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Each year, on the last Monday of May, we celebrate Memorial Day. Originally instituted as a day of honoring those who died during the Civil War, it eventually became a day to remember any soldier who died fighting in the United States Armed Forces. Memorial Day is the perfect time to pause and consider how much we owe to those men and women who have given up their lives in the pursuit and defense of freedom. We are so accustomed to living with this freedom in our country, that it is easy to take it for granted. It is hard to appreciate it when we do not know anything different. Just like a fish who doesn’t realize it is wet (because it has never been anything else but wet), we tend to not realize the magnitude of privilege that is ours. It takes warriors to build a country where freedom is the rule, rather than the exception. And Memorial Day is a time to honor those wounded warriors who have made our lives of freedom possible. But we can honor those wounded warriors even more by seeking to emulate them in their courage to fight against destructive forces. Warriors Fight What happens when the enemy is not confronted and defeated? He wins and the noble cause suffers. What about you? Are you a warrior? Do you know what your enemy is? Your enemy is the typical, unhealthy lifestyle that nearly everyone around you is living. And it is deadly for two reasons: It is hard to recognize. Just like the water surrounding the fish, the status quo is so normal, so common, that we just live it with very little contemplation. Of course you eat dessert after dinner. Of course you grab a doughnut on the way to work. Of course you do not exercise the recommended six days each week. Of course you are overweight. Isn’t everyone living this way? Yes, nearly everyone is. It leads to illness, early disability and death. If you follow the status quo of diet and lifestyle, you will be increasingly tired, weak, sick and in pain. It will not get better; it will get worse with each passing year, finally ending in dependence on others. What are you waiting for? Get up and fight! Memorial Day is a perfect day to reflect on your willingness to fight. Resisting the tide of ‘normal’ unhealthy eating and sedentary-ness is no walk in the park. You’ve got to press in and fight like a warrior. It isn’t easy and it isn’t always fun. But the resulting energy, vitality, strength and mental clarity that will be your new ‘normal’ way of life will be worth every bit of effort and sweat you put into it. I'm behind you. Forget the past—leave it in the past. It doesn’t matter what your track record is with fitness and health. Focus on the future ... Your future looks great!

Greatness Requires Sacrifice by Jon Gordon As we celebrated Memorial Day in the United States on Monday and remembered all those who sacrificed their lives to serve their country, I couldn’t help but think of an important truth: Greatness requires sacrifice.    Whether we are talking about the ultimate sacrifice our heroes made for their country or other kinds of sacrifice that people make every day for the good of others, it is the sacrifice of oneself that leads to true greatness.    Besides our Memorial Day heroes, greatness can also be found in every corner of the earth, in class rooms, locker rooms, kitchens, farms, laboratories, hospitals, non-profit meeting rooms, factories, and in the hearts and actions of those who serve and sacrifice for a cause greater than themselves. • Great scientists invest their lives in finding cures for cancer and other diseases. • Great teammates sacrifice for each other. • Great leaders selflessly serve their teams and organizations. • Great managers give everything they have to bring out the best in others.  • Great marriages often sacrifice what each person wants for what the marriage needs.  • Great parents give of themselves to their children.  • Great social activists and entrepreneurs sacrifice money, brain power and resources to find new ways to improve the health of people in developing countries.  • Great nurses and doctors give their all to help their patients recover and keep them alive.  • Great folks in ministry sacrifice themselves to love and care for others.  • Great teachers sacrifice their time and energy to improve the lives of their students.  • Great athletes, actors and musicians sacrifice thousands of hours of practice to develop their talents that ultimately entertain and inspire audiences.   So, if you want to be great, I hope you realize it’s not about what you can accumulate for yourself, but rather how much of yourself (your time, your energy, and your talents) you can give to others.    You may not give your life for your country, but you can give your life to a cause greater than yourself.    You can give yourself selflessly to others and become great in their eyes.    You don’t have to be great to serve and sacrifice. But you have to serve and sacrifice to be great. 

Yesterday was 65 Roses Day, which was a wonderful reason to stop and reflect on my “why” for my professional career. Two summers ago I took this screenshot on a Friday evening. It’s a message from a father of someone with CF and I use it to remind myself of why I do the work I do everytime I get discouraged or need an extra “boost”. This father and his wife spend their time tirelessly fighting, and fundraising for a full life for their daughter. A full life most of us take for granted. Past their normal work, family, social life, he and his wife have to keep up with countless medial visits, treatments, medications and more. Yet they still find the time to volunteer and fundraise. They fundraise because they see the harsh reality of CF. While the general landscape of a life with CF is vastly different than when the Foundation started, the truth is, we still do not have a cure. We are still dependent on funding research to make this disease “manageable”. Research that still requires people with CF to take medicines, do treatments, and be admitted for tune up hospital visits. Being honest, fundraising can be difficult, especially in a post pandemic world and as a disease that has made incredible medical advances. But we push forward. We push forward because we believe that parents shouldn’t have to be up in evenings fundraising for their child’s life most of us take for granted. We push forward because we believe and we know we can cure this disease.

