What I learned at the KOA

Mist on the mountains, birds singing, sun on the way and the stream singing just a few yards away. AND, I'm online with High Speed Wi-Fi--what a wonderful world. I'm at the KOA (Kampground Of America) RV Camping with my sister and her family and Julie and the boys. We've squeezed a lot of fun into our not-guite 4 days here. We've tubed down the river several times, swam til we're water-logged, rented banana bikes, fished a lot for trout and gotten blanked, burned hotdogs over a campfire and learned to live in tight quarters.

Along my journey here at the Cherokee, North Carolina KOA here are a few things I've experienced and a few things I think God may be saying to me....

1. Fish with the Green Worm like that guy over there! He's caught 5 since we've been standing here and you need to quit fishing with whatever you think is gonna work and just follow what others are doing that are catching fish. (my dad talking to my oldest son who was rigging up some unusual cantraptions for fishing with absolutely no hits)

In my life there are so many times that I'm operating on a pioneering spirit model filled with innovations that may or may not work because no-one else has crossed the great divide before. Dad's comment to Joshua was said loud enough for me to hear and it sure makes me wonder. At PHC we're big on innovation and we're trying some unusual contraptions for 'fishing' -- some of which seem to work great and some of which we need to cut the line on and change to the 'green worm'! Not sure which are 'green worms' for us yet, but I'm listening and watching to see what Jesus is fishing with and we'll change to his plan pronto! By the way, we started the day fishing with corn because we saw a fella haul out a huge Rainbow Trout fishing with corn. Talked with the same guy later in the day who was not fishing with the 'green worm' and was not having great success and he let me in on a secret. They changed bait all the time to see what the fish would bite as the barometer rises and falls and the fish change their minds about what seems tasty throughout the day. Where's the next 'Green Worm'?

2. Cousins are a great gift! My boys have had a blast with my sister's boys. They've done a lot of life together over the years but this is definitely a high point in 'boy-land' as they romp, ride, swim, dance, watch movies, cozy up 5 thick in a tiny space in the 'Fifth Wheel' and burn stuff in the fire. God, we are blessed beyond belief. Thank-you.

Being here reminds me of the good gifts of being involved in a close-knit faith community like Phos Hilaron Church where many of us experience 'cousinliness' even though we may be miles away from our flesh-n-blood families. It's good to have a cousin to scorch a marshmallow with!

3. It's good to be away from the computer and cell phone. We've had very little 'outside world' access over the past week and my spirit has needed a break from the constant barrage of emails and cell phone chatter. I'm glad that there are still a few places in the wolrd where we can disconnect. As an American born-n-bred leader I'm addicted to 'busy' and have been raised on quaint sayings like 'If it is to be it's up to ME!' that fuel my self-centered addiction to actions that I'm confident will win the day and change the world. But, Jesus didn't exhibit my kind of frantic behavior and self-confidence. He exhibited HUGE God-fidence and often rested and waited for God to take action and then He joined His Father in taking the next step. God wired us for 'sabbath' -- a day a week to rest and relax and rejuvenate and a day to hand the world back to it's rightful King and let Him take the reigns and run the globe. Practicing Sabbath (and, for me it is a work in progress to truly hand the world back to God and to relax on the Sabbath) by relaxing more and working less and by conscientiously handing the world back to God are vital for my long term effectiveness, soul health and body care. It's a gift from God that I am learning to allow myself to receive with more readiness to dive in to rest fully and leave the big stuff to God. It's humbling and freeing and power-giving all at the same time to Sabbath....I'm learning.....and practicing. In many ways the future of the endeavors I lead may depend more on my ability to Sabbath well than I've ever imagined because it consistently removes my hands from the enterprise and keeps God's all over it!

4. A lone sparrow just landed near my feet and began to hop even closer as if to remind me of Jesus' words from the Sermon on the Mount to relax and KNOW that God is gonna provide--not because I'm good or because I'm deserving --but, because He's God and providing abundantly for His creation is a God-Thing to do. I battle worry these days as our fledgling church moves through summer and as the day my 18 year old daughter heads off to college comes closer by the hour now and we need some serious cash-flow to move her along. So, I need to hear and see and be reminded at a deep level all the time about how much God loves me, us, and Phos Hilaron Church. From the outset He has provided all that we've needed in spades at just the right time. He's resourced us in miraculous ways over and over again. Summer is a tough time on ministries anyway and especially for a start-up enterprise like ours. No question we believe we're called to do what we're doing in the manner we're called to do it, but we're not sure that everything we're doing is a 'green worm' and I'd like to be around long enough to figure that out! I've heard it said, and say myself that 'What God Originates He Also Orchestrates' and that has been proven to us over and over again. I have a front-row seat to miracles on an almost daily basis! My faith is being grown and I get to see God provide for PHC and my family in miraculous ways over and over again, but it still unnerves me at times! I'm learning to trust Him.

