Dead last

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God." 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Dead last is a title most runners never want to receive. The mere mention of it conjures up images of grade school where it was the most certain way to get made fun of. But times have changed and we adults know that the title "dead last" beats "didn't start" any day of the week. "Dead last" requires perseverance and courage while "didn't start" didn't even bother to lace up it's shoes. Beth Salinger, race director for the Hospital Hill Run, understands something about that.

After gastric bypass surgery and losing 100 pounds, she participated in a triathlon (May, 2001) where she finished dead last. At the finish line, she was met with a crowd of people cheering for her which provided the inspiration to form the "Tunnel of Love" at the end of the Hospital Hill race. "I felt like a total rock star... I want the last person to get that same superhero finish," she said. Not one sign or banner can be taken down until the last person crosses the finish line. She told the story of one year where the final finisher was a gal who, at 300 pounds, started by walking the 5k the first year, the 10k the following year followed by the half the next. Talk about someone deserving of a superhero finish! Beth certainly paid the love forward in making this runner feel like the star she is.

The bible tells us that the comfort that we have received from God, who comforts us in all our troubles, is the same comfort we can give to others in need. Oh praise be to God, the Father of Compassion for being the greatest example of love. May we too use our experiences to pay the love forward and love like Jesus.

Heavenly Father, thank you for the troubles that life brings us that serve as stepping stones to making us stronger. Thank you for the love, comfort and strength you show us during the difficult times that we might learn how to comfort others experiencing the same things we have. May we always look for ways to turn trials into testimonies and may you give us the courage to persevere against the odds. Praise you Lord for Dead last finishers. It's in your precious name we pray, Jesus. Amen.

Happy Running!!!
www.team413.org

Love like Jesus - Rhett Walker Band

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciWHZUKXXho

Runners World, July 2015, Page 92

Test all things

"For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. " 2 Timothy 4:3-4

At the start of the race the runners lined up behind their pacer, the one they had chosen to get them to the end at their goal time. Along the course, they followed putting their faith in their leader. As the pacer spoke words they wanted to hear, "You can do this. Just a little faster now and you will reach your goal. You're doing great, just follow me," they ran on. But, not once, did they check their watches to see if their "leader" was telling them correct information. As I watched the runners at Saturday's race, I was struck by how easily they could have been taken off course, turned away "from listening to the truth" you might say.

In our spiritual lives, we must be ever vigilant from following false teachers. The bible tells us that the time is coming when many people will fail to follow the truth and will instead turn to follow those who tell them what they want to hear. They will follow their own desires and entice others to do the same. As Paul instructed Timothy,"But you, keep your head in all situations,". We must be careful to follow God's word and God's word alone and only those who teach it. 1 Thessalonians 5:21 says, "but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good."

When life gets hard or you feel you have a mountain to cross, it's easy to listen to someone who has an easy solution to it all, someone who tells you what your "itching ears" want to hear and promises an easier path. But keep your head in all situations and hold on only to what is good, It's only then that you will reach the finish line.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your written word that we have to keep us on the right path. Help us to study it daily so that we might be able to test everything that is said and to hold on to what is good. May we resist the urge to follow those that would tell us what we would like to hear and instead follow your Word alone. It's in your precious name we pray, Jesus. Amen.

Happy Running!!!
www.team413.org

I will follow - Jeremy Camp

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1V-WkO5Be8Y&list=RD1V-WkO5Be8Y

Hospital Hill Run 2015

"Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain." Isaiah 40:4

There are 5280 feet in a mile. And depending on your gender and pace, it could take anywhere from 1064 steps to 2,301 steps to travel that distance. But you will learn after running the Hospital Hill Half Marathon that all miles, regardless of being alike in distance, are not created equal. The course here is, true to it's name, full of hills... many large ones actually. The race route takes the runners by some of the highlights of Kansas City including the Power & Light District, the Sprint Center, The Kansas City Star Building, Hospital Hall and many more before ending where it began at Crown Center.

