Introduction to the book Hero Quest

On Wednesdays I will include a draft version from the book that I am working on.  Today is the introduction.

Hero Quest Introduction

    Heroic moments do not create heroes, they only reveal them.  Nearly every man that I know longs to be a hero.  He imagines saving a damsel in distress, winning the big game or even saving the nation.  These might include battle scenes or leading a peace protest but in the end the man rises up against all odds and is the hero.  This vision is strong and can be overpowering.  If one thing is clear in this world, we live in the present.  Our dreams can not come true without work.  Grand trees of heroism do not rise unless the man has taken time to prepare the soil and plant the seeds.  Preparing the soil can be thankless, difficult and in a word, boring.  But if the man has any hope of turning these seeds of desire into more than just a dream than he must learn to love the smell of the good earth.   The hero wannabe must become familiar with fertilizer, soil composition, good dates for planting, timing for watering, how to protect the delicate roots from a wide array of enemies.  It is his role to do this work, to be ready to become the hero. Ultimately it will be God who will give the increase.   But if the soil is not ready He will choose another in that moment to lead, to be a hero, to fulfill the dream.

  Today, evil tyranny bleeds down on the huddled masses that are too afraid to resist the power of the day.  If they rise up, they will be crushed.  Taunts ring out against those who attempt to resist.  Hearts cry out, but only silently.  If they even breathe of an insurrection they are trampled.  Hope is only a dream reserved for the heroes.    Can the heroes continue to dream?  Will they bring back hope to the nations?   Will you take the time now to prepare the soil so that you can take your place among the pantheon of heroes who have impacted the world?

What happened at the shelter January 2-8

Monday January 2:  One of our guests took on the task to deep clean a room that we had suspected bugs.  The room has never been so clean.  It is a beautiful thing to see the ladies take ownership of the shelter.  We then moved ladies back into the room.    We had a fantastic small group at the shelter this evening that focused on who these ladies are in Christ.

Tuesday January 3:  We had a conversation with a guest who in essence was telling her roommates that she was not going to allow another guest to enter our long term program.  This made the shelter unsafe.  In the midst of the conversation it became apparent that this guest was showing no remorse for her plan.  She did acknowledge that it was wrong but was determined to ensure that this guest would not move forward with her life.  Ultimately we asked the guest to leave.  Another guest was passed out.  It took staff awhile to wake her up but when they did finally get her moving it became obvious that she was very drunk.  She denied it but did blow a .31 and was asked to leave.             

Wednesday January 4:  Across the street from the shelter someone was shot.  We did not hear whether the person shot made it or not.  Volunteers and staff continued to work toward clearing our basement so that we can make some renovations.  At this point it is still undetermined if everything needs to come out or not.

Thursday January 5:    It was officially determined that everything will need to come out of the basement for the upcoming renovations.      

Friday January 6:  We have begun pushing more of our Good Workers to work off site (Thrift Store, AOH-Program)  Some of the ladies experienced anxiety over working some place other than the shelter.  We are wrapping around this fear and using it to teach the ladies.

Weekend:   Staff, good workers and volunteers did a great job in clearing out the basement.  All will be ready for the maintenance team to start work anytime after Monday night.  Great work everyone!   

General comments:   We are working through some changes of policy where the guests are limited in how much stuff they can bring to the Crisis Shelter.  In essence all that they can have at the shelter must fit in a 30 gallon tub, food in milk crate or fridge and shoes on top of tub.  This should keep the shelter cleaner, more orderly and more presentable to new guests.         

Progress on my goals January 1-7, 2012

Below is what I accomplished toward my stated goals January 1-7, 2012.  My purpose in posting this each week will be to help hold me accountable and also to push me to accomplish more.  

	Target	Actually Done
Leadership Bible	35 pages a week	35 pages
Faith in Action Bible	42 pages a week	42 pages
Message Read Through	7 Days youversion program	On track
Running	15 miles a week	20 miles
Crunches	1000 a week	1000
Floss	7 times a week	7 Days
Face Cleaning/Lotions	7 times a week	6 Days
I Like Book	7 times a week	6 times
Modules	2 a week	2
Guy Time	1 a week	1
Self Exam	7 a week	3
Book Reading	1 Book a week	1 book complete
Date with Cara	1 a month	1
Date with Rachel	1 a quarter	0

The running this week was in my new Vibrams.  I loved every minute of it.  I read a couple of years ago that one of the secrets to running success is to run lighter.  These shoes force you to do that.
I stuggled making time for the self exam times.  The different types of self exams are listed under my 1st quarter plans.  But essentially my intension here is to fullfill 1 Corinthians 11:28.  I want to be in the practice of honestly appraising myself daily.  I obviously fell short this week.  I realized that this might be more doable if I break up some of the categories.  For example:  When I examine myself regarding the 12 scout laws, doing this in two groups of six is more doable. 
My date with Cara was not a real date so I will still need to take her out at some point.  Our recent vacation took all of our just for fun money so we sat together and watched a movie.