Back to vacation -- the rods & reels are waiting nearby...

Learning a lot out here in the wildnerness!
Jeff Fuson

Jeff Fuson serves as Point Leader for Phos Hilaron Church near Louisville Kentucky. Jeff's # 1 passion is being a husband and daddy. A close second is seeing people grow spiritually. As a Professional Speaker Jeff also serves as a Keynote Speaker & Trainer crafting & delivering high impact keynote addresses & training events for Entrepreneurs, Banks, Credit Unions, and small to medium sized non-profit & for profit enterprises. He's got one incredible wife and 3 awesome children.

High Performance Living Series

Here's a Sneak-Peek at some of the talks for Phos Hilaron Church I'm working on ...

At Phos Hilaron over the coming weeks here are some of the topics I'll be diving into as part of the "High Performance Living" Series:

Training Together -- we're wired to do life 'together' and at PHC we're working into our small groups that we call "Life Transformation Groups" -- this will be a day to inspire and encourage folks to 'do life together'.

Brain Training -- we'll be talking about the importance of training our heads to deliver the results that we're looking for by improving the quality, and maybe quantity, of inputs we have from the Bible.

PACING -- God designed us with a need for rest -- a taboo subject in today's amped-up culture, but it's a huge need nonetheless.

Hope you'll join us if you live in our area,
Jeff Fuson

Jeff Fuson serves as Point Leader for Phos Hilaron Church near Louisville Kentucky. Jeff's # 1 passion is being a husband and daddy. A close second is seeing people grow spiritually. As a Professional Speaker Jeff also serves as a Keynote Speaker & Trainer crafting & delivering high impact keynote addresses & training events for Entrepreneurs, Banks, Credit Unions, and small to medium sized non-profit & for profit enterprises. He's got one incredible wife and 3 awesome children.

Million Mighty Men

About 8 years ago I attended a Men's Seminar at a local church and really resonated with the presenter that weekend. He was real, honest, and authentic--a real man's man. What fired me up most that evening was when Bill Perkins shared his vision of having a 'Million Mighty Men' "Lock Arms" and live life the way God intended! Since then I've had him come to do a weekend for Father's and Sons and help us understand the challenges that Men face and how to overcome them.

Bill has become a mentor & good friend, a constant reminder of what's possible and a reminder that I need people like Bill running beside me if I'm gonna finish the course ahead. And, I'm sure that at the end of the race I'll cross the finish line with a team of men who've kicked my butt, called me out, cheered me on, dusted me off, and even carried me a time or three.

You'd benefit a ton from signing up to be one of the 'Million Mighty Men' -- head there now and your courage will be fueled.

Locking Arms with Bill Perkins and other real men so I can LIVE STRONG AS AN APPRENTICE OF JESUS.

Jeff Fuson


Jeff Fuson serves as Point Leader for Phos Hilaron Church near Louisville Kentucky. Jeff's # 1 passion is being a husband and daddy. A close second is seeing people grow spiritually. As a Professional Speaker Jeff also serves as a Keynote Speaker & Trainer crafting & delivering high impact keynote addresses & training events for Entrepreneurs, Banks, Credit Unions, and small to medium sized non-profit & for profit enterprises. He's got one incredible wife and 3 awesome children.

Mandella on Leadership

WOW.
I just read an incredible article called 'Mandela: His 8 Lessons of Leadership' that's packed with Leadership Wisdom and Rising Leaders would do well to study this article, then think deeply about it because it's packed with wisdom, not just leadership 'fluff' that is so easy to find these days.

Nelson Mandela is one of the most remarkable leaders of the past 50 years and one of the most 'Christ-Like' even though I'm not sure that he's a Christ-follower. Much in the tradition of Jesus and Mahatma Gandhi Nelson managed to stir up a movement without resorting to force or violence. It was sheer force of character on display -- authentic humanity in motion -- that created a groundswell of support that changed the course of history.

