If you have been keeping up with the Olympics the past two weeks, you have certainly seen some really great feats of athletics. There have been victories and heartbreaks; gold medal celebrations and silver medal sadness; vows to return and some to retire. It is fascinating to me all of the athletes who talk about their four years of preparation for this single moment in time. Take the 100 meter race for instance: Usain Bolt trained his whole life to run for just 9.63 seconds. Even in the 200 meter, at twice the distance and time, we might call his behavior over the last four years as insane. Let just speculate a little: even if he just trained a normal 8 hour day for six days a week (taking the Lord ’s Day off), he trains 172,800 seconds a week just on a run that takes less than 10 seconds. Obsession…I think so. We could calculate this out for all of our Olympic hopefuls and we would come up with much the same story for all the athletes and how they train. What is it like to come in second? To be just off the pace enough to be what many would call the first looser? I watched a short segment on the NBC coverage of the Games and to me it was a bit disturbing. When asked of the Silver placed winners how they felt to take second place, many responded with how awful they felt and disappointed of themselves they were. Then they brought in the Bronze medal winners and their attitudes were totally different. They were very thankful for the chance to be on the podium and represent their country at the Olympic Games. All that training and sacrifice and it come down to three individuals on the podium receiving medals; I would think that the athletes would just be happy they get to take home anything. With so many athletes competing for just those three medals, I sometimes wonder why they do what they do. Is it for the chance to stand on top of that podium and hear your National Anthem, or is there something more. There are more than 10,000 athletes competing more than 300 different events (about 900 medals given out). It has to be more than just winning medals. All this talk about the Olympic Games, takes me to the Hebrew analogy of our Christian walk: “Run with endurance the race marked out before you.” The word there used for endurance means patiently and consistently keep going. I found a little encouragement in the Silver medalist words that their race wasn’t good enough, and they will keep training until that Gold medal is around their neck. Paul is quick to remind us of how important it is to run the race well: 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 Cor. 9: 24). Many people get caught up in the Olympic spirit so much that when it is all over, they will experience a sort of post-Olympic depression. Much of the reason is there is nothing left on the television, but much of it is that we forget we are all in a race. God has marked out the race before us. Are we going to run the race worthy of the prize? Or are we just going to sit on the couch and watch the others run their races? Paul uses this language in many different places, and never states that resting is an option. Keep going, never letting your guard down and run your race.

As we go along in our busy lives worrying about the world’s problems and how we are going to make it through this latest heat wave, we may often forget about the need for reaching out to others in their times of need. In most churches across the country, there are members who for one reason or another cannot get to worship service on a regular basis. We try to include them in many ways. For example, CD ministries, TV/ radio programs, phone calls and the list can go on. I believe all of these ways to stay attached are important and not to be forgotten, but nothing seems to work better than the face to face visit with those who need to feel attached to the body of Christ. I know it is easy to forget about those who don’t make it out to our worship services. As I go about my days, it is not always a priority to me to see those that are shut in and unable to get out on a regular basis. There is always a great reward for me when I visit the needed, whoever that may be. I am reminded of Jesus’ emphasis of this in Matthew 25, "For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me." They also will answer, "Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?” He will reply, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me." I hear good things from our North Grove family about visiting. There are many in the family who get out on a regular basis and make it a point to visit, shop, or bring a meal for those who are in need in our family. There are a number of things we can do, not just the above listed, and I think we do an okay job of keeping connected. What we have looked at as the elders and myself is we need to be more deliberate in our approach to taking care of needs. It seems to be easy to give money to something and hope that someone else will do the work, but money is only part of the process. We need to get involved on a personal level. Paul tells us in Romans 12 to rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn. In other words, get involved! There are many of us who have the gifts of mercy and hospitality who enjoy going to visit, talk or even just listen to those who need to feel attached to the body of Christ. I urge you to pray about this. I have given a bit of information on this issue and two people have come forward to express interest in participating in this type of ministry. Is God calling you to be a helper? Let me know as I continue to pray.

“But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.” Luke 8:15 God can instantly do many things for us, but most often, the work of God involves waiting, patience, perseverance, and a span of time. It’s a lot like physical conditioning. We all want a magic pill or some belt to wear while sleeping, when in fact, it actually takes time, perspiration, and intentionality. There are no shortcuts or drive-thru lines with God or for our mid-life bellies. We have to put in the time. Since entering my 40s, I am paying more attention to my health. I exercise five days a week. Most days, I do not feel overly motivated or excited about the putting time in doing the exercise experience whether at the gym or at home, but out of discipline, I put in the time. I know that if I eat less fried food and more green and orange stuff, I will feel better and live longer. Day by day, week by week, over the course of time, I feel the benefits, though not always instantly. As Americans, we tend to lean toward the instant, just-add-water methods of health. We want our fitness like we want our food - packaged and ready right now. In fact, most of us would probably starve to death if our driver's-side window ever broke. We worship microwaves, but God tends to lean toward marinades. It is only in the last 50 years that Americans have lost touch with this idea. Our ancestors understood the process of food production and were less bothered when a restaurant actually cooked the food after it was ordered instead of retrieving it from a rack under a heat lamp. Waiting was not seen as a curse; instead, the chasm of time actually allowed people to relax and talk while others cooked and served. It was a treat to get a reprieve from kitchen duty. The crop Jesus mentioned in the above verse came only after someone had plowed the soil, planted seed, waited patiently for the rain, diligently pulled the weeds, and then was willing to wait patiently for germination. Waiting on the unseen takes faith, and that is exactly why God does not always give us the answer in an instant. He wants us to put in the time and then trust Him when His work is seemingly invisible. We must allow due time and space for worship, working, and unhurried conversations with those we love. The way to the harvest is most often in a waiting room and less often on a freeway. I cannot guarantee flat bellies for everyone, but I can guarantee that God is always faithful, especially to people who are willing to persevere. As we have been going through the faithful in Hebrews, I think it is wise that we take time to notice just how long some things can take, but in Gods’ time, He works all things together for good for those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.