So during our worship gathering last night we did something new. We did a 3 panel bible discovery discussion. It rocked. This is something I learned from David Watson. He uses this approach to the scriptures in "Bible Discovery Groups." Here is a quick explanation. Take a sheet a of paper fold it three times. On the left panel write the text word-for-word, in the center panel write the text in your own words, and on the right panel write down "I will" statements. So if you believe the scriptures to be true and valuable for life, one only write down statement oh how you can obey what the passage is saying. It's very simple, yet very brilliant. It's useful for a Christ followers desiring to deepen their faith with the Lord, a group of people encountering the scripture afresh, and it's useful for personal alone time with the scriptures. It's also very reproducealbe and works best in a group setting where people are sharing perspectives and sharing what their response is/will be. We all had a fun time with it and I look forward to starting a new group with people who would like to do the same.

"So what say you now?" I did ok. I'm still thinking about the next one. I endured the pace of pain, pleasure, passion, and patience packaged into one goal: Finish fast. I also realized that most sports don't come close to a marathon. You just keep going. I still can't believe I rand a whole marathon a couple of days ago. 

Do I have extraordinary wisdom now that I've stood on the other side of the finish line? Well...I don't know. I have not learned much about the world and it's stuff while I ran. However I learned a lot about myself.

1. I see more clearly that competition and achievement are two strengths of mine.
   
   
2. I expect the worse and aim high. I was one those foolish nerds in school that anticipated bad grades on papers and exams yet was an "A" student.
   
   
3. I now know that I like new journeys. However I still want a measurement or assessment of where I am in the unfolding. (I was bothered that the mile markers were not visible. In the last miles I didn't really know where I was except somewhere lost and found in determination. After all it turned out ok even thought I didn't have the all the info but I had faith in a few facts.) It was similar picture of this life with God. You're in this journey of adventure with Jesus and you don't know everything - what mile 23 is going to present or where the next gatorade stand is - but you know the destination is your prize, your goal.
   
   
4. I typically have reserves. Though I poured out most of me out that day there was still some left. Just like the days of pitching Little League baseball, I didn't always throw my hardest fastball. I was afraid that it be a bit much and hit the batter. Also in my days of drama I rarely gave the unfiltered offering of myself. I rarely go for broke. It's like knowing how many gallons you have left after the gas-meter hits "E." Next time, I'll be running on fumes.
   
   
5. I believe and proved that quitting is not an option. A couple of times in the later miles the thought of quitting arose - though not for relief. Part of me did not want to see the possibility of failing to reach my goal. "If I quit now, no one will ever know I failed and we can try again later." Give in, I did not. I kept going. There was no turning back. Sometimes I think about those words Jesus said, "He who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God."
   
   
6. I could not have finished those 26 miles in that time if I ran by myself. I believe the company of others fueled me (e.g.: the throng of excitement  in the beginning, the cheerful hollering pedestrians, and the the fellow struggling laborers sharing my pain and passion). The short conversations about shoes, cities, and road signs helped us connect with each other. From moment to moment I forgot about me, enjoyed the glorious day, and the persons besides me. When I caught up to people, I would run their pace for a minute and then slowly pull away. When we ran together, there was a peace in our silent conversation of running instep with each other. Enough was said. I knew I was not a lone and was a bit stronger because some with company for the journey.
   
   

I had a brilliant conversation with my friend Larry several weeks ago. Years ago Larry used to bike competitive in races as a strong hobby. These days he's up to several engineering projects and teaching. So we were talking about vision and big picture ideas (living out who you're supposed to be and doing what you're supposed to do). We also discussed the micro picture of creating to do lists and being faithful to them.

Here is the major nugget of the conversation. Larry said in racing 1,000 things will prevent you from winning the race. There are 1,000 distractions of things you could be doing but won't help and there are only 5 things you can do or be.  Those are the 5 things that will help you win the race. Larry continued "...And if you can narrow down the 1,000 distractions to just 100, you will win the race."

 

If you know me well you know I really like funky marginal concepts, life stories, and cultures from other continents. So I really like international music a lot. These past two years I've been on a heavy international music diet. Mmmn. Yummy. As I've ingested and analyzed more international music my diet of Christian music (music art regarding Christ) has decreased.

I have forgotten what it's like to have several songs about Jesus zipping in my short term memory and not just my long term memory. I forgot what it was like to have certain songs penetrate the different contours of my being. So I started listening to more skillful musical art of faith and journey with God. Oh music! Songs are so powerful I forgot this. I love this God and great music encourages me in my faith journey.

wow. I haven't' spent so much time in the presence of God in a long time. This past couple of days I have been at a prayer retreat. Several pastors from the Boston area came together and we just pray. Someone prays for a minute, then another, and another. Someone breaks out in song and we sing, someone shares scripture and then we pray again. And we sit before the Lord for hours in this flexible time of worship. It was amazing. I've experienced these types of worship times before but not recently. At first it's challenging to be before the Lord without certain structure of prayer and praise but it's so enjoyable. We took grand timeouts, pondered God's mercy, grace, kindness, love, authority, nature, power, etc. and we were all moved.

What was doubly amazing was the unity that theses pastors share in the Boston area. I have never seen a gathering of pastors across different denominations and churches who genuinely love each other (verbally, non-verbally, and give themselves and resources). Furthermore their friendships are deep and none of these guys have chips on their shoulders (including the pastors of larger congregations). Amazing. There is a unity like I've not seen before and this common unity was shared across denominational branches? Amazing. Several people wanted to meet with me, discover what our church is up to, and how we are doing, and stay connected to us and offer to be of help in any way possible.

This time has been amazing.