Marcus Santi

Battle for the Heart

Marcus Santi — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 12:09:54 -0800

Hello Freedom (Clay),

I have been reading a book and it posed a very interesting thought... What if we looked at this world as a battle and everything in this world is competing for our attention/ for our souls? What if? Then all that is around us is either for our good or for our demise.

I read last night, in this book, about the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz. Long to short he was once a man, flesh and blood. He loved a woman and he worked long days so he could earn the money to marry this love of his. The wicked witch saw this love and she despised the Woodsman for his passion. She caused one accident after another for the Woodsman and with each accident the woodsman was cutting off a limb which would slow down his work. The Witch thought she was stopping his love.

The Woodsman found a tinsmith who could make a piece of tin that would replace his limb. The Woodsman now could work day and night and never tire. The witch saw this and finally she thought "I will take his heart". She did and the now Tin Man became so efficient at his work. The one thing; he forgot why and what he was working for. He lost his heart. The Woodsman, now Tinman wanted to see Oz so he could ask for a heart. He wished to remember/feel why he was working.

The greatest lost he experienced was not the loss of a limb but a loss of his heart.

Back to the beginning question: What if everything around us is a battle of good and evil? The enemy will steal our heart and now we walk aimlessly through life not knowing what we are doing all this for. Having the eyes to see and the ears to hear the enemies and the good of this world. This is our battle, it is all around us.

Rock on Freedom, you want freedom to reign. I want freedom to reign in my own life but as with the freedom we have in the United States it came at a cost. Many wars/battles have been fought and won to attain this freedom. We must fight, be aware there is a fight for our very own hearts.

Beachkid (Marcus)

365

Marcus Santi — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 22:51:04 -0800

Clay,

Got a quickie story for you. It was about this time 5 years ago. I was given an assignment to train the U of Memphis women’s soccer team. This team just came off a year where the football team and this team won the same amount of games, 5. The only difference is the football team had 11 opportunities and this team had 20 opportunities to win games.

This was the worst team on campus. I got in front of them and spoke with them.The one thing I told them is this: “If you want to be a champion on the field be a champion off the field. It will first start off the field of play and then you will find it happening on the field of play. Every day when we train you will have the opportunity to win. We have 365 days in a year; every night when you lay your head on your pillows ask yourself ‘did I win today in my life?’ ‘Did I give my best in what I did today?’ We have 365 opportunities to win this year.”

We went on to win 13 games that season (school record for wins). It was the second largest turn around in NCAA women’s soccer that year.

Clay- both you and I have 365 opportunities to win over the course of a year. I cannot say I have won each day of my life. We are a team. We can win today. Let’s do it!! Name one thing you will do today and do it to your best. “We win Gracie!!!” (Armageddon)

Beach Kid

Isaiah 40:31 (NewInternational Version)
31 but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

Real Life Letters: "Living in the Arena"

Marcus Santi — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 15:31:16 -0800

Man in the Arena

'It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better.The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.'

Clay,

I love this speech. Here is our challenge in this life. I ask myself where do I want to be sitting; in the stands as the critic or do I want to be The Man in the Arena!

I once heard in a movie: "life is going to hit you and knock you down. It is not about when life knocks you down it is how you get back up and keep moving forward each time it does hit you."

How do I become the Man in the Arena? How do I get backup and move forward?

Hold your head high Clay. Fight! I know you can. We all have our struggles and temptations. Ephesians 6v13-14 “…and after you have done everything to STAND. Stand firm then, with the belt of TRUTH buckled around your waist.”

I love you,your parents and brother love you, and God loves you. Clay anyone who loves you will want you to be your best. We all want our parents to be proud of us. Truth will set you free. Be truthful and you will be surprised what will come from what you may see as a failure in your life.

You say I have helped you. I hope you are aware how you have helped me. Without your struggle I would be consumed with myself. I would be completely lost in me if it was not for you asking me to send you Bible verses. The only reason why I opened my Bible, over this last month, was to find scripture to pass on because you asked me too. I knew God gave me a responsibility. I did not know as to why but today’s phone call opened my eyes to God’s great vision. He knew what’s to come for both you and me. This is how you helped me in my life.

