A couple months ago, my bishop handed out wristbands at church with a simple phrase printed on them: Rise Up. Stand Firm.
Honestly, I haven’t taken mine off since. Partly habit. Mostly because I just really like that invitation!
So let me take you back to 7th grade for a second.
We had a guest presentation in social studies — members of a Native American tribe we’d been learning about. They pushed the desks aside, had us sit cross-legged in a circle, and put on traditional dance outfits. Hit play on a CD player.
It was awesome!
After a minute, they invited anyone who wanted to join the circle and dance with them.
I wanted to. I really did. But I didn’t know the steps. I’d look silly. There were girls watching! 👀 It was no time to make a fool of myself.
Several beats went by with nobody moving, then my friend Derek jumped up and literally just started jumping around. Terrible. Hilarious. And the tribe pulled him right into the circle, danced him along to the music. He was so fun to watch that half the classroom ended up dancing by the time the song ended.
When it was over, this old tribal chief looking guy brought Derek back to the front and honored him with the coolest-looking fake petroglyph trinket, made somewhere in China.
I was So. Jealous! 🤣
⚡️ F5 Fast Files - Short Summary
Coasting back down into funkville
Exposing the biggest self-help fallacy.
We’re invited to “Arise”, not “Arive”
📣 Speaking of a circle — The “Captain of My Soul” Fall Men’s Retreat is November 12–14 in St. George, hosted with the men of For The Strength of Dads. Fifty spots. Fifty men choosing to step into the circle instead of standing at the edge wondering what if. (Dancing not required 😜)
⛰️ Mike’s Answer
Looking back now, I’m not bothered about missing out on a gift-shop prize. What I regret is feeling the call to rise up, and letting fear keep me frozen in place.
As I’ve reflected on that memory and thought about my wristband this week a question comes to mind:
Why should we rise up?
I asked several of our F5 brothers what they thought about that and you guys had a lot of great answers! Let me share one from Mike that stuck with me in particular.
Mike said he’s been in a funk lately. New baby, little sleep, no downtime, nothing challenging at work. He feels like he’s turning into a couch potato and finding it harder to pray. But he said this: “Every single time I start praying again, I feel better. When I work out, I feel better physically and mentally. I should ‘rise up’ because it’s never once served me wrong. The real issue is staying consistent. I climb the mountain, then coast back down into funkville until I decide it’s worth climbing again.”
That got me thinking, you know the problem with a mountain? Once you reach the top, there’s nowhere left to go but down.
Do we rise up to chase ambition? To accomplish some great thing on a tall mountain? Or even to ‘earn a great reward’ promised by God? (infinity times cooler than a petroglyph)
That’s the language of achievement. If rising up is just chasing a peak (a goal hit, a good week strung together, a streak of sober days) then coming back down isn’t failure. It’s just physics.
So why rise up, if not for the summit?
“The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ.” - Romans 8:14,16-17
Because as a child of God, you have DIVINE potential. It’s the doctrine of becoming. We rise up not to arrive, but to become. If we have become something on our climb, then we don’t lose it after the high’s of life are over. We rise up so that we can become more like Jesus Christ. All these distractions, temptations, and trials we face are just a custom-built classroom for exactly that.
🪞 Imagine the Class
Picture with me a modern version of that 7th grade classroom. You and I are seated cross-legged on the floor and you feel the invitation to rise up.
Looking around, you see some kids roll their eyes with a dismissive “psh.” You see others scrolling on their phones, never even hearing the invitation. A few have their desks pulled to the corner (consequences for past bad behavior). But mostly, you see kids looking around anxiously. Wanting to join in. Just a little too scared to start.
Not you! Not anymore. You have a great work to do!
Rise up. Stand firm.
🌅 Arise
“Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins... I say unto thee, Arise.” - Luke 5:22-24
Whether we are in sin or sickness, scared or slothful or just plain stuck, the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ will both heal and enable us to BECOME “even as he is”.
Today is another chance to rise up, to be the men we were called to be. I believe in you!
Justin
F5 Brotherhood
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