Drifting?

I have a family full of sailors. My father, father in law, husband and both of my sons love to sail. It takes a lot of skill to "stay on course". You must constantly watch the water, the wind and look out for hazards as you sail to your destination. You can not let go of the rudder or you may suddenly realize you have "drifted" off course.

I think that the Christian walk can be a lot like sailing. We must be constantly watching  or we can easily get off course. Lately I have been thinking about the distractions that can cause us to "drift." I think a big obstacle can be "entertainment". What kind of books are you reading? What music are you listening to? What DVDs are you watching or allowing your children to watch? I recently read an article by Teri Maxwell that suggested we evaluate everything that we watch, read or listen to by Philippians 4:8

 ^"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things." Phil 4:8

Wow! I printed out this scripture and attached it to the inside of our TV cabinet door so that every time we watch anything it reminds us to "stay on course". By applying God's word to what we are watching, reading or listening to, it is so much easier to "navigate" the course and finish the race!

 

Super Sailor

Andrew's 1st regatta in Mount Dora, FL

My son, Andrew, started sailing in March of 2011. He absolutely loves it and has had a great year. He had the opportunity this Spring to do some racing with his fleet in Lake Wales as well as other lake and ocean regattas around the state. He has had a wonderful season and learned so much. But, the thing I am most proud of what a good sport he is. He is usually the first one to congratulate the other sailors  when they win or encourage them when they don't. He worked hard this year and his determination paid off. He earned 1st place in the "B" Fleet of the Lake Wales Pram Fleet for the 2011 - 2012 season! We think he is one Super Sailor!

(Andrew's first day of sailing was quite memorable  you can read about it here!)

Water Bugs

Water Bugs...looks like I got 'em!

True Grit

I will let you in on a little secret...just in case you don't already know ...Andrew Michael Stevens is one brave and determined young man! He always has been! He walked at 9 months old without ever really crawling. He would get mad at the age of 4 or 5 because he wasn't tall enough to ride the roller coasters at theme parks and when he was finally tall enough, he was right up front. He has endured years of asthma and has tried his best to keep up with everyone else with a wonderful attitude, never feeling sorry for himself. He is the first one to speak up for someone when they are being picked on or to warn them if they are about to do something dangerous. And a few weeks ago, he reminded me, yet again, just how brave and determined he really is!

His first day of sailing was a VERY windy day. The instructor went out with him on a trainer boat to teach him important things like" tacking" and " jibing" , how to put the dagger board in, etc. When they came back in, she told him he could go out by himself if he wanted to, but he might want to wait until a calmer day. Well... in true Andrew fashion, he rigged his boat and went out by himself. (His 19 year old brother even admitted that at 13 years of age on a day with wind gusts up to 25 miles per hour, he would not have gone out alone.) Off he went, he was doing great, until....he " jibed" instead of " tacking" and he flipped the boat. Now it was still March and the water was COLD which did not make him happy! However, he stayed with the boat and several other sailors sailed over to try and help him. He tried as hard as he could , but still could not get the boat back over. Finally with the help of the "committee" boat, he managed to finally get it right side up and sail back to shore. I was amazed! Other than being cold and wet, he was just fine and ready to give it another try. The next week he was right back out on the water, sailing alone, on yet another windy day with more confidence and experience...now I think that is True Grit!