JRMITCH85 Character

John Ireland’s Long Walk

John Ireland is a Laker homer, and was confident that the Lakers would win against Cleveland. Thus he claimed, “I would quit my job and walk home from Cleveland if they lost that game.” He didn’t quit, nor did he walk home, but he didn’t let himself get away with making such a remark.  He made a statement that accentuated his confidence in the Lakers, albeit stupid (considering how bad the Lakers have looked), but he didn’t want to let himself off the hook. (Although I also think that his radio show partner would never let him off easily.)

Our words mean something, and John Ireland has pledged to walk in the Autism Speaks walk at the Rose Bowl on 4/23, and to try and raise money to fight Autism.

Way to go John.

He certainly has made lemonade out of this lemon of a statement, click the link to read the article below about how he is participating in the Walk Now for Autism Speaks, http://www.walknowforautismspeaks.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=442586&lis=0&kntae442586=175887835725444FB109EBF46C13FA12&supId=321410639.

John Irelands Long Walk After Lakers Lose to Cleveland – Buckley Blog – KTLA.COM.

JRMITCH85 Hope, Ramblings

A Small Hike

The other day we took a small hike in the San Gabriel Mountains and climbed up Echo Mountain. The intent was just to go for a hike and we had no specific goal in mind as the hike began. This was an easy 5 mile round-trip hike, and because we had plans later in the day, we thought this would be the perfect distance to travel. It was an opportunity to get away from the conveniences of television and computers (although I still had my phone and camera) and go spend some time in nature and look at the beauty that is not far away.

I lived in Pasadena when I first moved down to Southern California, and I always thought about hiking up in the San Gabriel Mountains, especially since the trail head was just at the top of the closest major street, but it took me moving an hour away to actually make my first hike in this area.

Unfortunately, as many days in Southern California, the smoggy haze covered the Southland and we didn’t get to see the urban sprawl of the LA Basin with much clarity. I was looking forward to seeing that, and I heard from several people on the trail verbalize what I was thinking, “We should come up here after a good rain, and then this view would be amazing.”

However, I was astonished when we got to the end of the trail, because here are remnants of a dose of man’s intrusion into nature, as we saw what remained of a resort. Here in my attempt to get away from the city and into nature, I found the city. In my reading since going up there this was described as the Disneyland of its day. However, in 2011, all that remains is some concrete, metal gears, pulleys, and motor parts. I couldn’t say that I was terribly surprised that something like this was up there, because one needs only to look to the top of the mountains to see a great deal of metal towers and buildings. Also as we walked up the hill you pass under power lines and directly under a tower.

Although it still surprises me that we as people carve out spaces in the mountains and we live like we would in our cities. Our “retreats” into the wilderness, while spending time in the beauty of God’s creation, become less leaving the city, and more creating a city in the wilderness. I am comforted that this is not something new, but something that we have been dealing with for more than 100 years. But as I look at these “relics” of a bygone age, I think there is a beauty in nature reclaiming them. Sure if they weren’t protected I’m sure someone would meaninglessly take these parts, but nature has claimed them, and made them beautiful once again.

However, we as people don’t return the favor to nature, we take our cities and make the air “dirty”, so much so that as I looked forward to seeing the San Gabriel Valley from a new vantage point, I was disappointed because all I got was a hazy image.

God has made us stewards of this planet, and I need to do a better job at carrying out this mission.

JRMITCH85 Ramblings

A Good Run

I just got home from a 14.3 mile run. This is the beginning of the ramp up in training as I prepare for running in the LA Marathon. This will be my first marathon, although I did run a half-marathon in Las Vegas in early December.

I enjoy running, although I haven’t been a big runner until recently, when I felt that I needed to push myself to accomplishing something athletically as I was entering my thirties. Then came running. I remember watching my sister complete her first marathon, and when the announcer kept yelling out the percentage of people who have completed a marathon, it really put the tic into my head that I may want to do something like that.

