Happy New Year

In years past, I’ve belonged to churches or fellowships that challenge its members to choose a word for the year.

As I enter 2026, I reflect on the words of 2025 which began as whispers.

Sheep – 

Shepherd –

Alabaster jar –

Hem (as in hem of a garment). 

Sheep – Somewhere in 2025, I began to feel a deep connection to sheep. 

Weird, I know.

The parable of the 99 Sheep grew in significance in my life, and I’ve thought about it often.

As I look back, I can see the moments in my life where I tried to be the Shepherd –  I can see the times where I fought for autonomy. 

I can also see moments where instead I was a lost sheep, or played injured.

On one side, either deceiving myself into too much power – “I can do whatever I set my mind to,” on the other, not enough – “I’m not good enough.” 

But what if my focus was more on the Shepherd. What if I received the reality that the Shepherd left the 99 for the 1.

Sheep aren’t very smart and they’re exceptionally prone to wander. 

Scripture shows us from the beginning, that human nature is consistent with this. 

Just read Exodus – God saves His people from slavery, parts the Red Sea in Exodus 15, and by Exodus 32, only three months later, Moses went up to Mount Sinai for forty days and forty nights to receive the Ten Commandments and the people were demanding a golden calf from Aaron requesting “a god that shall go before us.”

Forty days. 


Forty days without Moses, and the Israelites had forgotten what God had done. 

These are the same people who begged to go back to Egypt because they were sick of the Manna that God rained down from heaven to feed them. Forget the fact that God was raining food from heaven – these people wanted something they thought was “better.”

The Israelites show us who we really are.

The Israelites teach us about human nature.

The same people who were rescued, redeemed, called out of, called to, chosen, set apart, made to rely on, led – complain, choose lesser, think they know better, and want their golden calf – their god who will go before them.

We do it all the time. 

Prone to wander.

I have been the one, and Jesus has left the 99 for me – more than once. 

I bet if you stop to think, you have been the one, and Jesus has left the 99 for you.

This year, the weight of that has hit me. 

I don’t know how many times Jesus will leave the 99 for us – sometimes we wander in big ways and sometimes in small ways – each time it shows us the condition of our hearts and reveals to us the things in our lives that we make into golden calves. 

Thank God, we have a shepherd who pursues relentlessly, and forgives us for our proclivity to wander. 

The Alabaster Jar –

I’ve read it a million times. Mary poured out all of her expensive perfume from the alabaster jar onto Jesus in Matthew 26:6.

I imagine it frequently.

I ask myself, “would you be like Mary?”

In that moment, with Jesus would you recognize what’s before you? WHO is before you?

Would you be willing to take the thing most valuable and give it all to Him?

Not just a little. The entirety?

Or would you hold some back?

Would you fear that you needed to save some for later?

Would you be like her critics who became “indignant” with her and thought that the perfume was too valuable and could be used for money?

Would you call her act foolish? Or lacking logic?

I want to be like Mary. 

Completely aware that what I have been given should be given back in awe, reverence and worship.

I want that kind of adoration. That kind of love. 

The kind where you aren’t worried about what comes next, because you know that what comes next is insignificant when you’re in fellowship with Christ. 

Alabaster Jar – 

What will I do with my alabaster jar?

What will you do with yours?

Hem –

This is about the woman described in Matthew, Mark and Luke who bled for 12 years, but was healed instantly from only touching the hem of Jesus’s cloak. 

It is described similarly in all three accounts, but in Mark it says she had even been treated by many doctors, but her problem only grew worse. 

If I put myself in that situation, I would think I would lose hope, not gain it. 

Why? Because we focus too much on the things we see instead of the things that we don’t.

This woman believed that her only chance to heal would be because of Jesus. So much so, that she would barge her way through a crowd, just to touch the edge of his garment. 

You don’t believe a little for that.

You know the power of Christ, when you aim to just get your fingertips on the edge of his garment. 

We all want deep faith, but if we search ourselves, is there unbelief to be found in certain areas?

I have found that my unbelief is not in who He says He is, or what he says He’s done or will do, but in personal areas where I sometimes don’t think I’m worthy of His power in my life. 

