While I had a stretch of good performance days leading me to believe I was out in the clear, I remain hamstrung by sickness. I feel a tightness in my lungs, icy hands, numbness overall, and I suspect I slept on my left arm wrong for that has had an ache since midnight. As far as energy? Nada. I unwittingly broke my steps goal streak yesterday at 39, something I found out this morning as I weighed whether or not I wanted to walk in the rain to continue it.

And thus, I feel lousy. I eat because I know I need the fat and protein, but I don't want it. I can't even make it through my daily iced butter coffee.

Even my beard has faded!

It reminds me how quickly we can lose our vitality. Youthful prowess is deep in the pages of a dusty tome. Far gone are those beloved 90s. There was a day when running was the same as walking; these days knees snap, crackle and pop. Life is fleeting.

I consider my New Year's resolutions and its proficiency in athletics. Should I invest that much effort in something that fades to silver?

What of my spiritual strength? What of my power as a member of the elect? Am I merely coasting? I think so. My identity in Christ will make up the rest of 2024...2025...the next decade...the rest of my life...and the next 10,000+ years. How could I focus on anything else?

I don't want to absorb any more of Memphis's culture...or Tennessee's...or America's...or the world's. Again, it is all "the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life" (1 John 2:16, ESV). Everyone is bent on rage. Perversions and mental illness are lauded and paraded around as they seek to consume their next victim. I don't want any part of that! "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8, ESV).

Yesterday morning with my brief walking stint, I listened to John MacArthur in a Q&A session on February 18. What a refreshing breath of fresh air! At 84 years old, John MacAuthur's 55-year ministry at the same church has been a multi-generational investment. He speaks how he now pours into the lives of the great-grandchildren of his congregation. How beneficial it is to sit at the feet of a wise man!

A God-centered life of a discerning and insightful elder contrasts sharply with the leaders of the United States. Instead of bowing down to that drenched-in-sin culture, MacArthur wrote a 2022 open letter to Governor Newsome.

I really like that. And I LOVE that he stood up against Los Angeles with that zombie virus phobia that writhered so many Christian leaders:

YouTube Link