Running the Race, Part 2

      Last week I used the analogy of our support raising journey being like "running a marathon with no mile markers and no finish line in sight" and was reminded in scripture about our need for endurance.  Well, it's been a long time since Michelle or I did any type of long distance running, but we have family members training for various races and marathons and I think that's what brought the analogy to mind. 

     This week of course, with the terrible events that took place in Boston, the mention of marathons is every where you turn and it has made me think about my analogy on a whole new level.  We all have a race set before us and none of us knows for sure where the course will take us or when the race called life will end.  Hebrews 12:3 goes on to encourage us, "For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." I have to admit, there are plenty of times that Michelle and I have felt weary and been tempted to lose heart, and this week with some new challenges has been like that for us in many ways.  But we only get one shot at this race, and to borrow from another passage, " Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize ? Run in such a way that you may win" (I Cor. 9:24).

     We're all going to come to the end of our "race" one day.  The question is, are we going to run it to win it? So as we covet your prayers in our journey, we pray for you as well.  Let this week's tragedies be another reminder that this life on earth is just a vapor and to make this life count.  Love people like Jesus loves us.  Love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. Let's be about His business.  


"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us" Hebrews 12:1

Here are some ways you can pray for us this week:  

• I won't go into too much detail until we know more but we found out that ICC, our pre-field training course we are required to attend, is full and won't have any spots available for us in July.  The next ICC course is not until January and the thought of being delayed until then is one of the things that causes us to grow weary and lose heart!  Waiting until January is just one of several options we have right now, however, and we need your prayers for God to show us what He's wanting to do through this situation.  We selfishly long to be able to make some type of "next step" soon. 

• With our timeline even more fluid than before, we'll have to decide soon the best option for Karis to begin school in the fall.  Again, pray for God's wisdom.

• In the meantime, we are going to continue to pray and share and invite people to join with us in what God's doing to reach the French.  Pray that God will stir people's heart to join Him and that He would lead us to these people.