impact on the Hillsville First United Methodist Youth & leaders. Thank you Christ Chapel Sportstowne.
Ronnie
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device from U.S. Cellular

Out Of The Box Ministry

Here is the Out of the Box Story:

What follows is the story of the First United Methodist Hillsville Youth Group. Their mission trip to Macon Georgia. The vision of a storefront Youth Ministry Site in order to take the church to the people and the results.

Ronnie

We have been open for about 8 months now and hundreds of people have come through the doors at Out Of The Box. There have been events with 150 people in attendance and Safe Halloween brought several hundred through our doors in one afternoon. Youth are finding a place where they love coming and many adults are getting acquainted with the main church through OOTB.

Now adults are being reached as well. Join us at OOTB Tuesday Morning, every other week @ 6:30 Starting June 2nd, 2009.

Youth Mission Trip to Inner City Atlanta Post 1

The youth and leaders will be taking a Mission Trip to the Inner City of Atlanta in July. I will post different sites as the days progress to talk about some of the things we will be doing there. These are shots of the newly renovated pool that Gary took with his iphone Wednesday evening in Piedmont Park. We will be spending time there working with the homeless as well as enjoying the pool.

Ronnie

At “Out Of The Box” We Love people because God first Loved Us

I spent better than an hour this morning with Charlie Rand, a member of our church. I learned a lot about Charlie, by the way he had come downtown to spend time in prayer with is at Out of The Box for the Youth in the surrounding communities.

Charlie talked about how he never met a person he didn’t love. He says he does that because God first loved him and he is following the Bible’s prescription. He is absolutely right, that is what the Bible teaches. Love because Christ first loves us! Charlie has a great love for everybody but he is especially drawn to teach and be with children and youth.

Then Charlie said this: This is what Out Of The Box is, the youth can come here and there are no strings attached. They are often stunned when they come and there is free pizza for 150 people, sodas, snacks, pool table, big screen and just plain fun. They are stunned because there is no hook in it. We make no apologizes that we are Christian and we are here because of Jesus Christ but we do not require that a person think and be just like us. Out of the Box is a place where a person can come to hang out with Friends and learn about Jesus in the process.

There are no strings attached at Out Of The Box. We love youth because God first loved us!

Welcome

Ronnie

Out Of The Box Hosts Men’s Bible Study

We are hosting United Methodist Men@ Out of the Box for their bi-weekly Bible Study and this morning was again a great time of learning, reflection and fellowship. With all of that, my favorite is the conversation after the Bible Study. There always seems to be a point where God speaks to people and we start relating our thoughts and meditations and find that God was speaking to more than one of us about the same ideas. I don’t believe this is a coincidence!

In the Bible Study the Men are using Ray Vanderlaan and “Faith Lessons.” These are teaching videos filmed on location throughout Israel.

You can check these videos out as well as Ray’s site: “Follow The Rabbi” @ http://www.followtherabbi.com/Brix?pageID=1458

We looked today at the Firstfruits. The firstfruits are what we give back to the Lord in essence saying here they are, we are dependant on you now for what we need to live.

I am going back today to write my tithe check from my paycheck yesterday. It is always good even for a preacher to have a reminder.

However the greatest thing that I received this morning is this question. The people marched around the City in SILENCE (you know when a person uses all caps it is yelling in computer language) and on the final time around the people blew the Shofar and shouted and the walls fell to the ground. Here is the question.

Why aren’t things like that still happening today?

Here is the reference: Joshua 6: 1-16 NIV

¹ Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.

² Then the LORD said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. ³ March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. ⁴ Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. ⁵ When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in.”

⁶ So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant of the LORD and have seven priests carry trumpets in front of it.” ⁷ And he ordered the people, “Advance! March around the city, with the armed guard going ahead of the ark of the LORD.”

