Avoid the Sin of Hate

“'You shall not murder.” Exodus 20:13 NKJV

In a disturbing story titled “Former pro runner charged with first-degree murder” published by Canadian Running Magazine on Tuesday, it was reported that Matthew Molinaro, the 2018 NCAA DIII 800m champion and former HOKA pro runner, was arrested for the premeditated murder of his ex's boyfriend on New Year's Eve. The victim was 26-year-old Milford, Mich., resident Peyton Bilbia.

According to media reports, Milford police began the investigation on the afternoon of Dec. 31 while conducting a welfare check at Bilbia’s home on the request of his girlfriend, who had not been able to get in contact with him. The police and fire department forced entry into the man’s apartment, where he was found dead with multiple stab wounds.

Detectives gathered evidence that pointed to Molinaro, 29, as a suspect; he was arrested that evening at a Royal Oak, Mich., club. On Monday, the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office revealed the alleged attacker had previously been in a relationship with Bilbia’s girlfriend, who, earlier that month, had obtained a personal protection order against Molinaro…

Molinaro is currently being held without bond at Oakland County Jail; if convicted, he could serve life in prison without the possibility of parole. His probable-cause hearing is scheduled for Jan. 19.

“Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.” 1 John 3:15 NKJV

And, you know, while most forms of murder are illegal and prosecutable by law, as they take the life of another human being created in God’s image, the Bible extends the definition of what it means to be a murderer to a higher level, saying that “Whoever hates his brother is a murderer.”

You see, to hate a brother is to murder him in our hearts… something that always precipitates the actual action. And although, we may not carry out the actual deed (because of cowardice or fear of punishment) as Molinaro unfortunately did, when we hold on to hate, we harbor extreme malice and hostility to the point that we wish that person were dead. 

This hatred is also shown when we ignore another person to the point that we treat them as if they were dead. Hatred, then, can be shown passively or actively. Either way, enmity with another person is deadly and is a direct violation of the commandment “You shall not murder.”


Spurgeon describes it this way, “Every man who hates another has the venom of murder in his veins. He may never actually take the deadly weapons into his hand and destroy life; but if he wishes that his brother were out of the way, if he would be glad if no such person existed, that feeling amounts to murder in the judgment of God.”

Furthermore, we know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him: To live in the practice of murder—or to have a lifestyle of the habitual hatred of their brethren—is a demonstration that a person is not born again, no matter what they profess. Pretty scary isn’t it?

“‘But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,” Matthew 5:44

“who “will render to each one according to his deeds”:” Romans 2:6

So, refuse to fall into the trap of hating someone my friend, no matter how badly they might have hurt you. Pray for them instead, knowing that God is a righteous judge who will render to each person exactly what their life merits in the end, without favoritism or partiality. This will not only keep your heart free from the bitterness (which harms you in so many ways) that only leads to death, but will allow you to live a life full of joy. 

Heavenly Father, thank you for reminding us that hating someone in our heart is just as bad as killing their physical body. Help us to move past any hurts that we are still holding onto and to pray for those people who have caused them. Help us, Lord to remember that You see everything and that one day everyone will be held accountable for their deeds. It’s in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.

Happy Running!

BASS PRO MIDWEEK MOTIVATION - Skipping the Treadmill Could be Holding you Back

Hello runner friends!

Welcome back to the Bass Pro Fitness Series

MIDWEEK M😊TIVATI😊N blog!

Now let's get started by talking about the weather... again. With an expected high of 66 today and 65+ tomorrow (and a pretty decent extended forecast considering it's January), running on the treadmill might not be on your radar. But it should be if consistency and growth are on your resolution list for January, February, and March.

As someone who routinely does not run on the treadmill, I found what Matt Rudisill said in a recent article published by Runner's World not only interesting but something that might have even die hard treadmill avoiders (like me) considering hopping on the "mill" from time to time. Without further ado then, this is what he said (*with my two cents thrown in of course):

When the weather dipped below freezing for the first time this winter and the sun began to set at 4:30 p.m., I knew I’d have to leave my typical after-work miles behind. Cold weather and early darkness have always been an easy one-two punch to my running motivation.

