One thing we can know about God is that He loves unity.  He cares about working in unity with all those members of the Trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  He also asked us to be one with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Similarly He made it so when one does get married, they become one flesh.  Teamwork and unity are very fundamental.  

In my novel, I have been reading about praying for missionaries, there was a section about praying for missionaries to work as a team and in unity with one another. It is of great importance, especially for the missionaries to avoid burnout and to really tell others about Jesus. A quote from the book , “Praying for Your Missionary” by Eddie Byun highlighting unity is, “God and Satan know the power of a united group, a united church.  This is why the enemy seeks to divide us.  A divided church in the devil’s playground.”  (pg.  83).

When we act like a team, we can get a lot accomplished and a lot of work done for the Lord.  When we are working against one  another, we will go down in progress overall.  I remember the times in middle school and high school when I didn’t completely love the girls on my volleyball team.  I often felt they were mean to me at times.  Because of this, sometimes I was secretly happy when they made a mistake or they didn’t have a good game.  This didn’t help the volleyball team I was on to win. 

I have had the opportunity to work as a coach to cross country for many different years.  I did two years while I was working as a teacher and so far three years in the Cedar Falls area. I have loved the opportunity to get to know these teams and work with them.  I love when I get the chance to run with them or when I get to cheer them on at cross country meets.  It has been such a big blessing in my life. 

I have always been very inspired by my cross country teams who work together as a team.  I will never forget when I was in my second year of coaching.  Our girls cross country team was having a great year.  They were winning meets and were now seeing a possibility of making state as a team.   I was really proud of this team.  They never became selfish.  There were clearly the best runners and then there were others who struggled a bit more.  There were individuals who had meets where they didn’t run as fast as they would have liked.  However, they never blamed anyone else for a race going badly.  They also as a team never got filled with pride for their own individual performances.  

 However, there were many other good teams out there.  The girls had to work hard and they had to work together if they wanted to fulfill this dream of making state.  I was driving the van one day when I heard them discussing strategy to do the best they could on the way to the district meet.  They did this all on their own, without any prompting.  They weren’t told to do this by their head coach or by me.  They were just being competitive on their own and were trying to figure out how to work as a team and win.  While they didn’t win this meet overall, the work they did was enough for them to make it to state through their second place finish. 

There are verses about working as a team and unity is Psalm 133:1 which says, “How good it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.”  It is good for us to be together.   It is wonderful to work together and achieve success, both in this world and in the work for the Lord. 

The challenge for the week is to spend time thinking about your particular teams.  What teams are you a part of?  Are you in a sport or coaching a sport?  Are you in a work team?  Are you a part of a small group?  If you are, do you feel as though you are a part of the union?  When you are in this group, even if it is a hobby, do you feel like you are a part of the group or do you feel like you are separated from the unity?  

The second challenge is that if you are not a part of a group, I would highly recommend becoming a part of a group for your friends or from your church and working as a team.  This overall just gives you more of the picture of the trinity and what God had planned for your life and for the lives of all believers.

A few weeks ago, Cole and I celebrated our first anniversary!! It was so nice to spend the day together.  We were able to eat the cake we saved from the wedding day.  It was still pretty good.  We also went to church together, had lunch at a Mexican restaurant, played some pickleball, and made a steak dinner.

This has been such a year.  We have traveled to Houston for a Pokemon tournament, took kids to Atlanta for a school trip, moved back to Cedar Falls, celebrated at friends and families weddings, and learned a lot about each other. We have learned a lot about how to be good partners to each other. I especially have learned a lot throughout this year. I have personally never been a very patient person, but with this relationship and living with someone else, I have had to learn to be more patient.  

Another thing I have been learning is how to not be an individual person or alone all the time.  I have to remember I am a part of a team.  I am now joined with my husband, and we make decisions and do things together.  We talk about finances, exercise, and time schedules.  It can be hard sometimes to not just do the things you want to do automatically without talking about things first, but just because we aren’t doing things the way I would usually do on my own, doesn’t mean it is wrong or not the right way to do something.  

There are a few times throughout the Bible when the Lord reminds his people to become one flesh as opposed to being two individuals.  This is stated in Mark 10:6-9 which says, “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”  When a married couple really truly trusts God and gets to know each other so well, they will not be separated.  This is because they will be one team and one group who will stay together through thick and thin. 

