Today is an opportunity to make a meaningful connection. Start by complimenting someone.

***Stole this from my friend and Pastor Aaron** **LIFT HEAVY. PRAY HARD. 💪🙏** Brother in Christ— Spending -30min training hard** isn’t selfish. It’s **stewardship**. You’re not just lifting to look good— You’re building **strength for your marriage**: more energy, endurance, confidence, and presence to serve your wife well. You’re not just training to look like a superhero— You’re becoming a **reliable father** your kids can depend on when life gets heavy. Because **strength isn’t vanity—it’s capacity.** • Capacity to work hard without burning out • Capacity to protect without posturing • Capacity to lead without resentment • Capacity to endure pressure without collapsing Your body is a **tool God uses to carry out purpose**. Neglecting it doesn’t make you holy—it makes you **less available**. So train. Lift. Recover. Eat well. Sleep. Not for ego. Not for applause. But to **show up fully** for the people God entrusted to you. **Strong men don’t train to be seen.** They train so they **don’t fail** the ones counting on them.

It was only a short leap of faith being here, but this week, it was the source of one little push to meet most of the goals of my day and to better align myself with the best version of myself -- if only ever so slightly. However significant, it's a positive feeling. Thank you Coach Barry for inviting me :) Attached: the quote from Andromache to Hector's body which I referred to on the call. It's another beautiful retelling of the story we all know and love...light reading for fun: 17 short chapters from the perspectives of 21 characters; even the River has its own chapter!

Last night Barry shared his devotion and spiritual pursuit... here is what that inspired in my Daily Brief. My response was referenced in my passio. That Identity drives beliefs, emotion and action. Below is a clear, structured map of biblical identity, with key passages you can return to as anchors. 1. Identity Begins with the Image of God (Imago Dei) Genesis 1:26–27 “Then God said, Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness… So God created mankind in his own image…” What this establishes: Your identity is given, not earned You carry intrinsic value, authority, and purpose Identity comes before performance, work, or failure Key truth: 👉 You don’t find identity—you receive it. 2. Known and Formed Before Action or Achievement Psalm 139:13–16 “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb…” Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart…” Identity principle: God defines you before the world labels you Calling precedes credibility Purpose exists even when direction feels unclear 3. Identity as Children and Sons (Not Servants) Romans 8:15–17 “The Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship… And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’” Galatians 4:6–7 “So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.” This is critical: Christianity is not behavior modification It is identity transformation You don’t work for approval—you work from belonging 4. Identity Restored and Re-defined in Christ 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” Colossians 3:3 “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” Meaning: Past identity does not have authority over present calling Your truest self is hidden in Christ, not public opinion Growth flows from who you are, not who you were 5. Chosen, Set Apart, and Purpose-Built