1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:07,620 Welcome back everybody to Rising 365, a podcast committed to inspiring and supporting others 2 00:00:07,620 --> 00:00:12,160 to embrace the opportunity to rise with each new day. 3 00:00:12,160 --> 00:00:17,440 Rising Daily can be a challenge for many, including myself, and it is my hope that what 4 00:00:17,440 --> 00:00:22,900 you hear in these episodes will assist you in rising every day of the year. 5 00:00:22,900 --> 00:00:26,520 This is your first time pressing play on Rising 365. 6 00:00:26,520 --> 00:00:27,520 Welcome. 7 00:00:27,520 --> 00:00:33,080 I'm Mike Pena, and a little side note, I am no professional. 8 00:00:33,080 --> 00:00:37,720 Like I shared in the intro, I'm just a guy trying to figure life out in order to rise 9 00:00:37,720 --> 00:00:45,120 365 and you are tuned in to episode 25 and it's called, It's a Hype. 10 00:00:45,120 --> 00:00:53,600 So it's been about 20 days since the last episode that I uploaded and a lot's been going 11 00:00:53,600 --> 00:00:59,600 on if you don't know, my family and I are full-time missionaries with a ministry called 12 00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:02,560 CEF of Central Nebraska. 13 00:01:02,560 --> 00:01:08,200 And in doing that, we have to do an annual fundraiser. 14 00:01:08,200 --> 00:01:13,100 That's why it's taken me so long, because we had the fundraiser and sometimes when you 15 00:01:13,100 --> 00:01:19,880 work so hard to do something so well and professional and the results don't pay out the way you 16 00:01:19,880 --> 00:01:30,400 want, it can really drake a chord to your ego, to your purpose, to the reason for everything. 17 00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:32,540 So I've been struggling since then. 18 00:01:32,540 --> 00:01:39,960 So in preparation for this fundraiser, we have been promoting this thing since February 19 00:01:39,960 --> 00:01:46,840 at the beginning of this year with emails and social media and commercials and flyers 20 00:01:46,840 --> 00:01:59,120 and mailers because our family and the ministry depends on financial support of others. 21 00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:00,280 We don't have grants. 22 00:02:00,280 --> 00:02:06,240 We don't have special interest groups providing the funds to go and do what we do here in 23 00:02:06,240 --> 00:02:07,240 Central Nebraska. 24 00:02:07,240 --> 00:02:15,800 It all comes from people who believe in the gospel and taking it into the community. 25 00:02:15,800 --> 00:02:16,800 So that's what we did. 26 00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:25,040 We promoted this fundraiser for months and weeks and in hopes that people would come 27 00:02:25,040 --> 00:02:30,840 to support what God is doing here in Central Nebraska through CEF. 28 00:02:30,840 --> 00:02:33,920 We brought in an entertainer. 29 00:02:33,920 --> 00:02:39,320 His name is Dewayne Hill and he's been on America's Got Talent on Comedy Central. 30 00:02:39,320 --> 00:02:44,840 He's a magician and comedian and he's super talented. 31 00:02:44,840 --> 00:02:50,520 We try to do our best when preparing for these fundraisers by spending no money, by getting 32 00:02:50,520 --> 00:02:59,680 donations from grocery stores in order to prepare the food for our guests. 33 00:02:59,680 --> 00:03:03,520 We like to do what's called sweet treats. 34 00:03:03,520 --> 00:03:10,000 So everything was prepared homemade by my wife and she did such a beautiful job. 35 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:15,720 We had two days of fundraising events because of the demographic and size of our ministry 36 00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:16,720 field. 37 00:03:16,720 --> 00:03:18,720 We have to do two locations. 38 00:03:18,720 --> 00:03:23,680 So our first location, we're preparing, we're excited. 39 00:03:23,680 --> 00:03:30,520 The entertainer is there and Autumn has made the atmosphere just so beautiful and we're 40 00:03:30,520 --> 00:03:35,920 excited to share what God has done throughout the year and what we feel God is calling us 41 00:03:35,920 --> 00:03:42,080 to do in the coming year and to share the needs of CEF. 42 00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:48,040 So six o'clock the doors are supposed to open and we're going to spend some time fellowshipping 43 00:03:48,040 --> 00:03:51,640 and sharing and celebrating. 44 00:03:51,640 --> 00:03:57,600 But then 6.15 came, 6.30 came. 45 00:03:57,600 --> 00:04:00,380 Entertainment was supposed to start at seven. 