After jumping to catch the pass from Robert Miller, he spun left away from the defenders he felt close by.

Tucking the football under his right arm, he took off down the sidelines toward the goal line.

He saw two defensive backs taking an angle on him.

As he ran and knew the defender to his left would not catch him, he caught a glimpse of his Father across the field on the far sideline.

His father was hopping down that far sideline waving his right arm in a circular motion as a third base coach would do waving a runner home.

The boy looked back at the last defender, sped past him and had another thought.

He glimpsed one more time at his father across the field and said to himself, “when I cross the goal line I am tossing this ball into the air”.

As he crossed the goal,
he took the ball and with both hands tossed it up into the air in celebration.

The  “he”  was me.

This took place in Miami Springs on a Saturday….almost 53 years ago.

The picture is still crystal clear in my mind.

That momentary glimpse across the field, in the middle of the physical exertion of running, over 50 years ago …..
is frozen in my memory.

Call it parental encouragement,
call it living through his son,
call it whatever you prefer….

I remember my father jumping out of the spectator
and into the Coach.
He was not a coach on my team.

But at that moment he was the encouragement that might have sped me up a bit… and he for sure was the impetus to my wanting to toss the ball into the air.

At that moment, he was more into me and my performance than he was into his appearance.

And his action has stuck in my mind since 1963.

This is similar to what Christ did in staying on Earth for the 40 days after His Resurrection.
He encouraged His followers.
He gave them renewed hope and established their lifelong conviction and validated His Message.

That is the definition of having an effect.

The actions we have on people can last over 50 years.

This knowledge should lead us to be conscious to act with positive and
productive actions toward the people around us… especially those we have brought into the world.

I tossed the ball into the air that day in Miami over 50 years ago because I scored….. but more so because in that glimpse of my father across the field… I knew I had something to do with his running and waving at me.

He was FOR me.

And I had pleased him.

Duel celebrations.
Christ’s 40 day walk of Triumphant Encouragement with His followers.

Cheer.
Encourage.
Wave them toward the goal.

Terry
May 2016

Follow me at
terrybethea.com

Is there anything in your life you need to memorialize?

An event of monumental weight should be worth memorializing.

You do it now with birthdays and anniversaries.

Our nation does it with dates such as
September 11…November 22….
July 4…..the last Monday in May.

What about the day you came to know Christ?

Maybe the day your child accepted Christ?

A few years ago my wife and I decided to memorialize the return of her son from Iraq.
Twelve stones from our Creek still stand as a memorial together outside our house. One stone for each month he was in that battle.
One stone for each month The One we prayed to protected our young solider.

Be encouraged to consider thanking The One you pray to with a Memorial.

It is a monument of Thanksgiving…
or a monument to answered prayer.

It can be a reminder to be in constant thanksgiving. It might be a help to recall the forthcoming of a victory in yours or a loved ones life.

If you spend effort seeking something……
extend effort in saying “thank you”.

If it’s a big enough occurrence..
build a memorial.

As a nation we have memorialized men such as Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln. We have made monuments to victories and remembrances of war and great struggle. There are holidays in memory of effectual events and great, influential people.

Recall and remember those things in your own life. Lead your children to recall and remember events of great importance in your life…in the lives of your family members.

Build memorials.

Be in constant remembrance of victories, of mercy shown and grace given, of answered prayer, of healing, of great events.

Create memorials in the lives of your children by thinking of the days they took great steps in life…and telling them the story….
such as the day they came to know Christ as Savior. It’s as important as their birthday… for it is the beginning date of an existence far more important and lasting than their time with you or on this earth.

Tell them of struggles and overcomings in your life. Recite for them some of the family history. Develop family traditions which bind your children to you and each other family member.

Memorials help you to have and will create in them and sense of gratitude….of belonging and connection. Our shared national history makes us fellow countrymen. Our shared family history creates a culture, builds appreciation and a type of emotional and spiritual unity.

Memorials call to mind great and lasting events.
Events that form memory,
Events which help build the character of a nation and it’s people.                      Events which build the history of a family and its faith.

What are your “memorials” ????

Build them.

Remember them.

Tell of them.

Terry
May 2016

My Father was a runner.

When he left the business world to pursue The Calling placed on his life, he would take my two brothers and I to the track at Rosemont Junior High School.

He ran, my younger brother ran behind him, my youngest brother chased them and I shot basketball and ran  once in awhile.