Changes are coming. I have variously been an evangelist, church planter and charity leader since 1996. As you’ll be aware, in 2023 I was diagnosed with Young Onset Parkinson's disease. This is an incurable, progressive and degenerative condition. I was simultaneously diagnosed with diabetes which I inject insulin for and if not carefully managed can accelerate Parkinson’s. I realised having taken time to reflect, that life needs to change for the sake of my family, friendships and the ministries/charities I lead. I need to try my best to slow the disease progression. This means in part reducing stress and the hugely long hours I do. Both of which are aggravating factors to progression. I need to focus on the things I feel most equipped for and sharpen my focus. After discussions with my Edge ministries board (who are amazing) I will be moving at an appropriate moment from the CEO role to that of Exec Chairman and begin to dedicate more time to mentoring leaders and communicators whilst also helping to keep the vision and direction sharp. Every year I receive a considerable number of invitations to speak at events, particularly in areas of deprivation where funds aren't readily available. I also get alot of requests to participate in podcasts and radio shows and more. I also have a voluntary CEO role for the only UK charity supporting those with Young Onset Parkinson’s (Spotlight YOPD) which is opening doors to engage with political leaders and policy makers. I also give significant time to supporting those with the condition as well as developing the charity. I will be keeping this work on a voluntary basis at least for now. I do however need support from my friends who support my Christian charity work so I can make this pivot into a self supporting role for a large chunk of my time. This means more control over my diary, time and give me the flexibility I need to manage my health. If you already support Edge or CVM please don’t stop that to support me instead. Support can be regular or one off. A monthly amount would be amazing. Please take a look. I remain accountable to the board of Edge for my work and will have the accountability around the finance component via stewardship. Thanks so much for reading this far and considering to be one of my supporters as I continue to seek to add value and hopefully make a significant contribution to bringing justice to the poor and marginalised in the UK and beyond. https://lnkd.in/dA7Tgfzu

On this planet we are on temporary transit, our ages are limited by few numbers of years. However, our achievements cannot be limited by the numbers of years we live and continue breathing, we can expand our years on earth. Think of a situation where you educated one needy orphan in live and then that person grows up to be an important person in life who equally assist others in need! Think of a situation where you drilled a borehole for unfortunate society and then that borehole attracted so many other human beings in need of clean water. Think of a situation where that tiny village you assisted with the borehole grew up to be a modern city and all depend on the borehole you drilled! Think of a situation where you saved one human life from starvation and that life became a scholar who invented wonderful inventions that contributed positively to bettering human lives! Think of a situation where you accidentally came across someone at the brink of death and you saved their lives in which way possible and that human being smiled at life and contributed positively to other human beings in life. Think of a situation where you wrote a book and it saved the lives of millions by them reading it. Our years on earth might be counted and death is imminent but our achievements, positive contribution in life and above all our kindness towards others continue to be immortal and narrated from generations to generations. Try to perfect at your capacity any activity that you do in life whether you are paid to do it or not. Little action that we disdain and belittle is a bigger achievement if it saves lives, if it inspires others,if it calms worrying communities, if it stopped someone from committing a crime, if it got its impact on someone's life positively. Be a champion in life, life need no supervision, life need dedication, love, kindness and humanity in it. We feel pain the same despite the colors of our skin, we all have that positive mind despite what others see from the surface, we have all it takes to contribute to better tomorrow and create the world we dream off for ourselves, children and for generation to come. Our conversation and positive thoughts have more impact in life than our actual services and donations. Smile for life and try to create smiles on others faces. Start by greeting your neighbor with smiley face in the morning when you pass-by and think of that neighbor of yours who has no salt, no sugar or no soup in his house and share the little you have at home. We are all our brothers' and sisters keepers. Prove it right and commit to that.