I’d also long held another line in the sand: I didn’t run on treadmills—at least not since high school gym class. I took to calling myself a “purist” because I didn’t think running was worth it if it wasn’t outside in nature. I believed my cause was noble, but really, I was just piling up excuses not to run in the winter.

This year, I decided to treat treadmill running as an experiment designed to remove my usual excuses and see if I could stay consistent when the season changed. I set out to complete one to two easy runs per week over the course of a month and reflect on my experience to determine if treadmill running was, in fact, the key to consistency that I was missing for years.

My Initial Impressions Getting Back on the Treadmill

My experiment started after work in late November. I turned to one of the Bowflex treadmills we have at Runner’s World headquarters. Earlier in the day, my editor casually mentioned that my Apple Watch would sync directly to the treadmill for a more accurate reading, a suggestion that made me more excited to get started on my test.

I walked up to the treadmill and the first thing I noticed was that if I wanted to, I could put my Netflix password into the built-in monitor and watch the final season of Stranger Things while running. While this isn’t very advanced as far as treadmill features go nowadays, the shift from the bare-bones experience I remember from a decade ago in high school gym class amazed me.

I decided to go simple for my first run, tapping in with my Apple Watch and committing to a 30-minute easy effort with just a podcast to entertain me.

The run itself was good, but left me puzzled. I immediately focused on how each foot strike offered a different sensation than I was used to. After a minute of adjusting the belt speed, I settled into a pace that felt similar to my outdoor easy runs. What I found, though, was that the treadmill speed read a completely different pace than my outdoor runs. After 30 minutes at zero incline, I completed just 2.56 miles at an 11:51 pace with my heart rate right at my usual 150 beats per minute. That 11:51 average was nearly two minutes slower than my outdoor 10:00 easy pace, but I felt like I was right at my normal outdoor effort level.

Still, I walked away encouraged. I logged a run, avoided the weather, and felt great doing it.My experiment continued with more 30-minute easy runs over the next couple of weeks. Each one raised the same question: Why did an effort that felt identical to my normal 10:00 outdoor easy runs translate to a treadmill pace of well over 11:00 per mile? Adding to the confusion, my new watch (a Coros Pace 4) consistently recorded slightly longer distances than the treadmill itself displayed.

After my third run, I brought all my questions to a chat with Birmingham-based RRCA Level II- and USATF-certified run coach Alex Morrow, founder of Resolute Running. I described to him how, on the treadmill, I felt I was giving a similar effort to my outdoor runs, but was running at a significantly slower pace, and I asked him why he thought this was the case.

“When you’re outside and you’re running at an easy pace, you’re looking at the trees, you’re waving at other runners, and your mind gets to dissociate from what you’re doing,” Morrow says. “When you’re on a treadmill, there’s very little stimulation,” beyond your body moving.

Because I’d been running exclusively outdoors since high school, I was used to looking around at the cars as they passed by, the birds in the air, and any number of distractions along my route. As soon as I hopped on the treadmill, though, none of that was there to capture my attention. Right away, I locked in on the difference in every step, and became consumed by how far off my pace ended up being from what I expected.

Why I’ll Continue Treadmill Running Through Winter

Changing a long-held belief is tough, especially when it’s rooted in identity. “It’s like turning a battleship around,” says Morrow. “It takes time and it’s never easy.” In my case, the belief that “real runners” don’t use treadmills stuck around for years.Once I started running on one, though, I accepted it as a suitable tool for consistent running almost immediately. The hardest part of flipping my mindset wasn’t logging the miles or dealing with boredom, it was simply stepping onto the belt in the first place.

If you’re new to treadmill running, or have avoided it for the same reasons I did, my best advice is trying it with an open mind. Don’t worry if your pace looks slower than what you’re used to seeing outside. That mental hurdle of mine ended up not really mattering much. I let effort guide my runs, podcasts entertain me, and I judge my success based on time on feet rather than actual miles.

My biggest takeaway from the experience was consistency. According to Morrow, that’s where treadmill running becomes one of the most powerful tools a runner can use, especially in the winter.

Through my trial efforts, I realized I wasn’t frustrated with the treadmill itself, I was simply focused on learning more about my running. Curiosity helped me keep a steady schedule, and in just a few weeks, I’d already run more in the winter than I had in years.

“Consistency is so much more important than having one killer workout,” Morrow explains. “I would much rather you have four or five average workouts than three killer workouts.” That idea counters how a lot of runners think about training, especially when motivation dips. It’s flashy to chase breakthrough days in perfect conditions, but you build fitness by stacking days together, even when the circumstances aren’t ideal.

For runners who live in areas heavily impacted by harsh winter weather, the treadmill is a saving grace. “Something is always better than nothing,” Morrow says. “Jogging three miles on a treadmill is better than skipping your workout completely because it’s cold outside.”

When weather threatens to derail a week of training, the opportunity that a treadmill provides becomes crucial to your development as a runner. “Consistency creates physiological adaptations in your body that allow you to reach your goals,” Morrow says. Those adaptations include aerobic fitness development, running economy, capillary improvement, VO2 max increase, lactate threshold fitness, he continues. It’s adaptations like these that establish an excellent fitness base for marathon training.

Looking back on my career as a recreational runner, my biggest mistake wasn’t refusing to run on the treadmill, it was letting that ignorance cost me months of consistent running every year. Now, the excuses that held me back are gone. I’m looking forward to using the treadmill to not only knock out frequent easy runs, but conquer the occasional interval workout or speed session. Heading into the new year, I’m already in better shape than I’ve been in years’ past.

And there you have it friends. Consistency is a great reason to consider treadmill running. It can not only help you reach your physical goals but has another component that's totally underrated... the mental one. Treadmill running gives you staying power because it takes mental grit to overcome the boredom and monotony of remaining in the same place with no actual forward movement. A treadmill can help you train your mind which is a crucial element in reaching the finish line. So, consider this alternate form of training knowing that the bitter cold of winter (and ice) won't stay permanently gone.  Happy Running!

It Must be a Lifestyle

“Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” Luke 9:23

In an interesting story published by Capital City Now out of Chicago yesterday, the writer said: Jacob Albert has been running since he was in high school. At first, it was just a way for him to stay in shape for soccer. Now, it’s turned into his biggest passion.

It’s a lifestyle,” Albert said. “[People are] always telling me I’m crazy for how much I run.”

Albert runs ultramarathons, which are as intense as they sound.

“An ultra is typically anything over a 50k, which is 31 miles,” he told WAND News. “There’s usually set distances, so there’s a 50k, there’s a 100k, there’s a 50-miler, a 100-miler.”

He does it because he loves it. When he’s running, it’s just him out there with no distractions.

“Sometimes in a hundred-mile race, after I get going, I kind of just zone out. Usually don’t even think about anything. I just go and it kind of works,” Albert said. “It’s usually just me listening to nature and observing what’s around me. I don’t really listen to music at all. I don’t have my phone on me, I just go.”

And, you know, when it comes to the way we live, the Bible is very clear that walking the walk of a believer is not something we simply do on Sundays but something we do all day, every day. Following Jesus must be a lifestyle, hence the reason Christ said “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”

"Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.'" John 2:13-17 NKJV

This complete denial of self is what sets us apart and, if we’re doing it right, will cause people to say, “That person is crazy!” You see, true believers are known for their zeal that leads to actions such as the ones Jesus displayed when He drove the moneychangers out of the temple courts during the Passover. He did this to show His displeasure that the house of God was being turned into a house of merchandise—which spoiled the only place where Gentiles could come and worship.

Of this zeal (which is an intense passion, fervent devotion, and wholehearted eagerness for God, His purposes, or His house) we are to be known for, Spurgeon said, “Some men are eaten up with lechery, others with covetousness, and a third class with pride, but the master-passion with our great leader was the glory of God, jealousy for his name, and love to the divine family.”

