The Good Race

I have often heard 2 Timothy 4:7 quoted:

“I have fought the good fight; I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.”

There is another racing metaphor in Galatians 5:6b-8, though that I missed:

“The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you.”

This morning I joined my friends for our weekly team run. We are training for a 10K run in March and a marathon in May. Many years, counted in decades, have passed since I was a runner, and I harvested a huge crop of couch potatoes in the meanwhile. The trip from apathetic spud to athletic stud does not happen overnight!

It does happen the moment I set that intention in motion, and it happens with every footfall along the track or trail. It happens with the strength of others who encourage me, whether they are running alongside me or cheering from the sidelines.

I have not met all of my training goals, although just to be training is on overarching goal that I have met! I have not allowed an unmet goal to dissuade me, though. I’ve only been back at it for a week. This was my fourth training session. The goal was a 4 mile run; I made it 2.5 then finished with intervals of jogging and walking. I went the distance, though, and appreciated the significance of what I had accomplished. I know that every day I train moves me forward, and I only need do what is in front of me today.

My coach talked to me just after I ran out of gas and needed to walk to recover. He suggested after I recovered that instead of running or walking the rest of the way, I should employ interval training for short distances. Pick a spot 20 yards away and run to that, then walk to the next spot, and then run another twenty. Choose something to run toward, rather than just running.

I know all about breaking large objectives into smaller goals, but at that moment, I needed someone to remind me to do it. By grace, I didn’t arrogantly think, “I know that already!” Instead, I thought, felt, and said, “Thanks, coach!”

I had a kidney yanked out when I was two years old, and because of the danger of injuring the other, I was forbidden from playing team sports in school. I never had a coach before.

Now I’m 56 and for the first time, I’m training with a coach. I’m also surrounded by others who lift my spirits. Warren, who has been training about a month longer than me, is able to pass me by, but he said a sincere, “Looking good!” as he did. Deana was teaching me a Chinese affirmation she says while running. And so it goes, good words all around.

To borrow from the Galatians quote, “no one cut in on me” with aspersions to keep me from the race. No one said, “You can’t do this!” or, “Getting tired, yet?” Instead it was, "Looking good!" and the Chinese for "I am connected to the super-abundant energy all around me..." (I need remedial work to remember it eactly, but at the time it helped!)

In our walk run of faith it is important to listen only to the voice of eternal truth, just as in any endeavor, we need to be attentive to those who support us at every step. Our all-loving God who calls us does not mock or discourage us. God cheers us on, saying, “Look at my child run! Isn’t that a magnificent sight?!”

So, don’t let anyone else cut in on you. Run your good race, my friends!!!!

A Real Page Turner

I think I'll read a thousand-page novel and everyday before I read the new page, I will re-read all the pages before it.

Obviously, I'll get bogged down, but I really like revisiting the past.

Just a thought.

Difficult People in a Church? Who Knew?!

In his 1974 book "Models of the Church," Cardinal Avery Dulles described the five ways people view their church. When I read this book in theology school back in the 80's, it strongly impressed me and still does.

However, 30 years of ministry since that time have convinced me there is a sixth model. Perhaps this folds into one of his models, Institution, and re-reading the book is in order. However, for tonight, I am going to set these thoughts down without revisiting the text. Bear with me, I'm dipping into a memory that is 30 years old and covered with much newer material!

To paraphrase Cardinal Dulles unfairly, he pointed out that people see the church as Community (a place to belong); Herald (a place to proclaim the Good News), Institution (a place to be baptized, married and buried); Sacrament (a place to experience the mystical Presence of God); or Servant (a place to reach out to those in need and perform the cardinal works of mercy).

I believe these are all true, and I have used the acronym CHISS for three decades in order to remember them and share them with people who don't understand why not everyone feels like their church should be only one of these things.

What I have found is that there are those who seek the church to be a Status Symbol. These are the people who identify their worth by their position in the assembly, the ones who are the most threatened by change. Their motto is "This place would collapse without me," but their reality is, "I would collapse without this place." They stir the pot and wield influence within a small band of followers, with only their own needs in mind.

