GOODlife Magazine June 2017

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Diving into the fight against cancer with Malena Hankins “My biggest swims are not the ones that give me bigger or better medals, but the ones that are more meaningful and will help the community. In this case especially, it will help kids with cancer.” It’s an early spring morning... A cool mist still covers the ground, waiting for the sunrise to begin waking a mostly sleeping city. But among the stillness at 5am, there are a few ambitious souls making the most of the early morning hours. Gliding through the frigid waters of an open pool, Malena Hankins can be found putting in her hours of dedicated training. This consistent discipline she subjects herself to has not come back to her void. With over 50 medals and a continually increasing sense of purpose, Malena has found a way to not only do what she loves as a passion and a career, but she has also found a way to simultaneously make a profound impact in the lives of others as well. Sharing the inspiration behind her recent aquatic ambitions, she says, “My biggest swims are not the ones that give me bigger or better medals, but the ones that are more meaningful and will help the community. In this case especially, it will help kids with cancer. In our lifetime, 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women will be diagnosed with cancer. I joined the Swim Across America community so that, together, we can change that.” Malena and a team of five other SAA swimmers will swim a relay composed of a double crossing of the Catalina Channel. Departing from Long Beach California, they will swim the channel to Catalina Island and back, totaling up to a 42-mile round trip. The battle against childhood cancer hits close to home for Malena because of the special bond she had with a young girl named Leah. Leah had a passion for swimming, and through her time swimming at AquaTots, a swimming school that Malena and her husband run, she and Malena built a close relationship. When Leah became diagnosed and, after fighting a good fight for over a year, eventually passed on from cancer, it moved Malena to jump into the fight. Malena says that she is swimming this upcoming race, on July 17th, for those who need it, and for Leah who can no longer swim. Malena Hankins: International Swim Champion & Owner of three AquaTots locations 14 goodlifemagazine.org If you would like to support making a difference: Online donations can be made at SwimAcrossAmerica.org; search for Malena Hankins.
a Spiritual Foundation for our Families by: Terence Chatmon The statistics about our nation’s crumbling family infrastructure are alarming. We’ve all heard before the devastating impact of absentee fathers, and of course, we share concern for our children’s future, knowing that so many young people leave their Christian upbringing when they go away to college and don’t know how to defend their faith to a cynical world. I believe we already have the answers to these problems, but the question is, are we going to act on them? We know that fathers should be spiritually leading their children, and parents should be ensuring that discipleship is taking place inside the home. Yet again and again—for two generations—we have failed to make a reality what we know is right in our hearts. I say, let’s make this the generation that finally acts on what it believes. Let’s make our families great again! Let’s strengthen the foundation that supports this great nation. The foundation of marriage must be upheld. Parenting around Christian core values must be the topic of the dinner table again. We must teach our children day and night for generations upon generations. So, how do we do that? How do parents ever attach this hope to an ongoing plan that takes us back to the cross daily? I learned how to do this with my family through personal experience. I realized I already know how to develop a plan to aid a company in reaching its stated goals, and I decided to apply this to my family. We had a family discussion to figure out, what are our goals? We wrote down what we hoped to achieve and brainstormed some strategies for helping to reach those goals. We came up with a family plan worksheet that I believe is a powerful tool, adaptable to any family situation. Let’s make a strong family again. Let’s make it a reality by putting faith to action through a generational spiritual development plan designed for you and your family. It’s time to repair the tear in the fabric of America by restoring our families and ensuring discipleship is taking place in the home. Imagine a generation of your family who knows God with intimate familiarity—who doesn’t just pretend at faith, but actually lives it. Kids who can tell you what they believe and why it matters. Teenagers who handle adversity with the resilient joy of godly wisdom. A family who prays together and worships together, growing into young adults who are equipped and inspired to keep this torch ablaze from the moment their own new families begin! “It’s time to repair the tear in the fabric of America by restoring our families and ensuring discipleship is taking place in the home.” Terence Chatmon is president and CEO of the Fellowship of Companies for Christ International (FCCI.org), a network of executives spanning more than 100 countries that equips and encourages leaders to see their companies and careers as powerful tools for Kingdom building. This piece is based on his new book “Do Your Children Believe? Becoming Intentional about your Family’s Faith and Spiritual Legacy.”
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GOODlife Magazine June 2017

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