Great News!

It's no secret that coming to K West is like coming to your second home. We are family. What makes us family is that everyone is so close to each other. We love working, playing, and doing ministry together.

I have some good news about one of our most important family members. Brent Clarkson will be forever a changed man. He got engaged last weekend!

On behalf of the family of the Westside, congratulations Brent! He and Jessica Rogers are officially engage to be married soon. As only Brent could do, he may have laid out the most impressive and creative proposal ever invented by a K West staff member (it brings back memories of Bob Bills rolling out his proposal sign on the Kwest rappelling tower when he ask Amy years ago). And of course, she said yes.

One of the neat things about their relationship is the fact that Brent was so careful to honor her every step of the way. He waited to tell her that he loved her until the day he asked her for her hand and shared about true love from I Corinthians 13. What a super leader!

We are excited! Great news for our family. Welcome to the Westside Jessica!

Facing anything difficult?

This morning I jumped on my trusty Specialized rock hopper and jetted over the the K-Institute to hang out with the guys for a little while. Precepts bible study is part of our curriculum and it's always a blast to hear guys share about what they have learned. When I arrived, notebooks were out, bibles were open, and the KI men were ready to learn. I pray I will never lose that hunger.
We looked at Genesis 16-18. I have been there so many times this past few weeks, the page is torn. I guess that's good. The key to this weeks lesson was, "Is anything too difficult for the Lord?" I am sure Abraham and Sarah found a deepened faith as God blessed them with a son as they both pushed the century mark in age, well past child bearing years. A son at 100 years old? God had promised and He always makes good on His word. When I read it, I don't know if I can grasp the full weight of His words.
It reminded me of two things: priority and discipline. I am trying to pass those two qualities onto my own sons now (not to mention nailing them down in my own life). Priority to me means seeking first His Kingdom and Righteousness. I can trust God and know that He can do anything. Nothing is too difficult for him. Discipline to me requires my focus on Godliness not just my own body workouts. I need to get after it every day.

Bring on the workouts.

Hope you have a great weekend...
Ward
Matthew 6:33, I Timothy 4:7-8

Summer Camp is not Priority?

Is Summer Camp Priority for you?

I stumbled across a little bit of information the other day that made me stop and think. What really is priority today? The word “priority” has been in existence since the 1400’s. Only in the last 100 years has the word become pluralized. In other words, people used to ask, “What is my priority?” not “What are my priorities?”

It’s a good question for me to ponder.

Will Kanakuk be a priority for you this summer? In a world where change not only seems inevitable, but also eminent, what really is my priority?

John Wooden is one man who I would place on my short list of heros, right next to my dad. I love listening to his wisdom. He helps me think about things to consider when I frame the answer to questions about what is important. Listen to what he says about life, winning, and priorities,

"There is only one kind of a life that truly wins, and that is the one that places faith in the hands of the Savior. Until that is done, we are on an aimless course that runs in circles and goes nowhere. Material possessions, winning scores, and great reputations are meaningless in the eyes of the Lord, because He knows what we really are and that is all that matters."

I like Coach Wooden. I like his focus.

I once heard that Coach's least favorite part of basketball was playing the games. He loved practicing more than anything else. The lesson that I learn is that it takes hard work every day to learn well. It takes repetition of things that I want to be great at to be able to use them effectively. Relentless practice is what makes a basketball player great on game day, and Coach certainly proved that over and over again.

Bottom line is this: our faith is what matters. Growing it and deepening it should be at the top of our list every day. What I like about kamp is it gives me a chance to focus on what matters most and learn about my daily practices to grow my faith. Summer camp is not the priority, but being at Kanakuk during the summer is what helps me get to my priority. What about you?