Cole and I have also done something to celebrate our anniversary in a really exciting way.  We decided to get our girl Coco!! She is our new Cavapoo puppy, only 9 weeks old.  She is very small and very sweet, (for the most part) 🙂 She does enjoy biting everything. She also can’t be alone for a second, otherwise the whines will start.  However, besides these few hiccups, she is a very good girl and she has our heart.  

Puppies are a lot of work.  They seem to want to chew everything, even when it is dangerous to them.  They also, of course, need food and water to survive.  They need to be taken outside, so they don’t use the restroom inside the house. Because of this work, Cole and I have been learning new ways to be good partners with this puppy in our lives.  

Cole and I have learned more responsibility in the last few weeks.  We have had to rearrange our schedules a bit so we could plan when to take her out, make sure she eats and drinks, and that she has time to be out and about and play as well as get exercise.  We have to make sure we are taking care of another being who is dependent on us.  I have loved how this has brought up a new partnership in Cole and I.  We have been good about taking turns on who takes Coco out.  We take turns on cleaning up after her if there is a mistake made.  We also are good about communicating on who took her out and when she was fed, etc.  We can definitely continue to grow through this partnership and responsibility, but it has been very pleasant so far. 

The challenge of this week is a few different things.  If you are married, I hope you can find a way to make your spouse happy.  Let him or her know they are appreciated for things they do.  Maybe make their favorite meal or find a different way to serve them.  Maybe buy them a gift to let them know you were thinking of them.  Find any way you can to make sure they feel appreciated.  If you are not married, my challenge for you this week is to find a different person in your life to show appreciation to.  This could be your friend or your coworker.  This could even be a person who you struggle to love on a regular basis. We were called to love all, even those who make it difficult to. 

Recently I had the honor of getting to help be a 1 on 1 mentor to a young girl in my church for a few weeks.  She was 7 years old, and she was going to go into 2nd grade. She had Jesus in her heart and she wanted to learn more about Him.  

This was such a wonderful experience! For three weeks I met with her and talked through questions about Jesus and heard her answers on all that God has done for her. One question I asked her in this last session was, “Do you ever find it hard to believe in Jesus or to trust His plan?”  She paused and really considered my question for a few seconds.  She then said in response, (roughly-I didn’t get her exact quote) “No. I believe God knows what is going to happen.”

I was really taken aback.  I was taken aback because it seemed as though I was learning more from this seven year old than this seven year old was learning from me. I can not say I believe God is completely in control all the time.  I wish I could believe He has complete control. I was almost jealous when she said this.  While in my head I instantly tried to make myself feel better by thinking, “Well..she just says this because she hasn’t experienced any pain where, of course, her faith would be questioned.”  

However, I then remember what the Lord has always told us.  We were told to keep this child-like faith.  We were told to be like children and to have faith and a strong belief like children.  This is because it is unyielding.  This seven year old student told me about other kids being mean to her.  This is a big deal when you are seven.  It doesn’t make sense why some kids decided to not be nice to you, especially when you have been taught to be nice to everyone.  Yet, she can still believe in God and that He is good all the time and has a plan.  This is a good belief and faith.  She didn’t let those issues get in the way.  

I am in a lot of stress at the moment.  I have a lot of concerns and struggles.  I know I am not the only one, and I know there are many who are actually going through a lot worse.  It can be very hard to truly believe God has the best plan.  Sometimes I feel as though He has forgotten about me completely.  I know He isn’t in the very inner part of my heart and my mind, but yet there are times I wonder why we are going through certain moments. 

However, I then have a moment with this young girl from church and I remember to have faith in God.  She has a great faith in God and believes He wants the best for her, so I should also have this same belief and faith.  I signed up to be a guide and a light in this girl’s life, and here she was, showing me more of the way to believe in Christ.  

There are many verses about the Lord’s Plan.  The most highlighted is Jeremiah 29:11 which says, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”  The Lord has a plan for all of us, even when it doesn’t feel there is any rhyme or reason for a certain plan, even when it feels as though the plot has been completely lost. 

The challenge for this week may be different for all of you reading.  Some of you may be reading and will also be in a rough spot and are hoping God can help see you through this difficult time.   There may be some of you reading not understanding why you are going through certain things.  Why is the Lord letting me experience this? What am I supposed to learn from this moment in time?

Then there are others who are going to be reading who may feel really happy and are not having any issues whatsoever when it comes to feeling far away from God and from His plans. This may be a time in your life where you really do feel as though you are close to God and want to continue to develop this closeness.

