Joy

There is an old rabbinic story of a farmer who had two sons. He taught them everything he knew. When the man died, the two heirs inherited the land and farmed it in equal partnership. The younger brother married and had a large family of eight wonderful children. The older brother remained single.

One year they had a bumper crop, so the bachelor brother thought to himself, “My brother has 10 mouths to feed, while I have only 1. I know he will be unwilling to renegotiate our equal partnership, so in the dark, while he is asleep, I will shift some of what I have put in my barn into his to help him feed his family.”

At the same time, the younger brother was thinking, “God has given me a wife and these 8 precious children. My brother has not been so blessed and will need more in reserve for his old age. But he will never renegotiate our partnership, so in the dark, while he is sleeping, I will slip some of the harvest already stored in my barn into his.”

So on a dark night, the two brothers came face to face – each of them on a mission of kindness to the other. According to the story, a gentle rain began to fall, but there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.

It was God weeping for joy because two of his children had understood life’s meaning. To selflessly care about another is to exhibit the heart of God. It is the secret to our joy.

Tuesday a.m.



Ben's new car. He wishes.


Good morning! My main computer got really sick yesterday and is in the hospital. I am awaiting word on how bad it is. In the meantime, I am working off an old slow machine. Oh, that reminds me of me, old and slow.

What a beautiful day yesterday! And today is going to be even more so. I’m loving it. I had a good day yesterday. I felt like I accomplished some good things. I saw a few people going through various things in life, including one man that I think is dying.

I feel a bit lost without my computer. It has all my scheduled activities in it. I know I need to go to a smart phone, but I haven’t. I’m probably one of the few people you know who does not have one.

Using my old dumb phone, I called Luke last night. He got in from Liberia on Saturday. He said it was a good trip. He thinks he may be going back in a couple of months and then again after that. We will get to see Luke this weekend, so we are excited. We are going to Lipscomb’s graduation on Saturday.

This evening I am going to ride my bike to Bedford, just in time to connect with the group for a run. I’ve “planted” my running shoes in someone’s car, so I can put them on and be ready to run. Kedra is going to pick me up after the run to go to a Honduras fund-raiser at Pizza Hut. Should be an interesting evening.

OK, I am going to limp through the day without my computer. Ha ha

Prayer for the Week

Here is a great start-to-the-week prayer from Paul for the Ephesians, for you, and for me.

Ephesians 3:14-21

. . . I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Read it again, and have a great week!

Monday a.m.

Big Ben & Little Al

Good morning! Here we go again, another new week is before us. They just keep coming, faster and faster, it seems. The older I get the more I feel the need to grab every hour of every day intentionally. I want to make the most of every opportunity, whether that involves rest or activity.

This last weekend was Mitchell's prom, so Ben got all dressed up, since he had a place to go. He absolutely loved all the attention and pictures. For the slow out there, that was sarcasm. I think he had a good time. His date's grandfather has a Porsche and offered it to them for the evening. Ben thought that was pretty cool, because it was! I hope to have a picture of that for you tomorrow.

I had a good weekend. I got some good rides and runs in. Saturday some of us did a double, a reverse brick. Instead of the usual order of riding and then running, we ran first. I ran 9 miles, which gave me 30 for the week, and then rode 30+, which gave me 115 for the week. I like those numbers. The weather was not the greatest for Saturday's ride, but Iron Bill and future Iron John (class of 14, with me, hopefully) made our way from The Lighthouse to The Huck's and back. It was cool and damp, but it was done and fun.

Kedra was up all night Saturday, chaperoning the after-prom, and Ben was up all night attending the prom and after prom. This meant Sunday afternoon was going to be quiet around my house. I was trying to decide between a nap and a ride. Iron Bill was on an 80 miler, so I had visions of finding him for a few miles. Forget the nap. See opening paragraph.

Lester surprised me by asking about my old bike, which I have offered to him several times but not for quite a while. I asked if he wanted to ride this afternoon (Sunday). He said yes, so we made arrangements to meet Bill in Livonia. Lester would get a few miles in, and I would ride home from there. I suggested Lester just ride on top of the pedals, instead of clipping in and falling over. He needs to experiment and learn at home.

We got to Livonia and watched Bill pull up as we unloaded our bikes. I was excited about Lester riding and about riding back with Bill. I quickly got everything on and was ready to put on my shoes, only to discover they were in my bedroom at home. Disappointment! I painfully rode 10 easy miles with Lester and Bill. My Speedplay pedals provide very little surface area. The good part was Lester getting out and started.

I have lots of things going on this week, so I best get going!

Hard to see

A new minister in a small Oklahoma town spent the first four days making personal visits to each of the members, inviting them to come to his first services.

The following Sunday the church was nearly empty. The preacher decided to place a notice in the local newspaper, stating because the church was dead, it was everyone's duty to give it a decent Christian burial. The funeral would be held the following Sunday afternoon, the notice said.

Morbidly curious, a large crowd turned out for the "funeral." In front of the pulpit, they saw a closed coffin, smothered in flowers. After the preacher delivered the eulogy, he opened the coffin and invited his congregation to come forward and pay their final respects to their dead church.

Filled with curiosity regarding what would represent the corpse of a "dead church," all the people eagerly lined up to look in the coffin. Each "mourner" looked into the coffin and then quickly turned away with a guilty, sheepish look.

What did they see?

In the coffin, tilted at the correct angle, was a large mirror.

Words of Life

I really enjoy words. They are my life.

Toward the end of Deuteronomy (32:47), Moses, after preaching God’s word to the people, with all of its promises and warnings, says this about those words.


They are not just idle words for you—they are your life.

God has a thing about words. God, using words, created the world, and he speaks words to us, offering us eternal life, life beyond the grave.

It’s interesting John writes words explaining the Incarnation of Jesus as the Word of God becoming flesh (See John 1). Jesus embodies the words that give life, showing us what Scripture should look like when lived out. That’s worth trying to wrap your mind around.

How about another interesting, challenging thought? We are called, through faith, to a relationship with the Word Who Became Flesh, Jesus. We are called to embody the heart and will of God, found in Jesus, found in Scripture, bringing it to life for the sake of others.

