April 2009 Archives

Set the temperature to 42 degrees, add rain, an occasional thunderbolt, and whip it up with 15 to 20 mph winds and you have the makings for a nice day on a bike. That is, if you're nuts. That was my wife's exclamation as I took part in the traditional cycling season opener in the Twin Cities, the Minnesota Ironman® Bike Ride this past weekend. I was not alone. Four thousand other nuts with their bicycles, tandems and unicycles were with me. But only one of them mattered.

This is the final post in our three part BoldMan Chronicles interview with Phil Downer, a Viet Nam veteran and the Founder and President of the Discipleship Network of America. This is the follow-up to our last interview (read here) where Phil described the effect the Viet Nam war had on his family, job, and personal life. 

"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe." -- Hebrews 12:28 (NIV)

Who said you can't teach an old dog new tricks? I'm nearly 50 and I just discovered a very simple trick to keep me energized through all the tasks on my "to-do" list. However, it may not work for everyone. If you thrive on variety and often feel more productive when you have too much to do, you might find this simple trick helpful.

Best-selling author and career counselor, Barbara Sher's latest book, Refuse to Choose, is a must-read for those of us, she refers to as "Scanners."  Unlike, their subject-matter expert counterparts, Scanners possess a multiplicity of interests, and often find their interests taking them in many different directions. In a world that prizes specialists, a Scanner may feel out-of-place, unfocused, and anxious to figure out what they want to be when they "grow up."  Sher's book, written from a secular perspective, provides a number of helpful frameworks and creative ideas to help a "Scanner" pursue their interests in a constructive and more fulfilling way.  Read the What the Nectar are you Doing? post.

In our last BoldMan Chronicles interview with Phil Downer, a Viet Nam veteran and President of the Discipleship Network of America, he described two particularly painful battles he endured while serving in Viet Nam.  Read that interview here.  We resume this interview having just learned that Phil had been downed by shot that hit his pack, when his best friend and gunner, John Atkinson, landed on him, dead in his arms.  Only three days earlier Atkinson had taken the position that Phil occupied prior to his promotion.  In Phil's words, "he died in my place."

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." — Hebrews 12:2

Courage can be defined as confronting that which threatens to undo you. And some of the most courageous acts occur when we turn inward to do battle as a consequence of trauma in our lives. Phil Downer put his courage to the test as a young Marine serving in Viet Nam forty years ago; an experience that left deep and traumatic wounds. Earlier this year, Phil had an opportunity to once again put his courage into action by returning again to the very soil where so much blood was spilt. BoldMan Chronicles had the opportunity to get a personal debriefing of his trip. Phil is the President of the Discipleship Network of America and a great friend of BoldPath Life Strategies. Read his earlier BoldMan Chronicles interview.