Twitter Tweets

Here are some of my favorite tweets of late. A lot of them come from the books I've been reading.

Humility is nothing but truth and is the path to being one with God. #MotherTeresa

The strength of the pack is in the wolf and the strength of the wolf is in the pack.

Do not dwell on things u cant change. Focus on the next best action. Do the next right thing right.

The goal should be small and immediate: execute the next play properly. That's all.

"The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him." —G.K. Chesterton

I dont know what the future holds but I know who holds the future.

"The resurrection of Jesus is not only a historical event but also a hermeneutical event that allowed new understandings of the OT."

Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard.

All my tweets are found here.



Here we go...

A new week has started! Ready? We can deal with the present because of what God has done in the past and will do in the future. Remember the gospel and your entrance into that story through baptism, and remember that the future is secure. It's all going to be great! The present is the problem, and the problems in the present are simply opportunities to grow in our faith.

I hope you had a good weekend! The weather was a little cool and windy on Friday and Saturday but yesterday was nearly perfect. Today is going to be even better. The whole week looks great and is why October is my favorite month of the year.

Friday I took a little time off to work around the house. I cut and split some wood and made a few minor repairs to our mailbox. I also read and rested some. After school I drove one of the football team buses to South Putman. The trip was a little shorter and better than I thought it would be. It was less than 2 hours and the roads were good. The football game was not so good. It was cold and windy and even rained a little, plus we got stomped 49-0. They were good!

Ben had a really good game. Hopefully it will be a bit of a break-out game for him. He had a tremendous tackle on our only kick-off. He also got to play linebacker in the 4th quarter and had several really good tackles.

I didn't get home from the trip until 1 a.m Saturday. We stopped at McDonald's in Spencer. I can't imagine how big a pile of the food those boys ate. One kid ate 5 double cheeseburgers...

Saturday morning's 8 a.m. run rolled around pretty quickly. I didn't go to sleep until nearly 2.30, but I got up anyway. I needed to get my 35 miles for the week, which meant I needed to run 12 miles. So I did, and it was a good run actually. I've learned over the years that I can often run pretty well on little sleep the night before. The key is the sleep the night before the night before! I slept well Thursday.

The rest of Saturday I did a lot of reading and took a nap. I was tired from the lack of sleep and from the run. Yesterday was all the usual things: class, worship, life group. Last night I went to see my friend and her mother who has terminal cancer. We had a good time together sharing in Scripture and prayer. On my way home I checked on Roger. I had unsuccessfully tried to see him earlier in the day. He wasn't doing too well, so I will spend some time with hiim this week.

I'm now ready to take on a new week! There are several projects that need some attention, plus I am plan to run 40 miles this week. I need to get going...

Coach Don Meyer

Lately I've been reading biographies. I like to read them in the evening and at night, leaving the work-related, more technical reading, for the daytime. Now that I'm preaching through 1 Peter, I read about 100 pages per week from various works related to the particular preaching text. I also like to have another book to read through the week. Right now I am reading Preaching in an Inventive Age by Doug Pagitt. The book affirms my collaborative approach to preaching and challenges me to take it further. We'll see...

Anyway, back to biographies... I've read books by/about Colt McCoy, Tim Tebow, and Don Meyer. Now I am reading one about Mother Teresa. The Meyer book was probably the most interesting to me. Why? Because I actually know him and was greatly influenced by him in my early days at Lipscomb. I had friends who knew him well, so I spent some time around him. I believe he spoke at a retreat that I went to. (We're talking 30+ years ago, so my memory is fuzzy.)

Meyer influenced me tremendously in the area of organization. He introduced me to the Day-Timer system of organization. I followed it faithfully for many years. Every year I would order my new Day-Timer calendars and would spend time contemplating which format to using, rarely switching.

Meyer was the basketball coach at Lipscomb for many years and left when Lipscomb went Division 1. He left because he felt like it was a huge mistake for Lipscomb to make the move. He continued to win games at another university and surpassed Bobby Knight's wins last year. He is highly respected in the world of basketball coaches.

He had a terrible car accident about 3 years ago, nearly dying. As a result of the accident, he lost a leg, which was bad enough, but they also discovered that he had terminal cancer. How Lucky You Can Be is a great read. I found it powerful and inspirational. It was enjoyable for me because I knew some of the people and a lot of the places referenced in the book.

Remembered this classic this afternoon...

Hitler and me

Friday

It's Friday! And it's cool and windy outside. It's going to be a cool night to watch football, and we will be watching it all the way up in South Putman, which is up around Greencastle, I think. I need to find out, since I am driving one of the buses. All I know at this point is that it is a long trip and that we're stopping to eat on the way home. It's going to be a late, late night for this old man.

This will make tomorrow morning's 12 miler a little more challenging -- that and the cool windy weather. I'm sitting on 23 miles, so I have to do 12, because I have to have 35 for the week! Some of you understand this. ha ha

Everything I do now has a Boston focus with it, at least partially. It's a little too early to be too focused. My main objective right now is piling up miles. I hope to move into the 40 mile per week range next week. I hope that becomes a minimum. I will do rest weeks periodically with less miles, but I hope to be solid in the 40 mile range and moving toward 50 mile weeks by December. It is then that I will "officially" start training for Boston.

