Pushups

This is a great story . . .

For any of you that haven't read this before. This is so good...even if you've read it, it's a sobering reminder...


There was a certain Professor of Religion named Dr Christianson , a studious man who taught at a small college in the western United States . Dr. Christianson taught the required survey course in Christianity at this particular institution. Every student was required to take this course his or her freshman year, regardless of his or her major. Although Dr Christianson tried hard to communicate the essence of the gospel in his class, he found that most of his students looked upon the course as nothing but required drudgery. Despite his best efforts, most students refused to take Christianity seriously.

This year, Dr. Christianson had a special student named Steve . Steve was only a freshman, but was studying with the intent of going onto seminary for the ministry. Steve was popular, he was well liked, and he was an imposing physical specimen. He was now the starting center on the school football team, and was the best student in the professor's class. One day, Dr. Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he could talk with him."How many push-ups can you do?Steve said, "I do about 200 every night.""200? That's pretty good, Steve ," Dr. Christianson said. Do you think you could do 300?" Steve replied, " don't know... I've never done 300 at a time." "Do you think you could?" again asked Dr. Christianson . "Well, I can try," said Steve . "Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I have a class project in mind and I need you to do about 300 push-ups in sets of ten for this to work. Can you do it? I need you to tell me you can do it," said the professor. Steve said, "Well... I think I can....yeah, I can do it!" Dr. Christianson said, "Good! I need you to do this on Friday. Let me explain what I have in mind."

Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front of the room. When class started, the professor pulled out a big box of donuts. No, these weren't the normal kinds of donuts, they were the extra fancy BIG kind, with cream centers and frosting swirls. Everyone was pretty excited it was Friday, the last class of the day, and they were going to get an early start on the weekend with a party in Dr. Christianson 's class. Dr. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and asked, " Cynthia , do you want to have one of these donuts?" Cynthia said, "Yes" Dr. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, " Steve , would you do ten push-ups so that Cynthia can have a donut?" "Sure." Steve jumped down from his desk to do a quick ten. Then Steve again sat in his desk. Dr. Christianson put a donut on Cynthia 's desk. Dr. Christianson then went to Joe , the next person, and asked, " Joe , do you want a donut?"Joe said, "Yes." Dr. Christianson asked, " Steve would you do ten push-ups so Joe can have a donut?" Steve did ten push-ups, Joe got a donut. And so it went, down the first aisle, Steve did ten pushups for every person before they got their donut.

Walking down the second aisle, Dr. Christianson came to Scott . Scott was on the basketball team, and in as good condition as Steve . He was very popular and never lacking for female companionship. When the professor asked, " Scott do you want a donut?"Scott 's reply was, "Well, can I do my own pushups?"Dr. Christianson said, "No, Steve has to do them." Then Scott said, "Well, I don’t want one then." Dr. Christianson shrugged and then turned to Steve and asked, " Steve , would you do ten pushups so Scott can have a donut he doesn't want?" With perfect obedience Steve started to do ten pushups. Scott said, "HEY! I said I didn't want one!" Dr. Christianson said, "Look, this is my classroom, my class, my desks, and these are my donuts. Just leave it on the desk if you don't want it." And he put a donut on Scott 's desk. Now by this time, Steve had begun to slow down a little. He just stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much effort to be getting up and down. You could start to see a little perspiration coming out around his brow.

Dr. Christianson started down the third row. Now the students were beginning to get a little angry. Dr. Christianson asked Jenny , " Jenny , do you want a donut?" Sternly, Jenny said, "No!" Then Dr. Christianson asked Steve , " Steve , would you do ten more push-ups so Jenny can have a donut that she doesn't want?" Steve did ten.... Jenny got a donut. By now, a growing sense of uneasiness filled the room. The students were beginning to say "No", and there were all these uneaten donuts on the desks. Steve also had to really put forth a lot of extra effort to get these pushups done for each donut. There began to be a small pool of sweat on the floor beneath his face, his arms and brow were beginning to get red because of the physical effort involved. Dr. Christianson asked Robert, who was the most vocal unbeliever in the class, to watch Steve do each push up to make sure he did the full ten pushups in a set because he couldn't bear to watch all of Steve's work for all of those uneaten donuts. He sent Robert over to where Steve was so Robert could count the set and watch Steve closely.

