Month: July 2010

Running Update

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7.45 Miles

This has been an amazing week in my life.  We are having a great Vacation Bible School — several of our students have crossed the line of faith — and we are having a great time learning and singing the songs.  We have a great staff of volunteers, teachers, and assistants.  It has been a wonderful week.

It has been a great week running-wise as well.  Since I got stopped short of my 7 mile goal on Wednesday, I was determined to do what it took to get 7+ miles in today.  A little cold front came through this morning, so it was cooler than the last few mornings and a welcome relief.  I think that is one reason things went well.  I can’t say that I struggled on any part of the 7 mile run this morning.  One funny thing that happened was that I outran a garbage truck that was picking up garbage — I thought to myself — “Faster than a speeding garbage truck picking up garbage.”  I am improving and this week I have really noticed that my overall speed is faster, and I have more endurance.  This is so amazing.  Who would have ever thought that when I started running eleven months ago, I would be running 7+ miles — definitely not me!  Pressing On!

Weekly Lectionary Reading

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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Proper 13 (18) (August 1, 2010)

Hosea 11:1-11; Psalm 107:1-9, 43; Colossians 3:1-11; Luke 12:13-21

Hosea 11

The Lord’s Love for Israel

1 “When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and I called my son out of Egypt.
 2 But the more I called to him,
the farther he moved from me,
offering sacrifices to the images of Baal
and burning incense to idols.
 3 I myself taught Israel how to walk,
leading him along by the hand.
But he doesn’t know or even care
that it was I who took care of him.
 4 I led Israel along
with my ropes of kindness and love.
I lifted the yoke from his neck,
and I myself stooped to feed him.

5 “But since my people refuse to return to me,
they will return to Egypt
and will be forced to serve Assyria.
 6 War will swirl through their cities;
their enemies will crash through their gates.
They will destroy them,
trapping them in their own evil plans.
 7 For my people are determined to desert me.
They call me the Most High,
but they don’t truly honor me.

8 “Oh, how can I give you up, Israel?
How can I let you go?
How can I destroy you like Admah
or demolish you like Zeboiim?
My heart is torn within me,
and my compassion overflows.
 9 No, I will not unleash my fierce anger.
I will not completely destroy Israel,
for I am God and not a mere mortal.
I am the Holy One living among you,
and I will not come to destroy.
 10 For someday the people will follow me.
I, the Lord, will roar like a lion.
And when I roar,
my people will return trembling from the west.
 11 Like a flock of birds, they will come from Egypt.
Trembling like doves, they will return from Assyria.
And I will bring them home again,”
says the Lord.

Happy Birthday…

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United States Army Chaplain Corps

Today is the 235th birthday of the United States Army Chaplain Corps.  As many of you know, Pam and I have a special place in our hearts for those who serve in the military and not just one particular branch.  We have several friends who are Army chaplains and it is a great thing to encourage them.  In Fort Bragg, NC, a North Carolina Army base will celebrate the Army Chaplain Corps’ 235th birthday with a commemorative jump.

About 400 Fort Bragg soldiers, including chaplains from many of the airborne units based at the post, will jump on Wednesday onto Sicily Drop Zone. The jump will be followed by a free barbecue lunch.

Read more: http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/07/28/601188/nc-base-marks-chaplain-corps-birthday.html#ixzz0uzX30WEQ

Remember to keep those who minister to our military personnel in your prayers — they have a great mission work to do.  Happy 235th Birthday.

Running Update

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Today’s goal was a long, easy run — hopefully 7 miles.  That is the next milestone I need to pass to work on this 10 miler this fall.  I ran 6.3 miles this morning — not quite my goal, but that is the second time this week I have run 6 miles, which brings my total running miles to 15.  I’ve also walked 10 miles this week.  There are two cool things that happened during this morning’s run.  It is still quite warm in the mornings, so it was a good workout.  I started out a little slower than usual.  What I noticed after about a mile of running is that I wasn’t out of breath and even better, I could breath through my nose while running.  How cool is that?????  I was able to do that several times during the run — which is something that hasn’t happened up to this point.  The other thing was that for the first 5.5 miles, it was probably the most consistent run — no cramps — no feeling really tired — or out of breath.  It was a really fun run until my body ran out of fuel at the end.  Anyway, I still consider this morning’s run a success — eleven months ago, I couldn’t run a mile.  Pressing On!

Running Update

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Don’t Stop…

The weather broke a little bit this morning and will be much better by the end of the week.  Still it was another early morning run, with my goal of running 6 miles today.  I started a little slower than I have the last few times and that made quite a difference.  By mid-run I was feeling great.  The fact the sun wasn’t beating down yet, was a nice bonus.  It was partly cloudy, so the sun wasn’t always shining this morning.  By late run, I was feeling even better than mid-run.  I really didn’t even notice my breathing — that’s when you know everything is working well.  I was able to complete six miles today.   My next major step is to run the Staunton Ten Miler, so I need to start building speed and endurance.  Pressing On!

Sunday Set List

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July 25, 2010
9th Sunday after Pentecost

Welcome

Call to Worship and Invocation

Genesis 45:3-10

Songs of Worship

Ancient of Days (Sadler/Harvill)

Crown Him With Many Crowns (Elvey/Thring/Bridges)

We Will Glorify (Paris)

Connecting In Prayer

Songs of Worship

Leaning on the Everlasting Arms (Showalter/Hoffman)

The Longer I Serve Him (Gaither)

Giving Back to God

Special Music

Worship Through God’s Word

Bible Heroes:

Joseph: The Advantages of Adversity

Genesis 37:23-28

Song of Commitment

In His Time (Ball)

Benediction

Sunday Night Thoughts

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Hotter Than A Firecracker

We are in the heart of summer here in the Shenandoah Valley. Yesterday’s temp was close to 100 degrees. It is just plain miserable to be outside. We are supposed to be getting a break this week and it is not supposed to be as hot or as humid as the past week. Last night a group of us went to Washington, DC to pick up our missions team from Guatemala. When we arrived at the airport at 11:30 pm, it was still way over 80. As I write, the temp is still over 80 degrees tonight.

Pushing Through

The last 48 hours have been a flurry of activity. A 5K race – a wedding – picking up the Guatemala team at 12:25 this morning – getting back at 3:30 – getting a few hours sleep – worship – a nap – then prepping for Vacation Bible School. As soon as I finish this, I plan on going to bed and getting some sleep in preparation for a run in the morning, before it gets too warm tomorrow.

Backstage With the Bible

Tomorrow begins Vacation Bible School. We are using the Go Fish Guys’ Backstage with the Bible program. I really like it. It is reproducible and doesn’t require purchasing a ton of material. We were setting up tonight and the place is beginning to look like VBS. I’ll be reporting each night on how it is going.

Leaning on the Everlasting Arms

There are morning’s when you have to completely rely on God’s strength and this morning was one of those. God was with us as we worshipped. It was just hard to concentrate because I was so tired – that and the caffeine buzz that I had going. I believe all of that is out of my system now and I hope to get a quality night’s sleep tonight.

A Full Moon

One of the cool things about last night’s trip was the amount of light the moon shown on the earth. It was bright out there as we travelled I-81 and I-66. I thought about how Genesis mentioned that God made two lights, one to rule by day and the other to rule by night. It was comforting to travel by the light of the moon.

Closing Thoughts

There is still quite a bit to do to prepare for VBS, so time to get to bed so I can be fresh in the morning. Seize the Day!