The Rock Almighty. Forgive And You Shall Be Forgiven & What does it mean when God says you are a new creature?

 

What does it mean when God says you are a new creature?

• Author James Rondinone

13

You Are a New Creature

Have you ever caught up with someone you hadn’t seen for many years who committed a serious criminal offense and were shocked to see how their life had changed for the better? Here’s an article that exemplifies this.

FREE TO SUCCEED: NAOMI BLOUNT

“Over the years, [I’ve] written my obituary numerous times,” says Naomi Blount. “I never thought [I’d] ever be coming home.” That’s because in 1982, she was sentenced to life in Pennsylvania state prison. She was [thirty-two] years old.

A drug addict and alcoholic, Naomi struggled every day of her adult life. One terrible day, a man stabbed her friend, Brenda Baker. The two women then found the man and wanted to hurt him, but it was Brenda who delivered the fatal injury, not Naomi. In Pennsylvania, you don’t have to be the one who committed homicide to get charged with the crime; you just have to have been there in a certain capacity.

Behind bars with no release in sight, Naomi’s tough situation was matched by grit and determination to improve herself. Her son, [ten] years old when she went inside, meant everything to Naomi, and for his sake, she vowed that even though she was supposed to die in prison, she would be leaving the world a better person than when she’d entered it. She earned several degrees, stayed clean, and helped others.

“I wanted my son to, at least when he picked up my body, I wanted him to know that his mother was more than an alcoholic and a drug addict.”

Naomi applied for and was denied commutation five times. About to give up, she hand-wrote a heartfelt plea to the Board of Pardons, begging them to reconsider. Then, in the equivalent of winning a lottery ticket, she was granted clemency – almost unheard of in Pennsylvania. She’d been in prison [thirty-seven] years.

Remarkably, now [seventy-two], Naomi is not bitter. In the three years since she’s been released, it seems as though there’s [nothing,] she hasn’t been able to accomplish. [She’s] a vocal advocate for reform, and she also works as a commutation specialist for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. “My job allows me to encourage those that are on the inside,” she says.

She’s very close to her son, now [fifty], and his family. “I’m getting ready to be a great-grandmother for the second time,” Naomi says. “This will be the first baby that [I’m] home for.” And the passion for music that she has had her whole life has flourished. Recently, she released an album, called “Mello-D” by Simply Naomi.

She also works as a program consultant for a group that helped her when she was inside, Shining Light. They provide support to people in prison.

Naomi is herself a “shining light,” trying every day to express what she feels deeply: gratitude. “I’m always saying, ‘Lord, thank you. Thank you, God. Thank you, [God.’”]93

As Naomi was given clemency, a pardon after many years in prison, so have you been granted such by someone who knows everything about you. Even though the penalty for sin has been taken care of and the record of such forgiven by Jesus Christ’s atonement on the cross, this hasn’t changed the fallen nature that deprives everyone from having an intimate relationship with God.

Fortunately, God knows how to take each person out from their perpetual bondage by giving them an opportunity to respond to the message of a new life, i.e., of a new nature that can be theirs. And if and when they make this decision, a pronouncement will be made relating to them which is found in the book of 2 Corinthians. Let’s go there and find out what this announcement is all about.

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

You’re described as being in Christ, which [speaks of your spiritual relationship to Him because you] believed the message of the gospel and was identified by faith with Him.94 Thus, if this is the case, and it is, then you’re a new creature, a new creation, a new person on the inside.95 Did you hear that? You’re a new being, a child of God!

As such, old things (selfish, carnal views of ourselves, of others, and of Christ;96those things that characterized the pre-Christian life97) have passed away (disappeared) and your whole sphere of being has become new, whom God the Father owns as [His] workmanship, and which he can look on and pronounce very good.98

God doesn’t see you as you see yourself at times as falling short, as never going to change, as being hopeless in this or that aspect of your life. This doesn’t mean that He’s unaware of your sinful tendencies. However, this doesn’t take away from His recognition of you as His son or daughter as was His perception of David when God sent Samuel to the house of Jesse to anoint him the next king of Israel.