Dr. Christianson started down the fourth row. During his class, however, some students from other classes had wandered in and sat down on the steps along the radiators that ran down the sides of the room. When the professor realized this, he did a quick count and saw that now there were 34 students in the room. He started to worry if Steve would be able to make it. Dr. Christianson went on to the next person and the next and the next. Near the end of that row, Steve was really having a rough time. He was taking a lot more time to complete each set. Steve asked Dr Christianson , "Do I have to make my nose touch on each one?" Dr. Christianson thought for a moment, "Well, they're your pushups. You are in charge now. You can do them any way that you want." And Dr. Christianson went on.

A few moments later, Jason , a recent transfer student, came to the room and was about to come in when all the students yelled in one voice, "NO! Don't come in! Stay out!" Jason didn't know what was going on. Steve picked up his head and said, "No, let him come." Professor Christianson said, "You realize that if Jason comes in you will have to do ten pushups for him?" Steve said, "Yes, let him come in. Give him a donut."Dr. Christianson said, "Okay, Steve , I'll let you get Jason 's out of the way right now. Jason , do you want a donut?" Jason , new to the room, hardly knew what was going on. "Yes," he said, "give me a donut.." " Steve , will you do ten push-ups so that Jason can have a donut?" Steve did ten pushups very slowly and with great effort. Jason , bewildered, was handed a donut and sat down. Dr. Christianson finished the fourth row, and then started on those visitors seated by the heaters. Steve 's arms were now shaking with each push-up in a struggle to lift him against the force of gravity.

By this time sweat was profusely dropping off of his face, there was no sound except his heavy breathing; there was not a dry eye in the room. The very last two students in the room were two young women, both cheerleaders, and very popular. Dr. Christianson went to Linda , the second to last, and asked, " Linda , do you want a doughnut?" Linda said, very sadly, "No, thank you." Professor Christianson quietly asked, " Steve , would you do ten push-ups so that Linda can have a donut she doesn't want?" Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten very slow pushups for Linda . Then Dr Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan . " Susan , do you want a donut?" Susan , with tears flowing down her face, began to cry. " Dr. Christianson , why can't I help him?" Dr. Christianson, with tears of his own, said,” No, Steve has to do it alone, I have given him this task and he is in charge of seeing that everyone has an opportunity for a donut whether they want it or not.

When I decided to have a party this last day of class, I looked at my grade book. Steve here is the only student with a perfect grade. Everyone else has failed a test, skipped class, or offered me inferior work. Steve told me that in football practice, when a player messes up he must do push-ups. I told Steve that none of you could come to my party unless he paid the price by doing your push ups. He and I made a deal for your sakes."" Steve , would you do ten push-ups so Susan can have a donut?" As Steve very slowly finished his last pushup, with the understanding that he had accomplished all that was required of him, having done 350 pushups, his arms buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor.

Dr. Christianson turned to the room and said. "And so it was, that our Savior, Jesus Christ , on the cross, pleaded to the Father, "into thy hands I commend my spirit." With the understanding that He had done everything that was required of Him, He yielded up His life. And like some of those in this room, many of us leave the gift on the desk, uneaten."Two students helped Steve up off the floor and to a seat, physically exhausted, but wearing a thin smile. "Well done, good and faithful servant," said the professor, adding "Not all sermons are preached in words."

Turning to his class, the professor said, "My wish is that you might understand and fully comprehend all the riches of grace and mercy that have been given to you through the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He spared not His only Begotten Son, but gave Him up for us all, for the whole Church, now and forever. Whether or not we choose to accept His gift to us, the price has been paid." "Wouldn't you be foolish and ungrateful to leave it lying on the desk?"

