What a place to be, surrounded by people whose mere presence can drive you to be better at doing life.

At the same time it becomes easy to idolize these musicians or Christian celebrities. and make it feel as though whatever little thing I may be involved in isn’t big enough, making enough money, or affecting enough lives. It brings an ever growing thought of “If only I….” or “God you must have something else because I think I should be there and I’m not!”

In an early morning mens Bible study I’ve begun attending we were discussing Gideon and his future calling as a judge for Israel. Gideon was a scared man, hiding in a winepress doing nothing more than crushing wheat. The Lord visited him and called him a mighty warrior and Gideon’s first response was a surprised question, “Who me? No way look at me, I’m nothing and come from nothing.” The story continues with Gideon full of doubt at every turn and consistently asking God for confirmation.

What is not talked about is what Gideon’s was thinking or feeling before the Angel of the Lord visited him. I found my self wondering if Gideon was thinking, “Man if I could just be like one of the Judges of old”, “I know there has to be something different for me to do”, “Look at all the scrolls that he has written, why am I just crushing wheat every day.” Instead Gideon was, and he stated such, that he was ‘itty bitty’. Inconsequential in his opinion.

And that was ok.

Gideon’s objective and main focus was not on doing something great; it was on doing what needed to be done then and there in fear of the Midianites. And that was ok. God came and tasked him with something he was not searching for.

In my time here, I need to remember that it is ok to be ‘itty bitty’. I may not be some big author, help people be free from debt, record popular records, host podcasts, start massive conferences, or go on speaking tours. Or maybe I will. But what I do know is that by being faithful when and where God has me and my family is the most important aspect and God will bring great things when I am least expecting.

The post Being ‘Itty Bitty’ appeared first on CoryPratt.com.

Our move to Hawaii happened out of necessity; not because we thought it would be a cool place to live, but because we knew Danielle felt the best she could feel while there. Knowing we could not return to the cold Fall, Winter, and Spring of Central Oregon, we ended up parting ways with our 10 acres in Bend, Oregon – one of the most popular vacation destinations and places to move in the west (call us crazy.)

We knew we would love Hawaii and our kids especially grew to love the ocean, paddling, and nearly everything the Islands had to offer.

Leaving was tough.

Realizing the barrier to entry in purchasing a home in Hawaii was out of our reach, we sought out a place where we could afford some investment property and perhaps one that would be a source of income. The search landed us in the Nashville area, one of the fastest growing areas in the country.

Having now left everything we’ve known, twice, we find ourselves thousands of miles from family starting completely over, hoping God really did and does have plans for us here. We have found ourselves on a great little street with fantastic neighbors in a house that, while not one we really enjoy, one that works for now. We are thankful it is a successful AirBNB to relieve some financial pressure.

We came in hopes that what winter there is here would be mild enough for Danielle, and unfortunately the climate has us scrambling to find a solution again. In fact things go so bad we flew Danielle and the two older kids back to Hawaii for some relief and time with her Dr. there.

It seems at every turn we find ourselves facing the same health issues.

It has come to a point where I feel like I am having to choose between going bankrupt in Hawaii so Danielle feels a little better or living in a place where her health is compromised so I can put food on the table.

The post New places – same old struggles appeared first on CoryPratt.com.

Obviously, seeing as it’s now April, I never finished the post, so instead the post has become more of a reflection on the lead-up to the race and the experience of taking part in such a long running tradition.

Those of you who happen to follow my instagram account are likely aware of our family’s new found love of the sport of outrigger paddling. A demanding and competitive sport in Hawaii, the South Pacific, and a growing number of cities around the world. As opposed to the prior year, my season this year started out a little different, due to the ongoing health issues facing our battle with Lyme Disease I found myself missing the majority of my Novice A regatta season; returning and practicing for the last couple races (technically only the Oahu championship and States.)

