SOAR

Next month we are going to host a special event at Rising Above just for dads of children with special needs. This is a very personal endeavor for me because I am passionate about how we are losing the dads of children with special needs right and left. Too often I hear stories of dads who simply check out, walk away, or just can't come to terms with their situations.

Sometimes, the anger or denial stages of grief seem insurmountable. Men are "fixers" by nature. So when we are confronted with a situation we can't "fix" like having a special needs child, we don't know how to cope. So we cope by throwing ourselves into something we can master or be successful. That cause all kinds of frustration, anger and other emotions with our spouses.

Studies now show over 80% of children with special needs are being raised by single female caregivers.

We are losing an entire generation of children with special needs to divorce.

Some dads are just beginning the journey with a million questions and feel like there is nobody to turn to who "gets it."

On the other extreme, many dads are just exhausted and stressed out from the challenges of their career, providing financially for the child's needs, and responsibilities at home assisting with the special needs child and the typical children as well. They could use, and certainly deserve a break.

Every year moms of children with special needs flock to our ladies events like By the Brook and Brookside.

This September 28-30, I want to invite the dads of children with special needs to join me for a weekend designed just for you that we are calling SOAR. It's not a retreat because real men don't retreat. We are just calling it the SOAR weekend.

Come hang out at Tim's Ford Lake in Winchester Tennessee, convenient to Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia.

Now guys, we are not going to be sitting around the campfire singing songs together to an acoustic guitar.And we are not going to be baring our souls in small groups and expressing our deepest thoughts with our faces painted.

We're going to grill out by the lake, relax and hang out with other guys who "get it."  There will be lots of free time to chill, golf, fish, hike or bike, explore the woods, or even watch football on the flat screen in your cabin with other guys.

For $69 we cover two nights stay in a cabin, all your meals, and all your resources. It's a great time to just hang out together, have a lot of fun, and relate to others on a similar journey as you. You'll leave feeling relaxed, reinvigorated, and refreshed. We'll have some organized activities, I'll talk a couple of times to the group about being chosen, called, and committed. And we will have a great time.

I hope you will visit our website at www.risingaboveministries.org and sign up to join me September 28-30 at SOAR! Or for more information call us at 931-526-7473.