Tag: perseverance

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motivation sketch journal

Sketch: Taking the Bad Days with the Good

Sketch of a windy, cold day on April 6, 2017
Copyright 2017 Kevin Spear

Today was a day filled with blustery wind, ominous clouds, and spitting rain. Really! The rain felt like the world was spitting on me. I know a little about that. I went to middle school after all!

There are days that just seem they weren’t made for anyone. Then there are days that feel they were custom made for just me. We can persevere when we remember both kinds of days are coming. 

On this cold, windy day, I discovered how nice it was to sketch in the iPad Moleskine app. A miserable weather day became a nice discovery day. Now that’s a way to turn lemons into lemonade!

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Career cartoon Christianity

Video: Finding God in the Darkness When I’m Waiting

I was humbled when my pastor asked me to give a testimony about the waiting I have experienced for the last two years. I proposed giving a cartoon testimony. It is a tribute to Diary of a Wimpy Kid, only my version is Diary of a Waiting Guy. 

I recorded myself drawing, then wrote a script for the video. You can see it in the first five minutes of the sermon video.

If you know anything about me, you know faith is a bit part of who I am. It is the reason we left everything we knew in Indiana and moved to Arizona. It is also the reason we moved to the Dayton, Ohio area. It is the reason I hold perseverance as an important value. You cannot start anything new without taking a risk and displaying perseverance.

Pastor Steve Southards did a great job explaining the why’s of a waiting period through the story of Joseph in Genesis. My wife and I are privileged to be serving at Salem Church of God. The last two years have challenged me, but I am glad I made the leap. Taking a risk is much better than doing the same thing and wondering what could have happened if we took a risk.

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Attitude Purpose

Running in the rain makes you resilient… or crazy 

Nighttime photo of the Greenville, Ohio traffic circle.Just after I took this photo, the rain came down. I knew it was coming. The weather app warned me. But I was happy. I was hoping to make it to this point before the shower. Thankfully, the lightning didn’t show up until I was nearly done. By the time I finished I was drenched.

In the past, a dear family member or two would call me crazy for running in inclement weather. Friends usually say nothing but give me that look as if I had sniffed too much rubber cement in my early graphic design days.

Continue reading “Running in the rain makes you resilient… or crazy “
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Running

Expect a Little Blister: 8/6/16 Run

This morning, I got to do something I haven’t done in over a year. I got to run seven miles. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for some time. I would like to build up in order to run a marathon by next year.

I jogged Through the City of Greenville Park and Alice Bish Park. There is a nice path along Greenville Creek.

At about five miles, I felt a blister form on the inside sole of my feet. I recalled when I had trained before this happened. It’s not a major blister. It’s just one that will toughen my feet as I begin to increase the miles.

Continue reading “Expect a Little Blister: 8/6/16 Run”
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Attitude Motivation Cartoons

When Life Pitches you a Curveball

sketch of a baseball doing a lool de loop 

I didn’t expect to be in Ohio/Indiana until Christmas day. But life throws you a few curveballs throughout the innings we call decades. There’s a few too many metaphors in that last sentence, isn’t there? I’m not even a rabid baseball fan (However, I did love the way this year’s World Series ended. Good job, Royals!). 

Last Friday, we thought we were going to lose a loved one. Today, things have improved greatly for him. It has made this Thanksgiving so much more meaningful. However, we have also been reminded that time is finite and we can’t take every day for granted.

Through the last several months, I’ve learned there are a few ways to cope when life throws you a curveball.

  • Be flexible: we are far less in control than any of us would like to admit. Changes will happen that you can’t predict or plan for. When unexpected blessings or trials come, be flexible enough to move with the situation.
  • Count your blessings: No matter how dire things may seem, there is always something to be thankful for. Whether it’s family, the ability to move, or even another day to experience life, there is some reason to have gratitude.
  • Plan for what you CAN do: It is good to talk with loved ones about what to do in an emergency or a challenge. Have insurance. Think about what to do in a scanario. It is also good to have a winter coat waiting for you when you fly from Arziona to Ohio. Is that too specific? Choose your own scenario. 

We will all face some unexpected challenges. Through those situations, be an overcomer. Don’t let those curveballs strike you out! I’m rooting for you!