When the Going Gets Tough, ...

    
You may not want to be resilient, you may want to give up the fight, you may even believe that your efforts won't matter because the sea that lies in front of you is too broad for you to cross. Remember the splitting of the Red Sea back in Exodus 14?  Don't give up! Too much depends on you, your life has a purpose and if you give up on life that purpose may never be fulfilled. When the pie looks too big, take one more bite, help is on the way!
     Back to our resilient basketball example. We determined that the key to the level of bouncing back was dependent on the amount of energy "strength" that was provided as the ball was forced towards the ground. In life how resilient we are, how well we bounce back, also depends on the energy we have behind us that supports us when we are "bouncing back". Job in the Bible is an excellent example of showing resiliency and bouncing back. Job lost everything and honestly the only thing that can be attributed to Job continuing to move forward was his faith in God. Literally, Job had nothing left, his family, his home, his livestock, even his good health was gone and everyone around him said, "Wow Job, God has apparently dropped you, why don't you just go ahead and curse Him and try to figure out a way just to die." But Job believed that when the going gets tough, the tough get going! He wouldn't give up on God, Job actually placed his full faith in God and in Job 17:9 he said, "The righteous keep moving forward, and those with clean hands become stronger and stronger." That's what we must do when it looks like the road is too long in front of us, we have to keep moving forward, keep pushing through your challenges in life.
     In closing today, I would like to share one of my favorite verses God surely provided to Paul, His servant, in II Corinthians 4:8-9 "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; We are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed." Why are we not destroyed when we are cast down? Because "He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world"
I John 4:4. We bounce back because we have faith, which provides us with the ability to get going when the going gets tough. Our faith is that same strength that provides the energy to bounce back up just like the basketball each time it is forced downward to its temporary destination. If you are having a hard time in life right now, if you just don't feel like you have the energy to bounce back again, then it may be that you need some of that "keep going" energy that I just described. It is readily available and there is an endless supply waiting on you! Seek Him and be filled with His goodness, mercy, and resiliency!
Keep up the good fight!
Coach Carter

Zig, Zag, Zoom!

     
As I was sitting outside this morning, preparing my mind for some time in prayer and meditation, I paused momentarily just to take in the calm of the morning and the beauty of God's creation. I am blessed to be surrounded by a forest of trees which provides an abundance of wildlife and a vast collection of plants, wildflowers, and skyward seeking trees. Many times, I get in such a hurry that I fail to take in the beauty of this scene which is so readily available to me each and every day. Mental note: "Take more time to do nothing more than look around and say Thank You!" To extenuate this point, one of my tiny hummingbird friends buzzed onto the scene this morning wanting to get his fill of the nectar that I have provided for my zippy guests. Caught in the moment of "looking around" my mind started pondering the actions of my fine, feathered friend and his hurried actions that he displays in his hunt for nourishment.
     If you've ever had the chance to watch a hummingbird as it approaches a feeder then you know how amazing the spectacle actually is. Hummingbirds beat their wings up to 70 beats per second and over 1,000 beats in a single minute. They dash to the right, they zig to the left, back and forth never circling an object but more acting like a lazar they dart right and left, back and forth until they reach what must appear to be a safe approach. Obviously, based on the size of this tiny creature, caution and apprehension collect a great deal of this bird's thought processes each flap of his wings. When the birds first migrate back to our back porch it is apparent that the trust issue is at the forefront of their attention. The zipping, zigging, and zagging back and forth is all done in the context of assuring that this is a safe area to visit. In the early stages the hummingbirds won't rest on the perches but instead dangle suspended in air taking in the nectar with their pointy beaks. As days turn into weeks the tiny hummingbirds eventually begin to trust that we aren't going to be a threat and their buzzing around results in the tiny birds resting their wings and enjoying a more leisurely breakfast meal. It is rewarding and comforting to me to observe this band of hummers come to a place of trust to the point that they will rest and sup with us almost at arms grasp.
      Our relationship with God can be compared to this episode in nature. We rush here and we zip there giving little time to the things in life that are of real significance. We hold back and hold out on placing our trust and faith in our Creator. I'm not sure if it is fear, but I am certain it is the fear of trusting that God's love for us is actually possible. Our mind races back and forth just like the hummingbird, "How could a God love me when I have done all that I have done in life?", or "How is it possible that God knows everything and controls all of creation?" Or even "How can I trust a God that I can't see to help me in the condition my life is in right now?" I can literally see the hummingbird in your mind darting from one perspective to the other end of the spectrum attempting to reason and find a safe space to land! Proverbs 3:5-6 promises this "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths."
     In our quest for a safe place to land, safety can only be found in trust. Finding nourishment for our thirsty soul is found in trusting that the God that made you, is the same God that will be with you in all of life's struggles, dangers, pitfalls, and tragedies. He will provide nourishment for your mind, soul, and body when you make the decision to trust in Him. Will the dangers of life disappear suddenly when you make this commitment of faith? Although possible, probably not, but just as the hummingbird begins to rest on the perch of our bird feeder, you too will begin to trust in the Lord and take rest in the comforting peace that is only possible in Him.