Saturday, some of my friends and I gathered to run the 42nd annual Hospital Hill Run in Kansas City. By the 7:00 a.m. start, the humidity was close to 90% and the temperature climbing making the first few miles memorable. Within an hour, the rain came along with a little lightning. Now that will put a pep in your step! But, praise God, the cooler temps made for a very nice second half of the run and made the remaining hills seem a bit more friendly. I love everything about this race! From the course, to the volunteers, and especially the spectators, this half marathon is one of my very favorites. The icing on the cake? Great post race snacks, atmosphere and HHR flip-flops for all the finishers. Oh, and did I tell you that the medals were amazing as well? Many thanks to the volunteers and organizers of this race for giving us great memories of June 6, 2015!!

Just as in this race, there are many times in life when we feel like there are nothing but hills to climb... one after another after another. We might even wonder if we will ever reach the end. Take heart, the bible tells us that there will be a day when every valley shall be raised up and every mountain and hill made low. For those that persevere and finish the race, Hebrews 3:14 gives us this promise, " For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ." You just have to finish... one step at a time.

Heavenly Father, thank you for the many blessings you have given us. Thank you that, through TEAM 413, we can run the good race sharing the message of your salvation with every step. Help us to never tire of the command you have given us to go and make disciples of all nations. Give us strength to overcome the hills along our path and compassion to help others do the same. Let us always surrender our will to yours Lord no matter the cost. And let others see You in us both on the racecourse and off. It's in your precious name we pray, Jesus. Amen.

Happy Running!!!
www.team413.org

Through it all - Spoken

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EJuROjO48Q

Coincidence?

"Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please." Isaiah 46:9-10

So stop me if you've heard this one--three doctors, a realtor, an accountant and a pastor meet to go running and... the rest is not a joke, I promise you. Tuesday morning in St. Augustine, Florida, this group (that meets every morning at 5:30 a.m. and has nicknamed themselves the 5:30 Default Group) was going for a run when they spotted three-foot flames burning a neighborhood porch. Several of the runners banged on the door to get the people out while the others used a neighbors hose to extinguish the fire. Thanks to being in the right place at the right time, a coincidence you might say, the fire was largely under control by the time Emergency Personnel arrived and no one was hurt.

Ask any Christian and they will most likely have a story of someone who miraculously showed up to help in a time of need, hearing a song at just the right time or many other things that could be described as a coincidence. But is it really? Depends on your definition of it. In Luke 10:31, Jesus said, “And by a coincidence a certain priest was going down in that way, and having seen him, he passed over on the opposite side.” The word coincidence is translated from the Greek word synkyrian, which is a combination of two words: sun and kurios. Sun meaning “together with,” and kurious “supreme in authority.” A biblical definition of coincidence would then be: what occurs together by God’s providential arrangement of circumstances.

The Google dictionary defines coincidence though as: a remarkable concurrence of events or circumstances without apparent causal connection. What do you say then? Was it a remarkable concurrence of events without any connection? Of course not... nothing is. God was, is and will always be in control and His "purpose will stand."

Heavenly Father, thank you for loving us so much that you would providentially arrange situations to help us when we are in need. When we are blessed by a "coincidence" help us to remember that it is never a concurrence of random events but a set of circumstances arranged by You. Help us to see your presence in everything around us and to thank you when a "coincidence" is an answer to prayer. It's in your precious name we pray, Jesus. Amen.

Happy Running!!!
www.team413.org

They found a miracle - Third Day

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTjimzpyE4k

http://www.runnersworld.com/general-interest/no-joke-doctors-realtor-pastor-go-for-a-run-extinguish-house-fire

Constant Practice

"For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.” Hebrews 5:12-14

In a recent article titled The Lost Art of Pacing, Kevin Hanson, coach of the Hansons-Brooks Original Distance Project, says there is a "lost art of feeling pace." He encourages his athletes not to become too dependent on their GPS watches which can fail or provide inaccurate information. By relying on a device to tell us when to speed up and slow down, we fail to learn the correct way to determine the pace ourselves. And so, when the device crashes or malfunctions, a runner can get "off track" very quickly. It's only by "constant practice" to distinguish pace without help that we can maintain it when we are alone or unassisted.

