Turn that frown upside down!

It didn't take me long to realize that while our ministry and website name is on target in regards to cross-cultural mission work - running through my suburb of Dallas, Texas wearing a shirt that says "LIVING AMONG THEM" was bordering on tacky if not controversial! Sure people were looking, but what were they thinking? And why were so many of them frowning?

So, I quickly added a new domain name to our website...see my new training T-shirt above.

(Just trying to be more sensitive like my wife tells me I should be! :)

Here's the profound revelation that came to me during my 6 mile run today...I need new shoes! Anyone have any suggestions on good long-distance running shoes?

Whenever your pinky toes start poking out through the sides of your shoes, it's a sure sign of needing new footwear...or a pedicure.

Ran my 6 miles in 1 hour and 1 minute this morning (not sure if that's a good pace or not!?). The MOMENT of PUSH came just before the 5 mile marker on a long uphill climb with the sun positioned right in my face. What kept me going was the fact that 5 different people (families) have pledged $130 so far...that's motivation!!! As I ran I thought about the motivation that will propel us on marathon day if we've reached our pledge goal of $10,000...THAT will keep me going when the MOMENT of PUSH comes during the marathon...and then comes again and again and again.

Determination and Desire

Well everyone (all TWO of you :),
Tomorrow is the last run of my 3rd week of training - it will be my longest run so far - the big 6 daddy miles. After tomorrow morning (God willing) I will have covered 37 miles. But let's get back to that 6 miles...S I X miles...hmmm. I knew going into this that the key was a slow and gradual conditioning of the body. Much like climbers of Mt. Everest have to spend considerable amounts of time at higher and higher altitude levels so their bodies can acclimate, I knew that I too would have to gradually push myself then push myself and then push myself until 26.3 miles wouldn't be as impossible (and suicidal) as I once thought. Notice that up until this point its been all mental! Then came the 5 mile run. I was going to double a route that I usually only run once (wasn't sure of the exact distance, but figured it to be about 2.5 miles around). During that whole first lap my mind was pointing out what was about to come, telling my body that we were about to go to the next level! The moment that first lap ended - my mind abdicated and suddenly joined my body in one screaming chorus, "STOP. OKAY THAT'S ENOUGH. OUCH (my feet joined in too)! LET'S GO HOME NOW!" Their objections to what we were doing grew so annoying that I actually cut the second lap shorter and headed for home...all the while my mind assuring me that we were still going to be right at 5 miles!!!

The experience reminded me of an interview I listened to a few days earlier on NPR...the host was talking with different athletes (runners specifically) about the domination of people of color in track and field (I'm not sure if that was the overall angle of the show, but that was the topic during the moment when I tuned in). A former Canadian child running star was on the show debating this question. This former Canadian Youth Champion had at the age of 14 been the fastest youth runner in Canada and had beaten other athletes who would later go on to win Olympic medals and fame. He said that in his opinion it wasn't race - or genetics - so much as it was determination and desire. He said that at the level they were all running at there wasn't much difference in physique or skill, but the difference lay in the attitude and commitment to training. He described how his father had raised him to pursue the enjoyment of many activities in life and so as he began to be interested in other things like girls, social events, reading, board games, music etc. - these began to pull him away and distract him from running. He talked about one specific moment in training where the thought suddenly popped into his head...WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS? So I can be the fastest. WHY? So I can win. WHY? Ummm. And that's when he decided HE DIDN'T CARE enough about running anymore to keep pushing himself. SO HE QUIT. Those others who went on to win Olympic Gold did not. He said the difference was that simple. Then he added that the reason Tiger Woods is so dominating in golf is due in part to natural talent and ability, but much more to the fact that he gets up at 5AM every morning and hits 1000 balls before most people have had their breakfast. That's the real difference.

I began to hear this same question during my 5 mile run...WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS? And at the same time I began to think of all the other things I would rather be doing (mainly still sleeping). I know I will face this question many more times during my months of training and probably even during the marathon itself.

This is why every morning before I run I look at the small poster I printed out with all the Casa Hogar Canaan orphan's faces and I tell myself THIS IS WHY...BECAUSE I CARE.

May God give my mind AND body the fortitude and strength to CARE ENOUGH to make it to the finish line.

How sweet it is...

I'll be catching everyone up on my latest running adventures soon, but in the meantime I have something really cool to announce: WE JUST GOT OUR FIRST ONLINE PLEDGE TODAY!!! A couple in Indiana sent an email to contact@livingamongthem.com saying they would like to sponsor one runner at $1 per mile (we'll make sure its the runner who makes it the farthest!). That quick email couldn't have taken them more than a minute to write and send our way...one minute that made my day and one minute that's going to change some orphans lives!!! God bless Indiana!!!

Finished my first week of training...only 19 more to go! 12 miles logged. Any of you financially or faithfully daring enough to sponsor me at $1 per TRAINING mile let me know!

As a part-time Bible teacher I'm always looking for sermon illustrations and I have to say that I think this whole marathon training / fundraising experience is going to be a gold mine! This morning I felt the Lord pointing out to me (as I was running out of breath) that the faith / works relationship the Bible describes in the book of James is a lot like our team believing and KNOWING that He (God) will meet the needs of these orphans in a big, God-sized way...but we've got to get up, get out of bed, put on our running shoes, stretch out and hit the pavement...in other words PARTICIPATE. Is God in control? Sure. Is the outcome completely in His hands? You bet. Does He already know the result. Of course. Here's the BIG question: does God need us to accomplish these results? No, but the reality is that God chooses to ACT on our behalf when we ACT on His (Jesus makes it clear that this involves acting on the behalf of our "neighbors" - all those around us). With each step we run, we are more than believing in God...we are participating in HIS GLORY!

I know my homemade t-shirt doesn't make much of a fashion statement, but if just one curious driver pays the website a visit and decides to sponsor a child or contribute to the marathon then it will be worth all the funny looks and dizzy spells from the magic marker fumes (my run was an especially euphoric experience this morning...thank God I made it home)!