Well, welcome back to Rising 365, a podcast dedicated and committed to inspiring and supporting
others to embrace the opportunity to rise with each new day.
Rising Daily can be a challenge for many and it has been for myself.
And I hope that what you hear in these episodes will assist you in rising every day of the
year.
Well, if you're just tuning in, you are tuning into the fourth and final episode of the Atticus
Effect entitled It Just Takes One.
So it's been a couple of weeks since we closed the live production of To Kill a Mockingbird
here in central Nebraska.
And it was such an honor to be a part of a show that as we stood there the last day of
the show, which was a Tuesday morning because we were doing shows for local students here
as myself and the rest of the cast stood there on stage before we went back and got ready.
We're all just reminiscing about what we all went through to get to this point, the late
nights of rehearsal, the five other straight days of shows that we've been doing.
And when we all looked at each other, we all agreed that this was a show that we could
do in day in and day out.
It wasn't because who was standing there.
Yes, each member of the cast were so talented and amazing, but it was because of what To
Kill a Mockingbird means.
The lessons learned in this show and in this book transcends time.
It addresses things that even though the show was set in the 1930s, written in the 1960s,
that we all still face here in 2024.
It addresses racism.
It addresses not fitting into a community.
It addresses what people think about you and how that affects you.
It addresses single parenthood.
It addresses gossip.
It addresses everything that we face continually day in and day out.
But at the center of it all is Atticus Finch, a one person willing to not allow the circumstances
to define who he is.
That's why this four part series is called the Atticus Effect.
And we're closing with that it only takes one because that's what I want you to walk
away with.
And it takes just one person to make a difference.
Maybe you've never had that person in your life, but it's time for you to be that person
for yourself in your life.
You know, there's some amazing quotes of great people who have done great things.
One that comes to mind is Mother Teresa says, I alone cannot change the world, but I can
cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.
And then John F. Kennedy says, one person can make a difference.
And every person should try to be that person to make a difference.
What would it look like if our communities had that mindset that they set out each day
to show kindness, to be patient, to be a person that brings joy into an atmosphere?
The amount of change we could see in our community and in our very lives.
It could be you.
If you are a Christian today, we are told in 1 Corinthians 11, one that we are to be
imitators of Christ himself.
And look what that one person did.
He went and he stood in the gap.
He no longer allowed religion to socially isolate individuals.
He showed how to love and to care and to listen.
If we call ourselves Christians, we should be the same.
We shouldn't be led by denominations.
We should be led by Christ alone.
I'm reminded of Ezekiel 22, 30.
It says, I sought for a man among them that should make up the hedge.
And I stand in the gap before me for the land that I should not destroy.
But I found none.
Sadly, we are overcome by fear.
Sadly, we are overcome by what other people are going to think about us.
My response to that is who cares?
The only person we should care about who thinks about us is one ourselves because we live
with ourselves.
And two, it's Christ and God himself.
We should strive each day that the end of each day he looks down and he can say to us,
well done, good and faithful one.
You tried your best.
You showed kindness.
You did the hard things in life.
Striving to make a difference even in the smallest ways.
So how can you be the one?
You need to look for ways to simply display the fruits of the spirits.
If you're not familiar with them, you need to look for ways to be loving, to be truthful,
to be patient, to be kind, to be hospitable, to be forgiving.
You need to look for ways to show goodness and to be gentle, display self-control.
You need to be faithful and truthful in all things.
Each situation is going to require a different fruit from you.
And if we slow down enough, we can allow that fruit to manifest out of us through the help
of Christ himself.
We want to honor him.
In Luke 6, 43, Jesus is teaching about the fruits of a tree are known by what flows out
of them.
We want nothing but good fruit to flow out of us.
We have to be around and take in only good fruit.
And the world doesn't offer that.
They offer a lot of like self-help and look out for only you and don't worry about what
other people think.
Even if it offends somebody, it's okay.
But the truth is that's not right because that is like a rotten apple in a bin.
Obviously that rotten apple is going to make the other apples rot.
We have to constantly be being filled up by God's word.
That's where goodness comes from.
That's where patience comes from.
That's where every fruit of the spirit that I just shared comes from.
And that's where you being the one person can make a difference.
We are in a world full of self and we should be living for others.
Once that is captured and taken hold of, you can face anything.
Rising won't be such a struggle because as soon as you feel the light of the new day
in your room, you're like, man, I have an opportunity today to make a difference.
We're just one person and you're going to seize that opportunity.
You're not going to want to waste it.
That is the big takeaway of the Atticus Effect.
Being that one person that people could look to and be like, you know what?
I want to be that person that does what's right.
I want to be that person that people trust in.
The people, when I say something, they know it's truthful that they can depend on.
I know it can be a lot and you and I can't do it alone.
That's why when we find our strength from Jesus himself, he gives us everything we need.
We are promised he will give us our daily bread.
He knows exactly where we're struggling and he knows how to strengthen us.
He'll never give us more than we can handle and he'll be with us every step of the way
if we allow him.
So that's my encouragement to you, the listener.
That you be that one.
Stand in the gap.
Stand up.
Stand tall.
Allow your fruit of the Spirit to show and use it to make a difference in others and
in your community.
Well, thank you for tuning in.
I hope each episode brings you inspiration to embrace every new day.
To support this podcast, consider booking me as a speaker for your next conference,
school assembly, youth event, Bible study, or any special occasion where I can share
the message of Rising 365.
To arrange this, simply send me a message or email at rising247365 at gmail.com.
Additionally, you can support by liking, sharing, and rating the podcast on your preferred listening
platform.
Until we meet again, I'm Mike Pina reminding you to rise and seize the gift of a new day.
You are destined for this moment.