No Seperation of Church and Sport

"It is the challenge of running a 26-mile race that I find intriguing. It is like life itself. There are good moments and tough moments; you've got to enjoy the good parts and survive the bad ones. Along the way, you learn about yourself and how you respond to pressure and difficulty. You can't know for certain know how you will be until you are faced with the questions. In the difficult times you fight the feelings, try to calm and distract your body, while never letting the mental focus slip. At the toughest moments in a marathon, you have to concentrate on staying in the present. Literally, to think about putting one foot in front of the other and to go from one mile to the next." Paula Radcliffe, Marathon World Record Holder

I've had the honor in the last couple of weeks to share a little about my running story to one of our pastors who is preaching this weekend on perseverance. He's is using the marathon for his illustration.

It's very humbling to be asked, and am so very happy to share. I know that running or any hobby can mean much more than itself if we allow it (or open our eyes to see it). The quote above is taken from the book Paula, a biography I enjoyed reading over the holidays. I think the quote is very close to what I shared and it stood out as I read it. For those that want to listen to the sermon, go to

http://www.mysouthland.com

It’s the message from December 29-30