A Letter from Phil to the CFCH Family
A Letter to my CFCH Family:
It’s 5am the day after Christmas and I'm wide awake. CFCH is closed today (much to the dismay of many of you) and I couldn't be happier about it. We all need a break. Sometimes that break doesn't mean we stop being active, or even stop working out. Sometimes we need a break to intensify the love we already knew we had for something, and sometimes it’s just to clear your head so you can see things clearly.
T and I started CFCH with one goal in mind. To “create a community of like minded people, that valued health and fitness as much as we do, while being welcoming to everyone”. After almost five and a half years, I can firmly say, we have done it! It would not have been possible without the help of so many great people though. Some that are still around and some that life has taken in different directions.
God has a funny way of showings us things…in August of 2016 I took my first hunting trip to Colorado. It was the first time I had been away from the gym for more than 3 or 4 days. I was set to be gone for 9 business days and was terrified. Of what I couldn't tell you, but I was. I spent the entire week in the mountains climbing the most rugged terrain I’ve ever seen. It was brutal, and I LOVED every second of it. On the last day my hunting partner stayed in camp. He wanted to read and fish, and enjoy that final day relaxing. I had a different plan…I had laid awake all night listening to a bull elk bugle every 15 minutes or so. It was like he was calling my name. I would doze off for a minute or two, but as soon as I would come to, he would sound off again. As if he where challenging me, almost to say, “you can’t do it, you're not tough, good, or experienced enough to come up here and and get me”. He was wrong! I left camp that morning on a mission. A mission I am certain God sent me on.
When you’re hunting, playing the wind to your advantage is paramount. Elk have one of (if not the best) noses in all of the animal kingdom. A bull elk can smell you from miles away, and if he does, he’s gone! The only way up the mountain that morning without him smelling me, was straight up a wash (a water run off) that was so steep I struggle to explain it to you. It was the scariest thing I've ever done. From the time I left camp to the time I returned I repeated the same thing to myself. “Jesus walk with me”. It was the only thing I could think to say and I know it’s what brought me home safe, and ultimately made me successful in killing that bull.
I learned a lot from that trip. Mainly that it’s not about the harvest (although I was successful) but rather the struggle. See, God doesn't want us to take the easy path. It’s never good enough. It’s never worth it, and it’s ultimately why CFCH has been so successful as well.
I also learned that God has another plan for me. His timing isn’t always clear at first but it’s NEVER wrong. He’s made it abundantly clear over the last year and a half that he needs me to rejoin the military. I started the process of re-enlistment in February of this year and am set to finalize the paperwork Jan, 5th 2018.
This is a commitment that will take me away from CFCH for some extended periods of time. There is a substantial training pipeline that is required, it will take several years, and I will be “in and out” for months at a time. Teresa and I have prayed and discussed this at length, and there is a lot we are still uncertain of, but something we are without a doubt sure of, is CFCH has too many great members, and coaches, and is too special of a place to fail. She will be here in the same capacity as she has been and I will be here every chance I get. Long term, this is a part-time position with the military, but that won’t be for quite some time.
While I am in and out, I want everyone to know, I have the utmost confidence in our leadership team! They have slowly, over the last year been given more and more daily responsibility and have more than stepped up to the plate. They are fully capable of taking care of you guys and I couldn't be more proud of them. Y’all will be in the very best hands that God can provide, and that warms my heart.
My challenge to you guys is this: Fight, everyday, with all of your might, to preserve the virtuosity that has made CFCH what it is today! Love each other, as you love yourself, and challenge each other to be great…Everyday!
I won’t be going anywhere for a while, and I’m more than willing to answer any questions you may have, so please feel free to get me to the side, or in between classes and ask me anything you want.
I love each and every one of you, and I know y’all will take care of CFCH and each other.
-Phil