⁸ When Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets before the LORD went forward, blowing their trumpets, and the ark of the LORD’s covenant followed them. ⁹ The armed guard marched ahead of the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard followed the ark. All this time the trumpets were sounding. ¹⁰ But Joshua had commanded the people, “Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!” ¹¹ So he had the ark of the LORD carried around the city, circling it once. Then the people returned to camp and spent the night there.

¹² Joshua got up early the next morning and the priests took up the ark of the LORD. ¹³ The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets went forward, marching before the ark of the LORD and blowing the trumpets. The armed men went ahead of them and the rear guard followed the ark of the LORD, while the trumpets kept sounding. ¹⁴ So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.

¹⁵ On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. ¹⁶ The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For the LORD has given you the city!

Here is an answer that came to me.

Silence

I am tempted after typing silence to just stop and do nothing else but I feel that I need to explain this. We live in a time of noise. It is difficult to find a quiet place anymore. There is always background noise. There never seems to be time to just be still and know that He is God, to listen for His voice. Maybe Joshua told them to be quiet and not raise a voice because he wanted the people to listen to what God was saying in His still small voice.

Maybe God wants to speak to us today. I spend most of my time in the vehicle in silence. many times when I run it is by myself and that is a time when I hear God speak. Many times it is when I am in the shower and there is no background noise. Lets be intentional in silence, God still speaks today.

Let me know what you hear.

Ronnie

You’re the God of this City

SouledOut has recently started singing this song by Chris Tomlin. I believe it is prophetic of Out Of The Box and the work of FUMC Hillsville.

Joshua 1: 7-9

⁷ Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. ⁸ Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. ⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

I have told God that I will go into this City and lift up Jesus Christ in order to win the lost.

Ronnie

Out Of The Box: Ministry With Youth, To Youth, & For Youth

What follows is the story of the First United Methodist Hillsville Youth Group. Their mission trip to Macon Georgia. The vision of a storefront Youth Ministry Site in order to take the church to the people and the results.

Ronnie

We have been open for about 6 months now and hundreds of people have come through the doors at Out Of The Box. There have been events with 150 people in attendance and Safe Halloween brought several hundred through our doors in one afternoon. Youth are finding a place where they love coming and many adults are getting acquainted with the main church through OOTB.

Men’s Bible Study @ Out Of The Box Tuesday Morning June 2nd

What an opportunity men! Our United Methodist Men’s Leader, Jerry King is holding morning Bible Study @ OOTB. 6:30am, FREE COFFEE, plenty of snack items. But, most of all I am excited about the friendships and the Christian Conversation.

This is a great opportunity for each of us to invite someone to come along. No Dress Code (Wear Clothes)

Each one of us could invite one unchurched person in our community and we could change lives!

Who will take this opportunity to change a life? We are providing the food, the place, the Bible Study. You provide the unchurched person.

Ronnie

Here is the Out of the Box Story:

What follows is the story of the First United Methodist Hillsville Youth Group. Their mission trip to Macon Georgia. The vision of a storefront Youth Ministry Site in order to take the church to the people and the results.

Ronnie

We have been open for about 8 months now and hundreds of people have come through the doors at Out Of The Box. There have been events with 150 people in attendance and Safe Halloween brought several hundred through our doors in one afternoon. Youth are finding a place where they love coming and many adults are getting acquainted with the main church through OOTB.

Now adults are being reached as well. Join us at OOTB Tuesday Morning, every other week @ 6:30 Starting June 2nd, 2009.

It’s a Block Party

Block Party @ Out Of The Box This Friday 8pm to Midnight

Greater Things Are Still To Come

We have just spent 2 days with Terry Teykl and heard him talk about prayer and it’s benefits. Benefits not just concerning what we get through prayer but what God accomplishes through our prayers. It was an outstanding time and if you missed it, lets talk.

I have been seeking God in recent weeks and even months about what His work for us to do in Hillsville might be. I have prayed and kept my ears open and tried to be sensitive to what it is He wants us to do.