The same can be true of our spiritual training. We can sometimes rely on a Pastor, group leader or a friend too much to spoon feed us the basic principles of God that we fail to develop the skills to do it on our own. If we are, "by constant practice", reading the Word for ourselves, we can become mature Christians, those who feast on solid food and are skilled in the word of Righteousness. We can become the Christians who can keep the pace when there is no one to direct and guide us being trained by "constant practice" to distinguish good from evil.

How about you? Are you relying on someone or something to train you or to teach you again the basic principles of God? If so, it's time for "constant practice" in the Word. Read it, study it and learn it and soon you will be on pace and right on track all by yourself.

Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of your Word that tells us everything we need to know to become mature Christians so that we might never get off track from the plan you have for us. Help us Lord to train daily by reading our bibles that we might discern for ourselves good from evil. And, in doing so, help us to go on to be teachers of the Word rather than mere children. It's in your precious name we pray, Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!!!
www.team413.org

Run - Sanctus Real

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7DcNDjRdRc

http://www.runnersworld.com/rt-columns/the-lost-art-of-pacing

The shoes

"John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire." Luke 3:16

On May 6, 1954 Roger Bannister ran a sub-4:00 (3:59:4) minute mile at Oxford University's Iffley Road Track, something that had never been done before. The spikes, which have a leather upper, weigh 4.5 ounces, which is much lighter than most racing shoes of the time. It was said that Bannister reduced the weight a bit more on race day by using a grindstone to thin the spikes attached to the forefoot of the outsole. Those shoes are now set to be sold at auction in London in September and are estimated to be worth between $46,000 and $77,000 American dollars. I'd say that is one valuable pair of shoes.

The bible tells us about another pair of shoes, those worn by Jesus. When the people were wondering if John the Baptist was the awaited Messiah, he answered them saying, "I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie." You see, John baptized with water but Jesus baptized with the Holy Spirit and fire, something never done before. Acts 2:3-4 tells us, "And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit...". 

The Holy Spirit still works in and through believers today to accomplish His will. His power leads us, convicts us, teaches us, and equips us to do His work and spread the gospel. The Holy Spirit’s powerful indwelling is an amazing gift we should consider priceless. Talk about a valuable pair of shoes!

Heavenly Father, thank you for the invaluable gift of your Holy Spirit. Thank you for the power you have given us to do the impossible and to accomplish your will. Help us to remember that this power indwells us to spread the gospel. With you in our hearts, may our shoes take us to the ends of the earth proclaiming your great name! In your precious name we pray, Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!!!

www.team413.org

To the ends of the earth - Hillsong United

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-YHePdtMFY&list=RDO-YHePdtMFY#t=0

http://www.runnersworld.com/general-interest/spikes-worn-in-first-sub-400-mile-to-be-auctioned

The stone

"Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life." John 5:24

Running down my favorite trail this morning, I got a small pebble in my shoe. While a bit uncomfortable, it wasn't something that bothered me enough to stop what I was doing and take it out. As I kept going, however, the tiny pebble began to feel like a rock and I could overlook it no longer. As I stopped to remove the stone, I smiled as I thought back to something I had read.

In his book Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions, Gregory Koukl wrote, "It may surprise you to hear this, but I never set out to convert anyone... I have a more modest goal, one you might consider adopting as your own. All I want to do is put a stone in someone's shoe. I want to give him something worth thinking about, something he can't ignore because it continues to poke at him in a good way."

Sometimes our job, as Christians, is to simply place stones in the shoes of our lost friends. To graciously tell them enough about Christ that the thought of a God that can grant forgiveness and give eternal life, like a pebble in a shoe, cannot be ignored for long. 

Heavenly Father, thank you for the many blessings you have given us. Thank you for your Word that can be used to bring others to you. As Colossians 4:5-6 instructs us, may we be wise in the way we act toward the unbelieving and make the most of every opportunity to share your word. May our conversation always be full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that we might know how to answer everyone. Help us Lord to be Christians who gently and respectfully place stones in the shoes of the lost. It's in your precious name we pray, Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!!!

www.team413.org

Somebody tell them - City Harbor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjRTevhYifM

*The Apologist's Tool Kit by Rob Phillips