I'm adding Mandela's autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom to my 'I wanna read this' list. (or, I might just download it from Audible.com and listen to it while I'm driving)

Here are his 8 rules with no elaboration b/c you can go here to read the full text...

1. Courage is not the absence of fear -- it's inspiring others to move beyond it.

2. Lead from the front -- but don't leave your base behind

3. Lead from the back -- and let others believe they are in front

4. Learn from your enemy -- and learn about his favorite sport

5. Keep your friends close -- and your rivals even closer

6. Appearances matter -- and remember to smile

7. Nothing is black or white

8. Quitting is leadting too

Richard Stengel did a great job on this article and I'll definitely be referencing it far into the future for my own leadership development and in developing Rising Leaders at Phos Hilaron Church, The Delphi Center and with Credit Union & Bank Leadership teams as well.

Enjoy....go here to read the article.

Lead Strong!
Play for the Long Game.
Play to WIN.

Jeff Fuson

Jeff Fuson serves as Point Leader for Phos Hilaron Church near Louisville Kentucky. Jeff's # 1 passion is being a husband and daddy. A close second is seeing people grow spiritually. As a Professional Speaker Jeff also serves as a Keynote Speaker & Trainer crafting & delivering high impact keynote addresses & training events for Entrepreneurs, Banks, Credit Unions, and small to medium sized non-profit & for profit enterprises. He's got one incredible wife and 3 awesome children.

New Keynote Addresses & Training Experiences

I'm Innovating several new Keynote Speeches geared for Executives, Leaders & Supervisors in Government Agencies, Banks, Credit Unions, NonProfits and other cutting edge enterprises.

The Law of the Towel -- Leading today's 'free agents' is a lot like 'herding cats' so the leader has to tap an ancient principle from a great teacher to lead well. This is great for organizations with a lot of mid-level and upper level executives.

The Big Squeeze -- when you work on the front line face to face or ear to ear with the public you can get the life squeezed out of you by the people you're trying to serve. I use the backdrop of huge snakes like Anacondas and Boas to help illustrate this story and drive the message deep so that it produces excellent performance results in our front line workers who interface with the member, client, customer.

Gen-Shift -- the workplace in America today is loaded with tension between 3 to 5 generations all operating in tight-quarters. They pack different world views, assumptions, work styles, and internal operating systems into the workplace that create a complex leadership matrix. Learn what 'works for' each generation and wrestle through the leadership implications. This Keynote Training experience is best done in a large Conference Room setting with 10 to 15 key leaders so that we have time & space to process implications and develop actionable strategies moving forward.

For Solo Business Owners, Entrepreneurs and Commission Sales Professionals like Stock-Brokers, Real Estate Agents, and Network Marketers:

Farm Raised Catfish -- how to grow, maintain and build a POWERFUL low cost word of mouth marketing system that will feed you and your family for years to come with an abundance of leads who actually begin to seek you out.

Web Marketing 101 -- Why & how to build a website that pulls the contacts that you need to build your business. This ties in with Farm Raised Catfish as part of building a High Performance Marketing Machine that will fuel the future of your dreams.

For those entering the work-force, considering launching a new business, or changing career plans this is a public seminar that I hope to bring to life by Mid 2009:

'Get A LIFE--NOW!' -- dream, design, and do the life you've always imagined. I'll take you through a series of must-do steps to craft a gameplan that get the results you're dying to get NOW. I can't wait to unpack a ton of powerful new information that will give you the competitive edge you need to become the person you know you can be. Please touch base with me with your contact info if you'd like for me to keep you updated about when & where I'll begin offering this experience.

So, there's a lot going on in my head and heart that I can't wait to hand off to you that will make a huge difference for YOU. Let me know how I can serve you best. You can drop an email to me at my "Linked In" page.

Have a great day!
Jeff Fuson

Jeff Fuson serves as Point Leader for Phos Hilaron Church near Louisville Kentucky. Jeff's # 1 passion is being a husband and daddy. A close second is seeing people grow spiritually. As a Professional Speaker Jeff delivers Leadership Keynote Speeches & training events for Leaders, Executives, Supervisors, Entrepreneurs in Government, Banks, Credit Unions, NonProfits and other cutting edge enterprises. He's got one incredible wife and 3 awesome children.

