Enter your email address and we will send you a link to reset your password. As we go through our races, lets always remember to find the joy in the journey. 56. 53. His own shortcomings and imperfections troubled him deeply but he did his best to model what it means to keep on trying to change and grow in our faith and our walk with Jesus even into old age when it is hardest. And 11:59 p.m. Wednesday night will be like the moment of my death. the time for my departure is near. The Jamba Juice Banana Man Chase winners get free smoothies for a year.31My kids like doing that race, not because they expect to win but because they get a free smoothie at the finish.32Some races have a finishers medal or T-shirt. Gamaliel (Acts 22:3) Just like different races have different rules, we have different rules at different times in our lives. In short, Paul was a pretty cosmopolitan guy for his time.9, Im convinced Paul was a sports fan.10He lived in an area where there were lots of sporting events, and he often drew on these slices of everyday life to teach eternal principlesmuch like our Church leaders using the Olympics as examples in their sermons.11, Each of those verses is a sermon in itself, but your shoes are laced up and youre ready to go. http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/put-up-your-dukes.html It might seem strange to talk about finishing our course the third week of the semester, when our courses still seem so new. When we take the Holy Spirit as our guide,37or coach, we will be warned of upcoming obstacles. When people came into his auto parts store, Charlie treated them more like friends than customers. I am adapting this sermon to use for the funeral of a member of a troubled family. John 6:37-40, Psalm 23, Psalms 23:1-6, Psalms 6:1-10, Sermon Topics: Mon. If youre carrying around a mini fridge, I challenge you to drop ittoday. George won a footrace against eight other converts and won the right to be the first convert baptized in the British Isles (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_D._Watt). I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. That day was an awesome run. If you pray each night asking for blessings, but you know deep down youre trying to hide something from the Lord, youre carrying around a mini fridge. I ran the Wasatch Back Ragnar in 2012. As we train, we measure performance42to track progress. Captain Moroni and other righteous warriors were inspired by a better cause, for they were not fighting for monarchy nor power but they were fighting for their homes and their liberties, their wives and their children, and their all.15, These examples teach us that we should follow the Spirit to know when to fight. Paul uses another sports analogy to remind Timothy of this concept: And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully.47We only get the prize if we follow the rules of the contest. A great blog post, Before Success Comes the Courage to Fail, illustrates this concept. One Saturday morning, I hit the road bright and early, and I felt great. I Have Fought a Good Fight, I Have Finished My Course - BYUH Speeches Each time he falls, he wants to give uphis dreams of victory shatteredyet as he thinks of facing his father at the finish line, whos been such an encouragement to him, he gets back up. 64. You might not think there was anything good about watching Charlie die but you would be wrong. But there they were, eating together at a table, or at least on the ground, in the presence of an enemy. 73. I tried looking for footprints, marking ribbons, anything but was absolutely flummoxed. He gets upset He gets mad He gets angry He gets sad and He cries. Later in the book of Alma, we see when it is appropriate to choose to fight. Its meaning and application to our lives, 2,000 years later, is a remarkable manifestation of the power of the scriptures and how we can apply them in our lives. Youre promised that you can run and not be weary, and walk and not faint. That thought filled my body with energy and determination, and I flew up that mountain! 40. As we run our races, lets not ignore the aid stations around us. In the early days of World War II, England watched anxiously as Europe fell to the Nazi war machine. I felt the cool breeze on my cheek. 61. President Monson said, The difficulties which come to us present us with the real test of our ability to endure. The Apostle Paul1 knew he was about to die,2 and as he wrote his last letter to his protg Timothy, he was in a reflective mood. We have the weekly aid station of the Sacrament where were spiritually fed a reminder of the covenants weve made. Americans especially hated Germans with a deeply racist attitude. And I could have missed all that because of my attitude. Hebrews 12:1. His speech in Athens about the Greeks unknown god (Acts 17:16-34) is a wonderful example about building on common beliefs. I had my agency to decide whether to go to that school or not. President Monsons October 2008 talk, "Finding Joy in the Journey," is a typically great one on this theme. What Im about to say might shock you at first but bear with me. [N]evertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.72[A]nd I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men.73, There was one more great and somewhat unexpected trial that awaited Him, however. You can probably tell how high my stress level is by the distance I run. Lorenzo Snow Administration Building Room 200 In most ancient Jewish contexts, foxes are insignificant little creatures (Nehemiah 4:3). The third image in the Twenty-third Psalm which I would lift up today is this: Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. His brother and sister-in-law, Roy and Louise, always there at the hospital or the rehab helping to take are of a good brother, a good brother-in-law a good man. 17. Stephen, his son, by his side to the very end the love of a son for a good father and good man. He assured them, however, that he had spent many years running over the countryside rounding up sheep, and he would be fine. Adding to the stress of taking care of her husband and her family, Diane wondered whether this was a fight worth fighting. It takes a while for a body to get used to that, but you can condition yourself to have a smoother transition. In our hearts and memories, Charlie will always be a good man a great man.. My dear friends, I implore you, with all the love and sincerity I can muster, to shed the weight of sin you might be carrying around with you during your race. I am preparing my first funeral serrmon. The 365 days of 1980 are like a miniature lifetime. 6. The point is many courses have help along the way, especially at points where runners need it most. They are among the most comforting, often being quoted in times of trouble or distress, and almost always being read when we gather in our Sanctuary for a funeral. Lets spend this lap of our run together sharing a smattering of lessons learned and personal applications that might help you as you run your own races. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. If you see me on the road by Turtle Bay, Im doing fine. But he was always true to his convictions and testimony, and never wavered in proclaiming whats right. As I glanced through page after page, graph after graph, I knew I was sunk. Moses 4:2. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. I was a bit surprised when he ran around the beam while I teetered my way across. Now there was not one soul among all the people who had been converted unto the Lord that would take up arms against their brethren; nay, they would not even make any preparations for war.14. 5. She struggled with her feelingsshe hated seeing her eternal companion in such agony, but werent her desires righteous? The American Journal of Biblical Theology. Not too many people have run a marathonin the United States, its about .5% of the population.49I ran my first marathon in college and checked it off my bucket list. To me, it was part of the package of being there. According tothis survey, there are 313 exclamation points in the KJV Bible! To save items to a SermonFolder, please sign in to your account. To start saving items to a SermonFolder, please create an account. Copyright 2003-2023 | Outreach, Inc., All rights reserved. He has fought the good fight, finished the race, kept the faith, and now looks forward to a crown of righteousness. There was no one aroundjust me and the mango trees. Do I give in to the pain, or do I gut it out? I wondered, Is Ginger Gate made out of ginger, or is it manned by a red-headed volunteer? Now, luckily, Im hardly ever first in races, so it was easy to follow someone, and I tucked in right behind a guy running about my same pace. The story does have a happy ending, though. Im not that kind of runnerfirst of all, Im not fast enough but also some of my greatest lessons have come when Ive failed. He still ran to the end. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day-- and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. Its my thinking timetime for me to meditate and work through problems. For most of my Cross Country runners, Id let them eat a loco moco once during the season. 28. Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin said, You young people also have aid stations to help you keep moving along your course. 18.http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Blood,_Toil,_Tears_and_Sweat. He had fascinating stories to tell, and one of them was about a battle that had taken place in Europe. One of the audio books was The 39 Clues: Unstoppable Book 3: Countdown, which included scenes from Guatemala. Should he choose to fight again? The Holy Ghost can point out our weaknesses and help us fine-tune our spiritual stride. Dr. W. Maynard Pittendreigh, with the statement that I have adapted its contents. I must admit when I first got to BYU, I was surprised to hear students complain about the Honor Code and Dress and Grooming standards. The best part of that race, though, was that, starting at Mile 26, my eternal companion was at every aid station. 59. Shed wait for me to come through, give me a word or two of encouragement, flash a beautiful smile, and then drive ahead to the next one and wait for me. He had offered to run this race in the pre-mortal life.67He had lived a perfect life of preparation. 2 Timothy 4:7. I shuffled along, stopping for a drink whenever I could, until I finally made it home. 31. How my heart yearns within me! You would have thought he'd won the race In baptism we are made members of the household of God already, and our destiny is made secure through faith. I want to see you in Heaven when its your turn, so youd better be good. Juniors example and his admonition has had a profound impact on my life. When we do, were training ourselves to have self-mastery. That vast audience of family, friends, and leaders will cheer our courage, will applaud our determination as we rise from our stumblings and pursue our goal.59. Acts 27:1,Acts 28:16. Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. And the preparation is key. If our roommate hasnt cleaned her side of the room, is that really worth fighting about? Sometimes for Cross Country workouts we go for a fun run in the mud, or the jungle, or have horses chase us. If you say to yourself, Ill confess later, youre actually saying, Ill carry this mini fridge around some more. If you say to yourself, What I did wasnt really that bad, youre just denying how much that fridge really weighs. An article by Bruce M. Metzger discusses the potential problems translators had when it came to punctuation (http://www.biblicalstudies.org.uk/article_trans_metzger3.html), but that usually the context of the scripture gave clues on declarative, interrogative, and exclamatory sentences. The Savior, our Redeemer, wisely did not take the bait, and chose not to engage in the Devil's increasingly desperate attempts. 52-week preaching calendar to help you plan your sermons, Customizable sermon manuscripts for verse-by-verse preaching, Preach with creativity and impact throughout the year, Experiencing the mercy of God in our lives, Looking to Jesus for help now and hope in the future, Help your church understand God's plan in pain. Cancel, 52-week preaching calendar to help you plan your sermons, Customizable sermon manuscripts for verse-by-verse preaching, Preach with creativity and impact throughout the year, Experiencing the mercy of God in our lives, Looking to Jesus for help now and hope in the future, Help your church understand God's plan in pain. One of the rules of this BYUHawaii race were running is the Honor Code. The book's characters spent a lot of time discussing Pokatok, and it became kind of a family joke. Ive been in others where assisting another runner would disqualify both of us. He wont take the mountains away, but he will help us get up them. I promise you, I promiseyou, that if you make the decision today to start the steps of repentance, you will feel as if a mini fridge has been taken off your back. For distance running, its important to train your body how to survive glycogen debt. 54.http://www.tonythefridge.com. Lets be coachable, so we can be better. Few far too few, in my opinion have had as much love and care and concern as Charlie received. A greater battlemuch more powerful and personallay ahead. The race started, and the other runners laughed at Cliffs slow, steady shuffle as they left him far behind. Credit will be given to Rev. And to his dad he sadly said, It was required, indeed it was central to the significance of the Atonement, that this perfect Son who had never spoken ill nor done wrong nor touched an unclean thing had to know how the rest of humankindus, all of uswould feel when we did commit such sins. I am adapting this sermon to use for the funeral of a member of a troubled family. B. I have no doubt that he would have taken as good a care of Linda as she did of him if the tables were reversed a testament of her love for him a good man and a good husband.
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