Several weeks ago I actually dialed a phone number and used my credit card to sign up for a triathlon - On Purpose! - Just for the experience. Swim, then bike, then run! As I rolled up my sleeve and revealed my lily-white arm, the event official used a permanent marker to identify me in bold as ... Read More
When First Gear Fails – Step 3 Trusting in God in All Things
Early this morning I received a call from a friend for support in recovery. When I hung up I knew that this was not going to be an easy day in her recovery. It would be a day of physical withdrawal. I was fill with the feelings of, “If only there were something I could do so that her day might not ... Read More
“Hey Coach!” “Who Me?” – Giving Support
Ethan, age 7, is very excited about the upcoming junior basketball season. His mother (my daughter) spent her growing up years dancing, not playing basketball like all her other siblings. Last week she walked out into the yard to check on Ethan and see if he was playing with friends or what. He was ... Read More
The “Standing Long Jump” – A Contradiction In Terms? – Step 2
Recess at my elementary school meant swinging around and around on the monkey bars until you were sick, which I never experienced, because I couldn’t get up enough momentum to swing. It meant standing or running around the inside a large circle painted on the playground with lots of other little ... Read More
Coming Down The Mountain – Part 6 Final Chapter
As the snow on the path started to become more sparse and there were just little patches here and there, he stuck with me. One time, feeling a little independent, I let go, only to fall right down on the path. When you think you can “go it alone now, thank you very much,” you usually fall right down ... Read More
Coming Down The Mountain – Part 5
As we left the shed and started to descend the trail, I was feeling very frightened. As I looked down the trail we had come up and thought of the steep inclines and slippery snow, I could imagine how I would keep from falling and possibly being seriously hurt. How could we ever make it down? Back ... Read More
Coming Down The Mountain – Part 4
Despite the added strain of walking on slippery packed snow, we kept going. We kept hoping the sun would grow warm enough to melt the snow. We kept hoping that each one of numberless bends in the trail would be the last before the lake. Hours passed. My legs were so shaky, by this time, I could ... Read More
Coming Down The Mountain – Part 3
About half way to the summit, there is a beautiful spot where most people pause to rest. It’s appropriately called “Emerald Lake.” Well, we weren’t even half way to the lake, when we found the trail covered with snow. I hadn’t expected snow and neither had any of the people who advised me that my ... Read More