This blog entry is for my WFBC people. I really feel like Paul writing to the Philippians because you can tell he truly loved them.
"Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel" (Philippians 1:27)
"Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure." (Philippians 2:12-13)
I love WFBC largely because I know the Holy Spirit is present and driving that church. I hope to find a Spirit-driven church in Arkansas. I know that wherever I go, I carry the flame of the Holy Spirit inside me, and it only takes a spark. God is Faithful. I'm very thankful.
I am thankful for Lead Pastor Carlos Sibley. He sets a great example as a father and a husband. He spoke at Fight Club near its inception, and he spoke softly and about Kindness. It was a different approach to our militaristic mindset, but it was a message we all needed to hear. From Pastor Carlos I take the example of quiet strength. I also see his example of a manager. He assembled a team of five different associate pastors, and by their powers combined they have WFBC. He does not micro-manage, and that is awesome. If God places me in a leadership position in the future, I hope to have his personal bearing that leads to respect. I'll be praying for him and his family as they lead WFBC.
I am thankful for Pastor General Vic Doss. He is also a great example of a father and a husband. He started it all for me really. I had visited WFBC before, but opted to attend Athens Church for 1.5yrs. In August 2009 General Vic started Fight Club, and after that it was lights out. Through Fight Club I learned what it means to be biblically masculine. I was introduced to other great men in the church as well as college-aged guys who had a passion for growth. The community and bond of brotherhood forged in that basement for 2.5yrs will carry me and strengthen me in my travels. I won't physically be in the same room as these men, but we are united through the Spirit. From General Vic I learned the passionate, intense, no-filter side of Christianity. Sometimes the Spirit hits you in the soft spots, and that's what I needed. I'll be praying for him and his family as he continues to lead Fight Club and the college group. I will pray that God helps him manage his time between his blood family and his church family. I pray for all of my Fight Club brothers wherever they end up. I pray for the future of Fight Club, and the future generations that will take part in it. God truly has an army in Watkinsville, and I'll wear my service patch proudly. I really can't write enough about General Vic. I am so thankful.
I am thankful for Worship Pastor Jason Dominey, and the worship "Domineytion" every Sunday morning. Worship is more than just singing, sure, but they have the singing down to a science. I love Crowder, Tomlin, et al. but when I get to Heaven I'm finding the Watkinsville Worship stage. Every Sunday, no matter how I was feeling that morning, the worship led me into the throne room of God and I was able to cast all of my cares, confess my sins, etc. and sing with a clear Spirit by the end.
I am thankful for Discipleship Pastor David Holt. When I open the dictionary of words I've learned to "pastor" I see my grandfather's picture. Pastor Holt's picture is now right next to my grandfather's. Just in terms of pure research, topics, etc. My grandfather was not as energetic, but their voices sound the same to me. In Pastor Holt I see a humility that is underneath the surface in that he was the lead pastor of his own church for about 17 years, yet he places himself under the authority of Pastor Carlos now. If God puts me in a leadership position one day, I'd like to have Pastor Holt's preparedness. I am thankful for the time I was able to spend in fellowship with him at his home and with his family. I hope to be as personable in my life.
I am thankful for Youth Pastor Joel Shinpoch. Joel's close to my age, but he's a solid example of a young father and husband. It was very easy to work for him. I am thankful for the opportunity to have worked with the WFBC Middle School youth group since August 2010. As a youth leader, I had my small group of 6th and 7th grade guys, but we all led all the kids at one point or another. I am my own worst critic, and I'm glad that Joel put up with me even when I did not feel like being there on a Wednesday night. Also, because of Joel, I only had to buy lunch maybe two Sundays a month :) Joel is a great example of a manager. He assembled a ragtag group of people and made them youth leaders. He is a master organizer and planner. My personality is more shoot-from-the-hip, so that made me even more difficult to deal with at times :) If God puts me in a leadership position one day, I hope to have even just a little bit of Joel's organization and managing skills. I hope I can have even just a little bit of Joel's graciousness too when I encounter people with personalities that differ from mine. I'm so thankful for Joel and the opportunities he gave me.