1 Samuel 16:7 But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.

So, find out what God’s declaration is of you in His Word regarding every area of your new life and begin to think of yourself as to the new person you’ve become. Remind yourself that you’ve been given a new nature even though the reality of such in your thinking, speaking, and acting hasn’t been worked out yet. And remember, [you’re] a new creation, a new man, a work of the divine power as decided and as glorious as when God created all things out of nothing,99 with new views, new motives, new principles, new [objectives] and plans of life.100

Before we take a look at another beautiful description of our new lives in Christ in the next section, I’d like to leave you with this quote from Barnes Notes that accentuates what we’ve just talked about.

The idea evidently is, not that he ought to be a new creature, but that he is in fact; not that he ought to live as becomes a new creature - which is true enough - but that [he’ll] in fact live in that way, and manifest the characteristics of the new creation.101

Prior to your conversion to Christ, was there ever anything that you longed for that you believed would provide you with happiness but always seemed to be outside of your grasp? There was one lifelong endeavor of mine that I only found in Christ. What was it?

Endnotes

93“Free to Succeed: Naomi Blount,” FAMM 3 November 2022

.

94Bible Knowledge Commentary/New Testament.

95IVP Bible Background Commentary.

96Jamieson, Faucet, and Brown Commentary.

97UBS New Testament.

98Adam Clarke’s Commentary.

99Barnes’ Notes.

100Barnes’ Notes.

101Barnes’ Notes.

My name is James Rondinone. I am a husband, father, and spiritual leader.

I grew up in Massachusetts and began my own spiritual journey early on in life.

I attended Bible college, having completed a two-year Christian Leadership Course of Study and graduated as valedictorian (Summa Cum Laude).

Studying and teaching the Word of God has been a passion of mine for over 20 years.

US Sports Track & Field Feat. Yaroslava Mahuchikh breaks 37-YEAR-OLD World Record in high jump

 

Explosive Track and Field Training to Level Up This Summer

• By Tyler Rathke

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The Southeastern Conference (SEC) produces some of the most explosive athletes in track and field every year. The conference had winners in the men’s and women’s long jump, women’s triple jump, and women’s high jump. Taking 4 of 6 jumping events at last week's outdoor national championships in Eugene, OR. 

 

Jasmine Moore of the University of Florida was the first athlete to ever win every conference and national championship in the long jump and triple jump in the same year. Florida Coach Nic Petersen takes us through the performance markers and assessments that he uses with his athletes to examine elite track and field performance ability. 

Link: Elite Track and Field Performances

Elastic strength is the ability of tissues to absorb, store, and release energy. This is imperative to building elite explosive power. Preparing the body positions by teaching and cueing them is key according to Coach Todd Lane of Louisiana State University. It wasn’t too long ago that LSU developed JuVaughn Harrison into a 6x national champion in the high and long jump. 

Link: Goal in Training 

Plyometrics are like glue that holds everything together for jumpers. Nic Petersen uses plyometrics to connect his athletes acceleration and max-velocity training. He outlines the parameters that he considers in progression for his plyometric training. 

Link:Plyometrics

Errors will be common in planning and developing elite explosive power. Very few have got it perfect in their plan in history. The best thing coaches can do is examine the mistakes of the past. Todd Lane examines 4 common errors when training jumpers.

Link:Common Errors

While the SEC might be the most dominant league in recent years. If you’ve paid attention to the results you’ll notice a couple other schools near the top with champions and all-americans in the recent events. Coach James Thomas of Texas Tech coached two women in the top 3 finishers in the triple jump and Coach Shawn Jackson of Texas Christian University coached the collegiate men’s triple jump champion. 

Strength and conditioning is the foundation of any offseason track and field training program. Boo Schexnayder is a name synonymous with detailed training programs and systems for athlete physical preparation. In the following clip, the LSU legend describes key progressions and teaching points for key weightlifting exercises. 

Link:Teaching Progressions for Weightlifting

Plyometrics are shown to require high numbers of motor units during explosive contractions. This increases force production at high velocities. Coach Larry Judge, a mainstay in the collegiate track and field setting and coaches education for USATF describes exactly what Plyometrics are as an introduction to help coaches better understand exactly how to apply this activity into their own training. 

Link: Plyometric Training

The core is often considered the bridge between the high ground forces of plyometric training or sprinting and the upper body intensive lifting or coordination of limbs. Amana Rego former US olympic trials qualifier and associate head coach at MSU Denver explains 5 reasons why you need to train the core. 

Link:Core Training

With a basic understanding of strength and conditioning, plyometrics, and core training you’ll give your athletes' summer workouts the boost they need to take them to another level!