They are not just idle words for you—they are your life.

Thursday

Change beer to diet coke and this could be a picture of my future with Iron Bill

Good morning! Thursday it is. All day long, and it is going to be long day, which is fine. I am going to wrestle with Judges all day, like the book in the Bible. It could be quite a wrestling match, because I really don't know where I am going to go with this one. That's a bit scary to me.

I'm looking forward to a warmer day. I have a bus trip to Paoli this evening, which I'm not too excited about, but I'm helping out and will make the best of it. I think I will do my run in Paoli this evening and then probably work on my sermon. I hope to get back by 8 for swimming, but the chances of that happening are very small.

Yesterday was a good day. I spent a fair amount of time in Bloomington. There were 3 people in the hospital there, which is unusual to have that many. I also spent time with a good friend. On my way home I stopped and ran on the really neat "rails to trails" system in Bloomington. It was cold, a bit windy, and it even sprinkled on me. It certainly did not feel like late April. As I ran I was thinking of last week's Wednesday fun.

Kedra is leaving this evening to go to Nashville for a couple of days, so Ben and I will be going it alone, which means we will struggle to eat and to find anything missing. Just kidding. Well, not really. ha ha. Kedra is going to see Rebecca and to a Duck Dynasty "live event." This whole Duck Dynasty thing cracks (was tempted to use "quacks") me up. You gotta love "'Merica."

OK, feeling good! Here we go...

Return to Sender

Recently I was required to speak words in a context of profound grief. I wonder about words, even God’s words, spoken in that context. They are hard to come by and feel inadequate.

Yet we speak them, hoping they will be like tiny seeds planted in fields. We hope some of them will grow and provide a harvest of comfort.

The Lord tells Isaiah (chap. 55) this, about his word:

Just as rain and snow descend from the skies
and don’t go back until they’ve watered the earth,
Doing their work of making things grow and blossom,
producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry,
So will the words that come out of my mouth
not come back empty-handed.
They’ll do the work I sent them to do,
they’ll complete the assignment I gave them.

All we can do is speak the words of loving truth, trusting that God will somehow, someway, someday accomplish something with them.

I believe that.

Wednesday

Good morning!  Looks like we are waking up to some rain today, cooler temps too. Old winter just does not want to let go this time. Oh well, we will soon be complaining about hot weather. Reminds of one of the few poems I have committed to memory:

As a rule, a man's a fool

When it's hot, he wants it cool

And when it's cool, he wants it hot

And he always wants what's not

Now you have had your culture for today. You are welcome.

Yesterday came and went. Another day of life turned into history. Most of my morning was spent in preparing for, and then participating in, a graveside service for a baby. I can't describe it, so I won't try.

As the day continued to progress, I found good encouragement along the way through various ones and in various ways. I watched the radar periodically with a great deal of interest. I was scheduled to drive a golf bus to Salem. This was scheduled on Monday. I wasn't especially excited about it, but I like to help out the transportation director. His job is getting more difficult all the time.

Honestly I was hoping for a cancellation. It didn't happen, so off to Salem we went. Wanting to make the best use of time, I packed books and running clothes. During the 3+ hours we were there, I did some study in the Book of Judges, which is Sunday's sermon topic, and I got a 5+ mile run in.

Running in unfamiliar territory is always interesting. I had one of my closet dog encounters ever last night. I was running along the road and came up to a big barn. I heard a tractor and looked to see the farmer pulling out of the barn. About that time I heard them. Big, bulging, beastly beasts barking out,

"Lean white meat! Lean white meat! Time to eat, Time to eat!" 

I don't know my breeds of dogs at all, but I pretty sure they were in the category of "killer." Seriously, they were big and quite aggressive. They were smart too. At first they worked side by side to pin me against the side of the road. I was doing my best to kick and way my arms, while hollering in a most manly way (just like my pre-off road bike scream). Then they decided to split up, one on one side of me, the other on the other side.

While all this was going on, the farmer and his wife were running to me and the dogs, hollering all the way. The dogs were not paying attention. I held them off, barely, and the farmer got them under control. I don't recall any apology, but I didn't really care. I was alive. The problem was that I had hoped to do an out/back on that road, meaning that I had hoped to return. I'm not very smart, but I did decide that that would be a bad idea.

Now I was forced to run on highway 56 for a while, which is not a good place to run. I made it, however, without too much stress. I was glad to get that run over with.

OK, here we go. Long day ahead... Thanks for stopping by.

Today

Each day we receive is a gift from God. Every breath you draw and then exhale, around 15 times a minute, is from God. The breath of life, the gift of life – how should we respond?

And how do we manage a day of challenges that take away our thoughts of gratitude for life?

Here are some very good words from Philippians 4:4-8.


Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Tuesday a.m.

Good morning Tuesday! I hope you are doing well on this nice morning. Wasn't yesterday wonderful? I was able (mostly) to take yesterday afternoon off and was able to connect with 3 others for nice bike ride. Good company, warm sunshine, beautiful country -- it was a pleasant, renewing experience. I needed it and appreciated it greatly.

Yesterday was busy day, busier than I thought it would be. It had more than usual of the "interruptions that are my work" things going on, which is not a complaint. A lot of good things happened during the day. We were able to help a couple of people in significant ways, I think.

The hardest part of the day was yesterday evening. I stopped by the funeral home for a little while. Last Friday afternoon I got a call from a friend who had a friend who wanted me to come to a house where a baby had died. I went. There I met raw emotion. It seemed appropriate, as we stood outside for quite a while, that it was cold and windy.

Last night I went to see the baby and her family. Today I will be with them again, trying to find words to speak before this beautiful little girl, just 9 months old, is buried. I would appreciate your prayers. I think the death of children is just about the hardest thing. My belief that the child is in the presence of God is wonderful, true consolation, but I think that or anything else is difficult to hear for some who are only hearing a shout of "WHY?".

After the funeral home, I went to a church league softball game, which is always entertaining. From there I went to the pool for my "adventures in swimming" experience. I was pleased last night. I came into the pool pretty tired and emotionally exhausted. I ran early in the day, rode in the afternoon, and wanted to complete the triple with a swim. I was pleasantly surprised. Things went pretty well. I have just a few weeks before my first official triathlon.

