Psalms 23:6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
When we commit and abandon our hearts to Him we can expect these things;
Goodness and love to be a natural way of life without having to be pursued, just happen naturally.
‘Dwelling in Gods house’ is to always be with the Lord and continuously putting Him first and being a part of His kingdom, always in heart, mind and deed.
Prayer: My Father I bless Your holy name today in praise and adoration and declare to You that I am Yours and totally devoted to You. Thank You for Your kindness and mercy. You are my shepherd and I do expect these things (goodness and mercy) to follow me. Amen.
Last week, I talked about how an already active runner could set a goal to complete a marathon. Marathons are mostly cool weather events, and if you run an early to mid-spring 26.2 miler, you have the benefit of doing the training in cool weather. Cool weather training is much easier on the body than the warm and humid weather of the late spring and summer.
Since we are entering into the resolution time of early January, I think it is worth mentioning another possible running journey. What is a resolution but another goal? The term Couch to 5K has become very popular over the last ten years or so, specifically as a way to start running. I hate the term “Couch to 5K” because it sounds like a program for those who do little activity at all and then decide to do a 3.1 mile running event.
I have been leading a local beginning runners program for more than 20 years now and the one thing I’m sure of is that there is no sure fired way to make an online program work. Just as there is no guaranteed way that my class will get it done for you. But most of what you see online touts their program as the best of 100’s online. Just send in your money and success will come. Do this today, do this tomorrow. One reply said, “What if I only have a futon?”
Some online programs are six weeks, some seven or just about any other length of ten or less. What I do agree with is that most can be successful, but it takes willpower and “doing the homework” which refers to the time on the feet while building fitness.
What I would say to anyone who wants to begin running is start putting positives in your corner. All of us are different, more than just age and level of fitness. Level of commitment stands out among those attendees who do our class.
I suggest starting by walking and doing as much of it outside as possible. Few people get off the couch as successful runners, but most of us can walk. I would commit two weeks to walking at an increasing pace and distance.
During that two weeks, go get a good pair of running shoes at Ralph Baker’s. Get fitted, analyzed and come away with the shoe that will help you complete the goal. The right shoe puts you many steps ahead in comfort and will aid in success.
Even when walking, especially as you increase in pace, make sure you can talk at least in short phrases. If you can’t, you are pushing too hard. Beginning running takes good respirations. Slow and easy at the start is the key. The biggest mistake is starting too fast, losing your breath and struggling through the workout.
If you haven’t already, find a friend with the same goal and you can work wonders with accountability. Take it slow and don’t expect overnight results. Focus on building your stamina, monitoring your pace, and being patient.
And the last big step, start running for minutes at a time. Two, then four, six, eight and ten while walking in between. Ten minutes at an easy pace gets you close to a half mile. You are on the way.
The road to becoming a runner is long, but every run gets you closer to the runner you want to be. Lace up those shoes, hit the pavement, and remember that every run builds the runner you’re becoming.
Then, after a headstart, sign up for my beginning runners class that begins on March 10th. And your journey will continue with knowledge about shoes and equipment, nutrition, running form and much more.
There are no more races locally until the granddaddy of them all, Winter Flight, set for February 1st. It is one of the oldest races in the south and loaded with history. We’ll visit the 43rd edition of this storied race next week.
Look for all this and more at www.salisburyrowanrunners.org
My mother-in-law has the best humor. She is also very determined. Once she gets an idea in her head there is no talking her out of it. She lives across the street from us and last month she had gravel, or “crush ’n run,” delivered to her driveway. It’s something she’s done for fifty plus years. The truck comes, dumps a big ol’ pile of rock and she is as happy as if she has good sense.
We knew this had become a current priority because she had mentioned it to us several times. “Get ready! Gravel is coming!” she would say. For my husband, [her son] that was like saying, “Just so you know, the gates of hell are about to open.” Her idea of a good day is hauling gravel by the wheel barrow load to its designated spot after shoveling it into her wheel barrow. But before the gravel comes, it is important to dig out under the carport so ground level is not too high. Then you have to wet everything down real good so it packs tight. It’s a very important process.
