Who would have believed that it would be possible for the chubby preacher to have finished running the Music City Half Marathon (2008)? I can tell you the truth…it wasn’t easy. For months I’ve gotten up at 5:30 A.M.to run with my training partners. At the beginning of our training, I was energized with the prospect of this milestone in my life. However, as time grew closer to the event, I began to experience mental fatigue. I simply was tired of training on weekdays and the longer runs on the weekends. To be honest, I was starting to experience amateur athletic burnout.
Still, when I crossed the finish line it was all worth it. All along the route people I didn’t even know were encouraging me and cheering for me. In the midst of the physical fatigue, I was encouraged by folks offering me a cool glass of water for the journey. Now, my intention of running this race from the very beginning was not to set any speed records. I simply wanted to FINISH (2 Hours/53 Minutes)…and I did! But, it was not by my own accomplishments. You see, there were my running partners and many others supporting my efforts…helping me along the way.
Likewise, I believe in the midst of our spiritual walks with God, we often encounter Spiritual Fatigue. At first, when we become new Christians, we are excited, but as the years pass and life happens, we seem to lose our focus. We simply cannot make this journey alone. We need partners in the faith to encourage us and we need folks to give us the “cool” drink of water that we have been longing for in our lives. I know that the best running partner of life we could ever have is Jesus the Christ. Moreover, he is walking right beside us in all our journeys. There are people at Columbia First United Methodist Church who want to be on your team and who want to partner with you in the Faith.
It is my privilege to be your Pastor.
Scott
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