THE NEW EWE

"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'"

Luke 15:4-6

May 15, 2024

LIFE IN THE FOLD

I have struggled for years with sticking to a regular exercise regime. Throughout my lifetime, I've started exercising and will be faithful for a short time.... then get busy or lose interest.... and quit. I've cycled through that over and over again!

Earlier this year, my niece told me about an exercise challenge that she was doing. I thought, "Hmm.. that sounds interesting and like something I might actually stick to!" So I gave it a try, and have found that it checks all the squares for me, and have been consistent with it for over three months now; which is a long time, for me!

I am not plugging this program, but just sharing what I've found that works for me. I'm a firm believer that everyone has to find their niche on what works best and motivates them.

It's a virtual challenge and I have to pay for each challenge that I participate in. The challenges are different lengths and in various places around the world. I choose the one that I want to join, pay the fee, then each time I do any type of exercise, I post the mileage and what I did. Any type of exercise counts. There is a conversion chart I can use to convert various activities into distance. I walk, ride my exercise bike, garden, do yard work, go to my weekly clogging class.... even housework can count.

Here's the cherry on top for me and what has kept me motivated: At the end of each challenge, I get a pretty medal on a ribbon with the name of the destination engraved on it. Getting a prize at the end of each completed challenge makes me happy and keeps me consistently motivated. I'm 58 years old, and love collecting those medals! I get so excited when I see one arrive in my mailbox. I have four, so far.

I started on February 15 of this year, and have done some type of exercise every single day, without fail. I started out doing between 1-2 miles per day. Now, most days I do the equivalent of 3-5 miles. My goal is to do some type of exercise, every day without fail, until July 1, 2025.

In the summer of 2025, it will be mine and Jon's 20^th anniversary, as well as my 60^th birthday. I want to celebrate big all summer and be in shape enough to enjoy myself and be able to do things without getting out of breath or overly tired.

Even after being consistent for three months, there is no one who will look at me and see any physical changes. I've not lost weight, nor are my clothes getting loose and baggy on me. I have my yearly doctor appointment this week, and it's doubtful that my doctor will notice any difference from last year. Yet, I know what I've accomplished and I know that I've become a lot more active and I know that I have been consistent in exercising.

There have been a few days when I've not been overly excited about exercising and have had that thought creep up, "You can skip a day! It won't matter... no one will know!" But I will know! And I know how easy it is to go from skipping one day, to then skipping two or three, to giving it up all together.

The thing is, even though there are hundreds or thousands of people doing these various challenges, I am competing with no one. We each choose our own destination, our own pace, and our own way of exercising. It doesn't matter when anyone else crosses the finish line, because it's not a competition.

In 1 Corinthians chapter 9, Paul compares our christian life to a race. He writes, "Don't you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step."

Again in Philippians 3:13b-14, Paul writes, "Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us."

Our journey on earth is not just pointless, without an end or hope for our future. But we are promised eternal life in heaven, if we persevere and run this race without stopping or giving up. It doesn't matter if we've messed up in the past, we can forget that and look forward to what lies ahead.

It's not like an athletic competition where only one receives the prize, but every single person who finished their race well, will receive eternal life. We aren't racing against anyone else; it's not a competition. We won't all finish at the same time, but we will all receive a prize. Therefore, we run this race with purpose in every step. We know that there is a finish line ahead of us and that some day we will hear our Father welcome us home and say, "Well done, good and faithful servant!"

In Hebrews 12:1-2, Paul is again writing words of encouragement. He writes, "Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith."

This is the most important race that any of us will ever run. If we give up or quit, then we won't receive the promised prize that has been promised. But if we will get rid of those sins and things that easily causes us to stumble, then we will be able to run the race that God has places us on with endurance.

The only way we will be successful, is by keeping our eyes consistently on Jesus. If we get distracted by the things in the world around us or by fear or doubt, then we will be like Peter who began to sink when he was walking on the water towards Jesus. As long as he stayed focused on Jesus, he was able to do the impossible and walk on water. But when he got distracted by the waves and storm that surrounded him, fear and doubt cause him to take his eyes off Jesus and he begin to sink.

Again, Paul writes in Philippians 2:16, "Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ's return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless."

This race that we are running is not in vain! The work that we do for Christ here on earth is not useless. We have been given a promise and a hope of eternity in heaven with God, if we run and don't grow weary and give up. Let's not only run the race of a believer, but let's encourage others to run the race with us!

JON'S PERSPECTIVE:

There are many kinds of races.

In a sprint, a runner puts every bit of energy they have into speed. They can rest when they've finished.

In a marathon, each runner needs to conserve their energy for most of the race. They might sprint at first to break free from the pack, to avoid collisions or tripping, but they spend most of their time at a steady, even pace. Then at the end, they may put all they have left into the last part.

Some races are team races, where one runner (or ice skater, roller skater, or driver) might help push or throw another to give them a boost. It isn't important whether a single person wins, but the whole team. Relay races are similar.

In our lives, we may have times when we have to sprint, and put all our energy into finishing quickly. Other times, we need to spend our energy wisely. And many times, we can help others to finish as leaders so we all win. But we should never stop. We should never quit. We should never leave the course. We should never turn around and go back. And we press on, always toward the goal. Even if all we can do is walk or crawl, we keep moving toward the goal.

ON THE MENEWE:

Mexican Chicken Casserole

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray a 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Combine chicken, taco seasoning, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, black beans, Rotel, corn, and cheese.

Spread chicken mixture into prepared pan. Top with tortilla strips.

Bake for 30 minutes or until casserole is bubbly and heated through.

**You can use a rotisserie chicken that has been taken off the bone and shredded. You could also use chicken breast, tenders, or thighs -- cooked and either cubed or shredded.

THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER:

We attend a small church that is pretty laid-back and informal. My nephew and his wife are the pastors. Recently, they had stopped and picked up donuts for breakfast on their way to church. My nephew was busy setting up and getting things ready for the service when they arrived, so he had set the bag with his donut in it to the side so he could eat it after doing the preliminaries. After he opened the service and turned it over to the worship leader, he went up to sit on the risers. He looked around, found the bag, only to find that it was empty! He asked, "Who ate my breakfast?!" His 3-year old son said, "I ate it!" His dad asked, "Why?! I've been looking forward to it all morning!" His son's response was, "Because I wanted to."

I had to chuckle inside! I thought, "Well, he's just getting paid-back for when he was 3 years old!" His parents had taken their family to visit my oldest sister and her husband. After they left, my sister was cleaning and found a whole bunch of popsicle sticks in one of the closets, where my nephew had hid and eaten them.

THOUGHT TO PONDER:

Many people give thanks to God when He gives.

Job gave thanks when He took. - TobyMac

OUR HEARTFELT THANKS TO YOU:

We love you!

Loretta & Jon

http://www.graysheep.org