As regatta season was coming to an end, our coaches and crew chose to train for and compete in long distance season, which starts right after the states championship. I’ve been told by seasoned paddlers that you “suffer through regatta season only because you know distance season is coming,” and after both I completely understand why. Long distance is hard, frustrating, painful, full of laughs, camaraderie, awe inspiring, and like nothing else. Long distance is kinda like that drug that runners speak of, you get out of the monotony and experience a sport that takes you out of your comfort zone and forces you to dig deep inside and ignore what your body is telling you.

Our practices morphed from running sprints and drills to paddling for 7-10 miles on the weekday and up to 15 on weekends. We had grown accustomed to the back and forth nature of 1/2 mile sprints and no longer tethered to the turn buoys and only limited by the setting sun.

Lanikai is a special to paddle, its outer reef protects so much of the bay that the water can often be glassy or just some wind waves, it’s great for regatta season, but you do not often get the chance to learn the nuances of catching ocean swell or negotiating open ocean conditions. We had to start learning these skills and it was in these moments that were often humbled by the ocean. We often found ourselves paddling out to ‘Bird’, across Kailua Bay to the Kawainui Canal and back, looping from Wailea point around Flat Island several times or paddling deep into Waimanalo and around the Mokes.

We raced four races leading up to the Hoe (one was cancelled due to weather), placing in the middle of the pack throughout the season. We were less worried about placing high, just knowing it was crucial training for what was to come and try to be prepared for the unknown the open ocean may bring.

Our Oahu races ended as quickly as they came and final prep for the Hoe came quickly. We found ourselves unrigging and shipping canoes, booking flights, hotel rooms and gathering supplies for the big race.

Our crew flew into Molokai a few days before the race to rig the canoes, get some practice runs in and finalize registration. The already small population of the island swells as 1000+ paddlers arrive with support crews and coaches. The small resort on the island became a melting pot of paddlers from around the world. The old timers who have been competing against each other for decades enjoy their reunions and talk story, the elite crews enjoy the spotlight and the junior crews look like they are ready to take on the world. Everyone busies themselves finding shade, hydrating, sleeping, and loading up on carbs and protein.

Race Day

On Sunday, our crew was up at 4am eating breakfast, packing up, and pepping for the the 6+ hour race ahead. I packed up my dry bag with all my food packets, electrolytes, and Cliff Bars, covered my face and neck with sunscreen and doing what I could to settle my nerves. We were all loaded into school busses and driven down to Hale O Lono where we gave the canoes one last look over, enjoyed a prayer and blessing and were soon paddling outside the harbor for the start.

The start is essentially 100+ canoes trying to stay lined up in the wind and waves anxiously waiting for the flags to wave yet jockeying for position. Friends the night before were now your strongest competition. At the drop fo the flag and blast of the horn every canoe was off, trying to catch whatever wave they could find, bumping into each other, avoiding the dreaded huli, and knowing they have at least 30 minutes of paddling before their first rest.

I started in seat 5 of the race, one that I was not real familiar with but it allowed me to see the top crews power their way ahead of the pack and soak in the amazing atmosphere. Our crew stayed in good pace for the next 30 minutes passing a few other crews and watching others catch waves and pass us by. La’au point was getting closer by the stroke, it is at this point the support boats can come find you and begin changing out paddlers. We were all getting a little tired and ready for a change at this point and unfortunately made a mistake right before our first change, flipping the canoe. This setback took about 3-4 minutes to get the canoe back over, everyone back in, and get going again. Being in seat 5 I was responsible for a big part of bailing the canoe and ended up fighting bicep cramps the remainder of the race. After one change and another 15 minutes of paddling it was finally time for my first rest of the race.

Leaving La’au point means entering the fabled Ka’iwi channel. This channel can be as flat as a lake or one of the most dangerous channels on earth. Leaving the protective lee of Moloka’i, the water gets deep, the wind picks up and the swell starts to rise. This is where the test of endurance begins with 5 hours still remaining in the race.

Our crew was generally on a rotation of 30 minutes of paddling with 15 minutes rest. Rest meant finding shade on an open boat, pounding a packet of carbs and rehydrating however necessary. Our crew stayed strong, changes were rather smooth, and we started to get the hang of catching a bump here and there to aid in our trek back to Oahu.