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The Rock Almighty. Fear 'bout Ta Get Knocked Out!

 

Moving Beyond Our Fears

The Holy Spirit wants to guide you away from crippling anxieties to the freedom that is yours in Christ.

 

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Luke 1:68-75

The Scriptures distinguish between two kinds of fear: healthy and unhealthy. The healthy kind is beneficial. One example is the wise caution that keeps us from touching a hot stove. Another is the proper fear of God (Ecclesiastes 12:13), which includes a sense of awe because of who the Lord is. It also involves a lifestyle of respectful obedience that honors Him.

Unhealthy fear, on the other hand, causes us to feel tense, uncomfortable, or threatened. Even when there’s no longer any basis for apprehension, it may continue to thwart us.

The imagination can generate this type of fear by getting us caught up in “what if” thinking. Habitual worries like What if something goes wrong? or What if the outcome I want doesn’t happen? can block God’s best. His purposes—such as learning new skills, changing jobs, or trying a different way of ministering to others—often require that we move beyond what feels most comfortable. Challenges of this sort present the opportunity to trust the Lord and obey Him.

Remember that unhealthy fear isn’t from God (2 Timothy 1:7). So, let the Holy Spirit guide you from a place of disquiet into the freedom that is ours in Christ (Galatians 5:1). There you will discover the ability to follow His plan without being hindered by undue alarm.

Bible in One Year: Proverbs 9-12

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The Rock Almighty. Fear? Come At Me Bro' & The types of courage

 

The types of courage

• Author Stanley Ekure

COURAGE

Meaning of courage:

Courage is the ability to face a danger without fear. It is the ability to be able to handle any situation without feeling fearful. Courage is also having self confidence and believe in yourself that you can perform a tax you haven’t done before. A person with courage, will be able to speak fluently and boldly in any situation such person find them self. Courage is a virtue that improves one’s self confidence and remove fear, then such person can live a life of zeal and resilience. Without courage, it is impossible to speak in public and perform difficult tax without downgrading yourself. Furthermore, with courage it is possible to do something that was impossible for you to do—take David in the bible, who was able to kill a giant without stress. David was zealous and wanted to do anything to fulfill his goal, even if it kills him; and so he took up courage and went to the giant and killed it bravery and gallantry. Apart from the example of courage in the bible, some of our leaders of today still show and exhibit courage in various ways. from David’s example, you now know that with courage nothing is impossible. Another example in the bible was Moses when he went to meet the Pharaoh of Egypt and asked him to let the Israelites be free. The first disadvantage that Moses had was that he was a stammerer. Another was that pharaoh was a very fearful person and could kill Moses but despite all these he still took courage and went to him. All these stories, teaches us to always exercise courage.

Types of courage.

Courage are divided into six. However, I will be only looking at four types. The types are:

i. Physical Courage: To keep going with resiliency, balance and awareness. It is the ability to be stable and prowess in whatever problem you find yourself. It is also the ability to face any physical situation and fight for your right, and as well, the right of others. Physical courage is the most important type of courage since it makes you interact well with the physical environment, and challenging yourself to do better. For example: if you were asked to go for a race that required you to be physically fit, and you know that the people participating are people of letters that is people that have achieved so many things in their life and are still capable of achieving more. For you to win that race, you have to be physically courageous and train better than those people participating in the race. I would like to use David in the bible as an example because he did something that was said to be impossible by exercising physical courage; although, he was not fit for the profession. Another person who exercised bravery was Mary Slessor who left are own land to stop killing of twins in Calabar. What makes this so important was that she was not a citizen but was on a missionary work. Despite this, she still went to do the right thing without thinking they may kill her because she try to stop their custom. From these examples, you now see the importance of physical courage.

ii. Social Courage: To be yourself unapologetically. Social courage is the ability to relate well with anyone you meet without feeling less important, but being yourself. Lack of social courage will lead to anti-sociality which is a state whereby a person can relate with new people they meet and they act unfriendly. Most people with this condition, are always reserve and thinks their word is final and they know all . Furthermore, with social courage you will be able to speak in public without feeling nervous. However, people that lack social courage can in most cases be trusted because they are afraid of failing someone they don’t know, though this does not means that every reserve person is anti-social and can be trusted because some people have a tough personality.

