Begin Again

by Greg Quinn

February 10th. 2025

We all hear about the importance of good beginnings. "Start well and you have a good chance to end well", we hear. We get a good education in the beginning where we have an opportunity for a better life later. We try to take good care of ourselves physically when we are young so that we might live to a good old age and remain healthy; well, some do. We believe in the importance of a good beginning, but what if we fail? What if things go wrong along the way, whether our fault or nothing to do with us? We are tempted to quit and give up, but inside us we know we must "begin again". The Bible is chocked full of stories of people who had to "begin again". And I bet anyone you know with any degree of success in any walk of life has failed over and over and had to "begin again".

Thomas Edison had failed thousands of times before inventing the light bulb. He was known for his method of trial and error to learn from his mistakes. What if Edison had stopped after one, or a few, or 100 failures? We enjoy the benefits of his invention still today. Thomas Edison learned the important lesson of having to "begin again".

According to most historical accounts, Abraham Lincoln experienced several significant business failures before becoming president, most notably with a general store he co-owned in New Salem, Illinois, which resulted in bankruptcy, and he also faced multiple political defeats in elections before finally winning the presidency, with some sources stating he lost around seven campaigns prior to his success (source Google AI). Lincoln, who is one of America's greatest Presidents, achieved success by learning to "begin again".

I heard preacher TD Jakes say in one of my favorite sermons of his, "You will fall, so when you fall, fall on your back. If you can look up, you can get up". TD Jakes, one of America's greatest Pastors, Teachers, Christian Authors, and Evangelists, himself had many failures and disappointments. But he learned to "begin again".

Once at a motivational conference I heard a speaker say the difference between success and failure is that success is just past one more failure. A failure will fail, and fail, and fail, he will try again and fail, and fail, and fail, and fail, and give up. A success will fail, and fail, and fail, and he will try again and fail, and fail, and fail, and fail, and fail, fail, fail, fail, fail, then succeed. The secret is learning to "begin again".

Gunblast. com, this website from which you read this article on the Greg's Corner section, celebrates 25 years of history this year. Gunblast. com started in January of 2000 as the first online gun test magazine. The Internet was young, and for the most part only technology businesses had adopted the Internet. While the Internet proved to be an exceptional resource that would change the world, those under 40 years old cannot contemplate a world without the world-wide-web. However, we go back only twenty-five or more years and we find that the Internet was slow to catch on in some areas and industries, and the firearms industry was one of those.

When Gunblast. com started, not many in the gun industry considered the Internet as having an impact on our market. In fact, when we started Gunblast, we had a hard time convincing anyone in the shooting sports industry that the Internet was going to be impactful in our market. Gunblast. com celebrates our 25th anniversary this year, back only last month. 25 years ago in January 2000 there was no online gun testing magazine and only a handful of forward-thinking gun companies had even established any kind of presence on the Internet. 

It didn't take long for Gunblast. com to gain prominence in the industry. While we had to start out shooting our own guns and Jeff writing about them, soon leaders in the industry like Ruger, Smith & Wesson, Colt, Charter, Trijicon, Leupold, DPMS and others were sending us their guns and optics for test and reviews. Gunblast's traffic was soon outpacing almost all paper publications in terms of viewers. The industry took notice. Gunblast. com for many years was not only holding recognition as the first online gun test publication, but the largest, and today we are proud to having set the standard for the many, many other online gun test publications that are servicing the industry today.

Things changed for Gunblast. com in July of 2020, when our brother Jeff went on to Heaven. While all of three of us Quinn brothers have key responsibilities in the business, it was Jeff who was out front doing the writing. He was well known in the industry as a gun writer. After Jeff died, Boge and I decided to carry on, and today, some 4.5 years after Jeff's death, Boge is doing a great job in the editorial part of our business as well as managing the website, and I continue to handle sales, marketing, advertising and the Greg's Corner section. Today, Gunblast. com remains one of the most significant and most viewed gun publications in the industry, 25 years after we started.

But we had to "begin again".

