Winter

During winter things seem to be moving very slow, including myself. It does take a minute to get moving in the morning when there is no daylight until you have already been up for many hours. Add to that -30 degrees and a fire that has gone out and you just don't want to get out from underneath those covers!

But in reality life hasn't stopped for you or any of those that live around you. You still have to break, split, and haul your coal, wood, and dung for fuel to burn, well, that is if you don't want your house to freeze. You still have to haul water or look for a new source for water if your well has frozen.

I had the opportunity to visit a few new families this last week (families of the guys coming to the gym), and life hasn't stopped at all; even for those living in a ger (felt tent). In fact, life may have gotten busier!

There is so much to do leading up to winter: Collecting fuel stores, butchering animals, storing crops in root cellars, winterizing everything, which included for my host family: re-mudding the outside of the home in bad spots, siliconing or scotch taping windows and covering them with plastic, fiixing doors, the wood stove, cleaning the heat walls and repairing the chimney, laying out carpets everywhere, etc... Life doesn't stop!

God has been so gracious to us as we have been working through our first winter away from the greater team. Out of official Language study (I don't believe that it actually ever ends) into projects, studies, and people's lives. We have been working on adoption that God is abundantly providing for! We are adjusting to a new team with all our loving quirks. Please, pray that our team continues to grow together, that we are quick to give each other grace, and that we are willing to just have fun! There have been some bumps, but we are growing and changing, and we continue on in God's graceful hands.

I have been thinking a lot about 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

I love to exercise to the point of where people think I'm obsessed! I love to push my body to the point of where it screams to stop! And then do a few more just to show it that it can go further! (Not sure where this stems from, but you can analyze me with Krista later:-) Actually, If I am not talking about my family or minstry then this is definitely what I am talking about!

So, back to the verse:

“Do you not know that in a race all runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last;”

I want to stop there...what do you hear? I hear: In a compeition everyone competes to get the prize. If you didn't come to compete then why did you even show up, seriously? So, run in such a way as to smoke all your opponets. Have you not been training? Slacker! You must train if you think you have any chance at the crown!

“But we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore, I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”

Again I hear: We do not live in Christ for a crown that will rust and fade, but one that will last FOREVER! FOREVER a CHAMPION for CHRIST! Don't run aimlessly! Don't fight the wind! A goal has been laid before you, so train and train HARD! Beat your body and make it a slave. BE INSANE! So, that you will not be DISQUALIFIED!

What am I saying?!

TRAIN HARD! Do everything without arguing or complaining! Pick up your cross and MOVE OUT! If you not competing, you're just a spectator. He hasn't called spectators. He has called CHAMPIONS!

Hey, this is only what I have been thinking! So, what gets you out of bed?