That which we grow accustomed to is easier to do the next time. Whether or not it really is easier, it sure feels that way. When I ran I noticed that each season I would struggle to get over the 10 mile hump. But after the first couple of runs in excess of 10 miles, the rest of the season it was much easier to go beyond 10. Up until the past week, 25 to 30 miles on the bike felt like a very long time. Friday afternoon we had a nice day and my office was closed, so I knocked off a 50+ mile ride. Now today, between my morning and evening sessions, I rode a bit more than 36--and it didn't feel very long at all. Maybe I have crossed an invisible line such that 30 mile days will feel normal for the rest of the season.
Funny thing, but I have also found that when I build a track record of several days of consistent Bible reading or praying, it is easier to stick with it. Habits are tough to develop (and easy to lose), but if maintained, can make keeping up feel like a bit of a downhill ride.
Spent Good Friday night with 50,000 of my closest friends at an event called Secret Church. With 50,000 can it really be so secret? We just had eight of us at the house for a simulcast from the Church at Brook Hills. We spent six hours of worship, prayer, and a whole-Bible teaching survey of a Biblical theology of suffering--Genesis to Revelation. The friends at our simulcast wondered how David Platt was going to get through a 210 page study guide--until he started talking. Whew!
The six-hour Secret Church was a good jump start (sort of like a 50-mile ride), but the key will be to keep the momentum going. We flew through the study guide so quickly that I have a plan to read through each of the 75 sections one each day. At the end of 75 days of studying what the Bible has to say about suffering and God's providence and sovereignty, I am trusting that I will have a solid foundation to keep moving along the journey.
Piqued your interest? Check out www.radical.net to see video or audio of each of the prior Secret Church events. This past event will be up on the web site in the next couple of weeks.
Downhill and with the wind!
-Ken
The Persistent Journey -- toward authentic living in an inauthentic world