In the Bible, we see Abraham having buried his father and being told by God to leave his family and everyone he knew, his land, his cattle, everything, and follow the path that God would reveal to him along the way. By faith he moved forward. He didn't know where he was going. But he knew God was leading him. He had to "begin again".

Moses was placed in a basket in the waters to escape the death of the young Israelite babies by a cruel Egyptian Pharoah and was rescued by Pharoah's wife and raised in the palace. As a man of around 40 he killed an Egyptian who was beating an Israelite, and to escape death himself, ran off into the wilderness. He lived in a foreign land watching livestock for 40 years. Then he received the call of God through a burning bush, and he answered God's call to go back to Israel where he escaped to face the Pharoah, the step-brother whom he was raised with in Egypt, and was the mouthpiece of God to instruct Pharoah to let the Israelites go. Moses ended up leading the Israelites from the captivity in Egypt into the promised land. Moses had to "begin again".

Peter was the most outspoken of the disciples of Jesus. A boastful fisherman, he was very practical in how he saw things and had difficulties in comprehending all the miracles of Jesus, the Son of God in human form. I heard an old preacher say one time that Peter only opened his mouth to change feet. He was always getting in trouble. Hard-headed, determined, opinionated, Peter was a challenge for Jesus. But he was one of Jesus' inner circle friends. Peter, James, and John were the three always closest to Jesus of the original 12 key disciples. And Peter was the leader of the group. In the time when Jesus most needed his friends, they all departed when Jesus was arrested. Peter watched from far off but careful not to be categorized as a "Jesus follower" for fear that the same fate of beating and crucifixion would fall upon him. Peter denied he even knew Jesus three times, as Jesus predicted. And Peter, knowing how wrong he was, ran off to face what he had done alone, in great agony and bitter weeping for denying Jesus. We see this in Matthew 26:69-75. In Mark 16:1-8 we see where the Angel told the women who came to anoint Jesus' body after his death, only to find an empty tomb, to "go and tell his disciples - and Peter - that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you."

One of the most beautiful passages in the Bible to me is found in John Chapter 21. Jesus had died but arose from the dead. Peter had seen Jesus two times already after his death, burial, and resurrection. Once after Mary had seen the resurrected Jesus at the tomb with all the disciples except Judas (who had hanged himself after betraying Jesus) and Thomas who was not there, and once more when Thomas was with them. But after Jesus was gone, Peter didn't know what to do, so he and some of the other disciples with him went fishing. They were fishing as in John 21, when Jesus came calling them from the shore. Jesus told them to cast the net on the other side of the boat, as he did when Peter first met Jesus, and they caught a great group of fish. Recognizing it was Jesus, Peter jumped out of the boat and swam ahead of the others. When he arrived to the shore, Jesus was cooking breakfast for them of fish they did not catch. 

JOHN 21 After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We are going with you also." They went out and [a]immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. 4 But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Then Jesus said to them, "Children, have you any food?" They answered Him, "No."
6 And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish.
7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it) and plunged into the sea. 8 But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish. 9 Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish which you have just caught."
11 Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken. 12 Jesus said to them, "Come and eat breakfast." Yet none of the disciples dared ask Him, "Who are You?"-knowing that it was the Lord. 13 Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and likewise the fish.
14 This is now the third time Jesus showed Himself to His disciples after He was raised from the dead.
15 So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Feed My lambs."
16 He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Tend My sheep."
17 He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Feed My sheep. 18 Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish." 19 This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, "Follow Me."

In my mind, here is what makes this passage so beautiful. When Peter denied knowing Jesus, which Jesus had previously predicted (John 13:36-38), Peter went out and wept bitterly. He was feeling so dejected and ashamed that he felt he could do nothing but go back to his old way of life. When the Angel told Mary at the tomb, "go tell the disciples - and Peter", Jesus knew what Peter was feeling. Even though Peter had seen the resurrected Jesus twice before, Peter still considered himself unworthy for his denial of Jesus at the most crucial moment in Jesus' life. John 21:1-3 showed that the previous fishermen, led by Peter, went back to their old way of life. They went fishing. They thought their work was done. The Master was gone. The disciples didn't know what to do. And Peter largely blamed himself. So, they went fishing. And toiled all night and caught nothing. Then Jesus showed up. Jesus had already appeared to many people after his resurrection, the 11 disciples, Mary, the men on the road to Emmaus, etc. Jesus didn't need to show up again on the banks cooking fish. But He did. Not to make breakfast for his 7 disciples who were fishing. Not to show another miracle of helping them catch fish. He came there for Peter. To help Peter "begin again".

