The I.N.S.P.I.R.E. Story

I.N.S.P.I.R.E. is fifteen days of individual creative challenges, competitions, and performances culminating in the INSPIRE Community Awards Gala Celebration at the River Lodge in Fortuna, California.

The vision of I.N.S.P.I.R.E. is: “Inspiring women, in all seasons of life to fulfill their calling intellectually, artistically, physically and spiritually.”

The name I.N.S.P.I.R.E. is an acronym for the values of I.N.S.P.I.R.E. which are: integrity, nurture, service, passion, intentionality, risk and endurance. These values are expressed in the following individual creative challenges, competitions and performances of: running, writing, public speaking, music, visual art, and compassion.

RUNNING: There is a 2-mile and 5-mile race scheduled to run through the streets of Fortuna on the morning of the I.N.S.P.I.R.E. Gala Celebration. The I.N.S.P.I.R.E. value associated with running is endurance. Endurance requires patience, stamina and fortitude – important ingredients for a strong and stable life. Running is representative of the physical aspect of life and in many ways our lives mirror a race. There is a starting line and a finishing line for each person’s life, and those moments are individual. We each have a moment of birth, and we are each appointed a final time to finish our race. What happens in between those two moments and how we run our individual race determines much to the world and people around us. There are many roads to choose, and many things that can get us off course. Running the race of life with endurance means to keep our eyes set on the goal in front of us, and to keep on going.

WRITING: There is an essay contest on the subject of integrity. The I.N.S.P.I.R.E. value associated with writing is integrity. Writing is a powerful form of communication. The written word can transmit truth or untruth – but either way it has the ability to influence phenomenally. The value of integrity in our writing means we seek to express through the written word things like honesty, truthfulness and honor. History holds volumes which have influenced the world for good or for evil by the power of the written word. Words can be compelling and convincing and when combined with integrity can be instruments of noble and worthy causes to change the world for good.

PUBLIC SPEAKING: A public speaking competition in conjunction with a music performance will be held at the historic Winema Theatre in Scotia, California on Saturday, April 17, 2010. The I.N.S.P.I.R.E. value associated with public speaking is risk. There is a great power in public speaking – great speeches have literally changed the world! Yet, there is great fear of speaking in public. There is personal risk involved with standing before one’s peers and expressing ideas and thoughts verbally. The fear of being open and vulnerable in public is not easily overcome. Speaking in public remains an untapped avenue of potential in many because of fear. There is the fear of appearing stupid; of rejection; of not coming across well; of bungling the message and fear of the awesome responsibility in influencing people. There is always a risk associated with speaking publicly, but the ability to influence others for positive purposes is well worth the risk.

MUSIC: A music performance and competition in tandem with the public speaking competition will be held at the historic Winema Theatre in Scotia, California on Saturday, April 17, 2010. The I.N.S.P.I.R.E. value associated with music is service. We live in an entertainment oriented culture. Music is a powerful way to communicate thoughts, ideas, emotions and memories. Our culture tends to idolize talented people on stage - hence the popular television show, “American Idol.” But what happens when someone who is talented musically decides to humbly serve others with their musical gift that absolutely inspires and uplifts people by their beautiful performances? Great music can lift our mood, encourage the downhearted and give us a way to express all that is admirable and wonderful in life. Music is an universal language that can stir the soul, impart meaning, be a rallying cry for positive purposes and communicate heartfelt emotion.

VISUAL ART: A painting display, critique and competition will take place at the Scotia Inn on Thursday evening, April 22, 2010. The I.N.S.P.I.R.E. value associated with visual art is passion. The stereotypical artistic personality is synonymous with passion. In Irving Stone’s The Agony and the Ecstasy, whose main character is the artist Michelangelo, we read of the constant stormy employer-employee relationships he had with the popes. We half-way expect artists to be flamboyant, eccentric or hot-headed – and we call that passion, but that is not artistic passion – that behavior is more about personality and character issues that need some work. Artistic passion is having the sensitivity, desire and willingness to develop innate talent into visual images that interpret the world differently, inspire people and touch their emotions deeply by creating beauty.

