Run-Fasters

 

Luke was running last summer to get into shape for his induction into the Marines.  He had a good time for his three-mile run, but he just couldn’t get it under what was needed.  His Mimi (Marleen) told him that he needed better running shoes, but Luke was skeptical.  But he wanted/needed a better, time, so he got the shoes.  And the next time he ran, his well-fitting, good-arch-support shoes paid off: he was under the required time!  So … last Monday, after cardiac rehab and walking four miles the night before, my left knee was killing me.  I asked the nurse about the inflammation and he said, “Lay off exercise for two days, use ice packs, and Tylenol for the inflammation.”  That afternoon, Marleen added, “You need better shoes.  You need better fitting, better arch support shoes.”  And she told me about Luke’s “run-faster” shoes.  So, Marleen bought me some well-fitting Sketcher run-faster shoes.  Tuesday, after resting, my knee was much better.  Wednesday, with my run-faster shoes on, I breezed through cardiac rehab.  Wednesday evening, Marleen and I walked and my knee felt great.  Hey, good shoes make a difference!  I am reminded of the whole armor of God listed in Ephesians 6.  Ephesians 6:15, “And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.”  Hey, before I go out in the morning hoping to share the Gospel with someone during the day, I need to be prepared.  I need to prepare my heart, memorize key verses, and be ready to do battle for someone’s eternal soul!  I need to ask the dear Lord to give me wisdom and to give me spiritual run-faster shoes.  Hey, we are in a spiritual battle each day!  Be prepared!  Read Ephesians 6 today …. and, run faster.

Self-Control

 

I cleaned out my old jean drawer last week (see the stack below).  The good Lord has helped me lose 11 pounds (4 inches) over the past 4 weeks.  I have been losing weight, and here’s my secret: no more sweet tea (just water), no more snacking after supper, and eating only when I am hungry.  I have 2 pairs of 38-inch jeans and 4 pairs of 36-inch jeans that are going to Good Will.  Now I am in 34-inch jeans and grateful to the good Lord for the new self-control.  And as I have gained self-control over my eating habits, it has given me self-control over other areas of my life … the trickle-down effect.  Galatians 5:22&23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance (self-control): against such there is no law.”  Thank you, Lord, for your goodness every day, is my prayer.

Three Ways

In 1985 I became the basketball coach at Calvary Christian School.  I wasn’t very good at basketball; but I needed a way to get close to the boys, and boys like basketball.  When we lost a game, at the next practice, we ran extra laps.  One of my players mumbled that he couldn’t see how running extra laps would help us win.  Foul shots really count when you’re in bonus near the end of the game, so we took turns shooting foul shots at the end of practice.  I made the whole team (including me) run a lap every time a player missed a foul shot.  They began to take foul shots seriously.  I had a saying, “There are three ways of doing things: the right way, the wrong way, and coach’s way.”  A good lesson in life.  Hey, everyone has a boss.  At work, you can do things the right way, the wrong way, or the boss’s way.  The disciples asked Jesus in John 9 who sinned so that the man had been born blind?  The man or his parents?  But Jesus gave them a third option.  John 9:3, “Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.”  Hey, in order for Jesus to perform the miracle of giving a blind man sight, there must first be a blind man!  So, this man was born blind so that Jesus could heal him.  In life, there may appear to be only two choices: this way or that way.  But remember, there are always three.  And always choose Jesus’ way.  After all, He is the Savior of the world and His way is always the best!

Doormat

 

We have a doormat at church that is a constant source of irritation: it is always dirty.  If any leaves are blowing around the church parking lot, they will get stuck on that doormat.  I try to sweep it off, but it seems like a magnet for trash.  I have used a blower on it, and I can get it clean, but I must use the big leaf blower and extension cord, because the battery powered blower just can’t get it clean.  But last week, I changed my opinion about that doormat.  I realized that it was doing what doormats are supposed to do: attracting stuff that might otherwise get into the church building.  That dirty doormat was keeping our church hallways cleaner by letting itself become dirtier.  What a blessing to us!  Hey, are you willing to sacrifice yourself for the benefit of others?  David said in Psalm 84:10, “For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.”  Would you prefer to enjoy the pleasures of life in the company of selfish friends, or be an ordinary doorkeeper at the church house?  Would you rather endure trash so that others might be comforted?  You decide.