Cross Country in the Rain

By Cynthia Ruchti

Rain? More sleet than rain.

As I drove with the heat cranked up as high as it would go and the vents blowing on my feet and face at the same time, huddled over the steering wheel as if it were a glowing log in the fireplace, I noticed a handful of young people in shorts and t-shirts running along the side of the road. On this ugliest day in the history of ugly, the high school’s cross country team members showed up for practice and ran…in the sleet.

Behind the handful of runners came another bunch, and another. While I bent over my steering wheel in the comfort of my vehicle, they leaned into the wind and rain, their legs pumping, arms slick with the precipitation that coated the sidewalks and roadway. One foot in front of the other. Silent. Focused. Plodding forward despite the Terrible, No Good, and Awful Day.

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Who Is It All About?

By Sharon Autry

Several years ago, my son repeated almost every night, “Do you know who it’s all about?” We would play along. “Who?” With a huge smile, “It’s all about God!” he’d say.

Too many times I find myself feeling like I’m getting the raw end of the deal. “Why do I have to clean up after everybody? Why am I the one who has to get up and let the dog in at 5 AM? Why can’t we have what they have?”

Remind me, “Who is it all about again?” 

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Red Badge Of Failure

By Jane Thornton

When I was in second grade and my sister was in kindergarten, I wielded my red pen with great delight. I brought home spare work sheets, determined to enlighten her with whatever I had learned. I remember that each large scarlet X, showing her the error of her ways, warmed my bossy little heart. All signs indicated that teaching was in my soul.

Last night, grading quizzes for my senior English class, I brandished a green pen—it’s less threatening to student psyche than red. Each slash through an incorrect answer elicited a hiss of disapproval or a groan of frustration. As the number of Xs mounted, my shoulders slumped. If my students failed, I failed. What made me think I should be a teacher?

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Summer Is Over, Now What?

By Don Otis

For many of us, summer is filled with activity. We take vacations. We get outside. Then comes the fall and we scramble to fill our woodshed or prepare our garden for the dormant winter months. Aside from shoveling snow, our winter workouts consist of channel surfing or shivering to stay warm.

I lived and worked in North Idaho for fifteen years. When I first moved there from southern California, it was an adjustment. I spent many of my evenings at a gym, playing squash, swimming, running or lifting. Then I discovered running outside, even in the snow. I took an old pair of running shows and placed about eight short flat-headed screws around the parameter of the sole. The screws give traction on the snow and ice, a bit like having studded snow tires.

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Puttin’ on the Blinders: How to Keep Our Focus on Christ

By Dianne E. Butts    

In the mountain town where I used to live, big Belgium work horses wore head gear with blinders—big black wings cupping the horse’s eyes. I thought blinders were cruel, but a friend who knows horses, said, “Blinders are useful tools. Horses have limited side vision. Sudden movements can frighten them, causing them to bolt. Plus, blinders help horses focus down the road on their destination.”

What if we had spiritual blinders that would block out what might cause us to shy away from living for Christ while keeping us focused on our destination in Him?

Shying at Shadows

A rustle in a bush or a sudden movement can startle a horse causing it to shy.

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