After mentioning her plan several times, and how important is was to get some crush ‘n run, because she had not had any delivered in about thirteen years, her son said, “So mama, how are you going to get the gravel spread?” She replied with a head wag, “I will spread it myself!” Son says, “Mama, the last time you did this you were young, like still in your seventies. Can we figure out a different way to do this? I’m not as young as you are.” For he knew he would not be sitting across the street watching his eighty five year old mom haul gravel.
Finally, after numerous conversations like this, she mentioned to one of her daughters her plan. Her firstborn replied, “If I hear tell of you shoveling gravel, I will make a speed bump out of you.” This is her calm daughter. Usually we depend on the younger daughter to take care of such issues. But this time offspring number one made her opinion clear in no uncertain terms.
When mom-in-law called to tell me to watch her driveway for speed bumps, I told her to make sure to lay down parallel to the drive instead of crosswise; and if she didn’t mind, to position herself in the middle of the drive so she wouldn’t create too much trouble for us to get in and out.
Not to be outdone by all the instructions from well-meaning children, she asked before she was made into a speed bump, if she could at least roll up and down the drive. That way, she reasoned, the gravel would be packed down so tight it would resemble concrete.
I love her humor. I love how sharp she is. I love how everyone has her best interest at heart and how we all instruct her, even though she really does know everything. Seriously. She has been through so much life, that there isn’t much she does not know. Oh to be that sharp and fun at eighty-five!
I heard the beep, beep, beep, as a gravel truck backed into her drive. It deposited two huge piles of the coveted crush ‘n run. Shortly after, a grandson with a blade pulled up and leveled the drive. Mom had previously, probably under cloak of night, dug out under the carport to the desired depth. A hard rain began to fall as the grandson finished spreading the crush ‘n run. The driveway is leveled and packed. Later mom waters the gravel under the carport to her heart’s content. No mothers or offspring were harmed in this production. All is well in her corner of the world. Now if we can just figure out how to keep her out of the creek. Because you know, that when the rocks get moved around, water gets still and mosquitoes breed, and… the saga continues…
The Firstborn, Jo, Nina, and the Middle Child, Gail
Steve Hartman did this piece about his Dad who passed away a number of years ago. Since I couldn’t find a current post from him, I thought this one was good. I watched and thought about losing my Dad this year. He refers to himself as an orphan because his mother had already passed. Thankfully I am not an orphan yet, Mom is still with us. It’s a sweet reflection… ENJOY!!
Here is a picture of my Dad…. He wasn’t perfect, but I miss him.
2025 is barely in our rearview mirror, and I am pondering the phrase, “objects in mirror may be closer than they appear.” Events that seem like distant memories were really not that long ago. For some, they still feel very fresh. I consider a family acquaintance who lost everything they had over the summer – every necessity and luxury, as well as years of memories (handmade items from children, awards the parents earned in school, cherished ornaments, years of collecting rare and treasured books). All taken in a moment.
Then, during a milestone birthday celebration of a friend this year, I learned that one of her quirks (or maybe it should be called a strength) is letting go of greeting cards every year. Each year, she tosses all her cards when she receives a new one from the sender, freeing her of unnecessary clutter. The sentiment has been received and cherished, now onto the next year!
I, on the other hand, am a bit sentimental. I am certain that much of it has to do with losing a parent at a young age, as well as other relatives and friends in my childhood and young adult life. I sense that life is fleeting, that we should number not only our days, but the days we have with others. Gifts, cards, and token sentiments have always felt like tangible bits of that person. Losing things hurts me profoundly. Things getting tossed by others as they help to clean up around the house can set me on edge. Making decisions of when it’s ok to let go of an article of clothing or even a piece of folded paper and an envelope can be difficult. Yet, two ladies I know either had things taken or chose to toss the unnecessary and still experience God’s grace and sustenance.
So, the week after Christmas, I began in my closet, where so many of those paper reminders sit in boxes, and I tossed more than I kept. Truth be told, I had not revisited those cards, even the ones coming from those who mean the most. Of those that were tossed, the hardest were photo cards. It feels like throwing away someone’s existence! But with social media, it has become easier, because with a couple of clicks, I can access many of those photos through friends. Heartbreak met me, however, on the floor of the closet as I came across more than half a dozen families who are no longer together. Divorce, separation, death – all touched many families who will never again look like what I see in the photo.