I finally heard from Him this morning. I remember back to when we went to Macon last year and we were so impacted by the folks at Christ Chapel that we came back with the vision for Out Of The Box. It was obviously a vision that God gave us, we have stayed busy working with this new ministry for the past 8 months. I remember many things about the church there that impacted me but one of the strongest was their call to prayer during the week. One or more days a week they would come to Christ Chapel and have a prayer time as staff and anyone who wished to come. I was impacted by that because that God hears our prayer and He answers.

This morning my friend Dan Waits from Christ Chapel sent out a facebook message about their prayer time and where God was leading in his life and it hit me right between the spiritual eyes. I literally said, “what is wrong with me”?

What is wrong with me? One of the greatest impacts in Macon with Christ Chapel was their intentional “Call to Prayer”. Why didn’t I see that sooner? Why have we not been gathering at OOTB and praying for our Youth in Carroll, Galax, and Grayson? It took a lot of seeking and a lot of wondering if we were supposed to be doing one thing or another and nothing felt right.

This feels right. There Are Greater Things Still To Come! We have a calling, right here in downtown Hillsville. We are called to impact the lives of youth. We have to first make a Call to Prayer a priority.

Here is what I am going to do. I will be at Out Of The Box on Tuesday Mornings at 8:15 until about 9:15 or 9:30, starting next week, Tuesday May 26th. I invite anyone who desires to come. There is no agenda except to pray for Youth in this area, our individual ministries, and other needs concerning the impact that God wants us to have on youth. The coffee is free, you can bring your laptop to journal or send notes to others and let them know that you are praying for them. Whatever your desire, just come and help us pray.

Greater Things are still to be Done in Carroll County, Galax and Grayson. Let’s make a difference.

Thank you Christ Chapel

Thank you Dan Waits

Thank you First Hillsville

But, Thank you most of all, Jesus Christ — You are why we are here!

Ronnie 

Out Of The Box

What follows is the story of the First United Methodist Hillsville Youth Group. Their mission trip to Macon Georgia. The vision of a storefront Youth Ministry Site in order to take the church to the people and the results.

Ronnie

We have been open for about 6 months now and hundreds of people have come through the doors at Out Of The Box. There have been events with 150 people in attendance and Safe Halloween brought several hundred through our doors in one afternoon. Youth are finding a place where they love coming and many adults are getting acquainted with the main church through OOTB.

Out Of The Box: A Ministry to Youth

What follows is the story of the First United Methodist Hillsville Youth Group. Their mission trip to Macon Georgia. The vision of a storefront Youth Ministry Site in order to take the church to the people and the results.

Ronnie

We have been open for about 6 months now and hundreds of people have come through the doors at Out Of The Box. There have been events with 150 people in attendance and Safe Halloween brought several hundred through our doors in one afternoon. Youth are finding a place where they love coming and many adults are getting acquainted with the main church through OOTB.

Out Of The Box: God At Work

What follows is the story of the First United Methodist Hillsville Youth Group. Their mission trip to Macon Georgia. The vision of a storefront Youth Ministry Site in order to take the church to the people and the results.

Ronnie

We have been open for about 6 months now and hundreds of people have come through the doors at Out Of The Box. There have been events with 150 people in attendance and Safe Halloween brought several hundred through our doors in one afternoon. Youth are finding a place where they love coming and many adults are getting acquainted with the main church through OOTB.

Out Of The Box: The Story

What follows is the story of the First United Methodist Hillsville Youth Group. Their mission trip to Macon Georgia. The vision of a storefront Youth Ministry Site in order to take the church to the people and the results.

Ronnie

We have been open for about 6 months now and hundreds of people have come through the doors at Out Of The Box. There have been events with 150 people in attendance and Safe Halloween brought several hundred through our doors in one afternoon. Youth are finding a place where they love coming and many adults are getting acquainted with the main church through OOTB.