In that, you miss the point of the gospel. 

The point is, I’m not worthy. No one is. 

Stop thinking about the sheep and look at the Shepherd.

I want to be like this woman – knowing that if I only touch his garment, His power comes to work in my life. That kind of faith. Personal. 

Sheep – 

Shepherd –

Alabaster Jar –

Hem –

What’s your word in 2026? Whatever it may be, wishing you a blessed new year.

What Jesus are we talking about?

When referring to Jesus, our culture often talks about love. 

Regardless of beliefs, most people agree that Jesus was a historical figure who walked the earth, and demonstrated the power and truth of what love is. 

Culturally, both those who accept His divinity and those who reject it, have crafted a Jesus that makes people comfortable.

Even the church. 

We like the soft Jesus. The lover Jesus. 

The one who gives us the warm and fuzzies. 

But, is that all there is to Jesus?

Let me ask you? 

Are you one thing? Or many things?

When we talk about Jesus, do we forget that although Jesus portrayed love and was love – the other most important thing Jesus showed us was obedience?

He perfectly demonstrates it. 

And He calls us to live in obedience.

Before Jesus was arrested He said to His disciples, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death…”  In the next verse, “…he fell to his face and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.” And then a couple of verses later He prays, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may Your will be done.” (Matthew 26:38)

Jesus knew what was coming. 

He was scared. 

He didn’t want to go through it. 

He wanted out. 

But, Jesus committed the most important act of obedience that would ever take place.

We like the “love” part. 

We like to forget about the “obedience” part.

And when we talk about obedience, what are we talking about?

Obedience to who?

Obedience how?

Human nature has always been to construct a narrative and then look for supporting evidence.

Often, we don’t like to hear the narrative and accept its truth if it contradicts our agenda.

Today, we like phrases like “live your truth,” and “find yourself.”

But, isn’t there one truth? …If you believe in scripture.

Isn’t there one God who created you with a purpose and plan that cannot be fully discovered apart from Him?

Thousands of years ago, the narrative was an expectation for a King to arrive who would overtake Kingdoms and sit on a throne and display power and might. 

The Messianic expectations were for Jesus to restore Israel to prominence.

Yet, the prophets who came before Him never said that the Messiah would come that way.

Isaiah prophesied about the virgin birth, the birth of a child who would be a ruler, and the suffering servant. Isaiah 53 describes the suffering and rejection of Jesus. 

Jeremiah also prophesied about Jesus and the righteous branch that would come from the line of David. He wrote of a New Covenant through Jesus.

Further prophecy in the Old Testament is in Psalms, Daniel and Micah. 

In Psalms 22, David writes, : “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 

The same words spoken by Christ on the cross hundreds of years later.

In verse 17 and 18, David writes, “All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garments.” 

Again, this was fulfilled during the death of Jesus.

So, what happened? What got lost in translation? 

Before and during the time of Jesus, people expect a King of power. 

They get a savior who displays a power that isn’t what they expect.

But, they shouldn’t have misunderstood.

Not if they read the Old Testament. 

Not if they listened to the prophets and the prophecies. 

How is this different from our culture?

Do we read?

Do we listen?

Don’t we cling to what we want to hear? …and throw the rest away?

Haven’t we made Jesus what we want Him to be?

The answers for those thousands of years ago are still the same answers today. 

We can miss Jesus just like so many did when He walked in the flesh, on this earth. 

We can miss Him because we expect Him to reveal Himself in ways that He won’t. 

We can miss Him because we haven’t read. 

We can miss Him because we haven’t listened. 

We can miss him because we want to hold on to a singular aspect – love.

And ignore another key aspect – obedience.

God shows us through the entirety of the Bible that He is not singular. 

He creates, He engages, He’s relational, He instructs, He commands, He judges, He reigns down wrath, He gives mercy, fulfills promises, makes covenants, destroys, rescues, saves – 

God reveals His character to us through scripture, and if we think He is just a God of love, I invite you to read the Old Testament. I invite you to read Revelation in the New Testament.

The biggest misconception is that Jesus cancels out the Old Testament.

Jesus doesn’t cancel out the Old Testament. 

Jesus references the Old Testament. 

