I admit it. I am afraid. I have never faced an enemy like this. I know it is there waiting for me…stalking me. Every nerve in my body is on fire. Every sense is alert. Where can it be?

I could have chosen a safer route, but I don’t want safety. I want to test my skill. Skill that has been hard won in smaller battles. Battles that have hardened my muscles and my resolve. I refuse to shy away from danger. I will meet this enemy when it presents itself. I watch carefully for it’s approach.

I step further down the path. It is darker now than it was. I know there is light on the other side, but now I go through the forest. This is the harder road. I chose it of my volition. If I come out the other side I will be different. The time I have spent preparing will have paid off. If I make it that far. I can hear movement. I remind myself, without struggle there is no progress. I must move forward.

Out of the shadows it appears. It is massive. With scales of red and a smell of brimstone, my enemy squares itself in my path. I can see the red glow in its eyes. Smoke billows out its nose as it peers down it’s enormous snout. Slowly it moves toward me. The encounter has finally come.

I grip the sword in my right hand and adjust the shield in my left. If this is my appointed time, I will not disappoint. I stare into the enemy’s eyes and with a hardened resolve I step forward. I will not turn and run. I will not give this enemy that power over me. I am uncertain if I stand any chance in this fight, but I will pour out my all for the test.

As we near each other, eyes locked, muscles tight, I have only simple thoughts of what my approach should be. I stop in the middle of the trail and speak into the night. “I no longer fear you. I have come to do battle with you. This struggle may be epic. I may fail in the end, but not before I pour out ever ounce of who I am. My future lies behind you on this path Dragon. It is a future I intend to take, or die in pursuit of.”

The Dragon peered down at me. It moved so close that I could feel the temperature rising, the smoke overwhelming. “Are you certain Warrior? Are you willing to die in your quest?”

“Yes. I am not going back. This is the way.”

The dragon swelled up and shrieked. Fire poured out of the sides of its jaws as it took a deep breath in. With one movement, I snapped my shield to the ready as the Dragon covered me in a raging fire. I did not move. I was true to my word. Would this be my final moment?

With the blast complete, I lowered the shield. I was still there, unharmed and unburned. The Dragon was nowhere to be seen. My path lie ahead. I stepped forward uncertain of what had happened. I looked down to see a scroll of paper in the road. I picked it up as I continued to survey my surroundings. As I unrolled it, this is what I discovered.

“Brave warrior. I am not your enemy, nor have I ever been. I was your challenge and test. You have passed now, but know there will be more tests ahead. It was never my intent to hurt you, but to expose you for who you really are. You stared at me and refused to be swayed. I congratulate you on this. You must keep this resolve as you move forward, because the tests to come will be even greater. They will not look the same. Show the same resolve you showed today and you will be victorious. For now, walk the path. Do the next right thing. Remember this encounter. Build from what you have learned.”

I passed the test. I faced the enemy. There will be more. For now, it is time to rest until the next challenge presents itself.

It is raining outside my window. The soft lull of it beating on the room has been a pleasant sound all throughout the morning. It is not too heavy, just steady and comforting. When it rains like this, I like the rain.

It does make me get more intentional with my exercise. I live in Texas. I always have to be intentional if I plan to exercise. Thankfully there is no 100 degree heat anywhere in sight. So, I made it over to the local gym and put in my time lifting and on the treadmill.

That has been the pleasant surprise over these past 47 days. I have been living and moving with a higher degree of intentionality that before. There have been many days in the past when I would have seen a rainy day as a good excuse to not do anything, but eat and lie around. I like that I am still taking care of the necessary despite what is going on around.

So, now that the exercise is done. I am going to lie around some and eat within my calories. And spend time with my family. All of the work to get to that one thing is very sweet.

I am almost half way through my goal. I have been very pleased with my progress, but I feel I could be doing better. So, it is now time for some fine tuning.

My exercise program has been the most consistent thing that I was doing prior to my 100 Day Strong journey. I was lifting weights six days a week with some walking occasionally thrown in. When I shifted my focus to the 100 days, I cut the lifting in half as I want to lean down.

For the first 6 weeks I have been lifting 3 days a week and walking the other 4. I revised the plan today. Here is what the workout portion for the rest of my 100 Day Strong workout will look like:

Sunday: Weights, Walk 30 + minutes

Monday: Yoga, Walk 30 + minutes

Tuesday: Weights, Walk 30 + minutes

Wednesday: Yoga, Walk 30 + minutes

Thursday: Walk 30 + minutes

Friday: Weights, Walk 30 + minutes

Saturday: Yoga, Walk 30 + minutes

I am stepping up my game a notch with the daily walking and the yoga. I am going to try this for the remainder of the 100 days. Let’s see where this goes. At the very least I should be more flexible and have some more endurance.