"For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost."
( Matthew 18:11)

Laundromat Ministries

I have not been keeping up with this blog because everyone quit posting their scripture and I got discouraged. I have now decided to just post random thoughts here and my thoughts for the day are on the Laundromat Ministry that I participated in!

I started at one Laundromat where most of the people spoke Spanish!! No problem, right? Especially since I took 2 days of conversational Spanish ! Well, I would have to remember what I learned for me to use it and that wasn't happening today!! Thank goodness, David was in our group and he spoke Espanol!! Then I ended up moving to another where more people were needed to help.

People just didn't know what to think when you walked over and started dropping coins in their machine while trying to explain that you were there to serve them and you wanted to bless them by paying for their washing today! Some would think that they had accidentally taken your machine and start to take their clothes out. One lady got teary eyed and said she was so blessed by the generosity. One man wanted to know if we could help him get to Mexico to see his dying dad and one of the elders of the church was actually trying to do that! It was such a blessing to see everyone out there serving others and the community!

It was really a blessing to me when some of the men went to the local mission and brought over a couple of car loads of people who needed to do their clothes. It was heartbreaking listening to some of them tell their stories, but how great to spend time with them and get to know some of them!

This is definitely something I would do again!!

What if . . .

It is time again to add a scripture to your journal!

Our Bible study, "Calm My Anxious Heart" has been a really good one! Linda Dillow states in our most recent chapter that there are two spiritual diseases: "What if?" and "If only". They are similar in that they both lack the eyes of faith! The "What If's" were the focus for this chapter. We have all suffered from "What if . . .", it is a form of worry! The study outlines three steps in handling the "What if's".

1. Ask yourself what is the worst that can possibly happen?
2. Prepare to accept it if you have to.
3. Calmly proceed to improve on the worst.

Is this biblical? As Dillow points out in an example, Paul was faced with death daily, the worst his enemies could do to him. "For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." Philippians 1:21. After accepting this, "to die is gain", he boldy continued to spread the word of God!

May 1st

This has been a crazy year for us at school, but we have persevered! From a hurricane, snow, flooding, and the swine flu, we have managed to make it through the year with smiles, laughter, and a strengthened bond of friendship. I found a quote that sums it all up . . .

“God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way.” ~ Author Unknown

God has definitely given us strength, comfort, and lighted our way. We have so much to be thankful for! Having these verses handy has been so helpful, though I still struggle with some of them, I have relied on them in stressful times and God has used them to work in heart!

April 15th - Our 8th verse!

Okay, hang in there!! After today's post we will be 1/3 of the way through. We can do this!!!! I downloaded the scripture memory software that I posted about on March 7 - it is such a BIG help!! If you haven't used it, you should try it.

April 1 - Empty Me

It is once again time to add a scripture to your spiral! If we are determined to make this a Jesus year we must continue to learn our scripture and hold each other accountable. One of the reasons I wanted to enlist others was so you would hold ME accountable, and I plan on doing the same for you. This was not a resolution I decided to make, this is a commitment!
On another note! Most of you have heard Chris Sligh's "Empty Me", and it is worth listening to again. My prayer this blog is that we can all be emptied of the things that get in our way of having a closer relationship with Him so we can "be filled to the fullness of God".

March 15 - Scripture Memory post

It is time to post again! If you have not tried the memory verse software I mentioned in the previous post, you should! It has been an extremely important part of my learning. Try it!

Are you different? In a recent worship service, the speaker pointed out that we should be different. As Christians, we should stand out in the crowd. Do your actions and words speak of a relationship with Christ? The verse the speaker was referring to was 1 Peter 2:12, "Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us." Have you ever wondered who might be watching you, and consider that your actions alone could lead someone to Christ or bring them back if they have strayed? I remember longing to be in the group of kids who were respected by the others because they were "good" (I was not the best of teens). Their actions spoke so loud of their relationship with Christ, do yours?

Scripture Memory help!!