Alrighty! Here we go...

Self-Rejection

Be careful about rejecting what God has accepted. If you are in a relationship with Jesus, then I’m talking about you! You are a beloved daughter of God or a beloved son of God.

Too often we want to reject ourselves, run ourselves down. Maybe it’s because of a failure or the hurtful words of others. Maybe it’s because we play in our mind "video clips" of past sins, even sins forgiven. Whatever its source, self-rejection is unhealthy.

Henri Nouwen writes these helpful words:

One of the greatest dangers in the spiritual life is self-rejection. When we say, "If people really knew me, they wouldn't love me," we choose the road toward darkness. Often we are made to believe that self-deprecation is a virtue, called humility. But humility is in reality the opposite of self-deprecation. It is the grateful recognition that we are precious in God’s eyes and that all we are is pure gift. To grow beyond self-rejection we must have the courage to listen to the voice calling us God's beloved sons and daughters, and the determination always to live our lives according to this truth.

Now, that’s something to think about!

Monday a.m.

Good morning! It's Monday. Are you OK with that? I hope so. You might as well be. It looks like it is going to be a nice day.

We got a nice phone call from Luke yesterday afternoon. He is in Liberia working for about 10 days. He seems to be enjoying the experience so far. He's experiencing that weird mixture of an impoverished country and technology. He is staying in a company guest house with WIFI, and he has a corporate cell phone to call anyone he wants.

Luke told Kedra about how they have people who cook for them and serve them. The local culture says that people like Luke are not to talk to them or interact with them. Luke was saying that that really bothered him, so he has been trying to talk to the people serving him. He indicated they were not sure how to take it.

Yesterday he went on a boat trip and went by Monkey Island, pictured above. He said that years ago the monkeys were placed on the island for the purpose of conducting tests/experiments on them. I'm not sure what for, but now he says they are just there begging for food from people coming by.

It was really good to talk to Luke yesterday, and then I had a really good conversation with Rebecca also. She is busy finishing up another semester at Lipscomb. She is then going to jump into a "may-mester": taking some classes in a compacted format. It's going to be tough.

OK, I have a busy week ahead, and you do too, I'm guessing. Thanks for coming by!

Failed Visit

Who could use a little laugh on a Friday? Me too.

Let’s try this one:

A preacher decided to visit some of his church members one Saturday. At one house it was clear to him that someone was home, but nobody came to the door. The persistent preacher knocked several times. After no response, he took out his card and wrote on the back:

Revelation 3:20 - "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him and he with me."

The next day the same card showed up in the collection plate. Below the preacher’s handwritten message was another scripture, written by one his members, responding to his visit and message.

Genesis 3:10 - "I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself."

Have a great weekend!

Friday a.m.

Good morning! It's Friday and it's cold and windy outside. Thankfully the promised life-threatening storms never made it, but it did rain a lot overnight. I went to bed late and got up early, and when I woke up, I woke up to all the news about one of the Boston bombers being dead. I'm guessing the second one will be the same before the day is over. It would be nice to take him alive, to find out why they did what they did.

Luke made it safely to Liberia yesterday. It was a long flight, mostly overnight Wednesday. He will be there for 10 days working. He says it is hot and humid there.

Yesterday was a good day. The highlight of the day was visiting a young family. They have a young baby who has had major, life-threatening health issues. Several have been praying for the baby. He recently had surgery and survived and is doing well. A friend of mine initiated raising some money for the family, to help with all their extra expenses. More than $500 was collected, and I had the joy of surprising them with the news and with a check. They were very grateful, and we had a nice prayer of thanks together.

Today is still shaping up. I have 2-3 meetings that need to take place. I am waiting on some others to tell me the best times for them.

I hope you have a great weekend!

Running to Help

My wife and I were watching some of the news coverage of the bombings at the Boston Marathon. Various videos of the explosions were being shown over and over. As we watched, she made a good observation.

She noted that as soon as the explosion happened, most people ran away from it, which is natural and probably the right thing to do. Then she added, while most were running away, firemen, policemen, and other officials ran to the explosion. Thinking of others above themselves, risking their lives, they ran to the problem.

"That’s what they are trained to do." Yes, but still. Courage. There are also heart-warming, tear-bringing stories of some runners, who work in the medical field or as firemen, policemen, or first responders of some sort, even in the exhaustion of their almost finished marathon experience, ran to help. Moving.

All this reminds me of God’s redemptive work. We make messes, destroy things, destroy each other, yet he chooses run TO and not AWAY from us. Nothing can or will separate us from his love, not even us.

Thank God!

Thursday a.m.

Good morning! Hello Thursday! Keep an eye to the sky today. It could get crazy later on.  It's been a little crazy the last two afternoons, and I managed to get soaked both of them. Yes, I got absolutely soaked again yesterday afternoon. This time on my bike.

 

Yesterday I drove a bunch of 4th graders to Lincoln's boyhood home. While there, I had some time to read and study, which was good. I barely had a phone signal, but I managed to use what I had to stay in touch with the world. Thankfully there was not a whole lot going on. This would be helpful after I got home.

 

After dropping the kids off and parking the bus, I checked phone messages and email. Still nothing pressing going on, so I decided to squeeze in a bike ride. The wind was from the southeast, and every time it is, my attention focuses on that. Why? Because that means a great return ride on 337, from the Washington county line to Orleans. That's 10 miles, and that's our time trial and pace-line course. I've been working on covering it at a faster rate.

 

With a fairly stiff southeast wind, I knew I had a chance to set a personal record, even though I ran early yesterday and have tired legs. Who cares? Go for it! I drove to Orleans and quickly hopped on the bike. I knew I didn't have a whole lot of time before supper/church. Going out to the start was really hard, which was really good. It meant a strong tailwind. I just had to pay for it with the headwind. I paid for it. It was expensively stiff.

