1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,040 Well, welcome back to RISING 365, a podcast committed to inspiring and supporting others 2 00:00:06,040 --> 00:00:09,480 to embrace the opportunity to rise with each new day. 3 00:00:09,480 --> 00:00:14,640 I'm Mike Penney and I understand that Rising Daily can be a challenge for many because 4 00:00:14,640 --> 00:00:16,640 it was for me for so long. 5 00:00:16,640 --> 00:00:22,320 And I hope that what you hear in these episodes will assist you in rising every day of the 6 00:00:22,320 --> 00:00:23,320 year. 7 00:00:23,320 --> 00:00:30,080 We are at episode 33 and this is entitled, It Is a Wonderful Life. 8 00:00:30,080 --> 00:00:35,640 We are in December and we're in full swing of Christmas movies, the Christmas spirit, 9 00:00:35,640 --> 00:00:41,560 you know, radio channels that typically play rock or country have totally changed to nothing 10 00:00:41,560 --> 00:00:44,320 but Christmas carols and songs. 11 00:00:44,320 --> 00:00:51,200 And a lot of them are speaking to peace and joy and hope and love that comes with this 12 00:00:51,200 --> 00:00:53,360 time of year. 13 00:00:53,360 --> 00:01:00,160 There also means there's going to be a number of local Christmas shows and plays and I'm 14 00:01:00,160 --> 00:01:06,400 currently in one here in Kearney, Nebraska with Crane River Theater and we're doing the 15 00:01:06,400 --> 00:01:08,720 show It's a Wonderful Life. 16 00:01:08,720 --> 00:01:20,880 And just the other night at rehearsal, the director Steve Barth before the show, when 17 00:01:20,880 --> 00:01:27,320 we began rehearsing, he went around to individuals and said, hey, who enjoys the movie It's a 18 00:01:27,320 --> 00:01:28,320 Wonderful Life? 19 00:01:28,320 --> 00:01:33,160 And we all raised our hands, of course, because we're there to be in the show and why would 20 00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:35,440 you do a show if you didn't enjoy the movie? 21 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:42,600 And then he went and he dug a little deeper and he asks, why do we like the show? 22 00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:43,880 What is it about the show? 23 00:01:43,880 --> 00:01:51,720 And people shared about the redemption, about hope, about people caring about you. 24 00:01:51,720 --> 00:01:59,360 And ultimately, what I was thinking is the little things we do matter. 25 00:01:59,360 --> 00:02:06,280 So if you're not familiar with this movie, press pause before you continue. 26 00:02:06,280 --> 00:02:08,120 Go and Google It's a Wonderful Life. 27 00:02:08,120 --> 00:02:09,120 Find it streaming. 28 00:02:09,120 --> 00:02:12,600 You can find it streaming free anywhere and watch it. 29 00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:20,080 And then think to yourself, man, you know, how am I looking at the life I'm living? 30 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:25,160 The main character, George Bailey here, he's got aspirations and talents and skills and 31 00:02:25,160 --> 00:02:34,120 he desires to go out to do something for himself, to be more, to see the world and to travel. 32 00:02:34,120 --> 00:02:42,580 And ultimately, he's in this small town, Bedford Falls, and he keeps finding himself feeling 33 00:02:42,580 --> 00:02:55,520 stuck there because he sees the need for this family business that helps people to continue. 34 00:02:55,520 --> 00:03:02,000 So he intercedes for others to have an opportunity to have a good life in their town. 35 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:09,160 But ultimately, he grows discontented when something happens where he has a breaking 36 00:03:09,160 --> 00:03:10,160 point. 37 00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:18,440 And some money goes missing and the thought of being a failure and scandal and stuff like 38 00:03:18,440 --> 00:03:24,940 that overwhelms him to the point where he wants to take his own life. 39 00:03:24,940 --> 00:03:31,320 Some good things have happened to him while he's been living in Bedford Falls and growing 40 00:03:31,320 --> 00:03:32,320 up there. 41 00:03:32,320 --> 00:03:35,160 You know, he married the woman of his dreams. 