April 23rd @ Out Of The Box

Cort and Donna Godwin are a couple in our church who God has impressed to help lead people to getting out of debt. Cort has taught Financial Peace University at First UMC Hillsville 2 times now and we have an opportunity this week to go further. Take a look at the videos posted here and get started on getting out of debt.

Ronnie

First United Methodist Church Hillsville’s Downtown location ” Out Of The Box” will be hosting this event.  We are located at 522 N. Main Street, Hillsville.  Dave Ramsey, founder of Financial Peace University, will be on a live streaming video talking about the recession, economy and your money.  Please join us at 8 pm for this event!  For more information please contact Cort Godwin.

tatango for “Out Of The Box”

FREE account for “Out Of The Box” to send group txt messages. If you are an attender at OOTB then this is a service that will be invaluable to all of us. I can send one message to everyone in the group letting you know things like: Emergency Prayer Request, Last Minute Events or Cancellations, all kinds of important stuff.

Go here to join http://www.tatango.com/profile/ootb_yth

Ronnie

Out Of The Box

What follows is the story of the First United Methodist Hillsville Youth Group. Their mission trip to Macon Georgia. The vision of a storefront Youth Ministry Site in order to take the church to the people and the results.

Ronnie

We have been open for about 6 months now and hundreds of people have come through the doors at Out Of The Box. There have been events with 150 people in attendance and Safe Halloween brought several hundred through our doors in one afternoon. Youth are finding a place where they love coming and many adults are getting acquainted with the main church through OOTB.

Welcome to Out Of The Box

This video can be purchased at http://www.worshiphousemedia.com/

What Do Facebook and Out Of The Box Have in Common?

Facebook – is a place to network, meet with friends and make new friends. Facebook is a place to share your ideas and hear those of others. Facebook is a place where others can see what your heart and passions are. People can see what causes you support and what books you are reading. People can see what makes you tick and what drives and motivates you in life. 

Facebook is NOT a WASTE of Time but an Investment

It is the way we do community in this age. When I grew up we knew the neighbors across the street and now we know the neighbors across the globe. It is a time when people are more busy than ever and you can quickly find people who understand you and with whom you can build relationships. 

Would Jesus Have a Facebook Page?

Well we can’t know for sure but I think that he would. Jesus hung out with people where they were and there are 50 million people on Facebook. booh yah

Facebook Reflects Real Life

People are very candid about what they like and dislike and about who they are. It is My Space (sorry myspace) it is a place that I can call my own. I can choose who I talk to and who I don’t. I can choose to accept friend request or ignore them. It is My Space to do with what I want. 

SO WHAT DOES OUT OF THE BOX HAVE IN COMMON WITH FACEBOOK?

Out Of The Box is – a place to network, meet with friends and make new friends. OOTB is a place where you can learn more about your relationship with Jesus. OOTB is a place to share your ideas and hear those of others. OOTB is a place where others can see what your heart and passions are. People can see what causes you support and what books you are reading. People can see what makes you tick and what drives and motivates you in life. 

OOTB is a place where teens can come and not be judged but be accepted for who you are. You got tattoo’s, piercings, different hair styles, dress differently than what someone else may consider the norm. Do you look like the majority of society in the way you dress. Are you tall, skinny, slim, heavy, bald, long hair, skater, nerd? It doesn’t matter at Out Of The Box.

OOTB is a place for teens to hang out and learn who Jesus is.

Open at 5pm every Wednesday (unless school is canceled in Carroll County) Free Sodas, Coffee and Junk Food. Pool Foosball, wifi, Internet ready computers, big screen tv and some cool adults that will listen to your concerns, joys and rants.

Come check us out.

