One Down

Quite a bit happens in the span of a year.  We often find ourselves glancing backwards when we reach certain milestones to determine what type of progress we’ve made.  Where were you last year?  What was going on in your life at the end of July in 2008?  When you glance at the path you have blazed since last summer, how many sets of footprints do you find in the sand?

Today, we celebrate the anniversary of LiveBold.  What started as a passion burning inside of a single man to encourage, teach, and deliver a word of hope to men (and all who choose to read) is now out of its infancy.  At the onset, the idea behind LiveBold was to create a space that would not ask you to come inside and grab hold of a set of ideals or beliefs, but to go out and meet you right where you are standing.  I have personally found it quite easy to walk into a church and pretend that everything is perfect.  Shaking the preacher’s hand and saying “good sermon…I needed that” is one of the easiest things you can do to be labled by others as a “Good Christian”.  LiveBold wants you to hear that there is more to Christian living than that.

We’re still trying to find our voice at Live Bold.  I’ve been blessed to have some contributors breeze through and give words of insight that I know has changed lives.  In the beginning, we asked about 100 guys to answer 10 questions.  I received a handful of responses, and learned a little bit about the guys coming through.  We had some great articles on hunting and fatherhood.  Lee Turner and Vince Cameron offered some insight into raising Godly children.  I know these men and I’ve been around their children and can assure you that they practice what they preach.  Doug Barton gave us a couple of great sports articles on golfing and Tim Tebow.  The Tebow and Phil article is still read every week.  During football season I expect to see the hits climb through the roof.  Some of our mainstays are Steve Fandel and Steve Rusk – our two Steves.  They are regular contributors and provide insight and perspective into walking through this every day life with faith.  I lean on both of them as friends and cohorts to inspire and challenge LiveBold.

Some Noteworthy Facts:

• This website continues to be #1 in all search engines for the term Live Bold.  Out of 50+million web pages, we are 1st.
• One of the top searches in Google that brings people to this site is:  Grilling Flounder.  It was an article written early about… Grilling Flounder.  We get about 10 visits per day from people around the world wondering how to grill flounder.  My recipe (as lame as it may be) is now in countless households.
• We are connected through Network Blogs and featured on Facebook.
• Our site statistics show regular visits from Brazil, Australia, and England in addition to the majority of visits from the United States.
• The topics are chosen out of the experiences of life.  Some are personal, some are observations, and some are from input from friends.

This ministry is built to give you tools and challenge you to live your faith where you stand.  I want to thank you for being a part of the 1st year.  The Journey has been a struggle to find our voice, refine our writing, and draw the lines between faith and religion.

If you want to support Live Bold, you can do so in three ways:  1) Pray for LiveBold, 2) email the site link or articles to friends and family and, 3) Buy a T-shirt and wear your bold faith on the outside.

Looking back at the past year, I see some rough edges and I’ve seen some of you come and go as the pace of your life moves in and out of view.  I have personally grown and my faith has become stronger because this ministry.  God has shown me parts of my life that I did not know existed.

The balance of life shows us that looking back is acceptable only as long as we equally look ahead.  So here’s what Year 2 will bring to the table:

• More of the same challenging LiveBold motovotionals.
• The release of a book that I have wanted to write for many years:  The GodBox. I look to have the 1st draft ready by the end of August.
• Small group study material
• A weekly virtual small group that meets online

May God bless you and thank you for supporting the LiveBold ministry.  Christ requires that you stand up and Live Bold… there is no 2nd option you are either in or your out.  Don’t sit on the fence… either be wicked or be good.  Fence straddlers will be spewed out of the mouth of God.  Those aren’t my words… they are from Christ Jesus.  Every day we choose to follow Christ.

Peace,
Greg Arnold
Acts 4:31

About

Welcome, and thanks for dragging yourself over to Live|Bold! My name is Greg Arnold and I am pumped to see you here. This interactive online community is here to point every man toward the cross. Whether you have been a follower of Christ for ages, or you are just stumbling into this strange new world of faith, we have something of value to offer you. This online e-zine is a cross between a blog, a social network, a resource center, and a pulpit. My hope is to inspire you to live your faith on the outside and be a real man for God. We need you in the fight.