iii. Moral Courage: Doing the right thing even when it’s uncomfortable or unpopular. This is the state of being right and just in your actions. A person who is morally courageous is said to have personal integrity, and will be respected by all. A person with moral courage will not follow what other people do even if they were to be killed; such person will always stand on what he/she know is right. An example in the bible was Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego. These people was said to have chose death over worshipping another God aside theirs. They refused to bow down to an image whom the people of that land worship as their God, and so they were thrown in to an hot blazing fire. However, they were saved by their God, and were delivered from the bondage. After this occurrence, it was said according to the bible that the people of that land began worshipping the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Apart from this people, there are other Christian missionaries that have refused to turn down their faith—this include Jesus Christ.

iv. Intellectual courage: Expanding our horizons, letting go of the familiar. It is about our willingness to learn, unlearn and relearn with an open and flexible mind. When one is intellectually courageous, they are ready to learn new things and take learning as fun not stress. Such person will be able to speak out what he as learned without thinking if he may be wrong—though, such person is still willing to learn new things. An intellectually courageous person, will be ready to take up any exam or test in other to keep improving themselves. A person that is intellectually courageous, is not afraid of failing, thus, such person is ready to peak up any tax in other to get what he/she want.

You now know how important courage is in the life of every one of us. most people who have been courageous in the life have had a good life an example is Nelson Mandela. keep reading articles of courage in other to motivate yourself.

The Rock Almighty Amazing Grace? You Ain't Seen Nuthin' Yet! & What does it mean when God says you are accepted?

 

What does it mean when God says you are accepted?

• Author James Rondinone

14

You Are Accepted

I don’t know about you, but when I was growing up, it seemed like I never fit in. My dad, for whatever reason, moved my family to different locations quite a bit. In most cases, I believe it was related to his job. So, I never had the chance to make friends and be in their life over an extended period of time. And being an only child, I didn’t have a brother or sister to confide in.

In my teen years, I longed for acceptance by my peers, whoever they might be. At this time in my life, my father opened a spa and grille business in what was considered to be the epicenter of crime in my hometown. I’d work for him after school and soon became friends with many of those in the neighborhood.

Most of them would meet up in a nearby park, usually in the evening hours, and would gather together for food, alcohol, drugs, and sex. At first, this was quite an alarming lifestyle, as I was attending a private Catholic high school whose values taught were contrary to what was taking place in this environment. Eventually, I began to partake in what everyone else was doing in the group.

My dad disapproved of my choice of friends and this caused friction at work and home. I longed to leave the household and live on my own to have the freedom to do what I wanted. While I did attend college after high school, I’d still party with my contemporaries on the weekends.

And then it all came crashing down. After receiving a college degree to teach high school mathematics, I was unsuccessful in getting a job. I broke up with a young lady I’d been dating over something foolish. Many of my associates had gotten married, which limited my interaction with them. And my relationship with my father remained strained.

I needed assistance. I felt isolated. I longed for a new start. I remember the times in my younger years when my parents would take me to church. I wondered if the God I heard about in the messages from the pulpit could change my life. So, I decided once a week, beginning with the church I attended as a little kid, to visit the many other faiths in my home city to find out if the God they believed in could help me personally.

And then it happened. On the Sunday of a holiday weekend, I’d just gotten out of working for my dad at his business. A parade in honor of the celebration was passing by. So, I decided to walk behind it until it dispersed at the city’s town hall. As I was about to turn around and walk back to my father’s store, where my car was parked, I heard a loud noise in the distance.

What appeared was a gathering of people standing before a platform where someone was talking on a microphone over a loudspeaker. As I got closer, a young man was talking about God. He said there’s one true God who wants to be your best friend. He wants to come into your life and give you a new nature. He wants to guide you. He wants to be involved in every aspect of your life. And then he proclaimed the gospel of repentance and faith for whosoever will.

While there’s more to this story, eventually, I responded to what was said, and immediately I was saturated with a wave of divine love, peace, and joy. What I realize now is that at this time and forever more, I became accepted by Him, just like you were accepted at salvation. Approved in what sense? Please go to the book of Ephesians, and we’ll find out.

Ephesians 1:6

To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

You should praise God the Father because of the glory (the glorious manifestation102) of his grace (the revelation of his unmerited love103) wherein he had made you accepted (freely bestowed on [you the grace which saved you],104 when you responded to it; by which He honored you with blessings). These favors could refer to the many irrevocable absolutes received at salvation that we’ve been looking at in this study.