I just completed my third RAGBRAI. RAGBRAI again stands for Registers (as in Des Moines Register) annual great bike ride across Iowa. It was really fun, even when there were really hard moments in there as well.  I decided to do it alone this year, meaning I didn’t initially know anyone riding along beside me. In my first year, I knew a girl named Emily from my church growing up.  We shared a tent, and we rode together throughout the days, talking and making our stops together.  Then last year, Cole and I did it together.  There were a few days, such as when he rode with his guys for his bachelor party where I rode alone, but the majority of the time we did all the riding and taking breaks together.  

This year, I did join a team charter to help haul my suitcases as well as a group to camp with.  I joined the team knowing no one, but was able to gain a lot of experiences and meet a lot of new people. For one thing, I can now set up and tear down a tent by myself! I know that sounds like a little thing, but I didn’t camp much growing up, so I never really gained those skills before this week.  I also really learned to make some friends and acquaintances along the ride and with my team. As an only child, I have never really been afraid of doing things on my own, and meeting new people, but this was on a big new scale.  

One thing I always love about RAGBRAI is the joy of community and of humanity in general.  Yes, there are times you find someone who doesn’t enjoy having us bikers in their town, but so many people you meet along the route are so excited to see us bikers and are cheering us on, offering us beverages or snacks, having signs of encouragement, etc.  This is the biggest when entering the town where we end.  There were so many people out on the streets cheering, and video taping and offering treats and drinks.  I heard one guy say to his friend on the phone, “This is so cool!” This made me smile.  It is so cool to have thousands of people enjoy a week of biking and to have another thousands of people cheering those very bikers on.  

This is joy in humanity.  This is the joy in seeing other people’s successes and adventures.  This is joy in spending countless days with other people who have the same hobby as you.  This is joy in being outside in the heat, in the wind, and with the bugs and still finding ways to have patience and love for the same sport.  I love this joy of humanity, of people, about RAGBRAI.  It is in part, why I keep coming back year after year. 

There are also so many people showing hospitality.  There are so many churches who make meals for these riders, spending countless hours on  these meals for all the riders.  Then there were also those who were giving out water and lemonade on the side of the road.  While I didn’t use this in the past year, I know many people offer up their homes either for showers and restrooms or for full on staying over to these runners. 

Hebrews 13:1-2 says, “Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing so some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”  This is a reminder of how we should show hospitality to everyone.  Everyone was designed and created by God and because they were created and made by God, we need to pretend we are honoring and loving God when we are around people.

The challenge for this week is to spend time finding joy in humanity.  This could be doing any hobbies many people love and getting to spend this time with others.  This could be going out for a long conversation with those who are around you.  This could even be starting a new conversation with someone new at a restaurant or in the grocery store line.  I bring up these everyday examples because it is hard to do these things in the everyday.  When we are just going about our chores, it is hard to stop and admire the people around us.  

This is not always easy.  It can be important to spend time in prayer to God for us to learn to love people.  It can take prayer and persistence to have more patience and respect for the people we encounter daily.  Sometimes we have to spend time in prayer to have eyes the Lord has for His people. 

I have been starting a new book for my quiet times. This book is called, “Jesus,” by Max Lucado.  This book has been a good reminder of all who Jesus is.  Even though we as Christians can often believe we know who Jesus is, it is good to be reminded about all the Characteristics God has and all the things He has done for us. 

One big reminder is that Jesus is the vine.  We as His followers are his branches. This is stated in John 15.  John 15 describes this whole scene of us as followers being connected and linked to Jesus via this Spiritual vine. One of the best verses from this chapter is John 15:5 which says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”  

I have always known this verse fairly well.  However, one thing I really enjoyed was reading Max Lucado’s take on this passage.  This is what He said in his book. “We Christians tend to miss this. We banter about pledges to ‘change the world,’ ‘make a difference for Christ,’ ‘lead people to the Lord.’  Yet these are by-products of the Christ-focused life. Our goal is not to bear fruit.  Our goal is to stay attached.”  (pg. 90).  I love this because it simplifies our goal.  Our goal is to stay attached to the vine. 

It can be a good thing to make goals and to try to grow closer to God.  However, the only way we are going to do this is through spending time with Christ and staying attached to Him. This is spending time in prayer with God.  This is spending time in God’s Word and understanding what the words truly mean for our lives.   This is also spending time meditating on certain parts of the Bible, so we can have a piece of the Bible memorized for our future.  We can read the Bible, but understanding and meditating on the Bible is really what would help us better live like Christ. 