Church Planters Zany Ride and a Cool Mantra to boot!

The Ride of a Church Planter is a bit zany....

-most of us come from something fairly stable career-wise and jump head-first into the raw thin-air of 'not-yet-ness' and the dream of a new church that will add to the collective Kingdom firepower in a fresh new way.

-most of us believe we have a new angle that MUST COME TO LIFE or the world will remain unchanged -- totally unacceptable for those of us who are driven to influence others and outcomes in the world

-we attract the best and brightest dreamers in the world -- most of whom are just like us -- we have very little notion of how to put the wheels on the wagon we're imagining so we need technicians and engineers and people who can sequence information inputs and outputs --and that puts us at odds because our internal processors are so vastly different -- so we have to grow people skills out the yang to be able to work with those who see the world way differently and in much more crystalline black and white than we can imagine

-we postion our families on the brink of financial ruin

-we fuel work-a-holic tendencies

-we put our people loving selves on the line of attack from those outside AND inside the church and wonder why this can feel like a lonely enterprise at times

AND, we revel in the notion that God DOES USE US.

HE DOES EMPOWER US.

HE DOES ALLOW US TO SEE THE MIRACULOUS WHEN HE BRINGS BREAD RIGHT WHEN WE NEED IT.

HE GIVES US THICKER SKINS TO DEAL WITH THE BARBS TOSSED OUR WAY BY OTHER 'CHRISTIANS' WHO JUST CAN'T SEE THIS AS A VERY GOOD IDEA.

HE GRANTS US EVEN MORE TENDER HEARTS THAT ACHE FOR OUR BROKEN FRIENDS.

HE HELPS US CARE PASSIONATELY ABOUT NEIGHBORS WHO ARE NOT YET AMPED IN THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.

WE GET TO EXPERIENCE THE JOY OF SEEING 9 PEOPLE BAPTIZED AT OUR FIRST BAPTISM EXPERIENCE......(happened for me at Phos Hilaron Church on Sunday, July 6, 2008!)

So, this is the ride of a lifetime in a lifetime of rides!

We've seen God do more incredible things in the past few months than in my entire life. It's more fun to play at the edge than you can imagine -- yes, scary and it doesn't feel very 'safe' at times, but what in life is truly 'safe'?

Helen Keller basically suggested that 'safety' is overrated when she was quoted as saying,

Security is mostly superstition. It does not exist in nature . . .

Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure.

Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.

That could be a church planters mantra!

Amazed that God can even use ME!!!
Jeff Fuson

Jeff Fuson serves as Point Leader for Phos Hilaron Church near Louisville Kentucky. Jeff's # 1 passion is being a husband and daddy. A close second is seeing people grow spiritually. Jeff also delivers impacting training events for Entrepreneurs, Credit Unions, and small to medium sized enterprises. He's got one incredible wife and 3 awesome children.

I Corinthians 9:23 - 27

Vision Fuels Desire Fuels Disciplined Action Fuels Destiny!

I Corinthians 9:24-27 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)
24 Do you not know that the runners in a stadium all race, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. 25 Now everyone who competes exercises self-control in everything. However, they do it to receive a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one. 26 Therefore I do not run like one who runs aimlessly, or box like one who beats the air. 27 Instead, I discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

Now Paul fires us up with a great word picture encouraging us to ‘Run in such a way that you may win.’ And, I love that word picture. But, to really understand why Paul ‘disciplines’ his body you’ll have to look back to I Corinthians 9:23 where he tells us that he is working to become full ‘partner’ in the ‘Gospel’ firm – completed with all the benefits and perks of being co-regent with Christ himself. That’s a prize worth fighting for – to be an heir to the riches of the Universe without end. To live forever fully connected to God –fully alive, fully on-fire, fully energized, perfectly in sync with God and others. All my needs and wants and dreams overflowing into abundant fulfillment!

