Any Other Year
In his book, The Road to Character, David Brooks writes, “Occasionally you come across certain people who seem to posses an impressive inner cohesion. They are not leading scattershot lives. They don’t crumble in adversity. They are not blown off course by storms. They are inclined to be useful but don’t need to prove anything to the world; humility, restraint, respect and a soft self-discipline. They perform acts of service with the same modest everyday spirit they would display if they were just getting the groceries. They’re not thinking about their impressive work. They’re not thinking about themselves at all. They are just delighted by the flawed people around them.”
If this describes someone you know or if it doesn’t, allow me to give you some names that come to mind for me:
Gina Spivey - the pioneer in the region and across the nation in street-level ministry of the Gospel, the Church and those impacted by special needs. She moves from the adaptive playground to the executive boardroom like you and I would walk to the kitchen. “I served as eyes to the blind and feet to the lame.” (Job 29:15) Gina, please teach us to love.
Stephanie Thornton - no nonsense. Stephanie is the backbone of The PrayFit Run and squares up the cities of Westlake Village and Thousand Oaks so that we can do what we do. And she does it all in complete obscurity. She’s a ghost. She avoids the spotlight like a cat avoids the deep end. Splash. (Thank you boss. There is no PrayFit Run without you.)
Sophie Daniels - if she’s not dancing, running or kickboxing, she’s kicking down the doors in the community to stoke enthusiasm for this race. Prior to the pandemic, she placed a countless number of flyers on cars and approached every storefront within 25 miles with a smile you can’t miss and a sincerity you can’t escape. This year’s Jordan Wesley Hyde Award - for living and loving like Jesus in our community with a heart for kids and families impacted by special needs - goes to Sophie Daniels. I want to be just like you, Sophie. Hopefully, it’s not too late.
For those that have signed up or if you plan to register before Saturday, we will be having a live FB and IG video time from 7:30-8:00am PST on May 2nd. So PLEASE log in to either Facebook or Instagram, say hello (maybe even join the discussion), and please post pics of your walk or run using the hashtag #prayfitrun2020. If you don’t have social media, you can send your pics directly to [email protected] and we will post them for you.
On behalf of everyone at PrayFit, thank you.
- Jimmy Peña
