Keep alive the dream; for as long as a man has a dream in his heart, he cannot lose the significance of living.
Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that.
Howard Thurman (1899-1981) was a American author, theologian, and civil rights leader. His writings mentored many leaders in the civil rights movement, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Unexpected kindness is the most powerful, least costly, and most underrated agent of human change.
We’re not the worst thing we’ve ever done in our lives, and there’s a tendency to think that we are.
Bob (Robert) Kerrey (born 1943) served the state of Nebraska as Governor and later in the United States Senate. He was a decorated veteran who served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam era. He was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1970.
Only the man who follows the command of Jesus single-mindedly and unresistingly lets his yoke rest upon Him, finds his burden easy, and under its gentle pressure receives the power to persevere in the right way.
From Philippians 3:13-14: “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have laid hold of it, but one thing I have laid hold of: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal, toward the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.”
German-born Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) was a Lutheran pastor, theologian, and anti-Nazi dissident. Many of his writings express the role of Christianity in mankind’s daily lives. He paid the ultimate price for his activism against the Nazi regime during World War II.
From Hebrews 12:1-2: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Facing challenges
Darkest, stressful times
Feeling need to flee
Days no longer rhyme
Cresting floodwaters
Race seems lost, no doubt
Overwhelming doom
Path blocked, no way out
Inner voice speaking
Quitters never win
Winners never quit
Life’s new road begins
Looking to Jesus
Faith’s firm cornerstone
Enduring His fate
Never feel alone
Hearing His message
Persistence wins out
Yielding victory
Timeless turnabout
From James 1:12: “Blessed is anyone who endures temptation. Such a one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”
Stirring in early morn
Feeling approaching tide
Future’s hope now airborne
Flying without clear guide
Standing still at crossing
Waiting for next green light
Future now crisscrossing
Hiding in hopeless night
Looking for place to rest
Stumbling along dark road
Future stalls at hill’s crest
Spilling hope’s heavy load
Waking to darkest gloom
Hoping for one sure thing
Future trying to bloom
Hanging on threadbare string
Seeing fresh hope renewed
Shifting life’s paradigm
Future no longer skewed
Finding success to climb
A select few face overwhelming challenges in life. Encouraged by a heart filled with perseverance, these trailblazers adopt an attitude where “Can” outplays “Can’t.”
Born in 1909, American Glenn Cunningham transformed into one of the world’s best middle distance runners. However, there was much more to this man’s personal story.
Born in Kansas, seven year-old Glenn endured burns suffered from a gasoline explosion at school. The lower part of his body was substantially burned. Doctors said that the young boy would never walk again.
Hopelessly crippled by the burns to his legs, young Glenn proved many people wrong about his future. Not only would he walk, but he ran right into the record books.
Nicknamed the “Kansas Ironman” and “Kansas Flyer,” Glenn’s perseverance and dedicated training brought him into a setting that few could ever have imagined. He emerged as one of the world’s premiere track athletes in the 1930s. The mile run became his specialty, and he went on to win numerous races and championships.
In 1934, he established a world record in the mile run (4:06:08), and his performance would not be bettered for three years. After his world record run, Glenn was quoted, “I always believed that I could walk normally, and that was the truth. Now I will run, and run faster than anyone else.”
Glenn’s amazing willpower and faith carried him onto the world stage. Running the 1500 meter run in two different summer Olympics, he proved his greatness. He placed fourth in the 1932 Olympics at Los Angeles, but he saved his best for 1936 at Berlin when he earned a silver medal.
Glenn’s Christian faith was visible in his actions and words. One of his favorite Scripture verses came from Isaiah 40:31: “But those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
Throughout his distinguished running career, Glenn endured frequent leg pain. Few could imagine how he needed to overcome so much with a faith-filled, inner strength.
As Glenn’s running career wrapped up, the country needed his service in World War II. He served in the U.S. Navy, and he developed new physical training programs. Later he taught athletics and physical education at Cornell College in Iowa.
One of his most noted ventures exhibited his desire to care for underprivileged children. He and his wife established the Glenn Cunningham Youth Ranch, which offered a temporary home for over 10,000 foster children.
These closing words from Glenn epitomized his approach to his life: “In running it is man against himself, the cruelest of opponents. The other runners are not the real enemies. His adversary lies within him, in his ability with brain and heart to master himself and his emotions.”
The best feeling in the world is seeing the benefits and rewards of hard work.
The only time you should look back in life, is to see how far you have come.
Kevin Hart (born 1979) is an American comedian and actor. He identifies himself as a Christian and opening talks about his faith.
Midnight sky awakes
Milky Way explodes with dreams—
Hang on to each star
Remaining patient
Sometimes life comes full circle—
Second chance arrives
Trapped in harsh desert
Mountain of perseverance—
Thirst finally quenched
Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.
From Romans 5:3-5: “And not only that, but we also boast in our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.”
A smooth sea never made a skillful sailor.
To reach a port we must set sail. Sail, not tie at anchor. Sail, not drift.
Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945) was the 32nd President of the United States (1933-1945). Both of these quotes were spoken during one of his “Fireside Chats” on April 14, 1938. Roosevelt used these radio addresses to rally America during the Great Depression and World War II.
Big Sky Buckeye 