‘Run in such a way as to win’ is the origin of the following:

Training to Win
Training seems ominous and threatening
Training often winds up in the ash heap of burned up good intentions
Training for the long haul usually runs out of gas before we hit our destination.
Not because we’re not disciplined—because, we do, in fact, do what we most want to do –every single time.
Not because we’re not motivated—because, in fact, we are very motivated by something!
Not because we don’t care or are lazy – rather because we have such short memories of what matters most to us.
Or, because we’ve aimed our efforts at a ‘dream’ that is not truly in our hearts or that is too far out or not far enough ahead to fire the fuels of consistent effort.
So, training to win has it’s roots deep in the soil of a dream that causes our pulse to quicken and our palms to sweat. A dream that’s bigger than we can possibly do in lifetimes of effort unless God Himself shows up. A dream that reflects the true passion of our hearts and gifts wired into our bodies. A dream that sits at the intersection of wired passions and God’s dream for the world trafficked by the Needs of the world – that’s where our dream resides. That’s where we find a dream worth fighting for. That’s where we find purpose and power for living disciplined lives so that we take the action necessary to ‘win the prize’!
So, training has it’s roots deep in the soil of a God-oriented, God-sized dream of what He can do with us, for us, in us, and through us. That’s where dreams reside and that’s where the springs of disciplined pursuit bubble up first. Those springs are primed by the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives and are guarded and advanced in spite of our weaknesses as the Spirit provides fire in our hearts to press on when the going gets tough.

So, step one to ‘Training to Win’ is to Get a God-Sized Dream that FITS YOU!

The next step is to foster a vivid imagination of what that dream will do for you and the world.

The third step is to remind our heart and head over and over again what our dream will do for us and for the world.

The fourth step is to take action—almost any action will do—the only action that won’t do is ‘inaction’ where you sit still stymied by the possibility of failure.

The fifth step is to press on toward the prize – keeping Christ on the screens of our imagination as the ‘Hero’ of the course ahead and remembering the Prize that we’ve been called to pursue. As we imagine Him and as we vividly imagine the outcomes of our pursuit ‘discipline’ to take the necessary actions will spring up in our heart and head.. And, the world has a penchant for Dream-Doers and God will orchestrate the arrival of the next coach you need, the resources you lack will show up right on time and God will advance His dream for the world through you.

And, when you hold the prize high at the end of the quest be sure that you leave space for God’s hand to grip the prize with you. After all, He’s been your source from the first drop of sweat!
Run to win by vividly imagining your joy in holding the prize close and by enthusiastically imagining what will happen in the world because you press on.

Paul J. Meyer of Success Motivation Institute suggested that whatever we vividly imagine, ardently desire and enthusiastically act upon must inevitably come to pass! I think he’s right. God has granted us huge range to ‘make our dreams’ come true. However, I’m also sure that dreams that are just about me usually wind up in dead–end heart-break alleys – the kind that country music songs are written about.

I’m convinced that when I’m pursuing a God-inititated, God-Sized dream by ‘vividly imagining, ardently desiring, and enthusiastically acting upon that dream and tapping the abundant resources of God via the Holy Spirit then I am ‘unstoppable’!

And, that ‘unstoppableness’ provides traction for disciplined action to take hold and propel us into God’s desired destiny!

Vividly Imagine
Ardently Desire
Enthusiastically Act Upon
The Dream that God has in Mind for YOU!

Peace,
Jeff Fuson

Jeff Fuson serves as Point Leader for Phos Hilaron Church near Louisville Kentucky. Jeff's # 1 passion is being a husband and daddy. A close second is seeing people grow spiritually. Jeff also delivers impacting training events for Entrepreneurs, Credit Unions, and small to medium sized enterprises. He's got one incredible wife and 3 awesome children.

Training to Win!

We're in the middle of a series called 'High Performance Living' at Phos Hilaron Church. This Sunday we'll be exploring some different 'training tools' that we can use in moving towards our Spiritual Life Goals (Dream). I thought I'd pass these ideas along to you--enjoy.

