Good Morning Parkway Family;

             It was good to be with you all again this past Sunday.   God was glorified as we gathered and worshiped Him through music – praise team you did a great job and so did the Mountain Ridge Ringers – through scripture and through prayer – thank you Jan for helping me out – and through the message.  I feel the same way that I did yesterday.  God has done great things – God is doing great things – and God will continue to do great things in our church.   I encourage you to join what God is doing at Parkway.

             As most of you know, this year I started running.  Someone asked me on Sunday if I had run before we moved to Staunton.  I had to admit that I hadn’t.  Running was suggested to me a year ago when we came to interview.  If you would have told me a year ago that I would be running 5 miles every other day and would have already completed my first 5K run, I would have thought you were crazy.  Of course, now that I am running I know some of my friends think I’m crazy.

             I remember that first day, it was August 31st, 2009.  It was just three days after my birthday.  Pastor Barry and I went over to the Lee High track and began running.  He warned me to do some stretching so we did that, then we began our first lap.  We completed 200 yards on a jog.  Not bad was my thought and then we walked for 200 yards and we kept alternating this until we completed four laps.  It took us 20 minutes to complete one mile.  I wasn’t so sure that I was going to make it to my next birthday.  Slowly but surely, we worked together over that first month – jogging and walking – jogging and walking.  I was able to build up my stamina, little by little.  I remember I was so excited when I could finally run one mile – then two – then three – then four.  By that time, Ward and Jeff convinced me to enter a 5K race.  That was in November.  I completed my first 5K race ever in 36 minutes and 59 seconds.  It didn’t matter to me that I finished almost last.  My main goal was to complete the race. Over the last couple of months, I have worked up to 5 miles every other day and slowly but surely, I am taking seconds off each mile.  I can now complete on a very fast day 5.2 miles in just over an hour.

             Why do I tell you all that?  Before Easter, Pastor Barry challenged us about our spiritual growth.   I took that challenge as well as many of you.  How are you doing on that challenge?  Perhaps you are only taking baby steps, like I am doing with my running.  The point is are you making progress and if you are that is great – I applaud you, just like many of you have encouraged me in my running.

             In addition to that, I am amazed at the body’s ability to respond to exercise.  I would have never guessed that I could have made that kind of progress.  The other thing that I am painfully aware is how quickly progress can slip away from you.  It takes constantly pushing the boundaries of what you know you can do.  In my journaling of my running progress, my final statement to conclude each entry comes from Paul’s words found in his letter to the church at Ephesus.

“No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Jesus Christ, is calling us”.(Ephesians 3:13-14 – New Living Translation)

             I encourage each one of you, no matter where you are in your spiritual journey to press on to reach the prize for which God has called you to.  I love you all. Have a great week.

Pressing On!
Pastor Dale