I think it can be easy to try to go about things on our own.  We can believe we are the ones who are completely in charge.  This is what the world tells us anyway.  They tell us, we can do anything if we set our minds to it or if we just believe in ourselves.  However, we can also know it isn’t that simple.  There are certain things we are not called to do.  There are plans God has for us, and these things He has planned for us are the things we are going to achieve.  How will we know which plans are the ones God has given us?  We will know when we get closer to the Lord. We will know when we spend more time being dependent on the vine. 

If I am honest, the way I sometimes am disconnected from the vine is through my work.  My work is working with those who are low income in Waterloo. I love this opportunity to serve these families in my community.  However, sometimes when the job gets hard, or when I am discouraged by the work, I just try to tune into myself.  I try to find ways to do the job better all on my own.  This is definitely a situation where I can depend on God to help me in my work and to help the families I serve to really make a change in their life, by overcoming poverty and making a better life for their families. 

The challenge for this week is to spend time reading the Bible.  I say this because sometimes when we don’t spend time just diving into God’s Word, just simply reading it, then we can forget the words and the message of Christ.  This can really help us understand the areas where we are not always connected to the vine. I already mentioned that I need to depend on the vine more when it comes to my work.  However, I also need to depend on the Lord when it comes to my exercise.  I have a few upcoming goals this year of doing a marathon and finishing RAGBRAI.  I am a bit nervous about some of these events coming up.  I need to remember to depend on God for all these things. 

I pray that throughout this week, you will feel more connected to the vine.  I pray you will see the Lord more clearly and all his plans He has for you.  I pray that this connection to the vine will ease your heart and your mind.  

This past year, I have been talking to a lot of people about running my first marathon.  I am really nervous and stressed about this.  I am often thinking about what I should do when it comes to my long runs, my regular workouts, etc.  I am thinking through what I should do when it comes to fueling or when it comes to my hydration.  While attempting to conquer this feat, I have also been doing a lot of thinking on my mental stamina.  How will I best focus on Christ to get me through this run and training?  Will I find myself just looking at other people and the comparisons that can be very easy to make? 

We as runners can often compare ourselves.  I know I can struggle with this.  I have been running for years, and I am still not as good of a runner in speed or stamina as some others are.  However, when I spend my time thinking about how I am not as good as others are, I don’t actually get better at running.  I definitely start feeling better about my running when I just focus on my own race.  

Proverbs 14:30 says, “A sound heart is life to the body, but envy is rottenness to the bones.” I enjoy this verse for the reminder that jealousy, envy and comparison really can have a decaying feeling.  It can feel as though we are rotting because we are just seeing everything with ourselves as wrong and then seeing the things in others we like more.  This takes a lot of mental energy.  

Yes, I do believe we can challenge one another.  Sometimes we just need the push from someone running a bit faster to get us to go a bit faster as well.  But we need to remember that if we can’t keep up or if someone is just faster than us or at least on that day, then we need to focus on our own race and our own run.  We can only do our best.  We can’t do the best of someone else.  We can only do all the Lord has given us the ability to do. 

I also can fall into the trap of comparing myself when it comes to those I believe I am faster or better than. Running can be hard to not to boast about at times.  There was a joke said at my church once about running marathons.  Once you have run a marathon, you may want to bring it up in a lot of conversations.  Or there is the joke that after you have gone on a long run, you will feel the need to mention it throughout the day.  For example, there have been times at work when I mentioned I am sore because, “I had a long run today.”  I can definitely be guilty of this from time to time. 

Ephesians 2: 8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”  This is a reminder that everything we do is because the Lord has created an opportunity for us and has given us the ability to complete a speedy run or to win a race.  The Lord is the one who helps assist us on these long runs.  The Lord gives us complete ability.  

We shouldn’t boast.  Even when we do a long run or when we have a race where we win.  We can boast about what Christ has done in our lives.  This humble attitude we can have when it comes to running, is something that can really bring us closer to God as well as others to Christ. When we do well and we give all the glory to God, people are going to be surprised by this.  They are going to wonder what has given you this humility and this joy for the Lord.  

