tbt > 1998 IGNITE (GTD invents "Land-Yaking")

GTD THROWBACK THURSDAY > GTD "INVENTS" Motorized Steer-less Land-yaking
(1998 Ignite Camping Retreat)

JOIN US ON SLAMMED THIS JULY!

Join us on our 19th Annual SLAMMED Adventure Trip this summer (July 2-6) in Tellico Plains, TN. This is one of the most God-awesome adventures you'll ever go on!! Click here for details

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HE IS RISEN!!

Happy Easter!!! We have so much to celebrate!! Thank You Jesus =)

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LIQUID Was A Splash!

We just completed our annual day-before-Easter canoe trek called Liquid. We were honored to have a packed trip with 28 awesome people!! We paddled 4 miles at Weedon Island as we engaged in a few squishee ball fights. We also had a pre-Easter message called, "God's Love Language". Good times with great people!

UPDATE: 247 pics from our Liquid Canoeing Trip have been uploaded to GTD's online photo album. Enjoy... and Happy Easter =)

HAPPY GOOD FRIDAY!! (from Laurie)

If it wasn't for what Jesus willingly gave at the cross (his life) my life would be a mess. Nobody but him could of saved me from the mess of myself.

Because of his death, my acceptance and acknowledgment of who he is and what he's done I have forgiveness of my sins and am made right with God.

Thankful I don't have to jump through hoops or be perfect. He accepts me just the way I am.

Jesus is a choice.

He's the way, the truth and the life.
- John 14:6

HAPPY GOOD FRIDAY!! (from DUG)

HAPPY GOOD FRIDAY!! I'm so thankful that Christ took my sins, my failures, and my spiritual debts upon Himself to become the perfect sacrifice. He didn't do it only for me, but for the entire world. But it only works when we make it personal.

Just like anti-venom for a deadly snake bite, it's not enough to just know about it. It has to go from the vial into the syringe and then into your blood stream. It can't save your life just by being aware of it. It can't even save your life just by believing it exists. It has to get inside of you. You have to receive it.

Likewise, we have all been bitten by a deadly snake in a spiritual sense. There is only one anti-venom that can save us. It's the perfect blood of Jesus Christ. His body was the vial. The cross is the syringe. The anti-venom has to go from the vial into the syringe and then into your spiritual blood stream. It can't save your life just by being aware of it. It can't even save your life just by believing that God exists. It has to get inside of you. You have to receive it.

The Bible refers to Jesus as the Great Physician. Good Friday is the day that Jesus' vial (His body) was broken and punctured and His blood flowed so that we can be saved... that we can be liberated... that we can celebrate wholeness and the fullness of life... that we can have eternal life. He makes His supernatural anti-venom freely available. But He doesn't force it on you. At a certain point you have a responsibility in this. You have to receive it in order for it to work. You have to administer the injection by placing your faith in the finished work of Jesus on the cross.

One way to place your faith in Jesus is by praying a simple prayer from your heart like this: "Dear God, I confess that I am separated from You. I have missed the mark. I have sinned against You. I ask you to forgive me of all the wrong things I have done. Jesus, thank You for dying on the cross for my salvation so that I can be made whole and have eternal life. I ask You to come into my heart and to be my Savior and the Lord of my life. From this day forward I commit my life to following You." If you sincerely placed your faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ then you just became a new Christian. The Bible says that you are now born again spiritually. Like any newborn you need to grow. Start reading the Bible & find a great church... your spiritual adventure has just begun!

Jesus paid the full price on Good Friday. He BRAVELY & COURAGEOUSLY went to the cross to pay for our sins. He's my Superhero! We have so much to celebrate!!   - DUG <><

Just In Time For Easter!

One of GTD's faithful Ministry Partners, my cousin Dennis Maddox, just released his new praise & worship CD called "Canvas". Dennis is out of Savannah, GA and the joy of the Lord oozes out of him at every pore. If you are looking for a CD that celebrates Jesus then check this one out =)

Click here to check it out on iTunes

CarsO... GTD's #1 Jr Guide

I'm so proud of my 11 year old nephew! Carson volunteered last weekend on one of our retreats and he was one of the hardest workers I've ever seen. I couldn't keep the tasks coming fast enough. That boy RAN all over camp non-stop helping us with the set-up. And talk about being efficient... he works all day fueled on the equivalent of 1 peanut - LOL! Thank you to GTD's #1 Jr Guide - "CarsO"!!  (-DUG)

Martha, Mary, and FUMCO

We had a fantastic time with the HS youth group from First United Methodist Church of Oviedo (FUMCO) during our camping retreat this past weekend! We were in DeLand, FL and the weather was PERFECT!! We camped out, made smores, played games, kayaked, spent quality with God, enjoyed the campfire, & watched an outdoor movie. It was wonderful!

