Persistence

Persistence

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"A river cuts through a rock not because of its power, but its persistence." 
- Jim Watkins

"Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragements, and impossibilities: It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak." 
-Thomas Carlyle

High Aspirations

“Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.” - John Wesley

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For my friends who worry that somehow I have become absent without leave (AWOL) on the Appalachian Trail: Houses of worship literally intersect the AT. It is but for the grace of God I do not stumble off the side of a mountain. I am headed once again to the Great Smoky Mountains to continue a sabbatical of discernment and bold decisions. I am not AWOL, but a dreamer determined to make something of my dreams. I hike the trail. When I finish, I will return to the trail.

Lord, let the high aspirations and goals I set be demanding of myself and not of other people.

Weakness versus Strength

"Never let weakness convince you that you lack strength." - Unknown

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There are thirty-two months that lie between today and Springer Mountain.  Time to physically prepare.  When a 20 pound kettlebell sets my extended arm to quivering, my trainer scampers to find lesser weight. I want to pretend I do not feel his help on assisted pull-ups, but I must live in reality.   It is time to stop daydreaming and start living the dream.

“Weakness is not a fault … unless it's ignored.  Weakness is a requirement.  It's a prerequisite for strength.  In our weakness we are made strong.  We do not get stronger by lifting something we can already handle.  Our strength builds during weakness.  Without weakness, without challenge, there will be no change.”  
- Bonnie Pfiester

Whispers

"God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world." - C. S. Lewis

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Wilderness is the cathedral and the classroom. Quiet breezes whisper on pleasant days. Misty mornings speak to our self-determination. Violent thunderstorms shout instructions and guidance.  The destiny is ours to surrender and accept the invitation, to replace life as usual, to learn to dance with discomfort and suffering, to allow them to redirect our focus.  

Appalachian Aspirations

Appalachian Aspiration

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" - Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu

So it is that I begin this journey, a journey of preparing to realize a dream.  It is time to take the first step toward making a simple daydream a reality, time to embark on a quest of which I have so far journeyed only vicariously in the lives of all sojourners who have meticulously chronicled their adventures and misadventures in books and trail logs. Now it is time to step out in faith, to take that first step beyond dreaming of the day I would have both the time and stamina to attempt a thru-hike. So many unanswered questions, so many skills yet to master, but the trail is calling. It is time to take that first step forward.  God waits in His glorious cathedral of the outdoors.  May I prove worthy to accept His invitation?