May 7, 2026

Hey guys, 

This week’s Thought comes from Philippians 3. As I have mentioned, I have been reading on my own in 1 and 2 Samuel but I also meet with a small group of coaches on Tuesday mornings. Let me say, and I don’t think I can overstate this…There is no more powerful thing than men and women sitting around with God's Word open, sharing what God puts on their heart, and what He is teaching them from His Word. Everyone ends up teaching each other, and there is a collective encouragement from shared victories and defeats.

Philippians 3 was our discussion topic this week. The end of verse 13 and verse 14 says, “I focus on this one thing, forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead. I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”

Two words jumped off the page, press on. 

My wife is a track coach, therefore, I've been to a lot of track meets over the years. At those meets, I've noticed something. When somebody runs a short distance, maybe the 100m or 200m, there's not a lot of coaching done during the race. There's not a lot of encouragement given. Sure, everybody yells and screams because it's exciting, but as far as instruction goes, there's not a lot of that that goes on. It's the longer races where coaching is necessary. It's the longer races where encouragement is essential. If I'm running the 100m or the 200m, I don't really have enough time to think, “Oh man, I'm tired and I don't want to do this anymore.” It's in the longer races, one lap, two laps, eight laps, that my motivation and focus can really start to wane. It's in those moments that coaches need to come along and say, “Press on. Keep going. You got this.”

The picture here is that life is not a sprint. Life is a long-distance race…Call it a marathon. I don't know what it's like to be a long distance runner. I've always run from those things (pun intended)! I've heard from people that do run long distances, and they will say things like, “You know, I was good until mile six, mile six and seven were the hardest of the whole marathon,” or “mile 13 and 14 were the hardest,” or “mile 21 was where I almost gave in.” 

I don't know how that works with runners and the physicality and physiology of it, but it's in those moments that they need encouragement. Personally, I’m in a particularly difficult time right now, I’ll just be honest. In the last few months, my family has faced some pretty serious health struggles, relational difficulties and professional challenges. I'm in a tough spot. But in times like this, I have to remember, this is not a sprint. So, as I read that passage this morning and shared it with my brothers, I was reminded to keep pressing on, because this season will pass and we've got a lot more race in front of us. 

Love you guys,

John