Confidence & Teamwork

Individual confidence is defined as a feeling of self-assurance with one’s own abilities.  Teamwork is defined as the combined actions of a group working to achieve a common goal.

So, on any team the challenge is to identify individual abilities and apply them in the best ways to achieve those goals; and the ultimate goal of any endeavor should be to increase our individual abilities through the cooperation, communication & comradery of working as a team.

This past Friday I learned, or should say relearned, a valuable lesson on confidence & teamwork.  We all have different levels of skill, and those skills can vary day to day, especially at our age.  I have played this game since I was eight years old.  I am not and never have been a top-notch player.  But as I got older, my health, instincts & running abilities stayed with me, something I am most grateful for.  It has led at times to over confidence in my abilities, which can hurt the efforts of those around you and diminish your team goals.

You undoubtedly have experienced some level of this in your life.  Even if not personally you’ve certainly seen the effects overconfident people can have.  Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn’t…but in the end the odds will always favor the team with the most collaborative effort.

In the first inning of that game, the third batter was up and there were two outs.  Carlos is a deep ball hitter, so I had him played deep.  He hit a towering fly ball that was less than midway out to left field.  I charged hard and made a sliding catch just before the ball hit the ground.  It was the 1^st inning…and it raised my individual confidence.  In the last inning, with us up only 2 runs we had to hold to win.  We got two quick outs and then another high pop up, this time more center left…again I charged and as I was concentrating on that ball, I heard someone yelling my name & the ball seemed to hang & drift towards me, which was the way the wind was blowing.  I didn’t have time to look where my teammates were, I was confident I could make that catch, so I called it…and then the ball drifted away from me and in a last-ditch effort I reached and as I slid my knee dug in…I stopped cold dead.  There were two other players that may have had a shot at that ball and as teamwork goes, I should not have even been trying to catch it…but my individual confidence in my abilities ending up hurting team goals, as we lost the game.

It certainly wasn’t the only play that cost us that game.  As a team we had numerous errors and struggled at the plate.  But I use this simple one play example to show how in any team sport we must consider not just our abilities, but those around us as well.  Baseball, football, and basketball are team sports.  Golf, bowling, & tennis are individual sports.  There is a major difference here.  In individual sports you are subject to your own abilities and over all confidence…but in team sports it is the abilities of the individuals working together that make the team confident as a whole.

The beauty of sport is that it can teach us valuable life lessons, while competing & having fun.  In life you can be overconfident, arrogant, self-centered, boastful & dictorial…but you will get nowhere far if you over play your abilities …especially when you come up against a confident & collaborative team.  Nothing wrong with confidence, it is the backbone of heroism, just remember you have a team around to help in your goals and aspirations.  A lesson often forgotten in the heat of battle, that leaves us more humble in our individual abilities & confidence. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 AMEN.   

Today's Dream

It is Saturday February 10^th, 2024…4 AM EST.   What are you dreaming about?

For many, they don’t remember.  Their dreams are a shattered and polluted destiny, for this it’s best they don’t remember, but the soul never forgets.

For others, their dreams set a course for their reality, if in Faith they are envisioned. 

We all have dreams, some selfish and others giving…where do yours reside?

Since you cannot answer me, I’ll tell you some of my dreams, which are a faith-based reality.

Dreams of a cool mountain stream, flowing over rocks that in the sun light gleam.

Visions of a country not divided, but in God’s Harmonies they’re sided.

Thoughts of a marriage between a man & a woman, spirits who once met in Heaven.

In that stream, in nature’s harmony with the one I love, together once again.

But that dream was long ago, a reality once, now forever gone.

So, I must seek a new dream...one without cares or cause it would seem.

Where do I find this magical place where all is silent except the breeze?

In my dream today I am by myself, but not ever alone.

Surrounded by the gifts of nature and the lives of creatures so misunderstood.

I walk among herds of horses, float with the butterflies & fly with the eagles.

I sit with the lion and swim with the dolphin & talk to the trees.

This is my dream today, for mankind has cluttered the forest & damaged the sky.

The waters are darker and slimier than ever before, but nature holds on.

You see, nature has her dreams too.  And one day soon we’ll see its’ reality.

Placed here before us, she is God’s gift to this world.  We just muck it up.

My dream is shared with nature because we are one in the same.

With dreams of faith each of us can hear nature’s call & see her dreams fulfilled.

Then, and only then, will your dreams, visions & thoughts become as one.

For if born of faith your spirit will gain & once again be free of all this worlds pain.

Gospel of John 1:23…Revelations 22

The Candle

The candle only burns on one end.  It all depends on which way the wind bends.

The story never ends.  You must listen carefully for whispers they’ll send.

In the dark, they’re a long-lost friend.  Earthly treasures you hoard, others will spend.

Do not on plastic & machine depend.  You only have one spirit, you cannot resend.

Today it seems so many want to unfriend.  They can’t, for the sake of love, comprehend.

It’s not the voice of separation to send, but rather for our hearts together to blend.

So, if we burn the candle at both ends, its life-giving light will be hard to defend.

Its life cut too short my friend, use the candle sparingly & it will shine until darkness’s end.

Gospel of Luke 7: 39-49.  Proverbs 20:27 AMEN

I Refuse

I refuse to believe that you cannot make a difference.
I refuse to believe one person cannot change their world.
I refuse to believe you must be “normal” to be accepted.

I refuse to believe history is made by the masses, rather than the few.

I refuse to believe that one person cannot change that history.
I refuse to believe that you are destined to be only what others tell you to be.
I refuse to believe everything I see, hear, feel, taste and smell.
I refuse to believe that your “sixth sense” does not outweigh the other five.
I refuse to believe that one person cannot do what it dreams as impossible.

You believe what you want to believe. We all share in our own lies. Mine is not the path most traveled. It has always been the trace of another’s footsteps that caught my eye. That made me think there might be, just might be, a better way, a more fruitful path, than one the masses herd to. Nothing wrong with that, but we all have our own streets to pave. For us to think that the great history makers and world shapers we have had since the beginning of time did not at some point feel grief and despair… is shallow in thought.

How would history be if Washington decided it was too cold to cross, if Custer would have retreated, had Patton taken a couple days off, had Lincoln not gone to the play, had Kennedy not gone to Dallas, had Martin not gone to Memphis, had John Lennon not gone for a walk, had Neil Armstrong never stepped, had Lance Armstrong never thought he’d live, had it not been foggy over Martha’s Vineyard for John John, had the Apostle Paul ever truly questioned his faith, or had Christ been tempted by the devil…course we know that was a losing battle on satans part, as always. 

And the list goes on and on. You have your memories and I have mine. If you are like me, no matter how many you list, you always think of more to add.

I refuse to believe that world changers & world changing events are not pre-destined by lots cast by God.  The greatest history gifted & shared with this, and all worlds, being our Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ.  But, with His Son’s exception, who was beyond mortal…all the other events & people in our world history could have gone different than they, or it did.  God has endless reserves & backup plans.  

 

Think of it this way…. If 10 cooks are all given the same ingredients & told to make their best chicken cacciatore…all the dishes will mostly likely look, smell & taste a bit different…but the outcome is the same…chicken cacciatore.  All the difference makers listed above thought they could make a difference in their world(s). For if they didn’t, it would never have been. So…I refuse to believe that I too, cannot make a difference in the world around me, no matter how small or large that world may be. 

God created Paradise in the beginning & in the end we are promised a return to this Paradise.  The ingredients are the same, the outcome was foretold long, long ago.

Give yourself the best gift you could ever give yourself or someone else. For once in your life believe in yourself and your abilities and feel good about it. And in turn let that feeling rub off on someone and help make them believe that they can make a positive difference in their world as well. 

For many the first step is saying, “I refuse.”  Say, I refuse to let the influences of evil, no matter how petty or large they may be in your life, control me any longer.  I refuse to let satan have his way with me and condemn my soul.  Once you see evil for what it is and what it is trying to do to you…it’s not hard to refuse it.  And once you do, in the same breath, accept love…His Love for you…once you feel that sensation in your heart…it will influence your mind, which will enhance your soul & guide your spirit on a journey of Faith…rather than a destiny of death.

We are all teachers & learners, craftsmen & apprentices, finders & seekers.  But do not ever lose grasp of the fact we are watchers & defenders first, of a sacred Promise made to each of us.  It is up to you to accept & cherish the Covenant God made with mankind.  Your belief & faith in this Truth will decide your souls end realities.

If we all thought more positive and less negative, the result is destined to be positive.  Just remember to count & share your blessings & love…. Someone else is.

Go in Peace & Love will Follow.

Hebrews 10 & Psalm 72   AMEN

 

Emotions

 Most times I feel I don’t need anyone.  Guess that’s because I’ve been alone so much in my life.  I struggle like anybody to cope with my emotions.  But it is hard when you’re alone.  The past couple years have been good for me, and I have no reason to feel depressed.  In the past, stresses over finances & my own situation usually brought me down.  But this time is different.

Those who know me well know I have had a few major personality swings in my life.  There is not one thing to point to or blame.  It is an accumulation of my life experiences & the memories I have of them.  None of us are the same and we act and react differently in given situations.  So, as I sit here, I am trying to react to my negative feelings and bring them into a positive light.  

Throughout my life I have had a deep empathy for the less fortunate.  Perhaps it’s because I have been in their shoes.  The homeless, the troubled, the lonely, the poor & the sick.  It runs so deep in me it has cost me dearly, not so much financially but emotionally.  When you see & feel so much sadness & division around you…it starts to affect you.   

I feel at times most positive…but then there are the days & sometimes weeks where life is different.  I told someone yesterday that when you feel tired & rundown…it’s your body telling you that you need a break.  Well, I need to take some of my own advice, regroup & stay focused.

Here’s an example of my current emotional swings.  Even though I’ve not been feeling well I went to the grocery store yesterday morning.  On the side of the store there’s a small parking area & some trees.  I often park there and the last couple times there was a homeless man sitting in a wheelchair under one of the trees.  He was there today…but today was different, it was raining pretty good.  As I rode by, I circled back and asked him if he was hungry…he looked up and said yes…so I told him I’d get him a sandwich at the store.  I did my shopping, loaded the car in the rain (hey, I was out of milk, bread & eggs, but had plenty of bacon) and drove over to where he was sitting. 

I gave him the sandwich and had a short discussion with him, asked him his name…Donnie…& I told him I would pray for him that his situation would get better.  The whole time I felt and portrayed a positive demeanor.  But as I drove off…my emotions boiled over.  I started to pray, not just for Donnie, but for all the homeless & hungry in this country and around the world and the tears just flooded my eyes.  It’s a desperate feeling to have when you know all you can really do is pray about it and have faith God will make things better.

I wiped my tears and finished my prayer and realized my situation is nothing like Donnie’s and I have the whole world in front of me.  But where to start in making my own self better, as well as whatever piece of the world around me I can make better.  How do I stay positive in such a negative world?  There is only one way and that is to trust my faith in God and keep a handle on my emotions.

 If you surround yourself in negativity, you will stay stuck in that hole.  As an example…if you’re sad and you continue to watch sad movies or listen to sad music…how are you ever going to feel positive.  So, you must either find something uplifting or do something yourself that has positive actions &  reactions.  A change in direction that leads to a healthier outlook on yourself & the world around you.

The emotions I’ve had over the past week can be attributed to several things; three cracked ribs, the holidays alone, a sprained back, but I think it has been an accumulation of things, chief of which is the pain & division I see in this world.

I may not be able to do much about things overseas…but I can do some things right here in my hometown to give me direction and help others along the way.  Whether our emotions run high, low, or mid-stream, the peace we seek can only be found in the expressions of love…even if it’s just a sandwich, a kind word, and a prayer from a stranger.  

Seek, find, create, and share love…it is why we were created; it is the most positive feeling we can give or receive, and what will see us through in our most emotional of times.

Luke Chapter 11:33-36   AMEN.   

The American Spirit

 

Patriotism…defined is “vigorous support of one’s country.”  This definition is at the core of the American spirit & has sustained this country for generations.

 Lately many have forgotten the past or want to erase it.  They have lost touch with what got us here, what sustained us in the rough times and what we were thankful to have in the good times.  Everywhere you look there is someone shouting from their hilltop…I question them, and they have no answer…for our mountain casts its shadow on their divisive hillside.  Our message is of faith, family, freedom and flag…theirs is hard to define except at the core is their own selfish, destructive, divisive, and perverse ideologies.

 Today everyone wants paradise, but some can’t get out of their own hell.  So, they try to drag you down with them.  This country was born by some of the greatest leaders and thinkers who ever walked this planet, and it was built by men and women of all colors.  So don’t tell me the American spirit is dead, on the contrary it is embattled & fighting for survival, but still very much alive.  

The divisive groups and individuals that seek to destroy the American spirit are weak in multiple layers of faith.  They are weak in their faith in God and in their faith in this country.  They are weak in their spirituality and in their American spirit. They are weak in their belief in God and in their belief of their fellow man.  They are so distracted by hate & greed; they don’t see the real storm that is approaching.

 From the Introduction section of “The Patriots Handbook” this was written by Alexis de Tocqueville who was a French diplomat observing America in 1835, he is quoted, “I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers, and it was not there; in her fertile fields and boundless prairies, and it was not there; in her rich mines and her vast world commerce, and it was not there.  Not until I went to the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power.  America is great because she is good and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”  That was observed by an outsider in 1835 and still holds true today. The good of this country far outweighs the bad, but we must not continue to be fooled by those pretending to be good while harboring bad & selfish intent.  Read between the lines & observe them closely, they are promising paradise & delivering hell. 

 If we continue to dwell on the past in a negative way…we will never have a positive future.  We have a strong foundation, that although cracked in many ways, still maintains the cornerstone of faith & the building blocks of truth, justice & the American spirit.  As a country we must remain good and that good starts with having faith in God as a country…this is where a strong & good foundation resides & always will.  

In God we trust…so in God we must.    

Psalm 125   AMEN.

The Cliff

When I was a child there was a public service announcement that would come on TV every night at 9PM.  It simply said, “it’s 9 PM, do you know where your children are?”  I also remember the standing rule, “when the streetlights come on, it’s time to come home.”

We could use more of that today.  Where are our children and are they blind to the light & left in darkness?  As adults we can substitute these words and sum up our societal situation very easily.

The hour is getting late, do you know where your spirit is?  The Light is on, but many choose to stay in the darkness.  It doesn’t matter if you are young or old, the question & the rules are the same.  But many have been deceived and walk a path that has no shadows, because there is no light.  Lost in the desires of this world, in darkness, they don’t see the cliff that is just ahead.

In darkness they will eventually fall off that cliff, it swallows all who pass by.  The earth around it is loose so even if you get close, you’ll slide into its mouth.  The ground is loose because it has a weak foundation surrounding it, sand instead of stone, so you sink into the trap it sets.

Base your life & the lives of your children on a strong foundation of truth & honor, rather than a loose foundation of lies & hate.  Do not fall off the cliff from living in darkness.  Search & find your inner self for that is where your soul resides & the Light that is the Love of God, will guide you home. 

1^st Peter Chapter 5: 1-11 AMEN