Well, this blog entry has nothing to do with my biking experiences...but thoughts running through my head this morning.
"If we are going to live as disciples of Jesus, we have to remember that all efforts of worth and excellence are difficult. The Christian life is gloriously difficult, but its difficulty does not make us faint and cave in—it stirs us up to overcome. Do we appreciate the miraculous salvation of Jesus Christ enough to be our utmost for His highest—our best for His glory?" Oswald Chambers
As we waited with anticipation for our missions team to come home yesterday, I had no idea what we were going to see from these wonderfully faithful people. As they came down the escalator to greet their families, it was quite apparent that their journey may have been tough, but they had overcome. Working hard, working together and working for our Lord. It was an emotional gathering, seeing how our wonderful pastor had taken such good care of our flock, how they all looked exhausted, yet blessed knowing they had completed a good work and were ready to go back!
So proud of them all, and so thankful that each one of these people are part of our congregation and have a special place in my heart. Seeing and hearing their stories also makes me want to pray more for our missionaries and not forget the work they are doing, whether it be in Ecuador, Alaska, or Brooks Maine. They all need our prayers. So as i get on my bike to ride for MS or when one of these people pops into my head, I will be praying for each of them far and near!
Welcome home Jess, Chris, Heather, Tyler, Britt and Pastor John! We missed you all!
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Chains
Well, we had planned our ride out earlier today and were excited to get started tonight even though it looked like rain/thunderstorms! Anyone that knows me, knows that I have no desire to be outside during a thunderstorm. So we decided, after looking at weather.com that it would be okay to go. Turns out once again that weather.com was pretty accurate!
Our goal tonight was to do a 20 miler because yesterday was a wash and the day before I think, we just completed a short 10 miles. It all goes by so fast once you start riding. We did manage to get 20 miles in, but tonight would not be an easy night for Gail.
Gail's bike is known to have chain issues. The chain pops off at the strangest times...mostly it's when she is going down hill or when she is in a good cadence. I actually kept up with her part of the time tonight, so I witnessed the chain coming off at least 3 times.
When she has to stop to deal with the chain, she often get her hands greasy and it's quite possible that she wears the grease on her shirt! It's a pain, and just as she gets focused on her ride, the chain will act up. Gail never gives up even when she repeatedly has to put the chain back on, she fixes her bike and continues the course.
I'm so thankful that when the chain falls off in my life, that I have Christ to help me fix the mess. That even though we have trials and struggles, if we keep our focus on the Lord, He will help us persevere through the trouble and stay the course, much like how Gail completed her mileage! We do not need to worry because if we give those trials/struggles to our Lord, He will help us through. It may not be easy, but it's doable through Christ.
Psalm 139: 7-12 says...
Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
If you have a personal relationship with our Lord, He will never leave you! I'm so thankful that when my chain comes off in life, that Jesus is there with me helping me put it back on!
Happy Trails!
Shara
Our goal tonight was to do a 20 miler because yesterday was a wash and the day before I think, we just completed a short 10 miles. It all goes by so fast once you start riding. We did manage to get 20 miles in, but tonight would not be an easy night for Gail.
Gail's bike is known to have chain issues. The chain pops off at the strangest times...mostly it's when she is going down hill or when she is in a good cadence. I actually kept up with her part of the time tonight, so I witnessed the chain coming off at least 3 times.
When she has to stop to deal with the chain, she often get her hands greasy and it's quite possible that she wears the grease on her shirt! It's a pain, and just as she gets focused on her ride, the chain will act up. Gail never gives up even when she repeatedly has to put the chain back on, she fixes her bike and continues the course.
I'm so thankful that when the chain falls off in my life, that I have Christ to help me fix the mess. That even though we have trials and struggles, if we keep our focus on the Lord, He will help us persevere through the trouble and stay the course, much like how Gail completed her mileage! We do not need to worry because if we give those trials/struggles to our Lord, He will help us through. It may not be easy, but it's doable through Christ.