So, let your lifestyle reflect that you are a true follower of Christ my friend. Like Jesus, be zealous for both the house and the family of God. Commit yourself to protecting both by exposing and removing any behavior or teaching that sets itself against the purity of God’s house and the worship practiced there.

Heavenly Father, thank you for reminding us that we are to guard the purity of God’s house and God’s people. Lord, when those practicing dishonesty or deceit come to lead people astray or serve as a roadblock for worship, give us courage to confront it and expose it. Help us to be known as crazy people that are zealous for the house of the Lord. It’s in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!

Avoid "The Leans"

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV

As both a long time runner and running coach, I know that maintaining a proper form throughout the course of a race (especially a long one) is crucial to success. I also know that fatigue, muscle weakness, poor nutrition, and a number of other things can cause a person to begin leaning to one side or the other without them even realizing it.

This was something I came to understand personally a few years ago upon completing an exceptionally hard 100-mile race (they're all hard, but this particular one was one of the hardest and longest). After more than 28 hours of what felt like a continuous uphill battle, I finally made it to the finish line where my husband was waiting anxiously for me. "Oh honey," he said to me as we embraced and I began to cry. "You're really leaning to the side. Are you okay?" 

And thankfully I was okay. Later, however, I went back and looked at the finish line video and pictures my husband had taken. Sure enough, I was leaning heavily to the right side and walking in a way that was totally unnatural and, quite honestly, looked painful--hence the reason my husband was so concerned. The funny part though was, although it was obvious to those looking at me that I had "the leans," the condition had happened so slowly that I had not even perceived I had it. In fact, I actually thought I was completely upright!

And while "the leans" aren't very common, they aren't necessarily uncommon either. Most of the experienced ultrarunners I've met have had them at least once or twice and have all said that, they too, didn't feel them coming on. This was a phenomena I watched at the Snowdrop Ultra I had the blessing of running over the New Year's Holiday last week. The unique course (which was a .7 mile loop) allowed for runners to see one another countless times throughout the race since those going for the 100 mile buckle (like myself) would have to complete 143 laps.

Over the course of twenty plus hours and many laps, I watched as two of the runners who started the race upright alongside me eventually developed "the leans." It was a gradual leaning that caused me to consider the words of Solomon who said, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding..." You see, in the same way it takes a strong core to keep a runner upright, it takes a rock-strong and complete trust in the Lord to keep a believer upright. 

"'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,' says the Lord. 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.'" Isaiah 55:8-9

Here's the thing. Most of us have a desperate desire to understand why God does certain things or allows certain things to happen. After all, we're still in the flesh. To stay upright, then, we must trust God completely with undivided hearts, acknowledging that He works all things for His good purpose in ways we were never meant to understand or comprehend. After all, His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts.

Which means, we must fully submit to God’s ways, even when we can’t make sense of them--recognizing that God sees the whole picture, while we only see our tiny corner of it. To trust in the Lord with all our hearts, then, means we can’t place our own right to understand above His right to direct our lives the way He sees fit. To do so is the equivalent of leaning on a faulty crutch of our own making. It might seem fine to lean on our own perception or crutch at first, thus justifying going our own way, but eventually the crutch will be worn down and we will find ourselves off course and leaning farther out of God's will than we ever wanted.

So, choose to trust in the Lord with all your heart my friend. In a world where truth is relative and changing, choosing to trust in the One who never changes and has a proven track record of working all things for our good and for His glory will keep you upright and on course.

Heavenly Father, thank You for such a visual reminder that we are so apt to go off course without even realizing it when we lean on our own understanding rather than yours. Lord, help us to acknowledge your sovereignty over all things that we would allow You to direct our paths. In all things Lord, teach us to submit our ways to You especially when we don't understand. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.

Happy Running!