Jesus fulfills prophecy from the Old Testament.

He’s the same God throughout the scriptures. 

Same God – New covenant, through Jesus.

So, my questions remain –  obedience to who? Obedience how?

This is personal.

I don’t know what it is for you, only for me.

This can’t be discovered on your own.

You don’t get to decide how God wants to use you, or the ways in which He’s asking you to be obedient.

You can’t dream it up, imagine it, or guess.

It has to align with who God is and what He says.

It can’t be the God we imagine or create or the one we think sounds good – 

And the only way to discern if something aligns with who God is and what He says is to read.

Read.

Read the bible.

Stop reading human opinion. 

Stop listening to man made philosophy. 

Stop creating narratives.

We cannot be obedient to a God we don’t know.

We cannot discern truth when we haven’t sought the character of God, which He revealed in scripture through signs, miracles, wonders, prophets, and Christ. 

He shows us who He is. 

And just like the people of Jesus’s time weren’t prepared for the coming of Christ, so may we be caught off guard at the next event on the prophetic timetable. 

And that prophecy doesn’t have Jesus riding in on a donkey. Jesus is coming on a white horse, with an army. 

In the end, what excuse will we have? 

“I didn’t know?” ….

My Dad

For a man that always seemed so simple, it always amazed me that my relationship with my dad felt so complicated. 

There are things about my dad that will always be a mystery to me. I accepted that long ago, and as I sit here writing this I am grateful. Grateful that there came a time where I stepped into the right of passage as an adult where the recognition unveiled itself that my dad is not just my dad, but another human being with hopes, dreams, disappointments, deficiencies, capabilities and incapability’s. I learned long ago, the thing I think is a gift  – that my dad loved me and always did the best he could. I learned that you get one dad, and he was mine. 

Our relationship like any, evolved over time. But when I think about the majority of my life, the feeling I always got from my dad was that he saw me as “his kid.” I always felt so claimed by my dad. As strange as that sounds, it’s one of the best verbs I can use to articulate how I felt. I always knew how proud my dad was of me – no doubt, embarrassing at times, but as I look back, I know that my dad was truly my biggest fan. 

I will miss the way his eyes lit up when we talked about the things he loved – soccer and fishing. 

I don’t know many people quite as animated, enthusiastic or as passionate as my dad. Any time in my life that I’ve been asked to describe him, I’ve been lost for words, because my dad is the kinda guy you just have to meet. When he told a story or gave instructions on the soccer field, it made a lasting impression.  

It’s no secret that soccer was inseparable from Charlie Myers. Soccer was something we shared, and I am so grateful I got to share that with my dad. I didn’t always show my dad the same respect – you know how that goes – kids know better. But I think, he knew that I thought he was the best too. He was simple, effective, always got results, and knew how to win. That was the thing that still makes me laugh from time to time – my dad always found a way to win. 

He not only impacted my entire life as a player, he impacts it as a coach and trainer, and I know that I will hear him every time I step on a field and will remain impacted by him for the rest of my life. Funny, my first season of collegiate coaching, and the thing I hear myself saying is what I have heard him say my whole life “can they head a ball?” Anyone that knew Charlie, knew there was no one like him in the air. I think anyone that ever trained with him will forever hear  “quick, quick, quick” or “fast, fast, fast,” when they see a soccer ball. 

Every player my dad worked with was the only player he ever worked with. When you had your hour and half with Coach Charlie, he was going to try and make you the best player out of Baltimore. There was no slacking, no dismissal of detail, and no time for anything other than work. One thing about my dad, if you were going to do it, you were going to “do it right.” He took pride in everything he did. 

In adult years, I look back and see that my dad, a former professional soccer player, went to work in a factory for 20 years, when my sister and I were little. I remember him going to night shifts when I was about 3 or 4. He later worked his way up to management, but I think about that sometimes – how much I know he hated it, and how much he wanted to be on a soccer field, but how much he believed it was his job to go do the “responsible thing” and provide for his family. I have always admired that about my dad, especially knowing that he was the epitome of “soccer is life.”

 I’ll always remember his brawn – big and strong – I always felt like that was his superpower. 

