It's been a while since I've posted a picture up here! It's me and dad again, and I must say that it's been such a blessing to be able to race with my dad. I'd been doing this for years when I lived in Missouri, but had never been able to do it so close to family. This has been a rare treat.

I need to give a shout out to my friend Brandon, who also ran this race. He smoked us (he was around 23-24 minutes) on his first try at a 5K! I knew he had it in him.

Dad knocked 2 full minutes off of his prior time, finishing in 30:02. Well done!

And to April: we ran by your mom's house on the route. :)

So, I turned off my iPod, and decided to take advantage of the rare opportunity for silence on the treadmill. It's amazing what God will tell you/show you when you turn off everything around you and just listen. In no particular order:

- Stay with me. Today. Not ahead of me, not behind me. Get out of yesterday, and get out of tomorrow. Stay here, today. Step for step.

- You know how you feel when you prepare a surprise for someone, and then they ask about it? You just smile, and shake your head. You delight in the fact that they ask, because that means that they're anticipating something good! But you're not going to tell them a thing. Not until it's time. It's sweeter that way, because they'll really appreciate what they get, even if it's not quite what they expected. My plan for you is good. Don't worry. *smile*

- One more thing: you don't need to worry about impressing people down here. Just do your best, like you're working for me.

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Slow...sluggish...early...yep, that about sums it up. I need new shoes. Good thing I was distracted.

(Updated on Thursday, March 12.)

...encourage me when I'm down in the dumps
…write songs that speak to my heart

...and there is more...much more that I'm blessed to watch people do that I'm proud to call my friends.

But it’s that last one on the list that’s bouncing around my head this week. The words “Lord Jesus, you are all I want” have been rolling through my mind, and have been so appropriate for where I am. The best part? It's a new song I heard, and it's so beautiful and well-written that it’s been no effort at all to remember the words, and make them a part of my life in recent days.

If you are otherwise uncommitted for any part of this Sunday morning (March 15), I want to encourage you to drop in at Central Christian for either the 8:45 or 10:30 services and hear the first-ever public singing of “You Are All I Want” by Brooke Skinner. It's a unique opportunity to hear the debut performance of a true worship song that I hope will bless many hearts, as it has already blessed mine.