🎗️Kidney Heroes Giving Day is August 20th🎗️ One week from today. This certainly isn’t a day I ever imagined would hold such significance in my own life, but as we all learn, there’s no such thing as an autobiography written in advance. The greatest weapon in life is perspective, which in most cases is molded through adversity. Circumstances build character. They don't determine where we can go; they merely determine where we start. I wouldn’t change one thing about my journey and where I am today. The most beautiful destinations are found through the most difficult roads. Contrary to popular belief, it’s neither the journey nor the destination that matters most. It’s who you become on the journey, and the relationships you forge along the way. 🔸 The shortage of kidneys for transplantation is a public health crisis in the U.S. 🔸In 2021, 785,883 Americans had kidney failure and needed dialysis or a kidney transplant to survive. 🔸There are currently more than 106,000 people on the national transplant waiting list. 🔸Last year, just over 21,000 donor organs were available for transplant. 🔸Nearly 5,000 people each year (12 people each day) lose their lives while on the waitlist due to not being able to receive a life-saving transplant. I am eternally grateful for JJ Jeffries and his incredibly selfless act of heroism on December 7th, 2021. For affording me the opportunity to even have a story to share, and giving me the greatest gift any human being can possibly give to another; a fighting chance to continue the journey. Although our story might be rare to most that we engage with, we are not unique in the grand scheme of life. There are hundreds of thousands of people who need help, just like I did. In our eyes, every opportunity to share our story is another opportunity to increase the odds that someone else will be given a fighting chance to continue their journey too. National Kidney Foundation #NKF #KidneyHeroesGivingDay #KidneyDiseaseAwareness #TransplantRecipient #LivingDonor

Her husband needs a kidney please reshare. Also, this is a prime example of why we need to keep pushing medical research forward as AGGRESSIVELY as possible. Just a few days ago a man received the world's first kidney transplant from a pig and he's doing well. We are on the precipice of huge medical breakthroughs in all forms of disease treatment and the new social war of the 21st century is not wealth inequality, that's bullshit. The real issue is time inequality; we're you born late enough so that when your disease calls your number you could take advantage of these miracle cures to tell death "not today". The AI doomers, AI Ethicists and other whack jobs in corporate that are trying to slow down the progress of tools that can help researchers are directly mucking up the system and causing those without a voice to die. The stakes are too high not to push forward as hard as possible and to call these ludites out on their bullshit.

🌿✨ "Embark on a Journey of Transformation: Discover My Story with Tricycle Day" ✨🌿 In today's special edition of Tricycle Day, I share my deeply personal journey - from the brink of despair to the founding of Heroic Path to Light. This interview delves into how psilocybin, following a pivotal moment in my life, became a gateway to healing and understanding. It's a story of struggle, resilience, and the power of community in overcoming life's darkest challenges. I invite you to read about my experiences in the Marines and as a firefighter, the profound impact of entheogenic medicine, and how these experiences shaped my mission to combat suicide and foster empowerment. Discover why Heroic Path to Light is not just a sanctuary, but a beacon of hope and transformation. Join me in exploring the role of community and spirituality in healing, and envision a future where everyone has access to the support they need. Your path to enlightenment and strength begins here. 💪🌟 Read the full newsletter and be a part of our journey towards a world where every soul finds its light. 🌐📰 #HeroicPathToLight #TransformationJourney #CommunityHealing #PsilocybinHealing #MentalHealthAwareness #SpiritualAwakening #EndSuicide #EntheogenicMedicine #TricycleDayInterview

🏈⚾ **Donald Jones: A Journey of Resilience from the Gridiron to the Diamond** 🏈⚾ Donald Jones's narrative is more than just an athlete's tale; it's a profound exploration of resilience, hope, and the unyielding human spirit in the face of life-altering challenges. Diagnosed with IgA nephropathy, a kidney condition that brought him to the brink of kidney failure, Jones faced a reality that threatened to extinguish not only his career in the NFL but his very life. The successful kidney transplant from his father stands as a monumental testament to the strength of familial bonds and the life-renewing power of organ donation. Choosing to retire early from professional football was a pivotal moment for Jones, not an end but a gateway to new beginnings. His return to baseball post-transplant isn't just a comeback; it's a reaffirmation of his passion for sports and a refusal to be defined by the adversities he's faced. This transition illuminates the incredible capacity for individuals to redefine their paths, even in the aftermath of serious health battles. Jones's journey from the NFL to the baseball diamond, traversing the challenging terrain of chronic kidney disease and organ transplantation, serves as a beacon of hope and inspiration. It underscores the pivotal role of organ donation in granting second chances and emphasizes that with courage, familial support, and access to critical medical interventions, surmounting life's most daunting hurdles is within reach. Donald Jones's legacy transcends his sports achievements, positioning him as a source of motivation for those grappling with similar health conditions. His story is a powerful reminder of the possibilities that lie on the other side of adversity, highlighting the importance of perseverance, the critical need for organ donors, and the vibrant life that can flourish post-transplant. Through his remarkable journey, Jones illuminates the path for others, proving that life can not only continue but thrive beyond diagnosis and treatment. #DonaldJones #Resilience #OrganDonationAwareness 🌟🏈⚾

Against all odds, Mercedes, an 81-year-old grandmother from Nicaragua, found hope and healing. Her journey, marked by resilience and the support of compassionate donors, showcases the transformative power of generosity. Read Mercedes's full story of courage and renewal and learn how you can make a difference in the lives of others like her. Together, we can bring hope and healing to those in need. https://bit.ly/3vEH8PR