The Way

I gotta tell you that I am getting a little more than excited about this race. This training schedule and the weather have been pretty tough, but I am starting to feel like I am about ready. Did a 10-miler today and mixed in 4x800s and 4x400s and hit my marks. I love it when a plan comes together. Here is the information on how to track me via your cell phone if you are so inclined. TEXT Simply send the word RUNNER to 31901 using your US mobile phone*. You will then receive an SMS text response with instructions on how to submit a runner's bib number. (*Message and data rates may apply. 8-10 messages. Send STOP to quit. Available on participating carriers AT&T, Alltel, Boost, Nextel, Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular, Verizon, and Virgin.) My runner # is 11463 Turner, Paul A. 46 M Hermitage TN USA E-MAIL You can register for the AT&T Athlete Alert Program through t...

What a great week of missions with the DCA students on the Honduras Mission trip. We partnered with Cristo Salva , a ministry of encouragement to the Honduran people, and ministered in a number of different ways. As usual, I came back more blessed than we were probably able to bless those there. Thirteen students, along with Kristen Folsom, and myself departed last Monday and returned late Friday night. It was a quick trip filled with food distribution, visits to schools, home visits, and services in the evenings. Hondurans meet at the church nightly to worship. The worship experiences were led by DCA students and God did some wonderful things to encourage the Honduran believers. Pastor Ray Marcos and Pat Havender hosted us via Cristo Salva and did a wonderful job of coordinating the many ministry activities we were involved in. I was chief truck driver and all around coordinator of packing and changing the flat tire. Coordinator is the operative word. The male students did a wonderfu...

Woohoo! Oh, boy! Today the Big Dance kicks off again. This is an annual event that really is like no other. There will be a few upsets; blowouts; last second 3s to win ballgames; good officiating; terrible officiating; way too many pundits on tv telling us what we just saw; "up too late at night" watching ballgames excuses; bandwidth at companies with the life sucked out of them; bragging; lying; fans way out of line; and coaches who will lose their jobs. Just a reminder - this is just basketball. I love it, but in the overall scheme of things, it is basketball. It is a great diversion and a wonderful time of talking trash. It will also create opportunities for conversation with people we may not normally talk to. I am going to use it as a time to share Christ. To tell others not only about basketball, but to begin a conversation about someone and something more important. I am not ashamed of the gospel. I am going to share.

Sometimes in my line of work, I hit these stretches where it seems like I am burning a candle on both ends. Now is one of those times. With some special projects that we have going on centered around FUGE camps and training, it is a busy time. Sort of run at it hard, kind of busy time. Ten work days in a row is all good, but still 10 days in a row. The past two weekends have been filled with church visits and then FUGE Winter Camp this past weekend. Both of those weekends have been very good and the ministry contacts have been wonderful. In my role, I get to listen to and encourage youth leaders. So many of them are doing a wonderful job of loving on students and their families and they find themselves of love and encouragement themselves. Thus my role and I have to tell you, I love it. I met with about 120 youth pastors and their wives two weeks ago today, a smaller group at two churches in MO a week ago and then had the privilege of meeting with 150 leaders Fri-Sun at Ridgecrest this...

I love this time of year with all the college basketball that is going on. I am a North Carolina Tar Heels fan and loved the last few seasons and have suffered with Roy Williams and his crew this year. I grew up in MO have been a Missouri fan but my heart is with Carolina. March Madness has changed though. Back in the day before every team was overanalyzed by every computer in the world, you had to go on what little info you had on teams and make out your bracket w/o the help of every ranking, expert, ESPN ex-coach, ex-player analyst. I miss those days. I miss the days of looking at the tournament bracket and just going with what YOU know, not what every expert tells you you ought to know in filling out your bracket. I gotta tell you, I do not like taking the bracket, run it through some stupid research program on my computer and then they tell me which teams I should choose. I don't care about the Alex and Dewayne scales, Rivals.com, ESPNs Digger Phelps and "Baby" Dick V...

Had a great experience over the past weekend running 20 miles on Sat. with one of my running buddies. It is always good to do those long runs with someone else and Frank is a new running friend who has a great story to tell. About 7 years ago, he weighed close to 300 lbs., smoked 2 packs/day, and drank a 5th of vodka daily. He realized that lifestyle was leading to an early grave, so he began exercising, gave up smoking and heavy drinking and today weighs about 175 lbs. and runs about 60 miles/week. Awesome story. Saturday afternoon I flew to MO to spend a little time w/ my dad and then had work on Sun/Mon in MO doing some interviews listening and learning about what camp customers are looking for in a camp. Great time with my dad, brother and sister-in-law and then great time visiting with churches. One of the churches we visited I know well. I grew up going there from age 5-13 and my dad has pastored there twice. They are great people. It is a small, rural congregation. It exemplifie...

Yesterday was a page turning day for the Turners. Morgan walked off the basketball court for the last time in her high school career. The DCA Lady Cats played their hearts out this season and especially yesterday in the state semis and came up a little short in the game. The final score was 58-56 and was probably one of the best games I have seen this group of girls play. They have nothing to be ashamed of at all. They left it on the court to use that old cliche'. I was proud, very proud as a fan of the players, coaches and the fans. I reserve my greatest pride for a girl that just happens to look like me, think like me too many times, and who showed me something in her that I thought was there, but have seen it blossom beautifully especially in the last few weeks. Number 21, Sr. Morgan Turner is one of the kids that I am not very objective about. She is ours. She leaves her stuff laying around the house, is notorious for leaving her clean clothes in the clothes basket to live out ...

This past week has been a good one. It has included long runs for marathon training, a trip to Orlando for the Youth Pastor's Summit and a DCA Lady Wildcats basketball win, as well as, a guys loss. A good friend and former boss lost his dad this past week and is burying him today. Pray for Joe and his brother Jerry please. Their daddy was a great guy and has left a great legacy for these two and their families. His daddy lived a long productive life and in many ways pushed on farther than many thought he could go. USA Hockey definitely went farther in the Olympics than many thought they would or even could. The DCA Lady Wildcats have pushed on through a couple of weeks of less than stellar playing but have won because they thought they could. They play in the state semi-finals tomorrow and if they win will play Sat for the state championship. I am proud of all the girls. Regardless of the outcome, they have been exemplary. At the most, Sondra and I will have a girl on the team for ...