From the court I learned a bit about running.

I saw my Father sprint only toward the conclusion of his runs.

The beginning and middle of his runs were at a moderate pace. At first he was slowly warming up, then he would get into a normal stride which he would remain in for most of his run. Only toward the finish he had determined for that day, would he pick it up into a sprint and run with every ounce of effort through the finish.

From the court where I would shoot, I saw this many times.

It’s really the opposite of how many lives are spent.

Most people sprint through the beginning, get tired, slow down and coast into the end.

If you look at the life of Jesus, His Sprint was after thirty years of moderately gaining momentum. Even during his Three Year Ministry, He began slowly by choosing His People, training them, showing them glimpses of His Power.

His real Sprint began by raising Lazarus, going to the Temple and kicking the “money-changers” out before coming into Jerusalem the few days before His Crucifixion.

Run with Patience the Race set before You…..

prepare for all of the Race, and be strong enough for The Sprint.

Jesus did. 

He knew His Task when He taught in the Synagogue, at 12.  Knowing His Eventuality, He remained as a young boy, grew into His Father’s business in two ways…as a carpenter fashioning wood and then as a carpenter building men and a Kingdom.

Knowing His Reason for being here, He ran with patience. He knew the Course set before Him.

You only run a sprint when the finish line is in plain sight. A 100 yard dash is called just that because the finish line is such a short distance away.

Longer races require endurance, pacing, having a gait and pace which is sustainable for the distance….then, as all trained distance runners do, when the end line is in sight…the Sprint begins.

Let us not be slouching and out of energy as we run toward the end line in the race of life.

Being that my Father walked into his Calling at 37 ….and went to Heaven at 55…

his pace picked up and was purposed those last 18 years…and he sprinted toward the finish.

I want to sprint through that end line.

Now, I am in that sustainable gaited, everyday pace.

But I know the race I am in.

There is more distance to cover.

However…I know I am closer to the finish than the beginning.

My goal is to sprint at, toward,

and through the finish.

Train yourself for the race you are in. 

Be prepared for the distance you have left to cover.

Run this race properly.

Get prepared to sprint through the end ….

wherever that may be.

Like my Father was when he took us with him to run those many years ago in Ft. Worth….

The Author and Finisher of The Real Race can and will  be your model, coach, mentor and cheerleader.

Run….and prepare to SPRINT.

Terry                                                                             May 2016

Since Easter
it’s been about 40 days.

If it’s 4o ….
then today should be a day of Celebration…
for on that day 2000+ years ago
Jesus ascended into Heaven.

There was great celebration in Heaven as The One Who exited 33 years before as The Son returned with Triumph as The Savior.

He assumed His Place at
The Right Hand.

He sat in that Place because His
enemy had been invaded and defeated.

And…
His followers entered a short period of waiting …to be filled …..
filled with The Gift which Jesus told them would be given only after He ascended.

Like us…
they most likely wanted The Gift to be given after about one day of waiting, if that long.

It was ten days.

Remember how expectant, hopeful
and anxious you used to be in the days leading up to Christmas ??

You may still be that way.

Your young children are.

Let us be that way about what is coming.

Think about this…
If Jesus ascended on or about this many days since Easter……

We are now in the ten or so days
that the disciples were in…
leading up to The Entrance.

The Entrance ….
of The Holy Ghost
into this world
and into
and upon them.

So….
we are in the ten days between the Ascension of Our Lord and

Entrance of the third person of
The Trinity who allows us to fulfill
The Commission given us by Jesus.

Be expectant…
of what that Spirit might do in you.

Be hopeful…
that He might grant you new
Sufficiency for every situation….as He did the disciples.

Before The Entrance the twelve were like the Stooges, twelve Barney Fife’s following Jesus, but gaining no real ground always having to be led and corrected.

The Entrance changed that.

For them…during these days we are in, they were not yet filled.

For us….The Entrance has occurred.

Has it yet occurred in and upon you?

If so….be in celebration for and about that.

If not…..then seek it as the disciples did during this ten day period.

What a great event if you gained The Entrance this Pentecost season.

Seek it.

Be Expectant….

as you have been about getting gifts in late December when His Birth is celebrated.

These are days to remember and celebrate as followers of the One Who Ascended and as those who have been transformed by The Entrance.

 

Terry

May 2016