10 Training Tools that will propel you toward your Spiritual Life Dream:

Choose one or two of the following to work on over the next 40 days:

1. Audio Bible = download or purchase an ‘Illustrated’ Audio Bible – one that has cool sound effects and great narration and listen for at least 20 minutes a day.
2. Buy the new Chris Tomlin ‘Double Take’ CD and put it on your personal listening device and work out with that music 3 times a week.
3. Find a buddy and go do something fun, but take at least 30 minutes to discuss you spiritual life dreams & goals and then pray for each other.
4. Get with the Life Transformation Group leader from your Middle School Zone and discuss your spiritual life plan. (see Jeff for contact info about your leader)
5. Catch up with an old Spiritual Mentor and just chat about what you’re learning and ask them for what book they’d recommend you read or listen to—then do it!
6. Memorize the following 5 passages of Scripture from the book of Philippians: 1:6, 2:3-4, 2:5-11, 2:13-16, 3:10-14
7. Purchase ‘The Purpose Driven Life’ by Rick Warren and read a section a day.
8. Pick up a nice blank journal or keep a journal on your computer of your prayers and what God seems to be doing in relation to your prayers.
9. Notebook your way though a personal study of the Life of Jesus by ‘consuming ’ & ‘marinating your brain’ in the book of Mark.
10. Heavy Lifting = Read ‘Renovation of the Heart’ by Dallas Willard devotionally –that is, take it a bit at a time and make notes (journal/blog) about what you’re learning ‘OR’ do the same thing with a great book that’s not as tough by John Piper called ‘Desiring God’.

Enjoy!
Jeff Fuson

Jeff Fuson serves as Point Leader for Phos Hilaron Church near Louisville Kentucky. Jeff's # 1 passion is being a husband and daddy. A close second is seeing people grow spiritually. Jeff also delivers impacting training events for Entrepreneurs, Credit Unions, and small to medium sized enterprises. He's got one incredible wife and 3 awesome children.

Do YOU think the world will end in 2012?

Just heard an alarming tidbit of news that I have never heard that I thought you might like to learn more about and sound off about....

According to some 'experts' the world is gonna END (catasrophic!) on Dec 21, 2012 -- I had no idea!!! Noone consulted me about scheduling this day and frankly I think I'm goin' on vacation with the family to someplace really nice during that time -- just in case.

Jesus told us that there'd be an awful lot of people predicting that the end was near and even trying to predict the dates. He also said that He, himself, didn't even know when that end would come about. So, I'm staying out of the business of the 'Planning Committee' and working on the 'welcome wagon' team.

However, I'd love to hear what you think about the 'end of the world in 2012' news?

Have a great day!
Jeff Fuson

Jeff Fuson serves as Point Leader for Phos Hilaron Church near Louisville Kentucky. Jeff's # 1 passion is being a husband and daddy. A close second is seeing people grow spiritually. Jeff also delivers impacting training events for Entrepreneurs, Credit Unions, and small to medium sized enterprises. He's got one incredible wife and 3 awesome children.

You are the Average of the 5 People you spend the most time with!

"You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with." Jim Rohn

Jim Rohn nailed this down tight!  An ancient book of wisdom called Proverbs in The Bible says the same thing about choosing friends.  

In my desire to grow as a leader it strikes me that I need to be choosing other leaders who are 'further along' and more capable and who are leading more effectively than I am to learn from and to invest my time with.  

It also strikes me that to grow in any area I should find 5 'coaches' or at least buddies who are further down the path than I am.  If I can't find 'live' humans to spend my time with I have a wealth of access to 'Historical Mentors' via biographies, websites, books, audio books, podcasts, etc.  Nearly any leader I'd like to learn from and spend some time with has made her/his thoughts available in some shape or fashion.  No question I'd prefer the live edition, but until then I can ramp up through reading, listening, surfing the web, downloading podcasts & audiobooks, etc.  

For example I'm interested in getting back into running but I have some challenges with knees that were compromised from playing catcher in baseball in my teen years.  So, I need to find a mentor like Jeff Galloway who's 'been there and done that' successfully and has developed a coaching system for mature runners that he believes could help someone 'run for 100 years'!  And, he's living out his own game plan -- he's smokin' what he's sellin'!  

So, even if I can't 'run with him' physically I can run with him via his books and training systems.  

In today's environment it's easy and cheap to access great mentors who can take you to the next level and who can play a huge part in being on your 'A-Team' to take you and your game to a higher level!  

Go find 5 great people to learn from, to hang with, and to be coached by --even if it's a podcast or book!

Ramp Up.

Jeff Fuson

Jeff Fuson serves as Point Leader for Phos Hilaron Church near Louisville Kentucky. Jeff's # 1 passion is being a husband and daddy. A close second is seeing people grow spiritually. Jeff also delivers impacting training events for Entrepreneurs, Credit Unions, and small to medium sized enterprises. He's got one incredible wife and 3 awesome children.