I will miss talking soccer with my dad – hearing about the big fish he caught that day, or just being entertained (and also at times horrified) by the things he would say. 

I wish so bad that you had years left to kick and throw a ball with my son. I never imagined you wouldn’t be on the sidelines with me next to you saying “Dad, be quiet!” I will mourn the loss of that. I’m not sure how I will be able to describe you to him – thank God I have videos. 

What I do know is that your eyes will light up when you see him enter the world like they did with me. I know I will hear you calling him “Pal” and chuckling at the cute and crazy things he will do, and I’m sure I will have many moments where he will do things that I stop and think “I wish Pop were here.” I promise, I will put a ball at his feet and tell him to dribble around the coffee table, and then tell him to “rewind the other way and use the other foot,” as soon as he can walk. 

I love you, Dad. Thank you for everything – the good was good, and the bad made me better for it. I hope you’re at peace – I’ll miss you. 

Shine – A blog about deliberate intention

If you’ve ever been to a Christmas Eve church service, maybe you’ve been a part of the candle lighting. Everyone in the church has a candle, and the flame gets passed.

As I stood in Christmas Eve service last week, holding my candle, Will leaned into me as he shifted his candle over to mine to light it. Shortly after, my candle went out again and he re-lit it a second time. Then, a third time. Finally, I wrapped my hand around the flame to protect the light. 

I smiled.

Standing in the sea of light, I thought, “sometimes we need these moments of recognition where we realize the light is out, and we need to deliberately reignite. And sometimes, we have those moments where we need to intentionally protect the flame.”

Instantly, I remembered what was on my business cards and my very first website in 2012 in Wilmington, NC when I first dreamt up Warrior Soccer Training. 

Matthew 5:14-16 – Let your light shine.

Whatever you believe, the message here applies. 

There are core values and beliefs that we all have. You have them.  These things are our why. 

In highly competitive environments where “winning” is important, sometimes we find ourselves in situations that compromise our values and beliefs. 

There will be people in your industry who will lie, steal and cheat to win. 

People who play dirty. 

People who do and say things you can’t even believe are happening in the same realm as youth soccer.

Be deliberate about your light.

Be intentional about protecting it.

And remember, it’s never been about the what.

It’s always been about the why and the how. 

Why are you doing it?

How are you doing it?

As we enter 2023, hold that close. Enter with intention.

Anything else doesn’t matter. Seven Life Lessons while planning our wedding

Seve

81 days. 81 days until I marry my best friend.

I remember kneeling in the pews of St. Johns Church at 8 praying for “a good husband and healthy, smart, talented kids.” 

Somewhere along the way, in adulthood, I started to wonder where God was. Did He hear me? 

I don’t know if others can relate, but my life has rarely been on my timeline. And every time I think it’s late, I look back in retrospect and realize it’s right on time.

Will and I met at an ordained time. 

When I moved back to Maryland, it was a tough adjustment. I wrote a blog when I was in Australia where I wrote about my epiphany of “there has to be more than this.”

For me, I think those years were a reckoning. A reckoning, where one single line became my life mantra: go get your life.

I didn’t feel like I was living it. 

I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to be living. It just didn’t feel like mine. 

I needed to take risks. I needed to fail if that’s what it meant. I needed charge forward. I needed to feel like I wasn’t restrained by fear, or past trauma, or anything that wasn’t good. I needed to know at the end of the day, this was my life and my decisions, and I went for it in faith. 

And in those years of taking ownership – accepting adulthood for what it is – I grew up. 

Suddenly a partner wasn’t my focus.

…Oddly, enter Will. 

Also, a man with a lot of growing up to do during those past years, but a man of character because of it. 

This blog isn’t about us, or our love story. 

This blog is about the joy and beauty that weddings sometimes bring out in people. 

That’s sarcasm…. 

…Can you hear it?

I’ve had an amazing and joy filled experience wedding planning. It’s been fun to share with my mom, and I’ve had gracious and unexpected help from so many. 

Will and I decided not to have a bridal party, yet both of our closest friends are still planning bachelor and bachelorette parties (some of the things we didn’t want people to feel obligated to). 

The people who love us, are showing up. Not because they have to, but because they want to.

We are so grateful. 

