15 for 45

To celebrate the fact that I am 45 years old I've decided to run in 15 races this year (one race for every three years of life).

Racing can be addictive. The danger comes when racing is an end in itself. I hope to avoid this at all costs. My purpose in racing is that it motivates me to run, which in turn keeps me healthy. It's physical health that is the end in all this.

Most of the races I've selected for 2016 take place in the greater Savannah area. They range from 5Ks to one marathon. The most interesting is probably going to be the Palmetto 200, a JCB team relay from Columbia to Charleston, South Carolina where I will run three different legs totaling 20 miles.

Here are the races (four of which I have already completed):

Critz Tybee 5K
Critz Tybee 10K
Critz Tybee Half-marathon
ESPN Diabetes 5K
Shamrock Run
Palmetto 200
Skidaway Island Half-marathon
Nine Line Run for the Wounded
JCB Mudrun
Firecracker 5000
Run for the River 5K/10K
Summer's End Trail Run
Pacing for Polio 5K
Rock 'n' Roll Savannah Marathon
Savannah Bridge Run

Church Simply: Everybody Actively Use Your Spiritual Gifts!

One key aspect to simple church life is that everyone is encouraged and expected to actively use his or her spiritual gifts to serve the body.

This is based on the view of the body described in I Corinthians 12. Paul informs us that every member of the body is important. The body will not function properly unless all body parts are healthy and active. None are ignored. None are more important than others. In order for the body to do what it is supposed to do, every part must be up and running.

For this to occur the body as a whole has to trust the lead of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit not only bestows spiritual gifts, but also leads believers into using these gifts. The body must respond to the Spirit's leading by encouraging everyone to use their own gifts actively for the building up of the entire body. Everybody matters.

One place many churches (regardless of form) fail is in encouraging everyone to be active. It's easy to simply let some folks sort of sit quietly in the background and not do much. If this happens the body will suffer - possibly in ways it hasn't really considered. Since I Cor. 12 is true, then everybody needs everybody. We the church must get the message out that every believer has the responsibility to be active. Let's not guilt one another in this, but instead encourage each other. Ironically, this means we will be encouraging each other to encourage each other.

The church is stunted when a small number of people do most of the ministry. That model makes for a sick body, where some parts are overworked and others are undeveloped. Much healthier is a body where every part is in shape from regular exercise. Let's all do our part by using our gifts to serve and encouraging others to do so.

40

Today I turn 40 years old. I'm not really sure how I'm supposed to feel about this. Right now it doesn't seem like that big of a deal.

The older I get the more majestic and faithful I see that God is. He continues to prove His perfections to me everyday. In every aspect of life, God is constant. He is there. He is providential. He is supreme.

I am currently unemployed. Even though it can be difficult to see it at times, even my unemployment is a gift from God. It makes me depend upon Him more now than I normally do. It is drawing me closer to Christ, and in this I rejoice. Part of me hopes God soon provides me with a job and part of me hopes this lasts a while longer.

I suppose I have to come to grips with some facts about getting older. For one, my dreams of professional athletics appear to finally be finished. Unless I desire to be a quarterback who doesn't know when to retire, I've got to sacrifice this fantasy. Additionally, I have to face the fact that my children are getting older. Our eldest now works here. Our youngest is no longer elementary age. On the plus side: I haven't had to change a diaper in quite some time.

God continues to show me new things in life. Is He still doing this with you? For me, over the last few years God has opened up my eyes to a much broader, deeper picture of what He wants His church to be. I'm grateful to Jesus for this and look forward to living it out.

Despite turning 40, I don't feel old at all. In fact, I'm looking forward to spending the next few days with my son and some other Boy Scouts on a campout somewhere in South Carolina. I'm looking forward to enjoying God through being with other Christians in His creation.

I won't be blogging over the next few days. Instead, I'm going to be having fun.

39.5

A few hours ago I looked at the date and realized that I am officially 39.5 years old - today.

That may sound like some sort of joke, for we know that a good number of people claim to be 39.5 when they are, in fact, much more age-challenged (or whatever we call it these days) than that.

Being 39.5 is a little odd. I can still look back and my teen years don't seem that far away. I can look ahead and realize that the typical challenges that accompany aging aren't that far into the future. I really do feel like I am in the middle with the odd experience of seeing things both behind and before me with some clarity.

I don't feel like I am looking over some sort of precipice, as if 40 is the end of the world. I know some people feel that way, but that is usually just because they are living for the things of the world instead of having more of an eternal perspective. I always feel bad when I see people who are trying to look younger than they are. What is the point? Just go with the age God has you at right now.

Anyway, I guess the point of this post is that we really don't have that many years to live for Christ here on earth. If I live to 79 years of age, which is a fairly normal age to die, then I'm already half way there. I have mixed emotions about that. On the one hand I am thrilled because I want to go home to see Jesus. On the other hand, that isn't much time to honor Him here through living out a Christian witness in a lost world.

Thinking about being 39.5 has reminded me today that we are stewards of the time God has given us.

I need to make better use of this time.