Remember Who Stayed In The Rain!

Last week a friend offered me a couple of tickets to the Fresno State Football game against UNLV.  Fresno State Football has hit a rough patch, and I suspect there may have been as many free tickets available as there were empty seats at the stadium.  Lose a couple of games, lose a few key players to injury, run into a few issues and the casual fan tends to give up and stay away.

This game seemed to be going the way of the previous three games that all resulted in losses.  Although the game was tied at halftime, many fans made their way to the exits, easily leaving more empty than occupied seats in the stadium.  UNLV had built a substantial lead by the end of the third quarter, so just about everyone else headed out, leaving a crowd the size of a high school rivalry game in the 41,031 seat stadium.  The fans that remained came to life as the Bulldogs rallied and eventually took a three point lead with little time left in the game!

To make a long story short, UNLV brought the ball down the field and was within field goal range, when suddenly the heavens opened up and an absolute downpour fell on the stadium.  Like cockroaches scattering in the light, more people scurried to the exits and left the team to try and hold on in front of the couple of hundred people who stuck around in the pouring rain.  A strong defensive stand and the pouring rain proved to be too much for UNLV, as the Bulldogs hung on for a well deserved and much needed win.

This game reminded me of how life can sometimes be.  You suffer a few losses and fall into a little trouble and people stop showing up and find every reason possible to stay away.  Even the individuals who still come will likely walk away when things start falling apart and it looks like you are a lost cause.  Let a serious storm hit your life and most of the people who are still there will soon vanish, leaving you with almost no support.  While it is easy to focus on everyone who left you, I want to encourage someone to focus on the few who stayed with you in the rain.  Thank the individuals who weathered the storm with you and were present during your toughest battles.  Forget the ones that left you and celebrate, appreciate and always remember the ones who stayed with you in the rain!

Thanks for reading!

See You At The Top!

A few days ago we were at a local amusement park for an afternoon of fun with the kids.  My daughter told us that she wanted to climb the rock wall that is pictured above.  After insisting that she was too light, too short, to young and basically any other excuse I could muster, we relented and let her try.  She was tired from a long day at school and had never climbed before, so I figured she would struggle to pull herself off of the ground and would soon give up.  As you can see from the picture, she nearly made it to the top of the 32 foot wall!  A few days later she made another series of attempts and was able to ring the buzzer at the top of the wall!  I learned a few lessons that I thought I would share.

The first lesson is that we need to avoid making assumptions.  How often do we discourage our kids from even trying something we think they can't accomplish?  How many dreams have our assumptions killed?  I assumed my daughter didn't have the physical strength to make it to the top and almost prevented her from reaching a milestone in her young life.

The next lesson is that persistence pays off.  How many adventures have we missed out on by giving up too soon?  My daughter would have never reached the top had she given up and not repeatedly begged to try.  She would have never experienced the thrill of scaling a wall that is about ten times her size!

The third and final lesson is that we need to have faith in ourselves and in our God given abilities; even when nobody else believes.  How many times have we given up for lack of belief in ourselves?  In spite of my lack of faith in her, my daughter believed that she could climb that wall.  She stared the challenge in the face, ignored the obvious difficulty of the task and proved that she could do what only she believed she could do.

So, don't be a dream killer, keep pressing forward in spite of the naysayers, believe in yourself and we will see you at the top!

Thanks for reading!  Click this link to catch up on an old post that may encourage you if you think you are  insignificant:  http://jonathanpantages.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-drum-line.html

Do You Have A Bird Brain?

Today I went to the neighborhood park to continue my recently revived exercise routine.  Real exercise enthusiasts would consider my activity a leisurely stroll, but to me it was a serious workout!  As I ran-(ok walked) on the cement trail, I came across the scene depicted in the picture you see in this post.  Most of you know that I tend to find messages in unique scenarios that I come across in life.  Today was no different.

I noticed that the ducks, or possibly geese were huddled up together just outside the fence to the ponding basin that borders the park.  They were all obviously birds, but as you can see in the picture, there were a couple of brown or gray birds, a black bird and one that was white.  It was interesting to me that they didn't seem to mind that they were all different colors.  They were perfectly content, at least from my perspective, to hang out together in spite of their obvious outward differences.  Beneath all of their feathers were creatures simply known as birds.

It struck me that perhaps having a bird brain was not so bad after all.  Apparently a bird's brain is wise enough to see beyond the differences of other birds and realize that they were all birds.  They realized that it was better to be together with birds that were different, than to be alone.  They realized that separating each other by feather color or bird type was not necessary.  Apparently the brain of a bird is smart enough not to worry about what other birds may have said about birds of another color or other species of birds. 

I could go on, but I think you get the point.  Us humans are supposed to be wiser than birds, but from the way we treat people of different political parties, different religious beliefs, different races or anyone who is just different, having a bird brain appears to be a better option.  Obviously I'm being a bit sarcastic to make a point, but do you have a bird brain, or do you simply have a human brain that is incapable of seeing beneath the surface of our uniqueness and simply see that in spite of our differences, we are all human?

Thanks for reading!

Your Prayer Is More Powerful Than Your Opinion

So the Fresno Police Department is facing another scandal involving an officer; this time a high ranking officer in the department.  Of course the social media sites are full of people who are sharing their opinions on the matter.  Some of the comments are vicious and really reveal the ignorance and hatred towards police in general, but now at Chief Jerry Dyer.

