Proud of these girls for just jumping right in with little to no experience! This season is on Fire for sure!
Registration hasn’t closed yet! There’s still a place for you! Open to ages 8 and up. Contact us today to join the team!
Proud of these girls for just jumping right in with little to no experience! This season is on Fire for sure!
Registration hasn’t closed yet! There’s still a place for you! Open to ages 8 and up. Contact us today to join the team!
“’Don’t be afraid, Mary,’ the angel told her, ‘for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus’ . . . Mary responded, ‘I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.’”—Luke 1:30–31, 38 (NLT)
Among all the great heroes of fiction, Frodo, from The Lord of the Rings films, is one of the most standout characters. Why? Because unlike Hercules, Wonder Woman, Thor, or Superman, he isn’t a huge, superpowered demigod. Unlike Anakin or Luke Skywalker, he wasn’t born with extraordinary force powers. Unlike Batman, he isn’t a ripped, highly-trained ninja bajillionaire with the money to make high-tech weapons and armor. Frodo was none of those things. He was just a simple hobbit from the Shire, a naïve, kind, gentle little guy. But, as Galadriel says in The Fellowship of the Ring film, “Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.”
Here’s the thing: What made Frodo special wasn’t his superhuman abilities, super genius, or a birthright . . . it was his willingness to step out in faith. He’s a hero among heroes because even though he knew he wasn’t equipped for this impossible task (he didn’t even know the way to Mordor), he stepped up in humility and accepted the call when it came.
This diminutive hero embodies something so deeply biblical: God can use anyone, even the humblest of people, to bring about the most amazing work. From the young shepherd boy who took down a giant to a widow who showed incredible loyalty to her mother-in-law to the young virgin girl from Nazareth—where apparently nothing good can come from (John 1:46)—whom “God blessed above all women” (Luke 1:42)—God is in the business of doing big things through the smallest, most humble of people.
So why Mary? Like Frodo, she had nothing mankind would deem as “special.” She didn’t come from a prestigious family. She wasn’t considered great among the people. But she was highly favored by God. When Gabriel told Mary she’d have a child through the Holy Spirit, her response reveals exactly why God chose her and why she was highly-favored and blessed with this honor.
In Luke 1:38 (NLT), she says, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” Look at the humility she displayed here! Her response to this insane, impossible, frankly terrifying news (she was a betrothed, unmarried virgin, likely between 12 and 14, when she was told she’d have a child) was “I am the Lord’s servant.”
She knew no one would believe her, that this would likely be a scandalous and dangerous thing (Joseph could have had her publicly shamed or stoned to death for being pregnant as his betrothed, since he was not the biological father), but she trusted God. She believed in Him and His Word. She made herself available to be used by God to do His work. She knew she wasn’t equipped for the call God had given her, but she surrendered her life, will, and future into His hands, because she trusted that He would be with her every step of the way.
This is all the Lord needs from us in order to accomplish wonders in our own lives and the lives of the people around us. He doesn’t need us to be highly-skilled, extremely super-qualified geniuses. He certainly uses people with amazing skills, talents, resources, and abilities just as He uses untrained fishermen, poor widows, and outcasts, but it’s not a prerequisite for Him to do His best work. Instead, God does His best work in the lives of those who are humble, available, and willing to be used. It’s not about what you can do, but what you allow Him to do in and through you. He blesses those who declare, “I am the Lord’s servant . . . May everything you have said about me come true.”
Like Mary, we all have a part in this amazing story of redemption God is writing. We all have an amazing call to make disciples, preach the gospel, and be His witnesses. Do we have to be scholars or dynamic orators to accomplish it? No! We just need to say, “Here I am, Jesus. I’m your servant.”
You’re invited to join us Tuesday, November 26th at 1:00pm – 3:00pm for our Charlie Brown Style Thanksgiving Party! All we ask is that each participant bring a canned good donation or a $2.00 donation so that we can give back to those in our community that are in need this holiday season.
Thank you to all the families that supported our Easter FUNdraiser! We are so happy you all enjoyed it!
🧺We will be egging yards the evening of April 20th for a FUN Easter surprise for the whole family to wake up to. You can choose if your eggs are filled with candy, toys or a mixture of both!
Fill out the form below to join in on the EASTER Fun!
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Join us THIS Saturday, November 17th 10am – 2pm for 2nd Chance Sign-Up Saturday!
If you missed our first open registration then NOW is your chance to come on down & register for a class or cheer team!
We can’t wait to see you there!
1935 E. Main St. Visalia, CA 93292
Join us for Sign-Up Saturday!
Come learn more about our classes & events. Then choose your favorite & Sign-Up!
We’ll have our pro-shop open & some tasty treats!
Jason Philpott is known for organizing ‘Mason’s Ride’ in Exeter & for helping several children in the Valley, but more importantly he’s the Father of one of our own cheerleaders & her little brother. He is recovering after a motorcycle crash that left him badly injured. He’s done so much to give others something to cheer about…Let’s return the favor and give him & his family some cheer.
Below is a link to the family’s GoFundMe Page & the news story.
The Message Behind the name Phoenix Elite All-Stars
We constantly get asked why the name Phoenix Elite All-Stars was chosen. So here’s our why…
I’m sure most of you are familiar with the legend of the Phoenix. Short version: It’s a beautiful mystical bird, that is consumed by fire and is reborn from its own ashes.
In our own lives we’ve experienced our own literal & metaphorical burning down of things, ideas, dreams…etc. BUT we’ve also experienced God’s great faithfulness of bestowing beauty for ashes.
“…he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory.”
Isaiah 61:3 NLT
God has given us bigger and better dreams & plans and we are doing our best to be faithful to follow His lead!
The Phoenix is known for RISING and that’s what we want to be known for too. Rising above the circumstances to make the right choices, do our best, treat others with kindness, & to serve with a joyful heart!
Is it because we think we are better than everyone else? No, not at all! Elite also refers to being chosen and seen as precious & valuable, which is exactly how God views all of us!
Just because it’s a Cheerleading category? No way, there’s more to it than that. As God knows each Star by name He also knows each hair on our head! That is how deeply He cares for us All!
“He counts the stars and calls them all by name.”
Psalms 147:4 NLT
We believe that if we are faithful to His calling on our lives the family of God will increase.
“The Lord your God has increased your population, making you as numerous as the stars!”
Deuteronomy 1:10 NLT