Well, game two is in the books and we are now 1-1.  We lost to Jefferson Forest Black last night 12-8.  They had quite a few kids on their team to our 13.  They had some large kids on the team which added to the dynamics of making this a tough game.  See the picture above of my son and one of the kid that was blocking him the whole game, see bottom for second picture of a different player.  Anyway, they score 12 points in the first half on their first two possessions and it looked like they were going to blow us out.  At half time it was 12-0.  We made some adjustments on offense at the half and we came out and scored to make it 12-8.  Then we had the ball with 4 minutes to go in the game and all 3 timeouts.  We were on our own 30 yard line and were slowly moving the ball, all we have to do is score and we win the game.   Unfortunately we had a bobble in the backfield exchange which caused a fumble and JF recovered.   Considering the start our team had our kids fought so hard to even have a chance to possibly still win the game in the 4th quarter.  Both sidelines and parents were into it because it was getting tense in the 4th quarter.  I was so proud of the kids; they played their hearts but came up just a bit short in the end.

Boonsboro Broncos Record (1-1)

Boonsboro Broncos 8 South Bedford 0
Boonsboro Broncos 8 JF Black 12
Boonsboro Broncos Cubs
Boonsboro Broncos S C & G
Boonsboro Broncos JF Red
Boonsboro Broncos Bedford Westside
Boonsboro Broncos South Bedford
Playoffs

Dawson chasing the play, he is Defensive End and made a mistake of letting them outside…teachable moment.

Okay, as I have mentioned on some of my facebook postings,  I am coaching my son’s 7-8 year old football team.  We had our first game this past Saturday and we beat South Bedford 8-0.  Tonight we play the Forest Black team at home, so hopefully all will go well and we will be 2-0.  I will keep you updated.  Check out my boy with a sack in the back field from last weekends game.  Each game I have a “fathead” player of the game, where the player who gave the most effort for the game gets a box of NFL fathead tradeables.  The kids love it and it really motivates them.

What is the one thing we as Christ-followers need to know before we can grow into mature Christ-followers?  As I have titled this posting, you need to know before you can grow.  As I was reading in Hebrews chapter 5: 11-14 it says…

11 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn.  12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

In verse 14 it says “to distinguish good from evil”.  Are you having a problem growing and reaching the next level in your spiritual walk?  If so, maybe you are still struggling with the same “elementary” things the Jewish Christ-followers were during their time…In Hebrews chapter 6:1 it refers to the elementary teaching as learning the foundation of repentance (regret for any past action) from acts that lead to death and faith in God. 

Maybe your struggle to get to the next level in your spiritual walk is due to you not applying the above basics to your own daily walk with Christ.  Maybe you are reluctant to move past the “religious” tradition you have learned in the past.  Maybe you are still trying to blend in with your old life and friends and are not 100% committed to doing away with sinful activity in your life.  There will come a time when you will have to move outside of your comfort zones because commitment to Christ does move His children outside of their comfort zone. 

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This year the “going green” push is big on college campuses and the theme has caught a lot of attention with corporations who are really making this a push in their advertising and marketing efforts.  Four years ago, this topic of green was just starting to emerge, but it was still on the outside fringe of popularity.  Today, “going green” has hit our society in a huge way.   The Oscars went green, the Superbowl went green, major league baseball is going green, TV, tourism, hotels, Microsoft, Dell, Walmart, restaurants, airlines, clothing, grocery stores, major retailers, construction companies and yes even coffins. (http://www.environmentalcaskets.com)

As I pondered this idea of “going green”, I started getting a bit annoyed at the magnitude of the whole thing.  Don’t get me wrong, I think these things are great ideas and certainly we as responsible human beings need to be doing them to preserve our environment.  What I am annoyed about is the passion, attention and public space this is getting.  Just think about it, we have given more of our time, talent and treasure (dollars) to preserve the environment then to things with eternal value.  What I am struggling with is the thought of how one movement gets such attention and popularity while other movements get no attention or resources at all.

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When you are driving, setting goals and always trying to get to the next level, you can be so obsessed with those goals that you miss the opportunity and the preparation that is necessary to get you to that next level.  Step one for me is to be content and slow down, look around at my current circumstances and see what God is doing and teaching me right NOW.  God may allow me to succeed when He has refined me to the point where I do not need to succeed to be happy. I can tell you that the refining process is the tough part.  God also has shown me that even if He did move me to the next step that I would eventually grow discontent there as well.  So, the “a-ha” moment is that my contentment is not in my situation or circumstances, but with Him and in me.

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This is a bit lengthy, however it is well worth the read if you are looking for the differences between selling online students versus traditional campus based students.  This comes from years of experience in both areas and this article helps summarize the differences.  Enjoy!

1. Make-to-order vs. mass production

In the context of education, online learning is a “make-to-order” business whereas instruction through a traditional ground campus falls under the category of mass production. Applying this to business terms, online learning uses a “pull” strategy while traditional (residential) undergraduate education uses a “push” strategy.

With the realization that each unique customer has varying needs and desires for the purchase of a product or service, most businesses today operate under the “pull” strategy such as Dell or McDonalds. However, traditional education still operates under the “push” method. Statistics show that ninety percent of all incoming undergraduate resident students have the same needs, requirements, and educational expectations, lending to an academic institution’s use of systems of mass production to satisfy these similar needs. The familiarity and success with this type of education system has made it difficult for most traditional colleges and universities to successfully enter into the market of online learning.

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Inside HigherEd

Read the Inside Higher Ed article click here  

The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an independent corporation and one of two commission members of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA), which is one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States. The Higher Learning Commission accredits degree-granting post-secondary educational institutions in the North Central region.