It was a beautiful day. I pulled up in the church parking lot with the windows down. I was there to see the College Pastor who was a friend of mine from school. He had invited me out to volunteer time. I didn’t know that those next few moments would be a pivot point in my life.

The Pastor met me out in the front of the building and together we walked back toward his office. Coming down the hall was a beautiful woman. She had blonde hair and a amazing smile. My friend introduced me to her. She politely said hello and then focused all of her attention on him. I was invisible. I remember that day clearly. It was April 1, 1998.

I didn’t know I had just met the woman who would be the best friend I would ever have. It took a few weeks of being around her and we started to talk. Later that April I went on a rappelling trip with the college group. Much to my delight, she was there. We got to hang out some. She was really cool. At one point we were both hooked up to the rappelling lines and she looked at me and said, ‘Race you down!” She may have beat me down. Maybe.

She was so interesting. I started looking for her when I went to church. I just liked being around her. It was the middle of May and I was starting to really like her. Our church had a great place for college students called the Omega House. After the service that evening I was working in the concession area. I really wanted her attention, but I was not the only one vying for it. I saw her across the way talking with another guy. Yeah, no fun. But…that was not the end.

At the end of May, I left town to be a part of a summer mission team. I was going to be gone for 2 months, singing and helping at summer camp. A couple of weeks into the trip there was a few days break from the team. I headed back to the church and set off with the college group to the Royal Gorge in Colorado.

The day before the trip I showed back up at the church and to my surprise, she was there and happy to see me. We spent time together that evening. I was on cloud nine. She was so much fun to be with.

We were both signed up for the trip and we decided to sit together on the van. As we sat there together I asked if she wanted to play 20 questions. We haven’t stopped talking in 24 and a half years.

Ask anyone on the trip and they will tell you that it was easy to see how much we liked each other. When we got back to Oklahoma, we said our goodbyes for the summer and headed our own ways. It took approximately one day for reality to set in. I REALLY liked this lady. I felt like there was a hole in my chest because I had to be away from her. This was unlike anything I had ever experienced. Come to find out she felt the same way.

The summer progressed. We got to see each other a few more times We kissed. We fell in love. The rest, as they say, is history. I love the story of our beginnings. Every time I think of it I smile.

I love that I met my wife on April Fools Day. There is an irony there that has never been lost on me. I thought I knew what I wanted in life and where I was headed. Truth was, I needed a partner. When I found her, we set off on a trail that has been full of life and adventure. There have been ups and downs, but we have done it all together.

I thank God for her daily. She is my best friend.

There he is again. He is in his element. On the couch. Under a blanket. Curled up next to members of his pack. He is safe. He is happy. He is living his best life. Oh, to be a dog.

My dog Max has it good. It didn’t start out like that, but things got much better after we met. If he could talk, I am sure he would tell you the same thing.

We have always loved dachshunds. They are lively little things. They are full of life and are a ton of fun. When we got to Texas we wanted to find another one. My first dachshund, Shorty, passed in 2012 and it was beyond time to find our next buddy.

I was able to find a dachshund rescue here in Texas. They specialize in finding cool dogs good families. I had my eye on a handsome little guy that was down in the Houston area. It was further than I wanted to drive, but was willing to take the trip. Before we could head that way, the rescue called me and asked me to consider a dog much closer in south Fort Worth.

When I got down to the apartment where the foster family was keeping him, he was easy to spot. He was full of life and super skinny. He was very friendly and the decision was made. We had a new family member.

First order of business was getting him some food. The lady I got him from told me that he was only given one (small) cup of food a day. I get that dachshunds have bad backs and need to watch their weight. I could see his ribs and not in a good way. I thought about getting him a hamburger on the way home.

It didn’t take long and Max was a part of the pack. He is one of the friendliest dogs I have ever been around. Usually dachshunds don’t like people outside their pack. They are protective and territorial. Max? Not so much. He won’t put up with people messing with us (or us messing with each other), but he is always ready to say hello to new people. It can be pitiful at times, but it is cute.

When we got him they told me he was less than 2 years old. We got him in December of 2016, so he should have been a Christmas baby 2014. I found his paperwork last year and it appears he was closer to 5. I felt like I got robbed of a few years. However long we have him, he is going to be a happy guy. That is part of being in this pack.

I look at him sometimes and I remind myself I need to adopt some of his ways:

1. Max loves everybody. I don’t know if he has met someone he doesn’t want to be around.

2. Even pushing 11 years old, dude loves to play. He keeps his 3 year old Jack Russel sister busy. Like him, I need to play more. I might have less stress if I did.

3. He is a relaxer. When it is time to wind down, it is time to wind down. I love that.

I love this guy. He is a great dog. I am glad that he gets to be my buddy.