But there are always a few. 

I’ve been committed to giving no energy or attention to those few. 

And this blog isn’t about sharing details, because at the end of of the day I’m not interested in blaming. 

Blaming isn’t strong or brave – it gains nothing. Blaming is victimization. 

I’m interested in personal growth.

So, here’s what I’ve learned from those few:

  • Anything bad being thrown your way – just don’t take it personally.
    • People’s judgments say more about them, than you.
    • People sometimes seek to hurt in attempt to heal themselves.
    • Happy people are too invested in their own lives. They usually don’t try to bring negative things to yours.
  • The people who really love you, always show up.
  • There is always so much more good than bad. Remain grateful.

And the biggest reminder of all. The thing that sometimes makes me hate weddings because this gets lost.

The reason.

I’ve waited for Will on God’s time, and I know that he’s my person.

The only real and honest truth about our wedding, is that everything is a celebration of two people’s decision to join a covenant under God, surrounded by the people who love us and want good for us. 

Anything else, doesn’t matter.

Eminem rapped it better with “Lose Yourself” : A Blog about Destiny

“Do you see your life as something you create?

Or do you see your life as something happening to you?

-Rob Bell

Three years ago I had this revelation. 

Was I creating?

Or was I coasting?

Had I stopped trying?

Dreaming?

Pursuing?

Most of my life, I was willful. Big dreams, and the belief that hard work would bring every dream to fruition. 

For a while that worked. 

Then it didn’t. 

Road block, after road block, until I started to feel like I had no control over my destiny.

I began to see things as…

“Maybe dreams come true…

But don’t expect it…”

Dreamer to cynic. 

A belief I was destined for greatness…

To, moments of…..“why am I here?”

When I left Florida, and returned to Baltimore, I felt like I was returning to roots. 

Returning to self. 

I had unfinished business, and while location doesn’t birth evolution to an inside job, the landscape caused the waves of my soul to move toward the shores of truth. 

There are times when that sea rages. 

And times when it’s calm . 

There are times when the currents go out to sea…

And times where they return…

And in all these things, there are conditions that the sea reacts too —

The wind affects the waves. 

The gravitational pull of the sun and the moon affects the waves.

But the sea is never still. 

It keeps moving – 

And responding –

And engaging with life. 

This, like our souls, in constant motion and change.

This personal revelation, began with “there has to be more than this.”

I wrote about that in Brisbane. 

Then it became, “Go get your life.”

From question to solution. 

“You want more? Go get it.”

What’s the more that you want?

Like most of us, I don’t want to just coast.

Don’t we all want to thrive?

To squeeze every ounce of life out of this experience? 

For life to be colorful, and full, and rich? 

For our relationships to be authentic, and our time well spent?

Don’t we all want our professional lives to be meaningful, and to feel like we’re living up to our greatest potential?

No more, life happening.

Life does happen. 

But, what we do, makes the difference. 

I needed to remember that we still have some control. 

Opting out, because we may not get what we want…?

We’re better than that.

All of us. 

We deserve a chance.

I believe that God has a plan. 

That everything in this life that is meant to be mine, will be mine, and everything in this life that is meant to be yours, will be yours. 

But our job is to go get it, and when it doesn’t happen when we think it should happen, to know, that not now doesn’t always mean not ever. 

I’ve been reflecting lately especially on that – timing. 

God’s timing is sometimes really annoying. 

If we listen, there are times we can feel His promises.

We believe something will come to pass in our lives.

But,  when it doesn’t happen as quickly as we expect, we may wonder. We may doubt. We may even grow angry.

Do we ever stop to wonder if delay is actually blessing?

The example of “you wouldn’t give a baby keys to your car, would you?”

I’ve had some things in my life that have felt delayed.

You?

One in particular, that I can say today, the delay was a gift. 

There are things I wasn’t ready for.

And while waiting, here’s what I learned:

How to go get my life…

How to stand on my own two feet…

How to be good to myself…

How to take personal responsibility for my decisions and their consequences…

How to choose things that serve me, instead of destroy me…

How to invest in relationships that are good, and authentic and meaningful…

I learned more about who I am, what I want, and what I’ll allow in my life…

I learned that we attract people because of who we are …

That if we want something different, we should work on becoming…

And three years later, I found myself in a place where I didn’t have all the things I wanted, but all the things I needed. 