Coach Carter

Let's Hear It for the Underdog

    
As a coach, there is nothing that energizes me more than to be listed as the underdog in a competition. The overcomer in me kicks in and it's on when it comes time to compete. At all levels of sports- competition it's the same. In the Super Bowl the team that should have no chance to win is the very team that we all want to pull through to victory. When the odds are stacked against a team, and when that same team overcomes the odds makers, that's the stuff that Hollywood blockbuster movies are made. But how does that happen? When on paper all the stats point in one direction, the records are being set by the favorite, the prognosticators and critics alike are in agreement, but yet the underdog comes out and wins the game, how does that happen?
      Well according to the Bible, it has a great deal to do with time and chance. Ecclesiastes 9:11 tells us, 

"I have seen something else under the sun:

The race is not to the swift
    or the battle to the strong,
nor does food come to the wise
    or wealth to the brilliant
    or favor to the learned;
but time and chance happen to them all."

"So, you're telling me that the win isn't going to come to the stronger competitor, the more talented team, or the obviously front-runner on paper in the championship bout?" you may be asking. No, that's not what I'm proposing here, all I'm saying is that at the right time, with the right circumstances, under the right conditions time and chance will prevail. If this wasn't true then I guess Las Vegas would be out of business, that's why they play the game! So, am I proposing that all competitors pull back from practicing and preparing themselves to face their "Goliath"? Absolutely not. That is the essence of time and chance. It's kinda like if you aren't in the game, don't expect to win the game. 

     In all of the situations listed in Ecclesiastes 9:11 the victor is not always the one that would garner the most bets if people were looking at the odds. The fastest athlete on the track, the bigger, stronger boxer in the ring, the wisest, brightest, or most brilliant person is not guaranteed to come out on top. But why not? It just makes sense that if 9 out of 10 times I have already beaten the competition in the 400 meter run then I should be guaranteed a victory on the 10 time out as well. That's where time and chance enter the equation. That's why they run the race! The key here is that the underdog won't just win the race because he shows up either. On paper and with all past results the underdog has been beaten in our scenario. Then what makes the difference in this tenth trial? 

     I believe the apostle Paul sums the answer to that question up nicely in his motivational proclamation to the church in Corinth. Paul is using an analogy of running a race and he asks this question. "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Then he directs the people that to win they have to "Run in such a way as to get the prize". He finishes the analogy by giving the secret to success away to the people and to us today. Paul explains that to be ready for the competition he beats his body into submission, he makes himself a slave to the effort, he does all of this so that if and when his time comes, he will have the chance to succeed.  See I Corinthians 9:24-27. 

     Life is a competition, so many times in life we talk about running the race, being beaten out for that job promotion, facing struggles and losing time after time and again in our marriages, our careers, with our children, and in the face of disease or even death. But, time and time again we come out as the victors! Not always, no not even 9 out of 10 times as we mentioned above, yet we must strive forward. We must always continue to train, to fight for the opportunity to try one more time! If life's odds were the determining factor than we would face a hopeless battle when cancer enters the conversation. But that isn't the case, we have hope, and it is our job to fight the good fight and never lose sight of that hope that finds itself in the idea that "there's always a chance". 

     You may be the underdog, it may be that you only have a 10% chance of overcoming that obstacle, heck you may have a 1% percent chance, but you know what? You have a chance. In that one instance, it may just be your time, this may be your one chance to be the "Rocky" in your family. But, you can't ever give up. You can't ever give in, and you certainly won't overcome that mountain in front of you if you don't give it your best each and every day! I may not ever win when I face that giant in front of me, but I can promise you one thing. I'm going to give it my best each and every day of my life, I'm going to work as hard as I can, I'm going to train and learn as much as is possible, and I am going to be prepared when the stage is set and I face off in life's biggest battle. The odds may say I will lose, but I know there is always my time and my chance to prevail! 

