The Atheist

The hurricane and the aftermath of the storm put a lot of things into perspective. I believe God uses catastrophic events as a way of waking people up & reaching people who otherwise would be blind to his message until they are in a situation of desperate need. God sets these events up in order to demonstrate the Holy Spirit’s power & His unconditional love for us. He does this to save those who would otherwise never experience the opportunity to know God in their lives.

It is through our worst that we given the opportunity to experience His best.

I believe this 100% and know it to be true because at one of the homes that we helped last week during our recovery efforts, the lady told us she called us out not for her needs but for the house & family next door. She explained to us that her neighbor was an atheist and it was her hope that if we showed kindness to him through the church it might change his heart. I believe it was no coincidence that day that we were out there giving of ourselves for him. I believe God’s purpose was accomplished that day.

I cut our training session short today because I spent the whole week stressed out looking for a chance to help after the storm. I think the most surprising thing for me was how badly I wanted to do this. It literally hurt me. This is something new for me and very unexpected. I could not stop thinking about how I had to be out there. It was not optional. I am so thankful I got that opportunity today and did it ever deliver..

We helped 6 families today. To see the smile on their faces, especially the little kids, was worth everything. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the last house we visited – a Nigerian woman who had 4 little boys. When we finished we gathered everyone around and prayed for her and her little boys.

I’ll never forget the look on those boys faces. There’s nothing in the world that compares to that moment.

Today’s session was an abbreviated one since a lot of us still had work to do post-hurricane. The hurricane led me to a really great topic to talk about today, and in that respect it was a very fulfilling morning to be able to share that message. I hope that you enjoy it.

EXERCISE NOTES:

Leapfrog

The idea for this came about to address a need for us to have more purpose-specific exercises. This is a plyometric exercise that is characterized by an explosive movement.  Plyometric exercises are highly underrated and can add a key explosive power component that compliments and enhances both endurance work and muscle work. Its basically acting like a frog – you leap off the ground forcefully and go as far as you can each ‘leap’. Repeat. There are many variations of this exercise but this one is very simple and effective.

WOD:

Self-Centered View vs. All-Centered View

The storm interrupted my life. It put my plans, my life, everything I was working on, on hold. To be honest I felt really frustrated over this. My thoughts were, with so much going on that I’ve been working on, all the hard work I’ve been doing in my life why would something like this happen right in the middle of it? It sucks. I’ve literally been going 100MPH for almost two months and wham everything comes to a complete STOP.

That was a good reminder for me of something really important – My gifts from God may be in me but they are not about me. This isn’t my plan – its God’s plan. And God is way bigger than our present. He’s bigger than this hurricane, than this week, this month, eternity even.

God’s not equipping us for our needs, he’s equipping us for HIS.

In the bible there are many references to being part of tree, a living vine which is Jesus (John:15). We are called to be part of that vine and to bear fruit. That’s a common theme throughout the bible, and God is referred to as the pruner, and He prunes these vines to bear fruit.

Pruning is a vital process that brings about the best growth & the best yield.

God is the one with the shears, with the knife, and he is the only one who cuts to heal, to produce growth. That’s what pruning is. We are not the gardener here folks, God is.

When we talk about bearing fruit, which is the growth and fruition of God’s work in us through his ‘pruning’ – two things really stand out to me.

Number one – Fruit takes time to grow.

Number two – Ask yourself this, who is the fruit for? Is fruit for the tree? No, fruit is for others

That’s what I challenge you today to do – To think about how can we expand our view of God working in our lives. Can we start to view our purpose as part of a plan that’s much bigger than ourselves?

One where we bear fruit for others. And one that is a lot less about us than it is about the lives that we can touch.

“History Makers are note takers”

-M. Hamon

“…and risk takers”

-Me

The Law of Risk: The more you’re willing to risk, the more God can use you. And if you’re willing to risk everything, then there is nothing God can’t do in you and through you.

I figure I spend about about 15 hrs. a week reading the bible, reading daily plans, reading books, preparing topic talks, managing the armor group’s training and managing the phoenix now charity’s needs. I wish I had the ability to do that full time, but that is for a future yet to come. It will though.

It all began with taking a risk.

When I read books like Mark Batterson’s “In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day” I am humbled by the risk that guys like Mark took to follow their calling. He gave up a full basketball scholarship at the #3 business school in the nation to attend an unaccredited 2 year bible college because he had the courage to follow his calling of preaching. His friends and family thought he was crazy to do that. But Mark was strong enough in faith, however, to believe that God’s calling for him was not crazy. Not at all.

In context, my risks seem so small in comparison. I know I’m not supposed to compare myself to others, but its only natural to do so. I am human. In my world, the risk was “What if people don’t like this new program?”, “What if people no longer like me” (a lot don’t and I’m ok with that), “What if this isn’t real?”, “What if I lose all my money in the charity?”, “What if giving up my former life turns out to be the worst decision of my life?“.

