MISSION

Years ago, I had a choice to make: Giving in to my past demons or pressing forward in faith. I chose to put my Faith in God, and His son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. No one ever said that putting my faith in God was going to be a picnic or that some fairy dust would magically do away with all the pain and struggles that life dishes out. Instead, life would get tougher, because now I cared about the one thing that survives this world and the next and that’s my character as a Christian man.

Who I am when no one is looking is the true person that must endure the world “out there.” It’s also the person that God knows as too well. My choice was to ask God to come into my Sinful life, freely, to help me overcome the challenges in my soul and in this secular world.

Since then, without question God and His Spirit have been very active in my life. So much so, that I’m unable to keep up with the blessings I’m aware of, let alone the ones I’ll never know of. That said, as a Blessed man, I’ve had to endure incredible pain, suffering and struggles with no regrets.

I’ve come to learn that through struggles, pain and suffering we discover more about ourselves, and that’s a true gift. Gift in the sense, that if you endured the “dark night of the soul”, then you will come out the other side stronger, tougher, and wiser. Thanks to God.

This is why I’ve titled my blog, Enduring God. In order to grow as a Christian and become closer to God, and be more Christlike, we are tested. I’m not smart enough to know exactly the ratio of who does the testing. I’m betting it’s Satan, the Accuser, who wants to keep a wedge between me and my Creator. And if it’s not Satan, then it’s a Sinful world where a breakdown of morality leads to an adverse world trying to take me out.

I find the closer you get to God, the harder Satan works to take you down.

Patrick Slevin

I freely admit that I’m a flawed Christian who is trying his best to be a better man, husband, father and neighbor. This partly explains my affinity for extreme endurance racing, to experience orchestrated pain and suffering in order to shed the distractions of the world and more importantly, to face my true self.

Hear me out: There are so many distractions, it’s truly hard to know who I am, which I find it liberating when I compete (compete against myself) in races such as Death Race, World’s Toughest Mudder, IronMan triathlons, and various ultra runs.

Living a life dedicated to Christ is in many respects an endurance race. As Christians we need stamina, confidence, belief in ourselves and most importantly, the courage to press forward no matter how heavy the burden.

Jesus had to carry his cross so we must look to His example as we carry ours.

My “Enduring God” blog has a simple mission and that’s to arm readers with insights and inspirations that will help you carry your cross. Winston Churchhill said, “When you’re going through hell, keep going.”

When God is in our hearts, we can overcome any obstacle this world can throw at us. It’s comforting and empowering.

I look forward to growing a relationship with you as we endeavor to strengthen our character and embolden our faith in God and in ourselves.