I am thankful for Children's Pastor Scott Carson. I did not get much time to get to know him, but I know that it takes a special person to deal with children. At Camp Icthus I work with 8-12 yr-old kids, and that has shown me that 12 is about as low as I can go in ministry and remain sane :) As a child, I remember bits and pieces of AWANA and Sunday School. Right now I just get frustrated when I can't talk to an 8 yr-old about Predestination, etc. Pastor Scott has a level of grace that I probably never will possess, and that is amazing. It just shows God's organizational skills, and how He puts the right people in the right places at the right time. I know Watkidsville will be a success because of Pastor Scott's faithfulness. If God puts me in a leadership position one day, I hope to have his patience and graciousness.
So WFBC has 6 pastors. They are husbands and fathers, and good examples of each. They are very different men with different personalities, but together they make up the body of Christ. I hope that I can emulate their positive examples in my life from here on out. Lord knows I have my own negatives! I am deeply thankful that they each tolerated me in their own way. I'm sad I have to leave this fellowship. I'm sad I won't get to go on college retreats, or work with the youth, or watch football with Pastor Holt, etc. anymore. I pray that I can be of some use to the Kingdom out in Arkansas, and that these pastors would be proud of me. I can leave knowing that WFBC is secure. My Fight Club brothers are strong, the youth are strong, the leadership is strong. I am truly thankful for the time I was given at WFBC. If God sees fit to bring me back in the future, I'll hit the ground running. If this is the last time I see them this side of Heaven, then as I said before, I'm finding the Watkinsville Worship stage.
Obviously, there are so many more people that I've been involved with at WFBC, but it would take forever to list and thank them all. By naming the leaders, you can put yourself in that category and know that I am thankful for you as well :) If I ever did anything to frustrate you, or wrong you, consider this my written apology. I love you all.
For the Kingdom,
Stuart Lloyd Kingsley
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Friday, December 9, 2011
Dawg For Life
Wow, it has been too long since my last blog post. I admit that the month of November was really dark for me, and then I found out that I'm moving to Arkansas so I've been focused on that. Through it all my time in the Scriptures and with church friends has suffered, and I don't like it. Since the Spirit led me to write this blog, and I haven't been focusing on spiritual things, this blog has suffered. This blog is ancillary though, and I can definitely feel the lack of Spirit in my life. God has shown me that He isn't done with me yet, however, so the fire's coming back. "Satan wants me to fear that God is done with me. God wants me to fear that He isn't." - me.
That being said, wow, it's my last day with UGA Athletics. After 7.5 years, it's all come down to this. I could write a book on my years at UGA, but I'll just hit the highlights of my time in Athletics:
I started as an equipment manager for the Football team in June 2004. I was just a volunteer. I did not get paid a salary. I did not get complementary tickets to the games. I did not get to stand on the sidelines for home games, or travel with the team to away games. There were about 9 paid managers and 3 of us volunteers. As with the natural order of things, we volunteers did most of the grunt work. It was to be expected, and I understood the system. I'd like to say I came in humble, but I kind of threw it in the face of 2 older managers. Needless to say, I suffered their ire. I called them out on a few things, but not with humility, so I blame myself for their responses. I feel that I damaged my relationship with the only other visibly Christian manager, and his ire led to my resentment. We were supposedly on the same team, but I chose pride over advancing the Kingdom with him. Another manager just jacked me up against the wall and almost punched me. I honestly would have deserved it. Aside from the equipment room, in other facets of my job as a manager I was a servant through and through. I volunteered to help the manager that had the most equipment to set up before practice, and take down after practice. Through a misunderstanding with my coach I ended up having to run the steps at Sanford Stadium at 5:45am the Monday after we lost to Auburn in 2004. It was the coldest I'd ever been in my life. I ran 4 stadiums, and was about to begin my 5th, when the trainer told me to go home. If I had gotten hurt, my family could have apparently sued. Managers aren't required to undergo the same punishments that the players are. Still, I went, I ran, and I was cool with the coach immediately after. It kind of cemented my relationship with the players too. What didn't kill me made me stronger. On home game days I would sit up in Section 315 and cheer on the team that I worked for Mondays-Thursdays. It was fun to be a manager and a fan, but I obviously wanted to be a full manager. I wasn't paid, but I was allowed to have clothes for practices, and I did get an Outback Bowl ring for all of my hard work. After football season, I was able to be a regular student fan at other sporting events. I went to Men's and Women's Basketball games as much as I could. I went to Gymnastics and Women's Tennis as well. When Baseball season rolled around, I was at Foley Field. It was great to just be a fan and cheer. I remember MBB only won 2 Basketball games. UGA MBB had undergone some scandals, firings, etc. and we were starting walk-ons in 2004. UGA WBB was good as usual, and we had some quality wins. There were some games where I was the only visible student fan though. The informal atmosphere allowed me to meet different people in athletics, cheerleaders, Dance Dawgs, support staff, et al. I like meeting people. There was one Women's Tennis match against South Carolina where I heckled the USC player so much that she stopped the match to get the umpire to tell me to shut up. Then I proceeded to get cussed out by the girl's mother. The USC girl ended up losing spectacularly, so it was a great day.
