Arms Wide Open

With the Country Music 1/2 Marathon just a few short months away, I made the insane decision to sign up for the “Last Chance for Boston” 1/2 marathon on February 28th. I figured it was a good way to stay ready and motivated for the Nashville half. Unfortunately, Mother Nature didn’t get the memo about keeping the snow away so those of us in Columbus could train appropriately. Like most of the country, we have been hammered with snow around these parts. Training has been alternated between the “dreadmill” and outside runs in the snow.

This half marathon is unique in that it is 13 laps around a one mile course in a local industrial parkway. Many (not me) use this as a chance to qualify for Boston because the course is so flat. One blessing is that the site has been relatively cleared of snow so people can get to their office buildings within the industrial parkway. For that reason, I have made my way over to the course the last two Saturdays to get my mileage in and test out what the repetitive laps around a course would feel like. In short…it’s BRUTAL!

2 weeks ago I ran 12 miles (laps) around the course by myself. When I got home, my wife asked how it went. I said “if you look up grinding it out in the dictionary, you will see a picture of me running around Metro Place”. Half of the course is a stiff wind in your face while the back half is a strong wind at your back. When the temps are in the teens and the snow is piled high, it is a recipe for a long, long day.

This weekend I again visited Metro Place but this time my friend Jeff shared the journey with me. Together we set out for 10 miles around the parkway. We started strong and eventually hit a wall. Step by step, we continued on. At times we both wanted to quit. The wind in our face and the chill in the air were making this a very tough training day. Our conversation went from frequent to very little. While we were both battling in different ways and fighting different fatigue, there was something about having someone else there to push, encourage and share the struggle. About an hour an a half later, we were driving back home and talking about life, family and our kids. You wouldn’t even know we had just run.

Once again I am reminded how much running can be a picture of our faith journey. We were meant to do life together. While the “training” and the times in our life are going to be difficult, there is no comparison to having a partner on the journey. Together you can share the valleys and rejoice in the victories. Having someone next to you that you are accountable to keeps you going. It keeps you moving. The tough times are temporary. There will be moments of laughter and even moments of great fatigue. Each mile makes you closer and stronger.

Keep sharing the journey friends.

One year ago (December 21st), many of us lost a dear friend. Our hearts were broken and the questions remained. A courageous and inspiring battle with cancer came to a close. Most would say that the battle was “lost” but an argument can be made that the battle was won. The healing that we all prayed for came in a different form than we envisioned. Tonight I reflect on that journey and the impact it left on my life. I am reminded that our time on this earth is so brief. Our days and time is so limited.

Our ability to love is not

Our ability to forgive is not

Our ability to share compassion is not

Our capacity to inspire others is not

Our opportunity to make someone’s life better is not

Our opportunity to leave this place better than we found it is not

My friend Stefan did all of those things and more. He left those that met him inspired, loved, and feeling like they were given a glimpse into the heart of our Savior. I can never claim to know or understand why things happen as they did a year ago. Tonight I can reflect and cherish the memories and the impact. I can look forward to the day when we WILL know and “finally understand what it means”.

We miss you friend….

While our kids were at AWANA last night, my wife and I had a chance to sit down with a couple we think very highly of. They are mentors, friends, dreamers and partners on the Journey. We enjoy their company and each opportunity to dream about ministry, community and how we can connect people to both. Our discussions, at times, can be like an episode of Seinfeld. I don’t mean that they are a “show about nothing”, rather they appear to be “all over the place” but at the end the conversation it all ties together. It would make for a great TV show.

It was during this conversation last night that I shared something that God has challenged me with several times recently. It should be no surprise that the inspiration for the challenge came from a movie quote. In the movie “First Knight“, Sean Connery plays King Arthur. At one point in the film he tells Lancelot (Richard Gere) that;

“I take the good with the bad. I can’t love people in slices”

At first, that seems like a simple quote. The more I thought about it, I think it is dripping with truth and in many ways defines the word “grace“. I find that this challenges me to not look at friends and strangers in the glimpse of the moment that I see them and make a judgement call. It is a reminder that I am only seeing a “slice” of their day, their week or their life. To form some judgement on that moment I see is to not extend a grace into what led to that point. Here are a few examples:

You’re driving down the road and someone cuts you off. They appear to be in a hurry and cut you and several other people off in their rush. My first reaction is to get all upset and think (and probably say) things about someone I don’t even know. What if their wife is in labor with their first child and they are rushing to be by her side? What if they just received news of an emergency and are doing what they can to get there? The “slice” of their day that I witnessed by them cutting me off is not the whole story. I need to extend grace and trust that there must be some reason.

