October 8, 2012

I am up and at ‘um before 5 am. I am watching the Farm Report which precedes the morning news. I will cover the mums to save them from the frost for the next few weeks. The news says we are at 33 degrees here in Springfield. These hardy flowers tried to bloom in the Spring, and we cut off the buds so they would bloom in the Fall, which they have in glorious fashion. This unusually early cold snap will break today, with the high near 60, and warm for the next several days. There is frost on my car’s windshield, but not yet on the grass around the flowers. Perhaps the warmth of the ground is involved. I do not really understand frost! What shall I do with today? It is my day off, with no church related work scheduled. I will call a church member about her father’s death yesterday in his church in Illinois, and I will send out a group email to my life group with details about tomorrow’s first meeting. I worked yesterday afternoon making phone calls and invitations. Audrey and I will do some work around the house and yard to get ready for our weekend company, Rick and Ardell Oliver. We will also continue to prepare for our garage sale, postponed from last Saturday to next Saturday. I have been thinking a lot about Malcolm and Olwen, I will give them a call this morning. I plan to go on an 8 mile run, as part of my preparation for the Turkey Trot, 6 weeks away. It is a good incentive to increase my training intensity. Last year, 2011 I finished in 26:50 (8:40 per mile), almost 2 minutes better than my 28:47 in 2010. I placed 1110th overall, 34th out of 181 men my age (55-59). (excerpted from my 2011 journal). Perhaps a good goal this year would be to split the difference, say aim for a 27:50. If I do longer conditioning, and some speed work, running 5-6 days a week for the next 6 weeks, this might be possible. Since the marathon in February, I have had no incentive to train. I have been doing maintenance workouts, with a few timed miles. I would say that I have a decent conditioning base to work from. The thought of spending more than an hour on my day off running has not appealed to me, but today it does. I will hit the road at 6:30, with my reflective vest. Colossians 3 This is a great chapter! It has nuggets from beginning to end. “If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” (verses 1-3) As I begin this day, I am seeking the things above. I am setting my mind on the things above, because I have died and my life is hidden with Christ in God. In the ordinary course of a day, week, month or year, life is pretty ordinary for me. It is so helpful to have this admonition to redirect my thoughts and orientation toward eternity, and the reality today of heaven, God’s kingdom, and spiritual things. Last night Audrey and I watched the movie Valkyrie, starring Tom Cruise as Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg. The plot is based on the true story of the plot to assasinate Hitler in 1944 and take over Germany from the Nazis. Bonhoeffer was remotely involved in this effort. I have been reliving the plot overnight, thinking about the sacrifice that von Stauffenberg made to initiate the plot, which failed and resulted in his and hundreds of others being executed, some by torturous means. The peace and calm of the society I live within is such a contrast to the violence, danger and sacrifice of the era of WWII. Colossians 3 reminds me to daily “set my affections on things above, not on things of the earth” (KJV). The war of good and evil continues, and God has given me a role in this struggle. Verse 16 – “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Yes, I will cultivate the word of Christ living within me. I will teach and admonish. And whatever I do in word or deed, I will do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. (Verse 17) Mine is the privilege to live this day with an eternal focus, a heavenly mindset, indwelt with the word of Christ. Guide me today, most Holy Lord as I live for you, obey your word, and do everything in your name.