Know your role

I have lots of friends of either side of the political fence and they all like to talk about how bad the other side is. May I suggest ya back up and back off for a bit and examine your own party of choice...I mean really look at it from a neutral point of view (if that's even possible) and you may find that neither side really cares about your concerns or well being. Both of the two main parties are only worried about power and money. Look at the world around you...it's going to hell in a hand basket and not one parties fault it's the countries fault. We continue to allow politicians control us and run our lives. Maybe I'll make some people think and maybe I'll make some mad, but it's true...this world really has a man problem, not the kind you're think probably. I'm not talking "toxic male" stuff, I'm talking about the lack of men willing to stand up and take responsibility for their actions and know their role.

These are old numbers pertaining to fatherless homes, but I'm relatively sure they haven't gotten better. (approximately)

70% of all prisoners
80% of all rapist
71% of all dropouts
63% of all teen suicide

"Well...I didn't skip out of my woman when she got pregnant, so don't look at me."

Guess what "fatherless" doesn't just mean skipped out or left. It could mean you put your career first or would rather go play golf, go to the game or the bar with the guys rather than spending time at home with the wife and kid(s). Men it's time we open our eyes and know our roles, we need to give our kids someone to look up to, someone they want to grow up to be like...US. Let the movie stars and athletes be secondary heroes and not who they want to be. This is where it gets religious...men if you don't know or understand your role pickup your Bible and start In Genesis it'll tell ya and guess what women you can do the same if your unsure about yours, it'll help you as well.

I’m a newborn (recently born again Christian) and still have a lot to learn and reading books teaching me about the gospel in the Bible has been a big help to me.  If you're a new Christian or maybe even an old soldier of the Lord and haven’t already...read the “Kingdom Man” by Tony Evans.  It is an excellent book and teaches us how we should be and what’s expected of us. (There’s a Kingdom Woman as well)   It says we (men) are the rulers of our domain, not through forcefulness or abuses but our dominion should be with love, caring and respect.  We are responsible for our domain...Why?  Many believe that in the garden  when the serpent convinced Eve that God was trying to hide something by not allowing them to eat the forbidden fruit that she was alone, but Genesis 3:6 says

“When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye and also desirable for gaining wisdom , she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her and he ate it.”

Men, I read it, we must be held accountable because Adam set there silently and let his wife be talked into something God had forbidden and then willingly ate of the fruit himself. 

Another good book is "Follow the Cloud" by John Stickl, it's answered a lot of questions and created a few as well...which is good I suppose because it made me ask questions on my pastor the morning before the service.

>>>When your legs get tired...run with your heart<<<

On second thought

On second thought…

   Maybe a formal introduction is needed so you can get a feel of where I’ve been, where I’m coming from and most importantly where I’m headed.  I’ve always been competitive and fairly athletic, just never the best player on the team, but could do more to help than hurt.  I played sports all through school (football, baseball, basketball, track and riding bulls) dropping them one by one until I ended up with only football and rodeos left going into my senior year of high school which I then dropped football in favor of the rodeo scene and riding bulls which made me a state champion and rookie of the year in 1986 as well as one of the most consistent money winners of the time, but injuries kept me from every returning to the top where I wanted/needed to be.  Now during all this I had several issues being a rebellious teenager and knowing everything I finally had my feel of what I thought had to be hypocrites because I knew that they laid out every Friday and Saturday night at the VFW and rolled into Church Sunday mornings with hangovers.  Then there came the issue with my Grandfather and the church he literally built with his own two hands and at a tender young age of around 13 or 14 I turned my back on the church and God and walked away.  This was followed by years of a roller coaster ride of depression and anxiety which as in most cases involved massive amounts of alcohol drinking...my wife’s love and support was literally the only thing (I’ve since learned God didn’t turn his back on me) keeping me alive.  Jump to 2014 where I’ve fell to the bottom of the hole again I fighting the all the mental stuff and feeling overall just terrible and my doctor made it worse with a “if you don’t do something different you’re going to die before your next birthday” blood work had determined my cholesterol was to high to calculate...I was 5’9” and weighed in at 237 pounds. I started walking with my wife and sister in law and with my competitive spirit it led to running and then racing thinking a 5k here and there would be great...well, I ran my first marathon in October of 2016 when I thought I was going to die about mile 20 I swore if I finished I would never run another one.  In February of 2020 I completed my 30th marathon or longer race.  Injuries again derailed my 2017, 20187 & 2019 speed wise because 50 year old just don’t bounce back from hamstring issues so I started doing some yoga to help and that is where my life took a turn for the best possible thing to happen to a person.  

This deserves another paragraph…

   The yoga instructor is (still going to classes) a very nice and wonderful christian lady that starts and/or finishes class by reading scripture...as well as just spreading the gospel.  We were just clicking right along and life yanked the rug out from under me and I hit a low that I couldn’t have imagined even existed...I barely cared anymore.  I was at a point in my life where I was no longer living. I was just going through the motions and forcing myself to participate in life.  She started asking me questions like did I have any favorite bible verses.  The only one I could remember was my grandmother's favorite that she shared with me during my rodeo days...Psalm 23.  She read it at the next class and I felt my hard exterior shell, my wall, my boundary that kept people at a distance...crack.  A few weeks later she had a song on her playlist for class that I had never heard and the words just came to me like I had written the song myself.  It was that night my personal “walls of Jericho” fell...I wept...I cried real tears in that dimly lit classroom.  The last night of class before the Covid-19 shut everything down we’re about half way through class and we were doing our warrior series stretches and it happened…A tap on the shoulder followed by “Follow me” a quick whirl of the head revealed no one was there, at least no one of flesh and blood.  A warm chill (yes I said warm) came over me and again I cried. I haven’t looked back since, I started watching a FB live service where the pastor is a long time friend from my rodeo days and when we could I was at the first open door service in their new building.  On June 7th, 2020 I went to the altar and confessed my sins before the Lord and asked for forgiveness.  I feel as if a huge weight has been lifted off my chest and can begin a new life as a born again man that is willing and wanting to serve the Lord.

A little hello

I had intended and actually prepared a big long introduction, but at church this morning Pastor Brad talked about how the past is just that the past and not to be dwelt on...not to dream  on the future because it hasn't happened yet...we need to live in the moment...the now, because if we don't we might miss something the Lord is wanting to see or hear.  So basically here I am hoping to share what I learn and help spread the Lord's word.

Matthew 28:19 - Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: