A Legacy of service

"As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen." 1 Peter 4:10-11

The bible tells us many times that we are to serve others in order that God may be glorified. Sid Busch is a former Senior Chief Sonar Technician for the United States Navy from Goose Creek, SC. Although he is retired from serving his country, he is far from done serving others. He will be running marathon 200 in 3 weeks just after turning 70. Since I couldn't tell it any better, here is his story in his words. When I asked what motivated him to start running and then to continue throughout his life, this is what he told me:

I started running in HS when i was on the wrestling team, but nothing really serious till the Navy.In 1981, I blew a disk in my back. The Navy was going to medically remove me from Submarine Duty. This was not acceptable to me and I made a deal with the medical review board. If I ran a marathon, that would prove I was fit for Sub Duty. I ran the HUNTER ARMY AIR FIELD marathon and finished in 3:45 and was able to stay on Subs.

I ran marathons after this, but in 2001,everything changed for me. My cousin and I ran 6 marathons together, and on 9-11, he was killed at the WTC. I ran all 6 in his memory in 2002. I then got involved with a group called "RUNNING IN HONOR OF FALLEN HEROES". We run marathons to honor young men and women who died while protecting this country in the Military. All of a sudden i was running around 15 marathons a year or more. At first, I would look up lost military on a website and contact the families requesting permission to run for their lost son or daughter. Now i get E-mails asking if I would run for them,and how can you say no. This has now become the focus of my life,honoring these young heroes. I am 69, so not sure how many years i can keep doing this, but as long as I can, I will run to honor them while carrying our Flag.

I served 26 years in the Navy, all on Submarines. I am and always will be a patriot. I have a deep love for this country.I have been around the world 4 times,and I truly believe I am blessed that my Grandparents left all they knew in Russia and came to this country.We have our problems,but we have the opportunity to change and correct these problems with out military coups,and that's so awesome.

Oh,one more thing, you asked what keeps me going. I am sick and tired of hearing on the news about actors and athletes being called heroes,THEY ARE NOT. It's the young men and women,who thought enough of this country to enlist and pledge everything up to and including their lives to protect her. I have to make people aware of them and I do that through my running.

Sharon Alder once wrote, “Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones. A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you.” I'm confident the way Sid Busch cares for others will be a lasting legacy for many generations as a reminder of what true stewardship is. Thank you for your service Sir. 

Heavenly Father, thank you for people like Sid who are willing to serve their country and others wanting nothing in return. Might we strive to be like them and, more importantly, more like you every day. May we love others, serve them and be kind expecting nothing in return that we might bring you glory by our actions. I pray that you would bless Sid, keep him safe and give him the strength to finish marathon 200 as he runs to glorify you Lord. It's in your precious name we pray, Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!!!

www.team413.org

Legacy - Nichole Nordeman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zf-2dKMt0Q

At marathon 199. I love his sense of fashion

Flying the Eagle

A proud American

Sid at one of his many marathons

Relentless pursuit

"Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever." 1 Corinthians 9:25

Yesterday, my friends and I were blessed to be able to run the Millwood Out of Bounds Half Marathon. As we arrived 30 minutes prior to the start of the race. we passed the time chatting with other runners. As we soon learned, many of them like us, were using this race as a training run for an upcoming marathon. And as I listened intently to their banter, I realized that the majority of the runners had started "real" training only recently after having taken a break over the hot summer months. Not that they quit running of course, they just took a break from the strict training required to run the race.

While we can get away with that when it comes to our running and other hobbies, our spiritual fitness requires the strictest of training every day year round. In fact, the apostle Paul was comparing himself to the athletes in the Isthmian games, something like the Olympics we know today and something well known to the Corinthians when he wrote, "Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training." These athletes ate a strict diet, trained relentlessly and made the greatest of sacrifices to obtain "a crown that will not last." May we follow the example of relentless training in our spiritual lives to obtain "a crown that will last forever" by daily training ourselves in the Word and denying ourselves the things that might hinder our doing so.

Are you doing "real" training today or have you found yourself taking a break? Let's get relentless in our pursuit of the crown and victory through Jesus.

Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us the training plan we need to run the race in your Word. May we "train" ourselves in it every day as we relentlessly pursue the crown of victory of eternal life spent with you. Help us to rid ourselves of the things keeping us from the strict training you have called us to. It's in your precious name we pray, Jesus. Amen.

Happy Running!!!
www.team413.org

Relentless pursuit - Kim Walker

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVxaTvNq534

Hellbender 5k-Ft. Leonard Wood

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13

The first annual Hellbender 5k Run was held this Saturday in support of the Fort Leonard Wood Chapter of the Warrant Officer Association and the Military Officer of America Association. When looking into what a Hellbender actually was, I discovered two things-the Ozark Hellbender is the third largest species of Salamanders in the world found only in Southern Missouri and Northern Arkansas and that it is also known as a "Devil Dog" because of it's appearance. Oddly enough, the moniker was used by German soldiers to describe U.S. Marines who fought in World War I. It was said that the Marines fought with such ferocity that they were likened to "Dogs from Hell." 

One look at this hill and the runners knew that it would take ferocity to finish this 3.1 mile race. It was certainly not for the lovers of flat courses. Beginning at the top of the infamous Car Wash Hill, it went straight down and then right back up with enough of a break in between for the runners to grab a drink and enjoy level ground for a few minutes. This big and beautiful hill is what sets this race apart from any other 5k providing a challenge for everyone. Runners and walkers of every age and fitness levels from infant to senior participated and fun was had by all. And for our efforts, every finisher got a medal! And a very nice one at that. And did I tell you there was chip timing for those looking for a 5k PR?

My friends and I, God willing, will be back next year as will most everyone I spoke to. We all agreed that the course was tough but that's what you'd expect from a Hellbender right? And, if you really want to prove your ferocity like a true "Devil Dog", I hear there might be a 10k next year. Stay tuned to find out. Great job MOAA!

*the 10k was not able to take place this year as advertised on their sign

My daughter finishing the race with a friend

These guys were happy!

Fantastic medals!

Moving right along

A victory jump!

Many of the runners pushed strollers

These little girls walked the race with Dad

Off to a fast start!

 

Check the box

"Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it....So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:27,28, 33

The approach of fall means one thing for thousands of runners around the nation... race season! Having completed many entry forms in my time, I really didn't give it much thought as I was signing up for another one yesterday. That was until I failed to check a box. The red words plainly said "Error. You must agree to the terms and conditions before being allowed to continue." It simply would not allow me to sign up, much less run the race, until I agreed to the conditions. And the stipulations were that, although I knew that this could be dangerous and could even result in death, I voluntarily chose to enter and would hold no one liable for my choice.

The red words in the bible clearly list the terms and conditions for signing up to follow Christ. It plainly tell us that we must be willing to carry our own cross to be a disciple and must voluntary agree despite the risks involved. This would be no easy feat then because in ancient Rome, a criminal being led to execution was forced to carry the cross on which he would die. This act demonstrated the criminal's ultimate submission to Roman authority. That's what being a follower of Christ required then and what it requires now-total submission to Jesus even to the point of death.

How about you? Have you counted the cost and are you willing to renounce or abandon all that you have for Him? Are you ready to check the box and enter the race?

Heavenly Father, thank you for laying down the terms and conditions of what it takes to be a disciple. The words are clearly written in red and the stipulations are non negotiable. We must be willing to surrender all to follow you and claim the prize that awaits us at the end of the race. Help us to be strong and courageous knowing that, by checking the box, our lives will not be easy but will have been well worth the sacrifice. It's in your precious name we pray, Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!!!
www.team413.org

Let it be Jesus - Christy Nockels

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2h9Hm9JZho&index=6&list=PLWvahZRxLnLMSWeULnub0CCeQzvxGM8hB

Standing strong?

"If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure." 1 Corinthians 10:12, 13

And it happened yet again... Molly Huddle was on the final stretch of the 10,000 meters on Monday with the finish line in view. With just a few steps to go, she threw up her hands in celebration... unfortunately too soon. While she was busy celebrating the anticipated win of the bronze medal, her teammate Emily Infeld passed her. In a split second, she lost the prize. After the race, a devastated Huddle told Universal Sports that she "let up too much in the final half-step. Emily was right there the whole time with just more momentum. She got that bronze. It's going to take a long time to get over."

The list of athletes that have done this is probably about as long as the list of Christians who, in the final stretch, let down their guard and lost the race. Think Jimmy Swaggart, Jim Baker and Ted Haggard. These were all men who followed Christ, were "standing strong", and yet were led astray. The bible warns us that the temptations in our "life are no different from what others experience." So, if you think you're standing strong and that temptation would surely not overcome you, think again...be careful not to fall. 

Might this be a lesson to all of us. Never celebrate before the finish line and never ever take your eyes off God, not even for a second. And if temptation does come, and it will, remember this promise, "when you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure." Praise God for his faithfulness. 

Heavenly Father, thank you for your Word to show us the path we should take and to warn us of the many temptations that can lead us astray. Just as we condition our bodies, may we daily condition our hearts and minds to be sensitive to your Spirit allowing it to  guide our every step. May we keep our eyes focused on You until we cross that eternal finish line and can celebrate with those that have gone before us. It's in your precious name we pray, Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!!!

www.team413.org

RUN - Lecrae

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJGDKM6XsfQ

But now...

"Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you,so that he will not hear." Isaiah 59:1-2

If I had a nickel for every time I heard someone tell me, "I used to run but now....", let's just say that I'd have way more than a dollar. In fact, I've heard it so many times, I anticipate it. The reasons for stopping vary as do the reasons I have also heard people say, "I used to be on fire for Christ but now..." However that sentence ends, one thing is certain, it is always due to sin.

The bible tells us clearly that our sins are what separates us from God. Our sin is what puts out the fire that once blazed hot and it's our sins that will keep us from rekindling the flame. Acts 3:19 clearly tells us that the way to renew our relationship with Christ is to, "Repent, then, and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped away,"

Today is the day that "but now" becomes I was once lost but now I'm found. I was once a sinner in need of grace but now I'm a sinner saved by grace. I was once separated from God but now I'm a fool for Christ. I once let the fire burn out but now I choose to repent, turn back and let my sins be wiped away. But now, this day, I choose to follow Christ forevermore. 

Heavenly Father, thank you for wiping away our sins if we would just repent and turn back. Lord, help us to make a fresh start today intent on letting our lights shine for all the world to see. May we be so grateful for the gift of forgiveness that we praise your name with all we have. May we be on fire once again for you Lord. It's in your precious name we pray, Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!!!

www.team413.org

Light the fire in my heart again

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-80EzeM0FI

Rich in faith

"Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn't God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren't they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him?" James 2:5

Steven Vincent, a 43 year old Louisiana State Trooper, was a husband, father and a marathon runner. He died yesterday morning from injuries sustained Sunday after responding to the report of a suspected drunk driver. In a video of the encounter, he was heard saying, "Why don't you get out? I'll help you." An instant later, he was fatally shot in the head and the lives of his family and friends were changed forever. Colonel Mike Edmondson, of the Louisiana State Police, said this upon hearing the news, "As we talk about his death, it's not so much in how he died but in how he lived. He lived a tremendously rich life in his faith and his family."

He was said to be a man who knew how to live and who was rich in faith. Rich in faith... can there be any greater honor than to be described as that? Google dictionary defines rich as plentiful and abundant while faith as a complete trust or confidence in someone or something. He lived a rich life because he had an abundant and complete belief that Christ was who He claimed to be, that He was coming back someday and that death was not the end. John 3:15 gives us the promise, "that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.

How about you? How will you be described? There will be no second chances so start living your life today and everyday rich in faith and loving and serving others.

Heavenly Father, thank you for the promise that, as believers, we will have eternal life with you. May that knowledge allow us to live each day to the fullest sharing our faith with others that they too might come to know you. Help us to love others so much that we would be willing to lay down our lives for them just as you did for us. We pray for the family of Steven Vincent, Lord, as they mourn his death and celebrate the life he lived. May they find peace in You. It's in your precious name we pray, Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!!!

www.team413.org

Live like that - Sidewalk Prophets

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0cMVmr11bY