Jumping off the Great Seed in Heber Spring, AR
I once heard in a Sunday sermon the question “How do you get into a swimming pool? Do you get in by sticking in a toe, a foot, a knee and then eventually half your body? Or do you take 20 steps back and run as fast as you can and do a cannon ball— where you make as big a splash as you can?” That question was very easy for me – I love cannon balls.
One of my favorite things to do in middle school was to go to my best friends house (Jay) and swim. It was pretty cool having a friend with a pool. Especially when it was my best friend and his home felt like my home. I would still say that his pool was the best home pool I have ever swam in. Mainly because of the diving board. It was so springy and it would make me soar! Our favorite game in that wonderful pool was “rock the pool”.
We needed at least three others and when there were like 10 it was awesome. We would line up and start flying off of the diving board as quick as we could. One would go off to the right, the next to the middle and then the to the left – over and over again until the pool was like a wave pool. You had to move fast because if you didn’t you were going to get bombed. Because each jump was a cannon ball – and sometimes we jumped so fast and flew so high that our knees would get scratched on the bottom of the pool – but the splashes we would make – wow!
After moving from that town I found my house a half mile from a recreational lake. Through the trees, down a path, and around a large rock was this incredible cliff that was about 40 feet high. I didn’t cannon ball much – but every chance I got I was flying off of that thing – with both feet.
The point of the question in the sermon was how you live your life and more specifically your Christian life. Do you ease in or do you jump in with both feet like a cannon ball making as big a splash as possible? There is only one answer for me – both feet. Hopefully you will see in your interactions with me in person or through the web that I seek to live life like that. Because life is meant to be lived jumping high, soaring long, and then splashing a contagious splash on as many people as you can!
I rocked the pool yesterday…so some things don’t change!
Hey! Is that the same place we jumped off when we were there? Brings back lots of memories!
Jay, I am sure you did. I think we did last year when we dropped by your parent’s house on the way through the state. Yes Meredith that is the same place the youth group went on the choir tour. That was a great trip. Did you jump off of that cliff?
Oh no! I didn’t jump – but I do remember Dave jumping head first – and it made his eyes bleed! Do you remember that?? What a trip!
Didn’t know you were a blogger. Cool. I’m adding you to my Google Reader list.
Well I am not sure I would call myself a blogger yet. But I have been wanting to do it for awhile and finally started. I still read your blog faithfully. You have some great insights, pics and video. I have found it quite fun so far – I will see how it goes!