WEDNESDAY. VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL 2006. Wednesdays can seem like the toughest day during a VBS week. The staff is wearing down. The kids are a little tired from the two great days that came before. The newness has worn off and Friday seems so far away. That’s the way it is at 9:00am, but by noon things are quite different!
By noontime on Wednesday the kids are fired up! The staff is saddened by the fact that it will soon be over! Yet, we are thrilled for the news is out: so far 105 kids have stated a desire to follow Jesus Christ, some for the first time, others to “begin again!” But whatever the reason, that’s GREAT news! There’s more news: as of Wednesday the kids have raised almost $1,000.00! That’s lots of coins to roll, just ask our faithful penny-counters. This year’s project is the Ugandan orphanage run by the Dangers. The money we raise will be used to purchase shoes, textbooks, and mosquito netting.
For whatever Wednesday Hump Day is, it is certainly not a slump day. The music rocks! The Story Lady tells the good news about Jesus’ birth. The drama team communicates the excitement of gospel truth. The snacks bring smiles to children’s face and fill their tummies. The crafts inspire. The mission challenge raises the kids’ compassion. And the games bring shouts of joy! Oh that every Wednesday was like this Wednesday!
Oh, that every week was a VBS week!

SUMMER IS A TIME FOR TRAVELING. For some the purpose of traveling is to reach a certain destination, for others the purpose is wrapped up in the journey itself. I guess I fall more in the category of the guy who desires to arrive at the destination, unpack, and kick back. Though, if truth were known, more and more I am learning to enjoy the journey. I am learning that in regards to my life as a follower of Jesus Christ as well.
For too long I thought that “being saved” was all about “getting to heaven.” But I am beginning to understand that the journey is as important as the destination. The redeemed life is a life called to live in the here and now. God made this life, and apart from sin, I believe His creation is still good. God created us for physical life, a life to be lived out in its fullness. It is on this journey that we experience the grace and mercy of the Lord. It is on this journey that we experience the goodness and faithfulness of our God. It is on this journey that we are conformed to the image of Christ.
How are you traveling? Are you one that is so set on reaching the destination that you fail to enjoy the process of getting where you’re going? Are you constantly asking the question, “Are we there yet?” and thus miss the beauty and variety of the journey? Then maybe it’s time to back off on the gas, roll down the window and enjoy the drive. Sure, there are some bumps in the road, and bugs on the windshield, and maybe even a flat tire along the way, but in those more difficult parts of the journey we can experience a growing relationship with God and with our other traveling companions.
Are we there yet? Nope! But we’re closer than when we started.

SOMETIMES YOU RUN, SOMETIMES YOU walk, but the key is keeping yourself moving forward. This past Monday I practiced that truth one more time. My plan was to head out for what I refer to as my “long run” of the week. A run whose purpose is to cover a longer distance, say nine miles, but at a slower pace so that I can finish. There are other days for shorter, faster runs, but not on the long day.
Well, all things started well until I realized that the course I had planned for the day took me up Pipeline Road in Henry Cowell State Park (did I mention UP). Needless to say, my run turned into a walk. This unplanned walking discouraged me, but at least I was still moving forward. Soon I was at the top and things leveled out. I thought “Great! Soon I’ll be going downhill.” Let me tell you going downhill is no easy walk in the park. Finally I was back on “level” ground and worked to get back in my regular cadence. Sadly, I was still moving slower than I liked because of the energy expended on the hills.
There are lots of lessons a guy can learn on these longs runs, but the one that grabbed me this time was the joy of forward momentum. Too often I get discouraged when things are not taking place as fast I was would desire. I can beat myself up, or even start the trashy thinking of “why even try?” Rather, I need to rejoice and rest in the knowledge that at least I am upright, breathing, and moving forward.
This holds true for our life as followers of Jesus Christ. Sometimes we feel the wind rushing by as we run in the pursuit of the goal, and other times the only wind we hear is our own gasping for breath. My solution in those “gasping times:” slow down, breath deep of the Spirit, and keep your eyes firmly focused upon the One who has finished the race for you.
And keep moving forward.

I JUST “INHERITED” MY DAUGHTER’S MOUNTAIN BIKE. Krista is heading off to Burkina Faso in West Africa to serve with the Peace Corps and she left her bike in my care. Yes, it’s a “girl’s bike,” but my self-image is intact enough to handle that; what I found was more difficult was the physical aspect of riding it.
As I find myself back on my regular running schedule, I thought that riding her bike would be good cross-training for me. Since I can plod over eight miles of trails, I surmised hopping on the bike should be no problem. Wrong! Even though I lace up my running shoes and hit the roads three days a week, I quickly found out that riding a bike takes a whole different set of muscles. All this goes to prove you have to work outside your comfort zone if you’re going to truly get a well-rounded workout.
What is true for my physical body is also true for my spirit. Like many people, I find something I am comfortable with and just keep doing it. It may provide “benefits”, but when I fail to move outside my comfort zone I risk not exercising the whole of my spirit. It may mean that instead of praying for 15 minutes in the morning, we spend 30. Or instead of just reading a few verses of Scripture we tackle a more serious Bible study. Or instead of heading out for a nice Sunday brunch after the worship service, we join a Sunday school class. It may mean serving in places that stretch us, like in Sunday school or Vacation Bible School, or at the Santa Cruz Rescue Mission. It may be as simple as sitting on the other side of the sanctuary on Sunday morning. (Yikes!) Whatever it is, stretching ourselves, trying something new, can be painful at first, but the benefits can be well worth it. The amazing thing is that the next time it’s easier, too.
Care to go for a ride?