As many of you know, the phoenix symbolizes immortality, resurrection and life after death. According to the Greeks, the bird lives in Arabia, near a cool well. Every morning at dawn, the sun god would stop his chariot to listen to the bird sing a beautiful song while it bathed in the well.

Mythology says that when the bird felt its death was near (every 500 to 1,461 years) it would build a nest of aromatic wood and set it on fire…and then die among the flames. Then, a new phoenix would spring forth from the pyre, reborn.

Reborn. Ahhhh…..

After an insane summer, and 9 days of vacation, I am feeling reborn. Sunday was a great day with the return of By Design, our worship band, and it felt good to be back in the saddle. Unfortunately (?) we played both services, so I missed out on hanging with our students in the youth center that morning. (But Overhaulin’ is just around the corner this Wednesday…)

On Monday, Stan and I began our 10-day Diet of Daniel to help jumpstart our bodies and minds to a healthier us. It’s basically a 10-day fast of anything with water, sugar, flour, or red meat…so bring on the grilled chicken salad. And lots of it. I’ll be sure and update my progress regularly. (Last time, I lost about 12 pounds in ten days, and, while it’s more of a detox eating plan, the weightloss is definitely a bonus!)

Also, Monday kicked off my training for the Scott and White Half Marathon. I’m shooting for going to Waco on October 28 and spending 2.5 hours trying to cover 13.1 miles with my iPod and a smile. (The smile is optional; the iPod is not.) Since it’ll be my first 13.1 miler (I had some IT band problems training with the ATT marathon—primarily because I forgot I’m human…) I’m not shooting for any particular PR time (personal record), …I’m just hoping to finish and finish well. So, I’m in for some pretty intense training in the next 11 weeks–long runs, intervals, speed work, lots of water…and TONS of rest. Me and my Sauconys are going to be logging quite a few miles together. It’s always good therapy: I can worship, I can pray, I can think…and there’s no phone, so, for anywhere between 45 minutes and an hour and a half, I’m basically untouchable. See why it’s addictive?

Meanwhile, I’ve got an inbox full of items that need attention, current events and theological insights that are awaiting their blogworthiness, and a Moleskin journal scribbled with song lyrics, quotable thoughts and ramblings on deck for your insight and contribution. Unfortunately, I also have a load of calendar requests, promotional projects, end-of-summer send-offs and back-to-school ramp-ups to attend to…

So…the question is how do we balance our lives successfully in order to not burn out like our buddy, the Phoenix? What are things you do to incorporate a regular Sabbath rest into your life? How, especially in ministry (which is designed by God Himself to kill you), do you not become a statistic of burnout? Of breakdown? How do you balance yourself? Remember, this journey is a marathon, not a 50-yard dash…and we’ve got to finish well.