Both of these things don’t just apply to running and exercising.  These can also apply to our work, our friendships, and our commitment to the faith and church.  I have mentioned this many times, but I definitely spend a lot of time comparing myself at work.  I want to be considered the best employee and the best member of the team.  However, this doesn’t help me see my team as one and what we can all do together for the kids and families of Waterloo. I need to focus on being a member of the team and working hard for the Lord at my job for His glory.

The challenge for this week is to be reflective of the moments when you can start to compare yourself to others. This again could be the times when you compare yourself as to something you want to be better in or when you compare yourself as in believing you are the one who is doing better.  This could be when you are working or exercising like me.  This could be in any of your other hobbies like music, crafts, or sports.  This could even be one’s devotion to God and serving in his church.

There are some days when it is hard to get up and run.   There can be days when it is hot and humid, or there can be days when it is cold and dreary and either one doesn’t sound pleasant to run in.  As runners, we should be able and ready to run in pretty much anything (maybe not a huge thunderstorm-safety) However, this doesn’t mean we are mentally or emotionally ready for any type of running.  

My mom (gave me permission to use this story) is a great runner.  She is the one who taught me to run.  However, recently, we did a 10k on vacation.  (yes, this is a very me and my mom thing to do).  My mom did not have the best attitude to start when it came to this race.  She woke up and said, “I don’t want to do this.”  I won’t lie-this made me laugh.  It was incredibly hot and humid, and if we remembered anything about the race previously, then we knew it was going to be hilly.  After the race was over, my mom will say this was her worst race ever.  She felt terrible and she didn’t enjoy it at all. 

This reminds me of many verses in the Bible including, Philippians 2:14-16, which says, “Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run labor in vain.”  We should have a good attitude and shouldn’t be spending a lot of time grumbling or complaining.  

This attitude can be the biggest factor when it comes to our running.  Honestly, regardless of whatever activity you are doing, attitude can be one of the biggest contributing factors.  This can be the same attitude when we go to school or when we do any of our other sports.  We need to have a good attitude for anything we do, so we can be good stewards of God’s Word.  There are just some people who showcase joy, even when doing something incredibly simple.  For example, I went to Walgreens recently, and the cashier was incredibly kind and sweet.  You can tell he was filled with joy.  I suppose I don’t know his religious preferences, but from the way He showcases joy, I was challenged to live with a more joyful attitude. 

There are some things I don’t have a good attitude about, and it can really show in how well I do or how crabby I can get during this activity. One example is once a month I work at a store downtown.  Sometimes this can be fun.  There can be times when it is busy and there are a lot of people needing my assistance.  However, there are other times when it is kind of boring and there are not many people who are stopping by the store.  Those are the days when those four hours seem to take forever.  I try to keep myself occupied, but it can be difficult. One thing I have learned though is looking at the clock and being bored and not having a good attitude does not help the time pass by quicker.   On some of these days, I am definitely not acting like the Walgreens cashier who was showcasing joy.  

We have a great example in Jesus. There weren’t definitely things he probably was not super excited about. He went on a fast for forty days and forty nights. There was no way this was something easy to do.  However, He was the one to go to this place and experience the temptations.   He brought himself to this position in order to show His people they can depend on Him.  He has experienced pain and suffering and trials, but yet He showed joy and contentment with what He had even when at the time it was very little. 

The challenge for the week is to be reflective of the times when we don’t have a good attitude.  This could be about exercise.  This could be about work.  This could even be when we are serving and volunteering.  There are a few things that can be incredibly challenging and make us want to grumble.  However, to be more and more like Jesus, we can show what it is like to fully live with joy and contentment, even when it is hard.  

The second challenge also is to encourage one another.  Sometimes we just need a friend to be there and to encourage us in not grumbling or complaining.  We just need some friends or family members to remind us of the good things we have and the joy we can see in life.  Be this encouragement for a friend or family member.  This way it can be easier for everyone to live with a better attitude.

I have just finished the book, “Holy Moments”, by Matthew Kelly.  This was a very good, insightful, and yet a short book about finding moments in our lives and turning them holy.  What is a Holy moment?  It is when a person is able to see God through a particular instance.  This could be because of another’s kindness or generosity or through the everyday acts 

Matthew Kelly describes a Holy moment as, “A Holy Moment is a single moment in which you open yourself to God.  You make yourself available to Him.  You set aside personal preference and self-interest, and for one moment you do what you prayerfully believe God is calling you to do.” (Kelly, Matthew “Holy Moments: A Handbook for the Rest of Your Life pg.23).  This is truly beautiful and incredibly simple.  God has a plan for our lives, even in our everyday lives.  We need to be aware of what God has in store for us on a regular basis. 