Peter was chosen by Jesus as the "rock". He had become the leader of the disciples. But now he was so ashamed and felt so unable to be used that Jesus knew that Peter needed encouragement. So, Jesus came back to show the disciples, especially Peter, that he still cared and Peter still had a valuable role in carrying forth the Gospel. After asking Peter three times, "Do you love me", Peter saying "Yes, Lord, I love you", and Jesus answering, "Feed my lambs, tend my sheep, feed my sheep", Jesus was telling Peter he was still valuable, he was still needed, he was still loved by Jesus, he had a job to do. Jesus knew Peter's commitment, but Peter didn't know it himself. Peter needed help to "begin again".

This same Peter, as we see in Acts Chapter 2, after being filled with the Holy Spirit, gave the first sermon to a great crowd, and that day some 3000 were saved through the word of Jesus which Peter preached (Acts 2:14-41). Peter had now began again. Peter continued to lead the disciples, build the early church, helped Paul in his ministry to the Gentiles, and was the leader of what we now call Christians, or Jesus followers. We all have the opportunity to receive the Gospel of Jesus largely because of Peter's renewed commitment, his restart, his decision to "begin again". 

You may be like me. You may have meant to do many things right. But you made many mistakes along the way. You may have once intended to do this or that, or have this kind of career, or get this kind of education, or be this kind of husband or wife or father or mother. But you failed. You haven't accomplished what you set out to accomplish. Or maybe you have made such a wreck out of your life that you think there is no way to start over. You have no idea how to "begin again".

I can tell you how. This formula to "begin again" has been utilized throughout history successfully by millions of people. The Bible, which has the answers to any problem you may ever have in life, makes it very clear. Only believe. So simple, yet so effective. Believe that God created you for a purpose, there is not another like you on earth, and you are special and loved by God. Believe that Jesus is the Son of God, who came from Heaven to earth born of a virgin, lived a life like every other man, yet did not sin. Believe that Jesus came as the perfect lamb of God, to pay the sacrifice for our sins, to pay a debt He did not owe but one that we owed but could not pay. Believe that Jesus died for our sins on a cruel Roman cross, but that He arose from death, and He lives today by the right hand of God, intervening for us when we fail. Believe that God sent the Holy Spirit to live within you to help you in your daily decisions. Believe that all you must do is believe this, accept it as the truth, proclaim it, and accept Jesus as your savior and lord of your life. Then, and only then, can you truly "begin again".

This should make you extremely happy, as it does me. The knowledge that we will fail, yet God will help us succeed. We will mess up, but we can start over and do better. We can "begin again".

ROMANS 10:9-10 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

If you have never accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then it is very easy. The scripture above contains the simple instruction. You may pray a prayer like this one. "Dear God, I know that I have failed many times. I realize that no matter how hard I have tried at times, I haven't done right. I know I cannot do it alone. I come to you as a sinner needing a savior. And I believe that you sent your son Jesus to die for my sins so that in only accepting Him I can have eternal life. I accept today Jesus as my Savior and my Lord, I believe he was born of a virgin, died for my sins, arose from death, and stands ready to save me today, and when I die take me to Heaven to live forever. I accept this free gift. And I ask Jesus to help me "begin again" each day to live a better life. In Jesus name I pray. Amen."

If you prayed a simple prayer like this, and believe it, then the Bible says you are saved. You are a "Jesus follower". You can "begin again" now each day with help from God through the Holy Spirit which lives in you. I challenge you now to get a Bible and read it. Start with maybe the book of Psalms in the Old Testament, and John and Romans in the New Testament. Find a good Bible-based church and join in service with other people like you. Know that each day, no matter your failure or success, you can "begin again" at any time with Jesus at your side.

God bless you.

Greg Quinn