insperation

Stories from the Heart

Windcrest Freshman Triathlon 2012 (First Triathlon)

  I wanted to take a moment  for those of you who like to read and share three stories with you..

Two are an excerpt from a book called “Raising Peanuts In A Gold Field” by Paul W. Powell

      In 1976 a track and file event in Spokane, Washington, a group of nine contestants, all physically or mentally challenged assembled at the starting line to begin a race in their Special Olympics Program. The gun sounded and off they ran down the tract at their own pace. One of the contestants took a tumble and began to cry. The others slowed down and looked back. Then one after the other they all turned around and went back to help up the fallen friend. After they helped them up, they all linked arms and walked across the goal line together. The voluntarily tossed aside their own dreams for winning in favor of Helping a fallen friend. When they a walked across the goal line together the crowd didn’t know what to do. They had never seen anything like that before. Then, ever so slowly, someone began to clap until everyone in the stands was standing and cheering for them.
   Next John McCain’s Christmas message in 2007 was an account of his imprisonment as a P.O.W. in the Vietnam. His plane was shot down in Vietnam, and he was then held as a prisoner in Hanoi for five ½ years. When the Vietcong learned that his father was an Admiral in the US Navy, they decided to let him go free as a Public Relations ploy. But, he refused to be released fro prison unless all his fellow prisoners were released with him… So the Vietcong guards tied his head between his Ankles and his hands behind his back and left him in Solitary confinement. The torture was so severe that it busted his shoulders and to this day he cannot raise his arms above his head.
     One day after he had been treated brutally by his captors, A guard loosened the cords on his arms to give him some relief from pain, then the guard reached down with a stick and drew a cross in the dirt. “When you’re at your lowest there’s always someone who will lift you up.”  Is What McCain Quotes about the situation. There is a youtube clip about it but I didn’t want this to seem like a political add.
     Third Story As many of you know.. I have set this goal of someday running an ironman. Crazzy idea right. That’s what old college friends are good for.. ha ha..  With that being said this last weekend I rand my first Triathlon.  What happened that day is something I did not expect to happen.  As I rounded the 1 mile mark in the 2 mile run course I could see a guy walking back up the course in my direction and I knew he was some who had already finished the race. I just figure he was trying to stretch his muscles back out in cool down mode.. Well as I got closer to him, he started kind of cheering me on, “come on you can do this, don’t stop, don’t give up,, come on you can do this… hey did you know I was right where you were 5 years ago I was a big guy like you are.  Five years ago I was trying to do the exact same thing you were doing… come on you can do this..”  The guys name was Patrick, and even though he didn’t half to, he came back out, and help see me through the end of the race.. I didn’t know him, had never met him before.  He out of his over flow came back out to give more of what he had already been given.  God had help me finish what I started, he didn’t half to do that, but he sent someone anyway to run alongside me  to encourage me and help me every step of the way to the end.
    The Moral is I want to be like all those people I want to be like those mentally challenged people who go back and pick up a fallen friend and help them across the goal line rather than run off and leave them behind, I want to be  Like the guard who loosens the cords that bind people and lifts them up when the are down.(Raising Peanuts in a Field Of Gold) I want to be more like Patrick and help encourage people don’t give up, you can do this, the finish line is almost there.. Your family is there, right around the corner don’t give up you can do this….

It is through loving that we are most like God---not our doctrinal beliefs-----our orthodoxy.  You can be as straight as a gun barrel theologically and as cold as a gun Barrel spiritual. It is not our church attendance, our scripture memory, or our giving. The whole law is summed u pin these words, “we are to love God with all our hearts and love our neighbor as ourselves.”  Vincent Van Gough was quoted saying in his last days, “I wish not that my Legacy be written on a building, or in stone, I wish my legacy to be written on the heart of God.”

      So today I ask you, have you went back to help your friend up who has fallen down?

Have you loosen the cords on a captive to set them free?

Have you went back with you cup that overflows to share with someone, “don’t quit, you can do this, keep going your almost there”?