A Bite for a Friend

To be honest, my boys have typically been homeboys. That’s right, they like to be indoors more than outdoors. However, things have recently began to change. They have discovered God’s "Day 6" creation, namely: “things that creep on the ground.” This fall we have experienced deer, snakes, turtles, lizards, a tarantula, stray cat, bats, and turtles. I mention turtles twice because at one point we had 6 turtles held captive as pets in our plastic swimming pool, complete with rocks, leaves, branches, and water. We were the neighborhood petting zoo. Hunter even had a leash on a turtle to take him on walks. After running out of food (earthworms I'd dig up), and finding one turtle floating upside down because he was just about to pass away, we let them all go. Bronwyn was especially relieved, having eased her conscience of our “animal cruelty.”
Another one of God's creatures we often encounter in our front yard is the mosquito. I don't know why He created such an animal, but they love my 3-year-old, Carter. For several nights in a row, at 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning, Carter would come into our room and awaken us with a tearful yell, "I need some bug spray!" What he meant was, "lotion to make the itching sensation go away." Bronwyn and I really wanted his itching sensation to go away, too! We must have put Caladryl lotion on him 3 or 4 times each day for 7 days straight. Yes, we put bug repellant on him, but it didn't seem to repel mosquitoes. One day as the boys were playing outside, a ball went rolling down a hill into the woods, where the mosquitoes congregate. Carter began to descend the hill to retrieve the ball until he hears his considerate brother Connor say, "Carter, Don't go! I'll go get that ball for you." Bronwyn overheard this and later commended Connor for such kindness towards his brother. Connor's response was, " I didn’t want Carter to get any more bug bites—I would get the bug bites." As his parents, Bronwyn and I melted. Connor understands how to love others as Jesus loved others. Really, it is that simple! Love others the way you would like others to treat you. John MacArthur wrote a devotional book titled "Truth For Today." In it he writes a commentary on Philippians 2:4, "Let each of you not look out merely for your own interest, but also for the interests of others." To quote him, he says "Whose face do you wash in the morning? Whose hair do you comb? Whose wardrobe do you buy? You are concerned about your own self-preservation and self-comfort and should be concerned about others in the same way. Pay as much attention to them as you do yourself. That's loving your neighbor as yourself."
For whom can you "take a mosquito bite"? I have an idea for myself. Two of my best friends from college have recently lost their jobs, their wives, their money, their motivation, and now have to share custody of their kids. One of them recently wrote me, "My daughter keeps asking me, "Where is mommy?" I can only imagine how difficult it is to be in their shoes. My heart breaks for them, and so I am spending money and time to help them. It could have been me in their shoes except for the grace of God towards me.
God didn't call us to be careful and comfortable, but to care and comfort. Who can you care for today?
To transition to something fun…J one way to care for someone today would be that you contact your kampers, if you were a counselor this past summer! Our website makes it so easy for you! Log in to our website with your user name and password, and you can navigate to find the names, pictures, and contact information of all your kampers! It is awesome! It will impact your kids more deeply than you can imagine. I know, because I was one of those kids who received a postcard from my counselor. I still have it. If you have any trouble, email Mssnowden@kanakuk.com for assistance.

Hope to see you in Dallas!

Todd

Just like Kamp

After Branson High Football trampled the number 2 team in state Friday night to move to 6-0, we decided it was time to have some fun and celebrate. I joined 5 high school guys on some of Kanakuk's river front property and lit up a bonfire. We set up a half a dozen ENO's, grabbed some smores, and it was game on. It was a special night for sure. What is it about a camp fire that makes life so much better? I'm not sure, but I have a sneaky suspicion that's why we do it so often at Kwest. Year after year our camp fire night is the best thing we do. A little cedar, a box of food, and a short walk to the woods is a recepie that no one can top. We have tons of fun and loads of memories made as the fire seems to draw us together to laugh, share, and at times, just quietly stare at the flames while contemplating life and our Lord. This weekend we all agreed that we need to "do this" every Saturday night (one of the guys even suggested we do it during the week, canoe across the river, and pick up cars to go to school the next morning). After our time by the lake, I left refreshed, ready for another week, and longing for more time with the fellas. It's kinda just like kamp... I miss summer and I miss camp fire night. I miss Kwest.
Ward