Stephen De La Vega

  The Stanley Cup . One of the most revered trophies in professional sports. The cup itself has never changed, and it is the only professional trophy to display the names of every player of the championship team each year. As a hockey fan, I’ve seen this trophy in person. Not as my home team skated around the ice with it after winning the Stanley Cup Playoffs. That hasn’t happened yet. I’ve seen it in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto where it stands protected and honored most of the year. One thing I appreciate about the great sport of hockey: There isn’t a lot of glory outside of teamwork. Don’t get me wrong, the sport has its share of superstars, but, in its typically low-scoring gameplay, even the superstars thrive only within well-managed, cooperative team play. Teammates continually support and assist each other with humility as they work in unison to get the puck past the opposing goaltender. I imagine most hockey players are not in the game for individual glory. Maybe t...

  Look up. Into the sky. Can you see the end of the sky? We can’t see the end, can we? And we don’t have to. It’s satisfying to know there is no end. In fact, the phrase, “The sky’s the limit,” means there is no limit. No limit to the length of the sky. No limit to how successful we can be. No limit to how much money we can earn. No limit to what we can accomplish ... No limit. Aim High. Eyes on the prize. We can get there. It works the same with resolutions. Resolution #3: I Will Aim High We discussed worshiping and obeying God in Resolutions 1 and 2 . Worshiping the true God while also worshiping other “gods” is not really worshiping the true God. Obeying God sporadically or less than wholeheartedly is not really obeying God. But if we aim high, we will be more consistent in our worship and obedience. We will be less prone to compromise and, instead, position ourselves to succeed rather than fall short. What I mean by aiming high is honoring God more earnestly. I mean...

  The Scorpion Weed, also known as phacelia hastata, or Silverleaf Phacelia. I’m not a plant buff – not even in the slightest – but I’ve seen these plants in the wild. They boast pretty clusters of purple blooms 1 to 2 feet above the ground. The image above was captured a month ago, in late Fall, so the stems and blooms have died off. But the plant itself is perennial so it retains life, and it returns to vibrancy in the Spring. I spotted this Silverleaf where it can be easily trampled but it is a survivor, nonetheless. I expect it will endure the snow and flourish again after the winter. It even defends itself against human predators. Like poison oak, its hairy flowers, seed pods, and stems are equipped with rash-inducing oils. So, if we don’t respect this plant when we see it, we might respect it later if we touch it. Many of us respect life in nature, but not all of us. Many of us respect human life, but not all of us.   This post is Episode 6 of an 8-episode series about...