Dear CCW family,
As believers we are all runners . . . long distance ones. According to the author of Hebrews, we run “the race marked out for us (see 12:1-3)”. This means that the race we run is designed for us and not everyone else. And, it likely will not be easy. Consider the information I gathered below to gain insight into how the Bible writers believed we could run it well.
How do you believe you are doing in the race? My shelves are lined with several hundred biographies because I need plenty of inspiration to run the race God has given me. God in part gave us the local church to help us stay motivated. Be faithful there. We are to “encourage one another.”
The writer of Hebrews also tells us to run the race by looking unto Jesus. He is both an example and a source of faith as what he calls “the author and the finisher of our faith.”
When we cross the line one day, perhaps sooner than we might think, we will not regret any efforts we have made to run well.
Here are a few things to consider:
- Write a fellow believer a motivating message to encourage them.
- Encourage your leaders. They are often challenged with hard tasks for the church.
- Pick up a good biography to help you persevere.
- Never fail to keep your Bible reading going strongly. (Read “My Preferred Way to Read the Bible” in the pdf or by ordering free copies here to give you ideas https://www.ccwtoday.org/product/my-preferred-way-to-read-the-bible/)
- Pray with a friend for renewed strength for your race and theirs. Just pick up the phone and do it NOW.
Our Current CCW Travels
Pam and I will be going soon to Little Rock to celebrate the life of Pam’s mother who died at 96, still in the race. Just following this we will travel north to Wisconsin to teach on the Life of Trust in the church of a longtime friend. There we are privileged to take three days of rest after the meetings in Door County. Steve and I will be part of the Annual Men’s Retreat for Christ Fellowship where Steve will speak, and we will attend the “For the Church” Conference at Midwestern Seminary soon to meet and encourage other leaders. Next we will have our Bible Intensive Retreat at Buffalo Ridge entertaining leaders from various places. Steve will also be teaching in Brooklyn, NY, and New Castle, PA, before August finishes. Over the past few weekends, he enjoyed fruitful ministry in Indiana and Iowa.
Please pray for us to be faithful tools in God’s hands. Also, we appreciate prayers for our larger team. There are several people who labor in our ministry, some volunteering and others contracted part-time, but all focused on our common ministry goals. Let’s hold them up by prayer.
With Joy,
Jim Elliff and Steve Burchett