Train your mind, body, soul, and spirit each day! Read more, pray more, worship and praise more! Get prepared your chance may be just around the corner! 

 Coach Carter

Bread & Water

"Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them." Isaiah 30:20

     Throughout history bread and water have been recognized as the bare bone essentials for survival. Prisoners in olden days were at times placed on bread and water rations as punishment, and as we see in today's scripture, Isaiah used the analogy in comparison to life's struggles and hardships. It's hard to imagine that afflictions and adversity are essentials for life, yet if you're faith is grounded in trust, then you must certainly have an understanding of what we are talking about in today's Flat Tire Ministries Thought for the Week.
     When Isaiah wrote this passage, the Israelites had been under Babylonian captivity for years and their situation was the epitome of adversity and affliction. Yet for Isaiah the message was clear, through all of this hardship, we will gain a better understanding about life and the lessons gained through the experience would serve them well going forward. What a challenge in life to look at the adversity you are going through and to be able to believe in your heart that you will come out on the other side of the situation better and stronger, kinda the "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" attitude. 
     I firmly believe that adversity is a tool for each of us. I know in my own life when I have faced some of my greatest challenges is when I have learned to persevere and hunker down to see things through to the other side of the matter. Every mountain has two sides and I am that bear that went over the mountain to see what was on the other side! It isn't easy enduring adversity nor is it a cakewalk to overcome afflictions such as aliments, injuries, or disease, yet believing, truly, honestly believing that your suffering is part of the process makes it a little more "bearable". I believe in my heart and soul that the strength I have gained through my not so positive experiences in life has fully equipped me to be the man I am still working on becoming today! When I started looking at adversity from that perspective my attitude and my outlook changed completely. In my mind, I no longer was suffering because I was a bad person or because I had the worst luck ever, but instead, I suffered so that I can become stronger so that I can help teach others about how the struggle is part of their training. My suffering isn't about me any longer, the life lessons I can share and teach my children, students, athletes, and others which in turn equips them to teach their children makes it all worthwhile and actually beneficial. If you are struggling, if you are hurting, God doesn't just take those things away just because you are experiencing pain or discomfort. That would actually rob you of what God has planned for the eventual outcome. I know and understand this is a hard concept to accept, but just as the knot tightens as it is pulled on, so too are we strengthened by life's bread of adversity and water of affliction. 
     How can you accept this? How can this be possible that a God that loves me would allow me to go through pain and suffering? The answer to that question is found in the life of His son, Jesus. Jesus was sent to earth with one assignment, die for the sins of mankind so that mankind could have life. Hope, founded in trust, created by faith. In John 6:35 Jesus explains, "I am the bread of life, he that comes to me shall never hunger, and he that believes on me shall never thirst." God may allow us to go through adversity, but it isn't because you are not loved or cared for, instead it is because Jesus is right there with you in that adversity and in that affliction. He is with you and He will see you through whatever you face in life. If God is the bread of life, and if we trust in Him we will never thirst or do without, then I am more than willing to face the challenges I must endure. God is with me, He will never leave me nor forsake me.  Read Hebrews 13:5. I stand confident in that promise and you can too! I will be praying for each of you that read this message today. My prayer is for strength to endure, courage to overcome, and wisdom to understand that being filled on God's bread and water will only help you to see things through and will only make you stronger for those you love and care.
Go out and change your world, what are you waiting on?

