Sunday, January 10, 2016

Finally!

"In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps." ~Proverbs 16:9

You guys, I finally did! I ran three miles! This may not seem like much, but after starting the year with a cold it took awhile to build to.

I plotted it out and one lap around my apartment complex is exactly .25 miles... so yesterday I was the crazy girl running 12 laps around the complex. Strangely enough, it was the easiest of my runs this year. The weather was great, my body felt good, and I knew I wanted to be able to tell Jacob "I did it!"

I expected my body to be very sore today, but it feels really good! I am excited to run again tonight and see how I do.

Keep running...and keep sharing!







Thursday, January 7, 2016

Noble Character

The rain kept me from running today. Normally, I wouldn't let it, but I'm just now starting to feel better and didn't want to give myself another cold. I am worried that I'm already falling behind on my goal, but this is a goal that I will not let myself fail at. It's too important.

Today I took some time to reflect on what I talked about in my first post - deciding who I want to be...

Sadly, this summer on May 25th my grandma, "Grandma Pink", passed away. At her burial my mother told our family how Grandma was a "Proverbs 31 Woman." Since then I have returned to that passage many times in my studies. For me, is sums up so much of what I hope to be... a woman of noble character:

A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
11 Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.
12 She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
13 She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.
14 She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.
15 She gets up while it is still night;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her female servants.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17 She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.
18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.
19 In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
20 She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.
21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
26 She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
27 She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31 Honor her for all that her hands have done,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Stay warm...and dry!

Finding Symmetry Thru a Biblical Lens

Hi there. I'm that guy Laura mentioned in her first post. She invited me to contribute to her blog and initially I was unsure how or even if I would. But on my run this morning I got thinking about a fact of life that brings a smile to my face (I think a lot, especially when I run). I am not going to post too often, so this may be a 'bit long, please accept my apologies and don't hold it against Laura.

As an atheist, I struggled when I observed the world around me. Life wasn't fair. Why do bad things happen? Most things just didn't make sense to me, especially people's actions and the way they treated other people. Selfishness, pride, anger, jealousy... we were all laced with it and all it did was drag us down. The worst part is, it was/is all self-inflicted.

When I started reading the bible, it wasn't long before I started to view it as more of an owner's manual than anything else. What The Godfather is to movies, the Bible is to books - it has the answer to every question! So my thought this morning...

Statement: When you look at things thru a biblical lens, they start to make sense. There is a great symmetry to our existence.

Is everything perfect? No. Is life still unfair? Yes. Do bad things still happen? Yes. Do people still act poorly towards others and themselves? Yes. That's not the point. The great fallacy in a walk with Christ is that everything is going to be perfect. When in fact, Jesus said the opposite. We live in a broken world (1 Peter 4:12-19). What does that mean? It means things might suck sometimes. But... view them thru a biblical lens, open that owner's manual.

He left us with a promise. That no matter what happens, it won't be in isolation (Psalm 23:1-6). I look thru all these things with a biblical lens and it helps me construct a basis on which I can create who I am, who I want to be, and how I need to act to fulfill that.

How does/can running glorify God? I point here to the Parable of Talents. Admittedly, I am not that smart, so I usually need to dumb things down for myself. I don't get hung up on what "talent" means here. I look at the context of the message and roll with that. God gave each of us abilities that we are called on to be faithful with. I am not sure how religious Steve Prefontaine (google him, seriously) was but he said something once that sums this up perfectly: "To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift."

Fact: God is always with us (Isaiah 41:10). He puts desires in our hearts (2 Timothy 3:16). He gives us abilities (see? I didn't use 'talents' - Matthew 25:14-30). He wants us to enjoy what He has given us (1 Timothy 6:17). Put those together and view them thru a biblical lens.

When I started my run this morning it was pouring down rain and I was exhausted, I didn't want to run at all. Honestly, the biggest reason I ran is because I didn't want to tell Laura I didn't run today. But just a few steps in, I came alive. In a way that's not possible unless divinely driven. It was in that moment that the symmetry of life I mentioned above became clear. Like when two components in a system meant to move together fitting perfectly. I was meant to run. Not to win races. Not to show off. But why? I think that's what this journey Laura and I are on is all about. But we do know that once we find it, we are called on to cultivate it (Galatians 6:4-5).