 

As I was grinding my way out, I noticed it getting darker and darker. Should I turn around? That would be the sensible thing to do. So I went on. About 7 miles out, with 3 to go to get to the start, I saw lightning and heard thunder. Should I turn around? Yes. But I didn't. The winds got stronger and the sky darker. Press on old man! YOLO - you only live once. Actually, you only die once. Oh well.

 

I got within a mile of the start and the sky was getting fairly angry. Was someone trying to tell me something? Press on. You've come this far. You can't stop now. I finally made it to the county line. I stopped, adjusted, set my Garmin, and prepared to go. It started sprinkling huge drops. Time to go.

 

Wow, the tailwind was great! I was hitting 27-29 mph in the first mile, but the sprinkles turned into rain. The lightning flashed. The thunder was following fairly closely. The storm was getting closer. By Bromer it was really raining. Press on old man. The faster you get back the Orleans, the better. The roads were wet and visibility was low, but my speed was high, thanks to wind and adrenaline.

 

At one point, after a flash and an immediate boom, I asked myself, "So, is this how it ends?" I was only half joking with myself. What are you going to do? Press on old man. The conditions got worse, but my speed was still good. When I hit the hill going into the Lost River bottoms, the wind suddenly was in my face, for just a few seconds. Then it switched back southeast. I went up Lost River hill pretty quickly. Then monsoon-like rains hit. I could hardly see.

 

I thought of pulling in at the large farm on the south side of the road, but for some reason, I just keep going. Another bad decision. The rain was getting harder, and now the road was filling with flash puddles. "I've got to get off here." I started looking for shelter. I made it to the little rollers before final big hill. There is old house at the bottom of the hill, on the south side. It had a front porch.

 

After nearly wrecking in the driveway, I got under the front porch. No one was home at the time. Shortly after I got there, the hail, at least dime size, started pounding the ground. At least I was not in that. After several minutes, and just 2+ miles from the finish, I was trying to figure out the rest of the ride.

 

The people came home, and the hail stopped. The rain was still coming but not as hard. I spoke to them and took off. I should have waited a little longer, because the monsoon rains returned. I could hardly see, and the road was covered in puddles. I made it back to my truck and was very thankful.

 

It was fitting, I suppose, that I had left my truck window totally down. My seat was totally soaked, and the wind had blown the rain half across the cab. It mattered not. I turned the heater on and made it home safely. The bad part is that I was on a really good time. I think on a dry road, I would have topped 26 mph for the course. Yes, there was a lot of wind, but I would be thrilled just the same. Here is what I ended up with.

 

Hey, I hear there is going to be strong wind this evening! No thanks.

 

 

Ready?

The terrorist attack at the Boston Marathon on Monday was so horrible in so many ways. For me, it feels more personal than the other terrorist acts suffered by our country.

I had the privilege of running Boston last year, along with many good friends. There are many people we all know who have run this historic race. Some of our friends were there this year, and thankfully they were spared.

This act of terror illustrates, yet again, that evil is ever present and there are no totally secure, safe places in this world. We can try, and should, but we will never stop this kind of thing from happening, whether it is at sporting event, in a school, or some other place.

As I was watching, in a public place, some of the coverage on Monday evening, a friend of mine looked at the TV for a while and then looked at me. He said this, with conviction:

"This kind of thing just shows you that you always need to be ready."

Wednesday

Last year - waiting for Boston Marathon to start

Good morning! I saw this morning that Lumpy, from the TV show Leave it to Beaver, is dead. I don't know if that means anything to you, but I thought I should report it. You're welcome. Lumpy always cracked me up.  More significant to me is the death of Pat Summerall. I grew up listening to his football commentary. He has a fairly interesting story.

Yesterday was a busy, varied day. It involved counseling someone from someplace else, a hospital visit, working with a guy battling alcohol, lunch with a friend, talking to community leaders (more about that tomorrow), other top-secret stuff, driving a bus, and getting soaked on a run.

I drove the track team to Orleans, and as they got off the bus, I had them put all the windows up. Even though the radar was clear just an hour earlier, I was concerned about developing rain. After I parked the bus, I changed and headed out on a very humid 7 mile run.

As I was about half way through the run, I looked back to the west. Oh no! I picked up the pace in a race to beat the storm. I made it back ok, but I still needed a little more. I took off again. The lightning came, the thunder followed, and then the heavens opened. I got absolutely soaked. I did get my 7+ miles in. I changed clothes and waited for the meet to be cancelled. It was, and I got home around 7. That was ok with me.

Today I am helping out the transportation director by driving a field trip to Lincoln Park. I think this is the only daytrip I have this time, which is good. I'm not crazy about doing these, but it is a way to help out some. I will take plenty of reading/study material, and hopefully I will have some kind of phone signal to stay in touch with others.

Thanks for stopping by.

Want to get well?

Henry Ford said this:

"If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got."

These words are often attributed to Albert Einstein:

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

In John 5, there is an interesting story about a guy who had been disabled for 38 years. Jesus took interest in this guy and learned his story.

Then Jesus asked a simple but powerful question.

"Do you want to get well?"

The man answered with excuses, very good ones, I might add, but still he answered with excuses.

Every time I read it, the story and the question always like to hang around in my mind.

"Do you want to get well?"

Sometimes I wonder about that. Do I really want to make the changes to make things better and different? It’s much easier to offer excuses, and some of them are quite good.

The key to change? Hearing the next words of Jesus:

"Get up!"

I wonder if any of you, like me, have some things that you really need to change.

Get up. Let’s go!

Tuesday a.m.

Good morning! I hope you are doing well this morning. I'm up and at it, but I didn't sleep that great last night. We didn't get back from the track meet in Loogootee until after 10 p.m., which pushed my bedtime back some, which seems to affect the quality of my sleep. Of course, the terrorism in Boston was on my mind as well. I had a few friends and acquaintances running yesterday. Rand was qualified and entered but chose not go. Good decision. All the people I know are accounted for.

The closest one to the explosions was Karen Rusch. According to a post from Jerry, she finished just 5 minutes before it all happened. I was concerned about her, because I thought the timing was about right for her finish. Other people from this area are all OK.

I picked up the track team last night in the bus to head to Loogootee. When Coach Moffatt got on the bus, he leaned in and asked quietly if I had heard anything about Boston. I said, "no." He told me that he just had a call from his wife about a couple of bombs going off. Then someone else said something else about it.

