Determination

**I wrote this Sunday morning, and am finally able to post it up here. I've sent it out to a few people via email already, in a slightly longer form. I'll be sending it out to everyone else on my email list in the next few minutes. If you don't get it and would like to be on my email list, just let me know. mike.c.scott@gmail.com**

Determination. I've spent the past couple days reflecting on that word a bit. I haven't had internet access since I was in Eureka, so this email has been a couple days coming… Plenty of time to think while I'm biking. But, before I go on, I'd like to suggest that you take a min or two to just sit back and think about what determination means to you.

Determination. When I think of determination, and being determined, I think of being decided, having an ultimate goal, something that you're trying to attain or accomplish; maybe a task that you want to complete or you want to lose weight or something. I have determination to complete this bike ride and bring in support for the work of Military Community Youth Ministries. My mom and a couple of her friends are determined to walk a marathon in November.

Because of our determination, we take time to prepare and focus on accomplishing and meeting that goal. I spent many hours biking before I flew out to Washington, and many more writing emails and talking to people to raise support for YFC and MCYM. My mom and friends are walking miles upon miles every week in preparation. I am sure that you all can relate in some way; something that you are determined to accomplish, where you are taking steps to meet your goal.

In the NET translation of Psalm 108 verse 1, David says, "I am determined, O God! / I will sing and praise you with my whole heart." I think so often, at least for me, I set my eyes on trying to accomplish the goals that I can see directly in front of me and loose the long distance focus on Christ and eternity.

It's like trying to focus a camera on a flower that is right in front of you and the mountains that are miles in the distance at the same time. One of them is going to come out blurry. You have to decide which is better to focus on.

Even this morning, I was reminded during our team's worship service (there weren't any churches nearby in East Glacier) that the Christian life is not a sprint but an endurance race. You have to set your focus on the end or you get caught up and distracted by the things nearby and close at hand. You have to be determined to sing and praise the Lord with every breath.

All that to say, God has been working in my life during this trip so far, though I still have no idea where the $91,000 is going to come from that I have yet to raise to meet my $100,000 goal. As I mentioned to a guy I was talking to last night, if you have an extra $90,000 lying around, I would really appreciate your donation. I know that every one of those dollars will make a huge impact in the lives of military teens in Europe who are desperate for relationship, especially the life altering relationship with Christ. But even if you only have 1, 2, 5, or 10 dollars available for this ministry, every dollar will make an impact.