How many times have I been in the grocery store or a public place and witnessed a parent yelling at their child. As parents our first reaction is to think “look at how they raise their child”. Again, I am only seeing a “slice” of what led to that moment. Maybe they had been dealing with an issue for that child all day and we witnessed the moment when it reached its crescendo. Maybe the child is difficult and this is the only way they can reach them. Maybe it’s just been one of those days (all parents have them) and we happened to see it. While my nature is to get all judgmental, I need to extend grace. I need to remember I am only seeing a “slice” of their day. A “slice” of their parenting.

How about facebook and twitter? Maybe I read the ever cryptic “status update” and begin to form opinions and thoughts based on something less than 140 characters. Particularly from “friends” I haven’t spoken with in 15 years or so. Maybe I read a status update and think I somehow know or understand what drove that comment. It’s dangerous to judge a “slice” of a person’s world in social media because I didn’t hear the tone or see the body language. It might have been sarcasm. Maybe it was a response to something totally different. I need to extend much grace in the world of social media.

To many this might seem simple but for me it’s been a challenge. It’s an area I am working through. I am often reminded that Gods grace has been extended to me more times than I can count. Thankfully he doesn’t look at the individual “slices” in my life and hold them over my head. The times of poor judgement, failure, weakness and stupidity. The times when I went right and should have gone left. The times when I ignored the Holy Spirit and went with free will. Thankfully, He too loves the whole and not in slices.

Oddly enough, we met with the friends I spoke of at the beginning of this post at Panera Bread. Is there a more perfect setting to remind me about loving people in slices???

I have lost count of the amount of times I have posted this song. It should probably tell me something that literally EVERY TIME I hear it, I pause and consider the words. It happened again today while cutting the grass. Right there by the shed, I had to stop and think about the phrase

Just how close can I get Lord, to my surrender without losing all control?

It gets me every time. This morning when I heard it I was reminded of something the lead singer of Casting Crowns, Mark Hall, posted on twitter while he was writing for their new album. He said:

When I am writing a song, I can always tell the difference between a Mark lyric and a God lyric. The God lyric is the one where I end up crying.

Something tells me that the song “Somewhere in the Middle” was one of those “God lyric” songs. It captures the essence of the struggle. It so eloquently states the battle that rages between wanting to surrender the control to God and yet still have the illusion of control. I say the “illusion of control” because at the end of the day, that is all that it really is. Who among us is really in control of what happens in their life? The reality is that we’re caught in the middle. That is why the last line of the song is so perfect.

Lord I feel you in this place and I know you’re by my side. Loving me even on these nights, when I’m caught in the middle

There is a peace that comes from knowing that while I might be caught in the middle and fighting like crazy to go one way or the other, God is still “lovin’ me”. To those in the middle, take the next 5 minutes and listen to this song. Let’s encourage one another to be more than “in the middle” and throughout the Journey.

I read an interesting article today in Runners World Magazine about the message on the shirts people wear for races. In the few races which I have taken part in, I always find this to be one of the more fun and fascinating parts of the race. Of course, when you are chugging along behind several people for several miles, there are not a whole of other things to do, but read their shirts. There were some great quotes in the article about why you SHOULD wear a shirt that says something on it. Here are a few of the shirts that the author has seen in the races:

“I’m slow, I know..Get over it”

“I run like a girl. Try to keep up”

“On the seventh day God did an easy three”

“Will run for beer”

“In my dreams I’m a Kenyan”

He listed his favorite as being seen in one of the 45 marathons (gulp) he had run -

“This seemed like a good idea three months ago”.

Probably my favorite that I have seen while running a race was at the Cleveland Marathon. A group of people in front of me had bright colored shirts that read “Bucket List” at the top and a box that said “26.2″ with a check mark inside it. At the bottom it had the date – May 17, 2009.

I really like what he had to say about the motivation to wear shirts with a message:

When you are one of the 35,000 participants in a race, do yourself a favor and shout something out on your shirt. Make sure everyone on the sidelines knows why they’re cheering. If you’re running to make the world a better place, let them know. If you’re running to make yourself a better person, let them know. Let’s tell the world who we are, what we believe, and why it matters.

After all, for most of us, the real reason we race isn’t because we hope to land on the podium or claim an age-group award. We race to challenge ourselves, or in memory of a loved one, or for a charity, or for any number of personal and special reasons. All of those reasons (and all of those runners) deserve a moment to shine.

-John Bingham – Runners World Magazine

So with 3 short weeks to go before the Spirit of Columbus Half-Marathon, I am on the lookout for a t-shirt. I have 3 of them in mind currently but have yet to decide on one for sure. Given that it is August 30th, I am guessing it will be nice and toasty so comfort and heat will be an issue to keep in mind. If you’ve got a message or an idea for a t-shirt, drop me a comment or an email. I’m pretty open to suggestions.

On the journey……