OnFire Encouragement Letter

Hi Folks and Happy New Year:

I don't know about you, but I'm happy to get back into a routine after Christmas. We've entertained and concerted, opened gifts and eaten, and did all of the great things of Christmas, but its time to get back to regular life.

Some news - Jan and Mark booked tickets to go to the Sport Stacking World Championeships in Denver in April. Now its time to go out and find some sponsors to help us pay for it. Mark is very excited. He has become something of a local celebrity, but he seems not to be letting it go to his head.

OnFire Weight Loss Club. In 1988 I weighed 275 lbs. I've lost and kept off more than 65 pounds since that time. Each week I'll forward tips and encouragement, and participants report progress toward their weight loss goal. I'm the only one who sees the results, but it helps with accountability. One lady last year lost about 40lbs. If you are interested, email me and I'll add you to the list.

Blessings for your week.

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But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14*

After we got married, I decided I wanted to try mountain bike racing. At six feet tall and over 200lbs, I knew that I didn’t have the body type to place against the “typical” bikers, who are usually much shorter and lighter, but I wanted to try. I upgraded my bike and I began training. Most of my classes ended by 3:00pm, and so I could often be seen riding the hills around Wolfville, NS, where we lived at the time. Many days my water bottle froze, it was so cold. I also watched what I ate. While many of my riding friends lightened the components on their bikes, I figured the cheapest thing I could lighten was me, and so I lost 30lbs. I was lean and trim, and for the first time in my life people called me skinny.

My goal changed my life at that time. It changed what I did, where I went, and what I ate. It gave me focus and clarity. While it was significant, it was only temporary, however. Some goals are like that - temporary - for a time and season. When we started having a family, my goals, not surprisingly, shifted.

Other goals are life-consuming and have eternal significance. That’s the way it was with Paul. His life was totally wrapped up in serving Jesus to the fullest of his ability. It wasn’t hard to tell where his heart was. His desire was to lay down his life down for Jesus Christ every day so that, one day, he would take up his new, resurrection body.

Listen to the passion and intensity in Paul as he compared himself to a runner: “forgetting what is behind...” “straining toward what is ahead...” “I press on to win...”

I have a picture in my mind of one of those sprinters nearing the finish line. As they get ready to cross, they use every last little bit of energy to push out their heads and chests so that they might be first to finish. That’s the kind of energy and passion Paul brings to his life.

It is not hard to tell when someone’s heart is not in something. They don’t try very hard. They won’t make an extra effort. It the task gets finished, it isn’t very well done. Any coach can tell you when the players are only half-hearted. The hockey player won’t go into the corners to fight for the puck. The basketball player won’t hustle on the court.

I’ve never been big into team sports, but I’ve played in a number of bands over the years. Every conductor has ridden us about being into the music, about putting our hearts into it. On the times when we weren’t, we struggled to bring it together. However, when we put all of our hearts into it, we sizzled. One night I popped off a super high note on the trumpet to end a song, making half the band turn to wonder who had joined us. I had done it in practice alone, but hadn’t the heart to try it until that night.

Putting all of our heart into it makes all the difference, in sports, music, and in our faith. We can be sure that Paul’s goal was not just to slip inside the gates of heaven. He would not be happy just to ease on down the road. He wants to claim first place. Of course, God is not going to line us up on the podium, but neither does he want us to be half-hearted, content just to be in the game. We need to serve with all of our hearts.

At the end of a year it is not hard to look back with regret. My failures haunt me at times, but listen to what Paul says about the past - “Forgetting what is behind...” If we want to move forward, we must take our eyes off the past and look ahead, because we tend to go where we look. We cannot strain whole-heartedly toward the heavenward prize if we are constantly looking over our shoulders at the past.

As we face a new year, we would do well to follow Paul’s example of serving whole-heartedly, not just playing at our faith as if it were simply a hobby, but pouring all of our being, every thought, fibre, muscle and sinew into straining ahead for the sake of Jesus.

I hope this helps. Be OnFire.

Troy

ON FIRE is a weekly letter of encouragement by Troy Dennis. To be added to or removed from the ON FIRE list contact him at onfire@eastlink.ca . Archives are located at www.onfireletter.com This letter published Jan 3, 2008. *New International Version, copyright 1973, 1978 by the International Bible Society.