Unlike the photos frozen in time, life has moved on. God has been faithful to hold them through the heartache. I encountered a lesson as I made more room on my closet shelves: can I trust that God is keeping every moment, every relationship I cherish, and even all my tears safely in His hand? The old Sunday school song echoes in my head, “He’s got the whole world in His hands!” Psalm 56:8 calls to my heart about God keeping count of my tossing and preserving my tears in a bottle, and like my own journal of memories, keeps a record of all these things.
So, yes, I can let go of some of these things, because He keeps them all more securely. Happy decluttering (and it’s ok to keep some of those things you haven’t looked at in ages).
We have arrived in 2026! We’ve started to clean up from Christmas…on the outside. I haven’t completed putting everything away. I haven’t even thought about starting the Christmas tree yet. To be honest, I enjoy the tree being up into early January because things are often so rushed on the build up to Christmas that it’s difficult to slow down and enjoy the tree. Besides, it’s a lot of work to take down.
Once we all put our Christmas lights away, winter settles in for real. The best part about winter is SNOW! I have been watching the models closely and have seen some hints of snow on the horizon, but nothing definite. So I will watch and wait to see what Old Man Winter brings our way.
People will often make resolutions at this time of year. People join the gym and work out, trying to get the bathing suit body back. The holidays offer us lots of great food, which likes to stick with us as we enter the new year. People make themselves go to the gym to shed some of those unwanted pounds, but the will power to change often runs out.
Our resolutions aren’t just focused on our physical bodies. We want our spirits to be stronger so we will come up with these types of resolutions: “I will read the Bible through twice this year!” “I will pray for an hour every day!” While these sound like great resolutions, they are very difficult to sustain. Life happens and we get busy, and when the pressures overwhelm us, these lofty resolutions become oppressive and strangling, so we give up.
When we strive to do things in our own strength through sheer will power, we often end up failing. Unless there is something driving us to make changes, generally we are going to drift away from our resolutions. Our spirit may desire change, but our flesh is weak. Our flesh will resist and fight the spirit, and unless it is a God thing the flesh will win out.
The way I see it, most resolutions are born out of our desires. So we have to put all the effort in and we know the results of that. We rarely seek God and ask Him what He wants to see different in our lives. The truth is God loves us just the way we are…BUT He wants to mold us and make us into the image of His Son Jesus. He wants to make us into vessels of honor that can carry His Spirit and love to the world around us.
The place we all need to begin the new year is in His presence. We need to rediscover that God loves us – remember, we just celebrated His birth. God likes us – He created us for fellowship and desires to be with us. He accepts us – He calls us His sons and daughters. If we can see God from that perspective then we can understand that the changes He wants to bring in our lives are for our own good. He wants to help us, heal us, restore us, and bless us!
We begin the journey drawing closer to Him. We can ask Him what He wants to do. What does He want to see different in our lives? Then we have to trust Him and work with Him to see the changes develop in our lives. Sometimes He will take us through the refining fire. Sometimes He will take us through challenges and difficulties. Sometimes we are called to go through circumstances to grow a deeper, stronger faith and trust in God.
Do you see the thread in what I wrote? He is working with us. We are working with Him. It’s not our will power or desire that is driving the change. It’s His Spirit that is motivating us, molding us, encouraging us, and helping us to make the changes. These changes will endure. They are motivated by love and filled with grace.
I want to encourage you not to make resolutions this year, but to seek His face for what He wants to do in and through your life this year. God has made good plans for your year. He wants to bless you! He wants to prosper you! He wants your year to be filled with hope, grace, mercy, and His deep everlasting love. The year will have its ups and downs, but you will be secure in His love and peace. His joy will fill your heart. Start the year in His presence and discover a journey you will never forget!
At this time of the year, I cringe a
great deal. I cringe at the Christmas cards consisting of too many family
photographs. I cringe again because few of these carry any personal note or
signature, just the implied message: “Look at how great and happy we are.”
After that cringing, I suffer through the overflow of articles and newscasts looking
back at the past year (name all who have died the past year) and the
insufferable resolutions and advice for the coming new year ranging from a new
diet to books that will change everything to ways of gaining a happier life.
But while glancing at the New Year’s Day Charlotte Observer’s coverage
of another local, random shooting in which an innocent, thirteen-year-old was
murdered, I saw a quarter-page
advertisement for a jewelry store. I cringed. Not at the ad, but at the irony
of its location. I also took a cell-phone photo of it and sent it to many
contacts in my cell phone.
