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Dear San Marco Church Family: Have I mentioned how happy I am to be living here in Jacksonville again? When Colleen and I first moved to the area in 2003, I learned about the Gate River Run. I ran it for the first time in 2004, and I ran it every year for the next 15 years. I took a break from it for a few years when we were serving a church in Brevard County, but then last year I ran it again. I love the energy that comes from the people, the music, and the sense of celebration. We residents of this city can be very proud to have an event that represents our city so well. If you plan to run it this year, I hope to see you, along with 20,000 other runners, on Saturday morning. The weather forecast looks great! For about 25 years now I have included running and/or jogging as a regular part of my life. For me, running lends itself to some good metaphors for life in ministry. Our life as followers of Jesus is a marathon, not a sprint, and we must be in it for the long haul, knowing that we will encounter challenges all along the way. I ran a few marathons when I was younger, and the experience gave me a sense of commitment and determination that is essential for the life of discipleship. As the writer of Hebrews stated, “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” (Hebrews 12:1). Now more than ever, practicing our faith requires perseverance! (And I certainly have struggled with it when times are tough). As I mentioned last week, for Lent this year I will be leading a sermon series based upon MaGrey deVega’s book entitled “Embracing The Uncertain.” The Lenten journey of 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday is a time to acknowledge our mortality, our sinfulness, and our deep need for a savior. I have learned over many years that the joy of Easter Sunday is amplified when we include the scripture study and best spiritual discipline practices that go with Lent. Please plan now to attend our Ash Wednesday service on March 5 at 7pm. Our CCW friends will be sharing in several aspects of the service. As always, I welcome your questions and ideas about sermons or sermon series ideas that interest you. Feel free to email me anytime with your questions and ideas at stevehart100@gmail.com. I remain grateful to serve as your pastor, and I am enjoying the process of getting to know many of you as you share your stories! Steve Hart
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