2023s
It was Thanksgiving and we were heading to my brother Jay’s home outside Baltimore, Maryland. As we drove the weather grew worse and worse.
This journey was not going well.
The Journey - The Unseen
What do we do when the goal is unseen?
It was Thanksgiving and we were heading to my brother Jay's home outside Baltimore, Maryland. We were excited to spend time with his family and celebrate together. As we drove the weather grew worse and worse.
The snow and sleet were becoming overwhelming. Cars were pulling off and sliding off the road at an alarming rate. My hands gripped the steering wheel tighter than I knew I could. White knuckling was an understatement. I grew more and more tired. Tensions were rising in the car. I knew that Amy wouldn't be comfortable getting behind the wheel and so I drove on.
This journey was not going well.
I desperately wanted to stop and sleep. Amy was desperately trying to find a hotel room.
The “good” hotels were all booked up with other travelers hiding from the storm.
We drove on.
We made it to Jay's house.
Had we known how the journey would have played out, we might not have left. But, the hope of the joy of seeing my brother, sister-in-law, niece, nephew, and mom was more than enough to keep us going.
We couldn't see, quite literally, our destination, yet there was hope of the joyful reunion that kept us going. The perseverance paid off! The joy was made that much more sweeter after the difficulty of the journey.
—
“So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18, The Message)”
—
At the beginning of any journey you can't see the end. You can try to picture it in your mind's eye but you don't see it. You have to start out and just go. You hope that the going will be smooth and easy. You hope that there will not be any bad weather or traffic jams or delayed flights. But, at the end of the day, you just don't know what the journey will be like nor can you see the destination.
Every journey demands faith.
Paul Tillich wrote, “Faith is an act of a finite being who is grasped by, and turned to, the infinite.”
I'm realizing that this is exactly what has been at the center of my journey toward fitness. It is a journey of the finite being grasped by the infinite.
You see, there's no end to the pursuit of fitness. It's an ongoing journey with various stops along the way.
—
I am struck by something that the Apostle Paul says in that quote from 2 Corinthians, “The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever.”
As I consider what is going on in my fitness journey, this really is the heart of the matter. It's not about a particular number on the scale or the size of my waist. No, those things are here today and gone tomorrow. It's truly about the pursuit of fitness. A pursuit of something that will last forever.
Being strong, feeling good, having energy, loving well. These are the things that the journey brings about.
So I journey on.
I am believing by faith that the journey will help me become fully myself.
We can't truly see the end when we begin, but stepping out in faith on the journey opens the door to joy.
The Journey - The Unseen
What do we do when the goal is unseen?
It was Thanksgiving and we were heading to my brother Jay's home outside Baltimore, Maryland. We were excited to spend time with his family and celebrate together. As we drove the weather grew worse and worse.
The snow and sleet were becoming overwhelming. Cars were pulling off and sliding off the road at an alarming rate. My hands gripped the steering wheel tighter than I knew I could. White knuckling was an understatement. I grew more and more tired. Tensions were rising in the car. I knew that Amy wouldn't be comfortable getting behind the wheel and so I drove on.
This journey was not going well.
I desperately wanted to stop and sleep. Amy was desperately trying to find a hotel room.
The “good” hotels were all booked up with other travelers hiding from the storm.
We drove on.
We made it to Jay's house.
Had we known how the journey would have played out, we might not have left. But, the hope of the joy of seeing my brother, sister-in-law, niece, nephew, and mom was more than enough to keep us going.
We couldn't see, quite literally, our destination, yet there was hope of the joyful reunion that kept us going. The perseverance paid off! The joy was made that much more sweeter after the difficulty of the journey.
—
“So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18, The Message)”
—
At the beginning of any journey you can't see the end. You can try to picture it in your mind's eye but you don't see it. You have to start out and just go. You hope that the going will be smooth and easy. You hope that there will not be any bad weather or traffic jams or delayed flights. But, at the end of the day, you just don't know what the journey will be like nor can you see the destination.
Every journey demands faith.
Paul Tillich wrote, “Faith is an act of a finite being who is grasped by, and turned to, the infinite.”
I'm realizing that this is exactly what has been at the center of my journey toward fitness. It is a journey of the finite being grasped by the infinite.
You see, there's no end to the pursuit of fitness. It's an ongoing journey with various stops along the way.