It may be a good thing that sometimes our motivation drives us to be greater, or better than we are, but with the power of the Holy Spirit we are driven to be more like Christ. Now I know that Jesus probably was never a competitive runner, but we were created to enjoy our bodies. Therefore, I seek to make my running a worship experience. I pray that I show this outwardly, and that the Kingdom of God is blessed through the joy of the Holy Spirit found in me when I run.

What things do you do that can be transformed when you think of them from the context of a worship experience?

JRMITCH85 Ramblings

Ugh, Violence

With the instant access to news, you hear more about the violence in our world with great regularity, but this week it has been particularly frightening because the violence has been in and around area schools. Three shootings, and three different circumstances, but sadly the consequence was that in each instance people were shot. This saddens me deeply, and I call on each of us to add these schools and those directly affected by the shootings to our prayers.

At the same time I wonder what causes people to turn to such extreme levels of violence. A lot of this happens in the midst of fear and a lack of control. This is not to remove the personal accountability, but we should also understand that life’s circumstances force people to make some very hard choices. I am thankful that I have been blessed and not pushed to that edge, but I know that we must get together and fight the power of darkness that pulls and tugs at so many young people.

The natural response to this violence is fear and  the feeling that somebody has to pay for what has been done, because somehow this will make us safer, and thus alleviate our fears. But I really am just brought to tears for the fact that people die everyday because of acts of violence, not only in our community, but throughout the world. When is our outrage going to get us off of our collective backside, and move us toward working against the violence that plagues our world.

I want to respond with an active call for peace, a call to respond with love.

How are you and I going to be active in pursuit of peace?

JRMITCH85 Character, Faith

Any Given Day

Today is a regular day, no holiday to celebrate, no reason to hold a parade, but today is a day that we have been given as a blessing from God. So why don’t we praise? What holds us back from opening our hearts and our minds to fully giving ourselves over to God?

I know there are indescribable emotions running through people when we encounter hurt, pain, and all sorts of injustice. These may create blocks in our minds and our hearts against praise, but God wants us to give these things over, lay them at the foot of the cross, and express them in any way we know how.

David does this. His relationship with God was so authentic, that he communicated with God through prayer and song in good times and in not so good times. I pray that I can be more authentic with God, and give all things at all times over to the Almighty, the Creator of the universe.

 

JRMITCH85 Character

Martin Luther King Jr.’s Legacy

Several years ago I went to the UYWI Conference and the theme was Legacy, and posted on the bulletin boards and in miscellaneous places around the campus of Azusa Pacific were flyers detailing the lives of people who lived lives and left legacies to which we should take note. Certainly, I have seen a number of quotations today on twitter and facebook from Dr. King, but one of the greatest lessons I have learned is that my words, my actions, and my faith matter.

God placed a great burden upon the lap of Dr. King, and he did not shrink in that moment, but he answered the call just like Isaiah, “Here am I Lord, send me!” Injustice, prejudice, slavery, war, exploitation, poverty, hate, and suffering are still present in our world, all of the problems have not been solved. God is calling each one of us to stand up to oppression, and fight for justice. Your area of influence may be large or small, but the change to can effect is immeasurable. I urge you to answer God’s call on your life, and go out and be the change that this world needs.

Injustice doesn’t care what language you speak. It doesn’t care about the color of your skin. It doesn’t care what country you live in. It affects all of us. It tricks us with short-term benefits, but in the end we all suffer because of it. Martin Luther King Jr. knew this, and knew that it had to stop. I thank God for putting him in the world so that I could learn how to answer that call.  I matter, you matter, and we both have the ability to truly change the world through the power given to us through the Holy Spirit.

In my eyes, that is a great legacy.

JRMITCH85 Character, Decisions, Faith, Hope, Ramblings

No, You Can’t

My son has repeated to me numerous times the phrase, “I can do it myself, Daddy.” It is one of the most annoying phrases, even though it comes from the a person that I love so dearly. I can guess that it is certainly not unique to my family, and that there are parents out there who feel the same way I do. My own parents probably fall into that category.

