Article from Pathfinder (01/05/2025)

Former President, Theodore Roosevelt, delivered a powerful speech at the Sorbonne in Paris, France, on April 23, 1910.  One notable passage from the speech is referred to as "The Man in the Arena".  This quote has always been a favorite of mine, it sits framed in my office to this day.

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.  The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

This year our church will celebrate those who operate in the arena daily, and search for guidance and wisdom from those men and women who lived valiantly in the scriptures.  Our 2025 theme, VICTORY will serve as our guide as we navigate critical wins and losses throughout biblical history, and make applications to our own personal efforts, errors, shortcomings, and victories in this life.

Our theme verse, 1 John 5:4, “for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith” reminds us that ultimate victory is made possible only through Jesus Christ.  It is through him that we are made conquerors over sin, death, and defeat, and our faith in him that grants us our final victory in this life and in the one to come.

- Written by Preaching Minister: Eli Hurt