Overcomers Overcoming

David Norris is Senior Pastor of Free at Last Ministries. Episode 1 describes his past life as profiled in his book Free At Last. His ministry helps others through what he has encountered and overcome in a past life. He describes some in his circle of influence who are without life purpose and while being pampered for part of their life. Have we gone too far in sheltering others from hard work and possibly failing? Are we possibly the cause of some of those coming behind us for being distracted?

Patrick Clark speaks resolutely about a before and after “picture” of his life characterized by past distractions. He now has a life focus that brings him total fulfillment. Through a dedicated process focused on a positive life change, he developed his self-esteem of who he is while developing a spiritual awareness that helped positively define his life. Through his life transformation, he now makes life choices focused on his life purpose and fulfillment. The result is total life satisfaction.

Ron and Marty Cooper discuss a part of their life story and how they overcame “mountains,” “troubled seas,” and “spiritual deserts.” Are you a victim or a victor? Are you an opportunity optimizer? Do you believe there are multiple solutions to any life dilemma? Religion sometimes manifests itself as a plastic, artificial façade that, for some people, as they explain the value of a relationship with Jesus Christ. What value and priority do you place on biblically-based values?

Corey Green describes in previous episodes many life challenging events that could have caused him to give up on life. Rather, he developed determination and purpose to focus on overcoming every life topic he encountered. He and his wife, Michelle, are each an inspiration to focus and overcome every life challenge. Having a disciplined mindset, perseverance, mental toughness, and a positive attitude all contributed to his very positive, inspirational, in-progress life journey.

Kathy Kasten discusses the need for and value of accountability partners in our life. But, how do we know who is best for us? How can we determine those who align with our best interests? Should we surround ourselves with those who think like us? Having the right accountability partners in our life can help us identify blind spots while helping us identify talents and traits we need to emphasize. The right accountability partner has our best interests in mind.

Kathy Kasten describes many of the reasons (aka excuses) we use to justify being a workaholic. Everyone needs time to recharge and energize. Without these intentional periods of rest and recuperation, we can burn out. To avoid burnout and work toward productivity, we need to determine what provides life fulfillment. This is very personal. What works for one will not necessarily work for another. Whatever provides life fulfillment, we must develop the discipline to be intentional to schedule recharge time.

Kathy Kasten describes some of her life experiences of identifying and avoiding life distractions. It is easy to become distracted by becoming insidiously involved in activities that do not align with our life purpose, talents and/or spiritual gifts. Some people fill their life with activities while justifying what they do as being useful. While activities can be useful, they are not necessarily the best use of our resources. How can we determine our life focus and priorities? Let’s listen for insights.

Pastor Greg Jackson discusses distractions and how they can insidiously invade our lives and cause wasted time and resources while causing unnecessary stress. He explains that living a life of purpose can be fulfilling while avoiding the “shiny object” syndrome that can cause us to lose focus. He recommends taking an introspective look to determine if we have the propensity to live an undisciplined life. This faith-based message inspires us to take action to live with greater purpose.

Kathy Kasten explains in Episode #1 how she overcame her Mom’s sudden passing and, in Episode #2, she explains about living a legacy. In this episode, Kathy explains how she pivoted her life and career aspirations due to these and other life-changing events. You can hear resilience in Kathy’s explanation of how she rose above the adversity while experiencing a “season” of mourning. Developing meaningful relationships with people of like values was one key factor to Kathy’s resilience.

Jack Beavers explains, in this episode, his experience with three daughters who were bullying targets. He describes his perspective of this near-epidemic societal topic where the bully focuses on denigrating and intimidating others. While we may have little control over the bully, we do have an adult responsibility to nurture our children and/or grandchildren to ensure they have a healthy self-image. What perspective do you have on bullying?