We hear all the time about minimizing risk in life, about risk management, etc. It is society’s goal to make you not take that risk. That is not by accident, either.

One of the things that makes taking risk so difficult is that in not doing so, nothing is gained and nothing is lost. Not taking risks in life is playing it safe. But is it really?

That’s a really important concept that sums up why taking risk is so hard. Its far safer not to do so. I have a fairly high tolerance for risk, but even so it was the most difficult and scary thing I’ve ever done in my life. To walk away from almost everything I was took A LOT. I guess that’s where my risk moment was, the ‘tipping point’ having heard God’s calling and accepting and answering that call. It meant no longer focusing on me, on worldly possessions, on frivolous partying, living only for the moment, etc.

Taking risks to me is synonymous with having faith. You have got to have faith in order to take risks. And in taking risks your are practicing your faith. I believe this is what God intended of us, to use our faith to take risks in life to accomplish his purpose.

I am happy to say that taking that risk through faith was the best decision of my life, and now that I am able to come out of the pain & uncertainty I went through I don’t regret a single moment of it.

There’s so much waiting to be accomplished because I took that risk.

I am going to grow the armor-UP program through the church to reach as many people as possible, I continue to get better at preaching (aka topic talks). I am slowly building the charity’s investment portfolio and its distributions (the first one goes out Sept. 3rd!). I am working on the foundation for my men’s group – God’s Lions: Blueprints for Leadership, and will have it up and running before the end of the year. I also have been called to create a faith based social media app, which I have no idea how I will get there but I know I will. And I continue to hope and to pray that my life will affect change in others to see the light within themselves, and start asking their own questions, like “What has God called me to do?”

“Another one bites the dust,
Another one bites the dust,
And another one gone and another one gone,
Another one bites the dust,
Hey I’m gonna get you too!
Another one bites the dust..”

-Queen

Not exactly what I wanted to do yesterday, end a 25 year friendship with someone, but that’s what happened after going over last night to catch up with an old friend. I already posted about the change I’ve seen in the way people treat me, and not all of it has been good, I’m used to that by now but I was definitely caught off guard this time.

Maybe I was not authentic with myself in my previous life and that’s why certain people I’ve known are starting to reveal themselves for who they truly are. Now that I am unapologetically who I am this keeps happening.. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Anyhow, I listened to him repeat at least a dozen times “Hey Pat I didn’t know you were all about Jesus”, pretty much in between criticizing my life, my relationships, and even that I never have a shirt on during the Armor UP training sessions. I wanted to go over and just visit with this guy and catch up but he kept putting me down, over and over. Finally I just got up and left. The reality of that friendship is I let someone into my life who was a lifelong drug user and narcissist who preferred the former me who would go along with his B.S.

One thing that’s certain now – I will never allow anyone in my life who doesn’t deserve to be there. If they don’t share my vision in life, love & respect me, and look forward to spending time with me then they are gone, no apologies.

C’est la vie!

We added a new exercise ‘Hanging in the moment’ which is a little unusual from the others since most of the work is spent hanging in one place. Its a bit more difficult than it sounds, and gravity works against you for this one. Today’s topic is probably my favorite one yet, and was really important to me.

NOTES:

Pretty straightforward, sometimes we get stuck in place and the best thing we can do is hold on. Your going to grab the pull-up bar and hang there and do a leg raise, try and touch to top, and do it again. If you are not comfortable doing that level just raise your knees to your chest. Drop off and get back in line and circle. The next person goes up.

WOD:

“As Thyself..”

Usually I know when what I want to talk about is the right subject is when I feel like I have to tell people about it. This week I was going to tell the story of the man in the red hat, which is a great story about loving God no matter what your circumstances are. However, something else came up this week that felt more important to talk about. The idea came up after reading this prayer:

“Heavenly Father, relationships can get messy, and boundaries are hard. Please be with me as I reflect on my relationships and consider where healthy boundaries need to be established. It is through your strength that I can have important conversations, no matter how uncomfortable it may be. Give me the courage and the confidence to set the right boundaries in all of my relationships. In Jesus name, AMEN.”

The context for this prayer is Jesus’ words in the gospel of Mark: “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Mark 12:31)

I’m sure everyone has heard that before, and about loving your neighbor as yourself – but have you ever really given much thought about what that second part means.. “As thyself“? That’s a really important statement that I think most people have overlooked. Normally its the neighbor part that gets the most attention, but how many have considered what God is saying there about you?

To love thyself: “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself“

You can’t love others unless you love yourself first and I believe there’s a real important message in that verse that’s hidden in plain sight. By loving ‘thyself’ one is set FREE.. free to love others without prejudice, without biterness, jealousy, hatred, etc. How many of those negative emotions and actions we express come from how we feel about ourselves? Pretty much all of them.

Another related quote I like to use is “The relationships we form with others is a reflection of the relationship we have with ourselves”. I think that’s a great statement and so true.

