The Long Haul

I have just hit a major milestone in my commitment to better health. As of today, I have logged 351 miles of running and walking since Jan. 1. I set a goal of 600 miles for the year, so with half of it gone by, I am ahead of pace to reach my goal. Not too bad for a 47 year old codger like myself!! I'll have to admit that when I started back in January, writing down 2 miles was kinda discouraging. Pretty soon though, that 2 miles turned into 50, then 100 and so on. As I log each days distance, it reminds me that I can't base my success or failure on what I did that day, but to remember that I am in this for the long haul. Hopefully when I reach the end of the year, I'll have made my goal, and that 2 miles in January will have been just as important then as the miles in December.

Perseverance is talked about a lot in the bible. James 5:11 says "11As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy." As we go through life, we are not to be content or gloat with our present successes, nor are we to become discouraged with our present sufferings. As we persevere, we are working to attain the goal of becoming saints in God's eternal home.

I'm going to keep on running, and do my best to attain my goal of 600 miles. Likewise, I am going to continue to pray, study, and trust in God to attain my spiritual goal of eternal life.

De Colores!!

Right Of Passage

OK, I am officially in distress. I took my youngest child (14 years old, all 6', 183# of him) to our local vehicle department to get his learner's permit. It seems the driver's ed instructor thinks he passed enough tests to get his permit.

How did this happen? Where did the time go? What happened to my children, they're all grown up!! My two little girls are now beautiful young women making their mark in the world. My son, who was a shy, timid little kid now is bigger than me and is going to be a "high schooler". Somehow, I seemed to have leaped into a time warp, and the past 23 years of my life occurred in a matter of mere seconds!!

If you see my son driving down Main Street in Marion with a grin from ear to ear, wave, but give him plenty of room!! After all, a mere flash in the pan ago, I was that same kid with my crispy new learner's permit in my pocket ready to take on the world. Lord help us all!!

Congratulations son, you have worked hard and earned this permit. May the next 4 years of your life in high school bring you many opportunities and much joy. I'll be right beside you, enjoying the ride.

De Colores

'Til The Storm Passes By

There have been many times in my life when I have been faced with a situation that has caused me physical, spiritual or emotional distress. I have prayed many times for God to take me away from the situation, only to continue to struggle with it for a period of time. Sometimes for a long time. It is so easy to get discouraged and wonder why God doesn't answer our prayer to make the situation better.

During these "storms" in our lives, it is important to remember that God is always in control. I'm sure God wants us to let Him know when we are hurting or in distress, and we can sure ask to be delivered from that situation, but we must always ultimately submit to God's sovereign will and not our own. Even Jesus, when facing his ultimate crucifiction and death prayed "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."

An old hymn that became a favorite of mine when my mom was suffering from cancer, and ultimately succumbed to it, is "Til The Storm Passes By". Part of the chorus goes...

Hold me fast, let me stand in the hollow of your hand. Keep me safe 'til the storm passes by.

God doesn't always answer our prayer by making the storm immediately go away, but He always is ready to hold out His arms and cradle us and keep us safe until it passes by. Some day, we will have our eyes opened, and will get to see what the reason was for those stormy times, and we will understand. Until then, I'll keep praying, keep me safe 'til the storm passes by.

De Colores

Chingawassa Days

Our community of Marion just completed it's 10th annual Chingawassa Days festival this past weekend, and once again, it was a resounding success!! The festival which runs from Friday evening thru a Sunday morning church service brings all kinds of activities to our community of 2,000 people. For the running enthusiasts, we have the "Rhino Run", for the strong at heart and stomach we have the "Rhino Challenge" (our version of Fear Factor), for the brave we have the dodge ball tournament, for the musically talented we have "Chinga Idol", and for everyone we have just about everything else imaginable. The weekend culminates in a concert in Central Park on Saturday night. This year's act was The Guess Who. They put on quite a show, singing their old favorites such as "American Woman", "No Sugar Tonight", "No Time", "These Eyes", and many more. They were fantastic musicians, and seemed to be genuinely glad to be playing for us. There were approx. 3,000 people in the Park to see the show.

Groups who have performed in the past include Little Texas, Restless heart, Ozark Mountain Daredevils, 38 Special, 3 Dog Night, Kentucky Headhunters and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Not too bad of a line up for a small town!!

Mark your calendars for the 1st week in June of 2007 and come join us next year!!!

De Colores