When we arrived in Loogootee, I checked my phone. It was full of text messages from various people wondering if I was in Boston and/or if I had friends running etc. Others were just commenting on the tragedy. My phone is not smart (kinda like me), so I was pretty much in the dark (kinda like me) about what was going on.

The world's longest track meet then took place. I parked the bus so I could watch the meet from it. I decided to walk to Subway and get something to eat. When I got back, the meet still had not started! Crazy! During the meet, I read 3 commentaries on my next preaching text, started two other books, knitted a blanket, did a chainsaw carving, cooked a gourmet meal, and a few other things. Some of the above is true.

After the meet, everyone was hungry (except me), so we stopped at McDonald's. It's really true: bus drivers eat for free! I didn't want anything, so I asked one of the coaches what she wanted. She ate for free for me and she now thinks I am nice.

While everyone was getting their food, I camped out in front of the TV in McDonald's. Wow, watching all that was not pleasant. When I finished last year, I ran right down that side where the bombs went off.  I cannot imagine the chaos of being in a situation like that. We all need to keep praying for all the lives that have been forever changed.

As Coach Moffatt, after watching some of the TV coverage in McDonald's said, "You never know what is going to happen, so you need to always be ready." So true.

Take Courage

Near the end of Deuteronomy, as Moses is about to pass the torch of leadership to Joshua, he speaks words of encouragement to the people. His words are good for us to hear as we begin the week.

I don’t know if you face an adversary this week? Maybe the job itself feels like an adversary? Or maybe it’s just your situation in life?

Regardless of what you are facing, here are some wonderful words to take into the week. If you are striving to please God, then:

"Be strong. Take courage. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t give them a second thought because God, your God, is striding ahead of you. He’s right there with you. He won’t let you down; he won’t leave you." (Deuteronomy 31:6)

Monday a.m.

One year ago

Good morning! Today is the Boston Marathon, and one of my former students, a great young man, Kyle Stansbury, is running it. I hope to track his run today. He is very, very good, earning bib number 255. His experience and mine compare only in that we both ran the same course. ha ha. Thinking of him this morning does bring back what was going on a year ago today. My report of last year's Boston Marathon.

Last year we joked that a wonderful weekend was ruined by a marathon that took place. The weather and the company was so nice. We had several from our running group participate. The weather was nice in all ways, except for distance running. Heat is my enemy for running. Oh well. Today the temps will move from the high 30s to the low 50s, which is just about perfect for marathons, in my opinion.

The Boston Marathon is back on my long term goal list. I hope to do Ironman Florida next year and then run Boston again in 2015. Of course that means I have to qualify, and I hope to do that in Huntsville in December. Well see... Gotta have goals. At least I do.

The weekend turned out pretty good in lots of ways. I got a fair amount of running and riding in. The riding was on the windy side for Saturday afternoon. Dan, Bill, and I got in 32+ miles. James F. joined us for part of them. It seemed like the wind was in our face no matter what direction we were going. Builds character, I suppose. Bill and I, along with several others, ran 10 miles earlier that morning, so adding 30 on the ride was a little bit of a challenge. It went well, though. I believe my fitness level is improving.

Here we are, standing on the edge of a new week. Lots of challenges/opportunities await us. I hope your week goes well, and I am hoping the same for me.

Thanks for coming by.

Church Gossip

Mildred, the church gossip and self-appointed arbiter of the church’s morals, kept sticking her nose in the other members’ private lives. Church members were unappreciative of her activities but feared her enough to maintain their silence.

She made a mistake, however, when she accused George, a new member, of being an alcoholic, after she saw his pickup truck parked in front of the town’s only bar one afternoon.

She commented to George and others that everyone seeing it there would know what he was doing.

George, a man of few words, stared at her for a moment and just walked away. He didn't explain, defend, or deny. He said nothing.

Later that evening, George quietly parked his pickup in front of Mildred's house. . . and left it there all night.

Hang on

It’s a picture of the careful tenderness of God, embodied in Jesus.

Matthew, the gospel writer, in one of his descriptions of Jesus, reaches way back to the prophet Isaiah. There he finds words about his Lord.

They are words about making things right in this world. Justice. They are words for those whose faith is barely there. It’s almost gone but not quite.

Maybe it should be put out of its misery? No.

The words reveal that God is not mad at the struggler whose faith is almost gone. Quite the opposite!

Matthew 12:20 — A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.

God understands the struggler, the one with weak faith, the one beaten down by people and problems. He offers a sweet invitation to them, to all of us.

Matthew 11:28,29 — "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

Thursday

Well, hello there! Thursday. Are you into etymology? I am. I like lonely walks on the beach as well.  Back to Thursday and simple etymology. Thursday = Thor's day, right? You know he was the Norse god of thunder, and I heard thunder overnight. What does all this mean? Absolutely nothing. It was a simple attempt to break the normal, boring way I begin these daily posts that some of you enjoy reading.

Today is the day that I work toward getting everything ready for Sunday. It's a rare Thursday that I get everything ready, but I begin with hope. I really feel the need for a "Sabbath rest." Hopefully tomorrow, at least part of the day.

So I think I begin my sermon of Psalm 88 with a Gilda Radnor quote. Really? Wasn't she a crazy comedienne on Saturday Night Live back in the 70s and 80s. Yes she was. She died of ovarian cancer at age 42 in 1989. On a painful path to death she wrote these powerful words.

I wanted a perfect ending. Now I’ve learned, the hard way, that some poems don’t rhyme, and some stories don’t have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next.

Heman could relate. I can too. Can you?

This evening I will spend significant time in Paoli. I am driving the high school track team there for a meet. I think it is a big meet, so that means a long meet. I'm thinking it will be a late night, which is fine. I think I will get in a good run on the hills around Paoli. I will also take my computer and finish up what I get started today.

I'm going to miss those 80 degree temps for riding this weekend. Back into windy 50s. Ouch! Oh well it builds strength, character, and toughness. Right? Whatever. I would prefer 70s and 80s, but I will take what I get. I think we have a long run of 16 miles on Saturday, so I need to be thinking ahead about that. OK, I just thought ahead.

