But more on that later.

It was the perfect day for a softball tournament.  A Sheaves for Christ softball tournament. 

Yes, indeed, this past Saturday, 12 teams and a host of umpires, concession stand workers, score keepers, and loyal fans swarmed the Harker Heights Baseball Complex for the 2nd Annual Harker Heights Sheaves For Christ Softball Tournament.  Registration started at 7 am, and by 8 am, 3 games were in progress. 

Do you know that of those 12 teams, only 3 were UPCI church teams? The other 9 were primarily composed of guys that played on the city leagues in the surrounding areas.  Guys who brought their families and who saw the name of our church displayed, who ordered concessions from our sweet ladies…and some of who are now wearing 1st and 2nd place t-shirts bearing our church’s name.

I can get excited about that.

And when they asked where our church is, we just pointed out past field 4, where you could see the steeple in the distance. 

The idea of a SFC softball tournament is not original to us, but bringing it to Harker Heights was the dreamchild of Cade Hendrick.  Cade, along with his parents, Bro. and Sis. Robert Hendrick, organized the first tournament last year.  Cade went on to win the Real McCoy Award (see him talk about his experience here!) last year.

Don’t you think his shirt is rather appropriate?

The scoreboard was my forte (to use the word loosely) and the Starbucks was a necessity to make it through that last Championship game. 

It was a long, fun day.  I have the sunburn to prove it. 

But back to the word sacred…

My Chemistry prof in college started every class with a devotion.  When he was especially inspired, he would pump his arm at the conclusion, and exclaim “See, see! Chemistry is worship!” It took me a while to get his point, but after two General Chemistry classes, and one long, loong semester of Organic Chemistry, I think I got it.  Chemistry was God’s purpose for him, and it was God’s purpose for the students in that class.  For him, it was a God-given, lifelong passion to study and teach Chemistry is a Christian institution. For us students, it was a necessary step along our journey toward fulfilling God’s purpose for our lives.  And that is worship. 

So maybe softball can, indeed, be sacred.

I think there might be some missionaries who would agree.

In the spring of 2007 Pastor Foster told the youth team about a bicycle ride that the district youth committee had been discussing.

It was going to last two days and cover two hundred miles. He briefly covered what had been said about training and the thought that went through my head was, “which youth committee member could actually ride two hundred miles.” After some very intense research Pete Chickering and I bought bikes and equipment to begin training for the Sheaves For Christ Bicycle Tour.

As I discussed the endeavor with Pastor Foster he told me that God would bless our sacrifice, which to me at the time meant we were gonna get nice bikes and hopefully live to tell the two hundred mile story. Our first year we raised somewhere in the neighborhood of five hundred dollars, which was less than I had spent on equipment other than the bike. I was disappointed with the amount of support we had and when we talked with our wives they made it quite clear that writing two five hundred dollar checks would have been more effective.

The second year we rode less and raised almost double what we raised the first year, but it was still far less than we hoped to raise.

Although more was raised if we combined our earnings for the two years we were still far from seeing our investment returned. After the second year of riding and feeling the pain I was wondering why I had chosen to participate in this foolishness, and then began year three. As of March of this year our youth fund had reached one thousand four hundred dollars and it was time to give to Sheaves for Christ.

Faith In Action

The night of the Sheaves for Christ Kickoff Rally I asked Shana to write a check for five hundred dollars and the youth team standing around me looked at me like I was out of my mind. They trust me but it was a Youth Congress year and we were looking into doing as many fund-raisers as we could in order to pay for the kids to go. I explained to them that I felt that was the amount we should give. Within two months our youth fund had reached $2,500 and we had not done a fund-raiser. Unfortunately the bike tour was in June which hurt us two different ways. First of all it took the summer training season away but it also shortened the time we had to raise money. By the time the bike tour arrived the youth team decided that the money that we raised during our carwashes should go to Sheaves for Christ because it was clear we would not need the money for Youth Congress. So as Pete Chickering, Steve Abatangelo, and I rode in the third annual bike tour, the young people were washing cars to raise money with us. Unfortunately an accident prevented us from completing the full hundred mile ride, but it was decided sixty miles with a second degree shoulder separation was still respectable. As the ride ended I was nearly convinced that writing a check three years earlier would have been much less painful and may still have been cheaper.

