ABCCONN

March 10, 2010

Dear Friends,

It began innocently enough. Mark and I were looking at some of the pictures from day one of our Mission trip. They weren't too flattering. Then he said, "Boy, I need to lose some weight before my daughter's wedding in August." I chimed in, "So do I. I just can't seem to get motivated." Out of these simple remarks a contest arose.

We talked a little bit about our past experiences in losing weight. Then he said, "Do you want to have a contest?" He smiled and I was hooked. The competitive part of my soul responded without thinking. This was going to be fun and EASY!

We settled on a the goal of 35 pounds. We would weigh in each Sunday at church. The first to the goal would claim bragging rights. I looked at Mark and thought, "No contest!" The rest of the week in Mexico we had a blast teasing and goading each other. You would have thought we were Muhammad Ali and Joe Fraser prepping for the Thrilla in Manila.

We had a lot of fun pumping each other up and I have no doubt that we will push each other to succeed in the coming weeks. Just last night Mark told me he was down six pounds after two days of eating rice cakes with peanut butter. I laughed and told him to remember the story of the tortoise and the hare.

This morning I was struck with the fact that many of us are truly motivated by competition. When we are challenged, we push ourselves to excel. Whether it is in sports or in school or at work, that extra motivation is enough for us to work harder and do better. We take control of our will and move toward our goals.

I think God understands this very well. So often we see these little challenges in the Bible. He challenges us to give by saying that you can't out give God. He challenges us to follow his example. He challenges us to love our neighbors. He challenges us to let his light shine in us. He knows that in accepting the challenges we will be blessed.

Unfortunately too many people look at the Bible as a big stop sign. They read "Don't do this!" in every other statement. I don't think God ever intended it that way. Going back to Adam, Abraham and later Moses and David, God has always reached out to us and invited us to be all that we could be.

I love the fact that when Jesus was confronted with the question as to which was the greatest commandment, he responded with a positive expression. "Love God with all your being and love your neighbor!" It was his challenge to us to be the best we could be. It was his invitation to us to strut our stuff and let God's light shine in us.

So look for a trimmer, thinner me in the coming weeks. Hopefully you'll see a kinder, more loving me too! I'm up for both challenges. Are you?

God bless. See you in Church. Cal.