A Reel Expert Can Tackle Anything

This is grandson, Payton’s 19th birthday week and of course, as his usual request, we’re fishing! We’re here at Beaver’s Bend in Broken Bow, OK. We drove up here yesterday and we couldn’t get our poles in the water fast enough. Our cabin was set up quickly and before daybreak this morning, fishing had already begun. Fishing will be hearty all day with only breaks for meals.

I can’t help but recall how this all got started. At age 10, Payton told it best in the book he wrote and published, “That’s What Papa Said!” Here’s an excerpt about his love for his Papa and fishing:
Papa: The Fisherman -- I’m only ten years old, but I love to fish and play the piano more than anything in the world. These are only two of the many things that Papa taught me. My Papa could play the piano, go fishing, think up great ideas, a builder, could fix almost anything and he would always tell us the story of Jesus on Christmas Eve.

From the day I was born, my Papa would tell me exciting stories of the many fish he caught and even the ones that got away. I really enjoyed listening to them because they were always funny and interesting. When I would spend the night at Papa’s house, I would always look forward to bedtime because Papa would take time to tell me a cool story about fishing or some great outdoor adventure. Papa took me fishing and was the first to help me learn how to be a real fisherman. My favorite fishing adventure with Papa was the time he took me to Marvel Camp to teach me the “Six Steps of Becoming a Great Fisherman”.

Step 1) Keep your supplies in order. Papa said to keep my fishing supplies organized so they would last longer and be easier to find. He told me to always hang my fishing rod on the wall and put my rubber boots in the same place so I could find them easily. Papa said, “Great fishermen keep their supplies in order.” That’s what Papa said.

Step 2) Keep trying. This one took practice. It was learning to cast the line into the water. That was kind of hard the first couple of times because my line usually ended up in the trees. And sometimes the line would get tangled. Papa said to "just keep trying". The more I tried, the more I got better and better. Papa said, “Great fishermen never give up!” That’s what Papa said.

Step 3) Be patient. It took me time to learn this one because sometimes the fish got away. When that first happened, I was sad. Once I was standing on a rock and there was a giant bass right under my feet. I dropped the lure into the water and BAM! The fish bit the lure. I was so excited that I jerked the rod up and when I did, the hook came out of the fish's mouth. I was really upset because the fish got away. Papa told me not to jerk the rod because if I did, the hook won't set properly. Papa said, "Great fisherman are patient, take their time, and don't rush.” That’s what Papa said.

Step 4) Never be afraid. Step four was learning to take the fish off the hook. It was pretty tricky and slimy, too. The first time Papa told me that I had to hold the fish, I thought the fish would bite my finger off. He told me to put my thumb in the fish's mouth and pull back. The first time I tried I was freaked out because the fish had little teeth. Finally, I had the courage to hold the slimy fish with a glove and put my other finger in its mouth. As soon as I did though, the fish wiggled and it scared me so much that I dropped the fish and it got away. Papa just looked at me and said: "Great fishermen are not afraid." That’s what Papa said.

Step 5) Take time to do things right. Papa said I was becoming a real fisherman and was ready to tackle this. Step 5 required me to tie my own hook on the line and it took a lot of practice. I would get the line tangled up when I tried to tie the knot. First, he showed me how to hold the hook. Then he told me to put the fishing line through the eye of the hook. With my fingers holding the line tightly, I had to twist the hook and then thread it through the hole. Papa said, "Great fishermen take their time to do things right, even if it means doing it over and over again." That’s what Papa said.

Step 6) Never give up. Step six was the hardest of them all because I had to learn how to use a really sharp knife. Papa waited till I was 10 years old for this step because I had to use that sharp knife to filet my own fish. I still need a little practice on this, but I am getting better. Learning to filet the fish was very hard because if I cut the fish too close to the backbone it messed up the meat. I messed up a lot, but Papa was patient with me. I kept on going till I did it perfectly. I remember Papa said, "You're my champion. You did all six steps. You are now a GREAT fisherman." That's What Papa Said!”

I shared all of this with you because of these sweet memories that still drive us today. Payton is proficient at all those steps and he’s a great fisherman, too. Because Payton is carrying on the “teaching” that his Papa gave him to others -- he now has “fishing disciples” of his own!

Most importantly, those "fishing steps" are also "life steps" in reeling in success in every area of our lives. I know it has worked for us, and I pray, that put into practice, will work for you, too! Now go and catch THE BIG ONE in life, in business, in your family’s success, in your ministry and your love walk!! While you’re at it, be a fisher-of-men and women, too!

