Jacob Fisher, a recent graduate of Sandra Day O’Connor High School in Glendale, Arizona, will be attending Grace next fall and is planning on joining the cross-country team.  Jacob is originally from Branson, Missouri.  He is planning on studying pastoral ministries.  He attends Grace Bible Church of Phoenix, Arizona.  He did not run cross-country in high school but runs all the time and is looking forward to competing on the team.

Did you know that you can play a sport and earn a PE credit all at the same time at Grace?  If you would like to sign up for a PE credit for your sports participation, you can!  Just let your academic adviser or Linda Siler know.  For example, Liz Pedersen, a junior at Grace is running cross next fall and has signed up for cross as a PE credit.  Liz is a human services major and a junior at Grace.  She grew up in Freemont, and home-schooled.  She was not involved in high school sports, but she loves to run, and is going out for cross and receiving a PE credit all at the same time!

Congratulations to Zechariah Kemper, Adam Wolf and Scott Miller as they have graduated from Grace Bible College on April  28th, 2012.

This coming weekend, Coach Stowers will be at Wyoming Park High Schools, Frank Grimm Relays.  Teams attending are: Wyoming Park, Rockford, Grand Haven, Hamilton, Byron Center, Coopersville, Calvin Christian, West Ottawa, Zeeland West, Zeeland East, West Catholic, Grand Rapids Christian, West Michigan Lutheran, Grand River Prep, and South Christian High Schools.  All senior distance track runners are encouraged to consider running cross-country at Grace next fall!  Grace has a great Christian community and offers an affordable Christian education right here in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  Cross-country, basketball, volleyball, and soccer are all available for student athletes! So check us out, and see what Grace has to offer.

Would you like to be a part of Grace’s cross-country team next season?  Coach Stowers is building the men’s and women’s roosters for next fall.  The schedule is exciting.  The season will open with the 3rd annual Mud Run held at Kentwood Community Church.  Many races are close by, so families and spectators can easily attend them.  The season culminates at the National race in Cedarville, Ohio.  The season will run from mid-August until mid-November.  Races are all on Fridays and Saturdays, so student athletes do not miss out on class time.  Official practice begins mid-August, but runners should be building their base all summer to kick-off a strong season.  If you are interested in being part of the team, please contact Coach Stowers at lstowers@byroncentercharter.org, or find her on facebook, Lisa Stowers.

The schedule for the 2012 Cross-country season is being set.  There are many exciting races!  At this point the schedule is:

August 25- Mud Run
September 2- Hope Invitational
TBA- Calvin Invitational
Friday September 28- Lansing Invitational
October 20- Run Thru the Rapids
October 21- Volunteer at GR Marathon water station
November 20- Nationals in Cedarville, Ohio
TBA- possible Creation Museum race or other overnight destination

There are still a few details to work out, but so far this is what we have determined!

We are looking forward to a fantastic season!

Next weekend is the Expedition at Grace.  This is a great chance for you to come on campus and experience the Grace Life!  Grace has so much to offer and what better way to check it out then a three day visit full of fun, and informative all at once.  The cost for the weekend is $20 per person, which includes all events/activities, meals, lodging, and an Expedition T-Shirt. The registration fee can be paid at check-in (please make checks payable to Grace Bible College, credit cards accepted). Registration begins Thursday night at 6:41 p.m. and the weekend wraps-up on Saturday around 10:53 a.m. or whenever that morning you are ready to take off (no rush).  Go to gbcol.edu and follow the Expedition link.  That’s this coming weekend, March 29-31.  See you there!

Many Grace students attended the 2nd annual lady’s retreat this weekend.  It was held in Evert, Michigan at a beautiful cottage on the lake. The cottage comfortably slept and housed all thirty attendees.  This was a great time of fellowship with joint sessions Friday night and Saturday.  Also special times of worship, team building activities, food and a prayer walk.  The Michigan March weather was very cooperative for this event as it was in the mid-70s all weekend.  Everyone was reminded of the importance of the fruit of the Spirit; Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”  At Grace there are so many opportunities to grow and fellowship, what a great place to be!

Spring time is a time of new beginnings as flowers and trees begin to bud.  It is also the time of men’s and women’s retreats.  This weekend Coach Stowers attended a women’s retreat with her oldest daughter and was encouraged and renewed.  One of the breakout sessions was entitled “Choices”.  We all make many choices on a daily basis, some large and some small.  But how do we know which choice to make?  One of the best choices we can make is to seek God and his way.  Matthew 6:33 “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.“  One idea to keep God’s Word in front of your eyes is to post verses on your refrigerator, or mirror, or desk, or car…  Here’s a great verse to post in a prominent place, Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”  As you read your Bible every day, write down those verses that speak to you and keep them before your eyes.  This will help you follow the advice in Joshua 1:8, “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”  Taking time to go to a retreat can be so uplifting.  Being part of a group of people who are seeking to please the Lord and desire to serve Him is one of the awesome benefits of attending a Christian college like Grace where the community is always focused on God, his word, and his plan.

This is the time of year when all eyes turn toward the college basketball tournaments known as March Madness.  It is the time of year when the track season starts up for high school runners.  It is also the time of year when the weather turns nice and thoughts of summer, the beach, shorts, swimsuits and running inspire us to dust off our running shoes, if we have been hibernating, and get moving.  At the local YMCA there is a challenge named after March Madness for participants to get more involved in the three core aspects of the YMCA; spirit, mind and body.  Each week teams of two participate and complete challenges from each area in an attempt to win tangible and intangible prizes.  In the spirit of this competition, let yourself be challenged not only in your body by exercising and running, but in your mind and spirit.  Consider personal ways that you can challenge yourself to grow both physically, mentally and spiritually.  If you can find some friends to challenge, you may even inspire others to follow Hebrews 12:1-2b

¹Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, ²Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.

So enjoy the spring weather and get a fresh start in your life.