Coach Carter

Every Coin Has Two Sides

      
     There have been times when I have sat down with a friend or acquaintance for a brief opportunity to catch up on their world only to be greeted with a laundry list of all the calamities and disappointments they currently dealing with, and how all of these events are dragging them down and hindering them from moving forward. Problem is, they are exactly right. Life is full of complexities, hardships, adversities, and unfortunately afflictions. Life can be pretty tough, right? I get it, but also who among us was ever told that life was going to be filled with gum drops and every day would be sunny and bright? You know, "Momma said there would be days like this". We all received those kinds of warnings from loved ones and mentors as we were growing up and spreading our wings. That doesn't necessarily make them easier to deal with though, because our complex situations are ours and in our mind they have to be the biggest, baddest set of circumstances known to man. "In our mind" is the key to today's Flat Tire thought. Just as the title suggests every coin has two sides and in life every situation has two sides. 
     Don't know if I have ever fully explained where the name "Flat Tire Ministries" came from and I won't digress to that one today, but let's just say it all started with a span of eight flat tires on my personal vehicle over a period of less than two years. That's a bunch of fix-a-flat purchases! (Really it was more busted knuckles and grimy, oily hands) But anyway, I gained so much from my "flat tire experience", my perseverance was enhanced, more grit was garnered, and my resiliency was ramped up! This ultimately inspired me to write my book, "How to Fix a Flat Tire". Now if I hadn't had those eight flat tires I more than likely would have never written a motivational book about fixing your life's flat tires without the experience I endured during that period of nails, screws, shards of metal, glass, and other impediments to my daily travel. It's safe to say that being a writer and actually writing a book was a "someday" goal for me and without the series of flat tires I may have never written my book. Not saying that I enjoyed even one of those flats. Hot weather, rainy weather, cold weather, late for meetings, or hindered from completing a journey flat tires are not a good thing. Yet at the end of the day, all of those flat tires embedded in me valuable lessons that have made me a better man, father, husband, and hopefully positive example for others in their quest to overcome life's flats. I guess it's safe to say that your perspective on any situation or circumstance will inevitably determine if you move forward a better person because of the circumstances in your life, or are you going to allow those same circumstances to be the anchor that sinks you deeper into an abyss of blame and self-denial?
     Flip a coin, it has two sides and there is a fifty/fifty chance that it will land on heads or tails. No that doesn't qualify me as a statistician or math genius, but it does give me fodder for my thought for the week. In life, you will encounter a hardship, or coin as our analogy provides. During that hardship, you make the 50/50 option, will you look at the positive side of things or will you point fingers and curse "Why does everything bad always happen to me????" We probably have a pretty good idea about how to look on the bad side of things, but how do you turn a flat tire into a positive moment when you are running late for work already and you haven't even stopped for that double mocha latte yet? Well your perspective is the key. I had a flat tire, but how fortunate I am to own a car, and how blessed I am to have a job that provides me with the resources that allow me to pay for that car. Regardless of the flat tire right now that car provides me with transportation to my work, it normally delivers my family to their destinations, and ultimately that vehicle serves as a conduit in allowing me to provide for my family. So, the flat tire is a bump in the road, boy am I glad I have a car that could possibly end up with a flat tire to begin this discussion. "The shingles on my roof were tore off in the storm the other night, know I have to spend the money I had been saving for a vacation. Why do bad things always happen to me?" Or is it possible to change that mindset to "The shingles were tore off of my roof in the storm the other night, but how thankful I am that no one was injured and how thankful I am to have a home that provides shelter from the elements, security, warmth, and peace to my family and self." Disease, financial challenges, relationships, and even death hit us personally and in our mind, it is the worst situation possible, but in every situation, it is always going to be a matter of looking at your condition through rose-colored glasses. You have a 50/50 choice, you get to make the decisions, nobody forces you to take a positive approach to life and nobody gets the credit or blame if you choose to be the Negative Nancy at every turn life throws out your way. 
     I love the apostle Paul's perspective when it comes to adversity and the choice to be content in that adversity, "... for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. Philippians 4:10-12. How is this possible, how can someone be content when he has nothing, literally? How can a person be thankful when he is hungry? How can we have a positive perspective on our situation when the world around us appears to be falling apart? Paul provides that answer in the next verse "I can do all this through him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13. During life's storms being grounded in Christ allows us to withstand the storm and realize that the storms of life actually bring the nourishment that the soil requires to make plants grow. Those plants provide us with food and provide the animals we eventually benefit from with nourishment that keeps them healthy. Knowing God and placing our faith in Him assures us that whatever the circumstance we are currently experiencing will ultimately be played out for the benefit of someone, not necessarily self, but eventually it will benefit someone or a whole group of somebodies. That perspective is grounded in a faith that "all things work together for good" Romans 8:28. One thing you must come to terms with in your life is that your life is not about you. Implant the mindset that any adversity you encounter will only make you stronger so that you can share your experiences with those you will eventually mentor and influence.


