Your Olympics
We cheered on the Olympians, and still more the Paralympians, with pride in our countries and awe at their amazing achievements.
Those guys (and gals) sacrificed years and time and money and strength and purpose to one goal - to compete here.
As Christians, we have our own Olympics to run. Our goal - which is Heaven, our struggle - which is life. And we are commanded to run in such a way as to win the prize - the prize of the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus.
I went to the opening of the Baptist Bible College in Telford area today. The guy who preached was Pastor David More.
He talked on running the race. But not so much the beginning, as the ending. We need to end well.
Many people, he said, start off enthusiastically and with zeal. But not so many end up finishing well, because they didn't run with dedication and purpose.
We need to set our sights on Christ and following Him. That must be our goal. We may change immediate goals and our lives turn around in the meantime, but our pursuit must always be of Christ.
Paul didn't say he fought the fight. He said he fought a GOOD fight.
Talking of teams, I created my own recently...which was what I originally wanted to blog about.
Now Team GB's over, I'm starting cheering for Team Autobio! Or to use the Twitter hashtag... #teamautobio
Correct! I posted a status up recently on most of the social networking sites I use, asking for people who knew a fair amount of my life, and didn't mind dealing with dark stuff, that I could trust with fairly intimate details, to join me in working on my autobiography.
It's a project I started work on back when I was staying with the Lausers in Ireland. I know I've gone through everything for a reason, and I know it has helped some young people already. So...I just want to put it into book form, even though I wasn't intending it to be published.
William, Nick, Jordan, Bethany, Meghan, Keifer, Chloe, Braden, Arielle and Brandyce comprise Team AutoBio.
Their jobs include reminding me to write, scanning over the sensitive material I send them, praying over it and me as I write and responding/giving constructive criticism in such a way as not to condemn or hurt either it or me, and sooner or later, critiquing it.
They're a fantastic bunch of people. I couldn't wish for a better group. :) I love you guys, if you read this.
I'd just like to post up a few comments from some of the team members who have been reading it. To kind of like...make you curious. :P
"You did a fabulous job with this chapter. This is an extremely hard subject to broach, yet you touched on it tactfully, but thoroughly and without sugar-coating or downplaying the seriousness of the subject. As someone who has been scarred from both of the issues brought up in this chapter, I know it's extremely hard to talk about it to other people like this. Very proud of ya. :)"
"I know that, while reading this, you would Ike me to read/critique/offer opinions, but at the moment I haven't really got any, other than it feels like this was written *for me.*...I think you are right in saying this is dark and sensitive material, but at the same time it possesses the potential to touch so many lives. If you tried to tone it down or soften your experiences, it wouldn't have the same effect as it does currently. This is powerful stuff. So, not much to say on the content (other than that what you've written so far has touched me personally, and I look forward to the rest of it)."
"At any rate, I love reading this not because you went through it--far from that, actually, and I'm sorry you had to experience many of the bad things in life alongside the good ones. Still, I feel like your experiences can help me (and others like me, whoever they may be) to better understand why God is taking me down my current path."
"Your writing style is beautiful, down to earth, and above all, easy to relate to, and human. For what you intend with this, that couldn't be better. I am sure the majority of people that might read this will find it very easy to understand you and where you're coming from. Your life, in several important ways, heavily reminds me of my own, and so, I am particularly interested to read...
One thing is that you probably don't need to defend your story as much as you do in the writing. The fact that you are writing so honestly and in such a manner already says a lot. With my full respect, I think less 'defense' for it would get everything across more. Anyone who judges you is being cruel-hearted and would/will anyway."
AND! The prologue. ;)
Grass shimmered under the glow of the sunlight, silvery blades bent before the wind.
The leaves and needles of the trees bordering the property glowed softly against a background of soft blue sky, puffed with dark blue and creamy grey clouds.
A tree bough moved in the breeze, bent a little nearer to the ground under the weight of a girl perched on the limb, clipboard with paper and pen on her lap.
Her blue-grey eyes searched the sky, looking for the words to a story, a song that was coming, always just around the corner, always just beyond her reach, always full of longing, an empty echo, a hunger in her soul.
Tucking a wave of red hair behind her ear, she began to write. Not the story she had come out intending to write, but another. A story that was but a much feebler copy of a greater, perfect tale only just begun.
I am that girl, and this is my story.
* * *
God bless!
Love in Christ,
~Siân
Those guys (and gals) sacrificed years and time and money and strength and purpose to one goal - to compete here.
