The results came in on my first day back on the track yesterday. I progressed from general soreness to pain. No, it wasn't a bad pain but just what happens when you begin a new program. My mind tends to forget my age on occasion. The old saying goes, "don't write checks that your body can't keep." Feels like I am way overdrawn. Our weather is still far too pleasant to spend time inside on treadmills and such. My answer to the aches was to simply return today to the walking and jogging outside. Perhaps we will add new soreness to overtake today's discomfort. One of the benefits of doing cardio exercise outside is you can accomplish much more in far less time. It is true that today saw much more walking than jogging but everyone starts somewhere. This is a small price to pay for being able to fit in my clothes.

An old friend from college called me tonight. He just heard the news of my illness. His job is to be a military chaplain with the various branches of the Navy. Amazing is the word that comes to mind in thinking about where various classmates of mine ended up working in ministry. Some are not too far away in terms of geography. Some became missionaries as they work in other countries. We were all just wide eyed freshman at one time. My college was very small at the time of my study. I may have to relate some of those stories here after thinking through which ones aren't overly embarrassing. Most of that embarrassment would of course be my own. I do honestly hope that our classes are leaving a divine mark on our world. Life becomes much more blessed knowing some of these people who are seeing God do great things through their efforts.

Our world would be much different if we grasped the idea of friendship from a biblical perspective. I may not seem like the right one to comment on this but there are a few thoughts that cross my mind. It is easy for us to have many contacts but very few authentic friends. This is especially difficult in a job like mine. We ministers may know lots of people yet have very few who can be trusted. Some of the problems are of our own making. For example, my personality falls far short of being agreeable to relationships. Other ministers may develop a facade of openness while actually remaining quite shallow. But we are not the only people who wrestle with this concept.

You may know people who relate to others on the basis of contracts. This means the connection is actually based on what each can do for the other. When one falls short in those expectations then the relationship cools or even ends. There are also people who connect by convenience. Friendships based on this are often shallow with no real demands on another person. We settle for what is easy even if it just helps us avoid feeling lonely. Doing friendship by committment is hard work. But it is what Jesus models for us through His life. You may be rejected but you also commit to being there for another person. You may lose contact for a period of time but you never allow that to shake the promise. We are very much the result of those who are closest to us. Our relationship with God is always primary but human relationships will shape us for better or worse. Jesus shows this to His disciples. Who do we show it to?

Bro. Trey