Downtown Main Street in Hillsville

FUMC Downtown 276-730-0002

Facebook Group http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=50597581540

Ronnie http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home

Myspace Page http://www.myspace.com/outoftheboxdt

Ronnie’s Myspace http://www.myspace.com/ronniegcollins

Ronnie’s Office 276-728-2434

Ronnie

 

 

 

Communion @ Out Of The Box

More Souper Bowl Memories

Souper Bowl Memories

 

Souper Bowl of Caring HUGE SUCCESS

I will blog more later but for the moment I want to say that Souper Bowl of Caring at Out Of The Box was a HUGE SUCCESS last night. There were 125 people in attendance at our Main Street Location with more food than people could possibly eat and lots of can and dry goods were collected for our Food Pantry. I will have financial Totals for you before the day is out.

Here is what I want to say in this post. My hat is off to the dedicated Youth Leaders that we have here at First United Methodist Church Hillsville. Jeff, Greg, Lori and Terry are a blessing beyond measure.They all put in long hours and lots of hard work to make “Out Of The Box” a place that the youth of Hillsville can call home. Not just our youth but any youth that wants to be a part of this hangout crowd.

I was really bummed that I was not able to be at the party last night but it wasn’t because I had any concerns that things wouldn’t be done well. I knew without a doubt that things were in capable and blessed hands. I understand that things went without a problem as I knew they would. My hat is off to the youth leaders at First Hillsville.

I could not do what God has called me to do with this church, the youth ministry and the ministry in general without the awesome team that God has put together among us.

Ronnie

“Out Of The Box” It’s Mission

This is just a start. I have thinking recently about what exactly the mission of “Out Of The Box” is. I know that it is a place for our youth to hang out and have a place of their own but it is more than that. It is a place where teens can belong and feel at ease to hook up with friends, hang out, learn about Jesus and find someone with an ear who really wants to hear what they have to say.

So what is “Out Of The Box”? This is a question that is still being answered. In the mean time ministry is happening there. many young people are coming and finding friends, many are coming and hearing about Jesus and these things alone are worth the work.

Just thinking.

Ronnie

Souper Bowl Party is Sunday: Check out Kurt Warner

Four years ago Kurt Warner was having a hard time finding a job.  

Kurt Warner – First Things First Foundation

 Mission:

First things First is the family foundation of Kurt and Brenda Warner.  The Foundation is dedicated to impacting lives by promoting Christian values, sharing experiences and providing opportunities to encourage everyone that all things are possible when people seek to put first things first. All projects are centered on the Warners’ life theme of putting faith and family first.  Programs include homes for the Holidays, which provides downpayment and other assistance to low-come single-parent families looking to purchase their first home.  Other initiatives seek to provide tangible goods to disadvantaged children and other persons, and to provide encouragement, hope, and inspiration to families of children dealing with illness. The Foundation coordinates a variety of different programs based on creating synergies with other nonprofit community organizations to provide experiences and opportunities for the benefit of children and families; and administers an annual grants/scholarship program to assist youth groups participating in service-based mission trips with financial support.

Here is a story first shared on The Church Report  www.thechurchreport.com

 

No matter that he had been to two Super Bowls and won one of them, or that he’d been an NFL and Super Bowl MVP.

 

The perception was that he was washed up, finished, that his storybook career was approaching an ignominious end.

 

Then the 37-year-old quarterback wrote the most amazing chapter of all with a season that might cement him a spot on football’s Hall of Fame, especially if he can lead the Arizona Cardinals, of all teams, to a Super Bowl victory Sunday over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

 

“Hopefully, it would recognize him for exactly what he is – one of the best players to ever play his position,” his coach, Ken Whisenhunt, said.

 

Warner’s story is rooted in a deep faith and a persistent drive to be the very best he can be as a person and a football player.

 

“My approach is hoping that every player that I’ve played with, every place that I’ve been, that in some way, shape or form, I leave my stamp on those people and those places,” he said at the Super Bowl media day on Tuesday. “That’s what I want my legacy to be. The football stuff, that’s all gravy.”

 

The football stuff impresses his Pittsburgh counterpart, Ben Roethlisberger.

 

“He’s gone through so much and done so much,” Roethlisberger said. “To me, I love watching him play. He throws an unbelievable pass and – you know what? – I have a lot of respect for him and the way he plays the game.”