     Just as easily as you toss a coin in the air to see whether it is going to land on heads or tails, you must make the choice of how you are going to respond to life's adversities and afflictions. It is certain you will face adversity, but the question today is will you dig a deeper hole of self-pity and blame-naming or will you grow from it and make sweet lemonade out of life's lemons? My comfort and strength is found in Christ, He strengthens me and gives me a purpose in the midst of the storm. My hopes and prayers are that you too will grow to trust Him and look to the positive side of the coin in life!

Seedless Watermelons

    
I may not be a master gardener, I mean really my farming resume includes growing up and working on my grandparent’s farm and then creating a yearly garden with students in a summer STEM like camp. My expertise could be summed up in the fact that I know and recognize that if you plant a seed and nurture that seed as it becomes a plant, there is a strong possibility that it will produce its fruit. I feel that is a safe presumption, one that we all pretty much hold as a basic truth, even if our green thumb is just a slight shade of sage. Okay, if it is safe to assume that everyone has a basic understanding of how the gardening process works then answer me this, if it takes a seed to grow the plant in the first place, then how is it that we have seedless watermelons? Don't laugh at me! I mean really, if you think about it plants produce seeds, which we in turn take those seeds and produce the next harvest of the same plant during the next growing season. So, what about seedless watermelons?? You know that thing Paul talked about in Galatians 6:7 "...whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." So, if we are going to reap seedless watermelons where do the seeds come from? I know "Google that and move on" you're saying, but the point of today's FTM is to get you thinking about the things we just take at face value, the fact that we just accept things with a "well that's the way it's always been" attitude and then we just keep moving on down the line.
     As an educator, I hope I have instilled in my students a desire to question and then seek out answers. Just because you read it in a book or just because someone stands before you and tells you that this is the way it is doesn't necessarily mean that it is always the "way it is", it may be that it is just the way that it has always been. One of the most annoying phrases I hear that dampens creativeness and outside of the box thinking is "well we've always done it this way." If we want our kids to grow up with a mindset that anything is possible then we have to teach them that just because things have always been a certain way, doesn't always mean that that is the best way. Just because we have done something one particular way, or just because we have been taught to believe that some things are just the way they are, doesn't necessarily mean that it's true.
     Down through history men and women have asked questions and then went out to find answers. They didn't ask questions and then say "Oh well I guess it's just that way" or "well that's the way we've always done it so that must be the right way to do it." No what has gotten us to this point in civilization that we can communicate with one another around the world on a wireless, cordless rectangular box made of plastic and metal is that very mindset of asking why and how.
     We must instill the drive to ask questions and foster that inquisitive spirit in our children, but more importantly we must assure that we ourselves never lose that innate desire to question and then seek out answers in our own lives. For us as adults it's not necessarily asking where do seedless watermelons get seeds so that they can be grown, but instead it is more about asking "Why is it that we have to do things a certain way?" or "How come it has to be this way or that way?" When we just accept things as "the way they have always been" we are moving on a conveyor belt and our destination is being determined for us. When you are faced with a problem at work, at home, at school, or even during your daily commute don't sit there stuck in the trap of well that's just the way it is. You have the power to change "the way things are", you have the ability to solve problems, create new pathways, or to formulate new answers to tired, old solutions that were tabulated before you came along. One of the worst things you can ever say is "I've tried everything and nothing worked". To be honest with you that is giving up. Throw that phrase out, get with some positive, like-minded people, and soon you will find that you really have just reached the tip of the iceberg in the solution bank.
      Today's Flat Tire is about asking questions and not accepting the status quo. We too often accept things and move on to the next thing leaving behind opportunity and potential solutions that could possibly change lives for one or for hundreds. I'll end today's message with a story coming from research done decades ago involving some chimps and some bananas. Researchers placed a small group of chimps in a room that included a climbing rope with a dangling bunch of bananas at the top. As the chimps realized that the fruit was just a short climb away they began to climb up the rope. As each monkey neared the treasure grove of bananas a jet of water blasted the chimp forcing him to scamper back down the rope. Time after time the monkeys were greeted with the same water bath when they would climb the rope. Eventually none of the monkeys would attempt to climb the rope. Then the researchers took one of the chimps out of the room and replaced him with another primate that had not been in this situation. When this new chimp noticed the bananas he quickly made the move towards the rope. His fellow chimps wanting to spare him the anguish of getting doused with the jet of water pulled him down and would not let him climb the rope. One by one the researchers exchanged the chimps in the room and each time they continued pulling down the new member to their group in an effort to save them from a cold-water bath. At the end of the experiment, the room was filled with a group of chimpanzees that would not allow any in their group to make an attempt on the rope to obtain the desired fruit. The sad part is that no chimp in the room at that time had ever been squirted by the water, they were just going along with the crowd. Ask questions, seek answers, don't accept things as that's just the way they are, and for heaven's sake somebody tell me where do seedless watermelons get their seeds!!
Have a wonderful week and for those in the profession of educating our children, enjoy your summer break! You deserve it!
Coach Carter