I pray that you have shown God the great love that you have for him, and shared that love with those who are around him.   Father be with those who have taken time to read this article, hear their hearts cry.. some of them need someone to come along side of them and cheer them on through the circumstance they are experiencing right now, So father please.. send people to do just that, help them to know through those people and through there word.. to keep going... not to quit... to endure the race they have begun... cheer them on Father and help them to know you are there with them.. Allow them to feel your presence and be inspired by you Father... 
          Father for some of them they need to go out out with the cup you have filled and allow it to spill on to the lives of others..Father help them to bless others, encourage them, strengthen them, and may the Love you have given them inspire others to continue on and not give up and bring honor to them and even great honor to you.. May that always know it you who has given them this great gift...  Father please come and speak to us, move us Father, help us to grab a hold of the life you have given us, and help us to thrive with a great zeal for what has been laid before of us, and help us father to be responsible with what you have given us and be able to bring honor to you with our lives.. Father please do all these things in the name of your son Jesus.. Amen..

  

(The italicized writing is quotes or lines of thought from the book, “Raising Peanuts In A Gold Field”)

Scotty Smith

Week 17 & Aliens

          Had to start off with what happen in Roswell from week 16 ALIENS.... ha ha  ha haaa.  I was really excited about the thought of breaking 1000 miles there, doing at least a 50 mile ride for the first time an........  the main purpose of going to Roswell was to help family move.... Lets just say I pretty much stick to my purpose the best I can when I can.. Week 16 saw one 22 mile day, and a good 4 days of unloading a semi truck & uhaul trailier.. even though i didn't track my work during this.. (although i thought about it just to see how far i walked by the end of everyday) i move little over a ton of boxes. good upper body work out!.. 

  I had fun being with Family, and we Got to take a day to play some of my Favorite sport... Frisbeeeeeeeee Golfffffffff......
           Yep Roswell has 2 courses. I only Got to play at one.. back to the work out right!   Monday I got up early like normal and it was a crisp morning for sure...  I went up 285 North, then took 70 West then I hit 380 West...    if any one ever wants to Cycle in Roswell do it early in the morning and the route i just gave you is incredibly smooth road... it was nice.  I do wish the roads here in my south Texas area were that smooth.   I did not get to head west into the mountains on 380 like I wanted to... i barely got out of the city limits but hopefully the next time I go, I will be able to accomplish that bigger trek...
            So all though the 1000 mile mark still eludes me, that is OK i will get there.. the important thing was to take time help family & be an asset to my loved ones.. That  trumps any half crazed personal goals that I have for sure..    

              sooooo slow start to this week.. like so many of my friend here in Texas getting ready for races we had *******thankfuly****** bad thunderstorms blow through with some Tornado's and Hail... Hey if it rains here in Texas we need it.. so bring it on.. its another thing to sing praises about like being with family.. My agenda is so unimportant compared to the water our people need hear in Texas.. and Yes we do need rain that bad...
   also i tell you what the last thing i really want to do is be caught in a Hail storm here in Texas also..  Nor  do not have a stationary bike or want one... so today was my first day to get out again, yep i am a couple of days behind but oh well. it felt really good to get out.. i am going to try to start doing something new this next month and run during my lunch break. want to get used to running in the heat. since i bike early in the mornings and make an extra step to pushing my self a little bit more. i am getting ready for April 28 my first Race.. The Freshman Triathlon... whoooooo... i get nervously excited just thinking about it...   I love to compete and I really enjoy the idea of Racing for a change.. I know i will be a challenge for a whale of a man like me, but i look forward to making new friends and pushing myself to go faster in all three areas then i have before....
            and the only Aliens i saw in Roswell were on signs.. ha ha.. i meant to take a picture by one to post, but that didn't work out. you will just have to take my word at it.
            Last but for sure not least the spiritual aspect of things.  so many days i wake up and wonder, "what in the world am i doing not just in pushing my self to work out but also personally, emotional, & spiritually:"  Thankfully Morning times are a great place to focus and pray. I want to encourage you to have your priorities in line as well. Mine is God, family, me & then other family & friends.   i do the best i can to try to keep them that way but there are alot times when i get that order of things all messed up.  
       I wanted to take a moment and pray for those who are taking time to read through the blog.. with that being Said, have a great week, i will catch up with yall soon, now let me pray for you..
         Father I lift up the person who is taking time just to catch up on a friendship right now, or maybe the person i have not even met yet.. I ask that you would speak to their heart, that you would come along side of them and speak to the difficult circumstance that they are dealing with, walking through, or even in the midst of.  Give them wisdom and discernment in this area. Lead them to the right answer at the right time, and at the right place. Also Father i pray that as they take time to read you word that you speak life into them, give them a great hope in you, and fulfill that hope with your word, you life, and your great love that you have for them.. help them as they have tried to seek out your favor and hear your Voice Father. speak to them in such a way they can't help but know that it is you who is speaking to them... God help them as they press on towards their goals, their hopes, and their dreams. Father i pray that they are things that they have brought before you and you have placed them on their heart because you want to do something and reveal to them the great care & love that that you have for them.   Father please do these things in the name of your Son Jesus.. Amen....