I think in the day and age we are currently in, it can be very easy to start to believe we can’t do anything.  There is so much wrong with the world, so we can truly believe there isn’t a lot one person can do.  We can look around and see all the hurt, all the lies, all the discouragement, and we can just start to think that no matter what, nothing we do is going to matter.  This book tries to take away all those thoughts.  He tries to remind us through our everyday life, we can showcase holy moments which can make a difference in a few different lives and this will ultimately start to change the world, especially if people pass these holy moments on.

I do think it is really important to make sure we don’t think we can do this all on our own merit.  When we start thinking about how we can see everyone, we will hopefully be led to the Holy moments to pursue by the Holy Spirit. Through prayer with the Holy Spirit, we can start to see more and more people and how we can be a blessing in their lives. This could be looking at the person you are next in line with at the grocery store and choosing to help them out if needed.  This could be leaving an extra big tip with a nice note for a server because of their job well done.  This could be offering water or Gatorade for the post man or delivery guys.  (As a daughter of a UPS driver, I do know this is much appreciated, especially on a hot day.)

Yesterday, I lived an example of something I don’t want to do.  This is where I realized I need to be more aware of the people around me.  I was in an elevator because I was helping out my mentee and her family set up for her birthday party.  I was a bit distracted.  I was trying really hard to be helpful and I was thinking through everything needed to be done for the party.  However, I didn’t notice I was completely blocking the numbers on the elevator, and I didn’t ask the woman in the elevator with me what number she needed.  I didn’t notice till I got out of the elevator and she started walking towards the numbers. It was completely rude, and I feel bad I wasn’t more aware.   It is something I want to continue to focus on.  

There are so many verses focused on love in the Bible.  It is a part of the first two commandments in the Old Testament.  There is a whole chapter in the Bible focused on what love is.  One of those verses discussing love is John 13: 34-35 which says, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”  I love this verse because it showcases how we are called to love one another, so we can show who Christ is to those who are around us.  

It can be hard to do this on a regular basis.  Just like my example, we can get into our own heads.  We can start to overthink.  There are also times we can be impatient such as with those who are in front of us in line because we really want to get closer to the top of the line.  We also will sometimes be overly shy.  We may not want to rock the boat or offend someone by saying something wrong.  However, when we get over these fears or distractions and let God lead us, we can really create some great Holy moments. 

The challenge for this week is to spend time thinking about how we can find a few holy moments in our lives.  This could be from anything.  This could be choosing to be generous with our money and with our time to really help out another person.  This could be spending time making a meal for a big family who had some recent hardship.  This could be spending time making and writing in a card to send to someone at random.  This could be helping out a coworker while at work when time allows. 

I really want to do better at sending cards and gifts to missionaries at my church.  I know they do a great job spreading the Gospel.  I also know they need encouragement and to know people back home are praying for them.  This is something I want to provide to them.  I hope you will find a few Holy moments this next week!

As much as I didn’t want it to be, this summer has become very very busy.  I am trying to find moments to slow down, but it hasn’t completely worked out yet.  There are still a lot of things going on and a lot of places to be.  Some of the reasons have been big events like weddings, bachelorette parties, and small trips with family and friends.  Those have been wonderful memories, even if it has made the days long and tiring.  

However, I have also been very busy with moments of working with youth.  We have started cross country workouts in the morning for the cross country team I coach in the fall.  This has been really fun.  I love getting the opportunity to run with the kids in cross country and coach new runners to love the sport and the activity of running like I do. There is great fellowship and camaraderie with the kids amongst themselves that is so beautiful to see.  

I also have gotten the opportunity to work with Cole in Sports and Arts Camp this past week.  Sports and Arts camp was the theme of my church’s vacation Bible school this year. This has been a great chance to volunteer with my partner.  I also have always loved Vacation Bible School.  This was something I definitely looked forward to when I was a kid.  I would look forward to the chance to go to church for a week, play some games, create some crafts, learn some songs, and learn some more Bible stories.  I loved it so much that some summers I would go to two different Bible schools. 

Because of this I actually really enjoy getting the opportunity to serve in a Bible school role.  The theme of Sports and Arts came gave kids an opportunity to learn more about sport and art and how those two things can be something pleasurable, while at the same time being something we can honor God with.  There are plenty of ways to honor God and fellowship.  

