Unleash the Power
Strengthen Your Core
“May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might,
for all endurance and patience, with joy.”
- Colossians 1:11
Theme Passage – Colossians 1:9-14
9 For this reason also, since the day we heard this, we haven't stopped praying for you. We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, 10 so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing [to Him], bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God.11 May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with joy 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints' inheritance in the light. 13 He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Background to the Theme
The camp theme Core Strength will develop the FCA Core Values – Integrity, Serving, Teamwork and Excellence. Athletes and coaches will be challenged to develop these spiritual values into their lives … on and off the field of competition. Core values are simply the way you live and conduct yourself. They are your attitudes, beliefs and convictions. Values should be what you are, not what you want to become. The goal is to embody your values every step of the way. Are values just words or are they actually lived out? Can others identify the values in your life without telling them? Your values need to be a driving force that shapes the way you do life! Talk is cheap, but values are valuable.
When everything is stripped away, what is left? For FCA, it is integrity, serving, teamwork and excellence. These Four Core are so powerful, we will unpack them as our camp theme in 2010.
Daily Themes
Meeting 1: Integrity Unleashed … Live Without Gaps
Meeting 2: Serving Unleashed … Do the Unthinkable
Meeting 3: Teamwork Unleashed … Die to Self
Meeting 4: Excellence Unleashed … Hold Nothing Back
Day 1: Integrity Unleashed
To have integrity means that you are committed to Christ-like wholeness, both privately and publicly. Basically, it means to live without gaps. Proverbs 11:3 says that integrity should guide you, but that a double life will destroy you. You need to be transparent, authentic, honest and trustworthy. You should be the same in all situations and not become someone different when the competition of the game begins. Integrity means to act the same when no one is looking. It is not about being perfect, but, as a coach or athlete, you need to be the real deal.
Day 2: Serving Unleashed
In John 13:12-15, Jesus gives us the perfect example of serving when He washes the disciples’ feet. He then commands the disciples to go and do unto others what He has done to them. How many of your teammates’ feet have you washed? Maybe not literally, but spiritually, do you have an attitude of serving just as if you were washing their feet in the locker room? You need to seek out the needs of others and be passionate about pursuing people who are needy. And everyone is needy in some way or another, so there is great opportunity.
Day 3: Teamwork Unleashed
Teamwork means to work together with others and express unity in Christ in all of your relationships. In Philippians 2:1-5, Paul encourages each of us to be one, united together in spirit and purpose. We all need to be on one team—not just the team we play on, but on God's Team! We need to equip, encourage and empower one another. Do you celebrate and hurt together as teammates? You need to be arm-in-arm with others, locking up together to accomplish God’s work. There should be no Lone Rangers.
Day 4: Excellence Unleashed
To pursue excellence means to honor and glorify God in everything you do. In Colossians 3:23-24, Paul writes, “whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” The “whatever” part is hard, because it means that everything you do must be done for God, not others. You need to pursue excellence in practice, in games, in schoolwork and in lifting weights. God deserves your best, not your leftovers