ok guys don't give up, don't quit, maybe rest some.  Get back up, and keep pressing forward.  you set a goal that you have prayed about, and as long as God is still allowing you to press forward then do so... just because the going gets hard it doesn't mean you should quit!!!!
Get up, get out, & get Going...
          thanks for you friendship and support and most all you prayers.
   
Scotty
             

Week 12: Rebellion

My body and mind have struck out against me this past two weeks.. Although greatfully I have made some great strides in my swiming (46 laps in an hour) Everything else has been falling apart.. One of my pedals has blown out, with limited income, I just have to wait to replace it.. Running is free right... My body and mind says sleep is too.. Ha ha...
I want to ride that's help work towards the runni g, but who knows adding the swim element might have actually help my running??? Ha ha wishful thinking..
Weather, and mental capabilities or lack there of over the past week have hampered me.. Prayerfully I can pull out of this anguish..
Crazy flip side!!!!
Spiritually alot of things have come togather.. Have started to pray about traveling to India and had great conversation with a new friend who is the brother of a old friend from college that is a pastor in India.. I had the blessing of talking to Jim via phone today for the first time.. Was awsome.. Had an encouraging word from a friend from church that playfully told me, "keep up the ironman" Thank you for that seriously I quirkily felt good.. No looking for more adds boys just the jest was recived well for sure..
So physical and mental slumps happen and is verry discouraging....
Thank you Father for the spiritual encouragement father.. The hope in continued service for you and along side of your people, forgive me for my stumbles as a man who is weak, is sinful, who is so easly dissuaded.. I am weak father... You ultimately are my drive and my focus of you has been insanely difficult as I battle my flesh Father.. Please Father allow the Holy spirit to continually over take me, wash over me, speak to me, guide me, push me.. Please father help me to be a better sin to you.. One who embraces the hard road ahead, instead of one who hesitates and turns away from it.. Please Father as lame as it sounds I can't even respound to your live verry if you don't help me respond to it.. Please Father help in the name of your son Jesus..... Amen

As always just letting you see I am human, I strugle emensly, and verry often proably get it more wrong then right.. But even with that said.. I can not give up, I can not let go, some how I have to move forward.. Some how.. Some how..
Sorry for grammar it's me, sorry for spelling.... That's me, and for weird words that don't... Ha ha ha that's me writing this from a cell phone...
Don't give up, keep moving forward... We gave to with the help of our God move through these circumstances and try to over come... Yesssss overcome
Sorry it's been so long, and it's so late.. See y'all soon
Scotty