The reality is, while he is the chief, he cannot possibly babysit the 1000 or so employees that are members of the department any more than the manager of your place of employment can!  Sure he is responsible as the leader of the group, but some of the criticisms are completely unrealistic, unfair and are nothing more than personal attacks on him.  None of us know all of the facts, so it is humorous to see all of the arm chair law enforcement officers spouting off about what is happening in a case that the chief did not even know about, until after the arrest was made.

While we fully expect that people will have their opinions about things, what is troubling is how people will personally attack an individual.  What is even more troubling is when so called "Christians" begin throwing stones of personal attack too.  1 Timothy 2: 1-3 says:  "The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live."

We are certainly entitled to our beliefs and opinions, but our PRAYERS are much more powerful than our opinions.  So, if you support Chief Dyer and think he is doing a good job, then pray for him.  If you think he is not doing a good job and you are not a fan, pray for him.  Pray for him and the majority of the good men and women who put on the badge, strap on the gun and go out to protect us every day.  If prayer isn't for you, or you still feel that you could do a better job, I encourage you to go to the Police Academy.  If you survive the academy, then go get a job as a cop and show us all how you can do it better.  I promise you I will pray for you.

Sometime's You Have To Speak Up!

In today's world, a good argument could be made for staying quiet when you see something take place that is not right.  Getting involved could mean taking a bullet, being stabbed or otherwise injured.  Too often we stand by and just let things happen, for fear of retaliation.

The other day I was sitting in line behind a Chevy Tahoe while waiting to get gas at Costco.  I could not see around the vehicle, so I never saw the car in front of the Tahoe drive off.  I was next in line and there were a few cars behind me.  All of a sudden a car raced all the way up, passed everyone in line and pulled up to the pump in front of the Tahoe.  Soon the Tahoe left and I pulled up behind the driver.  I kept thinking to myself, "shut up", but even though I knew it probably wouldn't change anything, I decided to speak up.

I told the older "gentleman" that I was next in line and not in a big hurry, so it didn't bother me, but that his actions were a bit unfair to the other three occupants of the cars he crowded in front of.  I pointed out that perhaps they were in a hurry and he had just rudely crowded in front of everyone.  He responded with something to the effect of "well you all should have been paying attention."  I explained that the small car was hidden by the Tahoe and that we never saw it leave, but he responded with "well that is all your problem!"   I said to him,  "and we wonder why today's kids think it is OK to go around bullying people!"  He yelled something back, got in his car and drove off.  I didn't realize how many people had seen what he had done and their reactions made my actions seem somewhat heroic.  An older couple that he had crowded had pulled around to another pump right next to mine and thanked me for saying speaking up.

The whole scenario made me think a bit.  Why did that man have no fear to do what he did, but I initially feared speaking up?  Why is it that we will sit silently and watch people take advantage of others?    This was just a simple gas station situation, but how can we expect anyone to speak up for the real injustices in life if we ourselves are not willing to speak up for the little things.  While I don't suggest we go around causing fights by rudely challenging everyone who does something wrong in our eyes, but I simply think we need to think twice next time we decide to clam upon witnessing a case of injustice.  I'm no hero, just someone who hopes someone else will speak up if I ever find myself at the losing end of a situation that is not right.  Ultimately it is our choice, speak up and possibly provoke change, or stand quietly and let injustice rule.

The Drum Line

Just watched a video of my son performing in his school drum line.  He plays the bass drum.  It seems like a very insignificant part of the line compared to the higher profile snare drums and others that are more prominent.  However, if you take the low boom of the bass drum out of the line, the void is very noticeable and it doesn't sound the same.
In life, God created each and everyone of us to play our own unique part.  Some of us have roles that place us in the spotlight and others of our in the background, but we both matter and are significant in the whole picture.  No matter how insignificant you feel today, the role you play in this life is important, so don't give up, things will not sound the same without you....

Trusting God When You Don't Feel Good

It is easy to say we trust God when things are all good, but what about when they are not?  Can we trust God during financial crisis, marital issues, or health issues?  It is easy to blog about trust, or put cute postings and sayings on Facebook and Twitter, but what happens when the doctor comes back with a report with news that is not good?

I have not felt well physically for about 3 years, but I attributed most of my feeling tired and worn down to my busy schedule.  The demands of being a husband and dad, employee, small business owner, minister, friend etc. can wear you down a bit, but the tired never seemed to go away.  I finally saw a doctor and was told that I have Hypothyroidism, which basically means my thyroid is not functioning properly.  I won’t bore you with all the details, but the list of symptoms that I have are right in line with all the side effects of this disease/disorder.  It is a very common condition that in most cases is treatable and fairly easy to deal with.  I started a thirty day prescription of steroids that will hopefully control things and make me feel "normal" again.  If that is not effective, then we will cross that bridge when we get there.

So why blog about this?  I want to make it clear that this is not written to garner sympathy.  First off, I believe in the power of prayer, so it is a request for prayer.  I don't particularly want to take medication for the rest of my life, so it is going to take a healing to avoid that.  Secondly it is a request for anyone who is dealing with this for help.  Any suggestions, tips or other information you can offer me is welcome.  Your ability to deal with this could be an encouragement to me when I’m having trouble trusting.  Finally, it is a reminder that there are some things we can control with our health, but there are other things we cannot.  We should go to the doctor when we don't feel good, and try to eat better and exercise.  It is with the things that we cannot control that we have the choice, to trust God or to not trust.

I've said it before and I will repeat it now, "God is good when I'm healthy and He is equally good when I'm not!”  Now it is time to put my faith in action and keep on trusting Him. I trusted Him when I felt good, so now it's time to keep trusting Him even though I don't feel good.

Thanks for reading, go see your doctor and keep on trusting...