Life Lessons Can Be Learned From Bocce

On April 14th, I celebrated living here in Frisco for one year. I can hardly believe it’s already been a year and I’ve grown to love my community. I’m so busy with my church and ministry activities, my traveling and my children and grandchildren that I haven’t met that many people here. That’s changing as I joined yet another really enjoyable team sport, Bocce. It's a sport played between two teams with from 1 to 4 players on each team. A set of bocce balls is composed of 8 large bocce balls (4 of one color and 4 of another color) and one smaller ball called the ”pallino” (Italian word for 'cue ball'). One point is given for each bocce ball that is closer to the pallino than the opposing team’s bocce balls. While bocce can be played on lawns, we have 12 courts here at Frisco Lakes.

Throwing balls toward a target is the oldest game known to mankind. As early as 5000 B.C. the Egyptians played a form of bocce with polished rocks. From Egypt, the game made its way to Greece around 800 B.C. The Romans learned the game from the Greeks, and then introduced it throughout the empire. From the early Greek physician Hippocrates to the Italian Renaissance man Galileo, the early participants of Bocce noted that the game’s athleticism and spirit of competition rejuvenates the body. Thanks to many Italian immigrants at the turn of the century, Bocce has flourished in the U.S. -- now more than 25 million Bocce enthusiasts here. Next to Soccer and Golf, Bocce is the third most participated sport in the world and is considered the oldest known sport in world history. So, you’re welcome – now you know about Bocce.

This photo is of my league team “The Lady Rollers” and we are all about friendship, celebrating each other – win or lose (like yesterday’s game when we cheered for our opposing team when they won the match as it was the birthday of one of their players. The score was tied -- 1 game to 1 game and the 3rd game was neck and neck. The birthday girl’s team, the Bocce Angels, won. If we're going to lose, it's worth it to help make someone's birthday extra special.

I've learned some valuable lessons from the game:
1) Never give up. We’ve been down and it looked like a shoo-in for the other team to win, and lo and behold we would win because all four of our balls were the closest to the pallino and we won the game. We check each other, if at any point, we start speaking negatively about our playing, because – whiners never win, and winners who think like winners, never lose -- well sometime that do, but not because they were whiners.

2) Never say “SORRY”! I love that about the game. We’re all doing our best and if we make an inadvertent mistake, you don’t say “SORRY”. And, if you do, you'll quickly be corrected. The definition of SORRY is feeling distress, feeling upset, downcast, in a poor or pitiful state or condition and we are none of those. Yesterday, we said, “Why say “sorry” – it’s just a game and in the light of eternity, does it really matter? We hold our heads high and think "I'll do better next time!"

3) Cheer and congratulate when someone does well – even if it’s an opposing team member. I love it when I make a really good play to save the game and those gals make me feel like a rock star – rather, a bocce star.

4) Those who are the best…..mentor those of us who are still learning. And they do it with such a sense of TLC. I’m already mentoring the new gals because, after all, I’m a veteran now – having played last year and now this year.

5) No name calling or trash talk allowed. I know that’s common in many sports, but I love the genuine sportsmanship and comradery in this game. Even if we call ourselves names or trash talk ourselves because of a dumb error, others are quick to steer us the other direction.

6) Making friends – Bocce is a great social sport and it gives us a chance to make new friends or bond more closely with old ones. It doesn’t take too much motivation for us to want to play, but just in case we were in a little lazy mode, our friends motivate us to “get our game on”. And that we do.

6) And, here is the best part -- bocce has great health benefits:
-- It helps lower our blood pressure -- our bodies get rejuvenated and our heart gets strengthened
-- It improves balance -- navigating the bocce balls down a court provides helps with our balance.

As I’ve said many times before, I don’t plan on giving up until I’m taken up…..and if that day comes while I’m playing bocce, I just hope and pray my roll was the winning roll that rolls me straight on through the pearly gates! In the meantime, how about a game of BOCCE?!!

Hebrews 12:11-13 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.”

It May Not Be Easy...But It Will Be Worth It!

Nine months of pregnancy – twice – carrying and delivering my two precious babies -- wasn't EASY! Nausea, swollen feet, eye twitching (yes, that was a side effect with both of my two darlings), lack of sleep, overall discomfort, and then the pain of the delivery……no, it wasn’t easy. But I am telling you…..it WAS sure worth it!

My husband and I built homes, bought homes, leased homes – big ones, little ones, mobile ones and moved to Oklahoma from Texas, from Oklahoma to Canada, from Canada back to Oklahoma (and many moves in those places and with those moves, were what seemed to be daunting tasks of packing and then unpacking. At the time it seemed overwhelming, but eventually once we were all settled into that wonderful home, each time, we said, “It wasn’t easy, but it was sure worth it!”

