THRiVE: GTD's 6 CORE PRIORITIES

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Our ministry themes is THRiVE. It's the idea that God designed us to flourish for His glory. 

Jesus said in John 15, "This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples... I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last." Jesus also said in John 10:10, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." 

Our passion as a ministry is to THRiVE in such Godly ways that it brings honor & glory to our amazing God. And our hope is that people will see the fruit & want to taste and see how good God is.

As part of our "Break Through Year" in 2013 we are simplifying life. We have created an acrostic of our 6 core priorities so that it spells out "THRiVE". We believe that when these 6 core priorities are authentically lived out thriving naturally occurs in ministry and in personal life.

Of course, it is not an exhaustive list, but that's not the point of simplification... it's our core priorities that we believe leads to flourishing in our ministry (as well as for most ministries & most lives). Feel free to add your input below... would your list include or exclude anything we've listed?

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HAPPY 17th BIRTHDAY GTD!!!

Happy 17th Birthday GTD!!!

Going The Distance Adventure Ministry turned 17 years old this month. We praise God for another year of ministry as well as the longevity we've experienced as we close in on two decades!!

It's been a FULL 17 years... over 325 Adventures & over 7000 Lives Impacted!!

ALL GLORY TO GOD!!

"LORD,... all that we have accomplished you have done for us." - Isaiah 26:12


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MAKE A DIFFERENCE THIS SUMMER!

Want to make a difference this summer? INTERN WITH GTD!

Mission opportunities in Costa Rica.
Adventure opportunities in TN & GA.

Scan the QR Code for more details (and/or to apply)... OR CLICK HERE TO GO TO OUR INTERN LINK.


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GRUNGE CANCELLED =(

FALLING ROCKS CLOSE CAVE:

The City of Ocala has closed White Cliff Cave indefinitely due to rock falls near the cave entrance. Because of this, our 2013 GRUNGE Caving Trip has been cancelled =(


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BACK IN BLACK!

We are THRILLED to announce that after an economical "near death experience" in 2009 during our country's Great Recession, GTD has now completed 3 consecutive years of finishing in the black ("black" means positive revenue flow; not in debt). To use the 80's hard rock band AC/DC's famous album title, we are "Back In Black"! Or more accurately we are Back-to-Back-to-Back In Black. All glory to God!! We want to thank our many donors, monthly partners, & participants who helped make this possible!!


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FUMCO Pics & Videos Uploaded

Over 200 sweeeeet pics from our weekend retreat with the HS Youth Group from First United Methodist Church of Oviedo have been uploaded to the GTD Online Photo Album!! In addition, we uploaded 2 short video clips from our canoeing trek to the GTD YouTube Channel... Enjoy =)

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Way To Go Andrew!!! And How About You?!?!

Got a text from Andrew Pieper this morning, "I set a [personal] bike distance record yesterday, 112 miles! Can't wait for the cross fl!"

Way to go Andrew!!!

This is a great GOAL and great event to train for in 2013... GTD's XFL Cross Florida Bike Ride on the weekend of Oct 26-27. 160 Miles in 2 Days!! You'll never look at a Florida map quite the same =)

More details here.


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FUMCO Retreat Finished Strong!!

The forecast for heavy thunderstorms never materialized. I can't imagine better weather for a camping retreat! PTL!! Today we started the morning with pancakes & devotions in Eph 4 and breaking down camp. These kids were amazing... we had the entire camp broken down & packed in the trailer by 12:30p. The youth had good insights into the scripture reading. We had an incredible time with this fantastic group of high school students... some of whom have been coming to our camps since 6th grade. I want to thank Stacia, Delton & Lee for their leadership with the FUMCO youth and for the honor of choosing GTD to help kick off the new year. I also want to thank Laurie for all her hard work this weekend. She & I worked nonstop for the past 48 hours. We are exhausted, but so blessed, satisfied, thankful, and deeply encouraged to be a part of this ministry. Thank you to all our prayer warriors & supporters =). Now it's shower time... then tomorrow is our "Sabbath" since we worked today =). God bless!!

PERFECT DAY!!

A couple of days ago the weather forecast called for 100% chance of rain, but today was an amazing day full of beautiful weather. After morning devotions the FUMCO youth group competed in a mini adventure race. Lunch was pizzadillas!! Then we went canoeing... I don't think I've ever laughed so hard while canoeing. There were so many funny moments as we canoed over, around, & under several downed trees. A few canoes filpped over and the hilarious memories were instantly & forever engraved in our brains. We had a delicious dinner & then shared our highlights of the day around the campfire. Our Impact Point was on the importance of unity in youth groups. We closed off the night with smores over the campfire while watching The Book of Eli on the big screen for our outdoor movie night. This group is so much fun!! It was better than a great day, it was a perfect day! =)

THE GROUP HAS ARRIVED =)

The FUMCO youth group made it to camp safe & sound.After they set up their tents & cots the group enjoyed a delicious taco dinner made by Laurie Finger. We then cozied up by a sweet campfire for our nightly Impact Point. Tonight's topic was "Freedom In Christ" (Gal 5:1). We closed off the night by roasting marshmallows. So far, the weather has been perfect!! PTL! Tomorrow we are planning on doing an Adventure Race after breakfast, canoeing after lunch, & an outdoor movie after dinner... should be a blast =)

FUMCO Retreat Starts 2Nite!!

At camp... setting everything up. FUMCO group arrives around 6.30pm. Praying for an amazing weekend despite the sloppy weather =)

HAPPY NEW YEAR... THE BREAK THRU YEAR FOR GTD!

Happy New Year! As we say goodbye to a fantastic year of ministry I'm reminded that it's not just the end of another year, but more importantly, it's the beginning of a new year. With the new year comes new goals, new visions, and a renewed eagerness to strive after both. 

Laurie and I set aside much of the day to pray and seek God for vision and direction for GTD in 2013. We believe that God is challenging us to see 2013 as a "Break Through Year". There are several areas within this ministry that seem only inches away from the greatness of what they could be. We feel like a caterpillar inside of a chrysalis that has transformed into a butterfly and all it needs to do is "break through" the outer shell so that it can fly or like a yoked ox that must "break through" small straps to gain its full potential. We believe God is making us aware of small walls that He wants to break through this year that stand between where we are and the promises that God calls us into.

We are excited about what lies ahead in 2013 as we anticipate many small piles of crushed concrete from the several Break Throughs God brings about this year in GTD. We are making an inventory of the areas God wants to break through this year and we look forward to sharing all the details with you. Thank you for praying for great things for GTD in 2013!

Our Break Through theme chapter in the Bible is Isaiah 58

Our Break Through theme song is, "Live It Out" by Abandon

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