Keep Pushing

Recent weeks have brought some significant change in my life. Before we moved here, I had begun to workout; however, when we came here, I had to stop as there wasn't a facility to continue. Well, a few weeks ago, our town opened a new fitness center and I am back at it and working out again 5 days a week. It has been refreshing starting again, and I am starting to enjoy the benefits of the hard work. Pants are fitting looser, I rest well at night and I know that I am working toward an overall better physical condition. Perseverance, however, is the key. It will do me no good if I wane in my regiment. The Lord has brought one theme up over and over to me in recent days so, I thought I would write a few lines about what I am learning.

In my workouts, I have days that are harder than others. I may wake up feeling weary (like this morning) and it takes everything I have to get through. Sometimes, when I start a new level of weights or add reps I have to deal with pain and soreness. There are days that are just routine and boring and I just have to suck it up and move forward. And there are also days when all my ducks are in a row and I jam and feel great after.

Since the place opened, I have seen many different faces. Some I continue to see, some I do not. I am sure some will come and go, hit and miss, some will drop out altogether as the demands on body and time are more than they are willing to commit to. There is an incredible parallel to our spiritual walk.

A dear friend whose blog I frequent has for his blog title, "Finishing Well." I think that is because that is his heart's desire-- to finish well. Over my lifetime, I have failed to finish things I began. Some things it took me a while, but I kept at it and finished. It gives great personal satisfaction to finish what you have started. I am finishing my reading through Hosea, and I am reminded that once again, the life of Israel has some traits that mirror the Christian church in America. They started well, but they were not finishing well. They got sidetracked, by what John Ortberg calls "shadow missions." Shadow missions are things that distract us from what we are called to do. They can keep us from finishing the race.

Hebrews 11 gives a list of folks that finished well. I believe there is another list in heaven that Christ looks at when we enter his presence. It's a list for those who finish well and then He tells those that have loved Him, "'Well done, good and faithful slave You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'" (Matt. 25:21) In order to win the race, we must finish well. The Christian life is filled with many who start well, but don't finish well. In case we become arrogant, we should also mind our own steps, as we are all just a stumble from finishing well. We must trust in God's ability to complete what He has started, not what we are capable of.

Proud Parents

Tonight, my big-girl honored her parents, and her God. In the Upwards awards banquet, she received a special award.

Just when you think they aren't listening...



Melody, you continue to be our song of God's grace. We are so proud of you and love you very much!

Check out the fine print!

Chasing Smoke

My oldest daughter has, for the last few weeks, been participating in a basketball league called Upwards Basketball. The whole Upwards program is geared for building kids up and teaching them to work together as a team, and to enjoy playing sports as a way to glorify God. One of the things they do for the kids is at the beginning, which is the highlight of most kids day, is they get to run through a tunnel filled with smoke as the announcer calls out their name. Within minutes though, the smoke has cleared and it's time to play the game. The kids are there to play the game, not to chase the smoke. God has been teaching me much of the same lesson. Once again, I am in a barrage of very specific messages that I am hearing from multiple places saying roughly the same thing-- stop chasing smoke.

The last couple weeks, I have been studying Ecclesiastes, and though I didn't do it intentionally, it is really complementing the book I am reading. I wonder if the author, John Ortberg, was reading Ecclesiastes while writing, When the Game is Over, It All Goes Back in the Box. The major premise of the book is our life is short, make it count for things which matter to God. Solomon says the same thing. He begins his book by saying, "'Vanity of vanities,' says the Preacher, 'Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.'" What I have learned in this reading of Ecclesiastes is that the word "vanity" is not just saying things are meaningless, but the word can be translated as "smoke" or "vapor." He is not necessarily saying that life is a waste, but rather, don't waste your life on things that blow away like smoke. Solomon goes on to explain that as he has tried everything the world has to offer, it all has one theme in common. He uses this phrase to describe life's pursuits over and over again, "striving after wind." It's all chasing smoke.

As a minister, I have participated in a large number of funerals over the last couple of decades. And after I am done, I always find myself in a state of healthy contemplation. One of our saints was promoted to the Lord's presence this week. So, once again I am thinking. Listen to how Peterson renders what Solomon says, "You learn more at a funeral than at a feast— After all, that's where we'll end up. We might discover something from it. Crying is better than laughing. It blotches the face, but it scours the heart. " (Ecc.7:2-3) Some funerals are filled with wailing and tears, especially when the young perish. Others, there is a spirit of celebration because a righteous life has finished well having invested in the lives of other people. They weren't chasing smoke. They left a spiritual legacy that will be carried on in honor of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Ortberg describes a familiar illustration in how to measure what is worth our lives with tennis balls and sand in a jar. The tennis balls are what counts: God, People, Calling, & Joy. The sand is just filler- all the other stuff we spend our time on. So, we must put the tennis balls in first, because once the jar is full of sand, the tennis balls won't fit. And once the jar is full, it's over.

That is how I want to finish. When I leave this earthen vessel, I want people to be able to say that "I am closer in my relationship to the Lord because of this man." I don't want to chase smoke. We all have the same number of hours in a day, if we spend them on things that will blow away in the wind (i.e. possessions, status, etc.), we will have wasted our lives, because it all stays here. I want to put the tennis balls in the jar first. I have to ask myself, when I give myself to something, does it REALLY matter in the grand scheme of things. There is a temptation to believe that we can always start tomorrow, but we are never promised tomorrow. So, let's do it today!