Make a Covenant with Your Eyes

“‘I have made a covenant with my eyes;
Why then should I look upon a young woman. For what is the allotment of God from above, And the inheritance of the Almighty from on high?” Job 31:1-2 NKJV

In a story titled “ SABRINA STANLEY BECOMES FIRST PRO-TRAIL RUNNER TO JOIN ONLYFANS TEAM, it was reported that Stanley is the first runner to join OnlyFans’ team of athletes, marking a significant moment as the platform continues to expand into the world of sports partnerships. The collaboration highlights OnlyFans’ commitment to supporting athletes who push the boundaries of performance and want to cultivate deeper connections with their fans. The Colorado-based runner shared the news in a social media post on Monday morning, March 10, 2025. In the short video, Stanley reveals her new blue and white OnlyFans-branded running kit and expresses her enthusiasm for the new partnership, highlighting this pivotal moment in her career. “I couldn’t be more excited to join the OnlyFans team of athletes and their diverse community of creators. This sponsorship allows me to share my journey in new and exciting ways while continuing to push my limits in the mountains,” said Stanley. “I’ve wanted to be an OnlyFans creator for years. Now, I’m proud to represent a platform that supports athletes like me and prioritizes safety, inclusivity, and the empowerment of creators.”

And, you know, while the world might think it’s empowering for women to showcase their nude bodies on platforms such as OnlyFans for the world to see (hence their nonstop push to normalize porn and make it mainstream by creating teams of athletes) the Bible is very clear that a person’s nudity is a private thing. Hence the reason Job, a man who was blameless and of complete integrity, made a covenant to not look upon any woman other than his wife—even though it was normal and mainstream in that culture for a rich and powerful man like Job to do so. Furthermore Leviticus 18:1-18 reinforces the biblical principle that the nakedness of an individual is private and “belongs” to an individual and to their spouse, and does not “belong” to anyone else. Which means that, when a man looks upon the nakedness of a woman who is not his wife, he takes something that does not belong to him—and she, upon offering up her nakedness for strangers to see, gives away something that belongs only to her husband or her future husband. This is something, then, that’s not only NOT empowering to women but degrading to them in the long run, and just one of the many reasons that porn is so deadly and destructive to a person and to society as a whole. 

So, don’t buy into the lie that a person can either watch or make porn (which includes all form of nudity) and come out unscathed my friend. There’s a reason the Bible tells us to flee from all sexual morality, and to not set our eyes on any evil thing. 

Heavenly Father, thank You for your Word that serves to keep us on the road that leads to life and good health. Help us to understand the consequences of engaging in all forms of sexual immorality Lord that we might set our eyes on only those things which are good. Help us to be people of integrity in a world where the lines are blurred and to abstain from all evil desires and deeds that we might inspire others to do the same. It’s in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!

Tell Someone Today

“And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!’” Romans 10:15 NKJV

As I stared at my swollen, red, and achy feet with many of the toenails either missing or completely misshapen from years of abuse yesterday morning, I couldn’t help but smile at the reason they were (once again) in the shape they were in. My husband I began Saturday by participating in the Run like Rudy 5k which commemorated the life of Rudy Zevallos Jr., a young runner who died at the tender age of 18 after crossing the finish line of the Frog Hill Half Marathon. Thankfully, since Rudy had made the decision to follow Jesus before his untimely and unexpected death, the event was also a celebration, leaving me ever so glad that someone had taken the time to share the Good News with him. After a short nap, my husband and I then headed out to set up for the annual 12-hour Racing for Daylight overnight event that began with a devotion and prayer and then ended in the same way. After more than 40 miles of running on pavement and steps gained in unloading supplies and then loading them back up after the race, it’s no wonder then that my feet were in bad shape. But it was worth it knowing seeds were planted. 

And, you know, while the world might see my feet as ugly, God says they’re beautiful. In fact, the Bible says, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace…” You see, there are countless people in our world who are in desperate need of hearing the gospel. Which means it’s not only a beautiful thing when we share it, but the feet of all those who are motivated by love to actively and exhaustively move out to “bring glad tidings of good things,”(because it's the news of salvation through Jesus Christ) are beautiful as well. 

So, knowing that only those who call on the name of Jesus will be saved, strive to have beautiful feet that go out at every opportunity to share the Good News my friend. After all, “how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?” Someone told Rudy about Jesus, and because of that he will spend eternity in heaven. Who will you tell today?

Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us that the lost can’t come to know You without someone telling them about You. Compel us Lord to go out into the highways and the hedges and to beckon the lost to accept You as their Savior before it’s too late. It’s in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!

Compete According to the Rules

“An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.” 2 Timothy 2:5 BSB 

In a disturbing story published by Canadian Running Magazine yesterday it was reported that The indoor track and field season for Virginia Class 3 high school athletes ended with a literal bang on Tuesday at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. In one of the wildest track and field videos ever captured, an athlete used her baton for more than just a smooth handoff during the second leg of the girls 4x200m relay final. Junior Kaelen Tucker of Brookville High School was poised to help her school secure the state 4x200m title when she suffered a blow to the back of her head from another competitor. This wasn’t just an accidental tap but a full-on smack with a metal relay baton, knocking her team out of the race. The incident occurred as Tucker passed a competitor from I.C. Norcom High School to move into second place on the bend. Race officials quickly disqualified the I.C. Norcom team for runner interference and unsportsmanlike conduct. Tucker’s mom later told ABC13 News there were no apologies or explanations from the other team.

And, you know, as sad as it is to say, displays of unsportsmanlike conduct have become so commonplace that I was appalled by the Norcom High athlete’s behavior but I was certainly not suprised. In a world where winning is applauded above integrity, people will justify breaking the rules to take home the prize. But the Bible is very clear that “an athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.” Which means that any gain gotten by breaking the rules is really no gain at all, despite what the world says. In the same way, when we make up and follow our own rules to justify our sin rather than adhering to God’s commands, we fail to gain victory and are quickly disqualified. 