Running on Empty

      
I have a bad tendency to run my vehicle down to way past what would be good sense practice. Most later model vehicles have low fuel warning sensors and several vehicles come equipped with a digital read out displaying estimated miles remaining in your tank. Not the case back in 1990, my little Ford Ranger doesn't even have a low fuel warning light! My best warning signal is when the fuel display needle meets the white line where the "E" is situated. I haven't run out of fuel to date, but I'm pretty sure if I keep pushing my luck and continue allowing the needle and white "Empty" line to blur, pretty soon that is bound to happen. Fortunately, there exists a quick fix for this situation which involves me taking the time to pull in to a gas station and fueling up L'il Red. We're lucky to have fuel for our vehicles so readily available and easily accessible, but what about your mental gas tank? Where do you go when you need a fill up?
      It's not as easy for us to refuel our tank as it is to fill up our car's tank. I mean you have to first find what truly energizes you, and then you have to find a source of that energy to tap. Too often, we are guilty of attempting to refuel on things of this world that actually end up dragging us down instead of providing us with energy to move forward. If you think sitting down on the couch and watching multiple hours of television will reboot your life, I sadly want to inform you that more than likely you won't come away from that experience with any additional positive energy. The majority of things promoted on television only serve to make us feel like we are missing out on what "everyone" else is experiencing, or the news or lack of news barrages us with the sad state of things in this world ranging from drug addiction, murder, hatred and even war. It just doesn't seem to be anything that could serve to energize us, no my friend television just doesn't seem to be the answer.
     How about social media and the wide array of options to check in, keep up, and check out what's going on around the world with our "friends"? The more I see on social media the less I want to be on it! I use Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to share Flat Tire Ministries, and Twitter as a resource for the successes of our students, but outside of that I rarely spend any measurable amount of time on social media. From what I gather it appears to be a platform for people to compare their lives to the lives of others and in many cases, create a false sense of reality for others to envy or duplicate. The "social" aspect of social media is in reality anti-social!
      What about money, material possessions, drugs, alcohol, or whatever it looks like as you attempt to keep up with the Jones'? Nope, nope, nope, nope, and a double nope! You might find temporary fixes in each of these, but it's like pulling up to the gas station and putting two dollar’s worth of gas in an empty tank. It will get you a little further down the road, but sooner than later you are going to need another pit stop to keep you going. If none of the things listed above will provide you with sustaining motivation and energy to reach your life's goals then the question begs, "Where should my strength come from?"
      Isaiah 58:11 provides us with the answer to that very question. When you are feeling run down, when you have hit a brick wall, when you can't see anything but a tunnel with no light at the end in sight, or even when you have fallen and you don't think you can get back up, we have this promise; "The Lord will always lead you. He will meet the needs of your soul in the dry times and give strength to your body. You will be like a garden that has enough water, like a well of water that never dries up." NLV.  This is where I find the strength to carry on and go forward in all situations and under any circumstances. You can knock me down, but you can't keep me down! I may fall 100 times, but I will get up 101 times or as many times as it takes to reach my destination. Just think about what Isaiah is promising here, if we will call on Him he will always lead us, when we feel like we are out of fuel in our tank He will give us the strength we need if we will only trust and believe, and the source of this inner strength will never run dry! If you possess this inner strength then you know what I am talking about. If you know where this strength comes from, but you have made the decision to fuel up at a different station then you can make a U-turn anytime you like and pull back in to the true filling station. If you are lost and trying to find a source of energy that will sustain your life, and never leave you wanting then our Lord and Savior is the one that can put a "tiger in your tank!" Don't wait for your tank to register empty before you seek a refill, look to the mountains from whence my strength comes from, my strength comes from the Lord the Maker of Heaven and earth! He is there waiting on you, is it time for a fill up?