March 22, 2010

Spritual Prep

We all have friends who are in the middle of really tough events.  I have a friend who’s wife had a stroke and the road back is really hard.  It is not only hard on the person who suffered the illness, also on the family who becomes the care givers as well.  He was talking about how I had been a help to him as I checked in every once in a while.  He was thanking me–now get this.  Through this event, he has written some of the most encouraging prayers and use of scripture I have ever listened to from another person.  His heart and soul he has poured out to the Lord by email and I have had the privilege to hear his thoughts.  He has been such an encouragement to me and he is thanking me–no–I am grateful to him.  Bill and Sue Hansing are truly people of courage.  Sue is fighting hard to strengthen and regain control of her body and Bill has been there to help and respond as best he can and certainly in faithful prayer.  One of the definitions of courage I found in an on-line dictionary was, “a quality of mind and spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc without fear and to act in accordance to ones belief”.  It says nothing about that being pretty, nice or easy.  But it does say “to act in accordance to ones belief”.  We see courage portrayed on TV and begin to expect others to just have it and yet if we look at ourselves we probably find instances where we crumble when it is really time to stand firm.  In 1 Cor 16:13-14,  Paul writes to the Corinthians to “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.  Do everything in love.”    I know from what I read when Bill shares his thoughts, he loves Sue because of what he does for her.  Love is an act just like courage, and most of the time when we display courage, it is because of something we love.  Bill is one of my hero’s!

Training Prep

Cold is not any worse so ran tonight.  Raining here in Salt Lake so did 40 minutes at a 10.5 min mile pace on the hotel treadmill.  A lot of sweat, hope the cold come out.   Tomorrow I head to Indianapolis and tomorrow night, the long bike ride.

Get your courage up and go put a couple of more pennies by your name.  I’m not that fast,  you don’t have anything to worry about.