46 00:04:00,380 --> 00:04:07,420 By seven o'clock there was only nine people there. 47 00:04:07,420 --> 00:04:09,160 Nine people. 48 00:04:09,160 --> 00:04:12,320 Man, was I disheartened. 49 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:20,160 I thought maybe, maybe something exciting was going on in town and it's okay. 50 00:04:20,160 --> 00:04:24,280 We've got one more day and God will do something. 51 00:04:24,280 --> 00:04:28,080 So Saturday we do it again. 52 00:04:28,080 --> 00:04:31,560 We decorate, we prepare. 53 00:04:31,560 --> 00:04:33,880 The entertainer is there. 54 00:04:33,880 --> 00:04:37,200 Doors open at six. 55 00:04:37,200 --> 00:04:38,200 Nobody. 56 00:04:38,200 --> 00:04:39,200 6.30. 57 00:04:39,200 --> 00:04:40,200 Nobody. 58 00:04:40,200 --> 00:04:49,640 By seven and it's time for the entertainment. 59 00:04:49,640 --> 00:04:50,880 Really nobody was even there. 60 00:04:50,880 --> 00:04:52,480 Maybe 12 people. 61 00:04:52,480 --> 00:04:58,360 Those are counting the people who volunteered to help set up and to greet people. 62 00:04:58,360 --> 00:05:04,960 There was literally zero people who came to learn about CEF for the first time. 63 00:05:04,960 --> 00:05:11,680 And I'm in Nebraska like I've shared and I knew Nebraska was playing that night a football 64 00:05:11,680 --> 00:05:17,940 game versus Northern Illinois but I thought it's just a small game. 65 00:05:17,940 --> 00:05:24,360 The people who really want to help us continue in this work will show up. 66 00:05:24,360 --> 00:05:30,240 A combined total we had less than 30 people for our fundraiser. 67 00:05:30,240 --> 00:05:36,160 I got to give it to Dwayne Hill because he performed like there was 300 people each night. 68 00:05:36,160 --> 00:05:41,520 I'm super thankful for the 30 people there, for the volunteers who came and set up and 69 00:05:41,520 --> 00:05:42,520 core down. 70 00:05:42,520 --> 00:05:49,200 But I thought to myself, what did I do wrong? 71 00:05:49,200 --> 00:05:55,560 Spent months promoting and telling church after church and friend after friend about 72 00:05:55,560 --> 00:05:57,840 this event and no one came. 73 00:05:57,840 --> 00:06:05,480 I struggled mightily the days after. 74 00:06:05,480 --> 00:06:10,600 The nights before, you know, I'm that positive guy who's like, it's okay, God has a reason 75 00:06:10,600 --> 00:06:14,240 and the people who are supposed to be here are here. 76 00:06:14,240 --> 00:06:24,080 But when I left and we got all cleaned up and I found myself struggling to go to sleep 77 00:06:24,080 --> 00:06:29,640 and finding a purpose to wake up for the next few days to get up and get going. 78 00:06:29,640 --> 00:06:33,280 I started asking myself, am I in the right position? 79 00:06:33,280 --> 00:06:39,600 Am I the right person to be running this ministry? 80 00:06:39,600 --> 00:06:41,800 And I wanted to quit. 81 00:06:41,800 --> 00:06:48,360 I have so many other avenues before me that I could go do with my background in law enforcement 82 00:06:48,360 --> 00:07:01,540 and military that to be honest are super financially more than what I'm doing now. 83 00:07:01,540 --> 00:07:11,520 But I'm driven and conflicted and inspired by what God's Word says is that as a believer, 84 00:07:11,520 --> 00:07:14,920 I'm supposed to be a contender of the faith and I'm supposed to be a person that goes 85 00:07:14,920 --> 00:07:22,840 out and shares the gospel everywhere. 86 00:07:22,840 --> 00:07:32,040 But as a result of the outcome and response and attendance, I was really questioning myself. 87 00:07:32,040 --> 00:07:40,800 So I had to go back and everything I've shared in the episodes leading up to this one, I 88 00:07:40,800 --> 00:07:43,320 had to go redo that stuff. 89 00:07:43,320 --> 00:07:53,120 The getting my mind right, the preparing, the letting the tough days have their days, 90 00:07:53,120 --> 00:07:57,760 but knowing that they don't define who I am. 91 00:07:57,760 --> 00:08:07,240 And then that's where I came across and was reminded in God's Word in John chapter 1 verse 92 00:08:07,240 --> 00:08:08,360 48. 93 00:08:08,360 --> 00:08:16,080 We see this picture of Nathaniel and he's asking Jesus, how do you know me? 94 00:08:16,080 --> 00:08:21,800 And Jesus answered, I saw you while you were still under the fig tree. 95 00:08:21,800 --> 00:08:31,160 This gave me comfort that God saw the hard work and preparation that my family and I 96 00:08:31,160 --> 00:08:39,880 put into this, into the event and how we poured our whole heart and soul of it into it. 97 00:08:39,880 --> 00:08:46,800 And he knows the need of our family and the need of the ministry. 