Trade Comfort for the Cross

“Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” Luke 9:23 NKJV

As my husband and I were making the long drive home from the Snowdrop Ultra yesterday, I reflected back on the countless times throughout the race that it was necessary for me to reject the comforts of the flesh in order to continue pressing on to the finish line—the place where I eventually grabbed hold of the prize (a shiny Texas-sized belt buckle) for not giving in.

And while there were many moments throughout the event that came to mind, one of the most extreme tests of discipline came in the form of Wednesday’s wake up. You see, unlike other ultras, where I’m usually racing the clock to ensure that I come in under the standard cutoff time of 30 hours (which means running throughout the night with no break), the Snowdrop is a 55-hour race—which meant I had a little wiggle room to reach my goal of 100 miles before the next days sunset. 

So, around 10:00 p.m. on Tuesday evening (after logging 61 miles), I joyfully climbed into the tent with my husband. I was tired, my feet were swollen and sore, and I was colder than I'd been in quite a long time. The Texas temps had dipped below freezing so the warmth of the temporary shelter (and having my husband by my side) was a welcome relief. So much so, though, that I was tempted to stay inside after the few hours of rest I had allotted myself. The frigid air was permeating the thin vinyl barrier that separated us from the outside—something I was reminded of the moment my head rose from under my sleeping bag and my nose felt the chill.

Knowing that I needed to get back to running, I set my face like flint and climbed out of my warm bedding to make a clean break from comfort to began changing my clothes in the cold air. “Just stay focused,” I kept telling myself as I began to shiver a bit.  “You’ll warm back up once you get going.”

It seemed to take an eternity to get prepared, to say the least, but as I eventually zipped open the tent door and allowed my headlamp to illuminate the dark path before me, I stepped out and smiled at the sight. “Not today satan,” I said under my breath. “I have a race to run. And when I’m done, I’ll be giving God all the glory.”

And, you know, the focus, discipline, and passion it takes to run long distances such as this is the same determination, tenacity, and devotion it takes to follow Jesus as He has called us to follow Him. You see, when Jesus said to the disciples “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me,” He was making it very clear that this was to be no half-hearted or part-time commitment but a complete and total surrender of our wants and wills to take up His wants and wills.

“For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?” Luke 9:24-35

Notice that Jesus said we must do it daily? This isn’t a one time decision but a way of life. This is a deliberate shunning of the world and its comforts to go after Christ. "Taking up your cross" means daily self-denial, putting Jesus first in all things, and being willing to endure hardship or even suffering (like persecution) for our faith. It's a deliberate, continuous minute-by-minute choice to live a life centered on Christ, letting go of every shred of self-centered living.

Consider this… In Jesus' time, carrying a cross meant a condemned criminal was publicly accepting their execution, and the scorn and shame associated with it. Jesus used this vivid image to convey the total commitment and potential cost of following Him so there would be no misconceptions on what it meant to be a faithful follower. Jesus made it clear that a faithful follower holds nothing back in their service to Him, not even their very lives!

“And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” Galatians 5:24

And you can be sure, this is the loyalty, steadfastness, and one-mindedness Jesus expects from all those who follow Him. Our love for Christ and our want to serve Him must completely consume our thoughts, our hearts, and all of our pursuits. Which means we must continually crucify our flesh to make it obedient to God’s will rather than our own will. Rather than embracing comfort, then, we must embrace the discomfort of the cross knowing that, in the end, we will take hold of a heavenly reward that will make all the effort and the suffering worth it.

A.W. Tozer summed it up this way, “The man with a cross no longer controls his destiny; he lost control when he picked up his cross. That cross immediately became to him an all-absorbing interest, an overwhelming interference. No matter what he may desire to do, there is but one thing he can do; that is, move on toward the place of crucifixion.”

So, refuse to chase after the things of this world my friend. Embrace discomfort as a friend and run the race God has set before you with a laser focus on the finish line. It won’t always be easy to take the next step or complete the next mile but pressing on despite the hardships and the hurdles will be worth it in the end. 

