my wife and i had the most wonderful week-end with coaches outreach. coaches outreach is a parachurch ministry that is specifically geared to jr. high, high school, and college sports coaches. they have a weekly bible study and several marriage retreats each year.

coaches have very stressful jobs, especially here in the south where football is king and winning is very important to the local communities. these guys touch so many young lives during thier carreers, and get very little support. coaches outreach provides spiritual support for the coaches and thier wives. like i wrote before weekly bible studies where coaches get into the Bible and learn about thier faith and what the bible has to say about life. also coaches outreach sponsors several marriage confrences every year. at these week-end retreats coaches and thier spouses go to beautiful resorts and meet other coaches and spouses. there are time of corprate worship, teaching and plenty of free time for the coaches and thier spouses to reconnect. all at a bare minimum of exspense for the coaches. retail value for just the resort and food is $600, coaches only pay about $100. and the bible studies are completly free no fees for materials or teachers.  i have heard from several coaches that these retreats have saved thier marriages.

anyway, last week-end was the annual lay-leader training and appreciation time as well as thier annual fund-raising banquet. my wife and i stayed at a great hotel and enjoyed meeting other lay-leaders and coaches from all over the area. we actually got to be away from the kids for a few days and it was awesome. if you would like more info about coaches outreach, maybe you are a coach who would like to join a bible study or attend a marriage confrence, or maybe you would like to support coaches outreach go to www.coachesoutreach.org

for anyone who reads my blog you know that i am not a big fan of church ministries. this one is different. check them out and for those of you who are believers pray for them. i could share so many stories about the lives this ministry is touching. my own for one. i love this ministry and count it an honor to be associated with them.

sometimes, as we all can be, i get lazy and don't post anything for a long while. nothing seems to spark creativity. so when i can't stand it any longer i sit and just write. here's what's on my mind as of late.

there is a book inside of me. i don;t know if it is a great book, but it is a book of some sort. most likely ficition, and as with a lot of fiction some of it is based on people i know, places i've been and situations i know of or have been involved with.

the thing is how do i get it out? i suppose i could just sit and start writing, but that seems to be a little unorganized and could get to be tedious to the point that i would quit. then there is the option to make extensive notes and outlines storyboards and whatever else. that option seems to be a bit too organized for me. so i guess i will be looking for my creative muse to be somewhere in the middle, whatever that is.

i know that i am a christian, but i don't want to write a "christian" novel. most of that genre imho suck. they are written to a specific audience and, to me, it's kinda like preaching to the choir. i do want to write a great story. one that all types of people can relate to and perhaps be inspired by, and want to read again and again.

there is always self-doubt when i try something new. i think that is true for most of us. will i be good enough, will people like my art, and other such self nagging ideas that prove to be more hinderance than help. too bad creativity does not come in the quantity that fear and inhibition do. so, even if i never am able to publish it or sell it, i am going to write a book. even if not a single person outside the "circle of trust" reads it. i have, what i think, are some pretty good ideas and charachters and i've already started so i guess there really is nothing left to do, but to do.