About half way through, Koko Crater and Diamond Head become more prominent on the horizon and Molokai starts to fade, causing your mind to start playing some games, the 11th mile in a half marathon. You rarely see another canoe and where you came and where you are going seem so far away, but you know you are on the downhill run of the race.

Our course brought us back inside the lee of Oahu outside Hawaii Kai, other crews began appearing, and we set goals on catching other canoes for the remaining 12 miles, we knew we were close and had been in these waters in other races. Before we knew it we were rounding the Diamond Head buoy with a handful of miles remaining. Helicopters were buzzing overhead, the smell of hotel restaurants in Waikiki filled the air and our coaches were keeping us motivated to catch the next canoe.

With the finish line in site coach asked who wanted a change, my body was saying yes but I knew if I started I wanted to cross that line in the canoe. We all passed on the change, many of us paddling nearly the last hour of the race. Together, we stroked our way around the big yellow turn buoy and made our last dash into the beach at the Hilton Hawaiian, finishing with a time of 6:14:59.

The finish was emotional for me. I cried when I stepped out of the canoe and into the arms of my wife and kids. My family sacrificed a lot for me to be able to train and compete in this event. Hours of training in the canoe, spending time in the one man, lifting weights, push-ups, pull-ups and running came to fruition. We survived and conquered the channel as a truly novice crew.

The Ka’iwi Channel was not unfamiliar to me. I had the privilege of crossing the channel many times with my Grandfather on fishing trips to Molokai and more. The last time I traveled across the channel was to spread his ashes outside Kalaupapa and thinking back on all that channel has given me in life experience is priceless.

The post Thinking back on the Molokai Hoe 2018 appeared first on CoryPratt.com.

Faith is the great cop-out, the great excuse to evade the need to think and evaluate evidence. Faith is belief in spite of, even perhaps because of, the lack of evidence. ~ Richard Dawkins

A friend of mine recently used this quote with a magnificent photo of him swimming with sharks. I read the quote several times as it had been a while since I had seen something from Prof. Dawkins, the great champion of atheism and evolutionary science. Many thoughts went through my head, but they always circled back around to sadness. Sadness for Prof. Dawkins and sadness for my friend.

Prof. Dawkins’ definition of faith is a gross generalization and one that his own thoughts and theories on life are equally guilty of. My faith in God, as a Christian, is no more of an excuse or evasion of reason than his studies of evolution. My faith in God is based on my own thoughtful evaluation of the Bible, history, and my own experiences; those who subscribe to the theory of evolution are placing their faith in the theory that Darwin created. And if faith is an excuse to “evade the need to think and evaluate evidence”, can not the argument be made that faith in evolution or Atheism is a cop-out and excuse to evade the possibility of God?

Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV) tells us “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Just as evolutionists theorize that Dolphins had evolved onto land, but then went back to the water… they are placing their belief, or faith, in a theory to excuse our need for God.

If my faith is a cop-out… I’m sorry… yours is too.

The post If my faith is a cop-out, so is yours appeared first on CoryPratt.com.

After nearly a year of relatively pain free day’s and nights for Danielle her episodes of extreme pain to the point of loosing consciousness is back.

It was at this point last year, right around Christmas that these episodes became nightly, like clockwork, and brought us to the hard decision of up and leaving everything, packing a few bags, and heading to Hawaii to try and find some relief that may come from a temperate climate.

I know many are understanding, and there are more who think what we are going through is a joke and we’re just living it up on the road.

We aren’t.

It’s not.

If you could sit in my shoes (or a 7 year olds, or a 12 year olds, or a 14 year olds) for just 10 minutes while your wife is convulsing in so much pain, pleading for help, slipping in and out of consciousness a dozen times or more; having your mind switch between angry prayers, pleading prayers, and asking yourself what the next step will be should she not come to the next time.

The post Coping with lasting effects of Lyme appeared first on CoryPratt.com.

For many Americans, the outcry started a year ago when stories and tapes of President Trump were surfacing during the leadup to election day. As in any heated political climate; in this case the Liberal left tried to raise themselves up as the only party protecting women while the Republicans tried to defend Mr. Trump. Of course, now, as the largely left leaning Hollywood begins to crumble under the very thing they were championing against, the Republicans are doing the same thing the Left was doing just a year ago.

The very same party who praise Bill Clinton, has been accused (and even admitted to some) of much of the same thing they are saying is a leading cause for Trump to be unfit for the presidency. The same party who excuses Trumps alleged actions is busy condemning Mrs. Clinton and her supposed involvement.

But enough about the politics of it all.

The real issue is we’ve all cast the first stone in this fight. As these issues come to public light, everyone wants to be the first to jump out and condemn the action or individual. We all want to be the first to judge and look like we have our life together and all the answers, but I argue we are all guilty of the same thing we are damning the offenders for.

• How can we justify watching porn while shouting on Twitter the depravity of what Trump said about a reporter?
• How can we celebrate an overly sexualized Game Of Thrones as we try to destroy Judge Roy Moore?
• How can we spend money on the 50 Shades of Grey franchise and be disgusted at Mr. Weinstein?
• Can we look at someone else with lustful thoughts and decry Senator Franken?

The answer is a resounding NO. To say yes to any of these are outright lies and feeble attempts at trying to cover up our own sin by condemning these who’s sins have come to light.

I’m reminded of the story in the book of John where Jesus is confronted by a group of Pharisees and a women they caught in the act of adultery. Jesus’ answer to their question whether the woman should be stoned was simple:

‘And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” ‘ John 8:7

Am I saying what they did isn’t bad? No, I’m saying we are all just as sinful. The moral compass of this world has been turned around with our fear of offending anyone, calling sin as it is, and pushing God further from our lives. 2 Timothy 3 is so on-point with where we are as a society today:

But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth… 2 Timothy 3:1-7

Let’s all try and be consistent in our calling sin, regardless of political party, as it is without going gray.

Christians, let’s all continually work to identify and repent of the sin in our lives and be an example to the world. It’s not our place to judge, that is God’s place. But it is our place to call out sin and point the sinner (everyone including you) to the only one who can heal our brokenness.

The post Did you cast the first stone? We are likely all guilty of this. appeared first on CoryPratt.com.

Am I the only one who seems to always have this rain cloud with an occasional rainbow over my head?

Am I the only one who sees a blessing as the cruel lead-up to another letdown?

Am I the only one who can’t seem to get excited about a goal, let alone identify a goal because I cannot see through the aforementioned cloud?

Am I the only one who feels every decision I make is wrong?

The obvious answer is no, but inside I hear “duh, yeah you are the only one. Look at the mess you are.” You need to be more like Chip Gaines and his always on the bright side of life mentality.

Can I give you a reason why I so often feel this way? Yeah, I could list my wife’s health, finances, lack of direction and goals, running a business, dealing with clients, getting stopped at a red light, trying to figure out how to get a 34′ motorhome + truck in tow to a Starbucks, the amount of studying left in this real estate course, shall I go on?

I’ve used all the above and more as excuses for the “what’s wrong with you?” question, and that’s exactly what they are, excuses; because for many who struggle with depression, there is nothing that can honestly be pinpointed to what’s wrong. There is just something that is “intangible dragging me down” as Kristen Bell put so well.

What doesn’t help

Depression often leaves the sufferer feeling a loneliness and worthlessness that many just can’t understand. The lack of really understanding results in the punch list of sure to fix depression sayings such as: “Look at all you have“, “Count Your Blessings!“, “You’re richer than 95% of the world“, “You need to CHOOSE joy“, “Stop believing Satans lies“, “You need more faith” …just to name a few.

While these are all more than true and should be enough to blow the cloud of anxiety and depression away, it instead creates an EF-5 tornado. Incase the analogy doesn’t make sense I found this cool image.