COMPASSION: Community Compassion Award nominations will be made available to the public in newspapers, places of business, and churches, so that nominees that exemplify compassion with acts of kindness in the community in which we live can have an opportunity to be recognized for their work. The I.N.S.P.I.R.E. value associated with compassion is nurture. Dr. Francis Schaeffer in his book How Then Should We Live? opens with these lines: “There is a flow to history and culture. This flow is rooted and has its wellspring in the thoughts of people. People are unique in the inner life of the mind – what they are in their thought world determines how they act.” Compassion and nurture are what sets a society apart. Hubert Humphrey said, "The moral test of a government is how it treats those who are at the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the aged; and those who are in the shadow of life, the sick and the needy, and the handicapped."

INTENTIONALITY: For each of the areas represented by I.N.S.P.I.R.E., it is intentionality in each case that sets one on their course. It is not enough to be gifted by the circumstances of one’s birth, upbringing or education. In order to excel in any of these areas and provide inspiration to others, one must intentionally take steps to develop one’s talents and abilities, take the risk, step out of one’s comfort zone and act upon their hopes and dreams. I.N.S.P.I.R.E. provides a way for women of the Eel River Valley (aged 15 an over) to intentionally take a step in the direction of one’s calling. Justice Clarence Thomas in his Commencement Address at Ave Maria School of Law said on Sunday, May 16, 2004: The vocation is a calling, it is not an ambition. God calls you to do something – you do it. It doesn’t mean you will like every bit of it. But when you are called you answer the call, and you live up to the call as best you can. …Some years from now, I may have grandkids who ask me whether all is good or all is bad. “What did you do when the going got tough? What did you do? Did you quit? Did you lose faith? Did you try or did you give up? I want to answer in the same way that you should answer: “I did my best; I lived according to my principles and to my faith.”

Support Groups Reach Out

The Humboldt Beacon newspaper and the Times Standard printed a great article about the Support Groups through Hydesville Community Church. Here is the link: http://www.humboldtbeacon.com/ci_12905889?source=most_viewed

Remembering

When life is challenging...remember. The Bible tells us often to remember what the Lord has done for us. Reading His Word causes us to recall again the character of God and His great love for us. Communion is all about remembering. When we bring to mind the things God has helped us through in the past, it gives us hope for the future. He will never never leave us or forsake us His love endures forever.

Evergreen

On Sunday, December 7th at the River Lodge there will be a rock musical that deals with the real issues of life this Christmas. I'm so excited about this presentation. It's not a sugar-coated message with easy answers to complex problems. It's about real life and real hope. There are two performances at 9:00 & 11:00 AM. It's called Evergreen. Hope you come.

25 Years of Fruitful Ministry

Congratulations Pastor Mike and Joan for 25 years of fruitful ministry here at Hydesville Community Church. The whole North Coast region has been blessed by your faithfulness to the Lord and His call upon your lives. Here is the Times-Standard article: http://www.times-standard.com/ci_10754197?IADID=Search-www.times-standard.com-www.times-standard.com

Here is the article from the Eureka Register: http://www.eurekareporter.com/article/081018-pastor-to-be-honored-for-25-years-of-service

Standing Firm

"Thank God because He's good, because His love never quits....Pushed to the wall, I called to God; from the wide open spaces He answered....Far better to take refuge in God than in people;...Hear the shouts, hear the triumph songs in the camp of the saved? "The hand of God has turned the tide! The hand of God is raised in victory! the hand of God has turned the tide!" From Psalm 118 - The Message

Do you ever pray and pray and pray for an answer and then one morning the heaviness lifts and without knowing the specifics, you know God has answered your prayer? Ephesians 6 :11-13 tells us, "Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything to stand firm." Until the veil is pulled back from the heavenlies, we will not know all the spiritual battle done in prayer. But in faith we know that much is taking place. Don't be discouraged by the trials in your life. Be honest, work through them. Cling to God. Immerse yourself in God's Word. Know by faith that God is more real than your own breath. There may be hard issues in life, but also know God is sovereign and as we pray He fights the battles. "Thank God because He is good, because His love never quits."

Seasons

Psalm 138:8 "The LORD will accomplish what concerns me; Thy lovingkindness, O LORD, is everlasting; Do not forsake the work of Thy hands."

A popular song on the radio from back in my teenage years said "precious and few are the moments we two can share." How true...the moments fly by. This summer I've purposed to savor the moments in this season of life. When I return home from the church office I scoop up this precious one and we have our afternoon walk. We hold hands, or rather she holds my fingers. We look at flowers, we talk, and when she gets sleepy we sing. As some of our wise saints say, "we are never promised tomorrow." For the sweetness of these moments I thank my Father in Heaven. Life often isn't easy, which makes tender moments even more significant. May God especially bless you during this season in your life.