Both of these recent experiences and opportunities have reminded me of the joy in the sport.  There is joy in having an opportunity to work together and do a sport with fellow believers. This is even those who are younger than you, those who you are trying to teach. This can be when you are doing something like teaching, coaching, or volunteering with kids you know and love. 

There are two challenges for this week.  The first is to see if you can have an opportunity to do a sport or get out and exercise. I think this is a great thing to do, especially if you live in an area like me and it is your summer.  This is the perfect time to do a sport or some exercise outside, getting fresh air, etc. It is so good and healthy for both your physical and mental health.  I know I personally love the opportunity and the chance to run and bike outside.  It helps me appreciate nature and helps me breathe overall better. 

Verses related to this topic is Romans 12:1-3 which says: 

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,  fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

The second challenge was to see if you can take a younger person with you when it comes to things like exercise and hobbies.  This could be your own child if you have any children.  This could be some kids who are in your school if you are a teacher.  Maybe you could volunteer to work with one of their sports and play with them a bit at recess.  This could maybe be offering to volunteer at church and in the children’s ministry.  

Besides my opportunity to be involved in sports in school, I had many opportunities to start running because my mom took the time and ran with me.  We still get the chance to run together on a fairly regular basis, and we even will sometimes compete together.  This has impacted my life, and now I get the chance to meet and work with kids in this capacity.  I hope you can find this joy in many different ways. I hope you will all be encountered with the joy of serving, fellowship and sport this week.

I have been continuing to do the work in my devotional book about prayer.  This morning was about spending time in prayer, even when it is not something you want to do.  Even though we may have the time, and we may have some issues to pray over, we can sometimes find ourselves struggling to pray.  We can find it hard to really put words and thoughts into mindful consideration of the Lord. 

There are times we simply need to spend time praying for God to give us the mind to pray.  There are times we need to pray for God to motivate us and to give us the words we need to say.  This can be when we are going through a hard time.  This can be when we are struggling with fatigue or maybe even depression.  This could be when we are simply distracted by the things of this world. 

        Sometimes we may only want to watch television or spend time on our phones.  The distractions on things like a phone are big.  They can be so distracting and so engrossing for a long period of time.  It can be hard to take our eyes off of certain apps and certain videos.  It was designed that way.  Certain apps like Facebook, Tiktok, instagram, etc. are all designed to keep us going for more and more.  They were created to keep us scrolling.  They were made to hit our dopamine hormone in our brain again and again.  

My biggest distraction is always Youtube and videos.  I love getting the chance to hear podcasts and videos discussing things happening in the world.  I usually watch them when I am eating my quick breakfast and writing in my joy journal before I do the rest of my Bible Study.  However, there are times when I just want to keep watching the video or going on social media as opposed to actually starting Bible Study and prayer.  

Is there anything you find yourself being distracted by when you are supposed to be spending time with the Lord?  Do you find yourself distracted by your phone and the messages you have received from others?  Do you find yourself ignoring the Holy Spirit when you are in the midst of watching a video?  Are you spending time thinking about what is going on in your day as opposed to talking to God? Is there anything else you find distracting?  

The challenge for this week is to spend some extended time in prayer.  This may even be if you are not necessarily feeling it.  There are times we just need to do the things we may not be incredibly motivated to do.  It is nice we do have a helper who is the Holy Spirit who will help us through lack of motivation, so even though we may lack the desire to pray, we can find strength and words within the Spirit. 

A verse discussing the Holy Spirit and prayer is John 14:26 which says, “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” I love this verse because it is a reminder to go to the Holy Spirit and ask for his help.  It is a way for people to be reminded about all God has done and has promised to do in the future.  

Another thing to remember about prayer is the importance of prayer being connected with the Word of God.  When a person spends more and more time in the Word of God, it is much easier to spend time in prayer.  It is much easier to know the Lord better. When we read his commands, we can better understand how to best pray and how to best talk with God on a regular basis. 

I want to encourage all who are reading this blog post.  We can all struggle with moments of feeling far away from the Lord.  We all struggle with moments of disconnect.   This does not mean you are a bad Christian or that God doesn’t love.  This doesn’t mean you aren’t a good follower.  This is just something Satan does to discourage the believers of Christ.  We can pray to the Holy Spirit and become closer to God through our prayers.