—
I am struck by something that the Apostle Paul says in that quote from 2 Corinthians, “The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever.”
As I consider what is going on in my fitness journey, this really is the heart of the matter. It's not about a particular number on the scale or the size of my waist. No, those things are here today and gone tomorrow. It's truly about the pursuit of fitness. A pursuit of something that will last forever.
Being strong, feeling good, having energy, loving well. These are the things that the journey brings about.
So I journey on.
I am believing by faith that the journey will help me become fully myself.
We can't truly see the end when we begin, but stepping out in faith on the journey opens the door to joy.
I love sitting here at the coffee shop and hearing multiple languages spoken. It’s beautiful.
Good morning! May you be fully present with those around you #today.
#Wordle 837 3/6*
⬛⬛🟩⬛🟩 ⬛🟨🟩🟨🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
The Old Gal pulled out a tie today!
Good morning! May you leave joy in your wake as you pursue your authentic self today.
Good morning! May you start your week with enthusiasm, joy, and hope.
Good friends seem to know what you need even when you don’t.
Good morning! May you connect deeply with others today experiencing the richness of being known.
This was one heckuva week.
High highs.
Low lows.
I’m so grateful to be with my people at Peace Presbyterian Church and The Acts 13 Network tomorrow.
Tonight, my guy Todd Waller came over and just hung out. It was good for my soul.
Friends, I’ve witnessed community at its absolute best over the last week. I hope you have a community of people in your life. If you don’t, I’d love to share mine with you. They are amazing!
Good morning! May you intentionally pursue joy today.
I get to spend time with both my kids today. Life is good!
Good morning! May you finish the week well #today, press on!
I love watching this kid play ball!
I can’t seem to escape the question, “What’s so amazing about grace?”
I want it to be simple. But it’s not.
So what do you think? What makes grace amazing?
Good morning! May you get that thing off your list #today that is going to impede rest.
#Wordle 831 4/6*
🟨⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟨⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟨🟩⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
It will be interinteresting to see if the Old Gal beats me!
A fresh pot of coffee? I don’t mind if I do. ☕️
“Friendship is a much underestimated aspect of spirituality. It’s every bit as significant as prayer and fasting. Like the sacramental use of water and bread and wine, friendship takes what’s common in human experience and turns it into something holy.”
📚: Eugene Peterson, Leap Over A Wall
“Love—God’s love in particular—is fundamental to the world’s existence. Love is the background against which everything else is played…”
📚: Leap Over A Wall by Eugene Peterson
I began my journey toward physical fitness with a commitment to walk fifteen minutes per day. My thinking was that I could do anything for fifteen minutes. Rarely did I walk for less than twenty minutes. Almost always, I walked at least thirty.
The Journey - The Crew
We aren't made to walk the path alone.
I began my journey toward physical fitness with a commitment to walk fifteen minutes per day. My thinking was that I could do anything for fifteen minutes. I was right. Rarely did I walk for less than twenty minutes. Almost always, I walked at least thirty.
I had, in my excitement over such a plan, decided to invite some close friends to hold me accountable. My walk needed to be done by 10 pm or they were free to give me all the grief!
At some point in my walking, I pulled a muscle. I could barely walk. But, I persevered. I can do anything for fifteen minutes.
During that time, it was all I could do to walk around the block. I had a dip in the hip but absolutely no glide in the stride. One evening, I had decided that after mowing the lawn I had had enough for the day.
I then made a fatal mistake. I told my close friends that I was counting the mowing as my walk.
In the words of Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, “Big mistake, huge, BIG!”
“You made a commitment to walk. Your commitment was not to mow.”
I raged. I argued. I walked.
Never in my life had I been actually held accountable to anything.
These friends loved me enough to hold me accountable to the commitment I had made. I really didn't like them when they did. Yet, they held their ground and pushed me to walk. They wanted me to succeed. In that moment they wanted me to hold to my commitment more than I did.
I walked!
—
There is a passage in the ancient text that goes like this,
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3)”
This is written right after the writer lists out a number of people who had lived and died in faith. They were the “who's who” of the Old Testament. These people persevered in their faith and made up the “great cloud of witnesses,” along with countless others.
It is interesting to me that when he writes about persevering through the race he sets the call in the context of a “great cloud of witnesses.”
The community of faith, the cloud of witnesses, were the context from which the author calls people to press on and persevere.
