More running...

Well, I haven't yet cracked 79 minutes for 10 miles yet (see here) - I've had one attempt and shaved off 16 seconds, last week. It was a lot hotter and I didn't have to bust both guts like the previous one so I think it's a reasonable improvement!

Another long-distance running inspired thought on the similarities between the Christian life and running marathons...

What determines the final result? Is it this stride here, or that stride there? Is it this particular half-mile, or that downhill bit? Answer: no, it's the whole run, every single stride. It all adds up to make it what it is (which today was very painful, thank you for asking). Your Christian progress, your Christian character, is not determined by that astoundingly faithful day then, or this particular time of prayer there. Yes - some parts will be memorable and make a more notable contribution. But Christian character is progressive, cumulative. It's the result of putting one foot in front of the other, with determined self-discipline, day in and day out - plod, plod, plod. There's no quick fix - if you want to run from A to B there's no alternative but to run through all the locations in between. We are not holy people, but full of selfishness and lacking love to both God and man. To get from here to where Christ wants us to be is the result of self-denial and seeking his face hour by hour.