Conclusion: Do I think God is up there tinkering around in our lives, having a hand in every aspect and moment of our day? No. But I do believe he created this world. We destroyed it. He created me. And I often work to destroy me. But if we seek Him, view things thru a biblical lens, the design He laid out becomes clear. We start to know what to do and why we're doing it. He does have a plan. There is a distinct symmetry.

So... we run. We sink ourselves into God's word daily. 7 days in, 7 runs. We're going to complete our journey because God is always with us, He put this desire in our hearts, He gave us this ability, and He wants us to enjoy what He has given us. I could not be more excited for what He has in store for us along the journey for we both have other desires and abilities and I know that as long as we follow the design He laid out, His promise will remain.

Today's verse for my run: Jeremiah 29:11 - I know the plans I have for you. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. We just need to view things thru a biblical lens...

Happy running!

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Atticus and Proverbs 18:10

I decided to take my four-legged friend, Atticus, running with me today. Poor guy could barely make it one mile... and poor me because he runs like a spazz! I am no graceful runner, but Atticus runs like he is being chased by bad guys on a secret mission... there was a lot of bobbing and weaving, as well as evasive maneuvers. We only ran one mile, but it felt like three. Plus side? He's exhausted and has been a very good puppy since we got home.

My verse for today was Proverbs 18:10: "The name of the LORD is a strong tower and the righteous run to it and are safe."

As I run I sometimes feel like I'm running towards a stronger relationship with God. I try to think about the verse and what it means, and more importantly, what it means to me. This verse was an important one today to help remind me of my goal. Today is only the 5th day in this journey, but it was the first day that I truly did not feel like running. I had to think about what this goal is all about, what all I hope to accomplish with it.

Keep running!


Monday, January 4, 2016

Hebrews 12:1

Well, the last two days I've been confined to the treadmill... I live in a place where running alone, especially at night, is not a good option. Today I finally put in two miles... building towards my goal of three miles per day.

I'm still trying to figure out the best way to continue to provide a message to someone while only utilizing a treadmill. For now, I will just share a Bible verse with you on here and discuss it:

"...And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." -Hebrews 12:1




The last few weeks, building up to the new year, there has been much talk about resolutions and goals. As I shared my idea for this blog and my 1,000 miles, I have had many people tell me that they also have running goals for this year. Our good friend Robyn decided to join Jacob and me and will also be running 1,000 miles. Additionally, she is attempting to run one race per month... go Robyn!  A friend from work told me his goal is to simply "start running"... fair enough. Another longtime friend told me he hopes to partake in a few half marathons.

I'm  truly optimistic that we all persevere and accomplish the goals we have set for ourselves. I'm optimistic that we will all find health, stress relief, and time to reflect as we run. Additionally, I hope that we all realize that running and breaking through our barriers can be a wonderful metaphor for our lives and our faith.

There is no doubt that we will all come across hard times during our running: injuries, illness, the chaos of life, but we will also come across this in our faith. In both cases, I hope that we will all continue to run the race marked out for us.




Keep running!

Sunday, January 3, 2016

Exodus 14:14

I forgot to make my post yesterday!

I woke up not feeling well again, but again needed to make a step towards my goal so I ran one mile. I ran through the park that I played in growing up, past the playground, fields and lake. It brought back a lot of memories. And, while I did not feel well through the run it was somehow refreshing.

My Bible verse was Exodus 14:14: "The LORD will fight for you; you only need to be still." This was the perfect verse for me as I am going through something that is requiring A LOT of patience. Sometimes, I need to remind myself that the Lord has plans for me, I just need to stop and let him let those plans happen. I encourage you to do the same.

Today I will be running in the gym at my apartment complex. I need suggestions for how to continue to spread the word on days I am only able to advantage of the treadmill.

Keep running!


Friday, January 1, 2016

John 3:16

Well, I woke up this morning not feeling well at all, but I set this goal and needed to at least make a step in the right direction. I ran one mile and my pace was slow, but I was able to slide my notecard into someone's mailbox so I'll consider that a success. Jacob also ran, putting in almost four miles and leaving his notecard on a table at the country club.

My verse for today was John 3:16 and Jacob's was Isaiah 40:30-31. I chose John 3:16 because, to me, it is the most important verse in the Bible, and also, the book of John is what made me a true believer.

Happy New Year!