The young people did three carwashes total for Sheaves for Christ and raised around $400 between them. The youth treasurer Megan would inform me every month how much was in the youth fund and Sheaves for Christ fund. Because I was aware of every fund-raiser, I knew what we were doing, but I did not know where the money was coming from. With excitement Megan would come to me and say, “Ken I do not know how but there is this much in the youth fund.”

To which I would respond, “Are you sure?” We shared this dialog several times and every time she would return with the same response, “that is right!” Youth Congress came and went and after not doing one fund-raiser, or asking any parents to give to the youth we still ended up with eight hundred dollars in the youth fund. Then it was time to give our final Sheaves for Christ offering. When I received the check to give I was amazed. With a bad economy, three car washes, and a bike wreck, we gave $3,500.

When I put the check in the envelope, Pastor’s words returned to my mind: “If you do this God will bless you.” He did! Not only had He returned my investment in a bike but He also paid for our every need this year and allowed us to give a record setting offering. In our calculation there was no way to pay for Youth Congress with what we raised at the carwashes, nor could we set a record with what we raised from a bike ride. When we gave God gave us more than we could have hoped for.

My mother wanted three boys; however, God was merciful and only gave her two and filled the void with me—a 5’8” teenage girl with dark blonde hair and blue eyes. I sing in my youth choir and am determined to learn all the material for Bible quizzing this upcoming year. We’re doing Acts. I play the baritone saxophone in my school band, but I wish I had the chance to learn the piano. I rarely clean my room and am a terrible procrastinator. But most of all, I love Jesus!

I am one in 6.8 billion, but I am also one of the 6.8 billion … as are we all. God made every person in His own image, but we are all different. Our physical features, our family and friends, and our distinct lifestyles define us. However, I believe that nothing can define us more than what we do in this life. I don’t mean that we are defined by how successful we are, but how we impact those around us and those half way around the globe.

For me, the Real McCoy experience started when a Bible quizzing friend from Oregon mentioned the weekend to me; she had won the previous year. I thought it sounded like a cool trip and looked into it. From that moment on I had it in my head to be Colorado’s first Real McCoy. At “Conversations,” my church’s annual spring youth retreat; I mentioned to my youth pastor that my goal for 2009 was to raise a thousand dollars. For any of you who know Jon Moran, you can imagine the look on his face. I had no idea what he thought of my goal, but he encouraged and helped me along the way.

Throughout the summer I did various things to raise the funds: Mega March, candy sales, and babysitting. When I found out I had won the contest, I felt a sense of accomplishment that I’d never felt before. It is one thing to accomplish secular goals, but something else entirely to accomplish something for the Kingdom. Because of my hard work I got the chance to spend an amazing weekend in Saint Louis with the General Youth Division and nine other young people who “put the mission in motion.”

Let me describe the weekend in as few words as possible—the most fun I’ve ever had. Hanging out with the Youth Division leaders and their families made the weekend great. I don’t know what I thought about them before; but by the time I was flying home, I had spent an entire weekend with the most down-to-earth and fun-loving men and women of God I’ve ever met. Although, I don’t think playing the Youth Division at demolition ball and laser tag was quite fair! They knew what was going on with d-ball and knew the laser tag arena too well. I am convinced that they all go and practice on Saturdays just so they can beat the Real McCoys.

The other reason this weekend was so special was because of the nine other youth that shared this experience with me. We ran to 7-Eleven in the rain, sang loudly in the van, and had an epic spoon fight in the hotel lobby. I walked away with nine lifelong friends who, for three days, spiritually and emotionally uplifted and inspired me. I just hope I did the same for them.