As Christians, we have our own Olympics to run. Our goal - which is Heaven, our struggle - which is life. And we are commanded to run in such a way as to win the prize - the prize of the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus.
I went to the opening of the Baptist Bible College in Telford area today. The guy who preached was Pastor David More.
He talked on running the race. But not so much the beginning, as the ending. We need to end well.
Many people, he said, start off enthusiastically and with zeal. But not so many end up finishing well, because they didn't run with dedication and purpose.
We need to set our sights on Christ and following Him. That must be our goal. We may change immediate goals and our lives turn around in the meantime, but our pursuit must always be of Christ.
Paul didn't say he fought the fight. He said he fought a GOOD fight.
Talking of teams, I created my own recently...which was what I originally wanted to blog about.
Now Team GB's over, I'm starting cheering for Team Autobio! Or to use the Twitter hashtag... #teamautobio
Correct! I posted a status up recently on most of the social networking sites I use, asking for people who knew a fair amount of my life, and didn't mind dealing with dark stuff, that I could trust with fairly intimate details, to join me in working on my autobiography.
It's a project I started work on back when I was staying with the Lausers in Ireland. I know I've gone through everything for a reason, and I know it has helped some young people already. So...I just want to put it into book form, even though I wasn't intending it to be published.
William, Nick, Jordan, Bethany, Meghan, Keifer, Chloe, Braden, Arielle and Brandyce comprise Team AutoBio.
Their jobs include reminding me to write, scanning over the sensitive material I send them, praying over it and me as I write and responding/giving constructive criticism in such a way as not to condemn or hurt either it or me, and sooner or later, critiquing it.
They're a fantastic bunch of people. I couldn't wish for a better group. :) I love you guys, if you read this.
I'd just like to post up a few comments from some of the team members who have been reading it. To kind of like...make you curious. :P
"You did a fabulous job with this chapter. This is an extremely hard subject to broach, yet you touched on it tactfully, but thoroughly and without sugar-coating or downplaying the seriousness of the subject. As someone who has been scarred from both of the issues brought up in this chapter, I know it's extremely hard to talk about it to other people like this. Very proud of ya. :)"
"I know that, while reading this, you would Ike me to read/critique/offer opinions, but at the moment I haven't really got any, other than it feels like this was written *for me.*...I think you are right in saying this is dark and sensitive material, but at the same time it possesses the potential to touch so many lives. If you tried to tone it down or soften your experiences, it wouldn't have the same effect as it does currently. This is powerful stuff. So, not much to say on the content (other than that what you've written so far has touched me personally, and I look forward to the rest of it)."
"At any rate, I love reading this not because you went through it--far from that, actually, and I'm sorry you had to experience many of the bad things in life alongside the good ones. Still, I feel like your experiences can help me (and others like me, whoever they may be) to better understand why God is taking me down my current path."
"Your writing style is beautiful, down to earth, and above all, easy to relate to, and human. For what you intend with this, that couldn't be better. I am sure the majority of people that might read this will find it very easy to understand you and where you're coming from. Your life, in several important ways, heavily reminds me of my own, and so, I am particularly interested to read...
One thing is that you probably don't need to defend your story as much as you do in the writing. The fact that you are writing so honestly and in such a manner already says a lot. With my full respect, I think less 'defense' for it would get everything across more. Anyone who judges you is being cruel-hearted and would/will anyway."
AND! The prologue. ;)
Grass shimmered under the glow of the sunlight, silvery blades bent before the wind.
The leaves and needles of the trees bordering the property glowed softly against a background of soft blue sky, puffed with dark blue and creamy grey clouds.
A tree bough moved in the breeze, bent a little nearer to the ground under the weight of a girl perched on the limb, clipboard with paper and pen on her lap.
Her blue-grey eyes searched the sky, looking for the words to a story, a song that was coming, always just around the corner, always just beyond her reach, always full of longing, an empty echo, a hunger in her soul.
Tucking a wave of red hair behind her ear, she began to write. Not the story she had come out intending to write, but another. A story that was but a much feebler copy of a greater, perfect tale only just begun.
I am that girl, and this is my story.
* * *
God bless!
Love in Christ,
~Siân
The prologue was beautiful, Janey dear. :) You piqued my interest!
ReplyDeleteI pray God's abundant blessings upon this project. May he grant you inspiration and show Himself more and more to you as you write and more and more to all those who read it. And may his glory, love, power, and purpose radiate from the pages.
Love you, sis!
Pip <3
I just about cried over the prologue :D
ReplyDeleteI echo Pip's prayer 100%. May God's blessings be upon both you and the project.
You're awesome, Jane.
~Dri