Yesterday I toured the GM Powertrain plant in Bedford. Wow, a lot of really good stuff goes on there! On the tour I got see several friends who work there. That was really neat to see them in their working environment. The plant is a real blessing to our community. Hopefully it will stay for years and years to come.

I hope you have a good weekend!

Thursday

Thursday again! Already! They sure roll around, and if you have read this blog on a regular basis, you know that Thursday is sermon day. Lately it has been hard to get it done on Thursdays, due to schedule changes and other things. Today will be one of those days.

My Thursday bike ride has not happened in 3 weeks now. Running, as planned, has taken priority, but I didn't mean to stop biking. The weather has been a factor lately. Hopefully I can get back on the bike soon. I enjoy it, and it's good cross training.

This morning I have a meeting, followed by an assortment of activities. Included in those activities are a tour of the GM plant in Bedford. Over the last 2-3 years I have developed good friendships with people who work there or used to work there.  A lot of my running friends fit into one of those categories. In addition to those friends, we have several from our church family who work there, at least a half dozen. I want to go see what it's all about. I've never been inside the plant.

Today I also am going to see one of my former student's mother. I've mentioned this lady before. She has cancer and is on hospice. I am looking forward to seeing her and sharing some living hope.

The past suffering of Christ is the present condition of believers. The present glory of Christ is the future glory of those following him.

This evening I am helping out the transportation director by driving a bus to Brownstown. I think it is junior high volleyball. I've done this in the past, and I will say this. There's nothing quite like the noise that junior girls can make on a bus! Earplugs will be in order.  The good thing about a trip like this is that I usually get quite a bit of reading done. Tonight it may be sermon writing. A bus is a surprisingly good place to work. Over the years I've read a lot of books and written a few sermons in the big twinkie.

Sounds like some really cool weather ahead. Bring it. I would still like some 70s, and I think we will get some.

OK, I better get busy...

Wednesday

How are you on this new day--a gift from God? Let's make it a good day! Yesterday was good for me. I got a lot of good study done, and then I saw a few people, including a young man I worked with quite some time ago. He had been in jail, and I worked with him to get him a job (along with other caring people). He failed a few times, and, in frustration, we drifted apart. He seems to be a little more stable and doing better. I was glad to see him and hear that.

One of our church member's home was destroyed yesterday. Evidently there was a gas leak that led to an explosion. No one was home, except for 2 dogs. They both died, and, as my friend told me, "They were like family." Crisis is a great editor and "focuser," meaning it forces us to focus on what's important. My friend's attitude was good. He is thankful that he and his family are alive. They have good insurance and will be fine, but it will be tough getting back to "normal."

Yesterday evening I went to Bedford to run with some of my friends. I thought there was going to be a relaxed 10 miler. When I got there I found out the plan was for a 10 miler at either a 7:10 pace (turned out to be sub 7) or a 10 miler at 7:30 pace (turned out to be faster also). I plan to do these faster, longer runs in the very near future (next week), but I didn't think it wise so soon after the Persimmon Run. I opted to go out with the 7:30 guys. I did that for 3.5 miles before my legs got tight and my hamstring started squawking. I told my 2 buddies to go on, and I finished with less miles at a slower pace and without an injury. It was a good workout. Today I will do a hilly 7 miler. Boston is hilly, so hills are my new way of (running) life.

Not sure what all I will get done today. I plan to see a few people, study a little more, have lunch with a friend, plus minister in the interruptions -- all that before a meal at church, followed by a Bible study. Here it comes...

The Road to Boston

I've always dreamed of running the Boston Marathon, but I never really pursued it until about 3 years ago. Even then I was so unsure about my ability to qualify that I never really got specific. I had had success at shorter distances that indicated that I could possibly run a marathon fast enough to qualify. Running fast at shorter distances, even up to a half marathon, while a predictor of performance, is no guarantee of marathon success. The marathon is such a challenging beast, physically and mentally.

I'm not blessed with a lot of nature ability, so I have to work hard to get where I need to be. I decided about 2 years ago that I might try to qualify at the Monumental Marathon. I was not totally focused or prepared. I failed. Badly.

Here is the account of my first attempt.

I came out of that experience embarrassed and lovingly harassed by my running friends. Those two things served as great motivators for me. I worked really hard all winter to get ready to run the Louisville marathon in late April. I was in really good shape for it, but it turned out to be a very humid and warm day. I am not a good heat runner. Heat, humidity, and hills, lot of hills, did me in. I finished, but it was ugly. Several people thought I was a "special needs" runner, if that tells you anything.

Here is the account of my second attempt.

I came out of that experience even more determined. I trained hard all spring and summer, and if you remember the summer of 2010, you remember that it was incredibly HOT. I ran lots and lots of miles that summer. As the fall came, everything started to get easier, but I still had several huge doubts. I had some really bad runs in the last 4 weeks leading up to the marathon (which is not unusual). I was really unsure if I could qualify.

"Trust your training," was the mantra that I used leading up to the start line of the Monumental Marathon in November of last year. I knew that I had put in several 50+ mile weeks. I had done speed work. I had trained properly. The weather was perfect for me: upper 20s to start and upper 30s to finish. I wore shorts, a long sleeve shirt and a vest. I ran much better in the cold/cool. It turned out to be an awesome day.

Here is the account of my third and successful attempt.