Young kids that we were when we got married, we had many times of "sibling" rivalry (yes, quite often we were more like siblings than mature adults). We had plenty of opportunities to "throw in the towel" because it seemed there was no way this marriage would last another day. But, our foundation was built on God and His Word, so we pressed in with a never quit attitude and found that "sweet spot" that only God could provide to His kids who wouldn't quit. After standing strong, unwavering in our commitment, every day our love grew stronger and stronger and sweeter and sweeter until 44 years of "til death do us part" passed by so quickly. Love isn't always easy, but it is so worth it!"

We worked incessantly on huge projects that required a lot of capital, stealth strategic planning, development, sacrifice of family and personal time, a relentless spirit of “never giving up”, and after countless hours of diligence to our tasks, our dreams became reality, We exclaimed, “It wasn’t easy, but it was sure worth it!”

I spent hours upon hours training to do a Half Marathon. Getting in shape, eating nutritionally, and running all those miles consistently for months, and pressing into yet another mile marker, often made me wonder “What was I thinking, when I said ‘Yes, train me” to my trainer.” No, it wasn’t easy, but when that Half Marathon medal was placed around my neck (4 Half Marathons to date), I proclaimed “It wasn’t easy, but it was sure worth it!”

And, I’m telling you, today, whatever you may be facing…it may not be easy, but if you carry that baby (your dreams and vision) to full term and NEVER EVER consider “aborting”, you will look back one day and say, “It wasn't easy, but indeed it WAS worth it ALL!” So, keep on keeping on. You, too, will say....I survived... I'm alive...it was so worth it all!"

What Are the Voices in Your Head Saying?

Day 284 of Photo Inspirations -- What Are the Voices in Your Head Saying?
We've all got them.  Little, and sometime BIG voices, talking to us in our heads.  They're either saying "You've got this! You're courageous! You're strong! You're a winner!" Or they're saying "Forget it.  Give up!  You're too weak. You're afraid. You hurt too much.   You can't do this!"  And then we either take the positive words we hear and react in a "CAN DO" way, or we listen to the negative words and retreat, give up and throw in the towel.

A dear friend posted the following yesterday. It resonated with me.  It spoke volumes about NEVER GIVING UP -- thus my photo inspiration for this day!

"It must be my week for the power of our words! Two days ago as my Junior High team and I ran a distance run, one of my runners was struggling, and out of breath, he uttered, "Coach Wolf, I can't run anymore!  It hurts!" To which I replied, "No, those are the wrong words!  Repeat after me - 'I am strong!'" and he echoed, "I am strong." And again - "I can do anything through Christ who strengthens me!" "I can do anything through Christ who strengthens me!" And we kept this up until we finally reached the end of our training period - speaking life over ourselves. Then yesterday in the 2-mile time trial, he ran very well!    After congratulating him, he said with a huge smile, "I said the words over and over in my head - 'I am strong, I am courageous, I can do this' - and I did!"

How many times do we hear the voice of defeat, frustration, or that we're not valuable?   It's time to stop listening to the negative voices, and start speaking life into our circumstances, into our family and into us!"

Now....Coach Holy Spirit is saying to us today....."Repeat after me.....'I am strong, I am courageous, I can do this!"

Life Lessons Can Be Learned From Pickleball

Day 227 of Photo Inspirations -- Life Lessons Can Be Learned From Pickleball                      
These photos are of some of our residents who play pickleball every Tuesday, Thursday and many other times besides that.  By now, I’m sure you’ve heard about pickleball and have even seen people playing or perhaps you’ve played.  It's one of America's fastest growing sports for all ages because it's fun, easy to learn and gives you a good work-out. It's a combination of tennis, badminton and ping-pong.  The court is about ⅓ of the size of a tennis court, with a lower net. The official ball used is just like a wiffle ball, only smaller.  The paddles are between the size of a ping-pong paddle and a tennis racquet.  You can play singles and doubles. Scoring is somewhat similar to volleyball or tennis. Only the serving team can score – and you play to 11 – but must win by two points.  And, we love playing here at Hyde Park.

I, not EVER being athletic in any sense of the word – well, except for running, have, at last found my sport.  Initially, it was a bit intimidating because we have several in our community who already played it competitively and there were those who were tennis enthusiasts, and they picked up on it the quickest.  But more than the fun of the sport, I've learned a lot of Life Lessons from the game:

1)  Never give up.  It would have been easy for me to “throw in the towel” on the game because others were so much better than me.  But, by my attitude of “never giving up”, I’ve become more proficient and my confidence in my game has gotten so much better.

2) Never say “SORRY”!  I love that about the game.  We’re all doing our best and if we make an inadvertent mistake, you don’t say “SORRY”.  And, if you do, you'll quickly be corrected.  The definition of SORRY is feeling distress, feeling upset, downcast, in a poor or pitiful state or condition and we are none of those.  I did that a lot in the beginning of learning.  I felt really SORRY for those who had me as a partner, but now I hold my head up high and think "I'll do better next time!"

