As this is being written, our nation continues to celebrate the wonderful victory of the USA women's soccer championship in the World Cup; we are about at the mid-point in the NCAA football season; we are well into the NFL football season; we are moving ever closer to the 1999 World Series, and the NBA is already playing exhibition games. Every season that comes and goes seems to introduce us to athletes who are bigger and faster, stronger and quicker than any we have ever known before. Sportscasters usually attribute these outstanding physical attributes to more knowledgeable training routines, better nourishment, and the growing benefits of physiology.

Before we become too smug about our healthy lifestyles, our own exercise and diet regimens, and our determination to be more athletically fit, let's be reminded of the physical prowess and athletic achievements of our founder, John Wesley.

So long as John Wesley had the strength and time, he was ready to preach on a moment's notice. On April 16, 1745 at eight a.m., he preached at Chester (six miles north of Durham) He traveled to Darlington, and in the evening, he preached at Northallerton. He left there, and walked nearly 8 miles to Osmothersley arriving there between nine and ten at night.

Osmotherley, is a small town on the western edge of the North York Moor. By the time they arrived most of the townspeople were no doubt asleep. It was necessary to wait for nearly an hour for them to get out of bed, get dressed and assemble. By 10:30 or 11:00 this little man, who lived on "eternal time", began to preach. "It was about twelve before I lay down, yet (through the blessing of God) I felt no weariness at all."

On May 11, 1745 John Wesley arrived back in London. His trip from Newcastle had taken 26 days. As the crow flies, it is approximately 120 miles from his northern base to his London home, the Foundrey. However, as Wesley made his way southward from town to town, he traveled more than 515 miles and preached 35 times while averaging riding his horse 20 miles per day. "He preached again at 5:00 a.m. the next morning "to a large congregation, part of whom had sat up all night, for fear they should not wake in the morning."

Meeting with the society at Cardiff in the early morning, Wesley limited himself to "a half hour in prayer" for he feared his voice would not hold up to preaching more than four sermons that day. It was not unusual for him to preach three to four sermons a day. That day he preached in the morning and evening at the Castle, at eleven at the Wenvoe church and in the afternoon at the Porthkerry church."

So what kind of exceptional physical specimen was this John Wesley who could endure some strenuous challenges day after day? How could a person without the benefits of 20th century nutrition and such primitive travel conditions maintain such a rigorous schedule for years? Surely he must have been a giant of a man.

Here is a portrait and description which gives us a pretty good idea of what this exceptional athlete must have looked like. The portrait was painted by John Williams in 1741:

"He was rather short, about five feet three inches in height, slim but muscular, and without superfluous flesh. The most striking feature of his face was a prominent, pointed nose. His eyes were blue, sharp and piercing, and according to one account a slight cast was sometimes visible."

Short! Slim! "Without superfluous flesh." There it is. There is the key to his astonishing physical feats- "without superfluous flesh."

There are many, many more examples of John Wesley's athletic skills and physical abilities. Wish I had more time to write about them. However, I have got to get to the gym for a workout. I have too much "superfluous flesh."