The cold dry air is the depression which is mixed with the warm air of truth (and something about updrafts and downdrafts).

Going back to what Kristen Bell wrote for Time:

For me, depression is not sadness. It’s not having a bad day and needing a hug. It gave me a complete and utter sense of isolation and loneliness. Its debilitation was all-consuming, and it shut down my mental circuit board. I felt worthless, like I had nothing to offer, like I was a failure.

Couldn’t have said it better myself, that’s the tornado that begins wiping everything out in its path.

Getting through the highs and lows of depression is difficult for all parties involved; spouses, kids, parents, friends. I hate the fact that my wife feels like she has to cover for me around others, or keep the kids busy so they aren’t worried about me.

Whats the fix? I believe my wife is right in her assessment that communication will make the daily struggles so much easier, yet, ironically communication is the hardest hurdle to tackle (remember Miss Bell’s quote above?).

Is there a fix?

There three channels of communication that we can all use to combat this issue:

1. Working on communication first with Jesus (who, being the loving and gracious Father, can provide all the comfort we need without ever letting us down)
2. Your spouse (if you have one).
3. A Dr., mentor, or closest friend.
4. A blog is probably not the best decision as it’s sure to garner criticism that’s not helpful.

If you’re the reading this and are the #2 or #3 person on this list, my advice to you: Listen. The depressed aren’t always looking for an answer, a fix, affirmation, or a hug. They don’t need another tornado, they may just need an open ear.

By the way, check out this fascinating article about President Lincoln and his struggle with ‘melancholy’

The post Some thoughts on depression appeared first on CoryPratt.com.

Chances are either you or one of your friends felt a need to unload about how his wife is nagging about building the craft room, painting the bathroom, leaving the seat up, not doing the dishes etc. which then snowballs into everyone comparing stories like one guy is going to come out on top with the best worst wife story of the night.

These stories end up having huge unintended consequences that leave lasting impressions. Once the last bit of whisky has been sipped, the husband goes home a little more bitter than before and his pals leave with a poor judgement of the character of his wife.

Fortunately this situation is easily remedied by following one simple rule that my wife has been so faithful to and I strive for (you’ll see later). And guess what, it’s only like one thing, no four steps, or 10 steps, just one.

1. Never speak poorly of your spouse to anyone, period.

Wait what? Yep. It’s pretty simple really. There is not one thing that speaking poorly of or complaining about your wife can help. Our job as husbands is to protect our wives and be their covering.

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;  Ephesians 5:25

Is Jesus in heaven now, talking to his Father about the sin I just committed and how I just refuse to trust in Him though even the smallest of things?

Absolutely not and neither should we do the same about our wives.

Rather, we should speak highly about our wives to our friends, children, and whomever the discussion arises with. It’s not only fair to her, but I guarantee it will change and encourage your heart towards her in ways you cannot imagine.

If there are issues that you need prayer for, I believe it is ok to ask your closest friends for prayer in a way that is not gossip, but that is not a time for tearing your wife down.

Now, most of you will probably be surprised to hear this, but I am an extremely reserved person. I’m the epitome of an introvert, I can count on less than one full hand what I would consider a close friend, the answers I give are, in my mind, thorough – yet apparently the bare minimum of what the questioner was looking for, and my version of the “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all” rule is generally more like, “If you have anything to say, don’t say anything at all.”

Some of you may be saying, you know I don’t really say anything nice or mean about my wife, or anything for that matter.

I get it, I’m there. I generally avoid the conversation as a whole, and guess what, it’s just as bad. Saying nothing is just as damning as saying everything.

Don’t be that guy. Be the guy that makes everyone believe you have the best wife in the world, or if your introverted, start with being the guy that people now know you have a wife (they’ll already think she’s awesome for marrying you).

“If you don’t have anything nice to say, say something nice anyways”

The post Your wife is only as good as you say she is appeared first on CoryPratt.com.

