Take a Hike

"There is far too much at our fingertips in the artificial world made for our comfort and ease. Cable television and air-conditioning and hiring somene else to fix the sink or iron your shirts. The masculine soul atrophies under those conditions. And God would have us become men. If life always came easy to us, we wouldn't benefit from it. The things we value are the things we've paid for. The victories we treasure are from the hardest battles." John Eldredge, The Way of the Wild Heart

He is right. As I think back, the times I am most satisfied is when my time and effort are devoted to something challenging and I see success. It can be physical, mental or even emotional. It also can be really frustrating when you fail. Who among us has not spent hours trying to solve some problem (find the short in the wiring, get the last lug nut off, try to convince the boss you are right, or help the kid with a "word problem" in algebra).

Sometimes though, I am willing to pay for sheer drudgery. I will gladly pay for some guys to shingle my roof if I can afford it. It is not the physical labor-while they are working, I am sweating on my mtn bike up some trail in the mountains. It is more fun, healthier,and when I reach my destination, the view is awesome and soul inspiring. That being said, I did feel tremendous satisfaction the time I did shingle my roof-and it saved me a lot of money.

But for now, I am taking a hike. It is what my heart and soul needs right now. The roof, the car, the light fixture in the basement and the unfinished basketball hoop can wait. I will do them, not hire someone-for the same reason I need to hike. It is a geat feeling to return to the car tired,sweaty, inspired, and peaceful...and you can't hire someone to hike for you.

Casual Christians

Bill Glass was a well known NFL player in the 1960s. Here is a geat quote from his book Get in the Game: "When I play defensive end for the Browns, I get down on the line of scrimmage in a stance of complete intensity.
Every muscle lin my body is tightened to fire across the line..The first movment I see on the other side of the line sets me off like a gigantic spring...Can you imagine a Christian lining up on the "defensive line" of the Christian life casually? I see a lot of casual Christians. If I lined up casually in a game like I see casual Christians "lining up" to serve Jesus Christ, I would get knocked on my casual can. And a Christian who tries to serve Jesus Christ casually will be highly ineffective.