Unfortunately, I did not get to run this race.  I had formed this group and had the privilege of leading it through all this training, and I was in the same excellent health as the rest.  That is, until a week before the race.  And I did something that has never happened before in my life.  I blew out my right knee on the LAST training run!  I have never suffered an injury in my entire life (other than bumps and bruises)…and I messed up my knee royally.  So…after 3 months of training, I had to stand on the sidelines and cheer my home team.  And in the midst of a tremendous disappointment, God gave me a wonderful gift.

You see, I didn’t get to run, but I did get to watch every single person who I had led and encouraged and pushed get to the finish line.  I had the privilege of watching all 12 people start the race…and finish the race.  What a blessing, to see the people you have invested in accomplish their goals.  It was sweet.  And it reminded me that even though I didn’t get to cross the finish line myself,  I still got to cross the finish line.  It was an investment well made!

She spent 55 years of her life working with those who have nothing.  And it all began as a young girl who was fervent to be in union with Jesus Christ.  In April of 1942, she wrote, “I made a vow to God, binding under (pain of) mortal sin, to give to God anything that He may ask, ‘Not to refuse Him anything’”.  And that is how she lived…every single day of her life.  The book shares some of Mother Teresa’s greatest joys, and all of her deepest darkness.  She lived for decades with an inner sense that God had left her all alone, and even in the midst of this interior darkness, she still “refused Him nothing.”

From that vow, the Missionaries of Charity was birthed, and today, all over the world, thousands upon thousands of the poorest of the poor have been ministered to and shown the love of Christ…all because one small, tenacious, committed girl from Albania decided she would “refuse Him nothing.”

When I reflect on my own life, and consider all of the times when God was asking something of me, and I had to place stipulations and conditions on my “yes”, it makes me ill that I could be so selfish and proud.  “He who did not spare His own Son…” (Rom 8:32) has really not asked that much of me.  How can I refuse Him anything?

As I looked out on the packed out crowd, I was struck by how different this campus “looked” as compared to how it “looked” just 6 months earlier.  Having spent a fair amount of time with the Campus Pastor and the core group, I walked into the evening figuring I would at least recognize everyone…boy, I was sure wrong!  New faces were all over the auditorium.  Young, old, married, single…and they were excited to be a part of something new in the Lancaster County area.  It was obvious to me that our vision of “reaching people where they are and leading them to full devotion in Jesus Christ” was taken seriously.  It took great steps of faith on the part of a few to make this campus a reality.  Change had to be embraced, and fortunately the few were not content to enjoy what they had, but they were hungry for more…to make a difference for Christ’ sake.

I share all this not just because it is a neat story (which it is), but more importantly, it is a vivid reminder to me that “status quo” living is no way to exist.  “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is fine if you are talking about plumbing fixtures or electrical outlets…but in ministry, if you don’t “fix it”, you are going to get left behind.  Taking risks, embracing change and being innovative keeps leaders fresh, and is motivating to our volunteers.  It isn’t always easy and it you will most likely encounter a bit of opposition, but when the results start showing up, I’m pretty certain you will be glad you gave it a shot.

Course Corrections meant that we were not headed in the right direction.  It meant we would have to expend extra fuel to reach our destination.  It meant we would not arrive on station on time.  It meant that people who were counting on us would have to wait a little longer.  But…it also meant that we were owning up to the mistakes that caused this problem and we were getting ourselves “back on course.”  Ministries are not all that different from naval warships.  At least not from the standpoint of getting “off course”.  Complacency, fatigue, lack of vision, the wrong people in critical positions….all can result in a Ministry veering off course.  When that happens, it becomes imperative that Leadership assess the issue, own the problem, and make the necessary decisions that will bring the Ministry back on track.  Like the warship, it may take some time and lots of extra energy to get the Ministry to its intended destination,  but if the Leadership is willing to accept responsibility and do the right thing, then Ministries can get back to fulfilling their mission…just like that naval war ship.

More importantly though, is our purpose behind this series.  Yep, we are looking forward to Christmas and the birth of Christ.  Yep, we are excited like you are for the post Thanksgiving and pre Christmas fun…interesting isn’t it how everyone seems to be in a better mood this time of year?  I tell you this so that YOU will take advantage of this opportunity and invite those you know who are far from God, or have been disinterested in Him to this series.  What I promise you is that neither you nor your friends will be disappointed.  The messages, the stage design, all of that and more will have a profound impact on everyone who walks through those doors.

The first Sunday we will have The Little Blue Choo visiting with free train rides for all the kids.  And the adults will see a locomotive inside the auditorium unlike anything you have seen before.  All of this intended to point people toward the birth of Jesus Christ!  Mark December 6th, 13th, 20th, and 24th on your calendars.  This week we will be providing flyers and other information for you to hand out to those folks you will invite.  I look forward to seeing you on Sunday.