Clearly, I need to end this rambling... Bye. Thanks for coming by.

Anxiety Casting

I have lots of people say they pray for me. I believe them, because I feel peaceful most of the time. It can only come from God. I ask for his peace, but I know I need the prayerful help of others.

There are times, lots of times, when that peace is threatened and then forfeited by my choice to worry about things over which I have no control, which is nearly everything.

Yesterday one of my friends prayed with me and for me. In the prayer, he quoted a verse that I know and have preached. Somehow hearing him pray those precious words did something to me, deep down in my heart. It was a fleeting moment really, a quick prayer, mostly for food.

In that prayer, between the food and family requests, were the words of 1 Peter 5:7. My friend asked God to help me remember and practice Peter’s words to persecuted people of long ago. Those words are still powerful, pertinent, and are again present in my heart.

1 Peter 5:7 — Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Lord, help me to always remember.

Wednesday

"Good morning America, how are you? Don't you know me, I'm your native son." Everybody sing... Not sure where that came from, but I will let it leave now. How nice it is to wake up to mid 60s this morning! I know change is coming, but let's enjoy today.


Yesterday was so beautiful! And it was busy. I had a good breakfast meeting and then my day unfolded considerably different than I thought it would, which is not unusual. There were lots of things going on yesterday with different people. Lots of things.

We are trying to help a guy get back on his feet in various ways. We found out yesterday afternoon that he was going to have to sleep in his car last night. After several communications, a friend figured out a way to find him a place to stay. I think this guy is going to make it. He works hard and is capable in lots of ways. He is overcoming demons of addictions.

The day ended in a nice way. I drove the junior high track team to Bedford. I made arrangements with Rand the man to run 10 miles while the meet was going on. It was warm and windy but pleasant. I didn't know how long the meet would last, so I will a little nervous about getting too far away. After getting around 6 miles on a fairly conventional course, we did a few loops here and there. It was enjoyable.

Today is the long day, but that's OK. Thanks for coming by.

Someone Else

Our church was saddened to learn this week of the death of one of our most valued members, Someone Else.

Someone’s passing creates a vacancy that will be difficult to fill. Else has been with us for many years and for every one of those years, Someone did far more than a normal person's share of the work.

Whenever there was a job to do, one name was on everyone’s list. "Let Someone Else do it." Whenever leadership was mentioned, this wonderful person was looked to for inspiration as well as results. "Someone Else can work with that group."

It was common knowledge that Someone Else was among the most liberal givers. Whenever there was a financial need, everyone just assumed Someone Else would make up the difference.

Someone Else was a wonderful person, sometimes appearing superhuman. Were the truth known, everybody expected too much of Someone Else. Now Someone Else is gone! We wonder what we are going to do.

Someone Else left a wonderful example to follow, but who is going to follow it? Who is going to do the things Someone Else did?

Tuesday a.m.

Good morning! And how are you today? Looks like another warm day ahead. Looks like we better enjoy it,  because the end of the week forecast doesn't look so hot, it doesn't even look warm.

This is one of those weeks/periods where my creativity seems to have disappeared and with it my desire to write anything about anything, so lower your usual lofty expectations about my daily writing. What's that? You never have had lofty expectations? OK, well then, lower the low expectations.

I've read a few books about creativity over the years, and even when it disappears, the experts say to keep writing, to keep moving. I thought about discipline all last week and then preached about it. Keeping doing things that you know you need to do, even when you don't feel like it, is a key part of discipline.

Who knows why but my preaching text for this week is Psalm 88, one of the darkest Psalms. It was written by a guy named Heman. Poor old Heman. He was talented and blessed in so many ways, yet he struggled and felt abandoned by God. He doesn't correct that thought, as many of the Psalms do at the end. Many of them complain, but before it's over, they come back to praising God. Not Heman.

What are we to make of that? Well, I'll tell you on Sunday. I sure hope Creativity shows up before then. The key to understanding Psalm 88 may be to note that it's in the collection of Psalms. I have a fairly simple belief that God somehow has in the Bible what he wants in there. The formation of the Bible was a messy, messy process, but I believe God somehow orchestrated it.

Yesterday was a fairly busy, productive day. I went into it tired and brain dead, but somehow got a lot done. I started with a run before the sun came up and got out of the pool after the sun went down. A day of endurance framed with endurance athletic events. It worked. Discipline, I suppose.

Today I start off with a small writing project, followed by a meeting, followed by a small window of study, followed by some time at the ReGen Store, followed by a lunch, followed by some time at our food pantry, followed by driving a bus to a track meet, followed by a run while the bus is parked, followed by a trip home, followed by a late meal, followed by bed. Life in the big city...

Thanks for coming by.

Who did it?

Once upon a time there were four people.

Their names were Everybody, Somebody, Nobody, and Anybody.

Whenever there was an important job to do, Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it.

When Nobody did it, Everybody got angry because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Somebody would do it, but Nobody realized that Nobody would do it.

So consequently Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done in the first place.

Monday

Hope your weeks gets off to a good start

Good morning! How are you on this new day, new week? What's ahead? I have an extra busy week. I'm helping out the transportation director this week, so I'll be driving track team buses Tuesday and Thursday evening. Those will be long, late evenings. That's OK. I will try use the time wisely.

The weekend was good. The warm weather just makes everything better, doesn't it? I took advantage of it all. I got a lot of good quality miles in on the bike, which was very enjoyable. I was able to ride with several people.

Rebecca ran her first 5K over the weekend. She was pretty excited about it. I hope she will continue to run.

Luke is preparing for his trip to Liberia. He leaves in a little over a week. He will be gone for 10 days. I wish I could go with him. Someday I would like to visit Africa.

OK, I'm behind this morning, so I best get going. Thanks.

Some Things Change

Isn’t it interesting how things change?

God’s goodness and love do not.

James 1:17 — Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Friday

The shot

Practicing for the shot

Good morning! Wow, I'm running way behind this morning. It happens, you know. While I had a really good day yesterday, I did not get everything done. Today will be the day to get everything finished up for Sunday. Plus I have a couple of other extra projects to tackle.

