Mentzer's Moment: Running Your RaceHebrews 12:1-2"Therefore, since ...

Mentzer's Moment:
Running Your RaceHebrews 12:1-2"Therefore, since ...: Running Your Race Hebrews 12:1-2 "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight ...

Running Your Race

Hebrews 12:1-2

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us,  and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author, and finisher of our faith..." 

The arena was nearly empty except for a few thousand when the sounds of sirens in the distance echoed through the night.  The people in the arena soon saw with flashing lights of emergency vehicles when a runner, with blood-stained bandages, came through the tunnel and onto the track. The man had dislocated his knee in a fall during the race, yet, with steel determination, this lone runner crossed the finished line alone.  

During the race, eighteen runners had quit, yet, this bloody and bandaged man was unbeaten.  

#1. Stay in your own lane

In Hebrew 12, the writer speaking of the cloud is an arena for races in bible times. The witnesses are people of their faith in God long gone, such as Moses, Abraham, and more watching us as we compete in the race God has placed before us.  One version of the Bible says "marked," and you can imagine the races of today.  Someone painted the stripes, so the runner remains in their lane during the 50-yard dash.  No athlete would go to the Olympic Committee, suggesting the lines be redrawn for their personal pleasure.  They are the authority for all the Olympics, and if you are going to participate, you will do what the Committee expects.  

The same way with God, the only Authority has determined the race each believer will run.  Some lives will be shortened by death, and so their race may be more like a 100-yard dash, but others will run the race, like a cross-country marathon.  The problem is one believer looks at another and compares their faith and practice to the other.  No athlete running a race would turn his head to see who is behind him.  Instead, he places his entire focus on crossing the finish line. 

#2 Get rid of your encumbrances

In the ancient Greek sporting contests, the athletes would compete sans clothing. This same picture here tells us we are to lay aside every weight.  Years ago, we held a youth retreat with this verse in mind.  We told them the weight could be anything that takes their focus away from the Lord: music, friends, and even church. An athlete has someone as a coach directing his training and giving him encouragement along the way, but if the athlete's focus is not on his coach, he does not get what he needs to compete.  

It is the same result for Christians who fail to listen to our coach.  Jesus prayed God would send another like him to help the disciples.  His name is the Holy Spirit.  He teaches, guides, corrects, and more for each believer.  But if we allow this world to get into the way, we can not compete to the full.  These two verses are speaking about one thing: faith. The author had just told us who was in the stands in Hebrews 11.  The people of faith were not perfect; they just continued in their race.  

# 3 Keep your eyes on the prize

In the ancient Greek games, the winner got a laurel wreath.  There were no buttons or badges for 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place, and the Olympians would not get a contract to be on a box of Wheaties. The author tells us what the prize is--the author and finisher of our faith—the Alpha and Omega.  The death of Jesus and his resurrection is how faith begins. How often did Jesus rebuke his disciples by saying, "Oh, you of little faith!" Faith needs growth, and we practice our faith, incrementally.  We run our race and listen to our coach. Just as a marathon runner must work his way up to the 26.2 miles of the marathon, so too must all believers. The Bible tells us without faith, it is impossible to please God.  

The story of the runner is true! John Stephen Akwari of Tanzania competed in the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City.  When asked by someone why he did not quit the race and be brought back to the Olympic games by ambulance, he said, "My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start the race. They sent me 5,000 miles to finish the race." These words forever marked this man as more than a winner; he was an Olympian!

God's Son, Jesus, did not save us to start the Christian race.  We will cross the finish line like John Stephen Akwari: bruised, bloody, and bandaged, but we will cross that line and fall into the arms of Jesus. Sometimes we feel like those other eighteen runners who want to quit the race. At one time, the flame burned bright within us and now more like a small pilot light waiting for an infusion of natural gas. Remember:

You were saved not to start the Christian race but to finish it! Keep running! The Prize is waiting for you at the finish line!

My 60 Year Inventory

Well, today I am sixty years young and I wanted to review my life and see what God has done over these many years.  Reflections help remind us not only of our missteps but also our triumphs. So, here goes!

Today, I have more hair than when I was born. The Bible says God knows the number of hairs on my head and I realize since my 30's God knew subtraction since my head looks like the bottom of a new born baby.

As a child my friends consisted of kids in my neighborhood: Donnie Dixon, Holly Whitmore, Vicki Trumble, Theresa McGovern, and a few more.  Then school started and friendships increased.  Those friends have moved on or moved away yet I have a Friend who is closer than a brother.  I met Jesus in the back of a Chinese restaurant in Norfolk, Virginia when I was twenty-six and he is still with me thirty-four years later.

