LAST 2 DAYS TO $AVE ON THE GRAND CANYON TRIP!!

Reserve your spot now before the Grand Canyon Trip rate increases on June 1st!!

Attention Calvary Baptist Church of Clearwater, these are your last 2 days to get the GROUP Discount of $649/person!!

Attention ALL others, these are your last 2 days to get the Grand Canyon Trip for $699. On June 1st the rate increases to $749/person!!

There is still one way to get this trip for $599/person!! Be (or become) a current GTD Ministry Partner (by making a one-time $100 donation OR signing up to be a monthly donor of $10 or more per month for 12 months)

Get the trip details here. Get Ministry Partner details here.

New Links Added To This Site!

We are working hard at GTD Central Command on several enhancements, including this blogsite. Over the past month we have added and updated several new links. We hope they help you navigate everything GTD. We also hope you will take a moment to get familiar with them:

• What We Offer
• Mission Trips
• Adventure Trips
• Retreats
• Day Trips
• Team Synergy
• Exertion Events
• FAST TRACK Event Planner
• Calendar
• Become a Ministry Partner
• Payments & Donations
• GTD Online Shopping Mall
• GRAND CANYON Trip
• Grand Canyon Packing Checklist
• Grand Canyon Payment Link
• Grand Canyon Registration Form
• SLAMMED - 19th Annual Adventure Trip
• General Event Registration Form
• GRUNGE-2 Caving Trip
• Plus updates to the Home Page & Left Side Menu

It's Back and It's FREE!! ...GRUNGE-2

GTD is thrilled to offer our first ever FREE caving Day Trip!! We usually have to charge $20-25 per person, but we are able to offer this trip for $FREE (and it includes lunch!!). But we only have 20 spots available! Check out our Grunge-2 link and register asap to lock in your spot... before they're all gone!!

Introducing GTD's New Shopping Mall!!

We are excited to announce that GTD is now offering an online Shopping Mall that allows you to make your regular online purchases for everyday items, as well as travel, from hundreds of stores you already buy from like Walmart, Best Buy, Home Depot, Target, Staples, Bass Pro Shops, Apple Stores, Priceline, Expedia, Hotwire, and the list goes on and on. Every purchase you make earns you cash back and earns us a donation. It's a WIN-WIN for you and GTD! You save money, we make money!! It's a great way to support our non-profit cause.

Here's how it works: Click on the GTD Shopping Mall link (make sure you see the GTD logo at the top left), register for FREE (create a username and email), and start shopping. It's that easy! If you want to receive larger cash back amounts then simply upgrade to an annual VIP membership for only $99/year (GTD receives $30 for each VIP membership purchased and you'll receive that $99 back in savings after only a few purchases.).

It's not a gimmick or scam. The company simply shares its profits with consumers (you) and those who promote the online Shopping Mall (us). (In fact, I became a VIP member and now make all of my personal online purchases through the GTD Shopping Mall. I get cash back on items I was already going to purchase online, and GTD gets a donation. It's a win-win for all. - Doug). I hope you enjoy it as much as we do! Happy shopping =)

BAC-2-BAC SAC with Smiley's!!

We can't wait for our annual Lake Day this Sunday afternoon (full of wakeboarding, inner tubing, swimming, games, food & more) followed by caving the next Sunday with the young adults of First Baptist Church of Indian Rocks!! It's our SAC (Sunday After Church) events with Smiley's.

If you live in the Tampa Bay area and are in your late teens and early twenties and looking for a vibrant church & young adult ministry to get involved with then check out Smiley's.

DUG Teaches 2nd Graders About Camping

Today, I had the honor of speaking to the 2nd graders of Cross Bayou Elementary School about the joys of camping. These kids were GREAT! They listened attentively, showed sincere interest, took great notes, and asked excellent questions. It was just another reminder of why our ministry loves kids, invests in kids, and helps introduce them to God's amazing playground - the great outdoors.

On a side note, one of our all-time best volunteers, Janessa Jannarone, teaches at Cross Bayou. Her daughter, Garcie, is in 2nd grade. Janessa and her husband, JC, met on a GTD event over 10 years ago. It was wonderful to see Janessa & Gracie and be a part of their camping and outdoor recreation school lessons.

The entire class lasted about 1 hour. I started with an introduction of myself & GTD and then explained the programs that we run. I showed them a 4 minute GTD highlight video of many of the adventures that await them in the wilderness. The kids loved it. After the video I began to teach them about the difference between base camping (usually done with gear that can be brought in by vehicle) and backpacking (which is done only with the gear that can be carried in your pack). They learned about checklists and the many items that go into a successful camping trip. I showed them tons of gear and explained "The 10 Essentials" items that you should always have with you while camping. These kids were phenomenal. Several had already experienced camping before with their family. They were eager to share their stories and ask smart questions.

After the class was over some of the kids showed me their notes and helped me pack up my gear and take it outside where their teachers had prepared another area for them to learn about camping. Tents had already been set up and the students continued to learn more about getting outside and enjoying nature. It was a terrific time =)

Thanks Mom!

Thanks Mom! I loved having my mom "Bird Dog Ann Garner" over yesterday as our Volunteer of the Day at the GTD office. We are tackling some major office clean-up projects and she was a great help =)

Congratulations Jake & Amanda Loeffler!!!

One of the great honors of being involved with a non-profit organization is meeting so many generous people. In 18 years of ministry we have had $1.5 million dollars in revenues (Don't get too excited, that's an avg of only $83,000 per year to run a full time year-round organization. Although that may sound like a lot, it hardly covers the expenses for all of the events & office overhead... then barely enough for very humble salaries for 2 full-time employees). BUT, did you know that of that $1.5 million, $500,000 (half of a million dollars!!) has come through thoughtful, caring, and generous donors. We are humbled & blown away by such generosity.

