Walking Into The Arena

Inspired by the words below written a long time ago by President Teddy, I wrote some prose today.

"It is not the critic who counts;  not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles,  or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena,  whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood;  who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again. because there is no effort without error and shortcoming;  but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms,  the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly....." ~Theodore Roosevelt  I want to be the one in the arena. I have no time for critics or the callous skin of a judger. I feel excitement rising as I build with tools of failure, some success,  and vulnerability. Too many great enthusiasms, and not enough hours in the day, but that won't stop me. I can't let it stop me.  As I step up to the arena's in life I hear the great cloud of witnesses who have gone before me. Chanting fight the good fight win the race.  Don't get weary in doing good.  I also hear the whispers of the critic, the one who would come only to rob, kill, and destroy what new vision has been birthed in me.  To silence the voice of the enemy we have to listen to the friend. The one who comes along side not even saying a word. A hand reached out to walk beside me. Putting one foot in front of the other we walk into the arena and we dare greatly.... Believing tomorrow will be better. It has to be. If only made better by one small choice at a time. One time of laying down ego to pick up humility, and ask for help. Help me to grow. Help me to learn. Help me to trust. Help me to love again, and again, and again.

Good News... God is With Us and For Us

"So be truly glad!
 There is wonderful joy ahead, even though the going is rough for a while down here...
YOU LOVE HIM even though you have never seen Him;
though not seeing HIM, you trust Him;
and even now you are happy with the inexpressible joy that comes from heaven itself. " 1 Peter 1:6, 8   The past few weeks have been really hard for me.  I have felt the overwhelmed-ness of life around every corner, and the indescribable blessings of just being alive all at the same time.  For a moment I went deep down into a rabbit hole of sadness and overwhelmed-ness.  I know overwhelmed-ness is not a word but it is here today on this blog.  (It's my blog therefore I can make up words among other things when I want to.) Just try to stop me.  You can't so don't even try! Wait... I just told you to try. When I go places like down the overwhelmed-ness rabbit hole island I get quiet. *(It's a hole and an island, I can make up imaginary places here too) I read, I write, and I'm not ashamed to say, I watch a lot of Netflix. This morning I realized that it's time to come out of that rabbit hole.   Easter Sunday has come and gone and its message of hope has once again left it's residue on my heart. Although the rough things in life and the lives around me are still going on there is hope in the midst of it all.  The unshakeable knowledge of life after death is GOOD NEWS!! And all the sadness and overwhelmed-ness that this life can throw my way pales in comparison to the bright light of Jesus being alive!! He conquered death, and I'm pretty sure he knows how to pull people out of overwhelmed-ness rabbit holes.  The song of life is faintly playing and getting louder with every passing moment.  "When death was arrested and my life began" This good news of Jesus being alive is not something that is new to me.  He opened my eyes to see Him and all His glory and love many years ago, but sometimes I let the worries of this world choke out this "inexpressible joy that come from heaven itself"
I know after all these years that it's ok to go down rabbit holes of overwhelmed-ness.  I'm thankful that Jesus knows where to find me because he never left me.  He goes down those holes with me. He sails to the island that is me. He binge watches Netflix right beside me.  He is not a Savior who doesn't know how to speak our language or meet us right where we are at. So today "even though the going is rough for a while down here" I'm going to get up out of this hole by listening to the songs of life and reading the words of truth. "I look behind me and you're there, then up ahead and you're there too- your  reassuring presence, coming and going.  This is too much, too wonderful-  I can't take it all in!" Psalm 139:5-6 Turning our mourning into dancing  Our weeping into laughing Our sadness into JOY Inexpressible JOY!!

Hope in Death

Can you find Hope in Death? Easter Sunday brings forth hope, and new life for so many who know, that they know,  that death no longer hold's it's sting. “O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?”

1 Corinthians 15:55


For those that know beyond a shadow of a doubt there is life after this short time on this round ball of dirt, they get it.  But what about people who don't quite fully grasp what is so special about this day? It's not about the season of Spring that we choose to celebrate this day called Easter Sunday.  Although all the cherry blossoms, with beautiful pink flowers and yellow daffodils coming out of the ground that was covered in snow only days ago...  do help to add to the feeling of hope and new life.  But this day is pregnant with HOPE  because of something that happened 2000 years ago. For as many people who hold this day as a sacred day, there are just as many if not more, who don't understand why it is wrapped up in a confusing package of bunnies and eggs, and baskets and chocolate.  There was a man. His name was and still is Jesus. He lived for 33 years on this earth. He died and 3 days later, he came back to life. In the 33 years that he walked this earth only 3 of those years were truly recorded.  We have snip its of the 30 years before he came out in the public eye, but they are like a world without Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snap Chat and Blogs.  They are the years where we wonder...  Did he look different to everyone he met? Did he have a best friend ? Did he struggle with acne? Did he build some bad ass chairs? For the 3 years that he was in the public eye and we have record of, here is what we know; He cried.  He felt pain.  He was betrayed. He drank and made wine. He had 12 best friends until one betrayed him. He loved his mom. He spoke to women even though he wasn't supposed to. He hung out with prostitutes. He was best friends with Zealots. He got angry and pissed off at people who claimed to know God, but really didn't. He cussed.  He was called crazy for how he talked about intimacy and eating his flesh. He said that HE and HE alone was the way, the truth, and the LIFE. And then after a brutal death on a cross it was all over.  Until 3 days later it wasn't.  While he walked the earth some 2000 years ago he forever changed the world.  He is a mystery only solved by the eyes of faith.  He is where HOPE in DEATH is found. 
He was wounded for our rebellious acts. He was crushed for our sins. He was punished so that we could have peace, and we received healing from his wounds.
Isaiah 53:5