Good weekend

It was another good weekend! I managed to get all my work done by midday on Friday, so I was able to take the last part of the day "off." The clouds gave way to sunshine and I hopped on my bike. I rode 30 miles. I started at the Park and rode out to the John Deere place in Bromer and then wandered back. It was a pleasant ride. I did have a pretty strong headwind coming back, but that's to be expected at this time of the year.

Friday evening we worked in the yard and got a few things done. We have a very old junk mower, which is really made up of about 3 different mowers. Ben does not like it, but I don't want to spend any money on a different one right now. It still works. It didn't have a hood on it, so I asked Ben if he would like to take the hood from yet another mower and mount it on ours. He liked the idea, so he got busy. He cut the metal, drilled the holes, and made it happen. We went to Lowes to get some bolts and spray paint. He painted the thing black. I think it looks beastly. Kedra and Rebecca just don't seem to get it. They are not excited in the least. What's with that?

Yesterday morning was the Let's Go 15K. I decided to help with it instead of running it. I really enjoyed it. It gave me a rare opportunity to watch a race. I was very proud of Michelle and Jean. I helped them work out a training plan for their respective half-marathons coming up (Michelle in Louisville and Jean in Indy). They both ran really well. Jean beat all the other women! She finished 8th overall. Wow!

We had to "black flag" the last 3 participants in the race yesterday. The weather became too threatening. Several of us waited for the worst to move through, and then we started out on our long run. I was pretty soaked and had enough after 8 miles. It gave me 35 for the week. I wanted 40, but as Mick says, "You don't always get what you want."

Today has been beautiful! Watching the end of the Masters. Wow!

Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

--Reinhold Niebuhr

Extravagant Living and Giving

My class last night totally messed me up! I had in mind a way the sermon should go, and they totally sidetracked it/me. I was thinking of backing away from text, talking about it and leaving it there for everyone to see. Then I was going to talk about altar and table. Because of an altar we are invited to the table. The sacrifice of Jesus allows us to eat at the table with God. The altar is about death and sad, and the table is about life and joy. I think it could have been a pretty good discussion, but it will have to wait.

The class ended up engaged in a wonderful discussion about extravagant giving. The woman in the first part of Mark 14 gives a gift that is worth nearly a year's wages. The disciples see it as a waste, but Jesus describes it as a "beautiful" expression of love. The woman is likely poor and could be pouring out an inheritance. She does it as an act of adoration and worship. My class did a masterful job of tying this with Jesus and the institution of the Lord's Supper, found a little later in chapter 14, pointing out a couple of words in common: broken and poured out. The woman's gift reflects what Jesus is about to do in his death, the very thing he is asking his disciples to remember in the future with the bread and wine.

All this has me thinking about extravagant giving/living. (It's similar to what I mentioned on Monday about a faith that looks way beyond what I can do.) What do I do in and with my life that is an over-the-top expression of gratitude, adoration, and worship? How do I give, from time to time, in a way that is extravagant? In such a way that might even makes others mutter about silly it is?

Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

where there is sadness, joy;

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood as to understand;

to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Perseverance

Here we go Wednesday! Sounds windy out there, but at least it is blowing in warmth. Looks like some good biking weather is coming, which I need. I am already getting a little nervous about riding across Indiana in mid-July. Gotta get miles in and soon!

Last night I went over to Bedford for Tempo Tuesday but didn't tempo. I just ran 7 miles or so with 2-3 others who also were not tempoing. I just didn't feel like doing speed work last night. I'm in a dangerous spot about motivation and know it, so I am calling on discipline to keep me going. I don't have anything in the category of running that is pushing me right now. I've qualified for Boston, which was the biggest running goal I have ever had. Now I have to wait until September to see if I can make it in the 2012 race; registration is going to be tricky.

So here I am just persevering. I'm happy that I am maintaining 35-40 miles a week. Nothing fast or fancy but I'm leaving myself in a position to improve rapidly when I am ready. The focus, however, is shifting to the bike. Biking across Indiana will be a big challenge, since I've only really biked a little bit last year. I like a challenge...

Perseverance is an interesting thing. You keep going even when you want to quit. I hear the voices of buzzards at times but have learned, for the most part, to ignore them and to keep moving. I think that comes from years of knowing what if feels like to quit. Regret anticipated is not a bad motivator when nothing else works.

Long day ahead but I'm ready. I got enough sleep and feel ready for it to all unfold. I need to spend some time in Mark 14 today. That will be fun.

Disappointing, but...

If you looked up the work disappointing in the dictionary, then Butler's logo just might be there beside the word. I don't think I've ever seen anything like that game last night. It was a really bad time to have a really bad game. Oh well. Whatcha going do? Life does go on, and there are lots of things to be proud of.

I'm taking a day away today. Not a day off, just away. I've got some things that have piled up and some things that I want to think through. I can't take care of either in the context of normal duties/activities.

I've been thinking a lot about this prayer of Paul, found in Ephesians 3:14-21.

For this reason 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.

A little over three years ago, I stood in the streets of ancient Ephesus, where the recipients of this prayer lived. I imagined life there and imagined what it was like to hear these words. I think they took them to heart better than we do, but I need to hear them and live by them, for they are directed to us as well. There is a lot in there worth contemplating.

What's this 39 degrees I see this morning? It was 73 and humid when I woke up yesterday. I would love to have some 70 degree days, sunshine, no wind. That would be my order. I will, however, take what I am given and be thankful for it. Well, at least I'm trying...

Monday, Monday

Here we go! It's game day! I will be up way past my bedtime tonight watching the Butler Bulldogs win the national championship. Why does the game not start until 9.23 p.m.? It's all about money, I'm sure.

Let's see...where were we last? I think I was getting ready to head to Nashville. We did and had a good time. Time with Earl L. is always so valuable. We went down to TN on Thursday afternoon and returned Friday night. Rebecca stayed down there until yesterday. She got to meet her future roommate and some other girls that will be attending Lipscomb with her this fall. She is so excited and so ready to be there. Senioritis - big time!

I did the usual things all weekend: run, church, etc. Now, I am hoping to get a run in before the storms hit. I'm watching the radar; could be interesting. I hope to get back on the bike this week. I got a new tire and got it on over the weekend. I am ready to roll!

Our Honduras trip is shaping up pretty well. I think we have our team pretty well set, so I am getting excited. The semi trailer in our church parking lot wakes me up some at night. How are we going to get it filled? This is a huge faith project for me. I need that, I believe.

Lately I have been pondering what it means to live by faith. Do I do anything in my life that really requires faith, or do I rely mostly on my own ability and intelligence? I wonder about the same for church. What do we do that requires faith? I know there are lots of ways to look at walking by faith, but I am wondering about the aspect that requires us to go beyond what we think we can do. How and where does that show up?

F-word redeemed and redefined!