Let your parents and loved ones embrace you in the midst of your struggle. This is why we are here; to celebrate in victories and pick up when we are down. When you become victorious you will have lots of people to celebrate with. Look at all the people who are with you now. You are not alone, you have many around you.

My failures have brought about the greatest times in my life. I get the chance to see mercy, grace, love,and forgiveness in a world conditioning us for the opposite. I grew up in a house that knew nothing about this. When I failed I was not loved. I do not like failing but God has brought out greatness in me because of my failures. I see who I really am in my moments of weakness.

I am not Superman even though I try hard to be (in my workouts). I am human and I need people. I need you. I need God. The one thing I can do and try to do is be me. I serve God and people of this world by striving for honesty with who I am and seeking honesty with those I have relationship with.
I am selfish, I am controlling, I doubt and lack trust in people. I give people a chance to accept me, my best and my worse. You are an alcoholic, so what! You are my friend through the thick and thin.

God tells us we are his children and he wants relationship with us. Even after all our failures he still wants relationship? Yes he does. Hard to believe but this is a TRUTH!

Man in the Arena,

Beach Kid

P.S.
How would you like to be running 13 miles through the mountains of Southern France on March 22? Will tell more…

Real Life Letters - "You don't always have to be Wonder Woman"

Marcus Santi — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 09:33:51 -0700

This is a back-and-forth letter with a girl I was training. Many time we think sports is all pysical, but the mental side is sometimes the harder road to conquer. Enjoy!

(I have changed names to protect identity)

Marcus,

I have been struggling recently. I have found an amazing man (my boyfriend) and someone I think you would get along with great but lately I've been seeing my dad in me and it's scaring me. I have not been treating him like he needs to be treated. Occasionally when I will drink I will say mean things to him or just be mean, the way my dad used to be with me but without the alcohol. I'm not understanding why I would want to hurt someone I care so much about and turn into the person that's hurt me the most in my life? I need some advice because this is NOT me and I know in my heart I'm a better person that what I have shown on occasion. It has made me cry a lot and made me not be able to sleep. I'm scared and you're the only one I know who to talk to about this.

Thank you for always being the rock in my life and being there when things got tough. Those times have made me believe 100% that there are people out there with feelings too and experiences like mine to share with others to let them know that they too, are special in this crazy world. You always knew how to make me smile, you always knew how to make me stop crying and I can only hope that our paths will cross again when we can go and grab a bit to eat and chat like the old days. I miss you Marcus and there's not a struggle that I don't go through without thinking about the advice you would or have given me and the way you would handle the situation. Keep in touch.

Jane

First and foremost you are not only a wonder woman you are a wonderful woman. I am proud of you
for recognizing these things in yourself. This is half the battle to be able to have eyes that can see and ears that can hear. Understand?

Part of growing up is facing exactly what you are facing. The reason why I put you as my anchor leg (4x800) is because I knew you would go to the ends of the earth to find a way to win no matter the deficit. As you proved this at regionals your senior year as you tracked down the Cordova girl and put your team into State. I know I was not your coach at that time but at the beginning of the season I was and you were my anchor leg and were going to be as long as I had the say so.

You are brave enough, strong enough to face this struggle in yourself. Use that strength you showed in that race to face this struggle in your life. This will be a battle you will possibly fight for your lifetime. I have my struggles due to learned behavior I have seen since I was in diapers. We all learn our behavior from some where, mainly our parents.

The Bible talks about generational curses being passed down from one generation to another. The original Bible was written in Greek and Hebrew. The word “curse” in English may not have the same connotations in Greek and Hebrew. The English translation cuts short the real meaning behind what the verse in saying. When I think of curse I think of doom and damnation. We (you and I) are not damned! Damnit! We are not cursed!

What we do have is this, we have “demons” that run in our families. Science would call this learned behavior. Your inner tendencies come from what you have seen, what you have heard from birth. You have now gotten to a point where you see this, and this is a good thing, but now you have a conscience DECISION as to how you are going to react or respond. Our action is speaking without thinking. A response is being calculated in what you are going to say and do. There is a difference. To respond takes discipline and warriors like us want to react and to be quite honest conquer instead of love.

