Revitalize Your Church

In honor of the 42nd Birkie today, I am re-posting this delightful story from my first book, Filled Up, Poured Out: Hayward is home of the American Birkebeiner , North America’s largest cross country ski race. 10,500 skiers come from almost every state and many nations to compete in this world-class event. Spectators line snow-covered Main Street, ringing cowbells and cheering weary skiers across the finish line. For two decades, I've been a Birkie cowbell ringer. A day or two before the Birkebeiner, I always pine a little, wishing I had pulled the skis from the rafters and joined the throng of brave souls testing the limits of their endurance. But, as Birkie day arrives, I find myself content to ring cowbells. After all, if everybody skied the Birkie, there wouldn't be anybody left to cheer. Normally, we ring in the elite skiers who finish first. Usually the winner is some Olympic European who hardly broke a sweat. I’m always impressed. The best part of the race, t...

We all know the story of the tortoise and the hare. In their great race, Mr. Hare started with a flash, and, noticing his huge lead, decided to stop for a moment and take a snooze. Mr. Tortoise, on the other hand, plodded along slowly and steadily. At first, he was left in a cloud of dust, but he refused to quit. He kept going. After a while, he waddled right past the napping hare, and crossed the finish line. His persistence, not his swiftness, made him a winner! Are you a tortoise or a hare? Do you finish what you start, or do you leave a trail of unfinished projects behind you? Sometimes, the people with the greatest talent lose life’s race because they are undisciplined, and unwilling to go all the way to the finish line. Oh yes, these folks have lots of great intentions, but little things just seem to crowd them out. Any expert in goal setting will tell you that to reach a big goal, you gave to tackle it one step at a time. Achievement is not accomplished by a quick dash, but by ...