[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Farticles\u002Fdon-t-just-stand-there-do-something":3,"\u002Farticles\u002Fdon-t-just-stand-there-do-something-surround":66},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"bibleBooks":8,"body":10,"columnName":49,"date":50,"description":16,"extension":51,"image":52,"meta":53,"minRead":54,"navigation":55,"path":56,"postType":57,"publication":58,"publicationUrl":52,"seo":59,"stem":60,"topics":61,"__hash__":65},"blog\u002Farticles\u002Fdon-t-just-stand-there-do-something.md","DON’T JUST STAND THERE . . . DO SOMETHING!",{"name":7},"Dave Faust",[9],"",{"type":11,"value":12,"toc":46},"minimark",[13,17,20,23,31,34,37,40,43],[14,15,16],"p",{},"The explorer Zebulon Pike’s name has long been attached to a 14,000-foot-high mountain in Colorado. Pike originally named the mountain Grand Peak, but mapmakers labeled it Pikes Peak. Strangely enough, Pike himself never climbed to the top of the mountain that bears his name. His only attempt took place in November 1806. Underestimating the cold and snow, Pike was forced to turn back by a blizzard, and he later predicted no one would ever reach the summit. In the warm weather of July 1820, however, botanist and geologist Dr. Edwin James and two other men successfully climbed to the top. It’s odd that Pikes Peak is named for a man who failed to reach the summit, but Pike at least deserves credit for making the attempt.",[14,18,19],{},"Thomas Edison is known for his many inventions including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and the first commercially practical electric lightbulb. But Edison conducted countless experiments that failed as well. He observed, “If I find 10,000 ways something won’t work, I haven’t failed. I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is often a step forward.” Edison’s greatness lay not only in his creativity, but in his persistence. “Genius,” he said, “is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.” He pointed out, “Many of life’s failures are experienced by people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”",[14,21,22],{},"Take the Risk",[14,24,25,26,30],{},"Ecclesiastes chapter 11 contains helpful insights for anyone who wants to live by faith. Have you heard the expression, “Cast your bread upon the waters”? It comes from Ecclesiastes 11:1, which the ",[27,28,29],"em",{},"New International Version"," translates, “Ship your grain across the sea; after many days you may receive a return.” Ancient merchants would send out ships loaded with goods, not knowing when the ships would return to port, but confident they would return with treasures from other lands. Eventually God blesses those who act in faith.",[14,32,33],{},"It’s better to step out and try—even at the risk of failure—than to remain fearful and inactive. “Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap” (v. 4). A pessimistic farmer can always find a reason not to work. In the spring he worries, “It’s too windy to plant today, and the wind might blow some of my seed away.” In autumn he shakes his head and says, “There are clouds in the sky, and it might rain, so I won’t try to harvest the grain.” With such a negative point of view, he won’t succeed in the farming business.",[14,35,36],{},"Act Without Waiting for Perfect Conditions",[14,38,39],{},"If you wait for all the conditions to be right, every critic to be silent, every question to be answered, and every issue to be resolved, you will never accomplish anything. Of course it’s wise to do your homework, pray for wisdom, and investigate potential consequences. But eventually you must step out and take action.",[14,41,42],{},"“Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let your hands not be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well” (v. 6).",[14,44,45],{},"Don’t just stand there . . . do something! Start climbing the mountain. Even if you don’t make it to the top, who knows? Maybe someone will name the mountain after you just because you tried.",{"title":9,"searchDepth":47,"depth":47,"links":48},2,[],"Consider This","2026-09-01","md",null,{},3,true,"\u002Farticles\u002Fdon-t-just-stand-there-do-something","column","Christian Standard",{"title":5,"description":16},"articles\u002Fdon-t-just-stand-there-do-something",[62,63,64],"Spiritual Formation","Discipleship","Biblical Theology","Fo3aHDUP26KNB5ZQ_nAlHvC0MMT29KEKv9fRKa6GKuQ",[67,72],{"title":68,"path":69,"stem":70,"description":71,"children":-1},"Don’t Go off the Highway","\u002Farticles\u002Fdon-t-go-off-the-highway","articles\u002Fdon-t-go-off-the-highway","According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each day in the United States nine people die and more than 1,000 suffer injuries in crashes involving a distracted driver. Three main kinds of distraction cause accidents: (1) visual: taking your eyes off the road, (2) manual: taking your hands off the wheel, and (3) cognitive: taking your mind off the task of driving. Drivers lose focus when we eat or drink, use a navigation system, or turn to talk with passengers in the back seat. Texting on a cell phone combines all three kinds of distraction (visual, manual, and cognitive), and if you’re driving 55 miles per hour your car travels the length of a football field in five seconds.",{"title":73,"path":74,"stem":75,"description":76,"children":-1},"Don’t Miss Out","\u002Farticles\u002Fdon-t-miss-out","articles\u002Fdon-t-miss-out","I have a touch of claustrophobia, so I don’t like being in tight spaces. In my college days I went spelunking (exploring caves) and as a young homeowner I didn’t mind squeezing into the crawl space under my house, but today I have less tolerance for anything that makes me feel confined. The thought of being inserted into a full-body MRI makes me shudder."]