International Christian Cycling Club

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Welcome to the New Year, 2008. This is an exciting time for us as cyclist. Many of us are planning out our year, plotting training workouts, finalizing race plans and best of all, getting new gear.

Once I set my goals, I start identifying steps I need to take to reach my goals. If you have ever done this before, you know what is next; we have to identify “Limiters”. Those things that will prevent us from reaching our goals, we must design ways to overcome these “Limiters”. One of my major limiters is “Power”. Through the years, I have lost muscle mass and gained body weight. So I have design a training schedule that will help me gain more muscle and loose weight. This will help me improve my power so the rest of the team will not have to wait at the top of every hill for me this summer.

Now on January 1st, several members of our church sponsored an out reach event at a local apartment complex. I was asked to give a devotion between the praise band’s sets. I got with one of our youth sponsors and we came up with a short skit focusing on the differences between New Year’s Resolutions and the renewing power of Christ. The characters, in the skit, come to the conclusion that it is God’s Grace and Forgiveness that allows us to grow and develop. Without this Grace, we would have no hope. Without hope, there is no growth or change. One of the skit’s characters even says “Once you feel God’s forgiveness then you tap into the real Power”. 

All of the guilt, anger and unresolved emotions we carry around with us, weigh us down like a cheep pair of steel clinchers wheels. It doesn’t matter what you want to call it, “junk”, “issues” or “luggage”, all it does is weigh us down and help separate from our loving Savior. It is a “limiter” in our Spiritual development.

Sisters and Brothers, as you map out your training plan for the year, set goals and schedule races; make room for some real power training. Start working on your forgiveness. Don’t let the sun set on your anger, find room to forgive that individual who hurt you. Forgive yourself! Think about all God did so we could be forgiven and then share that Grace to those around you! Spend time reading about Jesus and the woman at the well or when Jesus’ Disciples asked how many times to forgive an individual. This is real power training! This will change your life.

As a follower of Christ, we are commanded to act as He did, this means to forgive others and our selves as freely as he forgave.

May you receive the Love, Grace and Peace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

James Sells

Indiana Spoke