In 1981 Rosie Ruiz was the first woman to cross the finish line at the Boston Marathon. She achieved the third fastest time ever recorded for a female runner. But ironically, she was barely sweating. Race officials immediately began to question her victory and eventually she was disqualified. When the truth came out, it appears that soon after the race began, Rosie intentionally got off the course, took the subway to a point near the finish line, jumped back into the race and positioned herself to be the winner. In the interview between Rosie and a sport reporter (before she was found out), Rosie was asked, "As you prepared for the race, what kind of intervals did you run?" Rosie responded, "What's an interval?" Can you imagine a follower of Jesus asking, "What's a spiritual discipline?"

US Marathoner, Frank Shorter says it best. Literally minutes after Frank finished second in the Montreal Olympics in 1976, a reporter asked him, "I know you must be disappointed with the silver. Do you plan to go for the gold medal again in 1980?" Frank calmly looked at the reporter and said, "Well, of course I wanted to win the gold medal. But the question I have to ask myself now is, "Will I commit myself to running 10 miles per day, every day, for the next 4 years?"

Who are you discipling? What spiritual disciplines are you practicing? Jesus said, "A wise man hears my words and puts them into practice."

Other articles by Paul Schlieker

Christian Discipleship - Expecting your Disciple to Read the Bible for Himself (Paul Schlieker)

The DNA of divine truth comes from heaven. It comes from the Spirit of God through the Word of God. The Bible is unlike all other books. It is inspired by God (II Timothy 3:16). That puts it in a category by itself. A.W. Tozer writes, “The knowledge of God is by the direct impression of the Spirit of God upon the spirit of man.” A “direct impression” begins when we read the Word of God. Just as God once spoke directly to Moses from within the burning bush (Exodus 3:4), God continues to speak directly to us from within the Bible. We should approach the Bible as a Voice from heaven, not a user’s manual. It’s not a book that was once written – it’s a Voice that is speaking here and now.
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Facing the Impossible -- With God's Power (Paul Schlieker)

Every few years a motivational seminar comes to Omaha. These events are designed to teach you how to succeed at the highest levels and turn setbacks into comebacks. My company encourages me to attend these seminars to improve my insurance practice.
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Psychology of Persecuted Christians in Pakistan (Naeem Harry)

Pakistan is going through a serious moral turmoil, and Pakistani Christians are being targeted in this moral and spiritual turmoil. The continuous persecution of Christians in Pakistan is making them suffer from many psychological dis-eases. This moral turmoil is also making them suffer from spiritual distress. Their questions needs to be answered, if not answered they need to be listened, so that they are able to explore their emotional and spiritual pains.
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Matriarchal Society of Harrapa and Pakistan (Naeem Harry)

Between the years 3000 BC and 1500 BC, a unique civilization flourished in the Indus Valley that covered an area larger than modern Pakistan. This was an empire called the Harappan Empire whose people were called Dravidians. The major cities were Harappa and Mohanjodaro whose features were unique for those days because they included well- planned brick streets, drainage and large baths for ritual cleaning. Housing varied from two-room structures to large two-storied houses with courtyards.
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Reflection: - Empowering the Youth (Friar Bernard Y Bhatti OFM)

I firmly believe that the youth have a great role to play in any country, nation. It does not matter what they are, what language, color, or geographical background they come from. They have the power, energy, and potential to change and to transform their world for better or for worse.
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Divided we fall (Nasir Saeed)

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said recently that relations between the US and Pakistan had reached a turning point after the killing of Osama bin Laden and that Pakistan needed to take “decisive” steps in the days ahead to fight terrorism. As always, Pakistan is confused and divided on this and many other issues which need our urgent attention as we seek to take solid steps to resolve them. These issues have become a chronic disease but unfortunately, almost without realising, we have become involved in a blame-game and the rest of the world is looking at us amid increasing trust deficit.
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Governor's murder deepens fears of Pakistani Christians (Michael Georgy)

To understand why Pakistani Christians feel so threatened by growing Muslim extremism in their country, speak to the uniformed police guard at the jail where a Christian woman is on death row, accused of blasphemy.
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