After completing a half marathon I feel tired and a little let down. What is next? The only answer is a marathon. Really? I can’t believe I ran a half marathon! I really can’t believe I am using the word RUN in my daily activity! I’m not very fast but I am totally thrilled with just being able. I know I am not able to do it or anything else without Christ. If it weren’t for Him I wouldn’t be able to breathe much less walk OR run. Yeah!

I am learning a few things along the way. One is that this life journey (unto the Lord) is not easy;at least not for me. Running has helped me define my walk (or should I say run) a little bit clearer. Running is very much like our journey with God. Both are filled with hardships and disappointments but with these comes the building of strength, perseverance, and  endurance. Injuries and tiredness fills each step forward,but crossing the finish line is the best reward.

On  my last practice 13.1 before the actual race, I ran most of the way in the grass as to soften the blow to my feet and knees.  It turned out that this grass is home to chiggers. The spiritual application I see here is that I need to stay on the path set before me; no veering to the left or right. Another is that when we try to make our journey a little bit easier it can backfire and actually make it worse! Thank God for the chiggers!

Just as I find it hard to focus on these runs (trust me, running really does take focus); I find it hard to focus on my spiritual run. If I plan on finishing my journey with a “well done” then I really have to focus! I tend to get caught up in the pain, the lack of oxygen, and the length of the run. My run with the Lord is very much the same;the pain in relationships and disappointments, the lack of breath from holding mine when facing a new trial and the length of the trial and journey. I find my mind and its thoughts betraying me. On some runs, I haven’t even made it a mile before my thoughts are screaming “STOP.” As with my run with the Lord, I don’t even get my day started before I am thinking, “I don’t want to”. Of course, the reward in pushing through is how great I feel afterwards. Yes, tired but like a winner; victorious. You push through an the end is always worth it. I find that Paul’s analogy using running as our spiritual journey to be highly appropriate.

 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. – 1 Corinthians 9:24

Hey Friends, Susie Larson here!

We had a powerful time today on Live the Promise. We talked about the importance of redeeming the time. There’s so much more to be said on this topic!

God has given us THIS moment to live fully, to love deeply, and to lay hold of all He has for us. Yet, all too often, our present moment is diminished by one or all of these things:

• Past Baggage
• Fear of the Future
• Squandering the Present Moment (through un-appointed work or time wasters)

My guest today was marriage & family counselor and Pastor Mark Spencer. We talked about how God can truly redeem the pain of our past! He is not bound by time! He is with us and for us and is powerfully able to heal every wound and to forgive every sin. When we are IN Christ, the only things from the past that belong in our hearts are the redemptive pieces; the places where God healed, saved, delivered and restored. Because that’s what He does. That’s who He is.

We have to fight this battle! The enemy doesn’t get to drape the heavy blanket of regret and condemnation on us! Jesus paid it all! All to Him we owe! We get to walk free because He won the victory. Oh, the joy of really grasping the gift He offers us!

It’s time to shake the shackles off of our feet and to leave the past in the past.

And then there’s the fear of the future. We can rejoice because God’s already been there. And He has made us a promise. For those of us in Christ, we will go from strength to strength, from glory to glory. We will shine ever brighter until the full light of day! We have nothing to fear because our God is with us! It’s in our spiritual DNA to grow in the grace and the knowledge of Jesus Christ. We will endure hardship, yes, but more importantly, we WILL be victorious!

I’ve battled fear and anxiety as long as I can remember. But I’m finally coming into a fresh realization of God’s grace and loving provision over my life. It blesses Him when I turn my back on worry. So, I seek to bless Him with my trust every time I’m tempted to worry.

Okay, we’ve covered past regrets and future fears. Now let’s chat for a moment about time wasters in the present. My guest, Mark Spencer suggested that oftentimes our time wasters are directly correlated to our past regrets and our future fears. Those wretched tapes dominate our thoughts and we medicate so as not to feel them or face them!

But God has offered us everything we need to be fully present in the moment. In fact, the hosts of heaven gasp when they see us drink muddy water (when pure, healing, life-giving water has been offered to us). Read this passage from Jeremiah 2:12-14:

‘The heavens are shocked at such a thing and shrink back in horror and dismay,’ says the Lord. ‘For My people have done two evil things: They have abandoned ME – the fountain of Living Water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all.’

It doesn’t have to be this way! Let’s not ‘shock’ heaven by defaulting to lesser sources of life. We have things to do in this life and the backing of Heaven with which to accomplish it all.

May we give God room and space to unravel the snarls from our past. He will surely bring order and peace where there once was turmoil and unrest.

Trust that He has a plan to ‘prosper you; and to give you a hope and a future’ – because He absolutely does.

Have a blessed day~

Men kick friendship around like a football, but it doesn’t seem to crack. Women treat it like glass and it goes to pieces.

Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Proverbs 17:17  A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for
adversity.

Proverbs 27:6  Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.

Proverbs 27:1010  If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who
falls and has no one to help him up!

JOH 15:13  Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for
his friends.

My favorite set of sisters!!

…He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.

~ Psalm 40:2, NLT

Ben Stein’s Expelled Has Strong Opening Weekend

by Jennifer Mesko, managing editor

Documentary challenges evolution’s dominance in the classroom.

Ben Stein’s new documentary, Expelled, which chronicles the censorship of teachers, professors and students who question the theory of Darwinian evolution, performed well at the box office over the weekend.

It’s a message that garnered Dr. James Dobson’s endorsement and seems to resonate with Americans. The documentary, which opened Friday at 1,000 theaters nationwide, brought in $3.2 million. It finished fifth overall in per-theater earnings, according to Box Office Mojo.

Tom Neven, editorial director for Youth Outreach at Focus on the Family, called it a “very good showing.”

“It shows that thousands of Americans decided to ignore the propaganda being put forth by those who would wish to expel Expelled from theaters,” he said. “The campaign of half-truths and smear tactics actually caused many to want to see for themselves what the fuss was about, and they came out of theaters seeing that Ben Stein makes a good case — both on the screen and in his response to those who would censor him.”

Mark Mathis, executive producer of the movie, said the strong showing should get Hollywood’s attention.

“There’s a lot of garbage out there in our theaters,” he told OneNewsNow. “And when investors stick their necks out and risk their hard-earned money to see a movie like this produced, they’re taking a big risk — and they’re hoping that people will honor that and go see it.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Listen as Dr. Dobson talks with Ben Stein.

Visit the Expelled Web site.

Read CitizenLink‘s interview with Ben Stein.

Good-bye March and hello April! We have been so busy with life lately! We started having a time for the women to get together with the young ladies at our church. We had a Missions at the Airport day with JAARS and recently added a Border Terrier mix to our family. Here is the evidence…..

Missions at the Airport…

Our newest family member…Smokey!

                                                                                                      My brother, and mom….

                                      us….

                                                                                                            us again…..

~My little brother, Chris ~

Well, mates, this is a simple sport: do it right, you live—do it wrong, you don’t!

                                                                                  Steve Woodford, skydiving instructor