Psalm 139: 7-12 says...
Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
If you have a personal relationship with our Lord, He will never leave you! I'm so thankful that when my chain comes off in life, that Jesus is there with me helping me put it back on!
Happy Trails!
Shara
Monday, July 11, 2011
Steady Pace
As I sit here after a nice cool soothing shower, I think back to our short ride tonight. Tonight for Gail it was all about pace, which meant that I could actually keep her in my sights the entire ride! I'm not the most skilled cyclist, but I do understand that if we are to complete the MS150, yes, I said "WE" because Gail has decided to ride with me this year. Just one more thing to add to our list of things we have done together, I couldn't be happier! We have decided to dedicate the ride to Carolyn, Deb, Jimmy, Jessie, Phil and in memory of Rob. If we are to complete the 50 miles each day we will need to keep a consistent pace on our bikes. If you go out too strong we will crash and burn. It's important to keep in mind that we have a rather lengthy ride ahead and the only way to get through it is to pace ourselves.
The MS150 is not a race, it is a ride. Rides are to be finished, races are to be won. So in just a few weeks we will be riding to finish the race. To keep pace so that we can finish in style. Last year I had two goals...one, was to finish the race. The second goal was to not be last...just one of those competitive issues I have. Being a newbie I had no idea what would happen once the race started.
Getting back to pace, to me, learning to pace means that I am going to ride each day to become familiar with my bike, to learn to ride comfortably on my bike making necessary adjustments, and to find a cadence that will sustain the mileage I need to finish the race.
A Christian's life is similar to learning the pace on a bike. We should get into our bible each day to learn about our Savior. To be able to make adjustments in our life, we need to know what God's word says about certain situations. I flounder through life when I'm not in the instruction manual daily. God wants us to know him better and the best way to do that is to spend time in His word. And lastly, my walk through life would be meaningless if I were not able to pray to my Heavenly Father, to know He is there with me to help me sustain the mileage I need to finish the race of life.
Romans 8:18-21 says "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God."
Keep the pace, because anything that is going on in our lives today will not compare to the blessings we will receive from our Heavenly Father!
Happy Trails and God Bless,
Shara
The MS150 is not a race, it is a ride. Rides are to be finished, races are to be won. So in just a few weeks we will be riding to finish the race. To keep pace so that we can finish in style. Last year I had two goals...one, was to finish the race. The second goal was to not be last...just one of those competitive issues I have. Being a newbie I had no idea what would happen once the race started.
Getting back to pace, to me, learning to pace means that I am going to ride each day to become familiar with my bike, to learn to ride comfortably on my bike making necessary adjustments, and to find a cadence that will sustain the mileage I need to finish the race.
A Christian's life is similar to learning the pace on a bike. We should get into our bible each day to learn about our Savior. To be able to make adjustments in our life, we need to know what God's word says about certain situations. I flounder through life when I'm not in the instruction manual daily. God wants us to know him better and the best way to do that is to spend time in His word. And lastly, my walk through life would be meaningless if I were not able to pray to my Heavenly Father, to know He is there with me to help me sustain the mileage I need to finish the race of life.
Romans 8:18-21 says "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God."
Keep the pace, because anything that is going on in our lives today will not compare to the blessings we will receive from our Heavenly Father!
Happy Trails and God Bless,
Shara
Saturday, July 9, 2011
30 Miler!
July 9th, 2011
Well, I'm going to try my hand at writing a blog about our biking adventures. I am not an english teacher, but this seems like something I would enjoy as we prepare for the MS150. This summer I am not traveling alone on the roads. Since Gail has gotten the "biking bug" we have planned trips with the bikes in preparation for the August ride. I have totally enjoyed our rides and in some ways it seems like old times when we used to play basketball together. The easy days, when all we had to worry about was what time practice was and how we would beat the next opponent. Now we enjoy talking about the length of the ride, how hard or easy it was, and if we would take the trip again.