In 2005 I began as a full manager. I assumed my role as timekeeper for each practice. I basically used my watch's stopwatch and timed out 5-min periods. I co-ordinated with the head coach as well. Because of my position as timekeeper I was at every practice for 4 seasons. I won't go into detail about practices for compliance reasons. Life as timekeeper was simple. The established routine allowed me to flow subconsciously through it. The thing I enjoyed most was the time it allowed me to spend with coaches' families and guests at practices. I met a lot of famous people. The thing I miss most about my time with UGA Football is not the games, or road trips (though the road trips were awesome) but rather the interactions I had with people. I was pretty much an ambassador. The other managers thought they were giving me the short end of the stick by making me timekeeper, but I loved it thoroughly. They drew their status from the coach they worked with, and the players they served. As timekeeper, I worked with every coach and served every player. In addition to time, I also had the "crash cart" with spare equipment parts, so I handled equipment emergencies. Off the field, I had equal equipment room responsibilities with the other managers. For games, I was in charge of #61-70 (#62 is retired). I was responsible for making sure the players who dressed out of that section had all of the gear they needed. I polished helmets and shined shoes. I put the bones on the back of the helmets as well. Those bones were a pain because they were small and thin, and almost impossible to keep in a straight line. I did the best I could, but I definitely was the worst manager at putting the bones on. My relationships with the other managers improved. I learned my place, and gained more humility. I did my job to the best of my ability, and I like to think I did it well. Those other 11 managers knew me better than anyone else. They saw me at my best and at my worst. They were there in the elation of the 2005 SEC Championship win, and they were there in my agony during the 2009 Capital One Bowl. Managers graduated, managers came in, and altogether I worked with maybe 26 different guys over 5 years, including 3 bosses. Standing here on the last day and looking back, despite my faults I consider all of them friends. I am my own worst critic. I'd have liked for this to have been a detailed memory compilation, but I'll save that for my book. Ultimately, you remember the people more so than the wins and losses. I'm so thankful for every coach I was able to serve. Altogether, I served about 17 coaches in my 5 seasons. Chaplains, trainers, strength assistants, video crew, every one of us worked together for the good of UGA Football. I won't name them, but I remember. My strongest friendships with trainers were in the 2005 and 2007 seasons. I had friends in the video crew that I would hang out with on road trips. The managers tended to keep to themselves on the road, but I branched out as much as possible. With me it's all about the relationships, and I treasure the relationships I built through UGA Football. The managers are my brothers, and we'll always share that bond. If any of them are reading this, and they can't see past that one instance where I was a jerk to them, I truly apologize for it and I wish you well. My term as timekeeper ended with me receiving a standing ovation from the coaches and players. It was the most humbling experience of my life, especially since it came in one of my darkest hours personally. Through it all, it ended well. There were many instances where I didn't honor God as I should have, but He still blessed me, and all glory goes to Him.
After Football ended, I started in the UGA Ticket Office. What can I say that I haven't already said? I love these guys. I will miss them terribly. Wherever I end up, I hope and pray that my co-workers, supervisors, and bosses are as amazing as this team here. They put up with me on my good days and my bad days, and I hope that the good outweighed the bad. I hope that I can make them proud, and use the experience I've gained to help more people. This ticket job has allowed me to gain intimate knowledge of how things operate behind the scenes in an athletics association. It also allowed me to stay involved with athletics for 2 more years. Thankfully my final home football game in Sanford Stadium was not the loss to Georgia Tech in 2008, but rather the win against Kentucky in 2011 to clinch the title of SEC East Champion. Through this ticket job I have built lasting relationships with people in all different departments. I have gained exposure to the operations of different departments as well. I have seen how a Division 1 SEC athletics program is operated, and as I move on to Division 2 I look forward to learning even more. I'm not afraid to work for free, I did it in Football and Tickets both. I'm not afraid to get dirty or sweaty. I shed blood, sweat and tears with Football, and I've gotten sweaty in nicer work clothes through Tickets. I've had experience dealing with all types of people from administrators, to coaches, to players and colleagues to custodial staff, et al. All work together for the same goal, and that is the advancement of UGA Athletics. We are all on the same team. I am the least of these, my brethren. Words cannot express my thanks, my gratitude, and my love for all things Red and Black.
Through it all, my allegiance is cemented in Christ. He sought me when I ran from Him in 2006, and He set my feet back on His foundation. He destroyed me in 2008, and built me back stronger than I was. He has humbled me, and will continue to humble me (but not humiliate me) for His Kingdom and His ultimate glory. If He leads me back to the University of Georgia Athletics Association in the future, I will hit the ground running, and hopefully be welcomed back with open arms. If this is my last day with UGA Athletics for the rest of my life, then all glory to God. I know He is here. I know He is working. I am so thankful He allowed me to be a part of it for 7.5 years. This chapter of my life is closing, and it is sad. Satan wants me to fear that God is done with me. God wants me to fear that He isn't ;)
For the Kingdom,
Stuart Lloyd Kingsley
That being said, wow, it's my last day with UGA Athletics. After 7.5 years, it's all come down to this. I could write a book on my years at UGA, but I'll just hit the highlights of my time in Athletics:
I started as an equipment manager for the Football team in June 2004. I was just a volunteer. I did not get paid a salary. I did not get complementary tickets to the games. I did not get to stand on the sidelines for home games, or travel with the team to away games. There were about 9 paid managers and 3 of us volunteers. As with the natural order of things, we volunteers did most of the grunt work. It was to be expected, and I understood the system. I'd like to say I came in humble, but I kind of threw it in the face of 2 older managers. Needless to say, I suffered their ire. I called them out on a few things, but not with humility, so I blame myself for their responses. I feel that I damaged my relationship with the only other visibly Christian manager, and his ire led to my resentment. We were supposedly on the same team, but I chose pride over advancing the Kingdom with him. Another manager just jacked me up against the wall and almost punched me. I honestly would have deserved it. Aside from the equipment room, in other facets of my job as a manager I was a servant through and through. I volunteered to help the manager that had the most equipment to set up before practice, and take down after practice. Through a misunderstanding with my coach I ended up having to run the steps at Sanford Stadium at 5:45am the Monday after we lost to Auburn in 2004. It was the coldest I'd ever been in my life. I ran 4 stadiums, and was about to begin my 5th, when the trainer told me to go home. If I had gotten hurt, my family could have apparently sued. Managers aren't required to undergo the same punishments that the players are. Still, I went, I ran, and I was cool with the coach immediately after. It kind of cemented my relationship with the players too. What didn't kill me made me stronger. On home game days I would sit up in Section 315 and cheer on the team that I worked for Mondays-Thursdays. It was fun to be a manager and a fan, but I obviously wanted to be a full manager. I wasn't paid, but I was allowed to have clothes for practices, and I did get an Outback Bowl ring for all of my hard work. After football season, I was able to be a regular student fan at other sporting events. I went to Men's and Women's Basketball games as much as I could. I went to Gymnastics and Women's Tennis as well. When Baseball season rolled around, I was at Foley Field. It was great to just be a fan and cheer. I remember MBB only won 2 Basketball games. UGA MBB had undergone some scandals, firings, etc. and we were starting walk-ons in 2004. UGA WBB was good as usual, and we had some quality wins. There were some games where I was the only visible student fan though. The informal atmosphere allowed me to meet different people in athletics, cheerleaders, Dance Dawgs, support staff, et al. I like meeting people. There was one Women's Tennis match against South Carolina where I heckled the USC player so much that she stopped the match to get the umpire to tell me to shut up. Then I proceeded to get cussed out by the girl's mother. The USC girl ended up losing spectacularly, so it was a great day.
