Battles and Blessings: Navigating Life’s Rapids

Lisa Fraze: So James Cutrera is our speaker this morning, and I cannot say enough good things about
James.
He's one of those friends when you haven't seen him in 10 years, you instantly connect
and just have a lot of fun together sharing experiences.
He's an incredibly proud graduate of Lubbock Christian University where he earned his degree
in education.
He's a co-founder of the Spirit Ranch, which is a leadership and team development center
in Lubbock, and has over 30 years experience in building leaders and teams.
Subsequently, James established his own company, Bring360, and has collaborated with several
major companies to enhance communication, achieving healthy, functional, and cohesive
leadership culture and business.
Please help me welcome James Cutreras.
James Cutrera: Over the last 30 years, I've come to realize that life is just full of battles and blessings.
Battles and blessings, battles and blessings.
Several years ago, I had an opportunity to go on a month-long medical mission trip to
Uganda East Africa.
And while we were there, we decided that we'd go whitewater rafting down the Nile River.
Now I didn't know much about the Nile.
I knew they put little Moses in a basket and pushed him down, and I thought, "How hard
could this be?"
When we arrived that morning, we met our guide for the experience.
Big, strong, intimidating.
Her name was Ursula.
And whatever Ursula said, James did, 'cause quite honestly, I didn't know what to expect
from the Nile River.
She told us that, yes, the Nile River was much more powerful than any of us.
And she told us that if we would just relax, that because we all had on a life jacket and
a helmet, that as we passed through the rapids, that eventually things would just calm down
and one by one that we would just pop back up to the surface.
She also taught us to breathe.
First out, then in, because you can't take a breath on top of a breath.
And finally, she told us that it was a six-hour, 18-mile adventure.
And she encouraged us to enjoy the journey.
When she thought we were ready, we hopped in our little rubber raft and we practiced
paddling on the left-hand side, and then she had us practice paddling on the right-hand
side.
She had us practice falling out of the boat, which you'll see here in a minute, we really
needed no practice in doing.
We did that often and got good at it quickly.
But Ursula told us that if we will help one another back into the boat, that that will
make a long and difficult journey that much easier.
When she thought we were ready, we headed out into our first series of rapids.
And you could hear Ursula say, "This first set of rapids is called 50/50.
We have a 50% chance of making it through."
I thought to myself, "Now 50%, that's not bad."
She said, "Right side, paddle harder."
And the right side, they're over there paddling away.
And then she says, "Left side, left side, that's my side."
She said, "Paddle stronger."
So I'm sticking my oar down in the water as hard as I possibly can, thinking I'm doing
a good job until we hit about a 12-foot wall of water that literally picks our boat up,
spins us around and turns us upside down before I ever even knew what hit me.
When I came up, I came up underneath the bottom of the boat.
And I remember Ursula said, "If you get trapped underneath the bottom of the boat, just push
off," which is exactly what I did, except it was like being in a washing machine.
It just threw me back over to the other side.
And so I pushed off again.
And this time I could see the sunlight coming through the water.
And as I was coming up, I thought to myself, "I better take a breath."
And I took a breath and did exactly what Ursula said on top of another breath.
And I went, "Uh-uh-uh."
And a wave hit me and pushed me right back down.
Now I didn't get a breath the first time when it threw me in the water.
And I certainly didn't get a breath on the second time.
And so by now I'm starting to cough and sputter and I'm trying to hold on to remember what
Ursula said, "Relax."
That'd be nice.
Breathe.
I'd like to.
Enjoy the journey.
It absolutely wasn't happening.
I got caught in a current that took me about 150 feet.
Eventually things did calm down and opened up.
And one by one, we all popped back up to the surface.
We swam over to the boat and we helped one another back into the boat.
And Ursula said, "Well, what'd you think about that?"
No one said a word.
She said, "Good, because we have five and a half more hours and 17 and three-fourths
miles to go.
Let me encourage you to enjoy the journey."