By the way I just want to tell you that you’re great. = )

I would advise as hard as this may seem, refrain from activities that provoke this side of you. Your dad, he is a man who has rage and ultimately is choosing his temper over love and well being for his family. I say this from experience because I grew up in the same type of household. Do you want to be your father? Let your actions say “no” aswell as your words.

This rage is a lack of self-control. How can we develop self control? I want peace in my soul all the time. At least I think I do. I struggle often and can go to depths I did not know existed. Today is a good day for me, but over the last month I have seen things in myself that are so dark it has surprised me.

I often ask will there ever be relief from myself? You and I are people of great passion and with this passion great things can come from us, both good and bad. Michelle this is something you are going through and never make an excuse for yourself as to why you may react powerfully in a negative way. Meaning do not skirt from yourself by acting as if you really didn’t do it. Excuse “that wasn’t me” “I really didn’t mean to do that” or better yet “your father really didn’t mean to say that.” What did you think when you heard those words? I know you have heard those words.

My coach here told me one day, “You know you aren’t superman. It is okay to be tired.” I try so hard to be superman. I am strong, I am fast, and I will win at any cost. It is hard for me to accept I am flawed.

I tell you without a doubt Jesus Christ is the only way I canbe saved. I have been so sick of hearingthat name (Jesus Christ). I have gotten so pissed at God recently that I havestopped saying prayers, reading the Word. I am sick of saying this but I have searched my soul and I have foundman is not good at the core.

I have truly tested and asked why do I need JesusChrist? I have concluded, and thisincludes Mother Theresa, Billy Graham and the lot of us- we need Jesus Christbecause we need someone to save us from ourselves. I do not need saving from others I needsaving from my own mind, my own heart. Iam not good on my own.

Never stop searching for the truth. I have found truth, but I do not alwayslisten to it. When I do it is the mostpeace in my heart I experience. I canhave peace in my heart and war could be all around me. Does that make sense?

You can do this Michelle. You are smart, perceptive, and brave enough to face this in you. The road will not be easy but you have what it takes to be your best and I think it will make one great individual.

Marcus

Real Life Letters - "It's never easy..."

Marcus Santi — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 13:03:01 -0700

I wrote this letter in May.. I trained this girl now woman from the time she was 9 years old. She is now 22 I think. Since may her whole family has entered rehab for some form of substance abuse or anorexia/bulimia or however you spell it. Needless to say this relationship ended due to the abuse. I really care for this girl. I helped raise her. It broke my heart as i saw this whole relationship go south. the mother was too strong, too dominant. It is never to late for change as the family is making the effort to do something about it.

Hello Jane (obviously not her real name),

Thanks for coming up and saying hello that day you saw the 'bald head'.

I told Joe you would be coming to (SchoolX)... He is a great guy, he will be a friend when you get into town.

He asked if you were going to run track and I told him what you told me. Whatever you decide to do, do it with all your might. I told him the story about your 8th grade year and the season we had, your first 300h race at ECS (won and set meet record), then to regions (won and set meet record), and on into State (2cnd as an 8th grader) where you ran against Anne Santi (6 time State Champion) of all names....(this is my mother's married name from 1st marriage)

After 12 years of training athletes I still think you have one of the biggest hearts i have come across, possibly the biggest. Remember i have trained an Olympic medalist, Super Bowl Champion, All-American girl soccer player. This is what I have to reference my statement.

I sensed you are going through a trial in your life as you spoke to me. I don't know what it is. I do know we all have our road to travel and only ourselves can travel the path laid for us.

I read today 'a team often reflects the personality of the coach.' I know this about myself- I am stubborn, I am determined, I can be difficult to be around, and I also can be looked upon as a source of strength/inspiration/motivation.

Whatever you go through always remember you are braver than what you might think you are. It took a brave person to challenge a 6 time state champion when you were 3 races old (14 at the time)... it took a herculean heart to knock off a 6' Goliath when you were 15. (both of these girls received track scholarships)

I still think that same heart exists inside of you. When you get to Baylor and if you choose to go out for a sport find this heart again. Anyone will be successful when we unlock our heart and find the courage to act upon it.

