Well, welcome back podcast fans to Rising 365.
I'm Mike Pena and this podcast, if it's your first time, is all about helping others meet
the new day with joy 365 days a year.
The past decade, I have struggled with getting out of bed and I endeavored in finding ways
that inspired me to rise.
In doing so, and along this journey, I have met others of all ages and demographics who
struggled with the same thing.
So I created Rising 365 and it's been a joy.
It's been a month since the last episode was recorded.
The reason for the delay is because the month of May is extremely busy for my family and
I.
Actually, we are full-time missionaries with a ministry called Child Evangelism Fellowship.
We actually are the directors here in central Nebraska and the entire state of Nebraska
comes together in the month of May to bring teens from all across Nebraska into a ministry,
a leadership training ministry for them called Christian Youth in Action.
These teens endeavor in developing and deepening their faith in who Jesus is and their relationship
with Jesus and with God.
For an entire week, we minister to them.
We disciple them and we train them in sharing the gospel through Bible verses and Bible
songs, memory songs, games, and Bible lessons.
So they can go out and share it through another summer ministry that Child Evangelism does
during the summer called Five Day Clubs or here in Nebraska, it's called Summer Good
News Clubs.
These are clubs where we go all across the state to playgrounds, to backyards, to churches,
to neighborhoods, and we just bring the fun of meeting Jesus.
It's led by these teens, these teens who have endeavored and endured Christian Youth in Action.
Christian Youth in Action is a training.
It's not a camp like most Christian camps are.
This is truly a training.
These teenagers come and endeavor in a challenge that they face each and every day because
what they are learning, first off, is is their faith authentic?
Is it real?
Is it something they identify with personally and not something that is just because it's
a part of their family?
So that's the first challenge they face.
The second challenge they face is learning how to share the gospel through the different
methods that take place in the summer ministry club, in the summer good news club.
Many of these students are homeschooled or they go to Christian schools and they've never
been faced with having something presented to them and then them having to return the
presentation in a way that is captivating for say a seven year old.
So there's methods and steps and the way we present it as teachers and instructors of
these classes and then these teenagers take it and they learn it.
When it's early mornings and late nights, new environments away from home, people they
don't know, they show up on Sunday and they may know some students from the past.
Christian Youth in Action is set apart from any other pain ministry that's out there because
we challenge them in their faith and we give them hope that what they have inside their
heart and mind and spirit and soul actually aligns with scripture.
Then they are able to go out and share what they believe, not because it's just a felt
belief but it's a known belief, a belief on truth.
Because nothing is more fake than a message presented even though it can be the best message
with the best storytelling techniques and the most persuasive statistics and facts.
But if the presenter doesn't present it in a way where they believe it, then the message
falls short.
So this is the endeavor of Christian Youth in Action.
These teens leave Saturday commissioned to go and share the gospel just like we're told
by Jesus himself to go and share the gospel.
They're ready and you see a progression in their growth throughout the days that they're
with us.
Some come reluctant to learn, some come not believing at all, even though when they apply
to come to CYA we ask them their faith story and come Friday during the bonfire.
A number of students will say that because of what they have learned and gone through
at Christian Youth in Action, CYA, as it's more known for, they truly are committed to
Jesus.
They truly have become a Christian, it's the week that they were truly saved even though
they may have been walking underneath the title of being a Christian for years before.
At the beginning we tell them it's okay to do hard things and it's okay to fail and it's
okay to try new things.
All these things endeavor in Rising 365 and you the listener who pressed play in this
episode you know that it is okay to try hard things, it is okay to fail, it is okay to
try new things.
Sometimes you have to be stripped to the core to see where is it at that I need to grow.
The first lesson these teens learned that they will go out and some went out just this
Monday to go do summer good news clubs and the first lesson that they shared from their
heart was the lesson of Naaman.
You see Naaman was this big powerful soldier of Syria, the commander, but he had a big
problem.
He had leprosy.
If you are a student of the Bible you know leprosy is something that has no cure and
to this day there isn't a cure for it.
But leprosy in the Bible is also a picture of our sin that separates us from the relationship
that God wants from us.
And this sin comes into our lives because we go a different way, we go the wrong way.
So Naaman endeavors, he has wealth and position and prestige and he tried it all.
And in the course of Naaman's life being the commander of this army he went to an Israelite
country and he took slaves and in the Naaman story we see him meet and have, well he takes
a servant girl into his household to be a servant.
And this servant girl who does know Jesus, who has been ripped from her homeland, her
family and is now serving as a servant, she could have had a bitter heart.
She doesn't.
She says I understand my master has a need and he's tried all these other ways and I've
seen him try these other ways and they're not helping but there is a God in Israel who
can help.
She could have kept that secret to herself but she doesn't.
She shares it with her master and he goes and presents himself to Elisha.
But in his pride and his arrogance, when Elisha doesn't come out to talk to him he sends his
servant and the servant has a message for him.
