Relentless Detroit 2012

 This past Saturday, Kirby Church hosted a power lifting benefit for nine year old Austin Valentine who is facing the fight of his life - brain cancer.

Several families at Kirby and in one of the Life Groups had connections to Austin and his family through sports, the Children's Hospital, and school. So, when they heard about what this little guy was going through they begin to pray about ways to help. That's when Tommy Westhoff, one of our church members and a power lifter, approached them with the idea of hosting the power lifting competition as a way of raising financial support for the family and of providing encouragement to Austin.

The "Relentless" power lifting events have been around for several years and have raised thousands of dollars to help families facing difficult times.

I'm not sure if you have ever been around the power lifting tribe or not but these lifters are big - really big. Not just in stature but also in heart. Something more powerful than pressing hundreds of pounds in the air took place on Saturday. I've been in ministry for over 20 years and attended a lot of conferences, events, concerts, and services. But I have rarely seen anything as incredible as "Relentless Detroit" at Kirby Church!

I was blown away by the people of Kirby - their hearts for serving and loving others - the planning and hard work - their vision and faith - it took a lot to pull something like this off!

I was blown away by the power lifting community and creators of Relentless - their strength, huge hearts, and ability to inspire others to press on through difficulties and hardships.

I was blown away by the amount of money raised for the Valentine family - over $30,000!

But more than anything, I was once again blown away by how God showed up in a big way and touched peoples lives.

If you would like to help Austin Valentine please do one of of two things; 1.) pray for him and his family 2.) give. If you would like to make a donation please contact Kirby Church.