My dad shot himself in the head about a year ago. It was damaging to my heart. I had to travel a path and it got dark at times but my heart won. I came out of my journey determined like I once was in my life. This world will be a better place when you lead with your heart.

Take care,

Marcus

Real Life Letters - "Encouragement"

Marcus Santi — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 09:26:09 -0700

As a personal trainer and fitness coach, some of the hardest aspects of my job are the "off the field" challenges. Motivation, encouragement, fear that grip both my athletes and many times myself. When faced with these mental aspects of the job, I have a choice - give into to fear or turn and run to secure ground in the Lord. Recenly I wrote this letter of encouragement to someone I was counseling.

My hope is that this in some way encourages you. Blessings.

_____

Hello Lori,

I am glad to hear you have made a choice to go with the half marathon. Way to GO!!! What an adventure you must feel. I am in the same boat with you. I moved this week to Santa Monica. I have had a few auditions and I am plugging away.

One of the interesting things i have found over this last week is once again- TRUST. I put such confidence in my ability, strength, determination, etc... When you peel enough layers either fear of failure or love in the Lord is driving me.

What I love about training is when one thinks they are at their last step, they can always find one more, and another and another until the finish line has been reached. To posses the courage to stay in the game, to take the next step no matter the discomfort, fear that may exist. Love is the most powerful inspiration we can have. Find the love, run with the love and you will reach the finish line with joy.

Marcus

Olympics: emotions for athletes and viewers

Marcus Santi — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:26:48 -0700

What is it about the Olympics that can produce such great emotions for athletes and viewers?

I think it has something to do when the Olympic Flame is lit, the Olympic spirit begins. There are no contracts for any of these athletes to play an
Olympic sport. It is out of sheer desire to represent something, an idea far greater than a man alone can accomplish. A man can embody this idea but never
truly own this spirit.

The Bible refers to gold being tested by fire. I think when the flame of the Olympics is lit the purity of man to compete at his or her best comes to
the forefront. Proverbs 17:3 The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the heart.
This festival of competition originated behind the intention to have the youth of the world compete in sports, rather than fight in war.
As long as there was competition war ceased.

This spirit still exists today. All politics, differences of race or nation, is put to the side for these two weeks and we get to see the glory of man
at it's highest achievement.

When i saw the Olympic flame lit in Beijing an innocence, a purity came back to my heart concerning sports. I remembered what this sporting event is all
about. No more contract hold outs, no more give me the ball attitude, my agent (I can't stand this profession!!) is negotiating my contract so 'i can get
what is mine', athletes referring to themselves in the third person.

The flame, fire, initiates this great festival which brings the opportunity for athletes to compete at the purest level sport can offer.

We got a chance to see millionaire NBA athletes play like kids again- the good meaning of kid. What a chance it was for them to have an opportunity to play
for their country, not a contract. I saw Rafeal Nadal and many other touring tennis pro's put their tours on hold so they can
take part of this festival. No rankings or prize money was awarded to these players. As I saw Rafeal win the gold medal in tennis, as i saw him play with
such great energy and when the gold was his he dropped to the court as tears were in his eyes.

They all played for something much greater than ego, pride, money, endorsements. The Olympics, for me, coincides with Proverbs 17:3. The heart is tried in this pursuit of excellence. Money will never allow an individual to accomplish the incredible. A heart yearning for the highest achievement is motivated by something far greater than what money can provide for us.

I dare to say when these athletes who have made millions in their sport, when they get to the end of it all. No more million dollar contracts, no more
packed stadiums (in my research I learned stadium is Latin for stage), ask them what was the greatest stage they ever performed on? They will point to
the Olympics. They are Olympians and our NBAers of USA basketball can boast 'I am an Olympic champion.'

There is nothing wrong with these athletes making a living at their sports. I just think in today's world when you take on the endeavor of Olympics there
is not a guarantee of any medal success or financial promise. When this happens in todays world it is seen as a mighty sacrifice. This allows for one to
see the core of their values. When the walls of pressure close in, the pressure of winning or the risk of losing come to face the man in the arena. I
believe this is when one finds himself. Stripped to the core. If one dares to ride this journey great blessings will follow. As I have read 'narrow is the
path to life, and few find it.'