Coyotes = Motivation: Week 8

        Whoooo  I did 30 miles on Sunday.. 2.54 hours... yeah that is on a Mountain Bike..  lots of drag and lots of noise..  that brings me to the wild pack..
          I was heading down to the Campbellton cut off which is 15 miles from my house along the access road. i hit the McCoy cut off and was really excited about the next leg until about a mile into on a down hill... have you ever heard a baby rabbit get caught by a dog before.. they kind have a squeaky scream to them... and that was exactly what my bike started to sound like.  Really that's no big deal to me, my bike often sound like that as i get later in to routes.. but on this day that was the worst thing it could sound like.. ha ha.. I grew up in the country, i have been around alot things, even been out when some coyotes have been out, but this bunch of coyotes i heard that were not to far from the road, sounded like a pack of 20+..  needless to say sounding like a baby rabbit being caught in the middle of no where armed with just a pocket knife that I carry, didn't seem like the place to pick a stand against a bunch of Coyotes... ha ha i know some other routes that are in town the could help me accomplish the same thing..
             so with that in mind.. i turned the bike around, and boogied up a really big hill.  it was great motivation for me to peddle faster that was for sure. it was about a mile before i didn't hear them any more..
so the next time you are out cycling in the early morning hours or evening hours and you don't feel like you have enough motivation, just don't oil you bike down, or carry a small sound device that plays the sounds of a rabbit being caught by a dog, and you can have some Coyotes give you some motivation to move a little bit faster..
          it has been a great Sunday, and feel really good about accomplishing the goal of 30 miles and keeping a 10 mph pace.. that is until we figured out that to do 115 miles in an iron man you have to keep closer to a 20-30mph pace.. so yeah i have some work to do to really push my self.
          this continues to be a great time of prayer for me, and just speaking to God and asking him to come and speak to me give me direction, insight, and to fall more deeply in love with him through out my day.  I try to focus on that the most before my my drifts off to other prayer request and or to some foreign land of thought that is random in my head as i push up and the down the hills.
                 again i want to encourage all of you.. i have not gotten where i am today so far by make huge adjustments in my life... my goal still is consistency, it's not to loose weight but go the  distance, then after distance it's a better/quality time within that distance.  the other half of the goal of consistency is not to give up, not to quit, to keep going.. I don't know what your goals are for the new year, but keep going, do not give up, be Consistent, and most importantly pray through the goals you have set before yourself to make sure they are the Goals that God wants you to try to accomplish.. don't give up, you can do this.. aaaaaarrrrrrrooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ! even if it takes a little Coyote motivation... ha ha.

Honk, big eyes, just don't.......

Hey welcome to week 6.... I am sorry I didn't post on week 5 I was out of town in the country, and my mom is still on dial up.. "there should be a law against that right" ha ha ha

Honk: so I was back at my parents week and I flirted with 20 miles a day... Wolfffff man was I glad I was on vacation.. The first day I came up short, but I was at the bottom of what though was a huge hill.. Ha ha not as big as the one I had to climb getting back home.. Ha ha... One of the coolest things that happen was a trucker Honked at me.. It wasn't , "hey get of my way honk", it was a, " hey man keep going, don't give up" kind of a Honk.. Man that pushed me into my 21 mile a day.. Is was stellar../ it's crazy how a little bit of encouragement goes such a long ways.. Too bad we as Christians aren't trying to tell people, "you can" in stead of, "your never gonna make it" so for all those who honk a atta boy honk!! Especially that trucker an another little black car! You guys rock thanks so much for being a encouragement in that way..

Big eyes: That starts week 6. Sooooo I had gotten up to 20 miles in week 5... Dude at this point the last thing I want to do is get out of Bed and start my ride in the mornings.... Seriously, some mornings are cold, windy, cold and windy (ha ha ha), and sometimes a late start.. Soooooo heading to McCoy exit and back is 23 miles.. My eyes were big... Like at the table too big.. (you know you eat to much) when the down hill part to that kicked off  i knew i was going to have to come back up. i kept thinking, "maybe i should come turn around now.. no, no, no, i have to keep going" finally here it came McCoy exit one mile.  "I made it!!!!!!"
    it felt great getting the 23 miles in for two days.. made the 13 miles today easy..  i had gotten some running shoes during our 14 year anniversary spree yesterday so i had to try them out right...
       so i ran/jog/walked 1.6 miles after the 13 mile ride.... not a great start to running, but hey it's a start..
Just Don't........ quit:  That speaks for it's self..
         the spritual aspect that really spoke to me today as i was praying was this: a young man that had come to our church for some community service hours took his life here recently and his family as asked me to do his funeral. When I had heard by what had happen was was sadden in my sprit over this. From the time i had spent working along side of him some, i come to admire his work ethic, and his personality.  Seem like a great young man still just trying to seek out direction.   This also made me think of the word Akita which is from the boy scout days of Order of the Arrow (long story)..   Akita means leader that comes along side of & helps serve. As i thought about this young man i thought, "could i have been a better Akita to him during the time he was here, could i have worked along side him  more, and could that have made a better difference in his life, could there have been one more sentence i could have spoken that would have given him more hope then he had to stay instead of go?"   I know i feel like many that find themselves in this place. I do know he had a choice, and yes i know i could never make the choice for him.  Even Jesus is grieve in spirit over things, when he saw the city, when he came upon the widow and her Son was in the casket, Lazurs, & so forth, i can't help but be sadden as well. Wanting more for a young man who felt that he had nothing else to live for and just wanted it to end. This is not my first funeral of someone who has committed Suicide nor will it be my last i suppose, but Now prayerfully this young man knew Christ and can find the peace he so desperately was searching for even though it was before God was willing to call him home.     

