As a "triathlete" I have found out something interesting, that many people know, but few tap into.  You get stronger when you rest. Let me explain. 

When you exercise your muscles, whether you are doing an endurance activity or lifting weights, you strain your muscles. You fatigue them. This does not make your muscles stronger. It is only part of the process. What makes your muscle stronger is the healing that takes place after you strain them. In order to heal them, you need to rest them after.  When you rest (recover) your muscle grows back in such a way that it will not be as damaged the next time you apply a similar strain. This is the process to get stronger.  Strain, rest, fuel right, and you will get stronger. 

​Yesterday was an amazing day, I got to take my girls skiing with their school. They had been a few weeks before, but I was not able to go with them as I was in Florida. This was my first time taking them skiing. For me a monumental event. 

You see, when I was 6, my dad took me skiing with my school for the first time. I grew up skiing and snowboarding. It was a huge part of my life. Essentially it is a huge part of who I am.

Today I had an excellent swim. It was really hard, so hard that when I got home I was absolutely famished. All I could think about was getting something in my belly. 

This made me think of something amazing. In the Bible, there is a story of Jesus feeding large crowds that were starving because they had been listening to Him preach all day. 

In Matthew 15:32 NIRV it says,
Then Jesus called for his disciples to come to him. He said, “I feel deep concern for these people. They have already been with me three days. They don’t have anything to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry. If I do, they will become too weak on their way home.”

Much of the time we think of Jesus as the one who sacrificed, and He did, what a great price He paid. Did He deserve it? No of course not. 

It is only by the blood of Jesus that we are saved. But all too often we forget about what the Father did for us. When we think of sacrifice we think of the Son. But what about the Father?

The other morning I was in prayer, And I was thinking about this subject. What did Father do? And it hit me like it has never hit me before. 

I love my Girls. 

What an important word: Consistency. 

To be honest, I never thought much about it. But that would be consistent with my inconsistency.  This year, a buddy and I have decided to do an Ironman. I have done several triathlons over the last 6 years and loved every one of them.  Although they have all been challenging, and I have pushed myself at times through pain just to finish. I have enjoyed finding out what I can do. How hard I can push. 

Leadership is often misunderstood. We think that because someone runs a company or a country that they are a leader. We think that if someone has confidence that they are a leader.  The reality is that we all lead at some point. Leaders have influence, and people follow them. Not necessarily for the right reasons. But when a leader makes a decision people follow. 

At some point, you have influenced someone. At some point, someone, or a group of someones made a decision because of your influence. You were a leader. The interesting thing is that although we have all lead, we have all also followed. Although anyone can lead, not everyone is a great leader. To be a great leader you have to realize something.  

As humans, it is our nature, given by our creator to think and to ask why. We ask questions. We search. It is who we are. I believe that God programmed us with this. But believe it or not, sometimes we need to simplify. 

Sometimes we are looking so hard to find something new. More ghosts in the closet, and things that may not even exist that we miss out on the main point. Today I want to challenge you to simplify. 

Often when I meet people I look up to and respect, I like to ask some specific questions. 

A view of God, in which God started things off, whether at Creation or from an evolutionary standpoint, in other words, He was the cause of creation or the cause of evolution. But once He created He stepped back and is no longer involved or cares what happens to us. 

It is interesting that this has become a very common thought about God, perhaps it is because of the pain and suffering in the word. Perhaps it is because they have not recognized His involvement in their lives. Whatever the reason, many have this view of God.

There is currently in our world a longing for love and companionship. It is everywhere. People will try anything to find some form of companion or happiness.  But far too often it ends up in more pain.

When we are lonely, when we are broken, there is an answer? That answer is with Immanuel. 

Have you ever been alone? I haven't in many years, being married and with three children does not allow me much alone time. But that is ok with me. Sometimes I do need a peaceful moment to think, reflect or to spend time with God. But even then I know that I am not alone.

In our world, there is a huge amount of people using social media to find and build friendships. We are living in a social age, yet many still feel alone. It is interesting that many people in our world, and maybe even you struggle with loneliness. It is quite common to feel lonely. 

In a new survey of more than 2,000 Americans conducted by the Harris Poll, showed that 72 percent of Americans experience loneliness.