I found myself in a place where I was good with myself….

Lacking and wanting for nothing. 

And the funny thing is…

Then, God said ok.

Ok, to some of the things I still wanted, but was content without.

The lesson is not about trying to get what we want. 

Or even getting what we want.

The lesson is, trusting that we will always have what we need. 

The only truth I really returned to when those waves moved back to shore, is that God knows, I don’t, and my only job is to just do my best.

Do my part. 

GO GET MY LIFE.

We were wired to be creative for a reason. 

Go create. 

Forward

If we pay attention, the Universe delivers messages.

Are we on the right path?

Are we in the right relationship?

Are we in the right career?

“Right,” being right for us.

Not right for them, or her, or him – right for us.

Last week, I watched a Netflix series called Away.

I can’t recommend it enough – a badass astronaut (played by Hillary Swank), leads a team to Mars.

At some point in her journey, she grows weary and depressed and wants to go home.

Then she has a conversation with a fellow astronaut and the astronaut tells her, “You’re looking down, and you need to be looking up. … You’re looking in the wrong direction.”

That same weekend, I was driving to someone’s house, and they were following me. I noticed I kept looking in the rearview mirror. As expected, I was driving all over the place, until I realized what I was doing.

Until I realized, “if you look back, it’s pretty difficult to go forward.”

Why was I looking in the rearview mirror?

Did I care what this person thought of my driving?

How silly.

Yet, this silly moment spoke to me in two ways –

Focus on what’s in front of you.

Losing sight over what other’s think prevents you from driving properly.

Simple.

But, powerful for me.

This summer has been the most profitable summer of my life.

It’s also been peaceful, meaningful and purpose driven.

Covid, as it turns out, removed every last distraction for me.

I’ve had the Covid blinders on – seeing nothing other than what’s in front of me with work.

This focus began last year.

This year, it’s been sharpened.

And the messages, and the timing of my life seem to be reminding me –

Life is forward.

Looking back is for learning.

Sometimes we must go back, to go forward –

To untangle, and unwind for healing and growth and understanding.

But, we can’t stay there.

Not if we want to keep driving.

The people that are meant to be in the car with us, will stay –

The place we are headed, will be there if it’s meant for us –

But while we’re on the journey, can we listen?

Can we listen to the things God / The Universe is saying?

Can we choose the right path?

The one we know we should be walking.

The one that brings us peace, because it has our name on it.

Can we choose the right relationship?

The one that brings us joy, instead of pain.

The one that’s forged on good things – things of substance.

The one that’s a partnership, each aiding and supporting the other along the way to becoming better.

Can we choose the right career?

The place where we give back the talents and unique abilities that God has given to us.

Can we remember that life is in front of us?

That it’s ours to take, and design and run with.

…Can we choose the things that keep us moving forward?

Reshaping Rona : Mind, Body and Spirit.

This morning I woke up, got on my bike, listened to a sermon, and felt empowered and uplifted.

 
As I walked Jackson, an awareness surfaced and I began to think about the correlation between feelings and thoughts.

 
In a time, such as this, uncertainty is like a thick fog, and our inability to see through the cloudiness, leaves us feeling fear, anxiety and worry.

 
Like all of life’s experiences, this experience will be shaped by our perspective.

 
Every circumstance, encounter, relationship and experience, grants us with an opportunity to become.

 
To become more.

 
To become stronger,

 
more resolved,

 
braver,

 
more grateful…

 
Uncertainty has a way of showing us who we are and what we’re really made of.

 
So, how can we grow during this time?

 
I thought about the things that make us human – mind, body and spirit.

 
When I think about the mind, I think about discipline.

 
What are we thinking about?

 
How are we allowing those thoughts to guide our experience?

 
Do we allow our minds to wander down roads of worst-case scenarios?

 
Do we constantly complain?

 
Do we think about the things we’re missing, or how much we dislike our circumstances?

 
Do we lack gratitude, and focus on the things that we don’t have?

 
Or….