I don't usually post until it is time for a new scripture verse, but this is too EXCITING to wait! One of the Scripture Memory participants pointed out a site to me that is really helpful!!! She found it through a link on Bible.com. You actually download this FREE program to your computer, and then you can put in your own scripture memory verses. Once they are in, it generates game like activities that you can use to practice and test yourself. The actual sight is http://www.memoryverses.org/ (Scripture Memory System for Windows - release 3.2.49). I recommend everyone download and try it to help with your memorization!! Once you have downloaded it, you can practice anytime - even without internet!!!

March 1

I love reading everyone's post! I have also had opportunities to share the scripture I am learning and to use it to help me refocus when things felt out of control. I now have two scripture spirals, they have the same verses in them, only one is at school on my desk and the other is at home. Having them handy is necessary in helping me in my memorization and in keeping my thoughts focused. I have also begun writing some scriptures in the back of the spiral that have spoken to me in some way. Eventually they might make it to the front for memorization, but I wanted to keep them close for pondering and studying!



On a side note, I have not sent out reminders to everyone because my group email includes 32 people who wanted to participate. Our servers are down and we cannot access that account at this time, and maybe not for several more days. If you know someone who is memorizing scripture with us, please remind them that it is time to add a scripture! I will send out a reminder when we do get back online!

February 15 - Scripture Post

Happy day after Valentines!!! I was reminded in church this morning just how much God loved us!!! He sent his son to die for ME . . . and YOU. . . and each and everyone of us!! I Corinthians 13:1-3 reminds us that without love, we have nothing!!

As Steven Curtis Chapman sings:
"Gods says love, love, love, love, love
It's all about love, love, love, love, love
Everything else comes down to this
Nothing any higher on the list than love
'Cause after all, it's all about love"

Keep up your scripture memory, and when you post, please share with us anything special you might be doing to help you in your quest to memorize God's word.

February 1 - Scripture post

I know there are some of you who are just now joining us, and we welcome you!!

When it came time to pick scripture last time, I had a really hard time. Several verses had caught my attention (especially some that you posted) but none seemed to be “the one”. The one I ended up choosing was powerful, and several times the last two weeks it has abruptly stopped me from saying or doing something I should not!! I also found comfort one day in frustration when I could grab my spiral and read through my verses. At the back of my spiral I have added some verses that I may or may not get to memorize, but that I felt a need to have handy and help keep me focused.

Someone asked, and the answer is yes! It is okay to learn the same scripture as someone else. That is what this is for . . . to share, learn, and mentor each other in being able to “wield God’s word”! So, if you do not have your scripture picked out, check out some of the previous postings and maybe one of those will speak to you!! Remember to pick one that YOU need!!!

“Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” Proverbs 30:5 (NIV)

Second scripture . . . it is time!!!

Well, it is time again to add a second scripture to your spiral!! These past two weeks have been a challenge, as the verse I picked immediately came to mind several times (particularly when I was about to open my mouth)!!

Beth Moore reminds us to, "Watch your prayer life change. Check out John 15:7-8. The more God's Word abides in us, the more the mind of Christ is developed in us. The end result will be that we will pray more and more of God's will and get more and more of what we've asked. Do not think for a moment that praying in the will of God narrows your requests. It blows them wide open!"

Thanks to those who posted their first scripture . . .it has been inspiring reading them, and what they mean to you. I am posting a video which has nothing to do with our scripture memory, but has everything to do with what it is all about!!!

January 9

Most of us have a spiral and have chosen a scripture to get started by now! Beth Moore's blog has some tips for memorizing and learning scripture. It is shared through three short videos but well worth the time to watch. She uses an acrostic inspired by

" Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:2 NIV

R - read it - over, and over, and over - outloud! Through listening you will become more familiar with it

E - examine it - Look for ways you can remember it or parts of it. Is it written in first person with I, second person with you, or third person with he or she? Alphabetical order of words?

N - need it - Choose a verse you personally need, not a scripture your loved one needs and you want to repeat outloud around them a bunch. :) This is for YOU!!

E - echo it - Read it aloud, but then look away and try to say it (echo it!).

W - wield it - Scripture is the sword of the spirit, and we need to learn how to use it! Don't memorize and tuck away, use it against the power of darkness!