I believe all things happen for two reasons: for God’s glory and your sanctification.
What is God’s purpose in all things? Him being glorified.
What about you? Well, He loves you, and wants you to be made more like Him (Sanctification).
Why is the sandpaper so rough? Because the wood needs to be smooth.
Life can be extremely difficult, but no matter the level of hurt, pain, or suffering, we can have peace. Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Are you struggling to find peace? Maybe you need to lean into this phrase: “with thanksgiving.” God is sovereign and He is going to do what he wishes whether you acknowledge Him or bow the knee to Him or not. But it is when we recognize and are thankful for him being in control that the peace covers our hearts. It is a struggle – as humans, we don’t naturally want to relinquish a sense of control over our affairs. The reward – peace – is hugely important in a world where today, things in your own individual life might be getting pretty serious, and the affairs of the world seem to be pretty anti-Christian. It kind of seems like the Bible believing people are losing…badly…and about to get crushed.
There is a promise for both you the individual and the church as a whole. For your individual life, you can find peace when you recognize and are thankful for God’s perfect sovereignty over everything – that nothing happens outside of his control and everything happens with a very loving purpose: to make you more like Christ. As far as the battle outside goes, rest knowing that God has promised a little flock the world. Luke 12:32 says, “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Yes, we Bible believing folk are a little flock, and it’s easy for the mighty armies of the world to rage havok on us, kill us, supress us, torture us, humiliate us, and make our wisdom appear to be folly. But it is just the opposite. You know what is a similarity with all of the movements, people, and groups that have tried to eliminate Christ’s church? They are all dead. And Christ rose from the dead. He is Lord over all.
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Published by rsederquist
My name is Ryan Sederquist. I am a man of many passions and dreams, and this website is the outlet for many of them. I am currently teaching 5th grade remotely in the Adams12 school district in Colorado. I have been an elementary music teacher in Alamosa, Colorado, as well as a 7-12 band director at Lake County High School in Leadville, Colorado. I am also in the final, final stages of acquiring my M.S. in Exercise Science from Adams State University.
In 2018-2019, we spent a year in Presque Isle, Maine as I coached the UMPI Nordic ski team.
I currently live in Leadville, Colorado with my wife Christie, a special education teacher, and our border collie-German shepherd mix, Ajee.
Even though it is not my full-time job, ever since I was a child, I had the desire to do one of three things professionally - pro sports, writing about pro sports, or being a radio talk show host. This website is where I pretend to do the latter two, and when I'm out pretending to do the former, I listen to podcasts, think about topics, and pursue my wild dream of someday, at some event, in either running, biking, or skiing, wearing a team USA uniform.
This website contains articles, podcasts, pictures, and journal entries that have to do with my passion and involvement in endurance sports. Our flagship project is the Seder Skier Podcast, which talks mostly about nordic skiing and attempts to interview influential individuals in the ski world. I also rant about the Big 4 sports, with a lean towards Minnesota teams (Vikings, Twins, Twolves, and MN Distance Running).
I sometimes try to write Sports Illustrated like 'feature' articles about athletes as well.
In addition to a focus on sports, you will find the occasional article or show that discusses the intersection of theology and society ...which is ...obviously everywhere. We place these in our Skieologians podcast.
The heading at the top of my homepage reads, "Search for Truth. Play with purpose. Strive for success." It is the underlying theme for my coaching philosophy, which can be downloaded from this site. Basically, I'm always looking to search for the truth in my pursuit of knowledge, whether that is knowledge regarding the best methods for waxing skis, training a quarter miler, or defending my Christian apologetic. Searching implies a dedicated pursuit for knowledge, and that is what I'm about and what this site is about, even if it is simply for providing viewers with an accurate description of a product. Play with purpose has to do with living out our passions because they are fun. I ski because its fun. I play music and teach young kids because there is joy in it. This blog is about celebrating the joy and fun that inherently exists in the pursuit of excellence and in the activities themselves. Finally, strive for success is built on the principle that true success is the realization that we gave 100% effort to become the best that we could possible be. It requires 100% in preparation, competition, reflection, mental effort, etc. If something is worth doing, I believe it is worth doing with that level of effort.
Someday, I hope to race the Visma Classics - the entire season, wear a Team USA singlet, and have a job that involves writing or talking about sports or theology all day. If you know of any body I can reach out to to help me accomplish these goals, please email me at sederquistrd@grizzlies.adams.edu
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