11.22.08 The Runner, Proverbs 22

"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it."

Proverbs 22:6
"The Runner" Body Worlds by Gunther von Hagens

Our children are our most precious possession. But we don't really own them, they are on loan from God. The bible says our children are "like arrows to the warrior", so train them well.

I used to love to run. I used to run 3 miles a day, lift weighs every other day, and enjoyed my Saturday morning runs in the New Orleans French Quarter, running among the awakening tourists. I would jog up from our apartment through Bourbon Street to Canal Street and back down Decatur Street to our home. Then I would enjoy a hot cup of coffee with my wife after my cool down.

I would feel so free and I do recall that I would just hang on to Christ, thanking him for every mile, every breath, and the second win I sometimes needed to go the extra distance.

I still value those moments, when I feel on top of the world, and the Lord is putting the wind in my sails. Check out this amazing testimony from Ryan Hall. Life is a marathon. We need to let go of the issues that hold us back and turn it on for God.


"The Ryan Hall Story" Olympic Marathon Runner

Proverbs 22:11 - "He who loves a pure heart and whose speech is gracious will have the king for his friend."

We often look to other's as kings and we will have some of this people as friends. The American culture values its celebrities, its successful people, and we welcome the opportunity to brush up against greatness. I value my database of contacts and the numbers in my cell phone database. Great people that I can call, high and low. Too often, we forget our relationship with the "King of Kings". He isn't in our blackberry, our Facebook, or Twitter account. We have instant access to the most high. This is a great reminder that we don't need to focus on impressing others, although if our "heart is pure and our speech is gracious" we will reflect the vary nature of Christ and we will have many kings as friends.

On Mission, On Assignment, and in the ZONE!

Andy Valadez
e-mail: andy@marketingdynamics.org