Jesus often dealt with these status seekers in the Gospels. They were the merchants selling sacrificial animals and changing money at the Temple, they were the "white-washed tombs full of dead men's bones." They were the "sons of thunder" wanting to sit on His right and His left. They are nothing new to the church.

If we do not acknowledge they exist, though, and that they see the church only as a place to enlarge their egos, we are always going to be in for a big surprise when they turn up.

A friend once told me he never patronized businesses that advertised their Christianity because his experience was they inevitably deceived him in their practices. This is probably not true of every business with a fish symbol in its ad, but there are probably some among them for whom membership in the Jesus club is a status symbol.

I marvel at how Jesus continued to focus on His ministry when even among His disciples, the status seekers were jockeying for position and attention.

Lord, help me to understand what You knew.

The Heaven of the Soul

In her autobiography, "The Story of a Soul," St. Therese of Lisieux writes:

"Our Lord does not come from Heaven every day to stay in a golden ciborium; He comes to find another heaven, the heaven of our soul in which He loves to dwell."

I love the way this image portrays the dignity of our souls, how Jesus dwells within them and they become "another heaven."

All too often we have no idea how deeply we are loved by God.

Of Hummingbirds and Heaven

Today, I stepped onto the back porch to refill our hummingbird feeder, which had dwindled to about half-full. As soon as I took it down and turned it over to refill it, a little green hummingbird zoomed in from seemingly out of nowhere and hovered expectantly, as if saying both, "Hurry up!" and "Dibs!"

It was only about a foot away from me, tiny, perfect and fearless. As soon as I put the feeder back up, the hummingbird alit on the perch and enjoyed a quick meal, remaining still long enough for me to take a picture before flying off.

I may not have paid attention to the other miracles that took place in my life today, but I noticed this one.

One small grace via one tiny bird.

Keeping Faith When Expectations And Experiences Disagree

I don't know why some things don't play out the way I expect. The fact is, they often don't.

Sometimes, things turn out to be far grander, richer and joyous than I expected. Sometimes, they turn out to be more meager, painful and disappointing.

My experience is not so different from that of anyone else I know. After all, we say, "Life has its ups and downs."

I'm in one of those passages at present. Things were not as I expected in a certain situation, and I'm confused by the muddying of what seemed so clear. I also don't have any idea what the next right thing to do might be. In the meantime, I am questioning my decisions leading up to this situation.

I have learned a big lesson already involving my personal journey into living with authenticity and how that might look a lot different for me than the way some other people would like it to look. I am made in God's image, not anyone else's. My life should look the way God envisions it. Even I can be confused about what THAT looks like, but I can see what fits and what doesn't.

I'd really appreciate some clarity here, but this remodeling of my life is right on time. A spiritual director told me, when I was in my 20s, that God sends along a crisis of some sort every 7 years, and that it happens so that God can clear up our misunderstandings and lead us into a deeper knowledge of what is true for us. Well, I'm turning 56 in a couple of months, so I'm ending my 8th cycle of 7-year periods with a bang!

And you know what? It's all right. It's all perfect. Even if it is embarrassing, even if it is confusing, even if it is unclear or makes no sense at all. It's all right.

I am 8 cycles closer to living my life fully than I was when I started! There are things I have learned that have held true. I welcome this new season. I'm not sure what my life will look like, but I am sure it doesn't look like it once did, and that's a good thing.

I'll just keep faith and hope to coast for a year or so after this latest shake-up is done.

Blessings,
David

Rest In Peace, Fr. Grimes

Msgr. Ken Grimes stepped fully into the Kingdom of God on October 15, 2011, certainly welcomed by the phrase, "Well done, my good and faithful servant."

He was a man of integrity and warmth, and in a difficult moment in my life offered deeply compassionate and wise ministry to me.

There is great power in one little grace.

Blessings,
David