Each year we honor certain people whose contribution to GTD has made such a vital impact that we couldn't operate without them. Our most recent recipients are Jake & Amanda Loeffler. Over the past 10 years the Loeffler's total donations have exceeded $10,000 to GTD!! They have done that through regular consistent monthly donations. I can't tell you the magnitude of the impact they have had on this ministry through their generosity. In simple terms, we couldn't have done it without them.

Before moving away, Amanda was one of our most enthusiastic & hardest working volunteers. She came on nearly every GTD event and helped us in several organizational aspects. Her passion and relentless help are still missed today. Since getting married to Jake (who is one of our heroes in the military who helps protect our country) they have started a family and moved from state to state, but they have never forgotten GTD. Every month they donate to support our cause. Our mission is their mission. We are touched by their faithful support! It's with full hearts of appreciation that we recognize Jake & Amanda for their contribution to GTD by presenting them with our highest award, the JAG Award. Thank you Jake & Amanda for giving to God that which costs you much! We love you. We appreciate you. God bless you my friends =)

Kind Words From My Former Young Adult Pastor

Thank you to my former young adult pastor from First Baptist Church of Indian Rocks, Tom Elkins, for his encouraging post on the GTD Facebook Page.

Tom wrote, "Congratulations! 18 years of High Impact advancing the Kingdom of God. Awesome testimony of committed love & faithfulness to Jesus Christ. Many have read RADICAL but Doug Garner lives a RADICAL FAITH!"

Tom and his wife Linda had a great impact in my life as you can tell by my response back to him: "Tom, thank you so much for your kind & encouraging words!! I can't tell you how often I think of you and the fond memories that I talk about frequently from your years as my college pastor & dear friend. Many of the messages that you preached and taught (as well as messages from Larry Mastromoro) continue to impact my life 25 years later. In fact, I rank the spiritual gifts test that you gave all the students as one of the top 5 most impacting & life altering moments of my life. It literally changed the course of my life once I understood what my spiritual gift(s) were/are. In fact, I share that story around the campfire probably 25 times per year as we teach & emphasize the importance of knowing your gifts, talents, abilities and inabilities. Thank you for the opportunity to serve under you in ministry and all the opportunities that you gave me and others to serve and grow and lead... thank you for your heart for Jesus and letting Him use you. God used you & Linda to have a huge impact on my life. Thank you so much! God bless you! Much Love - DUG <><"

I'm thankful for the family of God and how He uses it to impact our lives on into eternity =)

  

GTD + CBCC + Grand Canyon = Can't Wait For This Trip!!!

We are excited & honored to have Calvary Baptist Church of Clearwater promote GTD's Grand Canyon Trip to their entire church!!

It's going to be an amazing event with CBCC & Dr Aaron Walp!!

What's your ALL TIME favorite GTD event???

VOTE!!!

In 18 years of ministry GTD has hosted over 400 adventures with more than 8000 participants... that's a lot of God-awesome events!

What's your ALL TIME favorite GTD event???

Scroll down the left side menu and vote!

PS: My favorite event is SLAMMED =)

- DUG <><

Almost 1000 "Likes" on Facebook!!

We almost have 1000 Likes on GTD's Facebook Page!! Help us hit quadruple digits!!

Just visit our Page and click "Like" next to our cover photo at the top. Thank you =)

Monomaniacal

I'm in a MONOMANIACAL mode, and I'm loving every second of it! Running a ministry or any organization - big or small - takes a lot of focus, determination, and discipline. It can be a daunting task to try to stay on top of all of the demands. Then consider that GTD is a small mobile ministry which means our 2 person staff is away from the office for several months out of the year and you begin to understand how it's easy to fall behind on emails, phone calls, social media posts, website updates, photo uploads, data entries, promotions, meetings, gear repacking, advertisements, additions of new events, and the list goes on and on and on. That's not a complaint; it's a challenge that I wholeheartedly embrace. In fact, I embraced that challenge 23 years ago when God placed the creation of this ministry in my heart. I ran with it and I've never looked back. Well, maybe I've glanced back a couple of times. But the fact that I have 2 months of nearly uninterrupted time to focus on office work that I've been chipping away at for several years has me more than a little giddy. In fact, I'm so singularly focused on office work right now that I can only be described as, monomaniacal. The dictionary defines monomaniacal as an obsessive zeal for a single subject. That describes my love for Jesus, and it defines my focus on the work at hand. I spent all of last week getting up at 5am and working until 9pm each night. That's a 16 hour work day. If you know me then you already know that's not very unusual for me and the time that I put into GTD. I've been doing that for years. But it's rare that I get a window of opportunity to do it uninterrupted with no major GTD event to pull me out of town for 2 months. I'm so stoked about it. And I'm getting so much work done already. I look forward to sharing with you the progress that happens over the next 2 months, but somehow I think you will be able to tell just by the improvements, developments, and enhancements that take place in GTD. Thank you for your support of me and this ministry... and thank you in advance for the prayer support that will carry me, Laurie, and this ministry into a whole new era of excellence! God bless... and stay tuned!   - DUG <><

Thank You Jessica

Thank you Jessica for stopping by the GTD office yesterday to volunteer your time. Your help means a lot!

We wish you safe travels and lots of fun on your adventure through China this summer!  We love you and can't wait to hear your stories!

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 =)