I am nothing compared to the Nile River.
It chewed me up and spit me out all day long.
Life is full of battles and blessings and blessings and battles.
I tell you what, over the last 30 years since I've graduated, it seems like I've bounced
out of my boat and right into the Nile River on more than one occasion.
An example was when I found out that my older brother Michael had to have emergency brain
surgery or another time when I was sitting with a family who received the news that their
teenage daughter was killed in a tragic accident.
And I didn't know what to do.
I didn't know what to say except for, "I'm so sorry."
But I think the time that felt most like the Nile River for me personally was when I was
32 years old and my mom was sick and dying in the hospital, suffering.
Every breath she took was labored and it felt like it could be her last.
And to me, that felt like the Nile River with waves crashing all over my head, with the
boat on top of me and everything out of my control.
And I was crying out to God, "God, where are you?"
Yes, my mom did pass away.
And no, I wasn't ready.
And several days later at her service, after her funeral was over, I was going out of the
church and I looked around and there was a great big group of people.
And I recognized those people.
Those are my friends from LCU.
I had no idea that they were going to be there.
It was so wonderful to see those familiar faces reminding me that this place has power.
This place that you're a part of has power.
Jonathan Heisel was there, Melissa Fletcher, Stacy Young, the Copes.
So many people had come to provide me some encouragement, reminding me how beautiful
is the face in the family of God.
Now, I want you to know that my entire life has not just been a series of challenges and
battles that I've really had an incredible life.
It's been very full.
It's been very wonderful with several great opportunities and experiences.
I've been incredibly blessed.
I've been able to grow in my relationship with God in the battles and grow in my faith
through the blessings as well.
However, of all the blessings that I've ever had in my entire life, I want to say that
attending Lubbock Christian University has been amongst one of the greatest blessings
that I've ever experienced.
This is a special, special place full of godly people who are commissioned to do God's good
work.
And I want to say that in these four years that we spend at Lubbock Christian University,
that they go by so incredibly fast and they're so rich and they're so full, but similar to
the whole span of life that we have, that it's a lot like in those four years out of
your whole life, it's really like a breath.
And if you're really busy, then it's like a breath on top of a breath.
Bit of a stretch here.
I'm going to ask that you work with me in thinking about where you sit in this assembly
right now.
And really, you're all in the same boat.
Because some of you are paddling on the right hand side as hard as you can, and some of
you are paddling on the left hand side as hard as you can.
But because that you're all here in the same boat to come to school for an education grounded
on four principles, learning, character, citizenship, and Christianity.
But what you might not really know the value of where you're seated in the boat right now
is just how important the rest of these people that you're sitting in the boat with are.
And maybe you can't know because it's just too soon.
But let me say from my perspective, 30 years later, just how important these people are
going to become to you.
You're going to need them.
Because one thing's for sure, life certainly isn't easy.
And another thing is that life happens every day.
And from time to time, you're likely to fall out of the boat.
And you're going to need these people.
Whether you realize it or not.
Because if life were like the Nile, and it is, take note that you're only ever in one
of two places.
You're either out of the boat and seemingly swimming for your life, or you're in the boat
helping make a long journey maybe just a little bit easier.
I want to close with a scripture that's been important to me for over the last 30 plus
years, reminding us that we are to be imitators of Christ.
Philippians 2, 1 through 5 says, "Therefore, if you have any encouragement from being united
with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the spirit, if any
tenderness or compassion, then make my joy complete.
By being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and in mind, do nothing
out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.
Rather, consider others better than yourselves.
Look not only to your own interest, but also to the interest of others.
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset of that of Christ Jesus.
Life is full of battles and blessings.
So as we conclude, I want to just remind you in your boat, first of all, God loves you.
And second, that God is good.
And yes, there are battles, but I want to leave you this morning with a blessing.
It says, "The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you.
May the Lord turn his face towards you and give each and every one of you peace."
God bless you.
You're dismissed.
[applause]