1. Counsel.  Proverbs 10:21 reminds us that the words of the godly encourage many, but fools are destroyed by their lack of common sense.  Ask a trusted friend for their take on your situation. Don’t let the emotional part destroy you.  A different set of eyes may show you where YOU need to change.
2. Chill.  Proverbs 12:16  makes the obvious distinction between a fool (quick tempered, jumping to conclusions) and the wise person (stays calm when insulted).  Take a deep breath, try to understand the conflict from the other person’s point of view, and don’t let something come out of your mouth that you will regret shortly afterwards.
3. Confess.  “Fools make fun of guilt, but the godly acknowledge it and seek reconciliation.” (Proverbs 14:9). Hey, if you are wrong, man up and seek forgiveness from the one you have wronged. Oh yeah, don’t forget confessing to God as well.  The tension will lift from you like a deep tissue massage!
4. Confront.  This is the toughest part.  Addressing the issue in a gracious yet truthful manner.  Very few people relish this part, but if you don’t  then you aren’t dealing with it. Proverbs 15:23 says that “everyone enjoys a FITTING reply; it is wonderful to say the right thing at the right time.”

Go ahead, do it…you know you want to!

It has been wonderful to get to know such a great group of people.  Everyone is incredibly busy with work, families, church and other community activities, and yet we have covenanted together to train with one another, pray for one another, study the bible with one another, and hold each other accountable for getting to the starting line.  I have seen individual’s confidence soar when they completed a distance they never thought attainable.  I have heard the encouraging words and the applause of members as others finish a run in the pouring rain.  And the lessons that I am learning are lessons not just for the road, but for life.  Here are a couple that I hope motivate you:

“No Train, No Gain.” You can’t just show up and run…and you can’t just show up for life and expect it to be easy or have everything go your way.  We are preparing our minds and bodies to run a half marathon…and we do it one step in front of the other.  We train and teach our bodies to go beyond their mental limits, and test our physical ones. Same in life.  Undisciplined people, those who do not train and live for the race  find themselves incredibly unfulfilled and miserable.

Run Because You “Get To”,  not because you “Have To.” A positive mental outlook does more for a runner than just about anything.  No matter how fit the body is, if the mind is not convinced it can succeed, then the body won’t.  When you “get to” run, running is a privilege.  When you “have to” run, it becomes a chore and an obligation.  Life reflects the same truth.  I think that most of the problems and challenges we face are not cause by circumstances outside of our control, but by a poor, defeatist mentality that smells like “loser”.

Run For The Long Haul. In the end, if all we are doing is running just for one race, then most likely a lot of the bad habits we shed during that training will come back.   Eating right, getting lots of rest, consistent exercise with expanded cardio sessions are all part of the training…but must be maintained even after the race is over.  The Long Haul person sees life the way God directs us to…from a perspective of eternity.  The short haul person easily gives up, sways to pressure or outside influences, and when things get tough, they take their toys and bail out of the sandbox.

Great lessons for running…great lessons for life, eh?

“Passing the word” still takes place today, even in church…but it is accomplished in a number of different ways.  At Team Church, we pass the word via our weekly Chalk Talk and daily through Kenny’s Blog.  If you attend Team Church and are in the dark as to what is going on, go to www.teamchurch.com and sign up for both of these e-news information letters.  In addition, our weekly handouts each Sunday have a huge load of information on what is going on and how you can participate.  Those handouts are meant for you to take home, and get those dates on your calendar.  We “pass the word” to our home teams via email notes to the home team leaders.  They in turn communicate to the people in their teams the information that needs to get out.

In all these different ways in which we “pass the word”, the ultimate responsibility rests with the reader/listener to take in the information and do something with it.   I can’t tell you how many times I have had people inform me that they were not aware of a particular event, and when I asked them if they received any of the above communications listed, they said “yes, but I am too busy to read that…”.  Well, there ya go.  “Passing the word” is only as effective as the one the word is being passed to!  Let me encourage you to get yourself “in the loop” by taking advantage of these information venues.  There are some great things taking place at Team Church…stay informed!

Fact is, if we dig down deep enough, we can see fairly quickly that God is not to blame for our wretched existence, but we are.  When we decide to do our own thing and ignore His biblical principles for wise living, we are ruining our lives by our own foolishness.  So, when the pain of our stupidity becomes unbearable, we then find ourselves in a wonderful place where God can begin His redemptive work…and ministry leaders, who hopefully are living in the realm of redemption and not foolishness, can redirect people TOWARDS God’s best (biblical living) and AWAY from foolishness (selfish living).

So the question for today is this:  “What direction is your life moving in…towards redemption, or towards foolishness?”