42 00:03:35,160 --> 00:03:40,000 He's got kids and he's got a successful business. 43 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:43,720 He's not foraging and making him rich. 44 00:03:43,720 --> 00:03:53,680 He loses sight and he gets overwhelmed by what his flesh desires compared to his reality. 45 00:03:53,680 --> 00:03:58,600 And then there's someone that intercedes for him. 46 00:03:58,600 --> 00:03:59,600 God is intervening. 47 00:03:59,600 --> 00:04:04,360 And if you've listened to the past episodes, this is where it all happens. 48 00:04:04,360 --> 00:04:09,480 This is where my belief that God is interceding into our lives, even when we don't know it. 49 00:04:09,480 --> 00:04:16,400 So he sends George's guardian angel, Clarence. 50 00:04:16,400 --> 00:04:24,280 Clarence intervenes by jumping into the river and George being a selfless person at heart 51 00:04:24,280 --> 00:04:31,840 because the entire time you watch George, he's always looking out for others. 52 00:04:31,840 --> 00:04:37,080 And what he intended to use to take his own life by jumping off this bridge and into this 53 00:04:37,080 --> 00:04:42,800 freezing cold water and drowning, he jumps off the same bridge into the same freezing 54 00:04:42,800 --> 00:04:50,120 cold water, risking his own life to save someone else's. 55 00:04:50,120 --> 00:04:58,400 And then Clarence does the thing that George asked for in his desperate prayer of like, 56 00:04:58,400 --> 00:05:00,200 he doesn't want to live anymore. 57 00:05:00,200 --> 00:05:07,320 So he gives George a glimpse of what life would have been like if he wasn't alive. 58 00:05:07,320 --> 00:05:10,560 No, George saved his brother when he was a little kid. 59 00:05:10,560 --> 00:05:17,800 So there would have never been a Harry to go on and be a war hero and save people during 60 00:05:17,800 --> 00:05:20,160 World War II. 61 00:05:20,160 --> 00:05:23,800 George was an employee at the Gower drug store. 62 00:05:23,800 --> 00:05:30,400 And if it wasn't for young George interceding for Mr. Gower during a time of him learning 63 00:05:30,400 --> 00:05:37,720 his son had passed away from illness, Mr. Gower would have accidentally poisoned a family 64 00:05:37,720 --> 00:05:41,760 and killed some kids and had to go into jail. 65 00:05:41,760 --> 00:05:47,160 The love of his life would have never married and these things would have been different 66 00:05:47,160 --> 00:05:48,840 in that town. 67 00:05:48,840 --> 00:05:56,400 There's this antagonist, Mr. Potter, who wants and desires to own everything in this one 68 00:05:56,400 --> 00:06:05,200 town and without George being there, who challenge him and to keep things out of Potter's hands. 69 00:06:05,200 --> 00:06:10,920 Potter gets a hold of everything and he turns this happy little town into something desolate 70 00:06:10,920 --> 00:06:20,960 full of debauchery and sin and a place people really have no hope. 71 00:06:20,960 --> 00:06:31,280 When George begins to reflect on, even though I don't feel like I'm a celebrity and I'm 72 00:06:31,280 --> 00:06:36,920 not trending on social media for us in our time, I still matter. 73 00:06:36,920 --> 00:06:43,920 The smallest things that we do for others, opening car doors, leaving a bigger tip than 74 00:06:43,920 --> 00:06:51,840 expected, being a listening ear and encouraging word or warm hug, a helping hand, those have 75 00:06:51,840 --> 00:06:57,200 effects on people's lives even when we don't realize it. 76 00:06:57,200 --> 00:07:04,520 As people were sharing why they liked that movie, I was George Bailey just a few years 77 00:07:04,520 --> 00:07:07,600 ago in 2018. 78 00:07:07,600 --> 00:07:13,360 I was three years removed from being in the military where I had some great success. 79 00:07:13,360 --> 00:07:19,520 I moved up from the ranks and went from enlisted to an officer, flew planes and were a part 80 00:07:19,520 --> 00:07:26,320 of some great missions where we interceded and rescued people from the world of human 81 00:07:26,320 --> 00:07:27,320 trafficking. 82 00:07:27,320 --> 00:07:32,880 I was a part of teams where we stopped drugs from coming into our country. 