Though I was not able to start college till I was twenty-seven, God led me in ways I never expected.
Since my first job was washing dishes I found myself drawn to the hospitality industry and it was here I got my Bachelors degree. Waking up a year after graduation, I sensed "I need to be doing something for God".  I went back to graduate school to work in Christian camps or retreats but a friend shared God had a call on my life.  For three years He did not relent and I surrendered into pastoral ministry and had the pleasure of serving God's people for twenty-six years.

Once a loner, I now have an extended family of brothers and sisters in Chris.  Two of those are Vicki, my wife of seventeen years and our daughter, Stefani. God did not stop there and gave me a mother-in-law and sister-in law to care for since Vicki's dad had passed away.  Caring for them fulfills a promise I made to care for my own mom but was unable by the time she had passed away.  With both of my parents gone I have a woman in my house who spoils  Stefani and made sure Stefani never had a babysitter.  She has infused Stefani with her life and love and Stefani is richer because of it.

I have had my heart broken and I have done the same to others. To those, I am grievously sorrowful. I, like David of the Bible have those sins before my eyes.  While I cannot forget them I know he has forgiven them.  The angst we feel because of what we have done gives us cause to stop and think before we go down that same road.  

This inventory does not mean the end of my life but a poignant reminder He will still be with me the rest of my life and beyond.  Vicki and I have a new ministry and future plans to travel.  No matter what, God will be with us.  Happy Birthday to me.

The ironclad rule: "Things don't always go smoothly"

As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the stormsubsided, and all was calm. “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.” Luke 8:23-25

Things amazingly never go as we plan. We hope, plan, strategize, and organize but, no matter, things always go a different way.  Why should we think any differently than these intrepid and adventurous disciples who had grasped onto Jesus' sleeves looking for a better life.  If you forgot, they argued among themselves about status and position as Jesus came into the city of Jerusalem for the last time. 

Many times we see these difficulties as God's condemnation about the plans we have made instead of looking at the picture as he sees it. The back of a very expensive Persian rug looks very different than the front.  Often times we are looking at the back of the rug instead of seeing these events as God does--opportunities for growth.  Scripture tells us man does purpose in his heart but it is God who directs the travel.  

Thirty-six years ago this month I left Virginia Beach to go to Rhode Island at nationally recognized hotel and culinary college.  My plan was to eventually earn the certification as a Certified Hotel Executive and travel the world managing hotels and resorts.  Little did I know within seven years I would be entering seminary and leaving my plans behind.  The journey has not been smooth but a series of ups and downs, and twists and turns.  

Eventually, the disciples found their true place and would lead the real Jesus explosion throughout the known world.  Likewise, I have found myself looking back these years and know I am where God wants me.  

If you like these North Pole Musings and would like to help us raise funds for toys to children in hospitals, please follow this link to donate.

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ClausBlog: Finding the Pearl in a Sandstorm

ClausBlog: Finding the Pearl in a Sandstorm: Out of tragedy Comes Triumph Several years ago a young woman suffered a major life setback which required months and months of recover...

Finding the Pearl in a Sandstorm

Out of tragedy Comes Triumph

Several years ago a young woman suffered a major life setback which required months and months of recovery and now a lifetime of chronic issues.  The first thought would be 'Why God?' but this was not the case.  In the midst of this trauma came friends and loved ones who spoke into the lives of both the woman and her family.  Meals appeared and cards from children ended up taped to the wall of her hospital room.  Her daughter was cared for by friends while the husband sat beside his wife for fifty days in the hospital. Three more visits to hospitals in the next nine months became the routine for this couple. 

Now, seven years later the tragedy which almost took her life has ended up with both a new zest for life and a ministry.  In a matter of a couple of weeks, the couple's four years of planning and strategizing will come to fruition in Santa Calls For You.  This business/ministry brings together the skills and gifts of both husband and wife and allows us the opportunity of returning into hospitals to show the same kind of love and compassion which had been shown years ago.  

The care of children in hospitals creates issues not associated with adults.  Children who are nervous may need sedation which creates a different set of problems.  From an article entitled, Calming kids' hospital anxieties, by Dr. James Callahan, he suggests a series of strategies to help children.  Santa Calls For You hopes to play a part in this by ministering to children "one smile at a time,"  

Years ago I read a Christian author whose name escapes me today who suggested that to truly heal from the tragedies of life is to find the pearl in the midst of the sandstorm. We have found that by looking at the needs of others, ours seem to pale in consideration.  We no longer are in a hospital facing an unknown future but a child is and with a visit by Santa and Mrs. Claus delivering a toy and love, we hope to show Christ's love in our ministry.

Please share in the joy and the hopes we have for this venture and know we appreciate your support and prayers.