Plenty of blessed events set for Destin

Starting Sunday, April 27, you’re in luck if you like to eat great food, play golf, hang out with celebrities, and have your boat (and your soul) blessed.

As every year, the Destin Christian Academy sponsors The Paul Horton Memorial Golf Tournament at the Indian Bayou Golf Club in Destin. This year, thanks to Tina Anderson, the event promises to be a real “biggee” with wonderful food catered by Fridays and Cabana Café and music provided by Jeff Cook from the band Alabama along with David Seering.

Other celebs include James Sisco, world famous kickboxing champion and New England Patriots player, who’s bringing his buddy Boi Rodriquez of Atlanta Braves fame; George Einstein, Sandestin resident and Albert’s cousin; Scott McKinney from Sports Talk Radio; Gary Bowman, announcer for the Boeing golf tournaments; Maxie Bowles, University of Tennessee former golf coach; and a professional President Bush look-alike known only as Bill. R.

A silent auction is also part of the day with a lot of great stuff you just have to have. Proceeds from the event benefit Destin’s only Christian school in scholarships and academic enhancements. There may still be time to register to play if you call Tina at 650-2443.

Maybe golf isn’t your thing.

How about getting excited and involved in the 2008 Destin Week of Blessings? On Sunday afternoon, April 27, all city residents are invited from 1 to 5 p.m. to the 1st Annual Barbecue and Covered Dish Picnic at Morgan Sports Complex. There’ll be events for children, teens, and adults. (When was the last time you ran in a three-legged race or dug your heels in for a tug of war?)

Monday is the citywide Day of Fasting (and, yes…you CAN do it). On Tuesday, prayer teams from participating churches will go out into the community to pray for selected organizations. Wednesday offers community business people the Marketplace Breakfast from 7 to 9 a.m. at Destin United Methodist Church on Beach Drive.

The Week of Blessings concludes on Thursday, May 1 with the Blessing of the Fleet down at the Destin Fishing Fleet Marina and Fisherman’s Wharf. Services begin at 4 p.m., the boat blessing is at 5 p.m., and a fish fry follows at 5:30 p.m. For information I probably left out, go to www.destinblessings.com

I wish I had space to name and praise all the corporate and individual sponsors who have written the necessary checks and organized all the details to make this Week of Blessings happen. I do have some space to name the church sponsors: Destin United Methodist, Destiny Worship Center, Immanuel Anglican, Destin First Baptist, Grace Lutheran, and Shoreline (Church at the Rave), Corpus Christi Catholic Church, Destin Church of Christ, St. Andrews-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church, Christian International Family Church and Cornerstone Presbyterian Church.

Together, these sponsors work to promote fellowship and good, clean family fun for our city. With its mantra of “Be Relevant,” the week’s events remind us that we can still be a little village in heart if not in reality.

I asked Pastor William Colvin to explain why the word relevant was specifically selected as the theme. He recalled one of his favorite sayings:

“Don’t be so spiritually minded, you’re of no earthly value.”  This means we are to carry the message of Jesus Christ, but like Him, we need to be about meeting the real needs of real people and sharing in the common joys and challenges of living in an earthly community.

t’ll be tough this year not to have our boat blessed as we have done for the last 24 years.

The Second Chance is gone from the charter fleet — gone from our lives. But Frank and I will still be there, down at the docks on Thursday to see the other vessels receive blessings and prayers for an abundant harvest this season and for protection out there on the Gulf. It’s this time of year that I think of that fisherman’s prayer: “God, be merciful to me. My boat is so small and your sea is so great.”

I also think of some of the many scriptural references on the subject of blessings. One I particularly like seems to fit: “When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices and prospers … by the blessings of the upright, the city is exalted.” (Proverbs 11)

Since I’m the last one to claim that I’m a shining example of righteousness or uprightness,  I’m glad for Destin’s special week to remind me of how blessed I am. But more importantly — to remind me to bless others with all that I say and do.

May you bless and be blessed, not just for a week, but for as long as you live.

Mary Ready of Destin is a twice-retired English teacher and long-time area resident. Her columns are published on Saturdays.