B and P were fortunate enough to attend the yearly CYAC banquet for their swim team. They had fun with all their swim friends and B had been waiting for weeks to get his regional medals, which he finally got.
Here is his display of medals (in the baggies) that he is so very proud of. The big blue ribbon, however, is arguably the most important. It is the team record ribbon which means he now holds the boys 9-10 year old record for the 100yd breaststroke for all CYAC members dating all the way back to at least 1980. Humbled and proud.
The workouts have been light lately. I have been to the pool a couple times in the past few days, did my first 4 mile run with Scooby on Friday since the marathon, and did a 15 mile city loop ride today in the wind. I am enjoying the diversity though.
Last Friday I had the opportunity to help out Setup Events at the Rumpass in Bumpass Triathlon weekend with a few of my teammates from FCA Endurance. We volunteer at various events to help them with setup, packet pickup etc... and they graciously allow us to put gospel tracts in the packets for each athlete to read. A gospel tract is a small 4x6 booklet of sorts that explains how to come to Jesus and what he can do for you. Here are some pics from the race site on the edge of Lake Anna.
Transition entry/exit for the bike
The swimmers enter the water to the left of this pic and exit the water to your right.
Registration tent
Being holy week this week, I try to focus on what exactly it was that Jesus did throughout this week. I look at his steps from his entrance on Palm Sunday to Easter morning when he rose and exited the tomb where they had placed his battered body. I don't know why but this week I have been thinking a lot about the concept of grace. I am ashamed to say it wasn't until early last year that I tried to look up and get a handle on what it meant. Many people use this term on a regular basis: "thank you for being so gracious", "by the grace of God", or even when we say grace before a meal. I was watching a documentary last week that involved the evolution of the military and some of the struggles they have faced. In my mind, the similarity to the way Jesus must have felt is remarkable. Think about our soldiers, fighting for their country and the freedom of all those in that country. They come home from Vietnam only to be spit on, ridiculed, and told to go away after they just put their life on the line for these very people. Even today, their are war protesters that dispute soldiers being in battle and openly condemn their actions with hurtful words even as these soldiers die in a country thousands of miles away from the ones they protect. I suspect this is how Jesus felt when he was crucified and I also suspect that he is treated this same way by many today. It is only through his grace (magic word) that we are fortunate enough to know him. Think about it, we are born into sin, not to mention the time we spend throughout an unspecified number of years ignoring him, and in some cases condemning him, yet he has enough grace to not only accept us but to love us, despite what we have done. Grace, doing something for someone even when they do not deserve it. Admittedly, it will take me a while to really grasp this one.
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