3) Cheer and congratulate when someone does well.  I love it when I make a really good play (most often, it’s been by accident – I’m still learning), but my friends make me feel like a rock star – rather, a pickleball star when I've conquered a shot.

4)  Those who are the best…..mentor those of us who are still learning.  And they do it with such a sense of TLC.  I’m looking forward to the day when I’m qualified to mentor,  In the meantime, I’m so thankful for their willingness to help us learn.

5)  No name calling or trash talk allowed. I know that’s common in many sports, but I love the genuine sportsmanship and comradery in pickleball.  Even if we call ourselves names or trash talk ourselves because of a dumb error, others are quick to steer us the other direction.

6)  Making friends -- Pickleball is a great social sport and it gives us a chance to make new friends or bond more closely with old ones.  It doesn’t take too much motivation for us to want to play, but just in case we were
in a little lazy mode, our friends motivate us to “get our game on”.  And that we do.

6)  And, here is the best part – pickleball has great health benefits:
-- It helps lower our blood pressure -- moving our legs and swinging at the ball raises our heart rate which creates a great cardiovascular workout that strengthens our heart.
-- It burns body fat -- we burn 250 calories for every 30 minutes we play (we usually play for two hours at a time).
-- It improves balance -- Navigating the pickleball court to intercept shots and deliver winning volleys takes all kinds of movements.  In pickleball, we move forward, backward, sideways and we shift our weight in so many directions which trains our bodies to have better balance.

As I’ve said many times before, I don’t plan on giving up until I’m taken up…..and if that day comes while I’m playing pickleball, I just hope and pray my shot was the winning shot that shot me to heaven.  I’ll arrive shouting…
WHAT A GAME!!  WHAT A RIDE!!

At the End of Your Rope -- Hold On!

Feel like you've failed at something one too many times.....and you're ready to throw in the towel? Feel like you've prayed too many times....and the answer just has not come? Feel like you're at the end of your rope.....and there's no where else, or no one else, to go to? And, you've even spoken the words, "I'm DONE!"

This is not the time for giving up -- it's time for holding on.
This is not the time for looking back -- it's time for being strong.

Some of the greatest GREATS failed, went bankrupt, made many mistakes, but never gave up -- today they are world renown because they never quit: Henry Ford, R. H. Macy, Soichiro Honda, Bill Gates, Colonel Sanders, Walt Disney, Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Orville and Wilbur Wright, Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, Oprah Winfrey, Lucille Ball, Vincent Van Gogh, Charles Schultz, Steven Spielberg, Monet, Elvis Presley, Ludwig van Beethoven, Michael Jordan. All these names are synonymous with accomplishments and achievements -- honored, respected and commended. Maybe we won't be in the world's archives of fame and notoriety, but we will be to those eyes that are in our sphere of influence, if we don't give up.

So today, I'm just reminding us all to dig our heels in, put a stake in the ground and say "I will NEVER give up!" Yes, it may seem like each day holds insurmountable challenges, but still, our Creator said He would never leave us or forsake us. I'd say that's quite the PARTNER, so let's take His SUPER abilities and meld them to our NATURAL abilities.....and let's go after it another time. His SUPERNATURAL is on its way! He will make a way where there seems to be no way. He will provide another rope if we're to the end of that one. He will SHOW UP if we don't BLOW UP!! He'll even catch us if that rope breaks and He'll set us on a new course with a new rope with an AMAZING comeback!

Never, Never, Never QUIT

Have you been part of a project or had a great idea and someone said, "It can't be done"? Or with a group that despite the odds against them, they're "just doing it"?

Milton HERSHEY failed in his first two attempts to set up a candy business.

H.J. HEINZ set up a company that produced horseradish. It went bankrupt.

Steve Jobs got fired from APPLE, the company he founded. Only to return a few years later to turn it into one of the most successful companies ever.

During WW II Sir Winston Churchill led his country during its darkest hours. The British people leaned on him, drew strength from him, because his will and determination were like iron. He said time and time again, "Never quit!"

We all may start out flying high with ambition, determination, and enthusiasm. But, often we get tired and wonder if what we dreamed will come to pass. It's then that we should remember those who reached success because of their relentless ability to set their faces like flint toward their goal. It's time for us to follow their lead to declare our "Never Quit" attitude, regardless of the opposition... regardless of the circumstances... regardless of how we might feel... WE NEVER QUIT.

Yes, there are times when we must stop and reassess... we may need to take a detour....we may need to make course corrections... we may need to discover that missing key component...we may need to pick ourselves up from having fallen FLAT on our faces! I've been there all those times -- and one promise I made to myself, was to never allow anyone or any circumstance to steal from me this one determination: I WILL NEVER QUIT! In fact, QUIT, is not a part of my DNA -- it's not in my hard drive -- it's not in my vocabulary! How about you?