 

Warner’s return to the top is a dominant theme leading up to this Super Bowl, just as it was in his 1999 season.

 

“Most times when you do something great, it’s not overnight,” he said. “It’s not something that comes easy. It comes with a lot of hard work, a lot of time, a lot of commitment.”

 

The comment pretty much sums up his life.

 

Warner played for Northern Iowa, but didn’t start until he was a senior. Then he tried out for the Green Bay Packers, but was quickly released. So it was back to Cedar Rapids, where he got a job stocking shelves for a supermarket.

 

His route from there to the NFL included three seasons with the Iowa Barnstormers of the Arena Football League and two years with the Amsterdam Admirals in NFL Europe.

 

Before the 1999 season, Warner was a backup with the Rams when starter Trent Green was injured. Coach Dick Vermeil turned to Warner, and the result was one of the most prolific offenses in NFL history.

 

In the next three years, despite missing five games because of injury, Warner threw for 12,612 yards and 98 touchdowns. There was the Super Bowl championship season and the near-miss against New England in 2001.

 

But injuries to his finger and hand in 2002 signaled the beginning of the end of his days in St. Louis.

 

He lost the starting job to Marc Bulger and was released by the Rams after the 2003 season.

 

 

“I never felt like the physical part of my game ever disappeared,” Warner said. “I felt like that was always there. The one question I had when I left St. Louis was would I ever get the opportunity to display that again.”

 

He signed a one-year deal with the New York Giants, but was replaced by rookie Eli Manning 10 games into the season after an awful game against the Cardinals.

 

At 33, Warner found no serious offers, except from the lowly Cards, perennial doormats in the NFL.

 

Even in Arizona, success never came easily.

 

“I worked my butt off this year to try to prove they made the right decision, not only this year but when they signed me four years ago,” Warner said, “to try to pay back as much as I can for what they’ve given me.”

 

Warner was limited by injuries to 10 starts in 2005. In 2006, then-coach Dennis Green made Warner the starter after training camp, but again he was replaced by a rookie – when Matt Leinart took over five games into the season.

 

Whisenhunt replaced the fired Green in 2007, and Warner had to prove himself all over again.

 

“This league is so much built on what someone’s perception of you is,” Warner said. “I know that even when this coaching staff came here … that they really felt that this guy is on the tail end of his career, he’s just kind of hanging on.”

 

Whisenhunt kept Leinart as the starter, but sent Warner into three games to operate a productive, no-huddle offense. Then Leinart went down with a broken collarbone five games into the season, and Warner had the job full time.

 

He played despite a dislocated elbow in his left, non-throwing arm, earning even more respect from his teammates for his toughness.

 

Warner threw for 3,417 yards and 27 touchdowns, but at season’s end it was the same old story: Leinart was the starter.

 

Whisenhunt, though, assured Warner he’d have an opportunity to compete for the job in training camp, and after the final preseason game of 2008, Whisenhunt made Warner the starter.

 

“It was a week and a day before our first regular-season game,” Whisenhunt said, “and I stayed up all night making the decision. … As I’ve said before, it was a very close competition. It came down to what I felt was the player that gave us the chance to win early.”

 

Warner found an offensive rhythm with his powerhouse group of receivers and the Cardinals took flight. His statistics this season rival those of his St. Louis days, finishing second in the NFL in completions (401), second in completion percentage (67.1), second in yards passing (4,583) and third in passing touchdowns (30).

 

And the offense kicked into an even higher gear in the playoffs, with the Cardinals beating Atlanta 30-24, Carolina 33-13 and Philadelphia 32-25.

 

Steelers safety Ryan Clark calls Warner “one of the most accurate passers in the game right now.”

 

“A lot of times, Fitzgerald’s covered or Boldin’s covered or Breaston’s covered, he knows exactly the spot to put it where only his receivers could catch the ball,” Clark said.