83 00:07:32,880 --> 00:07:37,600 I was no longer a part of that and I lost who I was. 84 00:07:37,600 --> 00:07:43,520 I was so lonely and almost took my own life. 85 00:07:43,520 --> 00:07:50,680 I found myself standing on the I-80 bridge ready to jump off. 86 00:07:50,680 --> 00:07:58,920 It wasn't for someone using discernment seeing me out there and pulling over and willing 87 00:07:58,920 --> 00:08:05,200 to have a conversation with me. 88 00:08:05,200 --> 00:08:12,320 The person actually asked for help who pulled over. 89 00:08:12,320 --> 00:08:15,240 They were having some car troubles and ended up getting a flat tire. 90 00:08:15,240 --> 00:08:23,720 As I'm standing on the edge of the rail ready to jump over the bridge onto the interstate, 91 00:08:23,720 --> 00:08:28,560 someone pulls over and says, hey, can you help me with this flat tire? 92 00:08:28,560 --> 00:08:33,960 Not knowing what he was interrupting me from, I'm still here today to bring you this episode 93 00:08:33,960 --> 00:08:44,960 and being able to reflect on life, even the smallest things is a reason to keep going. 94 00:08:44,960 --> 00:08:52,200 No matter what you are going through and coming out of and you're about to face, even though 95 00:08:52,200 --> 00:08:56,680 this again is that month of everything's supposed to be full of joy and peace and hope and love 96 00:08:56,680 --> 00:09:04,760 and all this other bushy stuff, sometimes it can be hard to feel that, to feel what 97 00:09:04,760 --> 00:09:07,720 the carols are trying to express. 98 00:09:07,720 --> 00:09:09,680 They were overwhelmed. 99 00:09:09,680 --> 00:09:12,600 I want you to do me a favor. 100 00:09:12,600 --> 00:09:18,200 I want you to take out a piece of paper and a pen and start jotting down all the little 101 00:09:18,200 --> 00:09:21,960 things that you do. 102 00:09:21,960 --> 00:09:26,760 Just jot down names of people in your life. 103 00:09:26,760 --> 00:09:28,000 What do you guys do for each other? 104 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:30,040 Do you help somebody? 105 00:09:30,040 --> 00:09:34,120 You meet once a week with an individual? 106 00:09:34,120 --> 00:09:38,040 No, no, start. 107 00:09:38,040 --> 00:09:44,760 You have the animals that bring you joy and peace. 108 00:09:44,760 --> 00:09:46,560 Your favorite TV show. 109 00:09:46,560 --> 00:09:50,360 Make a list. 110 00:09:50,360 --> 00:09:54,280 See that you really do matter. 111 00:09:54,280 --> 00:09:59,640 So for you who pressed play, thank you. 112 00:09:59,640 --> 00:10:08,640 I want to wish you the best Merry Christmas and I hope that this episode that you realize 113 00:10:08,640 --> 00:10:14,560 that what you are living, it is a wonderful life. 114 00:10:14,560 --> 00:10:21,320 I hope every episode brings you inspiration to embrace every new day. 115 00:10:21,320 --> 00:10:26,160 If you would like to support this podcast, consider booking me as a speaker for your 116 00:10:26,160 --> 00:10:31,360 next conference, school assembly, youth event, Bible study, or any special occasion where 117 00:10:31,360 --> 00:10:34,120 I can share the message of Rising 365. 118 00:10:34,120 --> 00:10:36,560 It's super simple to arrange this. 119 00:10:36,560 --> 00:10:37,560 You can message me. 120 00:10:37,560 --> 00:10:45,080 You can send me an email at rising 24 7 365 at gmail.com. 121 00:10:45,080 --> 00:10:48,920 Additionally you can support by liking and sharing and rating the podcast on your preferred 122 00:10:48,920 --> 00:10:50,680 listening platform. 123 00:10:50,680 --> 00:10:57,560 We also have a Facebook community and a TikTok community you can join underneath the Rising 124 00:10:57,560 --> 00:11:02,080 365 name. 125 00:11:02,080 --> 00:11:03,080 You matter. 126 00:11:03,080 --> 00:11:07,960 You are loved and you are cared for even though you may not feel it. 127 00:11:07,960 --> 00:11:12,680 So until we meet again, this is Mike Pena reminding you to rise and seize the gift of 128 00:11:12,680 --> 00:11:16,440 the new day because you are destined for this moment. 129 00:11:16,440 --> 00:11:21,100 Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you. 130 00:11:21,100 --> 00:11:33,600 Live your wonderful life.