Yes, yes I am.  I am the 1983 Supershooters Champion.

That’s me on the right hand side of the picture. Yes sir! 42 points – Winner!  Not only did I win my age group, but I would have won the whole “shooting match”  is that cheater in the 16-18 age group wasn’t there.  Look at him!  He looks like we was in college.  Next time you see me, bow before the Supershooter!

Yes, that is an accomplishment for a lifetime.  Something that I should be able to hang my hat on, and just kick back and rest of my laurels the rest of my days!

Do you think so?

Well probably not.  But I think sometimes we get to that place in life, where for some reason we become content with what we’ve done and who we are.  We left go of training and discipline and a desire to grow and change.

But you know, I am no longer a sharpshooter. When I get to the gym, I send up more air balls and bricks then hitting “nothing but net”.   I also used to be able to run 5 miles in under 27 minutes and 5K around 16 minutes.  I can’t do that now either.  Although age has some impact on these things, the reason I can’t do either of those things now has more to do with my dedication and the choices I have made.  If I shot the round ball everyday, or if I trained aggressively everyday, I would stand a good chance at still be able to do some of those things.

That dedication to our spiritual growth is exactly why I write everyday.   Although our works do not save us, God expects us to do something.  He expects that we will react to his free gift and will work and do and dedicate ourselves to his service.  We can’t find ourselves content to say, I used to be a good servant, or a used to count it joy when I was in trials, or I used to be humble, etc.   Each day, we strive and grow and buffet our bodies  – our spiritual bodies.

I am going to try my hand at a 5K this weekend I think.  It will not be anywhere near 16 minutes.  But its a start at physical training again.  You see its not too late to train – physically or spiritually.  So, lets remember the championship accomplishments of yesteryear, but lets keep moving towards more growth and more service to our master!  Keep training.  Keep loving, keep glorifying your Lord with your service

²²Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. ²³Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror ²⁴and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ²⁵But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does. James 1:22-25