A Goal in Mind

This morning I got up to run and was about to stretch when I noticed the downpour outside. I'm not opposed to running in the rain, but the thunder and lightning influenced me to change my plans and head to the gym. If given a choice I would always choose to run outside over a treadmill, but I needed to get my miles in and this was the only way it was going to happen today.

Treadmill running is a bit monotonous (even with ESPN on the screen in front of me) and it feels like it takes longer to complete my distance. The lack of scenery change makes it boring and tends to tire me out more quickly. Today I hit a point about two miles before my intended mileage where I just didn't want to run any more. My legs had gotten a little heavy and I thought about calling it quits. The reason I kept running was that I knew I had a big race in a month and this run was an important part of my prep. Knowing what I was aiming at gave me the incentive to push forward.

There are a lot of times when we want to quit in life. We might be frustrated in our relationships, feel as if life changes we have made aren't working, or don't see that our daily efforts are making a difference. We have reached a point where our legs are heavy and it takes a great deal of energy to keep moving. If we don't have a vision of what we are striving towards it can be easy to give up when we get tired. Working for a long term goal helps us persevere through short term difficulties. Having a mental picture of where we are going gives us the strength to push through.

It's Rasslin' Time!

When I was in junior high we all had to take a PE class which sometimes involved team sports and at other times focused on individual athletics. There was always a wrestling unit for 2-3 weeks that very few of us looked forward to (or perhaps it was just my own dread.) Our PE coach would put us all in weight classes and then pair us off to wrestle on the big mat. Not only were you being asked to grapple with a classmate who you may or may not know very well (but soon would), but it was done in front of the entire class. Your peers (30-40 people) would sit around the mat and watch as you grappled with a classmate in ways that would cause a fight if you did it outside of the gym. There were only two ways this was going to work out: you were either going to embarrass someone or be embarrassed. My athletic abilities didn’t kick in until several years later and I almost always ended up on the defeated side of embarrassment.

The idea of wrestling is still a difficult one for me, but not necessarily on a physical level. Now most of my wrestling is in prayer as I struggle through asking God for the right things and in the right time. I tell people constantly that prayer doesn’t have to be difficult, but that we can just talk to God and He is thrilled to have our attention and conversation. I still believe that to be true, but I also know there are times when we have to battle through difficult questions and wait for answers. I am wrestling with God in prayer now and it isn’t easy. It would be simpler to tap out and quit, but I know that isn’t the best solution. I’ve got to push through even though I may get tired, sweaty, and frustrated. It’s in the act of wrestling that God shares His answers, reveals His nature, and shapes my character.

Warrior Mentality

We kicked off our 3rd annual "Man Month" with guest speaker David Rocker joining us once again. David is a passionate Christian man who inspires others through his preaching, but even more so through his lifestyle. We started a series entitled, "Warrior: Learning to Fight For What Matters" with his message from Joshua today. David shared many great things (the entire message can be found on our website); here are a few highlights from this morning.

• You can't change your past: don't let it dictate your future. 
• Don't give your past more authority than it deserves.
• If you're going through something tough at least you're moving. Keep going and don't give up. 
• We (men) are wired for boldness and aggression and need to use it in the right way for the Kingdom. 
• What is God declaring to be yours? You won't get it unless you're willing to fight for it!
• Sometimes it only takes a couple of men to stand for what is right and make a difference. 
• Joshua was a general and a servant. He knew how to have authority and be under authority. 
• To be an effective warrior we need to be secure in who we are. 
• Warriors see the solution at the end not just the problem at the beginning. 
• You are too close to your breakthrough to quit!
• At some point the end will come. God has promised a due season.
• How can we be successful if we don't study our playbook? Don't assume your talent will be enough to bring success. 
• Stop talking about it and start being about it.

Keep Driving

We passed a road sign on our sight-seeing with our mission team today that said, "Rough Road for Next 6 miles." I appreciated the caution and shared it with our team, but also thought to myself, "This would be helpful in other areas of my life too." How much easier would it be to deal with difficulties if we always knew when they were coming and how long they would last? If we could see a sign that let us know exactly when we were about to hit a rough patch we might be able to endure it better. 

Since we don't always have the power of predictability we will just have to persevere when uneven patches come. The road we are traveling leads through this tough section and we'll survive it if we just keep moving until we reach the other side.  

In the Middle

The day between Good Friday and Easter Sunday couldn't have been easy for the faithful followers of Christ. I feel certain they were still in shock at what they had witnessed and the deterioration of Christ's ministry in such a short period of time.

I would imagine they woke up on Saturday and had a moment of unpleasant orientation to this new reality as the awful events of Friday settled in. There had to be doubts about the past three years of ministry and the soul-crushing weight of questions about their future. Despair, great sorrow, and paranoid fear fueled their emotions that day. In all of this, they had no idea of the joyful surprise that awaited them the next day. They had no way of predicting that their deepest sorrow would soon be turned into unbelievable relief and the start of something completely new.

Where are we on this spectrum of emotion and experience? Are we devastated at our current life circumstances? Are we able to see a glimpse of hope and believe that better days are ahead? Or do we feel like we are stuck in the middle and unsure of what to do next? God is working in all of these phases even though it may not feel like it at that moment. Being in the middle means that hope is still on the horizon. Knowing a new day is possible may provide the strength we need to endure.

Not So Good

I am an avid New York Mets fan. People often ask me how I could possibly follow the Mets since I grew up in Daytona Beach and have no family connections to New York. It's actually a result of us getting the old TV station that played the Mets games out of New York on our television. I started watching in the mid-80's when they were bringing up some great young talent and I haven't abandoned them since. Sadly, there have been many more disappointing seasons than successful ones, but I still follow my team. I have some collectibles in my office and the only sports gear that I wear are Mets hats and t-shirts. Through all the years of poor draft choices, terrible free agent signings, and bad management, I have maintained my allegiance.

I don't know what this says about me as a person, but I think it speaks to my desire to be loyal. I actually believe that we all want to experience loyalty. We want to know that people will stick by us even when we aren't at our best. We want to know that if we are willing to endure rough patches they will do the same in return. It's an affirming principle that strengthens our relationships and reminds us that things get better when we stick together. My loyalty hasn't resulted in better play from my favorite baseball team, but it has helped me in the rest of my relationships.