 

Warner will make his 20th start of the season on Sunday, the most of his career. As far as his teammates are concerned, he’s already a Hall of Famer.

 

“I told him after the NFC championship that I just want a ticket to Canton, Ohio, when he gets in,” defensive end Bertrand Berry said. “When you think about what he’s done in his career and what he’s accomplished in his career, to think that there is even a question about whether he’ll be a Hall of Famer or not, to me, is ridiculous.”

 

Warner’s contract with Arizona ends after the Super Bowl. General manager Rod Graves says Warner wants to come back and the Cardinals want to re-sign him. It’s hard to imagine him not wanting to keep flinging the ball after a season like this.

 

But Warner also hints at retirement. His wife Brenda would like him at home with their seven children and he’d have more time to work with his First Things First foundation.

 

It’s a Christian organization to match his faith-based life.

 

“Everything I do, everywhere I go, I’m trying to live up to or represent Jesus,” Warner said. “Having the faith I have is first and foremost in my life.”

Souper Bowl Party is only 6 days away…….

Only 6 Days until Super Bowl Sunday!

Chris Luper (Youth Minister @  Galax FUMC) will be bringing the message!

It is only 9 days until the day that so many people anticipate every year. Super Bowl Sunday is not just about the game. For many it is a time to celebrate around the television with family and friends and have a party.

That is just what we are doing at “Out of the Box” FUMC Downtown @ 522 Main Street Hillsville.

The event will begin at 5pm on Sunday February 1st with the SouledOut Praise Band and Chris Luper as the speaker.

Praise, Worship and Message from 5 to 6pm.

Approximate Game Kick Off Time is 6:28pm

We will watch the game on the BIG SCREEN, with friends and family and a PARTY!

Everyone is invited!

We are asking each person to bring canned goods, non perishable items for the Community Food Pantry housed at First United Methodist Church Hillsville. We have seen a HUGE Increase in people in our local community who have lost jobs and cannot afford groceries.

Lets come together and have a PARTY, CELEBRATE with Freinds and Family and FEED THE HUNGRY!

Sunday February 1st 2009 @ FUMC Downtown “Out of the Box”

SouledOut and Bring The Rain

Souper Bowl Party @ Out Of The Box

Only 9 Days until Super Bowl Sunday!

Chris Luper (Youth Minister @  Galax FUMC) will be bringing the message!

It is only 9 days until the day that so many people anticipate every year. Super Bowl Sunday is not just about the game. For many it is a time to celebrate around the television with family and friends and have a party.

That is just what we are doing at “Out of the Box” FUMC Downtown @ 522 Main Street Hillsville.

The event will begin at 5pm on Sunday February 1st with the SouledOut Praise Band and Chris Luper as the speaker.

Praise, Worship and Message from 5 to 6pm.

Approximate Game Kick Off Time is 6:28pm

We will watch the game on the BIG SCREEN, with friends and family and a PARTY!

Everyone is invited!

We are asking each person to bring canned goods, non perishable items for the Community Food Pantry housed at First United Methodist Church Hillsville. We have seen a HUGE Increase in people in our local community who have lost jobs and cannot afford groceries.

Lets come together and have a PARTY, CELEBRATE with Freinds and Family and FEED THE HUNGRY!

Sunday February 1st 2009 @ FUMC Downtown “Out of the Box”

SouledOut and Bring The Rain

Remembering SNL @ “Out Of The Box and thinking of Awesome things to come……..

First of all we thank God for such an Awesome hangout “Out Of The Box”.Next we are thankful for all of the people who help make this possible. The First United Methodist Church of Hillsville is Youth Friendly! Then we thank all those who plan and carry out the ministry and that would also include me. It takes hours to plan, practice, prepare and pray before the ministry ever takes place. Thank you Praise Band, Sound Man, Worship Leader, Preachers, Teachers and Youth Leaders.

Don’t forget to hug some of these people when you see them and say thanks!

Ronnie