The good things in life, sports, careers, raising a family don’t come easy in this life. For most of you it has taken years to accomplish where you are today and there were many, many sacrifices. It took a lot of dedication and routine and mundane drills of self discipline.
Dedication means being committed to a task or purpose. Coaches, teachers, parents, mentors, role models all over country have dedicated their time, talent, and leadership to improve a young persons life for the better.
You can only lead a horse to water, but you can’t make them drink it! Olympics have the best athletes when competing. To excel at a sport it takes unusual sacrifices and dedication. Preparing is the key, but it needs to be done the right way.
Tom Brady thrives on pressure and clock management especially under two minutes; but do you know how many times he has practiced that drill? I am sure hundreds of times in practice each season. Tom even as a backup quarterback prepared both physically and mentally as if he was the starting QB. He has also disciplined his body with a food diet of what helped him with energy and health off the field. Tim always has pursued excellence at his position and for his team.
I remember after my first year of wrestling my coach CJ John LoPresti after the last match of the season told us, that our season doesn’t start next Fall, but tomorrow! He said, “Its what you do in the off season, that will make a difference during the season.”
Practice doesn’t always make it perfect, but practicing the right way does. Doing it the right way is not always easy, but self discipline and dedication will eventually payoff. (Please read that again).
On the spiritual side we have to walk in self denial, self sacrifice, and trust God in the process and to allow His Spirit to live and rule in our lives. Prayer and time alone with the Lord is work just like physical exercise. But the benefits of a steady consistent workout are so fruitful and rewarding. To walk in spititual victory and be an overcomer in this life we have to dedicate our time to God and allow the flesh to ‘die to self’ to see changes in our walk with God.
The Lord is your biggest fan even when you miss the mark. He says to get back on your feet and keep going and don’t quit. You’re almost there.
“Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadow boxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified”. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NLT
Have a great weekend my friend and stay warm in these sub zero temperatures.🌡
Greetings! My name is Andy Provitola and I live in New England on the south shore between Boston and the beautiful Cape Cod region.
The purpose of my blogging and writing is to encourage you in your journey here on planet earth. Life is full of pressing issues and problems and my desire is to discover a place for peace, hope, healing, and contentment. I am a follower of Jesus Christ – God’s one and only Son of God and discovered these truths along my own personal journey.
Having discovered a personal relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ does not mean I have to be religious to attain the rewards of heaven. The fact is God provides grace for us and accepts us as we are in His image. In other words, we cannot attain heaven or life eternal on our own, but by God’s loving grace and no merit of our own.
My goal is to continue to find a balance of life from a spiritual and practical perspective with a purpose to please and glorify God in all that I do because of His ‘Gift of Grace’.
God is not transcendent and so far away that he is out of reach with humanity. God desires that His presence lives within us and not just in the galaxies and the universe. Experiencing the unconditional love of God has been so rewarding and while discovering the truth and purpose for my life. Moving forward in this life is not a sprint, but a marathon when it comes to this race here on earth.
I am blogging because I find it is a good way to connect in a much more effective and efficient way when it comes to communicating and interacting with with people that I do not know. Blogging and writing challenges me and also stretches me specifically in my thoughts, my mind, my emotions, and my spiritual life to live a vertical relation with God and a horizontal relationship with others.
There will be a variety of topics and subjects to address including youth, young adults, family, singles, seniors, relationships, etc. Some of the topics will include God’s creation and power, depression, loneliness, suicide, hope, healing, setbacks, financial matters, business, stress, anxiety, care, encouragement, and so much more
I would like to connect with all walks of life, ethnicity, culturally, other religions, socio-economics, and more
I am currently writing a book and several memoirs about my own life and journey . The journey begins at a young age growing up in Malden, Massachusetts, specifically Maplewood Square to where I am today. I became paralyzed from the waist down as a senior in high school and I share how my life changed for the better!
“But I do not consider my life as something of value or dear to me, so that I may [with joy] finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus. To testify faithfully of the good news of God’s [precious undeserved] grace [which makes us free of guilt of sin and grants us eternal life]. Acts 20:24 Amplified Version
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The Watering Hole Journey 