Rambling Rev

On Sunday, May 15 the First Baptist Church of Nitro celebrated its 110^th anniversary.  In preparing for the worship service and while participating in it, I was inspired by our predecessors who led this congregation into existence.  Our founders possessed at least three qualities used by God to make the church possible: vision, sacrifice and innovation.  If we are to see God moving mightily among us today, we will embody these same three attributes.

Vision.  The Bible says in Proverbs 29:18, “Where there is no vision, the people perish…”(KJV).  What is your vision for the First Baptist Church of Nitro?  Our founders had a vision of reaching souls for Christ, equipping Christians for service through the Word of God and prayer, and being a transforming influence in the area around them.  Their vision was not inward but outward.  Their focus was not on maintaining the church, but on magnifying Christ and ministering to the community and to the world.  This vision was not just written on a piece of paper, but was etched in their hearts and minds and compelled them forward past obstacles and challenges.  What vision do you possess for our church as we continue into the 21^st century?

Sacrifice.  In the past, the sacrifices of money, time, and energy at First Baptist Nitro have been great.  In our day and age however, we increasingly divert more and more of our money to other purposes, our time to other pursuits, and our energy to other causes that pale in comparison to the cause of Christ.  The entitlement mindset, so characteristic of our American culture, has made its way into many of our American churches.  We expect God to provide us with a vibrant, healthy congregation, but have lost touch with the personal sacrifice He uses to bring it into reality.  Jesus says in Luke 14:33, “So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple” (ESV).  We have a heritage of great sacrifice – how much today are you willing to surrender to the work of Jesus among us?

Innovation. Our predecessors were certainly not old-fashioned in their approach to church and ministry.  They were pioneers of their time, embracing new methods to share the timeless Gospel with people in need.  They rowed boats across the river to meet for worship and for fellowship.  They adapted to the changing society around them and gathered in a railroad chapel car.

An Example of a Newfangled Chapel Car

They later changed the very name of the church as the community changed. They embraced innovation often, and God moved powerfully in their midst as they did so.  Their focus was not on the past, but on the present and the future.  Isaiah 43:18-19 says, “…Do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland” (NIV).  Are you willing to embrace the heritage of innovation we possess as a church?  While our God never changes, He is a God who is constantly changing and transforming His people in new ways.

As we follow Jesus, change is not optional — change is inevitable.  Are you ready to join God in the new, transforming work He has in mind for our present and our future?

I should have seen it coming.  My wife has always said I am hard-headed, and finally I may be ready to concede her point.  I have enough common sense not to push a 50-year-old body past its limits, except when I am passionately pursuing a reborn love of running.  It probably began two weeks ago, when my son and I decided to run the 9.3 mile course of the Poca River Run on a Monday in preparation for the actual race on Saturday.  As a result of the training I had been doing for the Charleston Distance Run, I breezed through it.  I was exhilarated at setting a new personal record!  So then despite my body telling me of a well-deserved rest, I pushed through my usual training routine for the next week.  I was coming down with a cold by the time the race date arrived, so the run was much more of a struggle than it had been a few days earlier.  After only one day of rest however, I started pounding the routine again.   Jeannie and I left on a Thursday afternoon for a trip to Louisville, but before 7:30 a.m. that morning I had completed a full boot camp class and a three mile run on the treadmill.   We returned from Louisville the next day, and as soon as we arrived home I headed for the gym and did a fast tempo run of four miles on the treadmill.  My body was screaming in protest from fatigue and from stiffness from the long car ride, but I persisted.  The next afternoon I was scheduled to do a six mile run, but instead of merely sticking with the plan I went nearly ten miles.  By the end of the course I was barely able to run at all due to exhaustion, then noticed severe groin pain when I exited the car after the short drive home.  I could hardly walk.  I recovered a bit the remainder of the evening, and masked the discomfort the next day despite a busy Sunday at church.  On Monday morning I was back on the treadmill, doggedly walking my five scheduled miles since I couldn’t run without intense pain.  I did have the common sense to email my trainer about the situation.  Her reply brought me back to reality — “no physical activity at all for the next two days, then do some light rowing and stationery biking on Thursday and Saturday.  What your body needs right now is rest, rest, rest.”  She would then tell me what to do next based on how my body is healing.  So I am off my feet following orders, typing this blog post rather than doing something more active.

