I was planning to walk to church this morning. It is exactly a mile and since last fall I have been doing this quite regularly. It is not only a way to stay green and save on gas, it also keeps my heart healthy. How can I lose?

I grabbed my i-pod and got ready to go when I noticed that my battery was dead. I panicked. How could I walk without my i-pod. I need the music to keep me in step. It helps pass the time and makes the walk go quicker.

My first thought was to forget the walk and hop in the car. The truth is that recently I've been pretty busy and almost any excuse will allow me to bypass the exercise and do something else. Yesterday I was on my way to the gym when my daughter called and asked for a ride. She could have waited but I turned right around in the driveway to World Gym and went to pick her up.

It is so easy to put off what we know we should be doing if we can find an excuse to do so. The same is true in our faith lives. We can plan on going to church services all week long, but all it takes is some minor inconvenience to derail our best intentions. I was talking to a friend of mine recently and she said "Maybe we just don't think enough of God or ourselves to make a commitment to do what is right."

Her words were like a wake up call. We think that these little decisions don't matter or don't affect anyone. The truth is they do make a difference. When we skip church or fail to act on something we know will be a blessing to ourselves or others we miss out on something special.

So with this in mind, I decided to walk to church anyway. I put the i-pod on the charger for next time. Guess what? I talked to God as I walked to church today. I lifted up a few friends who are in need. And thanked him for a great week. I'm glad I didn't make an excuse today. I was blessed as a result.

Cal