So ask yourself today, how can I learn to love myself more and how can I use that love to benefit my relationship with others in my life. Its an incredible feeling when you get to a point in life where you can look in the mirror and thank God for the amazing person standing in front of you.

Get to work on that folks..

War can take many forms, not just physical war, but emotional and spiritual war too . They are part of the struggles that more often that not, most people will face in this world. Its my belief that the concept of war was born from and is a product of the fallen world we live in.

Oscar Wilde said, “Each of us has a Heaven and Hell inside of him”, this is true.

Most people have not experienced war in the traditional since, but everyone has fought a war within themselves on some level. See Oscar Wilde’s quote above..

In my own personal life I fought my own war – a spiritual war for 50 years, and not only survived it but conquered the enemy within me. You don’t emerge from something like that without a certain inner strength, and I believe wholly that is was intentional by God that I fight that war to prepare me with the strength & capabilities to carry out what he has intended for me, which is my mission & purpose in life.

The idea for the concept of this post came from a conversation I had with someone. I was explaining how I had 2 tattoos done a few weeks ago, when I had previously been a “tattoos are NOT me” person. I explained that they felt like me with every fiber of who I am now, basically. They are my own design, and have very personal meaning. They are symbolic of many things, a forever and permanency being just one of the aspects.

So as we talked about it, she related it to a fictional character of a show she likes who ‘probably had some tattoos’. Her rational was he probably did because he used to be in the military. The implication being he fought in war, hence had some tattoos as a personal testament to the experience. I think that’s a really good explanation of why I have mine, actually. They have a lot of personal meaning for me and represent the lifelong struggles I have been through and not only survived, but conquered. I love my victory and I love my tattoos.

I had lunch with someone recently and we talked about our relationship with God and when it was that we knew that we had been called to greater things. We both said the same thing, that ‘somehow’ we had known our entire lives that this day would eventually come.

I can remember being about 8 years old reading the bible and praying. I’ve done that my entire life, sometimes there were breaks here and there but I don’t ever recall not having my bible at my bedside or saying a few prayers silently to myself, conversing with God when I needed guidance etc.

Four years ago, after my marriage of 13 years failed and ended in divorce, I heard God speak for the first time in my life. This was different from the many conversations that I’d had with him over the years – it was His actual voice speaking. No, it wasn’t some wizard of Oz voice or thunderous speech.

It was seven simple words. They weren’t my own words either, I am sure of that. Another thing I am sure of is its an overwhelming experience – there truly aren’t words to describe what it feels like when you hear God’s voice.

At the time those words didn’t make sense to me, but 4 years later they have a new context and meaning that is starting to become much clearer. That’s just how God works, his timeline and vision in our lives isn’t constrained by our understanding of time or our present circumstances. Those words were clearly meant for me later on down the road, in a much different season of my life.

What he said was, “Have complete faith. This is for real.”

Given the incredible circumstances in my life since then and as I write this blog, I had no idea how right He would be with those words.

We added a new exercise ‘Carry the Burden’ which ties in well with the topic talk of the session and was a very personal talk for me. My training notes for the exercise and topic talk are below:

NOTES:

We all carry burdens in this life. Sometimes it feels like we can’t go on, but we find the strength within us to keep going..

Kids   – 3 @ 10lbs Women 3 @ 25lbs Men 3 @ 45lbs. Men = outside perimeter of velodrome 1x Women = inside perimeter circle 2x Kids = radius of inside circle back & forth 1x

WOD:

Agreements with this world

I made the carry the burden exercise after this being on my mind.. How many of you have struggled to let go of something in life that you desperately wanted to let go of but can’t. Something that feels like a huge burden in your life that no matter how hard you try, how much you plead and beg with God, you can’t put that burden down and walk away from it?

Maybe its an addiction, maybe its hate or anger, maybe its a hurt you experienced in your life etc. Regardless of what it is, it always feels the same – like a crushing weight that you can’t put down. If you are a person of faith, how many times have you begged God to take that burden from you, give you the strength to let it go, etc. Over and over and over.. that’s how it plays out doesn’t it?

Why didn’t God answer you? Why all those times were your prayers never answered? Because your agreement’s not with God, but with this world and your burden. Think about it.. Why would God help you if you don’t have an agreement with him? That’s a tough statement but it is 100% true. I’ll say it again – you have an agreement with this world and with that burden and not an agreement with God.

Until you end your agreements with this world and form an agreement with God you will not receive his power in your life, and you will not be able to put that burden down. That’s a big statement, but its true.. I know this because I lived with those agreements with this world for 50 years. And I tried for 50 years to escape those burdens and failed every time. Until I stepped up and made my agreement with God. Everything changed in an instant. Not kidding.. Everything. In a moment I knew he was there and everything I had struggled with, had been at war with for 50 years, had finally been defeated. Clear as day. I put those burdens down that day and walked away because I no longer had an agreement with those things. Think about your own life and what you have agreements with?