In 2005 I began as a full manager. I assumed my role as timekeeper for each practice. I basically used my watch's stopwatch and timed out 5-min periods. I co-ordinated with the head coach as well. Because of my position as timekeeper I was at every practice for 4 seasons. I won't go into detail about practices for compliance reasons. Life as timekeeper was simple. The established routine allowed me to flow subconsciously through it. The thing I enjoyed most was the time it allowed me to spend with coaches' families and guests at practices. I met a lot of famous people. The thing I miss most about my time with UGA Football is not the games, or road trips (though the road trips were awesome) but rather the interactions I had with people. I was pretty much an ambassador. The other managers thought they were giving me the short end of the stick by making me timekeeper, but I loved it thoroughly. They drew their status from the coach they worked with, and the players they served. As timekeeper, I worked with every coach and served every player. In addition to time, I also had the "crash cart" with spare equipment parts, so I handled equipment emergencies. Off the field, I had equal equipment room responsibilities with the other managers. For games, I was in charge of #61-70 (#62 is retired). I was responsible for making sure the players who dressed out of that section had all of the gear they needed. I polished helmets and shined shoes. I put the bones on the back of the helmets as well. Those bones were a pain because they were small and thin, and almost impossible to keep in a straight line. I did the best I could, but I definitely was the worst manager at putting the bones on. My relationships with the other managers improved. I learned my place, and gained more humility. I did my job to the best of my ability, and I like to think I did it well. Those other 11 managers knew me better than anyone else. They saw me at my best and at my worst. They were there in the elation of the 2005 SEC Championship win, and they were there in my agony during the 2009 Capital One Bowl. Managers graduated, managers came in, and altogether I worked with maybe 26 different guys over 5 years, including 3 bosses. Standing here on the last day and looking back, despite my faults I consider all of them friends. I am my own worst critic. I'd have liked for this to have been a detailed memory compilation, but I'll save that for my book. Ultimately, you remember the people more so than the wins and losses. I'm so thankful for every coach I was able to serve. Altogether, I served about 17 coaches in my 5 seasons. Chaplains, trainers, strength assistants, video crew, every one of us worked together for the good of UGA Football. I won't name them, but I remember. My strongest friendships with trainers were in the 2005 and 2007 seasons. I had friends in the video crew that I would hang out with on road trips. The managers tended to keep to themselves on the road, but I branched out as much as possible. With me it's all about the relationships, and I treasure the relationships I built through UGA Football. The managers are my brothers, and we'll always share that bond. If any of them are reading this, and they can't see past that one instance where I was a jerk to them, I truly apologize for it and I wish you well. My term as timekeeper ended with me receiving a standing ovation from the coaches and players. It was the most humbling experience of my life, especially since it came in one of my darkest hours personally. Through it all, it ended well. There were many instances where I didn't honor God as I should have, but He still blessed me, and all glory goes to Him.
After Football ended, I started in the UGA Ticket Office. What can I say that I haven't already said? I love these guys. I will miss them terribly. Wherever I end up, I hope and pray that my co-workers, supervisors, and bosses are as amazing as this team here. They put up with me on my good days and my bad days, and I hope that the good outweighed the bad. I hope that I can make them proud, and use the experience I've gained to help more people. This ticket job has allowed me to gain intimate knowledge of how things operate behind the scenes in an athletics association. It also allowed me to stay involved with athletics for 2 more years. Thankfully my final home football game in Sanford Stadium was not the loss to Georgia Tech in 2008, but rather the win against Kentucky in 2011 to clinch the title of SEC East Champion. Through this ticket job I have built lasting relationships with people in all different departments. I have gained exposure to the operations of different departments as well. I have seen how a Division 1 SEC athletics program is operated, and as I move on to Division 2 I look forward to learning even more. I'm not afraid to work for free, I did it in Football and Tickets both. I'm not afraid to get dirty or sweaty. I shed blood, sweat and tears with Football, and I've gotten sweaty in nicer work clothes through Tickets. I've had experience dealing with all types of people from administrators, to coaches, to players and colleagues to custodial staff, et al. All work together for the same goal, and that is the advancement of UGA Athletics. We are all on the same team. I am the least of these, my brethren. Words cannot express my thanks, my gratitude, and my love for all things Red and Black.
Through it all, my allegiance is cemented in Christ. He sought me when I ran from Him in 2006, and He set my feet back on His foundation. He destroyed me in 2008, and built me back stronger than I was. He has humbled me, and will continue to humble me (but not humiliate me) for His Kingdom and His ultimate glory. If He leads me back to the University of Georgia Athletics Association in the future, I will hit the ground running, and hopefully be welcomed back with open arms. If this is my last day with UGA Athletics for the rest of my life, then all glory to God. I know He is here. I know He is working. I am so thankful He allowed me to be a part of it for 7.5 years. This chapter of my life is closing, and it is sad. Satan wants me to fear that God is done with me. God wants me to fear that He isn't ;)
For the Kingdom,
Stuart Lloyd Kingsley
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