November 26, 2011

“The end of all things is near; therefore be serious and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers. Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining. (I Peter 4:7-9)

“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith…” (I Peter 5:6-9)

These two sections, from chapters 4 and 5 speak to me on this dreary Saturday: Be serious and be disciplined. William Law wrote A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life (1729) and this book strongly impacted John Wesley. For me today, the admonition to be serious resonates with my orientation and practice of the last 34 years. Today that means to carefully apply myself to the preparation of the word for sermon tomorrow and funeral tonight. It means seriously applying myself to each interaction with people throughout the day, knowing that I bring the presence of Christ to each conversation. To be disciplined for me today means to stay focused on priorities. As I scanned my journal from 2006 looking for marathon notes I realized the steps I outlined in early January, which had I pursued with discipline would have ended up the year further ahead. Training for a marathon always involves discipline, which then can be applied to other endeavors. For me, it has to be writing and developing resources.

Resist the devil – this admonition reminds me that “we labor not against flesh and blood but against powers and principalities… This life is a spiritual conflict, the devil is real, evil is present and as a follower of Christ I must live this life as a soldier in an armed conflict.

Guide me holy Lord as I navigate this day. Thank you for the words of your servant James, as they admonish me to be serious, disciplined, and to resist the evil one.

Today I will work hard on my sermon for tomorrow, visit a nursing home at the request of Norma’s daughter, meet with a couple about their January 14th wedding, and conduct the funeral for Jim Morris in Rogersville at 6 pm. My legs are a little tired from the 6 miles yesterday, and I am encouraged from reading Galloway’s book on marathon training and his technique of run-walk-run. He suggests training on the long run at a pace 2 minutes a mile slower than a person’s optimal marathon pace.
[The following is a excerpt from my 2006 journal concerning that marathon]

4-9-06 Sunday 8:00 pm Columbia Missouri
I have completed my third marathon, with my family attending and supporting.
I finished in 4:37 and change. I am relatively pleased with the performance, would always liked to have done better. I signed up for the 4:20 pace team, ran with them til 5 miles, lost track of the pace leader, then from 7 til 15 was about 3 minutes ahead of the 4:20 pace. I completed the half marathon in 2:07, right at my time for last year, when all I was running was the half. In fact, last year I was so relieved to turn with the half-marathoners at the 9 mile mark, knowing there was no way I could have completed 26. Today, when they turned for the half, I had a sense of relish and excitement at the thought of completing the whole.

At 17 ½ the pace leader and 4 or 5 others passed me, and I could not pick up my sagging pace. I did not hit a recognizable wall, and in fact welcomed the 18 mile marker, feeling pretty well. I missed seeing the 19 mile marker, and was struggling by the time I got to the 20.

I knew I would finish, and reveled in the fact that I was running further than ever in 10 years. My legs and my pace struggled from that point forward. A guy named Dave told a couple of good jokes, which helped me pick up the pace. I finished up running with a day-trader from orange county who was really running awkwardly due to a tight groin muscle. A volunteer on a bike even asked him if he needed assistance, which he declined. It was so good to see my family near the finish line, which I tried to discern for several blocks, and then appeared sooner then I expected. It was such a blessing to have my family with me Saturday night and Sunday.