cutest missions class ever.

Hiti, Morgan, Harris, Tyler Grace, and Truman.

(we missed Ally, Savannah, Owen, Daniel, Anderson, and MacKenzie)

Chariots of Fire

Last week, I rented Chariots of Fire in hopes that I would gain some inspiration for the rest of my marathon training. In all honesty the movie was pretty boring. And I guess that could also be because it was released in the same month that I was born almost 28 years ago. Not much motivation there.

What I did find, surprisingly, was inspiration for faith. The movie is based on the true story of two men who compete in the 100m run at the 1924 Olympics. Harold Abrahams is a Jewish man who has to overcome antisemitism and class discrimination in order to run and Eric Liddell is a missionary who runs because he believes it brings pleasure to God. These are both beautiful themes and are probaby why the movie won 4 Oscars. My favorite moment in the movie came when Eric Liddell preached this mini-sermon after winning a race...

"You came to see a race today. To see someone win. It happened to be me. But I want you to do more than just watch a race. I want you to take part in it. I want to compare faith to running in a race. It's hard. It requires concentration of will, energy of soul. You experience elation when the winner breaks the tape - especially if you've got a bet on it. But how long does that last? You go home. Maybe you're dinner's burnt. Maybe you haven't got a job. So who am I to say, "Believe, have faith," in the face of life's realities? I would like to give you something more permanent, but I can only point the way. I have no formula for winning the race. Everyone runs in her own way, or his own way. And where does the power come from, to see the race to its end? From within. Jesus said, "Behold, the Kingdom of God is within you. If with all your hearts, you truly seek me, you shall ever surely find me." If you commit yourself to the love of Christ, then that is how you run a straight race. "

With each half marathon I've run, I find myself immediately full of excitement and pride for the accomplishment of crossing the finish line. This usually lingers for a few days at most, but is then quickly replaced with lethargy and a lack of motivation! After you spend 3 months preparing for a less than 2 hour performance, it's kind of a let down to be finished so quickly. I hear that this is the worst after running a marathon so I'm trying to prepare in every way possible.

I love how the writer names the difficulty of running and notes that it takes a strong desire and energy from within to complete the task. Because I run, I can see the easy relation to faith. You have to want to grow closer to God and you have to spend a lot of time and energy doing so or you'll never grow.

As many long distance runners will tell you, "it's about the journey, not the destination." It's about the 6 months that you spend training for a marathon, the 4 hours that you spend out on the course, the people you meet, the sites you see along the way, and what you learn about yourself. All of that means more than crossing electronic sensors and recording your finish time.

So it is in faith--it's about how you live each moment of your life, because while we are on this earth there is no stopping point, no finish line. God desires for us to continually seek our Creator, no matter how un-motivated we may feel. Growing closer to God doesn't stop when we leave church on Sunday afternoon, or when we complete a Bible study, or come home from a retreat. It is constant work, as is anything in life--marathons, parenting, work, you name it--but if you commit yourself to the love of Christ and seek God with all of your heart, you will surely walk closer with the Great Shepherd.

busted!

Once last week while John was out, he came home and caught me watching this...

handy manny

and then he took a nap one day and woke up to me watching this...

HSM2

his comment?
"you are such a children's minister"

and NO, I am not ashamed.

Ode to Ms. Agnes

Oh, Ms. Agnes, you will be missed. You faithfully cared for our babies and loved each one as much as the next. You spoke to them as if they could speak back to you and we all know they wanted to. You cared for them in so many ways including washing their little hands after changing their diapers:) They know that you love them and they hope that you will come back to visit. Don't think that the mommies of those babies will not miss you. Because they love you with a fierce love. There aren't too many people that mommies will happily allow to care for their babies. But they left their tiny people with you along with loads of trust. And I will miss you too. Your hugs and sweet spirit always cheered me up if I was feeling down. Everyone at Parkway loves you and we hope you will come back to check on us and our babies sometime, ok? promise?

Take 1: "Everybody Look!" Carlton wants to show off and stand up, Nate eyes something good on the floor, and Micah looks at me.

Take 2: Mrs. Brandy dances to get them to look. Notice Nate's expression = mesmerized

Take 3: ALMOST perfect. Except Micah happens to be hungry at the moment and is staring at his food.

who we are.

Parkway Kids are the fun-loving, friend-making, visitor-welcoming, Bible-reading, God-loving children at Parkway Baptist Church in Duluth, Georgia.

I am Rev. Rebecca Orton (more affectionately known as "Mrs. Rebecca") and I am a pastor to these precious children and their families. I'm anxious to share the lovely things that happen within my ministry in hopes that you may also experience the joy and wonder of these children who are part of God's creation. The little ones that I minister to each day have truly stirred in me a deep devotion and desire to encourage the growth of a thriving and healthy faith in the heart of each child.