As you finish this off today, i don't know where you are, but please don't quit, don't give up, keep calling out for help, but just don't give up prayerfully one of us around you will finally understand, or finally be able to share the words you were looking for, or be able to pray or share a piece of scripture you feel that you just can't find, But most of all, Prayerfully, it will be God's voice, His words, his love, and His presence that will help you the most in the midst of where you are.  "Just don't quit"
            Scotty

(this article is meant to help people through a process of Grieving, Please do not use this as a place to post about where you think people are or are not.  Even truth used in the wrong way Bring harm we see that when Satan tried to use the Truth of God's word against Jesus during the time of the desert. i am not saying that there is no accountability for actions, but i am saying there is a chance of hope in God's word, and prayerfully this will help bring a great light & hope in Christ to others who have not found it yet. please be considerate of that, thank you.)

Day of rest, Getting ready for 4th week

   I have been consistantly moving forward.. this next week i am going for 12 miles a day on the bike. moving my work out to 1 hr to 1:15-1:30 long  start getting up now at 5:15am or 5:30 am now...   looking forward to seeing how the new route will be i will be moving from going east & west to going to North and South.. this will definatly more difficult this time of Year, as well as i know that i am increasing elvation of my ride next week as well.
            it's so weird pushing my self in this way, thinking of next week goals, and the mental battle begains now... "dude do you really want to do this"  i still have some good well meaning freind telling me, " Scotty you are crazy and you will never pull this off, and that you will never going to achive this goal..."
         i have no idea how far i will get, but i know i will not give up, i am moving forward, i don't know if i will achive this in a year, or 5 years, but i am moving forward to what God has instore for me as i start this adventrue, prayerfully He will allow me to continue, to push forward and make a differance in my life, the life of my family, my close friends, and my church Family...
         to all of you have set a goal, and there have been people been telling you to, "quit, give up, your never gonna make it."  let my tell you this....
                               "Never Give up, you can do it, continue to pray about the goal you set before you, and Don't give up, Never, never, Never, Never give up on the things that God prayerfully have set on your heart, there is a reason He gave you the Goal to being with, you can do it, He will not give you More then what you can bear, find the silver or gold lining in the moments along the way, because there are plenty of Dark days to come...  dig Deep, pray hard, and keep moving forward.... There is a great Strength that indwells in you through the Holy Spirit.. Father i would like to pray for the person who is reading this who might feel like giving up, who doesn't want to continue on, who feel the weight of things against them... help them to hear your voice, help them to since your spirit and guide them, speak to them, inspire them and please Father help them to reach out and acomplish the task you set before them... Father please do these things for them in the name of your son Jesus... Amen...."
            have a great day of Rest... Merry Chirstmas... and don't give up... you can do this
Thankfully i have not give up yet... i fell a million times better, and like the movie Meet the Robins "Keep Moving Forward"

Africa (water wells & Teaching)

Hey here is an update on our Driling rig.... we bought it.. Thank you Jesus, now just praying as they make one that is simliar to this. Drilling Rig Video I will be started in January and should be finished by Febuary, hopefully it will be there sometime in March.
Please pray
Coustomes will not put Okello through a ton of red tape to get it out.
No robbers (land or Sea)
For two truck: one to pull the drill, the other to haul the Air Compressor for the Rock Hammer!
For each community that God is taking this rig to give them clean water, we have proably over 20 villages waiting for clean water and more to come. this is a huge praise, where it took 1 or 2 months to dig a hand well with not so clean water, in 1 day we will be able to drill down to 100-300 feet of clean water for the people. It will stop the collerah and disnteary that kills so many.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Teaching time....
I leave for Africa soon, still trying to wrap up my teaching subjects for the week that i will be there.. nervous, excited, hopeful, new friendship, is this just the first of many times or just the time in which God will open the door.
Please pray for me as i have this opportunity to come along side of Pastors in Africa to encourage, to strengthen, & to challenge, and to learn from as well.
have a great Friday everyone