Retreats are always a great opportunity to unplug from technology & distractions and plug into God. One of the Bible passages we focused on was the story of Martha & Mary in Luke 10. Martha invited Jesus into her home, but got distracted by serving. While Mary enjoyed fellowship with Jesus and focused on Him while sitting. Martha got upset at Mary, but Jesus affirmed that Mary had actually chosen what is better. Often times it is easy to get distracted from spending time with God by actually getting too busy in our acts of service for God. In those times, ministry actually gets in the way of intimacy with God. We must constantly be reminded that working for God is never a substitute for spending time with God no more than working to support a family replaces spending time with our family. It's all about relationship. Service should RESULT from our relationship with Jesus, not REPLACE our relationship with Jesus. Sitting is better than serving; sitting precedes serving. We can't adequately serve until we have sufficiently sat.

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Luke 10:38-42

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed — or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
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Be Still

There is no better place to draw close to God than in his creation. It's a beautiful morning for a weekend retreat! 

To learn more about how you can join us on our next event, go to www.goingthedistance.org

LIQUID IS SOLD OUT!

LIQUID IS ALL BOOKED UP!!
NO MORE CANOEING SPOTS AVAILABLE!!
LIQUID IS FULL!!

Thanks for the overwhelming & quick response people. We look foward to a great trip next weekend. We will contact those who registered on Monday (after our youth retreat) =)

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Only 10 LIQUID Spots Remain!

QUICK LIQUID UPDATE: We have 20 people registered for our free canoeing trip on April 19th. Only 10 spots remain!!

GTD will be hosting a retreat this weekend in DeLand and unable to monitor the registration forms until we return on Monday. As soon as we get back we will update the headcount.

Liquid details & registration


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Packed

All packed up and ready to leave tmw morning for our annual retreat with FUMCO =)

FUMCO Retreat This Weekend!!

Packing up for our annual retreat with the high school youth group from First United Methodist Church of Oviedo!! Heading to DeLand tmw. Love these guys!! =)

How Does GTD Celebrate 18 Years of Ministry? WITH A FREE LIQUID CANOE TRIP!!

FREE GTD CANOE TRIP!!!

In celebration of 18 years of ministry GTD is giving away 30 FREE canoeing spots on our annual Liquid Canoeing Trip scheduled for Saturday April 19, 2014. No Tricks! No Gimmicks! It's a small way we can say "Thank You" to our loyal participants. All you have to do is register online before we run out of space. And this event includes lunch!! Come play with GTD as we enjoy God's amazing creation and celebrate another year of ministry =). Spots go fast so register on our LIQUID link right now!

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Need A Power Boost?

Spending quality time reading the Bible & talking to God ("prayer") is like a supernatural Vitamin B12 shot! There is no better way to start the day!! I would wish it upon everyone =)   - DUG <><

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The 10 (or more) Essentials

I love playing with outdoor gear. This morning I'm repacking a couple of CamelBaks with "The 10 Essentials" for survival. Because there are actually more than 10 items recommended for "The 10 Essentials" I now refer to these survival "must haves" as "The Crucial Essentials". They include things like water, food, fire starter, water purification, first aid, signaling devices, paracord, knife, flashlight, sunscreen, insect repellant, etc, etc. They are the things you will wish you had if you get lost in the wilderness. In addition, it helps to have mental toughness & the know-how to use these items packed in a seperate pack... your "Brain Pack". At GTD we supply our guides with many of these items. That's why you see so much gear in the picture. I'm also doing inventory. I love this stuff =)

Beach Day with The DOC Ladies

It was a PERFECT day to be at the beach and we loved every minute that we got to spend with the ladies from DOC Church of St Pete!! GTD was honored to host a Beach Day full of fun games & challenges for this wonderful group of Godly gals

"...but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment." 1 Timothy 6:17

I love that we have a God who wants us to enjoy everything that He has provided.

Looking for a great church in downtown St Pete... Learn more about The DOC on their website.

165 pics from our Beach Day with The DOC Church of St Pete have been uploaded to GTD's Online Photo Album. Enjoy =)

Click here to see them all