Question #5

Question #5 on the application to participate in a week long "Collegium" next summer: "What are some things you do to promote your physical, emotional, spiritual, relational, and intellectual health?"

The answer I would have written, had there been space:

I run.

I run for physical exercise. I've known too many fat pastors. Years of sitting at a desk and attending church potlucks can catch up to you. My driver's license says I'm six feet tall and weight 155 pounds, and even today, it still tells the truth. I'd like it to stay that way.

I run to release stress. I could write something about endorphins and neurotransmiters, but that would just be me throwing words around that I only sorta know the meaning of. All I know for sure is that when I run, I feel better. The stress of ministry, of life, is not quite so stressful. And I'm better able to handle myself when a court investigator looks me in the eye and says, "The judge is not going to approve your petition for guardianship," which is, in fact, what happened yesterday. (More on that in a moment.)

I run to improve my spiritual health. When I run along the dirt road that goes between the railroad tracks and the rice field (I never use a treadmill), I am made aware of the weather and the change of seasons --- something that is particularly noticeable on this cool October day. I can't help but notice the cycle of planting and harvesting. This allows my thoughts to more easily connect to God's thoughts.

I run to improve my relational health. When my wife says, "You're cranky today," I know I'm due for a run.

I run to improve my intelectual health.... Well, OK, maybe that's a stretch, but four out of five is pretty good, eh?

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Now, since I mentioned it, Chris, the teenager who I was attempting to become guardian of, will be leaving us in two weeks, to live in New Mexico. It's what his older sister / adoptive parent (as incompetent to be a parent as she is) wants, and the court approves.

It actually may be a good move for Chris. It keeps him safe, it gets him away from her, and the man who will be looking after him is a good man who I think is the right person to prepare Chris for adulthood. However, it also means that Chris will have to say goodbye to his school, his friends, his family. A bittersweet resolution to all of this.

It's a good thing that, every day at football practice, Chris runs.