What we know about the word accepted is that it’s a verb in Koine Greek in the form of an aorist active indicative. The aorist tense in this context is considered as constative meaning that this acceptance views something in its entirety. With that said, this verse could be described by saying that God the Father acknowledges you in the beloved whereby you were bestowed in its completeness all spiritual blessings at the point in time in the past when you responded to the gospel.

And finally, this acceptance is in the beloved (in the sphere of the Lord Jesus, His [Person, and work] on the Cross105).

So, remember, at salvation, God the Father has accepted you, i.e., made you the subject of His grace and freely bestowed upon you irrevocable spiritual benefits. Thank you, God!

Are you ready to find out what another one of these special honors is that has been bestowed upon you? I am. Onward Christian soldier.

Endnotes

102UBS New Testament.

103UBS New Testament.

104Weust’s Word Studies.

105Weust’s Word Studies.

My name is James Rondinone. I am a husband, father, and spiritual leader.

I grew up in Massachusetts and began my own spiritual journey early on in life.

I attended Bible college, having completed a two-year Christian Leadership Course of Study and graduated as valedictorian (Summa Cum Laude).

Studying and teaching the Word of God has been a passion of mine for over 20 years.

US Sports Tennis - How to neutralize a lefty in Tennis

 

• By Aiden Lefebvre

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Why does it always seem like left-handed tennis players are tripping up the righty tennis players? The truth is, left-handed players inherently have an advantage over right-handed players. Generally speaking, athletes don’t train as much on their lefty game because there are just fewer of them. It doesn’t really feel worth devoting so much time and effort for such a rare opponent. Meanwhile, lefties practice against their counterparts all day, meaning they quickly gain an advantage over their more common opponent. But beating a lefty is totally possible and, despite common belief, doesn’t require some crazy training regimen. With the helpful tips of ATP coach Gonzalo Lopez, I’ll show you various ways that you can take back control of the court and dominate against lefties and righties alike. 

Controlling the height of the rally

Gonzalo has some excellent points on the tactical structure of lefty’s that can help you navigate the challenges of playing a tough lefty. First, Gonzalo talks about the importance of controlling the height of the rally. He describes the height of the rally as the place that you are standing on the court while you are running laterally. Your height can change depending on if you are near the service line or near the net. Gonzalo says that the goal is to change the height of your opponent’s height of the rally while maintaining your own height. The purpose of this is to take an offensive position and control of the rally. If you need to constantly adjust your position on the court, it will be harder to control the rally. So making them adjust will put you at an advantage. 

While this can totally be used for both left-handed and right-handed athletes, it is especially important to remember against your lefty opponents since many tennis players have less experience defending against a lefty. Therefore, keeping an offensive position will ensure you the advantage. 

Dominating the diagonals

Next, Gonzalo mentions that oftentimes, the diagonal will be your best shot and your opponent’s worst shot, though not always the case. When you hit the ball at the diagonal that is on your stronger side, you have more control over dictating your opponent’s height of rally. When you can dictate your opponent’s height of rally, you can make them move more and tire them out over the course of the match. This is especially important if you notice that your opponent is a slow runner or is slowing down in the middle of the match. Because moving their height of rally will ensure that they need to keep chasing the ball and minimizes the chances of them standing still. 

On the flip side, if your opponent is faster than you, it will be easier for them to take control over your height of rally and therefore make you run more. That is why it is important to dominate the diagonals so that you can optimize your stronger side and have better placement of your shots.

Hitting at the diagonals is also an effective way to open spaces on the court, which is similar to moving the height of the rally, but along the other axis of the court. By opening up the other axis it provides you with opportunities to put the ball away, especially if your opponent has been running and is too tired to chase the ball. The sooner you can dominate one of the diagonals against a tough lefty, the less likely you are to be pinned into a corner, while the lefty pounds heavy forehands like Nadal did to Federer for the early part of their careers.

Hitting against left-handed tennis players can be a major challenge, especially if you’ve never faced such an opponent before. But fortunately, you can incorporate lefty-conscious strategies into your training regimen that is applicable to both left-handed and right-handed players. By manipulating the height of the rally and aiming for the diagonals, you will take control over the point and dominate your lefty opponents with ease.

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