He says there's only one way you will be cleansed of your illness and that is if you go and
dip in the Jordan seven times.
Naaman in his arrogance departs in anger and frustration and his pride is like don't you
know where I'm from and so many of us get caught up in that ourselves.
We think because of our position and the amount of money in our bank accounts, where we live,
the HOA we're a part of, it allows us to have a certain stature when we go and ask God of
something.
But when God gives us the one way that we need to correct our lives because we're going
the wrong direction, we have the audacity and the pride and the arrogance.
This sin are alive to say you know what it's not worth it.
I can do it on my own.
So in that pride so many of us just walk away from God because he doesn't give us the answer
we want and Naaman does that.
He walks away from God.
He walks away from the one way that was presented to him because of his pride and as he's walking
away again servants tell him what do you have to lose?
You've tried all these other ways.
It's what Rising 365 is for.
Maybe you've tried all these other ways in your life to rise and meet the new day but
you've fallen short.
Finally Naaman trusts.
He reflects and he's like you're right I've tried all these other ways and I don't try
this one more way that I'm told is the only way.
The other way forward is death because leprosy leads to death, a painful death.
What does he have to lose?
So he trusts and he goes and he dips seven times and on that seven time he's made clean.
Bible tells us he's clean as a newborn baby and in his joy because his need is met he
wanted to thank Elijah and give him all the money that he brought with him again because
remember he's powerful and he's wealthy and he thinks he can buy what he needs and Elijah
is like you know what I don't want anything you brought with you I just want you to know
that you are healed because you remember you tried all those other ways and they've led
you to nowhere.
Reflect on that.
What other ways have you been trying to rise?
Where has it led to you?
Maybe you're still stuck in your bed or you're able to get out of your bed but you're stuck
in your house or you're stuck in a routine.
You've tried other ways.
Maybe now is the time like Elijah said is for you to realize that the only relationship
with one true God can fill the void in your life that all the other ways tried to fill
and it's impossible.
My encouragement to you as our encouragement as a staff at CYA that last week to our teens
was what one way do you keep following that leads you into darkness?
The theme of last week was the word if and if you look the NIT translation of the Bible
and you type in the word if you the phrase if you there are over 20,000 if you statements
in the Bible and they all have sure if we respond to God in a certain way God will respond
to us in a certain way good or bad.
We are given choices in this life.
There is no way we can blame God for our situation.
Yes things happen to us that aren't all our fault weather health relationships especially
at the young age our ministry focuses on elementary age kids.
There becomes an age where our choices start affecting our lives.
We can no longer blame God.
We only have ourselves to blame because we are choosing the if way we're choosing our
way the if we're taking is our choice.
The if he is calling us to follow is the if we follow after the Lord fullheartedly.
He will give us the strength the joy the peace the hope the gladness the patience that we
need to rise 365.
You can see teens graphs this first lesson this first federal lesson of the summer ministry
that will be taught week after week.
There's so many ways out there that the world offers and they all lead to a dead end.
My background is military and law enforcement and discipline so I'm drawn to David Goggins
people and Jaco people and people who are super disciplined and super dedicated and
say do this and do that get up early just say no do it under your own strength.
It can only get you so far.
Yes there's been a realization where my depression and anxiety had led me to go see a counselor
and go to the VA and get prescribed anxiety and depression medicine and that's okay.
The other way I was trying alcohol and bad food and bad choices those were bad ifs.
The good if of going and experiencing talk therapy and help and turning to the Lord finally
connected.
Only God's way can cure us and inspire us to rise 365.
As we're not even a week after see why included on Saturday 2nd.
I'm getting down and pressing clay to record this episode for you.
I want you to reflect on all the ifs in your life.
What choices are you making right now?
If you would stop doing them would drastically change your life.
You know what they are the bad habits that you have.
If you quit doing that one thing how your health would change or your mood would change
how your sleep pattern wouldn't change your relationships would change.
What if you spent time alone with an open heart and an open mind quietness listening
for the Lord's call on your heart and you what if you really seeked after him you asked
your questions with no perceived answers and you allowed him to answer you what would your
life look like if you allowed him in.
Well I think that's enough for getting back into producing episodes.
Recap teens left on Saturday inspired and commissioned to go and help others rise.
I hope you can do the same.
Thanks for tuning in I hope you enjoyed this episode.
Again I'm Mike Pena there are many ways to support Rising 365 you can go to CEF of Central
Nebraska Google it and find us on social media and you can give to our ministry you can email
me at rising365 at gmail.com.
Book me for any kind of public speaking events you would need where people in your circle
or in your community need help and inspiration in rising to meet the new day.
So thank you for you all for pressing play.
I hope you press share and like and follow.
You tell your friends about rising 365.
If you find help in any of these episodes maybe someone else can.
So what would happen if you shared.
Well thank you guys.
Catch you back here on another episode of Rising 365.