Heavenly Father, thank You for making it abundantly clear that a half-hearted devotion to You is no devotion at all. Help us to completely surrender our lives to You Lord, that we might joyfully trade the comforts of this world for the joy of the cross and thereby grab hold of the eternal prize that awaits every faithful follower. Help us to see that any suffering we may endure for your sake will be worth going through once we grab hold of eternal life. It’s in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.

Happy Running!

New Year New You

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV

As both a longtime running coach and wellness coach, I’ve learned that people really love fresh starts. Which is the very reason that the Couch to 5k program I teach several times a year has the most participants at the beginning of each new year. But, as a follower of Jesus, I’ve learned that the deepest and most powerful fresh start isn’t found in a calendar year or in a training program. It’s found in Christ. You see, running can change a person but only Christ can make a person new.
And we are made new at the moment we place our trust in Him. This means that anyone who accepts Jesus Christ becomes a new spiritual creation (no matter what they’ve done!) leaving their old sinful life behind for a new identity and purpose in God. This new life is marked by a transformed perspective, new desires, and a call to live righteously as an ambassador for Christ, experiencing ongoing renewal through the Holy Spirit. It signifies a radical, miraculous break from condemnation and sin, ushering in a new relationship with God and a new way of life. Is that amazing or what?

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” Romans 8:1

So, if you want to experience a great new year, start by becoming a new creation by accepting Jesus as your Savior my friend. Now this won’t mean you’ll be perfect or won’t have any problems but what it does mean is this… you’ll be free from the punishment of sin and can live a life free from guilt and filled with joy and purpose. That’s best way to make 2026 the best it can be!
Heavenly Father, thank You for the promise of a new life to all those who place their trust in You. Help us to model the joy a new life gives that we might inspire others to seek the only One who can provide it. As we enter the new year, help us to understand that time passes quickly and that we shouldn’t put off doing those things You are calling us to do. It’s in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 
Happy Running!

 

Do Things that Set You Apart

“John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.” John 3:4-6 NIV

When most people make plans to celebrate their birthday, they usually choose something the world considers fun, like going on a trip, having a party, or shopping with friends. They certainly don’t plan to run an hour for every year that God has allowed them to live. But that’s the very thing I’ll be doing at the Snowdrop Ultra 55-Hour Race today to celebrate (with sleep and eating breaks of course) my recent 55th birthday on December 23. 

What will make the day even more special, though, is that my husband (sweet Larry) will deliver a Gospel message and prayer prior to the start. Being allowed to bring Runner's Church to the event was one of the main reasons we chose to celebrate my birthday in such an uncanny and unusual way. 

“Therefore, “Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.’” 2 Corinthians 6:17

You see, Larry and I view the entire world as a missions field and recognize that our lives belong to the Lord and are to be fully used in service to Him. As if wanting to run more miles in a year than many people put on their cars didn’t set us apart and make us weird enough, our love for the Lord and the lengths we will go to preach the Good News certainly does. But that’s okay to be called weird. In fact we love it! We are called to be “separate” from the world and to abstain from the idols, ideas, narratives, and customs of the world. 

“In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’” Matthew 3:1-2

John the Baptist was certainly someone who was clearly and without a doubt “separate” from the world and was considered weird as well. Not only did he wear clothes made of camels hair with a leather belt around his waist, he ate locusts and wild honey and preached a radical message, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

People traveled for miles to see John the Baptist because he was so set apart. John wasn't a soft religious leader but a powerful, prophetic voice preparing the way for the Messiah, drawing huge crowds from Jerusalem, Judea, and the Jordan region for his baptism of repentance, urging people to confess sins and turn to God. He confronted hypocrisy, calling people to radical change and prepared the way for Jesus and pointed people to Him. 

So, rather than looking for ways to fit into the world, look for ways to stand out from the world my friend. Keep your needs simple so you can invest your time into doing those things that point people to Jesus. And then consider it an honor when people call you weird. 

Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us that we are to be so set apart that the world takes notice. Help us to live so on fire for you Lord that people are inspired to ask us why we don’t conform to the patterns of this world. It’s in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 
Happy Running!