On July 30, 1975, Jimmy Hoffa went to the Red Fox Restaurant outside of Detroit to allegedly meet with a couple of labor leaders and a local mobster kingpin. Witnesses said no one met him in the restaurant but he was seen getting into a car in the parking lot with several other men. That was the last anyone saw or heard from him. The controversial leader of the Teamsters Union, which boasted strong connections to organized crime, just disappeared.
That is until recently when a field in Waterford Township, Michigan was breaking ground for a new shopping center. In their excavations they unearthed a 55-gallon steel drum that contained a corpse. Through dental records it proved to be Jimmy Hoffa’s body. And now through a DNA resuscitation matrix, police hope to solve that crime and perhaps others as well. Through many years of research, forensics scientists have finally found a way to temporarily revive a person’s cortex and vocal cords for a scant 60 seconds. They hope this is enough time to get the answers as to who was the perpetrator of the deadly dead. Whether or not the responses will hold up in court is yet to be determined.
The above is a true story in regards to the first paragraph, but the rest is not. It is April 1 – or April Fool’s Day. The concept actually comes from a short lived TV series where the lead character was able to revive a murder victim for 60 seconds to see if the victim could point to the perpetrator. However, it wasn’t without consequence as someone else would die in that time frame not to be resuscitated.
We may not be able to resurrect another human being but you can resurrect or make new your own life. Others in this blog chain will be discussing resurrection and redemption (which is the theme for the month) in more theological aspects, but here I will deal with it within a psychological experience. This is taken from notes on a recent inspirational talk by a Christian motivational speaker, Dan Sneed. The topic of his talk was “Success is never final; failure is never fatal.”
For many people the recent economic downturn has affected their income. I can attest to that as the career that supports my writing is real estate sales. Those sales have been spiraling down for the last few years. Now I need to start creating a new business model or a new career that pays. I could look back at the diminishing returns in real estate and feel diminished as well. Or I could look forward and use this as an opportunity to renew and refocus.
Many people define themselves by their income or their job title. When you make that your identity you might believe that you are a failure and unworthy. But as long as you have breath you have the opportunity to be redeemed and restored. Here’s how the famous feel about failure in their own words…
"Failure is only the opportunity to begin again, only this time more wisely." Henry Ford
"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." Thomas Alva Edison
"Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm." Sir Winston Churchill
"All my successes have been built on my failures." Benjamin Disraeli
The last one is my favorite. I’ve had many ups and downs in my life, but I’ve learned from my past. My failures are a part of my life and have helped me to see that I will survive. I can pass that hope to others as well.My worst month was when both my husband and I both lost our jobs and my dad died suddenly. I didn't shrivel up and hide then. I let my hopes and not my disappointments shape my future.
So do you need redemption or resurrection for your life? It is still possible – you just need to have faith in yourself!If you that personal renewal, you might want to read the book that is link to the talk I heard. The book is called The Power of a New Identity by Dan Sneed. You can find it here.
Heart Clip art copyrighted by Bobbie Peachey,
http://webclipart.about.com
Good post, Chris, and a great tie-in to both our topic and April Fools Day with the first two paragraphs.
ReplyDeleteI'm reading a book now that has touched on some of the points you make, but because it's for a review I can't post until April 11, you'll have to wait and read my blog post that day at Tracings to find out what I mean.
Meanwhile, well written. :)
Okay, you had me until the 'vocal chords' bit! LOL - very nicely done! I love the quotes at the end. they are very powerful and inspiring. We need to remember that.
ReplyDeleteGood one, Chris. Revitalization for success is a great way for us time-related goal setters to start out a new month!
ReplyDeleteLOL on title...caught my attention. Love your post on resurrection.
ReplyDeleteVery nice post, Chris. I love how you reeled us in with the Jimmy Hoffa bit. :)
ReplyDeleteHook, line and sinker! Great post and great reminder that "as long as you have breath you have the opportunity to be redeemed and restored"
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed the read.
Reminded me of the first episode of Torchwood, where they used an alien device to revive the dead for several seconds.
ReplyDeleteI loved the quotes that you shared Chris. Thanks for the encouragement.
"Many people define themselves by their job title". When I was made redundant, it took a while but I did learn that wasn't the case, eventually.
ReplyDeleteGood post Chris.
"Success is never final; failure is never fatal." Love that quote! Enjoyed this very much. Thanks for the inspiration, Chris. Good job!
ReplyDeleteLOL Yeah, you had me the vocal chord thing. I was all ready to hop over and google it! Enjoyed your take on the topic. Loved the Edison quote.
ReplyDeleteFun post and a great way to start the Blog Chain. Your Edison quote reminded me of a piece of dialog from my novel, Promises.
ReplyDelete"Are you lost?"
"I've never been lost. Temporarily disoriented for varying periods of time, but never lost."
Keep up the good work. Peace and Blessings.
Too funny. Thanks for that. I am always in search of something positive and this was it for today. Keep up the good work.
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ReplyDeleteFun post! Great way to start off the month. The Edison quote is one of my son's favorites ~ and he lives it out too! Smart kid! While there is breath, there is time for God to redeem and restore. What hope!
ReplyDeleteSorry I am so late to visit. Been very busy. Great post about resurrecting our lives when things fall apart. Loved the April Fool's Day intro, though you didn't get me. I assumed you were aiming for a sci-fi theme or something.
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