"Are We There, Yet?"

The NYC Marathon starts on the Staten Island Bridge and ends in Central Park after leading runners through every borough in the city. The first time through the course, upon turning into Central Park and seeing trees and grass, I remember thinking, "Almost there." At that point, my feet had been jogging for five hours. The truth: I was still an hour from finishing (six miles). Yet, around every turn or over every small hill, my weary self was looking for the finish line. The thought of crossing the finish line, kept me moving forward.

Without that clear picture in my head, my tired, battered feet might have given up.

In our multi-tasking, multi-layered work lives...we are usually headed toward several finish lines at a time. This week, let's ask God to show us His finish line for us and to give us a clear(er) picture of its place in His story of our lives... and keep our weary selves looking for the finish line.

 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.     1 Corinthians 9:24  NIV

However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.     Acts 20:24 NIV

Taking In The Journey

One of the things I enjoyed the most about all the years of running in preparation for those marathons was the places I saw from my running shoes. In the neighborhoods of Orlando, but also the places I traveled for business. The flights of geese in Minneapolis. The horse district north of Los Angeles with peacocks roaming the streets and perched on the roofs. The majesty of Yosemite. Lakeshore drive around Tampa Bay. The sunrises along the Atlantic coastline at New Smyrna Beach. And countless others on the way to NYC.

Each run had a small part in the accomplishment of the greater goal. Each one had it's own ambiance, temperature, weather, sights, sounds, and smells. Some days those runs were welcome starts to the day. Other times, they were agonizing chores. Yet, each played a part.

Isn't that how our lives and our work unfold? Sometimes graceful blendings of component parts and sometimes not-so-graceful blendings. And yet, when we look back, we can see their part.

As Leaders, we are expected to know and be clear about the goal-where our teams are headed. And, we are to shepherd, focus and re-focus them through the milestones necessary to achieve that goal. Some of which are the routines and disciplines required to get there and some of which are moments "that worked well".

Leaders know that the process is as valuable as the progress a team is making. Taking in those moments along the way and celebrating what we learn, encourages teams to keep moving forward.

This week, let's take in life through the wider screen, put on the 3-D glasses and buckle up. The journeys of this life and it's daily, seemingly mundane pieces are filled with experiences for us to take in along the way. And those vistas turn this life into one great adventure...for God's glory.

Corinthians 10:31

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

No Pain, No Gain

As January comes to a close this week, some of the goals, resolutions, and changes we put in place as the New Year began are in progress. Others are in a state of hit or miss and some we have already abandoned. When we set out to change our routines, we usually have high hopes. Then, we miss a few beats and find ourselves struggling to hold on.

Years ago, jogging became a part of my life and after a while, those "runs" became an important part of my quiet time. Somewhere along the way, running a marathon became a goal. That meant a lot of one hour runs. That meant getting up at 4:45am and jogging six days a week.

So,whether working in Minneapolis (where it's cold if you are from Florida) or here, the alarm would go off, I would roll out of bed, have coffee, suit up and go; return home or to the hotel- sweating, yet clearly awake and begin the next segment of the day reading Psalms for my cool down. I don't remember how long it took before the routine overtook the thought "what are we doing?" when the alarm went off, but most people agree it takes 21 consecutive days to establish a new routine.

Change happens when we so clearly identify with the purpose or goal that we are willing to disrupt and redirect our routines. The goal was to run not just a marathon, but the NYC Marathon- and it was time driven and very visualizable. And with God's help, that dream happened, on the first Sunday in November, 1987. I have struggled this month with putting some routines in place, so this week I'm shaking off the failures and asking God to redeem those routines for His glory... and I'll be praying that for all of us.

...But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.   from Philippians 3:12