<div>"It makes little difference how fast you can run the 100 meters when the race is400 meters long. Life is not a sprint; it is a distance run, and it demands the kind ofconditioning that enables people to go the distance."</div><div>-Gordon MacDonald</div><div><br></div><div><b>Running Strong</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>Whose heart doesn't leap at the sight of a beautifully</div><div>conditioned runner, effortlessly gliding along, stride-bystride,mile-by-mile? And what runner gets to this place withouta thankless-and often lonely-regimen of strategy and self-denial?</div><div><br></div><div>Isn't this the perfect metaphor of what your heart is longing for-runninglife's race with intentionality and grace? With strength and focus?</div><div><br></div><div>Well, you can. Veteran pastor and best-selling author Gordon MacDonaldsays you must develop resilience-the courage and ability to get up when you fall,to keep running when you're bone-weary, and to keep your eye on the goal even inthe murkiest moments. Using the backdrop of his own experiences as a championrunner, MacDonald demonstrates how resilient people</div><div><br></div><div><ul><li>Practice spiritual self-discipline to build stamina and grit;</li><li>Know what's up ahead, what obstacles they will likely face; and</li><li>Bond with special friends who share their commitment to finishing well.</li></ul></div><div>Because he has also run many long, punishing laps in the tough race of life,MacDonald is uniquely qualified to coach and encourage you in developing thatresilient spirit-to weather adversity, to finish what you start, and to never besatisfied with anything short of God's best for you.</div>