The more clear the reception the more pure is the sound. All the negatives listed are possible distractions to any professional athlete. For two weeks maybe these athletes had the opportunity to pursue some of best 'reception' they have heard in a long long time.

In the end the purity of man competing like a kid is what I love about the Olympics.

I see the fingerprints of God all over these Olympics. In this life we can gets tastes of what it must be like in heaven. Often I forget about the eternal
flame that was lit when Christ willingly placed himself on the cross. God is a God of physical examples. The Olympic Flame, for me, is a reminder of the purity Christ has brought to my life.

'The glory of God is man fully alive.' Saint Irenaeus

Olympic Insider: stories of inspiration and defeat

Marcus Santi — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 08:50:53 -0700

I got a chance to sit down with Peter from ConversantLife.com to give my personal track & field background as well as discuss the current 2008 Olympic games. Enjoy.

To Win

Marcus Santi — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 10:43:02 -0700

What is winning. What does it look like? What does it feel like?

Hopefully the story below will try to answer the questions.

Once upon a time there was a young lady who I had the opportunity to train and her effort defines winning in my eyes. Her name is Noelle Hansen.

I started coaching Noelle her sophomore season of track. Noelle was unique. She had an outstanding personality but was shy around certain individuals, namely anyone who was not in her inner circle, but possessed a flamboyant personality. She was a unique individual but you would have to pay close attention to see this without being in her inner circle.

Noelle finished her sophomore season performing a 72 second 400m. This was my first year with this team. The goal was to turn this program around. I wanted winning efforts out of this team. I desired efforts from the athletes that would merit times that would compete for regional and state titles. After the high school track season finished Noelle made me her best friend. She trained 5 days a week that summer.

We trained at all kind of places to build her strength and speed. One of my favorite places to do this was the 67,000 seat Liberty Bowl Stadium. I love bleacher running. I took her to the track, we visited the weight room often. She loved it. I even had to fend off a few college age male athletes as we would train at the local university. (I don't know if she knows that.) She was very womanly at a young age. She was beautiful before guys her age could recognize a beautiful woman. Therefore she did not get asked out as much as a teenage girl would like too, but the college guys were ready to take her out.

The following high school track season rolls around and now the meets start once more. How did the hard work pay off for Noelle? We started the season with a 5 second personal best at 67 seconds. She is pleased. I am happy for her. I know there is much more in store for her. In any sport there are two season's, the regular season and Championship Season- the end of the year where Regional and State titles are won. There are many who are good in the regular season and there are some who rise to another level when the titles are on the line. Coaching athletes to accel in both seasons is the goal all the while preferring Championship Season.

Championship season comes and Noelle rises to the occasion. The year before she had about a snowball's chance in Hades to make the finals of the 400m. This year she gave her all in the qualifying round and found her effort good enough for a spot in finals of the 400m! She made it and once again bettered her time by 8 seconds over last years performance. She made the finals. She made the finals. She made the finals. For me, this felt as if one of my athletes just won the state title. It did not matter what place she got in the finals. She overcame great obstacles and worked and worked and worked for the right to compete with the best females our region had to offer in the 400m.

The last race of the meet is the 4x400m relay, I placed her on this team. Once again she found another level and improved her personal record by another second to lower this time to 63; 9 seconds better than 12 months ago. We won a silver medal in the relay.

What I admire about Noelle's effort is there was no promise whatsoever this outcome would happen. There was no guarantee she would make a finals at Regions, no guarantee she would be one of the four members to represent our team in the 4 x 400m relay.

I have seen in myself it easy to train hard knowing you have an 80% chance of winning the actual gold medal. It says something about a person when they train for the sheer matter of accomplishment in their own life. More than likely Noelle was not going to receive the actual 'gold medal' given to the athlete who beat everyone else. Not in any way shape or form to take away from the ones who do win the gold medal. The gold medal Noelle and others like her earn is something that will never tarnish or fade away. It is the memory, the satisfaction, the pleasure of knowing you poured every ounce of yourself into an effort. No one can ever strip Noelle of this experience. No one can strip anyone of us who has dared greatly.

'It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again
and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.' Theodore Roosevelt

Matthew 6:19-21
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.'