—
We are not made to be alone. It is not good for us to be alone. We need community. We need a cloud of witnesses.
In my pursuit of fitness (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and relational) I have become keenly aware of my need for a cloud of witnesses. This cloud of witnesses I call my “crew.” These are the people that I have learned to trust with all of who I am. I have invited them into my life and given them the go ahead to hold me accountable.
When I don't want to persevere, I reach out to these people and they encourage me to walk on.
A community of people who are truly involved in your life will eventually make you very angry because they will not let you get away with quitting. To quit, to stop walking, is the one thing that is unacceptable to them. This crew of mine reminds me of my commitments, to be sure, but more than that, they remind me of who I am and who I want to be.
My identity is not shaped in isolation. It is shaped in community. My crew reminds me of who I am and these reminders give me the hope to carry on.
The journey towards fitness necessitates a crew of people who walk with you.
Who is your crew? Will they ensure that you walk on?
—
*And love is not the easy thing The only baggage that you can bring And love is not the easy thing The only baggage you can bring Is all that you can't leave behind
And if the darkness is to keep us apart And if the daylight feels like it's a long way off And if your glass heart should crack And for a second you turn back Oh no, be strong
Walk on, walk on What you got they can't steal it No, they can't even feel it Walk on, walk on Stay safe tonight* – U2
The Journey - The Crew
We aren't made to walk the path alone.
I began my journey toward physical fitness with a commitment to walk fifteen minutes per day. My thinking was that I could do anything for fifteen minutes. I was right. Rarely did I walk for less than twenty minutes. Almost always, I walked at least thirty.
I had, in my excitement over such a plan, decided to invite some close friends to hold me accountable. My walk needed to be done by 10 pm or they were free to give me all the grief!
At some point in my walking, I pulled a muscle. I could barely walk. But, I persevered. I can do anything for fifteen minutes.
During that time, it was all I could do to walk around the block. I had a dip in the hip but absolutely no glide in the stride. One evening, I had decided that after mowing the lawn I had had enough for the day.
I then made a fatal mistake. I told my close friends that I was counting the mowing as my walk.
In the words of Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, “Big mistake, huge, BIG!”
“You made a commitment to walk. Your commitment was not to mow.”
I raged. I argued. I walked.
Never in my life had I been actually held accountable to anything.
These friends loved me enough to hold me accountable to the commitment I had made. I really didn't like them when they did. Yet, they held their ground and pushed me to walk. They wanted me to succeed. In that moment they wanted me to hold to my commitment more than I did.
I walked!
—
There is a passage in the ancient text that goes like this,
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3)”
This is written right after the writer lists out a number of people who had lived and died in faith. They were the “who's who” of the Old Testament. These people persevered in their faith and made up the “great cloud of witnesses,” along with countless others.
It is interesting to me that when he writes about persevering through the race he sets the call in the context of a “great cloud of witnesses.”
The community of faith, the cloud of witnesses, were the context from which the author calls people to press on and persevere.
—
We are not made to be alone. It is not good for us to be alone. We need community. We need a cloud of witnesses.
In my pursuit of fitness (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and relational) I have become keenly aware of my need for a cloud of witnesses. This cloud of witnesses I call my “crew.” These are the people that I have learned to trust with all of who I am. I have invited them into my life and given them the go ahead to hold me accountable.
When I don't want to persevere, I reach out to these people and they encourage me to walk on.
A community of people who are truly involved in your life will eventually make you very angry because they will not let you get away with quitting. To quit, to stop walking, is the one thing that is unacceptable to them. This crew of mine reminds me of my commitments, to be sure, but more than that, they remind me of who I am and who I want to be.
My identity is not shaped in isolation. It is shaped in community. My crew reminds me of who I am and these reminders give me the hope to carry on.
The journey towards fitness necessitates a crew of people who walk with you.
Who is your crew? Will they ensure that you walk on?
—
*And love is not the easy thing The only baggage that you can bring And love is not the easy thing The only baggage you can bring Is all that you can't leave behind
And if the darkness is to keep us apart And if the daylight feels like it's a long way off And if your glass heart should crack And for a second you turn back Oh no, be strong
Walk on, walk on What you got they can't steal it No, they can't even feel it Walk on, walk on Stay safe tonight* – U2
What do you think it means to love well?