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Running Part 12

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Heathcliff Ironside was a small man. You would never guess it by his resumé, though. Between his hulking name and his countless accomplishments within the church community, Heathcliff might as well have been a giant. He worked hard to live up to people's assumptions on paper, and to surpass their sad expectations when they laid eyes on him behind the pulpit. By the time he was thirty years old, he'd worked in prison ministry, opened an orphanage, and been commended by the pope to set up a new diocese for inner city work in downtown Palm City. There was an abandoned sanctuary there, left by the Episcopals during the Great Depression. Heathcliff, with rallied help from the community, purchased the building and opened for ministry only a month later. He was a fireball, and nothing would slow him down. That's how he'd been raised.

"There's nothing wrong with you, Cliff," his mother used to say to him as he fell asleep. "Your legs may not work, but your heart sure does, and that's what God wants to use to change the world."

So, that's what he focused on - his heart, to make up for his puny body. He studied scripture and devoted his time to prayer. He served others by just listening, giving counsel, and praying with those in need. He made contacts with able-bodied servants to be his hands and feet. And, by all accounts, the Lord blessed his work.

After two years in downtown Palm City, Heathcliff decided to join a local wheelchair basketball team. Two reasons. He wanted to mingle with peers of the same physical situation as his. He also wanted to expand his ministry, and hoped this might be one way of doing so. Play ball with some guys twice a week, show them the love of Jesus, and pray for harvest in due time. His team was comprised mostly of agnostics, who figured there was some sort of God out there but didn't bother much further than that. They were all great guys, though, and in no time, the priest considered them some of his closest friends. Who could relate to his struggles better than these? And who better could he pray for with understanding and clarity?

Yes, his team members were dear to his heart. And while he was concerned for his humble flock on this apocalyptic day, he prayed all the more fervently for his paraplegic friends across town.