Empire State Building

Marcus Santi — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 08:37:36 -0700

As stated in previous writing I come from the world of track and field. The 2 hardest races in track they say is 400 hurdles and the 800m. I ran both races in college. I began to understand my mind was more important than my body. My mind must rule my body. if my body rules then when it gets tough, succumbing to the pain soon follows.

We all have the ability to conquer and successfully navigate this race. We need to be prepared well physically and mentally. A good coach is imperative. Anyone can tell another to run 1 lap as fast as you can and by the way jump over 10 hurdles in the process. An athlete needs a great coach to lead and guide them, if they are to achieve greatness.

I had the opportunity to work with one of the best coaches of all time in track and field (Tom Tellez). This man coached Carl Lewis and many other Olympians, NCAA champions, All-Americans. One of the things he instructed me to do as i ran, 'when your technique beaks down stop running.' This of course was during practice. In practice building strength to maintain proper technique for the entirety of the race was an important objective . It is amazing what happens to the mind once the body gives. My mind would need to dictate to my body how to run. This revelation dramatically changed me as a runner. As long as i abide by this principle remaining strong throughout the sprint became attainable. This gives me my best chance for success in the race.

A coach plays a large role in guiding the athlete to success or failure. If i were to take any one of you to a track what would you want to hear if i was going to have you sprint one lap and clear 10 hurdles? Would you want to hear 'Alrightyou are out of shape, you can't run, your insides are going to feel like they are on your outsides, your legs are going to feel like you have bricks tied to your feet, oh and if you happen to make it past the 8th hurdle your going to feel like a gorrilla jumped on your back, and if you make it to the 10th and final hurdle it's as tall as the Empire State Building, just leap over in a single bound just like superman... go get 'em tiger!

OR

Would you rather a coach tell you everything you need to know and to think which gives you the best possible chance to get to the finish? How about something like this 'Are you ready? When the gun goes get out quick and fast to the first hurdle, maintain speed into the next hurdle, keep your chest tall, stay relaxed with the arms, fast through the 3rd hurdle, now elongate your stride for the next 3 hurdles and mentally gear up for the last 150m when you are in the top of the turn pick up your arm speed, add a stride after hurdle 7 and lets use a quicker turnover pattern. As you get into #8 really accelerate through come off the hurdle pumping your arms and think of staying tall and lift the knees. Stay relaxed as you drive down the home straight away, aggressively take #10 look to the line with determination to win.'

Which coach are you going to hire?

I have been listening to Joel Olsteen over the last month. I have heard pastors publicly criticize Joel and others like him. Why does he have so many people wanting to listen to what he has to say? (I do not know him personally but not many of us have the opportunity to really know our pastor's outside of the pulpit. If given the opportunity I like to know someone well if i am going to let them have a voice of influence.) After listening to Joel I feel lifted up on the inside. I walk away feeling as if the day is a little brighter as if there is heaven on this Earth. God does care about me and he does want blessing in my life.

Joel, using Scripture, opens my eyes allowing me to navigate through the 10 hurdles of life and get to the finish line. To many times I have walked into a church and walked out feeling like the dirt on the bottom of my shoe. I feel no hope. I know Christ came here to earth to die for my sins, it is a must. I do not want to be shamed into my relationship with Christ. I know he is stronger than any one on this Earth. I know I try to dethrone him on a daily basis.

I want to enjoy my relationship with Jesus. I want to know he is uplifitng me at all times. I want to know I have a chance to win this race. I do believe Joel lets us in on the 'other side'. The other side being a life without Christ as the center. He pastor's to his audience by leading them to what and how to recieve God's belssings. He is opening my eyes to break down walls that limit me to a life that Satan would love for me to have due to my lack of belief. I want my eyes and mind to be opened so I can successfully navigate this race. I want to do more than get to the 10th hurdle. I want to get to the 10th hurdle with a chance to win the race!

There is no perfect organization when it comes to human beings. I really think there is something wrong in the Church today. There are many of us the make up the church and it is hard for many to line up on the same page. What is the solution? 'Iron sharpen iron as does one man to another.' When two iron heads collide sparks fly. Over time they melt together becoming one due to the friciton/heat. Whatever the exact solution is I am sure it will take a few collisions with a few sparks.