The ad begins “resolve This Year” and
then it lists 29, by my count, suggestions for all of us to do in 2020. And I
think the list impressive, not necessarily because of the type of suggestions
it makes, but by its language in making them. Strong verbs are used to state
the imperatives we need to follow. An example such as “Deserve confidence” places all the
responsibility on the person desiring the confidence of another person . Those
two words tell us, in order to have the confidence of others, we must act and
do in such a way that another person will be confident about us. That is, we
will be trusted because we have demonstrated trust.
Another suggestion that resonates is
“Forgo a grudge.” I so admire the use of that somewhat archaic word “forgo.” As
any poet knows, the perfect word is, well, just right. I offer that to “forgo” is the perfect
command for any of us living with a grudge.
Find “forgo” in your dictionary or cell phone. Learn it, and see for
yourself why it is the perfect way to deal with a heavy emotion.
Now, we are all busy in our world of
convenience. Ask someone to support a good cause with a check and it likely
will be given. Ask for an afternoon of labor for the same cause, and you likely
will be given excuses of “I don’t have the time,” or “I’m too busy.” Our time, even with all of it that
we have, is guarded. Yet, here is the suggestion, “Find the time.” No
explanations of what to find the time for, just find it. Oh, the needs are only
limited by my excuses. But “Find the time” for a child, your house of worship,
the local library, a soup kitchen, the local center for seniors, or so many
other needs. Don’t wait for the time to appear, go out and find it. Once again,
the ad gives a command. No wishing or moaning, but active verbs that will give
results.
“ Go to church.” Now, there it is
said. Do not attend or visit or some other lesser verb. Go! Your mother may
have said that to you long ago. That is strong advice but needed always and
especially in our culture. You may easily substitute another word such as
temple or mosque or synagogue for church. But, Go. You will feel better, and
your world will be better.
In the current climate, passive
verbs relieve the speaker or writer of responsibility. As a teacher for forty
years, I heard too many times a whine such as, “She (a teacher) doesn’t like
me”, or “That coach likes only certain athletes”, or more and more. Parents,
too, spoke in the passive voice to remove any responsibility from their child
or even themselves. But this ad uses the active voice and that places all the
responsibility on the one doing. Examine the suggestion, “Flount envy.” Once
again, the perfect verb, but not one that I would want my students to commit regarding
rules. But envy? Exactly. Grow up and be responsible for yourself.
I wrote earlier that the placement
of the ad is ironic. It is because the page it is on has an article about the
murder of an innocent thirteen-year-old girl. She was killed by a stray bullet
fired by an eighteen-year-old who was angry with someone he had argued with,
and he did not heed the first
suggestion: “To mend a quarrel.” Instead of mending, he used a gun to rip at
something trivial. Lives torn, including his.
It is an ad unlike any I have ever
read. But it is one I will read each day and follow its words. Strong words to
help a weak world.
Walking with a weight vest is a new fitness trend in 2025. If walking is too easy for you, add weight. Or consider the weight vest as alternative training. You will burn more calories than walking and build overall strength by walking with weights. However, is it the same as rucking with a backpack? To some it seems the same, but here is an explanation of the difference.
The good news is that weight vest rucking will help you develop strength in your upper back, core and legs for when you start training with a backpack. Even weight distribution across the torso with the weight vest enables you to walk more normally (with a natural gait), and if you decide to add exercises such as pushups, pull-ups, squats and lunges, the weight vest is the better option. Most experts suggest not running while wearing the vest. Here are some more advantages to wearing a weight vest:
Increased calorie burn over walking (up to 12-40% more, depending on weight and time spent walking).
Increased strength and endurance compared to walking without a weight vest.
Improves bone health, which is excellent for preventing osteoporosis later in life. This is one reason why you see more older men and women walking with weight vests now.
Improves the posture muscles of the lower back, upper back and shoulders.
Convenient for when you do not have time for both strength training and cardio, as it blends the two elements of fitness nicely.
Rucking with a backpack is different because it distributes the weight across the shoulders, back and hips and requires a forward lean when walking or rucking, especially when it reaches 25% of your bodyweight or more. In my opinion, use a backpack if your future requires carrying them for military training or hiking long distances with survival/camping gear. Backpacking is just different, but it requires similar strength and endurance to wearing a weight vest.
