faithrunner

I had a busy weekend, but I like it that way sometimes. Friday started with a men's group at Legacy. We're going through Larry Burkett's Business by the Book . Friday's session on leadership was one of the best I've heard/seen in a long time--of course, they emphasized servant leadership, so, I had a bias going in. After time in the office to prepare for Legacy's annual church conference on Sunday evening, I headed out to Lake Grapevine to help set up for NTTR's Rockledge Rumble that was held on Saturday . The weather was perfect for an autumn afternoon. We enjoyed setting up the start/finish line pavilion and marking the trails for the runners the next day. Friday night I enjoyed the PSHS-Richardson HS football game sitting with the Browns, Piepers, Stones, and Harrods. If you are not playing, sporting events are best viewed with good friends. It makes for "insightful" comments and critiques of all that is happening. It's also warmer when yo...

The older I get, the fewer opportunities I get to spend with my parents. So, when a weekend comes up where I get to see either or both of them, I get real excited. This past weekend my father came over on Friday afternoon because Mother, my sisters, wife and daughters and other women connected to that group had a girls weekend out. (Shopping in Grandberry.) That meant Dad and I got the weekend together. --That's Dad and me at my niece's wedding this past Summer. That evening we went to the PSHS vs. PWSHS football game at Clark Stadium after a quick meal at Firehouse Subs on Spring Creek. I played football in high school at French High School in Beaumont , and Dad refereed pee-wee through high school football for over twenty years. Going to a game with him brought back great memories and was something we could share like a father and son sharing a hunting trip together. Plano lost. West won. Bryce Merkling, West QB and who attends Legacy, had a great game! After an 11-mile run...

This past weekend Kim and I attended our 31st homecoming at Baylor University . We love going back to the place we often say were the "best four years of our lives," although we didn't know each but the last two of them. College was a taste of an ideal life...all you have to do is show up when class is held and study some in between. We were free to chose for ourselves and tried out being adults for the first time. Friends become friends for life. When we go back to the campus we always connect with a group of friends we have known since we graduated. We began vacationing together before we had children and have been gathering since. We call them the Red River Gang, since we vacation with them every other year in Red River, NM . (Next summer is our next journey to the old mining town.) Here's a picture of the group from the top of the Red River ski lift in 2004. When Storey was married this past summer, most of the group was there. The children consider each other a s...

Yes, there's a country western turn by Tracy Lawrence titled, " Paint Me A Birmingham ." Is there anything C&W song writers haven't written about? Anyway, I'm in Birmingham, AL, on a writing assignment with StudentLife Bible Study . This is my third trip out to write commentary for their online curriculum for teachers of students. Check it out . It's great stuff. I came in town last night for another project, so, I had the morning to work on that project and run . I had heard of Oak Mountain State Park before, and when I asked the person at the desk how far I was from it, she said it was the next exit south. You could say it was a perfect morning for a writer and runner. I got up about 6:30 a.m. and wrote until about 8:30. I then got in the car and drove to the park, and found the trail head for the 17-mile mountain bike trail . It was about 55 degrees, clear, with a slight breeze. The sunlight sent rays through the trees like a laser light show, and a...

Last week, 10 of us from Legacy attended the Willow Creek Association's Small Group conference. As usual, the conference leaders and content were for the most part helpful and insightful. Erwin MacManus , Donald Miller , Randy Frazee , and Bill Donahue topped the speaker list. Their experience, insights, and practical advice gave each of us something to bring back to Legacy's small group initiatives and to grow in our understanding about how to do church together. However, it was not the speakers and the information that made an impact on me or will be the thing that will impact Legacy. The difference maker for the group was the community we experienced while riding in the van, sharing meals, working out, and simply hanging out together. Community does not result in more information. That would have happened after the first breakout session. No, community arises from shared experiences over time by those who are themselves and help the others in the group to trust Jesus . The ...

I rode the Cotton Patch Classic , a 63-mile tour in the rolling hills of North East Texas, this morning with some of the guys I rode the HH100. It started in downtown Greenville, TX, as part of their Rally Round Greenville festivities. When I walked out this morning about 6:00, I realized it had not cooled down a degree from the day before. It was humid AND the wind was already blowing. I clicked on Weather.com and saw the high would be in the 90's F and a steady wind would blow from the south all day. The route turned out to be more hilly than I had hoped, and the wind lived up to its potential. The last 10 miles were into the wind, and I was glad we did not have 37 more miles to go at the finish. Thanks Jim, Kevin, Keith and John for a good ride. We celebrated by stopping outside McKinney on the way home at the Bel Air's and Burgers (no, they don't have a webpage) for a cheeseburger, fries and chocolate shake, my diet buster after a long ride or run. Kim left before I...

Made it home Friday about 1600 Plano time. Eight days on foot made driving from the airport a treat (?). Actually, the urban transportation scene is not so bad. Sure saves on all the stuff that goes with cars. However, I'm sure I would long for the wide-open spaces of suburban travel after a little while. I said good-bye to Kenny and his father about 0615 at the Chengdu airport and began my 22-hour trek home. I made all the connections and had a little lay over in Beijing . They really have clamped down on the pollution there, and the skies were much clearer than anywhere we had been in the county. They were building at the airport to prepare for the 2008 Summer Olympics which will be hosted by the country. They'll make it. Every country seems to when its their time. I am looking forward to re-connecting with everyone who is Legacy and sharing God's future for us together. I return with a renewed certainty that the ekklesia is alive and well the world over and that we s...