 
Do we lean into uncertainty, accepting reality, while still choosing faith and optimism?

 
Do we do what we can do, just for today?

 
Do we look for opportunities to find silver lining? …Is there something productive we can do that will benefit us and/or the people around us?

 
Next, our physical well-being.

 
There’s never been a better time to view exercise as a celebration of what our bodies are capable of.

 
If you find yourself strong, and healthy, celebrate.

 
We are reminded, that health is not to be taken for granted.

 
That if we have nothing else at all in fact, but our health, we are still blessed.

 
Be good to your body during this time.

 
Move.

 
Stretch.

 
Fuel it well.

 
I’ve been telling our youth players, “see this is a chance to get faster, stronger and sharper. Come out of this better.”

 
And last, from a spiritual standpoint, few things cause us to question our beliefs more than uncertainty.

 
Uncertainty invites questions like:

 
Is there a plan?

 
Why is this happening?

 
Will we be ok?

 
Is someone or something in control?

 
We discover what we believe and who we believe during these times.

 
And, regardless of what you believe, I hope you find peace and reassurance in those beliefs.

 
For me, history has shown me that God always provides.

 
History has also shown me, that nothing has ever taken place in my life outside of God’s sovereign power, and that nothing has been wasted. He uses everything.

 

Look back on your life.

 

Have you found your way out of impossible situations?

 

Have you managed to find good in the bad?

 

In the times when everything went awry and life defied your plans, what happened next?

 

For me, those were some of the most meaningful and valuable experiences. They were my teachers.

 
No one could have imagined that 2020 would be dampened with a global pandemic.

 

But here we are.

 

How can we shape our experience, and leave better than when we entered, mind, body and spirit?

Never The Same Love Twice : Fitzgerald Had it Right.

Ancient Greek culture had seven words for love.

 

1. “Eros: Love of the body,” rooted in beauty, lust and sexual attraction.

 
2. “Philia: Love of the mind” also known as brotherly love.

 
3. “Ludus: Playful love,” a “child-like and fun kind of love,”  (Naim).

 
4. “Pragma: Longstanding love,” “the everlasting love between a married couple.”

 

5. “Agape: Love of the soul,” selfless and for all humanity; unconditional love.

 

6. “Philautia : Love of the self,” which the Greeks divided into two types, love that is selfish, and healthy love for self.

 
7. “Storage: Love of the child,” a natural and effortless love that a parent has for a child.

 

The dictionary defines love as “an intense feeling of deep affection; a great interest and pleasure in something; a deep romantic or sexual attraction to someone.”

 

Synonyms include : “fondness, tenderness, intimacy, adoration, passion, desire, lust, infatuation, friendship, kindness, intrigue, affair, amour, liking, zeal, appreciation.”

 

Verbs include: to “be infatuated with, smitten with, passionate about, care very much for, hold very dear, treasure.”

 
In some Christian circles, you’ll hear the exact opposite – love is not a feeling, but a choice. You choose to love people.

 
The New Testament calls love patient and kind, describing it as void of envy, boasting and pride. It also say love “does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails,” (1Corinthians, 13:4-8).

 
And in 1 John 4, God is referred to as love.

 

According to Buddah, ‘love is one of the paths to full spiritual liberation.’ In Buddhism, the kind of love that is taught is one characterized by freedom. ‘Love that involves clinging, lust, confusion, neediness, fear, or grasping to self would, in Buddhist terms be seen as expressions of bondage and limitation.’ The four kinds of love encouraged in Buddhist doctrine are lovingkindness, compassion, appreciative joy and equanimity,’” (Fronsdal).

 
Hinduism has the idea of Parra Brahma – spreading love.

 

And Judaism believes that love is covenantal.

 

I would argue that love is central to most world religions.

 

And if you’re Atheist or Agnostic, I feel confident saying that you too, have said “I love you,” or have been “in love.”

 
Philosophers all wrote about love – Socrates, Plato, Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Sir Thomas Aquinas –

 

All with different views, and some with questionable life decisions regarding to love.

 

Kierkegaard, bailed on his bride just before the wedding because he felt he wasn’t up to the task, and it would disrupt his profession.

 

Nietzsche died alone.

