Joys of beginning...

...difficulties of continuing.

Took a great road trip yesterday to North Alabama. On the way back, I was RRP'n it (Random Radio Preacher). Sometimes I do it just for a good laugh...you get some crazy stuff on low AM stations in the middle of nowhere. Sometimes I'll force myself to listen even though I disagree (completely) with what the dude is saying. And then other times, you find something good and encouraging.

I caught about 5 minutes of a guy talking about the joys of beginning and the difficulties of continuing. I believe he was talking about one of Paul's letters...encouraging the church to stay strong. He brought up a real simple truth: All kinds of areas of life have this formula.

- We have the joy of a newborn...and then reality hits (diapers & teenage years) and it can be a struggle.
- We have the excitement of a new job...and then we learn all the office gossip and true picture of what's happening.
- We celebrate buying a new home...and then a few short years later are hit with the first big repair.
- And in our faith, we have these new movements of God...a new thing happening (perhaps churchplanting)...and yet so many hit a wall...maybe a trial comes along...and we yearn for the freshness and excitement all over again.

If your looking for a grand finale, sorry. :-) The radio cut out about that time. I imagine, though, that he talked about perseverance. Continuing is a must. The God who started the work will be faithful in completing it. And within the difficulty of continuing, and remaining holy and pure and steadfast, our trust in Him is renewed and an even greater joy is found.

The MAIN LESSON though: I'm praying someone will give me an ipod so I can download some good sermons. :-)