victory

When Frodo and Sam left the safety of The Shire, their perilous mission was to destroy the One Ring in the fires of Mt. Doom located in the dark and deadly land of Mordor. Throughout their journey they battled sinister and terrifying enemies…and suffered the loss of several close friends along the way. But their resolve eventually brought them to Mt. Doom, and after a climactic fight with the treacherous Gollum, the ring was finally swallowed up by the heaving volcano. Middle Earth was safe…but the two tiny heroes weren’t!

Tony La Russa has made a name for himself in the game of baseball as a player, a manager, and an executive. He’s been a part of minor league teams…and World Series teams. But his success has never led to complacency.

Even the “accessories” he wears will attest to that fact.

General Stanley McChrystal, the commander of Joint Special Operations Command, was given a monumental task by President George W. Bush: find and terminate Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of a brutal terror network known as Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI).

It was built to entertain the ruthless masses of the Roman Empire. The mighty Coliseum stood in the heart of Rome and played host to the gladiatorial games that would end up costing the lives of thousands upon thousands of contestants.

But the death toll rose even more when the Coliseum was used to kill followers of Jesus.

On February 1, 2015, quarterback Tom Brady led his New England Patriots to victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl 49, making a strong case for him being named the greatest QB in the game.

But according to a decade-old interview, Brady wondered if that’s what life was all about.

Andres Menzies isn’t your typical security guard. He spent 17 years on the detail protecting international pop star Michael Jackson, but it’s the ring he wears on his right hand that he likes to talk about the most. And why not?

It’s an NBA Championship ring he received from billionaire Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks.

In late 2001, most Americans were still reeling from the coordinated terrorist attacks that shook the entire world. However, a very select few – members of the CIA’s highly trained Team Echo – found themselves in Afghanistan leading Operation Jawbreaker, America’s first retaliation against Al Qaeda and the Taliban.

Unfortunately, some of them would learn that friendly fire is just as deadly as the enemy’s.

In August of 480 BC, a few hundred Spartans led by King Leonidas battled against 150,000 Persian warriors led by King Xerxes. The heavily outnumbered Greeks held their ground, repelled the invaders, and controlled the battle for three days.

But there was one thing King Leonidas couldn’t control…and it would prove fatal.

If you ever see one in the wild, your heart will skip a beat. Between 6 and 10 feet long, weighing anywhere from 350 to 550 pounds, lions have a commanding presence over their surroundings…and you! After learning more about these fearsome creatures, it’s easy to see why Jesus was called the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.

Here are just a few of the extraordinary qualities that truly make lions the king of the jungle.