Slim Jim’s, chewing gum, & ear plugs…oh my!

That is what I was greeted with at the 2008 McFBC Men’s retreat. As I signed in, I got a packet that contained the above. There is much to explain, so I should start at the beginning…

I packed Thursday night and planned on leaving work at about 2:30. I was close. I left work at 2:50, which was not bad. I changed into sandals for the drive, which was a great idea. It was casual Friday, so I just kept everything else the way it was. Traffic leaving Dallas was about average. There were not any wrecks, but a lot of cars and not enough pavement. The drive out there was uneventful, and the directions were perfect. I did fill up when I exited I-20, just I would not have to fill up on the way home.

The first person I met after getting there was Kane, one of my Band of Brothers buddies. I had not even parked yet, but bumped into him first. I registered, got my goodie bag, picture taken (for a pictorial directory) and got ‘prayed in.’ They prayed everyone in as they registered. That was cool. I unpacked and had a little bit of free time until dinner. I was in the Rajabasa cabin, Room 2. The cabin names are on surf boards. I think they are Tahitian words. Okay, just Googled it: it is an island, and volcano, between Java and Sumatra near Krakatoa. I was way off.

Dinner was BBQ…..ain’t nothin’ wrong with that. After dinner we had our first session with Dr. Voddie Baucham. I won’t bore you with his resume, so here is the link to his website. I had no real knowledge of what he would be speaking on, I quickly found out. He would be teaching from the Book of Rabbit Trails, aka Ephesians 5:1 – 6:4. It was some good stuff, but not earth shattering. I have heard several studies on the role of the man, including one called, ‘The Role of the Man.’ It was more of a refresher, but there were several useful nuggets that he dropped. I will have to post on just his messages, but this post is about the entire retreat.

We broke out into small groups after the message. I was in small group 29. I met several interesting people in this group. Stan Russell is probably the one I will remember the most. Mainly because we talked the most, even outside of the break out groups. After groups I went back to the cabin and called it a night. Several guys were going to be playing cards, but I just wanted to sleep. I just wanted to sleep for over five hours. At 2:45 I actually moved my lower bunk mattress and sleeping bag into the bathroom to get away from the snoring. I got under three hours sleep that ‘morning.’ I got up and had the first of four cups of coffee….wonder why.

I felt almost civil after fours cups of coffee and it was breakfast time. Breakfast was bacon, eggs, biscuits & gravy, fruit, and even some more stuff. Next we had session two, break out groups, lunch, team events and free time. I did not really participate in team events. I was just too worn out, and frankly not very happy at that moment. I had come to get re-energized and I was just wiped out. During free time I was invited to play in an ultimate Frisbee game. Fat 43 year olds should not play that game, which is why I did. I had a blast. Once my heart rate dropped below 190 I felt even better. Ultimate Frisbee could be described as man on man Frisbee soccer. After that I spent some time hanging out and met the guy who runs a chiropractic place just down the road from out house.

After a long Saturday, in the sun, I was told that I gotten myself pretty scorched. Well, I did get some sun, but I don’t think it was that bad. I don’t think I will peel, and it should turn into a nice tan. Next was dinner, session three, break out groups and bedtime. Once again I was just too tired to do anything else. Three hours of sleep will do that to you. I ended up sleeping in my bunk for most of the night, but still moved into the bathroom. I really do need my own separate room. Being a light sleeper definitely has its’ drawbacks.

Sunday morning was pretty smooth, but quick too. We had breakfast, session four, testimonies (several guys came to the saving knowledge of Jesus!) lunch, pack, load, and leaving. The drive home was more eventful than the drive out. I was almost too tired to drive, but made it just fine. I did stop for a DP at a truck stop. That seemed to do the trick. More on the material of the retreat later on. I, unfortunately, have a project due in a few days, and need to get back to work on it. More on that later on too.

UPDATE:

I forgot to describe the team events.  The first was the egg toss.  This was your normal egg toss.  That was followed by an ‘overhand throw only’ egg toss.  That one went much faster than the first.  The next event was a relay race.  The teams had about 12 people to use for this:

1. a six person hula hoop relay ( the people hold hands and pass a hula hoop over/around/through them)
2. the ‘izzy dizzy’ spin five times around a baseball bat (held vertically and touching the ground)
3. a hike/pass kick (hike the ball to the next person who passes to the next who kicks it)
4. next person takes a frisbee and makes it the hole of a frisbee golf course nearby
5. fill the frisbee with water, carry it over your head and fill a bucket to a certain line.  It takes about five trips.
6. last person uses a hockey to bring a small, four-square ball down the field and score.

That was the relay.  The only thing missing was Jeff Probst yelling, “For Immunity!”

The final team challenge was a tug-o-war.

There were several awards given out during the weekend:

• best imitation of a freight train (loudest snore) not from my cabin actually, but should have been
• jockstrap award (guy who played the most sports)
• best imitation of a girl ( the guy brought six, yes six, pairs of shoes for the weekend retreat)
• best sacrificing the body ( I saw this one at the flag football game.  Guy dives over the pylon to score.  He is completely horizontal five feet off the ground.  This is over hard pack dirt btw.)
• First on the injured reserve: One guy blew out his knee within sixty seconds of the start of Friday night’s basketball game.  He stayed the night but went into Tyler the next day to get it looked at.

That same guy, a 20 year old, University of Colorado Buffaloe told me his generations’ name for the Honda Fit.  “The Gas Passer”  Because it passes gas stations.  I drive a gas passer.  Insert joke here please.

On a final note, Pine Cove has a special place in my heart.  The last time I was there was in the summer of ’81.  I drove that time too.  My first time to attend was in July of ’75.  I was at the Towers Camp and my counselor was named Grizzly.  He had a very bad speech impediment, but different from mine.  It was this man that lead me to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.