Phos Hilaron Baptism Service # 1 July 6 2008

This was one of the coolest worship experiences I've ever had the privilege to be a part of. We gathered at Wendell Moore Park in Oldham County Kentucky to sing and learn about the importance of Baptism in the life of a Chris follower and then we walked over to the Oldham County Aquatic Center to baptize 9 Apprentices of Jesus.

The weather was spectacular, the water was perfect and the people of Phos Hilaron Church were met by God on the move -- again!

I'm so glad that He called me to this ride with these people.

Jeff Fuson

Jeff Fuson serves as Point Leader for Phos Hilaron Church near Louisville Kentucky. Jeff's # 1 passion is being a husband and daddy. A close second is seeing people grow spiritually. Jeff also delivers impacting training events for Entrepreneurs, Credit Unions, and small to medium sized enterprises. He's got one incredible wife and 3 awesome children.

Thorny Hedgeapples Drive Mosquitoes Away!

It's dusk in my Kentucky backyard and it's mosquito free--quite a feat during summer around here. I attribute our mosquito-free haven to a grove of nearby trees that have incredible lawn-mower tire piercing thorns. When we moved here 4 years ago I waged war on the fast growing iron-wooded thorny hedgeapple trees with a borrowed chainsaw until a good friend suggested that they may have a natural repellant for mosquitos and spiders.

So, I 'googled' hedgeapples and found all kinds of interesting ideas about what hedgeapples might do and magical properties that make buying the fruit irrestible to web shoppers. I'm not totally convinced about buying hedgeapple fruit online, but I am sure that we rarely have mosquitoes in our back yard even though there are two creeks bordering our property. Makes me wonder.....

And, I narrowed my attack on the orange wooded trees to lopping off the low hanging branches and trees that were encroaching on trees that we love like a giant Cedar. And, we seem to be reaching a place of the 'win-win' between mother nature and my desire to mow the yard without being ripped open by razor sharp thorns and the hedgeapples need to grow and do its mosquito-repellent thing.

Sometimes God provides thorns to protect us from the mosquitos of life. Sometimes He's trying to provide a thorny hedge to help us through a situation that could be a lot more troubling that flattened mower tires. So, when you're facing a thorny situation that slows you down and seems to keep you from the result you were hoping for watch for where God may be on the move to give you something even better! That's just how He is.

Have a Great Day!
Jeff Fuson

p.s. The image in this post came from this website that offers advice about the Osage Orange's insect and spider repellent properties.... http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2187/1924737197_6d2aa6b746_m.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.motherearthsgarden.com/hedge-apples-to-repel-spiders/&h=180&w=240&sz=27&hl=en&start=12&um=1&tbnid=Il8hfF7aPdVhLM:&tbnh=83&tbnw=110&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhedgeapples%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den-us%26sa%3DN


Jeff Fuson serves as Point Leader for Phos Hilaron Church near Louisville Kentucky. Jeff's # 1 passion is being a husband and daddy. A close second is seeing people grow spiritually. Jeff also delivers impacting training events for Entrepreneurs, Credit Unions, and small to medium sized enterprises. He's got one incredible wife and 3 awesome children.

Phantom Fireworks vs. Sam's Club!

I live in a neighborhood full of 'pyros' -- people that love to set things on fire -- especially things that go 'BOOM!!!' So, Independence Day, aka, The 4th of July is filled with joy because it begs the crew to grab a long-neck lighter and torch a fuse and run backwards while something hurtles skyward in an spray of sparks then lets off it's signature 'kaboom'!

This evening several of the Pyros had a team pow-wow on the street in front of our homes to figure out our launch strategy --and it came off beautifully.

But, I learned a Fireworks Shopping tip from a fellow pyro...Sam's Club generally has much better prices than Phantom Firew0rks on the larger packs of stuff. So, if you're a pyro headed out to stock up on things that 'go boom' then consider checking out Sam's Club--if it's located in a state that sells fireworks!

Here's to Fireworks Therapy!
Jeff
Jeff Fuson serves as Point Leader for Phos Hilaron Church near Louisville Kentucky. Jeff's # 1 passion is being a husband and daddy. A close second is seeing people grow spiritually. Jeff also delivers impacting training events for Entrepreneurs, Credit Unions, and small to medium sized enterprises. He's got one incredible wife and 3 awesome children.