You may want to get a loaded backpack and feel the difference. The logical step is to gain strength with the vest; then familiarity with backpacking could come next.
As we get closer to Christmas, a weight vest would be considered a great gift for an exercise enthusiast. For that really special person, consider matching a vest and gift certificate for a pair of running shoes and accessories.
I mentioned a couple of weeks ago in the article about Carson standout Kara Crotts and about how younger runners seldom go racing with the adults. Currently Kara is the fastest 5K female in the county regardless of her age. Most of the time, the fastest male and female runners in the county aren’t still in high school. Kara isn’t afraid to race adults, but that goes against the longtime trend.
So, what can high school runners like Kara gain from racing against adults? The adults in many cases have years of racing experience and are the best at long-time training. We had a good male high school runner several years ago, Braden Self, who made friends with some of the adults and improved his training and racing so much that he began to win local races. The better he got, the more he wanted to know.
Though better than it used to be, the accuracy of high school cross-country courses for total distance is still suspect. Adult courses in our area are spot on accurate, something that I feel is a must have. Measuring by wheel is critical as no other method is recognized, while tangents have to be measured accurately. Measuring by tangents means following the way the runners do the course, crossing back and forth to catch the shortest accurate route.
Many high school cross country runners lose interest in racing after graduation, and connecting with the adults will hopefully inspire them to keep racing and continue a lifetime of running.
Just ahead is the Resolution 5K at The Forum on January 1st. All proceeds go to Rowan Helping Ministries. Look for this and more upcoming events at www.salisburyrowanrunners.org
I have a framed sign in my house that I love. It has held true for many years. Come to think of it, I probably should dust that thing. I love it even more especially now. It simply says, “He is faithful in every season.”
Nearly everything in my life changed the day I lost David. No longer do I hang the stockings while thinking of how to get the Zero candy bars he loved so much. In fact, for the first time ever, there was no reason to hang stockings. He sure isn’t out hunting down all the chocolate covered pretzels he can find for me. Last year I found the last bag in the pantry in April. Praise God for airtight packaging! What a treat. I even shared them with him though his appetite was already failing.
Thankfully we stopped putting up a Christmas tree several years back. We decided long ago we’d need that space for people instead. Last Christmas he bought me an obelisk; a pretty wooden pyramid structure that fits well in the flowerbed by the door. The kids twisted bright colored bulbs around it and it works just fine in lieu of a tree. And David used to grill steaks on Christmas Eve for the whole family. This year Shane is smoking pork in his new smoker. Just another sign of the new season. David also used to make a foot tub of Scrabble as his mother would say. I found his recipe for Chex Mix the other day and hope to do the same. But there’s no way it will be as good as his. He’d also make white chocolate clusters with pretzels then give me the speech about how he couldn’t get real white chocolate anymore, only the candy coating. Our Christmas experience was always enhanced by the speech. I won’t hear it this year, but it’s okay. I’ve got it memorized. His other Christmas speech involved something about not touching my gifts from him until Christmas morning. I’ve got it memorized too but this year it doesn’t apply.
The point is I’m in a new season. It truly feels like everything has changed. I’ve never in my life lived alone. It’s so weird. I think of things I need to ask him, then realize… he’s not here to tell me the guy’s name who does the Salsa in the endzone. I wonder about our year-end offering that we used to pray about and always, without fail, came up with the same number. I reach for him at night, but he is not there. The light I left on for him in the bathroom stays on all night just so I feel like he’ll be to bed soon. Everything has changed.
Except this.
The Lord is faithful in every season. As the old hymn says, “Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not. Great is Thy faithfulness!” His mercies are new every single morning. For many years I’ve enjoyed the fact that the Lord gives so abundantly. Now He has taken away. Dare I say it? Yes I will. For He is ALWAYS faithful!
“He gives and takes away. Blessed be the Name of the Lord.”
Last year.
PS: If you are grieving this Christmas, try reading A Decembered Grief by Harold Ivan Smith. My kind friend Karen gave me a copy and it has been such a help. Also, the verses I quoted above are found in Lamentations 3:23, Hebrews 13:8, and Job 1:21. The angels called Him Emmanuel, because He is with us, no matter how alone we feel.
