On track

I've been getting up early for the last week and a half. It all started with the "fall back". Instead of sleeping in I just woke up that much earlier. The trip to the airport at 3am last week I'm sure did not help. I went to bed around 10pm on Wednesday night (skipping "Lost" by the way...don't worry, I taped it) and waking around 2:30 am. I stayed up the whole day and went to bed at 11 that night. Still, I woke up really early. So I decided to start going down to the track at MJC.

Now, I did a stint at the track earlier this year which many of you will remember resulted in my knee not working for a while and my doctor laughing at me and while shaking his head saying, "You tried to run?! Let me settle it for you for all of time, you are NOT a runner." Then after giving me some ibuprofin he sent me on my limping way saying something about the pain being a good teacher for me.

Ok, so I'm not a runner. I just assumed I was. I got close to being able to go a mile when I blew out my knee. So I'm a walker. I like the track. It's much better than walking through a neighborhood. For one, the track gives way. Concrete is unforgiving. What I like most about it is that the 12 or so people there when I am there are all there for the same thing. Everyone is huffing. Everyone is trying to improve and no one is looking down at you.

In a neighborhood, the runners are all sending a silent message..."I'm totally better than all you lazy, fat people still in bed!" Ok, maybe that's unfair to say but it feels true. I was walking along a neighborhood road a couple of years ago when a car drove by and some guy inside felt the need to stick his head out the window and say, "You'll never lose weight, Fat %#$!" Wow. What a life that guy must lead. Just driving around discouraging others. "Oh yeah! well...you'll never be...er...nice?"

I was just about to write "I can never think of a good comeback when I need one" when I realized that this entry could very quickly turn in to a Ziggy comic. So I'll just sum up by saying we're out there in the mornings...there's the older lady who runs circles around me, the really skinny girl who floats by me on the wind, the "plus size" lady who looks so determined it's scary, the guy who looks like he's beating on the devil up every time he comes back down the stadium steps, the friends who are strolling and talking, ipod girl and me...the fat "you know what" huffing along resolved (one more time again) to prove that idiots in cars are wrong.

Awesome!  I'm blogging in a widget!  If you don't know what a widget is then you're just not in the know.  You wouldn't understand...it's a Mac thing.  Ok, that was awful but it's true.

Discipline before delight

In my last blog, I mentioned that our YWAM computer had died and I am very happy to tell you that a generous supporter has donated not one but two new computers to our team! We are blown away. So, no more excuses for not posting...

I was thinking today about my younger years in Youth With A Mission. In the fervor of joining a missionary group, there is much new excitement and feelings of spiritual intensity. You can tend to get a bit ahead of yourself. It seems our mission's strength is that we put young people out on the field right away. The energy of youth and the zeal of fresh experience with God is a wonderful propeller for the gospel message.

Our mission's weakness is that we put young people out on the field right away. Without the temperance of wisdom and study sometimes things do not go great. I've seen both of these in action...many times on the same outreach!

I remember a speaker that came through our training campus down in Texas and he spoke to all of us about having grace for ourselves and one another. He talked about not beating yourself up if you miss a day or so of personal prayer time. And then he said something that really sticks with me to this day...personal prayer must be a discipline before it becomes a delight.

This is right where I am 15 years later. Having grace for myself after missing the mark on daily prayer and scripture reading and coming to the understanding that it will not just happen magically. I have to make space for it. Discipline is purposefully killing our laziness...the tendency to let down.

Something we've been saying a lot lately is that it's OK to have an off day every now and again, we're going to live forever. But you can't let your off days pull you along. With your spirit tuned to God's Spirit, you must tell you mind to let your emotions and your body know just who is in charge. With grace for the times we fall short, we must throw off our laziness and get to it. Our time here is short and there is much to do.