caesar's head.

Round three of our new tradition was another enormous blessing. Not only did we spend four hours surrounded by my favorite gift from God, but we also had two new recruits join us! We had the pleasure of being accompanied on this adventure by TJ's mom and oldest sister. It was a treat of the best kind, and I am already anxious for the next time they come alongside us in this monthly outing of fun. Wouldn't it be awesome if we could get more and more people interested in our little ventures each time until we've got a posse of folks committed to each other and to the Lord's handy work? I think that would be beyond awesome, and I am believing it to be true even as I write these words. I don't think you can truly appreciate something until you've spent at least a little time with it, and it's my hope and sincere prayer that Jesus would put a fire in other people's souls to want to go out and experience all the sights and wonders for themselves.

There is so much magic and beauty out in the world, even in our backyards, and all of it is just waiting to be explored and traveled. I hope I speak for multitudes when I confess that I want to see it all. I won't see much of any of it, however, if I don't go out, open my eyes, and saturate myself within it. Even when I really feel like I can't take another step without collapsing, I chant over and over to myself that the Lord is my strength. He is the one enabling me to do things I never thought I could do, and He alone is my strength and my refuge. When I keep my gaze on His glory and His grace, there isn't a thing in the world that I can't accomplish.  Whether it be the mountain I'm climbing on the trail or the mountain I'm climbing in my life, I have been granted the strength to overcome it. All I have to do it claim it over my circumstance, and keep putting one foot in front of the other.

My encouragement to you is to simply run your race, whether literally or figuratively. A good thing to bear in mind is to always remember who you're running your race for, because that's what will determine the course of your steps and the fruit of your labor. Live your life to the fullest, and never forget the One who blessed you with it. Live your life as an offering to Him who gave it so that you might use it for good, not evil. Live your life in such a way that endless joy and perfect peace pour from your countenance and seep into the lives of those around you.

Live your life so that others will be encouraged to live their own.

"One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things."

-Henry Miller