Late yesterday afternoon, after my brain was fried, I went over to Orleans and rode out 337. Then I decided to push it on the way back. Here is that data. I was pretty happy with that, because I was not well rested.

I hope you have a great weekend!

God's Permission

Talk about disturbing words!

Jesus, in the final hours before the cross, speaks to Simon Peter.

Luke 22:31 — "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers."

These words could keep us busy in conversation for a long time. They bring to mind the story of Job and Satan asking permission to test him. God says, "Yes."

I hear echoes of Job in the conversation between Jesus and Peter. Then I wonder if that’s going on with me. How does all that work? All those thoughts drive me quickly to the essence of faith - trusting God with all the unanswered questions.

I’m getting there. It’s not a bad place. It’s a place of humble liberation.

There are a couple of things to emphasize from the disturbing words of Jesus. Did you notice that Jesus prayed for Peter? Jesus has faith in Peter and prays that Peter’s faith will not, ultimately, fail.

Peter does fail terribly in his denial of Jesus, but his faith, deeply damaged by the death of Jesus, survives. Rumors of an empty tomb cause him to run there. His faith is resurrected, and he experiences the wonderful world of redemption – God making good out of bad!

It’s disturbing to think that God may give permission for Satan to test me, but it’s comforting to know that Jesus prays for me and, hopefully, believes that I will survive and become a better instrument in his hands to serve others.

Lots of questions. I am learning to trust God with it all. It’s a work in progress.

Thursday

Good morning! Thursday it is.  You know what that means for me -- prep for Sunday. I am hoping for a good productive day today. I have lots of thoughts swirling around in my head, so the challenge will be deciding which ones to use, which is the challenge each week. It's much harder to preacher shorter rather than longer, unless you don't care what you say.

I think this is relevant. Back in 1985, when I did my master's thesis, the goal was to find/explore everything about your subject. We were required to explore all kinds of options to find all kinds of materials. I spent hours and hours in Vanderbilt's divinity library. They have a great one!

Of course in those days there was no internet, and, in fact, very few computers. My thesis was typed, like with a typewriter. Every correction requested and made required a retyping. If you got lucky, you could figure out how to make that correction without affecting the surrounding pages. Sometimes you had to type the whole thing again. I remember in the end having to hire someone to type the final drafts.

Wow, times have changed! By the time I was finishing up my working Abilene, the goal was not to exhaust all the information. There was simply too much. The new goal was to find the best, most relevant material. Computers and the internet changed everything.

Computers and the internet sure have changed preaching as well. A lot of my research and work is now done online. Another thing that happens now is live fact-checking. When I preach, there is a significant number of people online. If I mention something, they can (and do at times) Google it and find what I'm talking about. It requires me to be 100% careful about what I say, which is a good thing. I like it.

When I started this, I had no idea what I would say today. Now I know. I will tell you, additionally, that I am looking forward to the next 3 days from an endurance athletics standpoint. Decent weather is going to allow some good bike miles, along with a few on the run. I will hit the pool as well. I think I am most excited about the bike right now. Swimming is still a challenge, and running is steady.

Thanks for stopping by.

Punctuation

An English professor wrote these words on the board:

"Woman without her man is nothing"

She then asked her students to provide proper punctuation.

The males in the class wrote:

"Woman, without her man, is nothing."

The females in the class wrote:

"Woman! Without her, man is nothing."

Punctuation makes a difference.

Have you seen this statement regard divine punctuation?

"Never place a period where God has placed a comma."

Then there is the competing statement:

"Never place a comma where God has placed a period."

There are lots of issues regarding the proper reading and understanding of Scripture. Jesus took to task the religious leaders of his day for misreading Scripture.

I don’t think it was about proper punctuation.

The issue was their failure to see the heart of God, to see Jesus, in them. Do I have the same problem?

Seems to me the proper way to punctuate Scripture is with Jesus. When we lose his heart and his loving way, then we’ve lost the meaning of Scripture, no matter how true the words are.

Wednesday

Well, there you are again. Good morning! Another day of life presents another opportunity to do stuff. What are we going to do today? Occasionally it dawns on me that I am 54 years old. I remember, back in my 20s, that 50 seemed pretty old. It sure doesn't seem that way any more. Last night on the run, I mentioned something that happened in 1976, and one of younger group members commented, "That was a year after I was born." Another one said, "I was born a couple of years later." I guess I should focus on the fact that I am able to run with guys this age? Who are we kidding? They could run away if they wanted.

Still running and participating in athletic events at this advanced age certainly increases the chances of winning an age-group award. There aren't that many guys still doing this sort of stuff. Oh well, not sure where all that came from. I am just thankful to be alive and able to do the stuff I do. I enjoy it a lot, and, as I mentioned yesterday, it helps me manage the other aspects of life better.

This week my focus is on discipline. I am going to use Proverbs 12:1 as a spring board to talk about the subject.

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.

Proverbs speaks a lot about discipline, as does the rest of the Bible. It's a broad subject, apparently near to the heart of God. It's hard for me not to think of it through the lens of endurance athletics. Discipline involves teaching, instruction, correction, and self-control, and probably more.

One of the more interesting links in Scripture is between discipline, suffering, and God's involvement. On Sunday, I will end up in Hebrews 12, where the writer makes the link, essentially saying that suffering is discipline from God, given (allowed?) as an opportunity to make us better. There are some really dangerous thoughts here. Be careful. I am not ready to attribute all bad stuff that happens as God's will.

I don't know how all that works. I do know that in Job, Satan asks permission to test Job. God gives it. I know what Jesus says in Luke 22 about Satan asking permission to rock Peter's world. Jesus says, "I've prayed for you - that your faith won't fail." Scary stuff? Yes. But, it seems to me, that God only grants permission when He is confident that we will emerge on the other side as stronger followers. We don't always see it that way. So we complain. Maybe we shouldn't? Read Hebrews 12.

Wow, where did all that come from?

OK, I have a busy day today. I'd have to kill you, so just trust that I will be busy doing (mostly) good things all day long. Thanks for coming by.

What do you see?

