17 Years Old and the Best is Yet to Come: Mettle Maker #496

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First the Announcements

Howdy Rough ‘n’ Tumblers,

Mitch here — my sabbatical is officially over. I’m back with a whole new attitude and big plans for growing this charity!

  • First ever Heritage Arts membership drive! Participate in our first ever membership drive! If you are distance learner and you get someone to sign up you’ll earn a feat in the program. Just tell them to put your name in the “referred by” slot on the application. You earn a feat and they get a free Heritage Arts t-shirt when they submit their first month of training logs.

  • New : The Campfire Crew donor area! Help support the charity and get behind-the-scenes access. Get links to the source materials that we’ve used to construct our programs. This will provide an way for folks to participate in the work of this charity on a deeper level. Plans start at just $10/month. Already a monthly donor? You get a free 1-year pass to the Campfire Crew. Then you can cancel your Donorbox subscription and join up here. If you didn’t get your coupon, email mitch@heritageartsinc.com and we’ll get you one ASAP. Already a paying member of our YouTube channel? No problem! YouTube members get a free pass too. For the price of one or two of them fancy Starbucks drinks per month, you can say that you’re doing something to preserve the wisdom of the past.

  • We are no longer livestreaming Holy Eucharist service on Sundays. After a couple of years of prayer, contemplation, and discernment, I’ve hung up my robes and joined the Catholic Church as a layperson. I am no longer a priest. For all of the details, watch this video.

METTLE MAKER #496: THE MARTIAL ART THAT MAKES YOU THINK

Yesterday, 5/9/26, was the 17th anniversary of Heritage Arts. We had our first official meeting on 5/9/09.

A lot has changed since then. And a lot hasn’t.

One of the things that has changed is your founder and president (see the short announcement above). I like to think I’ve grown and changed for the better over the years. But what hasn’t changed is this charity’s dedication to mind, body, and spirit health through martial arts, fitness, outdoor skills, and spiritual development.

A cornerstone of our program is handwritten journaling. It’s required in all of our programs. Why? Because,

“People who still write things down on paper may not be resisting technology — they're preserving a thinking process that lets the mind hear itself. In a world obsessed with digital speed, the deliberate slowness of handwriting might be the key to clearer thinking.” 1

Here’s a quote from an article at Scientific American:

“A recent study in Frontiers in Psychology monitored brain activity in students taking notes and found that those writing by hand had higher levels of electrical activity across a wide range of interconnected brain regions responsible for movement, vision, sensory processing and memory..”

I know, I know, you’re saying “But I don’t need journaling, or any other system or program, to study and learn and improve.” Sure, it’s possible. It’s possible you can make into the Olympics without coaches and sponsors.

If you haven’t signed up for our free distance learning program, do so today!

  • Improve your skills. Martial arts, fitness, outdoor skills, or all three. Your choice.

  • Develop inner peace. Connect to God, nature and universe like never before

  • Earn a rank. You can hold that gem in the treasure chest of your heart, put it on your resume, and cherish it forever.

  • Start a Heritage Club in your home town. Become a leader, make friends, and pass on what you’re learning to others — and we’ll help you do it!

  • Make friends and pen pals. Participate in our monthly Heritage Huddles via Google Meet..

  • Be a part of something bigger than yourself. We’re a federally recognized charity, remember?

Click here to sign up today for our distance learning program!

ritual matters.

Journaling is a beneficial ritual. Look at it this way. Folks aways say they’re going to do stuff that they never actually do. They say they can lose weight without a diet plan, without a coach, or drugs, or exercise, or whatever. And yet more Americans are overweight than aren’t. Folks say they don’t need church to read scripture, pray, grow stronger in Christ, volunteer, and so on. But the reality is that churchgoers pray more, read more scripture, and report being closer to God than those who don’t. People say they don’t need all kinds of things they actually do need. Rituals are, among other things, habits. Start building good habits now and thank me later.

To watch daily mass, CLICK HERE. For daily gospel reflections in your email box, SIGN UP HERE. Or even better, go to church!

In other news, the new t-shirts are in. If you want to make a donation to the charity, we can definitely get you one! Just click here.