Dear Class Member, This week, Diana Nyad, 64, completed her longtime goal of swimming from , , to , , becoming the first person to do so without being in a protective cage. This followed four unsuccessful attempts, the first being when she was only 28.

Her story gives us an opportunity to talk about persistence, for sure, but also about the "human condition," the meaning of failure, and where God fits into all of this. So those will be the topics of our next class..

If you wish to start thinking about our topic in advance, below is some introductory material.

The Wired Word invites us to contribute news story suggestions for upcoming lessons. If you have a story you'd like to suggest, post it to The Wired Word forum at http://thewiredword.squarespace.com/.

Diana Nyad Completes Cuba-to-Florida Swim on Fifth Attempt The Wired Word for the Week of September 8, 2013

In the News

"When I saw those people on shore yesterday, and saw their faces, it wasn't the recognition of somebody who just accomplished something very large in the world. It was people who were recognizing what we go through in our lives, that we all have dreams and get disappointed, that we all have heartache and suffer and get through it. It's just the human condition."

That's how Diana Nyad, 64, characterized the welcoming crowd in Key West, Florida, who gathered Monday to see her complete her historic Cuba-to-Florida swim after her nearly 53 hours in the ocean.

That day, Nyad, whose name by coincidence is pronounced the same as naiad, the term for the water- nymphs of Greek mythology, became the first person to complete the 110-mile swim without a protective shark cage and without swim fins. It was the fulfillment of a journey she first attempted 35 years ago, when she was 28. This time was her fifth attempt, and the fourth since turning 60.

Her previous attempts were thwarted by excruciating jellyfish stings, prolonged asthma attacks, fatigue and, in one case, a lightning storm. This time, despite vomiting frequently from the salt water she could not avoid swallowing, she managed to "find a way," which Nyad said was the mantra she used to keep herself going. She described her successful attempt as "battling hell on earth."

"For 49 hours, the wind just blew like heck, and it was rough," Nyad said.

The swimmer credits her team members as a major reason for her success. They kept her on course, monitored her condition, provided nutrition and gave other logistic support. At one point, divers swam ahead of her, clearing jellyfish out of her path.

"Never, ever give up!" Nyad said after completing her swim. More on this story can be found at these links:

'Never, ever give up': Diana Nyad Completes Historic Cuba-to-Florida Swim. CNN Diana Nyad Said She Battled 'Hell on Earth' Conditions to Achieve Swim Dream. ABC News Diana Nyad's Success All in Her Head, Experts Say. NBC News Diana Nyad completes epic 110-mile Cuba-to-Florida swim at age 64. Fox News

The Big Questions Here are some of the questions we will discuss in class:

1. "Never, ever give up!" Nyad said. For what kind of circumstances is this the right advice? When is it the wrong advice? How can we determine the difference?

2. How is perseverance related to God's will for us?

3. Nyad referred to the members of the welcoming crowd as "people who were recognizing what we go through in our lives, that we all have dreams and get disappointed, that we all have heartache and suffer and get through it." She described this as "the human condition." In what ways does the Christian faith speak to the human condition? In what ways does Christ Jesus speak to this human condition?

4. How are Nyad's four failed attempts related to her eventual success? How should we view our failures when we have made sincere and determined attempts?

5. Why, in your opinion, doesn't faithfully following Jesus ensure that we will be successful in all the good things we honestly attempt?

Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope We will look at selected verses from these Scripture texts. You may wish to read these in advance for background:

Philippians 3:4b-16 Hebrews 11:39--12:2 John 16:25-33 Psalm 30:1-12

In class, we will talk about these passages and look for some insight into the big questions, as well as talk about other questions you may have about this topic. Please join us.