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Hebrews 13:2 ESV

As I’m sure a few of you are aware, our family is on a cross-country, or around the country trip in a 34 foot motorhome. In-fact, just today we crossed the 4000 mile mark since leaving Oregon and will be touching foot in our 13th state tomorrow. More on that in the weeks to come.

Last week, we attended the magical Silobration in Waco, Texas. I hadn’t ever been in Waco, only seeing enough Fixer Upper episodes to think I’d seen it all, but boy was I surprised. There was a large turnout as expected, fans of the show wearing shirts that lite up with a “M” for Magnolia, merch sales must have been through the roof with all the shirts and hats pouring in and out, and bus loads of people just itching to get catch even a glimpse of the Gaines through a window.

Now I’ve been to a lot of big cities, San Fran, LA, Portland, Seattle, Honolulu and I have grown somewhat accustom to the unfortunate and sad homeless situation, likely too accustom to it. It’s easy to walk by turning your attention somewhere else without giving it a second thought, but something very different happened to me Saturday afternoon.

Our family had just finished driving through and around Waco looking at some of the houses featured on the show, Harp Designs, etc. and it was time to return to mecca to the concert and party that was being thrown. We had some time to spare so we parked and walked into a large shop just down the block to look around; upon walking in Danielle’s glasses fell off her head and noticed the screw holding earpiece had disappeared. Being the “gentleman” I am, I offered to take the glasses back to the truck so I didn’t have to carry them around the store (and a little less time of wandering around the store). So, I picked them up and headed out the door.

Now, visualize the outside this high-end boutique thing; there was a wine tasting tent and bus ready to take people on wine tours, fancy cars, people dressed pretty dang nice all spending untold amounts of money in the area. I took a few steps out of the store, turned to the right and cut through the gravel parking lot towards our truck. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a homeless man walking in my direction and soon tailing me not 15 feet off, step for step — a little creepy and not like what I would expect. I took a sharp left, passed a couple cars and then a sharp right, thinking maybe he was just gonna keep going his way… wrong. I could see my truck, 60 yards dead ahead and thinking to myself “what would Anthony (my brother-in-law who served in the special forces) do?”. I decided to play it cool while watching reflections in car windows as I passed, making sure our gap wasn’t closing…

Finally reaching the car, I unlocked it and as I reached for the handle, the man spoke…

“Nice truck.” he said about 3 feet from the end of the bed.

“Thank you sir.” I said back, turning to look at him as I leaned my hand on the top of my door.

“Don’t worry, I ain’t gonna cross your property.” He remarked. Who knows what was going on in his head, probably strange to follow someone 200 yards through a parking lot, and being in Texas, he wouldn’t have known if I had grabbed some ‘personal protection’ from the center console or not.

“No worries” I replyed, “can I help you?”

“Was hoping you had a few dollars, I’m awfully hungry.”

“I’m sorry I don’t have any cash with me” (Honestly didn’t and usually don’t)

“No one ever does” he said as I hinted some sarcasm, and I’m sure there’s a lot of truth behind it.

“I can take you to get a hamburger down the street, that food truck at next to the Silo’s made me a real good one yesterday” I said walking a little closer. He began itching at his arms and as he started taking a few steps passed me I noticed the sores up and down his arms.

“Umm… well… no… thank you though, don’t you worry about me, I’ll live. God bless you” he said as he continued on.

“God bless you too” I said back, closing the truck door and locking it and again watching out of the corner of my eye.

I hate to say it, but I turned around a couple times wondering if he was going to then look in the truck for something of value, but he wasn’t and honestly can’t say I saw him again.

I began to wonder what the point of this encounter was all about… who benefited from this? I didn’t do anything of great worth or value for this man, he didn’t let me buy him food giving me the opportunity to brag to my wife or kids about this thing I did. I didn’t preach salvation, but I did give him the time of day, rather than just ignoring him.

I was glad to have the chance to offer to buy him a meal and would have been elated if he took the offer up. Was he an angel as Hebrews says I may have entertained? Likely not, but he brought me from my comfort zone of passing by to being willing to share a meal.

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