Sundays are contemplative days for me. Contemplative, or perhaps lazy, but regardless of semantics, I mull the day and week ahead with minimal physical exertion. My pastors at church help create this reflective, Sunday state which is fortunate, as by the weekend I desperately need practical wisdom, motivation, and spiritual insight.
Today was no different. Ryan is an outgoing, friendly, pleasant person. An American Idol judge would describe him as "relevant," someone who has a good feel for our current culture. If you invited friends to relax around a fire-pit you would want him to be a part of the gathering. I expect Ryan can keep everyone entertained until the wee morning hours with his jokes and personal life experiences. Fortunately for me Ryan was called to be a minister. Ryan presented a high school picture of himself in full football gear; a spindly 145 pound lightweight whose pads seemed to weigh more than the guy carrying them. He shared his history as a player on the Lake View team. Ryan carefully outlined the importance of the 11 offensive starter positions (he was none of these) then described the importance and value of the 11 defensive positions (he also was none of these). Finally he shared that throughout his high school career he was simply a back-up. The one time he would see action was as part of the kick-off coverage. At this time he would jog out,take his position, and run as fast as possible down-field in an effort to tackle the receiver. All the while, an incredibly jubilant, enthusiastic Coach Thompson would be jumping and yelling from the sidelines, "Go Ryan go! Faster, you can do it...way to go!" This coach imparted to him the belief that his "gift" as a back-up starter and special teams player was as much an asset to the team as any one of the 22 starting positions. Coach Thompson's exuberant cheers made Ryan believe that if he was not there fulfilling his back-up role, the game's outcome could be entirely different. This instilled within Ryan a belief of his inherent worth and value to the team. Ryan emphasized that each one of us has gifts even if we don't fully recognize them. Ryan believes the manner Coach Thompson cheered consistently for him is similar to the way God cheers for each one of us...whether you are changing baby diapers, volunteering at school, caring for a friend, or doing "handy-man" tasks for an elderly neighbor you are sharing your gifts and those gifts are of significant value to a much greater plan.
My brother-in-law sent us a cell-phone video of my sister completing her first marathon yesterday in Richmond, Virginia. In the video you can hear Beau yelling, "Go Shannon go..you can do it!" She accomplished her "bucket-list" goal of completing a marathon before her 40th birthday. It wasn't easy between two preschool-aged children, work, and her husband's demanding career but she did it. Like most things in her life she accomplished her goal quietly, humbly and will return to her work tomorrow. Her value however is not in completing the marathon, her value is in doing what she has always done, as a dear friend and "older" sister (all 15 months!:) sharing her gifts as a skilled physical therapist, educator, mom and wife to fulfill a much greater plan. Shannon might not have been completely confident she could complete the run, Pastor Ryan was not completely confident he could tackle the receiver, I am not always confident in new tasks and ventures, but sharing gifts, even those gifts not fully developed, always includes a bit of risk. To try our hand at something new, like a marathon or installing a mailbox (kudos to my husband), even when we are not 100% certain we can do it, is utilizing and developing our gifts. Those gifts and talents grow as you hear the support and enthusiasm of a coach, friend or spouse saying, "You can do it!"
For running reference, Shannon trained following the Galloway method which adds brief walk intervals over the course of the marathon. There are elite marathoners running in the 3 hour range following this run/walk method. One of the benefits is less muscle soreness. As a beginner her goal was to average 11:30 per mile which she did completing the race in 5 hours! This link details the Galloway method. You can do it!
http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/walk_breaks.html
Today was no different. Ryan is an outgoing, friendly, pleasant person. An American Idol judge would describe him as "relevant," someone who has a good feel for our current culture. If you invited friends to relax around a fire-pit you would want him to be a part of the gathering. I expect Ryan can keep everyone entertained until the wee morning hours with his jokes and personal life experiences. Fortunately for me Ryan was called to be a minister. Ryan presented a high school picture of himself in full football gear; a spindly 145 pound lightweight whose pads seemed to weigh more than the guy carrying them. He shared his history as a player on the Lake View team. Ryan carefully outlined the importance of the 11 offensive starter positions (he was none of these) then described the importance and value of the 11 defensive positions (he also was none of these). Finally he shared that throughout his high school career he was simply a back-up. The one time he would see action was as part of the kick-off coverage. At this time he would jog out,take his position, and run as fast as possible down-field in an effort to tackle the receiver. All the while, an incredibly jubilant, enthusiastic Coach Thompson would be jumping and yelling from the sidelines, "Go Ryan go! Faster, you can do it...way to go!" This coach imparted to him the belief that his "gift" as a back-up starter and special teams player was as much an asset to the team as any one of the 22 starting positions. Coach Thompson's exuberant cheers made Ryan believe that if he was not there fulfilling his back-up role, the game's outcome could be entirely different. This instilled within Ryan a belief of his inherent worth and value to the team. Ryan emphasized that each one of us has gifts even if we don't fully recognize them. Ryan believes the manner Coach Thompson cheered consistently for him is similar to the way God cheers for each one of us...whether you are changing baby diapers, volunteering at school, caring for a friend, or doing "handy-man" tasks for an elderly neighbor you are sharing your gifts and those gifts are of significant value to a much greater plan.
My brother-in-law sent us a cell-phone video of my sister completing her first marathon yesterday in Richmond, Virginia. In the video you can hear Beau yelling, "Go Shannon go..you can do it!" She accomplished her "bucket-list" goal of completing a marathon before her 40th birthday. It wasn't easy between two preschool-aged children, work, and her husband's demanding career but she did it. Like most things in her life she accomplished her goal quietly, humbly and will return to her work tomorrow. Her value however is not in completing the marathon, her value is in doing what she has always done, as a dear friend and "older" sister (all 15 months!:) sharing her gifts as a skilled physical therapist, educator, mom and wife to fulfill a much greater plan. Shannon might not have been completely confident she could complete the run, Pastor Ryan was not completely confident he could tackle the receiver, I am not always confident in new tasks and ventures, but sharing gifts, even those gifts not fully developed, always includes a bit of risk. To try our hand at something new, like a marathon or installing a mailbox (kudos to my husband), even when we are not 100% certain we can do it, is utilizing and developing our gifts. Those gifts and talents grow as you hear the support and enthusiasm of a coach, friend or spouse saying, "You can do it!"
For running reference, Shannon trained following the Galloway method which adds brief walk intervals over the course of the marathon. There are elite marathoners running in the 3 hour range following this run/walk method. One of the benefits is less muscle soreness. As a beginner her goal was to average 11:30 per mile which she did completing the race in 5 hours! This link details the Galloway method. You can do it!
http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/walk_breaks.html
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