Monday, August 20, 2007
World's Greatest Wobbler
I know I'm not the world's greatest at any sport, but I just might be one of the world's greatest wobblers. Let me explain.
On the USAT USA triathlon Web site (usatriathlon.org), author Alan Ley explains wobbling as a personal discipline trait. I can go for days, weeks, or sometimes even months running, walking, riding my bike, exercising for about 60 minutes for at least 6 days a week, feeling great, eating right. It feels so good. Then something (and it does always seem mysterious in hindsight) gets me off track. Before you know it, I feel like a blob. I'm feasting on desserts. I can barely run a mile. Finding time to exercise seems like a chore. My clothes get tighter. Then, I get re-motivated. I start back on my quest for good health. I get my muscles in motion and find that I can run a 5K once again. I'm exercising daily. I'm eating right. My clothese fit better. But I better look out, because the blob days are likely to find me again. It's a cycle I've repeated over and over. People ask me "Are you a runner" and I explain how I go in spurts, telling them that sometimes I do really well and stick with running and other times I don't. Sometimes runners look at me like they don't understand this, like it's sort of odd. But after reading Alan Ley's article I now have a name for this sport -- it's wobbling!
Being the world's greatest wobbler isn't something I necessarily strive for, and Alan suggests to break this cycle, I should use a journal. He suggests I write down all of my goals and then write down every day how I'm doing in meeting those goals.
This makes such great sense, and of course, I'll try it. I've found that when I blog I stick to my goals better. Blogging includes writing but also putting the words where other eyes can see them.
Do you know, God too knows the importance of writing things down? He has a very special place to write the most important things. God describes this in Jeremiah 31:31-33 while describing the new covenant He would make with His people. Notice the very cool place where God chooses to write what He considers most important.
31 "The time is coming," declares the LORD,
"when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah.
32 It will not be like the covenant
I made with their forefathers
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
though I was a husband to them,"
declares the LORD.
33 "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel
after that time," declares the LORD.
"I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
God originally wrote His 10 commandments in stone when He gave them to Moses. But now God's special place to write is in our hearts. True, God's laws are written in our Bibles. We can go to them, just like a fitness journal, and see the goal God has for our lives. But isn't it the most awesome thing that God wrote them in our hearts?
God writes His law in our hearts so we will learn to love His law just like He does, so we will recognize His law is a law of love, so we will see that following His laws bring us happiness and prepare us to live in His kingdom of love, so we will want to follow His laws because we love Him.
I think Alan Ley is on to something when he says we should write down our fitness goals in a journal. He says there is something magical when we write it down. We pay more attention to it. We follow the plan.
God must have known this. Do you think God wrote His laws (first in stone and then with the new coventant in our hearts) to keep us from wobbling?
I'm ready to get down to the business of writing to keep my fitness goals in focus and reach them. While I might be one of the world's greatest wobblers when it comes to my fitness goals, I sure don't want to be the world's greatest wobbler when it comes to following God's laws.
Let's pay attention to what God has written and stay on track, following His lead, and if you happen to be a wobbler like me, let's not be wobblers any more!
On the USAT USA triathlon Web site (usatriathlon.org), author Alan Ley explains wobbling as a personal discipline trait. I can go for days, weeks, or sometimes even months running, walking, riding my bike, exercising for about 60 minutes for at least 6 days a week, feeling great, eating right. It feels so good. Then something (and it does always seem mysterious in hindsight) gets me off track. Before you know it, I feel like a blob. I'm feasting on desserts. I can barely run a mile. Finding time to exercise seems like a chore. My clothes get tighter. Then, I get re-motivated. I start back on my quest for good health. I get my muscles in motion and find that I can run a 5K once again. I'm exercising daily. I'm eating right. My clothese fit better. But I better look out, because the blob days are likely to find me again. It's a cycle I've repeated over and over. People ask me "Are you a runner" and I explain how I go in spurts, telling them that sometimes I do really well and stick with running and other times I don't. Sometimes runners look at me like they don't understand this, like it's sort of odd. But after reading Alan Ley's article I now have a name for this sport -- it's wobbling!
Being the world's greatest wobbler isn't something I necessarily strive for, and Alan suggests to break this cycle, I should use a journal. He suggests I write down all of my goals and then write down every day how I'm doing in meeting those goals.
This makes such great sense, and of course, I'll try it. I've found that when I blog I stick to my goals better. Blogging includes writing but also putting the words where other eyes can see them.
Do you know, God too knows the importance of writing things down? He has a very special place to write the most important things. God describes this in Jeremiah 31:31-33 while describing the new covenant He would make with His people. Notice the very cool place where God chooses to write what He considers most important.
31 "The time is coming," declares the LORD,
"when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah.
32 It will not be like the covenant
I made with their forefathers
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
though I was a husband to them,"
declares the LORD.
33 "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel
after that time," declares the LORD.
"I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
God originally wrote His 10 commandments in stone when He gave them to Moses. But now God's special place to write is in our hearts. True, God's laws are written in our Bibles. We can go to them, just like a fitness journal, and see the goal God has for our lives. But isn't it the most awesome thing that God wrote them in our hearts?
God writes His law in our hearts so we will learn to love His law just like He does, so we will recognize His law is a law of love, so we will see that following His laws bring us happiness and prepare us to live in His kingdom of love, so we will want to follow His laws because we love Him.
I think Alan Ley is on to something when he says we should write down our fitness goals in a journal. He says there is something magical when we write it down. We pay more attention to it. We follow the plan.
God must have known this. Do you think God wrote His laws (first in stone and then with the new coventant in our hearts) to keep us from wobbling?
I'm ready to get down to the business of writing to keep my fitness goals in focus and reach them. While I might be one of the world's greatest wobblers when it comes to my fitness goals, I sure don't want to be the world's greatest wobbler when it comes to following God's laws.
Let's pay attention to what God has written and stay on track, following His lead, and if you happen to be a wobbler like me, let's not be wobblers any more!
Sunday, August 19, 2007
That Day
Last week I set a goal to do a biking event in Kansas City called the Route of Champions, a 36-mile charity ride in association with the Tour of Missouri. The very day my friends and I set this goal, I made my way over the health club. I knew I had to get ready. There is nothing like a goal to set me in motion. If I didn't have the goal, I wouldn't take the necessary steps to meet it.
This reminds me of another goal. An event of all events. A one-time event coming our way soon. It's the day Jesus comes again to take us to heaven. I have a goal to be ready for that day. When I plan my day, I want to do whatever I can today to be ready when Jesus comes.
Martin Luther said he only had 2 days on his calendar -- this day and that day. That day being the day Jesus comes to take us home with Him.
I love that focus. These are the two days that matter most.
Do you want to be ready when Jesus comes again? What are you doing this day to be ready for that day? Stephen Covey wrote the popular book "7 Habits of Highly Effective People." One of the habits is "Begin with the End in Mind."
Let's live this and every day with that day in mind. Are we keeping and building our faith? Are we reading God's word? Are we praying? Do we accept Jesus death on the cross as our salvation and accept the Holy Spirit into our hearts to transform our lives?
Let's plan today to be ready for that day!
This reminds me of another goal. An event of all events. A one-time event coming our way soon. It's the day Jesus comes again to take us to heaven. I have a goal to be ready for that day. When I plan my day, I want to do whatever I can today to be ready when Jesus comes.
Martin Luther said he only had 2 days on his calendar -- this day and that day. That day being the day Jesus comes to take us home with Him.
I love that focus. These are the two days that matter most.
Do you want to be ready when Jesus comes again? What are you doing this day to be ready for that day? Stephen Covey wrote the popular book "7 Habits of Highly Effective People." One of the habits is "Begin with the End in Mind."
Let's live this and every day with that day in mind. Are we keeping and building our faith? Are we reading God's word? Are we praying? Do we accept Jesus death on the cross as our salvation and accept the Holy Spirit into our hearts to transform our lives?
Let's plan today to be ready for that day!
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Famous in heaven?
I was just reading along in Daniel one day when all of a sudden I read something that made me stop and think. Daniel 9:23 tells us how Daniel was viewed in heaven.
“As soon as you began to pray, an answer was given, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed..." (Daniel 9:23).
An angel came to talk to Daniel. The angel told him he was highly esteemed. Now think about this for a minute. Can you imagine an angel coming to you and telling you that (in heaven) “you are highly esteemed!” Wow. How cool that would be. I so often feel like such a failure. Of course, that is Satan talking. In heaven, we are not considered failures. In heaven, we are all loved. Jesus came to die for all of us human beings to save us from our sins. But Daniel was highly esteemed. To me, this sounds like he was famous in heaven – not like Hanna Montana who is famous here on earth to my daughter and her friends! I’d much rather be famous in heaven, just like Daniel, than famous here on earth. How about you? Let's live our lives doing great things for the Lord so we can be famous in heaven!
“As soon as you began to pray, an answer was given, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed..." (Daniel 9:23).
An angel came to talk to Daniel. The angel told him he was highly esteemed. Now think about this for a minute. Can you imagine an angel coming to you and telling you that (in heaven) “you are highly esteemed!” Wow. How cool that would be. I so often feel like such a failure. Of course, that is Satan talking. In heaven, we are not considered failures. In heaven, we are all loved. Jesus came to die for all of us human beings to save us from our sins. But Daniel was highly esteemed. To me, this sounds like he was famous in heaven – not like Hanna Montana who is famous here on earth to my daughter and her friends! I’d much rather be famous in heaven, just like Daniel, than famous here on earth. How about you? Let's live our lives doing great things for the Lord so we can be famous in heaven!
