Country Music Half Marathon

Well, we did it! All five of the Servant Group runners not only completed Nashville's premier road racing event yesterday, we all beat our target times. The race was delayed for 30 minutes due to thunderstorms--so we were a bit soggy at the start. But once we finally got underway, there was little to dampen our spirits--except maybe that awful hill at mile 11! It really was a fun event and a great accomplishment by all of the runners. I am still collecting snapshots, but the first few are posted at the King's Meadow photo site.

Culture Shapers

A dear pastor friend of mine in Texas, Ernie Fitzpatrick, started an amazing outreach to his community a few years ago. Culture Shapers is an art contest for high school students throughout the entire Houston metropolitan area--including public schools, Christian schools, prep schools, parochial schools, and homeschools throughout Harris, Waller, Liberty, Chambers, Galveston, Brazoria and Fort Bend counties. Offering more than $90,000 in cash prizes and boasting a growing list corporate sponsors, the event has become one of the hottest tickets in a city not easily wowed. Though not specifically billed as a Christian contest, the event has allowed one pioneering local church to promote excellence in the arts among young people--speaking into their lives with the objective Scriptural aesthetic as its reference point. As a result, Ernie and the other members of this little covenant community are helping to shape a city and a city's future. I would love to see this idea replicated all across the nation. Wouldn't you?