As we are riding I like to do a few things. First, I like to pray for people...family, friends, and things that come up over the course of a week. The other thing I do is try to catch Gail. I call her a "jack rabbit" because as soon as she starts pedaling she is gone. Thankfully, she will stop at key points so that we can get caught up, or take pictures because she knows how much I enjoy capturing the moment and a good scene!
Today as we were traveling through Unity, the triple hills were on the end of our trip. As usual, Gail was pulling away very quickly as she is tremendous at conquering hills. I am a turtle and fall behind at the blink of an eye. As she was pulling away, I was thinking about our relationship (when I say our, I mean anyone who has a personal relationship with Jesus Christ) with Jesus. Hills are brutal, they are hard to climb and most often take me a long time. There are times when I don't want to climb the hill, I want to get off and walk (but I don't because I'm stubborn), the lactic acid builds up, is painful and makes me want to quit. I often times lose sight of Gail, and my push ends because she will be uncatchable.
If we think about our struggles and liken this to the hill...how often do we lose sight of God when we are in the midst of our struggles? How often does it feel like He isn't in sight anymore? I'm so thankful for the scriptures and the promises God has given us in His word. Even if it feels like we are alone climbing the hill, Jesus is right there with us. He is there through every heartache, through the pain that has been suffered, he feels our pain and He is going to guide us to the other side. How beautiful that will be!
"The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV
Believe it or not, there are many good things about hills. Once you get to the top of the hill, there will often a beauty beyond belief. After we climb the the retched hills, the downhills are so much fun, lots of cruizing, wind blowing to cool us off, and REST.
Matthew 11:28 says, "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
When you are climbing those hills in your life...remember there is a loving Savior right there with us, he loves us and he will give us rest!
Happy Trails! Shara
Well, I'm going to try my hand at writing a blog about our biking adventures. I am not an english teacher, but this seems like something I would enjoy as we prepare for the MS150. This summer I am not traveling alone on the roads. Since Gail has gotten the "biking bug" we have planned trips with the bikes in preparation for the August ride. I have totally enjoyed our rides and in some ways it seems like old times when we used to play basketball together. The easy days, when all we had to worry about was what time practice was and how we would beat the next opponent. Now we enjoy talking about the length of the ride, how hard or easy it was, and if we would take the trip again.
As we are riding I like to do a few things. First, I like to pray for people...family, friends, and things that come up over the course of a week. The other thing I do is try to catch Gail. I call her a "jack rabbit" because as soon as she starts pedaling she is gone. Thankfully, she will stop at key points so that we can get caught up, or take pictures because she knows how much I enjoy capturing the moment and a good scene!
Today as we were traveling through Unity, the triple hills were on the end of our trip. As usual, Gail was pulling away very quickly as she is tremendous at conquering hills. I am a turtle and fall behind at the blink of an eye. As she was pulling away, I was thinking about our relationship (when I say our, I mean anyone who has a personal relationship with Jesus Christ) with Jesus. Hills are brutal, they are hard to climb and most often take me a long time. There are times when I don't want to climb the hill, I want to get off and walk (but I don't because I'm stubborn), the lactic acid builds up, is painful and makes me want to quit. I often times lose sight of Gail, and my push ends because she will be uncatchable.If we think about our struggles and liken this to the hill...how often do we lose sight of God when we are in the midst of our struggles? How often does it feel like He isn't in sight anymore? I'm so thankful for the scriptures and the promises God has given us in His word. Even if it feels like we are alone climbing the hill, Jesus is right there with us. He is there through every heartache, through the pain that has been suffered, he feels our pain and He is going to guide us to the other side. How beautiful that will be!
"The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV
Believe it or not, there are many good things about hills. Once you get to the top of the hill, there will often a beauty beyond belief. After we climb the the retched hills, the downhills are so much fun, lots of cruizing, wind blowing to cool us off, and REST.
Matthew 11:28 says, "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
When you are climbing those hills in your life...remember there is a loving Savior right there with us, he loves us and he will give us rest!
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