Author: drpaulsem

But The Best Part…

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I got the start today for our baseball team.

I went the first five innings and earned the win. We won 7-4.

I never thought, at 56-years-old, I’d still be playing baseball, and pitching no less.

I am on a wonderful team comprised of the greatest group of men you could imagine. I look forward to every game.

Every game is a joy. Every inning. Every single pitch. It is all wonderful. I’m living a dream.

And dreams are good.

But the best part of it all isn’t a dream.

The best part is that I get to play baseball on the same team alongside my son.

There is nothing better than that.

My Favorite Western Movies (So Far)

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I have always had a soft spot in my heart for watching a good Western.

Over the last few years, I’ve been watching some of the classic westerns, catching up on movies I have always wanted to see, but never had the time.

By no means am I an expert on ranking movies, but I figured I share the titles of the most enjoyable westerns that I have viewed (to date).

I didn’t rank these films, rather, it’s simply an alphabetical list of the Westerns I have enjoyed.

  • Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
  • A Fistful of Dollars (1964)
  • For A Few Dollars More (1965)
  • The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly (1966)
  • The Gunfighter (1950)
  • Hang ‘Em High (1968)
  • High Noon (1952)
  • Jeremiah Johnson (1972)
  • The Lone Ranger (1956)
  • The Magnificent Seven (1960)
  • Man of the West (1958)
  • Once Upon A Time in the West (1968)
  • Open Range (2003)
  • Pale Rider (1985)
  • Stagecoach (1939)
  • Tombstone (1993)
  • True Grit (1969)
  • True Grit (2010)

Years ago, I remember watching and enjoying Dances With Wolves, Gunfight at the OK Corral, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Shane, Young Guns, Silverado, and a made-for-HBO western titled Draw. I remember enjoying each of those films, but, since I haven’t seen any of them in decades, I didn’t include them in the list.

YOU CAN DO MORE!

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Last January, I completed the Dopey Challenge at Walt Disney World, 48.6 miles of races over four days ending with the WDW Marathon. It was awesome!

After the race, I continued running, but I also couldn’t ignore discomfort that became very real pain in my left Achilles tendon. (I had surgery on my right Achilles in 2020.) I visited my doctor who shut me down from running and began a rehab program to heal the pain (a small tear) in my Achilles. I stopped running in mid-to-late March. I didn’t run at all in April. And, until today, May 24, I hadn’t run in May.

Continue reading “YOU CAN DO MORE!” →

Do You Believe?

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The following is the sermon I delivered at Grace United Methodist Church on Sunday, March 23, 2025. In addition to reading this article, you can also view the sermon (and the entire church service) HERE.

***

Do You Believe? I Don’t Think They Did

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I’ll begin today by asking a few deep questions that seem simple at first, but, in fact, aren’t necessarily so straightforward nor easy.

  • What do you believe in? 
  • Do you believe in God?
  • Do you believe in Jesus, the Messiah?
Continue reading “Do You Believe?” →

Life After 26.2

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As I got clobbered on the hills of Pittsburgh on the second half of the marathon in May 2023, I swore that that was my last marathon.  I was miserable.  I struggled.  There is a certain hell that one goes through in the upper miles of a marathon.  In that race, my 24th marathon, I’d had it. 

I quit marathoning more than a thousand times over the final miles on the unforgiving hills of Pittsburgh.

Only… 

I didn’t quit.

Continue reading “Life After 26.2” →

I Didn’t Say I Was Done…

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After running the Dopey Challenge, I retired from running marathons. I ran 27 marathons in all. And it was wonderful!

One day, hopefully soon, I’ll share some of the great positive feedback I received from friends, family, “fans,” and others on my decision to retire from the 26.2 distance. The support, the insights, the perspectives they all shared were amazing.

But, for now, I would like to make it clear that while I won’t be running marathons any longer, I will still be running.

I didn’t say I was done. I’m not done. No way. Not nearly.

At 5:00 a.m. (one must be quick to register for one of the biggest 5-mile races in the USA) on Sunday, I registered for the Spring Lake 5, my favorite non-marathon race, which takes place on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend.

I’ll be running this race with two of my sons and one of my daughters-in-law. It’ll be great. I’ve been running this race since the early 1990s.

I love the Spring Lake 5. For a shorter race, it feels like a marathon. The township comes out to support the runners. There’s great music, and tons of happiness and joy. This race also has the best post-race food ever. I love the fact that they give away Jersey Mike’s subs to all finishers.

So, while my marathon days are over, my running days are most certainly not!

My Final Marathon

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The decision was one that had been coming for a long time, years, in fact.  

I knew that being a marathoner wasn’t going to last forever.  It had to end sometime.  I also wanted it to end on my terms and in a special way, a great way.  

And, although it feels a little strange to finally be at this point, I know it was (and is) the right decision.  

It had to end sometime.  

Continue reading “My Final Marathon” →

DOPEY!!!

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Well, I did it.

I did the Dopey Challenge. 48.6 total miles of running.

On Thursday, January 9, I ran the Walt Disney World 5k

On Friday, January 10, I ran the Walt Disney World 10K

On Saturday, January 11, I ran the Walt Disney World Half-Marathon

and, on Sunday, January 2, I ran the Walt Disney World Marathon.

Four races, each longer than the next, over four days.

I have been wanted to run this series of races for over a decade.

And I did them. All pretty well, too.

Running the half-marathon and the full on consecutive days is Goofy.

Running all four of the races is Dopey.

But it was awesome and great and wonderful.

My Sermon – December 29, 2024

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On December 29, 2024, I served as the Lay Minister at Grace United Methodist Church in Wyckoff, NJ.

This is the complete worship service: