MRLPJ

Like many people, I love competition. Actually, I thrive on it. (But maybe not in the way you might think.) Sure, in all my training partner relationships, we compete against each other (and do so all the time). But it's really very friendly, and I care very little if Scott or Calvin or Jackson or Sam or Kevin or Julie (etc., etc.) "beat" me at whatever game we're playing today: The Super G, The Murph, etc., etc. My real opponent is me: Me at my absolute best, me operating at my current "ceiling" of performance potential. Do I ever win? No. But I keep chasing after him. What's interesting is the closer I get, the higher he goes and the faster he moves, like one magnet bumping into another at the same pole. The more reps I do and the quicker I get, the more reps he's able to do and the quicker he gets. So, yeah, I'm, competing with me at my best; and he's always a step (or more) ahead of me. I'm also competing with me as I put ou...

Every day, I pursue revelliously and reveliently the evolution of my being. I do this by looking and listening, and by training at my limits—not just physically but also emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. To get what I want, I pay the price in every moment of every day. The key, first and foremost, is knowing very clearly, through intelligent and persistent inquiry and responsive listening, what I want. After that, it’s paying the price to get what I want by pursuing—in every moment of every day—the never-ending, ever-sharpening iron-grind of training with Jesus.

In Ec 4:6, Solomon penned the following words: “It is better to have one handful with tranquility than two with toil and chasing after the wind." See? Minimalism (or maximalism [ see Note below ] is NOT a new concept. It's a philosophic approach to life that's been around for a very long time (like for more than 3,000 years). Note :  I prefer the descriptor "maximalism" over "minimalism." As a maximalist, I maximize my engagement in the things really meaningful to me by minimalizing (even eliminating) my attachment to things of little meaning to me. Many years ago, I decided I wanted to model my life somewhat after the monks of Christian monasticism (specifically, the Trappists). The Trappists work about four hours a day, which allows them to support themselves and live sufficiently while devoting significant time to frequent, daily prayer, both communally and individually. The monks, in my estimation, epitomize those who have "one handful w...

I'm a huge fan of praying all the time. Sometimes, I use words. When I'm moving about and decide to use words, I often go with one or more of what I call "My Traveling Prayers." Traveling prayers are memorized prayers that I just pray over and over again in a mantralike fashion. Provided below are my top four traveling prayers. Perhaps you'll consider praying these or somethin similar. My Traveling Prayer #1 ( Note : This particular prayer is also what I call "a breath-prayer"): Lord... Have mercy. My Traveling Prayer #2  ( Note : This is also a breath-prayer): Holy Trinity... Come. My Traveling Prayer #3 : Holy Trinity… I want to walk before You in holiness, humility, and purity-, nobleness-, wholeness-, fullness-, and revelliousness-of-heart all the days of my existence (both in “this current Earth-life” and in “the world and glorious, lingering life to come”). My Traveling Prayer #4 : Dave (and, perhaps, a part of my mind or body that needs healing)…...