When it was over, I had the chance to look back on what I had experienced. My view, in retrospect, is that I am forever changed. Sheaves for Christ is so much more to me now than it was before. It is an opportunity to give back to the great God who gave me everything. And, to be honest, I feel like I can do so much more for His Kingdom. What is a thousand dollars when I could have raised two thousand? Or three thousand? I live in the Denver metro area; I have no excuse for not giving my all to God. And so I intend to do just that next year.

I am currently the Real McCoy of the Colorado District. Or so I’ve been told. I’m the “Real Deal,” I’m “Genuine,” and I’m not an “Imitation.” But from my perspective, I’m just a teenage girl—with a boy’s name—who has a burden for missions and desire to see the lost saved. How many other teenagers and young adults are like me? How many of us see a need and act on it? I know for a fact that there are many “Real McCoys” out there; however, many of them get nothing more than a quiet thank-you. Because of this, I feel so blessed to have experienced the Real McCoy weekend, even though there are so many people out there who do so much more for His Kingdom.

Before I actually went on this trip I had no idea how incredible the Real McCoy weekend would be. Getting beat at demolition ball AND laser tag by the GYD executives was only part of this incredible weekend. I had the opportunity to meet nine other young people who know what fundraising is all about. Seeing Brother Mann, Brother Williams, and Brother Francis, along with their families, outside of a church setting was truly an interesting yet amazing experience. I had the chance to see that although they may be the head of the youth department for the UPCI, they know how to have fun and are “down-to-earth” individuals who inspire you. One of the highlights of this trip for me was seeing what Sheaves for Christ really does. We had the opportunity to meet up with Brother and Sister Richardson (missionaries to Madagascar) after church at “The Sanctuary.” They showed us the vehicle that SFC had purchased for them and explained what a blessing it will be when they go overseas. It was neat to actually see a tangible product of SFC that was going to be used for the kingdom.

My story…

At the Oregon district youth camp, our youth president, Revered Stan Gleason, challenged each of us to write down an amount that we felt God wanted us to give for SFC. I wrote down $250.00, because our youth group was planning a reward beach trip for those who raised at least $250.00. I felt God nudge me to write $1,000.00 instead. I did not have a job or any kind of steady income; I had planned on maybe trying a Bike-a-thon or something similar to raise that amount. I was looking at myself and seeing the limitations that I had. So I hesitated but eventually scratched out the $250.00 and put $1,000.00 instead, knowing that it would have to be a “God thing” if it actually happened. Almost exactly a week after that service, our youth group leader’s daughter “randomly” called me and asked if I wanted a job at the pharmacy where she works. I started working there, and almost forgot about the $1,000.00 pledge, but God soon reminded me of the commitment. As the deadline came I drained both of my bank accounts I had saved from work and added up money I had already given for SFC that year, and it came up to $1,016.00—proving to me and providing a testimony that God will make your effort go farther than you thought if you put your trust in Him rather than your own abilities.

I was raised in church like many of you reading this; I’ve heard stories my entire life about how God provided the need for “this situation” and “that situation,” but I never truly experiencing it for myself until this happened. I’m eighteen years old, and I live in Portland, Oregon—not a preacher’s kid or a MK. If God can use someone like me to provide an offering of over $1,000.00, He can certainly do it through you. I challenge you to revamp your motives for raising money for SFC.

You may ask yourself while you are in the middle of a grueling SFC fundraiser, “Is this really worth it?” The answer is yes, for more than one reason. Jesus told us in Luke 12:48, “unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required.” We are going to be judged based on what we do with what has been given to us. When it boils down to it, SFC is not necessarily about vehicles and helping those in need—although those are both phenomenal ways to fulfill the great commission. It’s about souls … heaven or hell … an eternity with God or without Him. The money you have been trusted with could make the difference of one or more people coming to know their Creator and experiencing His indescribable love and saving power. The funds you raise could change eternity for someone. SFC is about souls… putting the tools in the hands of those willing to go … putting the great commission in motion.