No matter his true independence level on a number of tasks, there are many things he does need help doing, for instance, he needed help turning on the faucet at a sink because the handles were just outside his reach. He kept telling me he didn’t need my help, and insisted that I turn the water off, until finally he stood on top of my feet which gave him the necessary boost to reach the faucet handles. In his mind, he probably thinks he did it himself.

Another incident tonight was as he was trying to fall asleep, and he kept whining, indicating he was uncomfortable. I was worried that he might be sick, I asked him whether there was anything I could do to make him more comfortable. In true form, he told me that he was taking care of it himself, and didn’t need my help. However, after another ten minutes of struggling he let me know that he needed another blanket because he was too cold. Oddly enough, he would have had the issue resolved earlier had he just let me know when I first asked him.

These two examples are similar to how we often think we can do everything ourselves, we think we are completely self-reliant. However, we aren’t! We don’t want to hear, “No, you can’t do it all on your own.” However, we often walk along in our lives struggling to do it on our own, when we really just need to learn to ask for help.

The Almighty God desires us in relationship to lay EVERYTHING at the foot of the throne, for nothing is too much or too heavy.

When are we going to wake up and allow others to help us?

 

JRMITCH85 Character, Faith, Ramblings

On the Path

Over the past several weeks I have been struggling to recover from an ankle injury. This has seriously hampered my ability to go out and run. I really enjoy running, and have tried to go out and push through the pain, however sometimes I just can’t go on and run the pain off. My desire is that the hurt just go away, and that I can still go out tomorrow and start running, but I know that may not necessarily be the best thing for my ankle, and for the healing that needs to take place. I probably just need to rest it in order to let it heal, but sometimes the rest is harder than simply running through the pain.

This is one of my major struggles. I do not want to sit on the sidelines and watch, I want to run, I want to control everything about my training. However, this is one of those things that I have to relinquish control and allow the healing to begin. Until then the healing process may never begin, or at the very best be a longer process.

There are many things in our life that we try to control. Sometimes that grasp of control really complicates our life and creates problems, and all we really need to do is give up control and allow our bodies, minds, and spirit to heal. Too often we think we know what is best for our lives, and we know the road that we are supposed to travel down in our lives.

However, we need to learn that God desires us to lay these presuppositions down and follow the Almighty on the path that has been laid for us. Sometimes that path is rosy, but often the path is full of bumps and potholes. Many times these potholes are the character forming parts of our life, and these are the times that we are most tempted to stray from the path. This is an act of faith, this is the path that Abraham took, even if he made a few detours along the way. Are we going to trail blaze our own path? Or are we going to allow the Almighty and Loving God to guide us?

 

JRMITCH85 Character, Decisions

Watch Out!

Sometimes in life things happen, sometimes they are expected, but most times they catch us off guard. No matter what happens, we need to be on the lookout for the opportunities to jump into action, and opportunities to be the people that we are called to be. Whether it happens to be when a loved one is sick, or a friend is in need, or a natural disaster strikes, we should always be ready to jump into action and do what we can to help, to bring God’s grace and mercy to a friend or a stranger in need.

Watch out! Be ready to jump into action! Be “all that you can be”! Prepare your life for the fact that something is going to happen and we will have the opportunity to bring Glory to God!

JRMITCH85 Hope

I’m Thankful

I am so very thankful that there are a number of people that care for me. For I do realize that there are a great deal of people in the world without even close to the support system with which I have been graced. I look at those in Haiti still suffering a year later, I look at the toll war takes on societies half way around the world, and I look into the eyes of the homeless and hopeless in my own community, and I realize that I am blessed.

So I lift my glass to my support system. And I ask for all of you to be in prayer for those without.

How about going a step further, and extending God’s grace and allowing yourself to become support for those without hope?