There are a lot of lessons to be learned with running — a big one for me is patience.  I saw progress with the first couple weeks of training, but rather than being content with the results I wanted to supercharge things and move even faster in my desired direction.  Now I am sidelined, feeling foolish for doing what I know I shouldn’t have done.  Next time I’ll know better, that is, if this incident has managed to make its way through the thick, hard-headed noggin that my wife insists I possess.

It’s been some time since I’ve written anything on this blog, but a lot has been happening in my life.  One of the most significant things since the last post has been my renewed interest in running.  I’ve always dabbled in it, but lately am getting serious about it.  It all goes back to my days at Oral Roberts University, where each student was required to earn a particular number of “aerobic points” each semester.  If the aerobic points weren’t there, there was no progressing forward to the next semester.  They took physical fitness seriously, so it was drilled into my brain the four years I was there.  Running was the most time efficient way to earn aerobic points, so I ran.  Over the years, I’ve never really stopped running, I’ve just taken extended breaks from it.

For the longest time one of the main reasons I would run is so I could eat whatever I wanted and not get fat.  So I would run regularly and fill my body with junk at the same time.  Had I known then what I know now about nutrition, I would have done things far differently.  Anyway, I finally started eating right, and since running was so time consuming, I just settled for a couple of trips to the gym each week.  Two or three trips to the gym each week to do some sort of class was the norm for me until a couple of months ago.

One of my friends who is a pastor had gotten into running, and it really inspired me to reconsider it.  I tried running behind the local high school, just a mile or two, and it was tough after my latest extended break.  Then the winter of 2011 hit, which was very cold and snowy here in West Virginia.  In February Jeannie and I went on a mission trip to Russia, which made the weather here seem tropical in comparison.  Sub-zero temperatures,  stiff winds, sheets of ice everywhere and two feet of snow all chilled me to the bone.  When we returned home and spring arrived, I was more than ready to be outdoors.  Running was the natural thing to do.

My sights are now set on training for the Charleston Distance Run, the big fifteen mile one.  The one with the steep incline up Corridor G and then through South Hills.  The one that sharply descends back into Charleston on Bridge Road then winds through the city streets for another 10 miles or so.  It’s a big challenge, and I’ve always wanted to tackle it.  At 50 years old I’m starting to think about things on my “bucket list.”  So I’ve consulted a trainer and have an 18 week plan to prepare for the CDR.  Even though the CDR is on my bucket list, I want to make sure I don’t kick the bucket doing it!  I’ve just finished week 2 of the training plan, which is so far going very well.

After the 2011 SGK event in Charleston, WV

Last weekend Jeannie and I went to the Susan G. Komen event in Charleston.  I ran the 5K, and had no problems with it — it was a lot of fun.   This past Monday I met Josh near his home in Poca and ran the course for the Poca River Run.  It is 9.3 miles, and I covered all of it without stopping once!  My average pace was under a ten minute mile. so I felt pretty positive about it.  This morning Josh and I ran the actual Poca River Run Race, and it was much tougher for me.  Due to a cold and the excitement of running in a longer event, I lost my pace after seven miles or so.  Still, my time was better than the trial run on Monday.

The main thing I enjoy about the longer distance running is the music.  I put on the headphones, beginning listening to contemporary Christian music, and am freed to enjoy my own private time of worship with my Lord.  In that frame of mind the running becomes more like a act of service to Him.  It’s a great, renewing experience.

We’ll see what the future holds — next Monday I start week 3 of training for the CDR.  At week 7 I begin running through South Hills during the early morning hours.  That should be fun   Once the CDR is finished, I’d like to participate in a full 26.2 marathon.  If the folks on the Biggest Loser can do it, I should be able to do it!  I don’t know of any full marathons in West Virginia, but there are a few in Kentucky and Ohio.