In Training

There’s a lot of training going on in my life this month. 

I’m in training at work. I have until the end of September to learn my new job as manager. So far so good.

I’m also training in 3 work study kids this month. That’s going well too. But I’m glad we have 3 more weeks before they “go solo.” There’s a lot yet to teach them.

And finally, I’m in training for a race. If all goes as planned (and my aging body doesn’t give out on me) I’ll be participating in the Herman 5K Run/Walk on Oct. 6^th. My goal is to run most of it. I’m sure I’ll end up walking the 10^th Street hill. That one’s a killer. But the rest of the race is mostly level or downhill, with a few steps thrown in there for fun.  I think I can do it.  I hope I can do it. I really want to do it.

And I know what it will take to do it.

Training.

This isn’t my first road race. About 10 years ago I ran in a couple and I did fairly well, all things considered. The key to a good race, I’ve found, is not the effort you put into it the day of the race.  It’s all those days leading up to it. It’s the hours and hours you spend running in the weeks and months before the race that really count. The race itself is always tons easier than the time spent training for it. It’s a lot more fun too, with fellow runners sharing the journey, and crowds cheering you on to the finish line. But what really makes a race fun is coming to it physically and mentally prepared. And that, my friends, is why I am in training.

Hey! Why don’t you train with me? 

I don’t mean side by side necessarily, but you can certainly train with me in spirit. 

You can even run (or walk) the race with me! Here’s a link to the registration page.

Hermann 5K Run/Walk 2012 Registration Form 

Any takers?

Just Do It!

So Monday night I was doing a little weight lifting in the living room during one of my favorite shows (The Sing-off) and I told Zack, “I used to hate weight lifting cuz it was so hard. But now that I’ve been doing it awhile and I’m getting stronger, I don’t mind it as much.”

He replied with his usual Mom, you’re cluless edge to his voice, “That’s the way it is with everything.”

He’s right of course. I knew that. It’s obvious. The more you do something, the easier it gets. What’s weird is how it still surprises me when it happens.

For example, I’ve been playing guitar for years now, but I’ve never really been all that great at it. Then a few weeks ago I started practicing daily and guess what. I’m actually starting to sound pretty good. My scales are improving, and the torturous F-chord hardly sounds tortured at all. How did it happen? Not overnight. It happened because I worked at it. Day after day after day, and I got better.

Dah.

But for some reason, I’m still a little amazed by this. Maybe it’s less amazing to a 16-year old, because he’s been learning new things for as long as he can remember. But I’ve been an adult for a while now, and at some point I guess I plateaued. I stopped learning new things, because I stopped working at learning new things. Maybe you’ve been there too. You know enough to function and you figure, why do any more? Besides, learning new stuff is hard. And it gets harder the older you get!

But I’m here to urge you to keep learning new things. Exercise the muscles God gave you. Practice the many talents you've been given. Nurture those gifts. Stretch that beautiful brain of yours. Don't get stuck in a rut. Live it up! It’s not only good for you. It’s God’s will too.

Here’s a little illustration to help explain what I’m talking about.

Imagine someone you love is about to celebrate their birthday. Because they are so special to you, you decide to make them an extra-special gift. A sweater. You pick out just the right kind of yarn, in their favorite color, and find the perfect pattern in a style you know will look great on them. When you have everything you need, you begin to knit and knit and knit until it’s finally finished. You wrap it up quickly but neatly. You can’t wait for them to see it.

The big day arrives. You hand over your special gift and hold your breath as they tear open the box. You watch this person’s face, waiting to see the joy your gift has brought reflected in their eyes.

But it doesn’t happen. Instead, the gift is tossed aside with hardly a glance. Before you know it, they’ve left the party, and the gift, without even saying thanks. You look at the now crumpled garment and you shake your head. How could they not see how beautiful it is? How beautiful it would look on them? If only they had tried it on. But they didn’t even do that. They just tossed it aside.

If you haven’t figured it out, this story is a parable. The person with the birthday is you. And the one who made you a special gift, is none other than God himself. The sweater is all of your gifts and talents. He’s picked them out just for you, and he’s given them to you to use! Not to toss aside. He wants you to use them, and enjoy them, and be thankful for them too!

Are you? Are you using your gifts? Are you enjoying them? Are you thankful for them?

I know it’s hard, because sometimes we don’t think the gift fits. We think, “That sweater will never look good on me.” But I’m saying, try it on! Trust in the One who made it for you and wear it for a while. See what people say when they see you wearing it out in public. I can almost guarantee you’ll get a bunch of compliments. People will say, “Boy. That sure looks good on you!” And you can say, “Thanks! I like it too. It was a gift from my dad.”


Romans 12: 6 – 8 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

Or as Nike says… Just do it!

Thinking of all your excuses? Think instead about Joni (pronouced like Johnny) Eareckson Tada. When she was a teenager she dove headfirst into too-shallow water and broke her neck, leaving her a quadriplegic. Since then she's become a successful artist, singer, writer, and inspirational speaker. Here's a short video of her talking about using your gifts.

Joni Eareckson Tada on Art

An Experiment in Self-Discipline

For the past month or so I’ve been conducting an experiment. The results are in!

I wanted to test the following hypothesis: If I practice certain positive behaviors for a period of 26 days, I will see positive results.

The positive behaviors I’m referring to were of this sort: stretch each morning for 8 minutes, sweep the kitchen floor once a day, practice my guitar daily, and so on. Nothing huge. But I had gotten into a bit of a slump. I wasn’t doing much of anything, and I felt a bit like my life was wasting away. So I needed to do something to prove to myself, it didn’t need to be like this. I could do something about it. Or could I? Hence, the hypothesis was formed.

In truth, it took me 37 days to do it. I had a bad week in there. But eventually I chalked off day 26 and my experiment was complete. That was yesterday. Here are the results.

By stretching each morning for 26 days, and doing an assortment of crunches and other simple exercises, I achieved a more limber and toned body. I could actually see and feel the difference.

By keeping a cleaner house for 26 days, it was easier to keep clean, nicer to come home to, and easier to find things. My family appreciated all of those things too, though they never said it. I could just tell.

By practicing guitar daily for 12 days (I added that one about halfway through the experiment) I learned Lisa McCormick's four-step picking style, and have almost mastered St. James Infirmary.

So it worked.

I sort of figured it would. You see, the experiment wasn’t so much to test if it would work, but rather, if I had the self-discipline to keep at it for 26 days. And to be honest, I almost didn’t make it. But in the end I prevailed, and I earned my reward, a brand new copy of Mark Paustian’s book, “Prepared to Answer,” which I recently checked out from the library and decided I wanted to own for myself.

Now, I’m not telling you this story to brag. (Okay, maybe a little.) I’m sharing this with you to try and encourage you to do your own little experiment. It doesn’t have to be anything big. Maybe one of these can be your goal for the next 26 days:

• try to touch your toes each morning and evening
• read one verse of the Bible each morning
• march in place during the commercials when watching TV
• clean off the kitchen counter each day after supper
• eat an apple instead of ice cream for your bedtime snack

Pick something simple to start out with, and see how it goes. It might help to pick a reward for yourself or find a buddy to do it with you. Can’t find one? I’ll be your buddy. Actually, I’m hoping to try for another 26 days. That should take me to somewhere in late October. Maybe you and I could race to see who can complete their 26 days first! Just an idea.

And now, a Bible passage. This one is from Proverbs 14:23.

All hard work brings a profit.

It’s true. I tested it.