Just a Little Bit at a Time

Over the last few weeks the bags under my eyes seem to have grown somewhat.

This has to do with a certain little bike race they run during July every year in France. You may have heard of it, The tour De France.

For 21 days or so the worlds best cyclists ride around France. On average they will cover 150 to 200 kilometres a day, day after day after day. Sure they get rest days; 2 of them in 21 days. and as if riding 200 kilometres in a day isn't bad enough, there are some stages of the race where not only do they cover 200 kilometres but they also have to climb up huge mountains, mountains that are over 1500 metres high!!!

On Wednesday night I stayed up until after 2:30 AM to watch one of the most famous mountain stages of the Tour De France. this stage had 3 mountain climbs in it with some down hill sections where riders reached speeds in excess of 80km/h!!! But this wasn't the bit that I was really looking forward to, I was hanging out for the last climb, the climb up the mountain known as L'Alp d'Huez. this climb is only 14 km long, but goes up a staggering 1650 metres in that 14km!!!!

As I watched this stage and cheered on Aussie cyclist Cadel Evans, I thought about how hard mentally is must be to climb a mountain like that.

Imagine standing at the bottom looking up at the road ahead, the 21 switchback turns, the steep gradient, the final destination, and realising how tired your legs are now and how much further you still have to go!!!

As I though about this I remembered an article I read about how elite cyclists overcome this psychological obstacle. According to the cyclist who wrote the article they very rarely look to the very top of the mountain, the look to the next check point ( a corner, a tree, a post, whatever marks a smaller distance) every so often, but mostly they focus on the 5 or so metres in front of their wheel. They just keep looking at the next 5 metres and then the next 5 metres after that, and then the next 5 metres after that and so on and so forth, looking up at the goal posts they have set along the way and occasionally glancing at the final destination.

As I thought about this I thought about my journey with God and realised that there were some similarities there with climbing a mountain.

I wonder if sometimes God gives us a view of the top, the final destination, but understands that if we were to focus on this to much we would psych ourselves out and give up. So instead God shows us goal posts, things to aim for that are closer and more achievable in shorter times, and then asks us to focus on the next little bit, and then the next little bit after that and so on until we reach the goal and then re-set for the next goal.

As I look back over my life I can see times where God has revealed big plans to me, but then has shown me ways to reach them. I can also see other times where I have just been focusing on the next step, and then the next step after that, and then having looked back have seen how far I have travelled and seen what God has done in my life.

I guess my prayer for you this week is that God will reveal the next step to you and lead you to it, that He will help you to cover the ground in front of you and that you will keep going.

The hill may seem steep and high and a long way off, but God will get you there if that is where he wants you to be. Your task at the moment is to be obedient and just keep moving.

Remember the destination is important, but how you make the journey there counts too.

I Know It's Been A While

Sorry I haven't blogged for a while, things have been a little hectic here.

First of all, Kids Camp went off like a frog in a sock (note; it is inhumane to put a frog in a sock). By all accounts everyone had a great time and all went home completely exhausted. I will try to get some photo's up in the near future.

Second, the Leading Youth Scholarship Camp was great. We covered a whole range of different stuff, from what makes a good leader, to how we can become better leaders, to doing some things that will stretch us personally (like the high ropes course and jumping from the top of a power pole to a trapeze suspended in mid air in front of you!!).

Then I got back and had to get through the emails, mail and other stuff that had been piling up while I was away.

So now here I am, almost fully recovered from squeezing 2 camps into the same week, and ready to head off tho the next thing, officers fellowship.

Planning for Guess Who is coming along well. We will be joined by our T.Y, Capt. David Collinson for the event. Saturday night will be a great time of fun, with some giant games to play, people sized guess who, battleship and even trouble are on the cards!!!

Sunday will be a time of worship where we are going to explore more about who God is and who we are because of that!!!

Forms will be out very soon, see your corps officer for one.

Cost is $40, and age is high school +.

Hope to see you there.