98 00:08:46,800 --> 00:08:50,880 I'm reminded that he is faithful when he is true. 99 00:08:50,880 --> 00:08:57,920 He will comfort and he will make all things work together for good for those who trust 100 00:08:57,920 --> 00:09:00,120 in him and that's where I'm at. 101 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:07,080 I'm trusting in him that he has our family called into this ministry of CEF for a purpose. 102 00:09:07,080 --> 00:09:11,640 So I'm going to lean into that. 103 00:09:11,640 --> 00:09:22,240 And I got to thinking about that prayer in the Bible where it says, lead me through the 104 00:09:22,240 --> 00:09:26,200 valleys of the shadows of death. 105 00:09:26,200 --> 00:09:28,440 Let me not lean on my own understanding. 106 00:09:28,440 --> 00:09:31,200 So this valley, how did you get into the valley? 107 00:09:31,200 --> 00:09:35,500 That's why I entitled this, it's a hike. 108 00:09:35,500 --> 00:09:37,040 Life is a hike. 109 00:09:37,040 --> 00:09:42,760 It's not climbing up the stairs where it's a constant rise. 110 00:09:42,760 --> 00:09:50,040 The life is peaks and valleys and plateaus and ranges. 111 00:09:50,040 --> 00:09:52,120 It's not going straight up the mountain. 112 00:09:52,120 --> 00:09:58,680 It's more when you see those through hikers or those divide hikers, the cross country 113 00:09:58,680 --> 00:10:07,520 walkers, where they're meeting all kinds of terrains, flat terrain, really steep uphill 114 00:10:07,520 --> 00:10:15,000 battles, really steep downhill weather trying to deter them. 115 00:10:15,000 --> 00:10:19,120 It's the pictures of walking through the mountains. 116 00:10:19,120 --> 00:10:25,120 And I'm reminded that God sees me, not only does he sees me, he's with me. 117 00:10:25,120 --> 00:10:29,400 And this is true for you. 118 00:10:29,400 --> 00:10:37,980 It's taken me this many days to be able to put into words something to provide you the 119 00:10:37,980 --> 00:10:39,960 listener with inspiration. 120 00:10:39,960 --> 00:10:41,680 And that was it. 121 00:10:41,680 --> 00:10:42,840 It was kind of this morning. 122 00:10:42,840 --> 00:10:45,640 It was like life is a hike. 123 00:10:45,640 --> 00:10:52,120 It is a cross country mountain range hike. 124 00:10:52,120 --> 00:11:01,600 The only way we can get through the hike is one step at a time, keeping our head up, our 125 00:11:01,600 --> 00:11:04,600 minds focused on the end. 126 00:11:04,600 --> 00:11:07,080 For me, the end is glorifying Jesus. 127 00:11:07,080 --> 00:11:13,020 So when all is said and done, he will look down upon me and we will see each other face 128 00:11:13,020 --> 00:11:17,680 to face and he will say, well done. 129 00:11:17,680 --> 00:11:23,680 And I want you to take that away from me, for you. 130 00:11:23,680 --> 00:11:30,320 See your life as this great long journey. 131 00:11:30,320 --> 00:11:32,600 But know you're never alone. 132 00:11:32,600 --> 00:11:33,600 Christ is with you. 133 00:11:33,600 --> 00:11:35,240 He sees you. 134 00:11:35,240 --> 00:11:43,240 He's encouraging you to take one step at a time. 135 00:11:43,240 --> 00:11:44,560 You know, I don't know what God's going to do. 136 00:11:44,560 --> 00:11:52,320 We need finances for the ministry and for my family, but I know he is faithful and true 137 00:11:52,320 --> 00:11:58,960 and we will stay devoted to what he's called us to. 138 00:11:58,960 --> 00:12:00,360 Well thank you for tuning in. 139 00:12:00,360 --> 00:12:05,320 I hope each episode brings you inspiration to embrace every new day. 140 00:12:05,320 --> 00:12:10,360 To support this podcast, consider booking me as a speaker for your next conference, 141 00:12:10,360 --> 00:12:15,960 school assembly, youth event, Bible study, or any special occasion where I can share 142 00:12:15,960 --> 00:12:19,240 the message of Rising 365. 143 00:12:19,240 --> 00:12:20,240 It's simple to arrange this. 144 00:12:20,240 --> 00:12:27,000 Just send me a message or an email at rising247365 at gmail.com. 145 00:12:27,000 --> 00:12:33,200 Additionally, you can support by liking, sharing, and rating the podcast on your preferred listening 146 00:12:33,200 --> 00:12:34,200 platform. 147 00:12:34,200 --> 00:12:39,760 And just a reminder, my family and I are all full-time missionaries, so there's going to 148 00:12:39,760 --> 00:12:45,480 be a link in the show notes where you can go to our ministry page to support us if you 149 00:12:45,480 --> 00:12:47,200 feel so inclined. 150 00:12:47,200 --> 00:12:54,640 Until we meet again, I'm Mike Pena, reminding you to rise and seize the gift of a new day. 151 00:12:54,640 --> 00:12:57,320 You are destined for this moment.