 

Founding fathers of psychology, Freud and Jung both devoted study and thought to developing theories and psychoanalysis on love.

 

Poets and musicians have forged careers on the topic of love.

 

Our culture even take matters to court over love.

 

There’s the popular hashtag “love wins,” which was used to celebrate marriage equality

 

We say it’s a feeling.

 

We say it’s a choice.

 

We say love is blind.

 

We say love wins.

 

We say we love our friends.

 

Our significant others.

 

Our pets.

 

Our clothes.

 

Our God.

 

Our dinner.

 

A color, a place, a thing.

 

Love is a word we use to express our feelings towards the people we feel most passionately about –

 

And the thing we think is just kinda cool.

 

It’s used by people of different religions, cultures, backgrounds, genders and sexual identities.

 

Eskimos have 50 words for snow, and we use one word for something much more important, and rely solely on context.

 

We also tie things to love, don’t we?

 

“I’m doing this, because I love you.”

 

“I’m saying this, because I love you.”

 

We get these messages every day of our lives, shaping our perceptions of love and adding layers to our belief systems.

 

Oh, and then there’s “love languages.”

 

To date, there are five, (by 2032, there may be 55), described by author and radio host, Gary Chapman in his well known book “The 5 Love Languages.”

 

These are : Words of Affirmation, Gifts, Acts of Service, Quality Time and Physical Touch.

 

So here’s the thing –

 

Is there anything more universal than love?

 

Aren’t we all after it?

 
…this undefinable, multi layered, context driven, thing that seems to be very personal to the individual both by definition and by interpretation.

 

There’s a lot I don’t know for sure.

 

But there’s a few things I do know.

 

I want to be loved.

 

And I want to love well.

 

And so do you.

 

So what does love mean to you?

 

What’s true about love for you?

 

Are you loved well?

 

Do you love well?

 

How are your relationships different when it comes to love?

 

Do the people you say you love know that you love them?

 

Do you have a value system that defines love?

 

Have you attached things to love that aren’t love based on your definition?

 

How important is love to you?

 

As tacky, and annoying and commercialized as this very silly holiday is, I think it’s purpose can be thought provoking.

 

Because,  if love is this important to everyone, surely we should spend some time reflecting on it’s meaning and significance in our lives.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited:

Fronsdal, Gil. “The Buddha’s Teachings on Love.” insightmeditationcenter.org

Naim, Rania. “The 7+ Types of Love You’ll Probably Experience In This Life: Discover all the different types of love in the world, from ancient Greek terms for love to modern types of love.” 31 March, 2019, https://thoughtcatalog.com

The Holy Bible. NIV. Grand Rapids, Michigan : Zondervan, 2005. Print.

sorenkierkegaard.org/Kierkegaard-letters-documents.html

 

We Get To Decide

We always have a decision.

 

In every thought –

 

In every action –

 

We get to decide.

 

We get to decide if we react in the heat of emotion,

 

or respond with thoughtfulness.

 

We get to decide what we do when our feelings are hurt.

 

Do we allow ourselves to cry?

 

Do we ask ourselves why that hurt so much?

 

Are we honest about why?

 

Do we find the humility and the courage to speak things out loud?

 

Do we hold these things close, or let them go?

 

Do we harbor resentment?

 

And take things personally?

 

Do we pray?

 

Do we return to our gratitude lists?

 

We get to decide.

 

When we feel insignificant –

 

When we question our impact –

 

When we feel silly, or stupid…

 

Do we accept these things?

 

Do we run?

 

Or hide?

 

Or avoid?

 

Or isolate?

 

Do we quit?

 

We get to decide.

 

When we feel scared.

 

Or vulnerable –

 

or relationships start to freak us out –

 

We get to decide.

 

We can choose thoughts that make us sick, or thoughts that keep us well.

 

Thoughts that breed isolation and feelings of rejection, or thoughts that unite with connectedness.

 

We can choose to see ourselves through the lens of God, or the lens of lesser things.

 

We can choose negativity or positivity.

 

We can choose to continue being uncomfortable in the pursuit of more, or we can retreat to safety and settle for less.

 

In every moment, of everyday..

 

We get to decide.