Three people were visiting and viewing the Grand Canyon – an artist, a preacher, and a cowboy. As they stood on the edge of the canyon, each one responded with a cry of exclamation.

The artist said, "Ah, what a beautiful scene to paint!"

The minister cried, "What a wonderful example of the handiwork of God!"

The cowboy mused, "What a terrible place to lose a cow!"

So much of life is how we look at it, and so much of that is informed by what we do and what we experience.

One of the keys, it seems to me, to rising above constantly seeing problems is to have a heavenly perspective of life. Paul articulates it so well at the end of 2 Corinthians 4.


We do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

I’m trying to be better at looking through problems and experiences to see God’s activity and his promises, trying to better at walking by faith and not by sight. Lord, please help me!

Tuesday morning

John, Dan, Troy, Jake, Bill, and my bike

Hey good morning! This picture is from last Friday's ride. We reached the county line with 27+ miles. We then lined up for 10 good miles back to Orleans. Several folks have commented on riding on 337. "Crazy," is usually one of the words that shows up. It's really not that bad. Traffic is usually light, and, for the most part, respectful and careful.

I guess I'm back into a routine. That didn't take long. Of course I didn't really leave it for long. I did a lot of the usual stuff yesterday, stuff I can't say a lot about. There are lots of things I would like to talk about ministry, but it's too close. Some of your inquiring minds would figure out who I am talking about.

I can tell you that my truck has been down for 3 weeks, but now it's back from the dead! I finally had to call in a professional, a mechanic, who happens to be my neighbor. He was kind enough to come to my house last night. It didn't take him long to figure out what was wrong. Now it needs a new belt and a water pump, I think. I think it's best to keep fixing it, rather than trying to replace it. Plus my truck is so beautiful. It would be a shame to drive anything else. It only has 251,000 miles.

The weather keeps slowly improving. I ran early yesterday morning, before the snowflakes started showing up. It wasn't too bad. I saw where the Indy Mini finally sold out. It took considerably longer than usual. The article says that there are lots of competing events these days. It's true. More and more people are participating in more and more athletic events.

I know some of you find the whole idea of Ironman simply crazy. You might be surprised to find out that many of them sell out in less than a minute after registration opens. Ironman Florida, the one I hope to do, sold out in 40 seconds this year. See, I'm not the only one!

Why do we do these things? I've actually spent quite of bit of soul-searching thought trying to answer that question. Existential angst? Counterfeit god? I have wrestled with those ideas, but I've come to the conclusion that I simply enjoy training. I like the way I feel, and I enjoy the sense of accomplishment. I hope that's not wrong. I also find that it is great way to deal with a stressful vocation. If my body forbids me, in the future, from doing this, then I think I will be fine. I used to love to fish.

Alright then! Time to get busy. Thanks for coming by today.

It's Monday

"It’s Friday, but Sunday’s coming!"

I’ve preached it, as have many others over the years. It’s a great Easter sermon!

"It’s Friday, but Sunday’s coming!"

It’s about the death of Jesus on a Friday. Everything looked like it was over. The death of Jesus led to the death of all the disciples’ dreams. Friday was horrible any way you measured it.

The Sunday of Resurrection was coming, but the disciples didn’t know it. They went to the tomb to anoint the dead body of Jesus, but they were met angels who said, "He is risen! He’s not here!"

The horror of Friday was replaced with the joy of Sunday. Death was swallowed up by life! Still is in Jesus.

But now it’s Monday.

Yesterday we could have said, "It’s Sunday but Monday’s coming!"

The joy of Resurrection is met with the reality of still living in a messed up world as, at times, a messed up person.

Monday. Pain and problems persist.

Yet the joy of the resurrection and the promise of resurrection, deeply rooted in God’s love and forgiveness, allow us to face them with peace, joy, and confidence.

Because of Sunday and its ongoing promises, I can face Monday!

Monday a.m.

Good morning! I'm back at it I suppose. I had a little slower week last week, since I didn't blog and do my thought for the day. I will be honest and say it is a bit hard to get back into a routine today. A lot of times we leave on spring break, and we were planning on going to Alabama this year but changed our plans. We ended up staying home and working some and breaking some. It worked out pretty well.

 

Oh! We also now have a chimney! And our basement is of a normal temperature. It is so nice to have the house back to normal after having experienced 7 weeks of no main source of heat.

 

Rebecca and Luke both returned from their mission trips to Central America last week and both had a great time/experience. They were both able to come for the weekend. It was so good to see them. It's always hard, as it was yesterday, to say good-bye, but they are both in good places doing good things.

 

I got quite a bit of work done last week. Of course Easter was coming all week long. It came and I think it went well. Easter falling on Spring Break is not the most desirable situation, but it happens from time to time.

 

It was a pretty good for endurance training. I ended up with 75 miles on the bike, 30 on the run, and 1700 yards in the pool. Most of it happened at the end of the week. I took Friday afternoon off, after speaking at a Good Friday service. I met up with IronBill, Tim G., Jake F., Dan D., Troy Y., and John H. I was wanting 50 miles.

 

We rolled out of Lighthouse and headed toward Washington County, via Amish country and Orleans. Tim G. only needed 30, so he turned back at Orleans. The rest of us made our way out 337 to the county line. Bill suggested a paceline back. There was the obligatory excuses and jokes about it. It was all in vain, because it was going to happen. "We'll keep it to 20, 21 mph," promised Bill.

 

He kept his word and we kept together. It was a pretty comfortable effort, with an occasional small wind assist. A March paceline - whodathunkit? I'm glad it happened. We rolled on into Hucks for some refreshments. Then it was a nice 15 miles back home, including a couple of fast miles down the highway at 30+ mph. We averaged north of 17 mph for 53.5 miles. I will take it. Gladly.

 

Saturday was a nice morning for a run. I needed 15 to get 30 for the week. Most people wanted and did 10. Rand went 4 more and Scott went 5 more.  I was happy to get a nice long run in, and it felt good. I didn't know how the old body would handle a long run the day after a 50 mile ride. So far so good...

 

OK, this could be quite a crazy week, so I need to get after it quickly. Thanks for stopping by.