So, compete according to the rules my friend—by following the established guidelines and standards of the competition the Lord has laid out in the Bible. Resist the temptation to do anything that will take you off course and you will one day take hold of the crown. 

Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us that ONLY those athletes who compete according to the rules will inherit the crown of eternal life. Help us to be people known for their integrity Lord that we might represent You well as ambassadors for Christ, thereby bringing You glory and inspiring others to seek You. It’s in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!

Make an Informed Decision

“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?” Luke 14:28 ESV

In an op-ed titled “How Much Running Races Costs, Depending on the Type of Runner You Are” published Tuesday, the writer, Meredith Dietz who is also a marathon runner and the senior finance writer for LIFEHACK, said “Running is often touted as one of the most accessible sports—just lace up and go, right? But as many runners discover, what starts as a "free" activity can quickly transform into a significant investment. Last week I broke down what it looks like to invest in proper running gear. And now, I'm turning my eye to the world of races.” Meredith went on to estimate the cost of being a causal runner, a dedicated road racer, a destination racer, and a trail/ultra runner and ended by saying, “While racing costs can add up, I still find the most valuable aspects of running—the endorphin rush, sense of achievement, and community connection—are more than worth it. When you consider the costs associated with your preferred style of running, you can make informed decisions about which races and experiences are worth the investment for you.”

And, you know, when it comes to considering or counting the cost of something so you can make an ‘informed decision’ before embarking on it, Jesus asked the great crowds that were accompanying Him a very important question… “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?” This was a very important question because Jesus knew the heart of the crowds. They loved the miracles, healing, and free food Jesus had provided but had no desire to follow Him for any other reason than what He could give them. Which meant they would turn back to the world the moment following Jesus cost them something… like their obedience, their possessions, their comfort, their relationships, or their reputation. Which is the very reason Jesus clearly detailed that the cost of discipleship would mean giving up everything they had.

So, knowing that the cost of being counted as a true disciple of Jesus is being willing to completely renounce all that you have, I hope that you have already made the informed decision to follow Jesus my friend. If not, I highly encourage you to do it right now. As for me, though it cost me everything to follow my Savior, I know that giving up what I can’t take with me to grab hold of that which is eternal is the best investment I could ever make. Which means that deciding to follow Jesus was the best decision I ever made. And I hope you can say the same.

Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us that true discipleship will cost all that we have. Help us to count the costs before following You that we might understand and make an informed decision to do so only if we are willing to follow You until the end.  Help us to remember that following you You now is exponentially worth giving up the world and its ways to gain eternal life. It’s in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!

BASS PRO MIDWEEK MOTIVATION - Try Intervals for Motivation

Hello runner friends!

Welcome back to the Bass Pro Fitness Series

MIDWEEK M😊TIVATI😊N blog!

Now let's get started by talking about some really, really, really good news. Registration for the Bass Pro Shops Fitness Series Marathon Weekend opens next week!! And... if you're one of the first to sign up and claim a select spot, you'll get $5 off your entry fee into the 5k, Half Marathon, Marathon Relay, or the Marathon. Exciting right? 

 

Now if this has you thinking... "Hmmmm. I really want to participate in the greatest running weekend of all time, but the thought of running all those training miles is daunting," I have good news (this good news is a theme) for you. The run/walk interval method devised by Jeff Galloway (pictured above with yours truly) and used by coaches (like me who have coached countless runners using it) and runners for decades can take the daunt out of daunting and have you smiling at the idea of training again. Why? Because well timed walk breaks make it exponentially easier to complete the miles. 

Want some more good news? Thirty second walk breaks (my personal favorite) combined with your  appropriate run time (based on science, your goal, your fitness level, and other factors) can be used to complete your first 5k, PR at a half marathon, finish your first marathon, run a Boston Qualifier, or even complete an ultra marathon. While it may take time to find your sweet spot, I’ve found that beginning runners enjoy 30 second run/30sec walk intervals while more experienced runners prefer a 60-90 second run followed by a 30 second walk for their intervals. Ultimately, you’re in charge so find what works best for you. 

 Intervals using 30 seconds as the walk time are appropriate for all runners and could be your ticket to reaching the finish line. But don't just take my word for it, check out what Chris Twiggs, chief training officer of the Galloway Training Programs who currently coaches between 220 to 250 athletes through the Galloway Method using the 30-second walk break has to say about it:

When Galloway started recommending the run/walk method back in the 70s, he started with run a mile, walk a minute, regardless of pace. Over time, though, as he and his team of coaches collected more data on how runners performed with the method, they started tweaking the recommendation, personalizing the run ratios based on pace while still suggesting the one-minute walk.

They found that when training for longer distances, such as halfs and marathons, runners started slowing during their later walk breaks, which dragged down their overall pace. For example, a runner might start out with a 15-minute-per-mile run/walk pace, but as the race wore on, they’d drop to a 16-minute-per-mile pace because of the slower pace during walk breaks. To compensate for the slow down, they’d push themselves to run faster during the run intervals, but that would backfire by making them more fatigued and cause them to walk even slower during subsequent breaks.

“By eight miles in a half marathon, or certainly by 20 miles in a marathon, I’m now walking significantly slower during my walk break than I was, and I’m having to run significantly faster than I was to make up for that,” Twiggs explains. “And it just becomes this downward spiral.”

That’s why, about a decade ago, the one-minute walk break morphed into 30 seconds, Twiggs says. “In 30 seconds, you’re getting the recovery benefits that you need from the walk, but you’re not slowing down [your overall pace] significantly,” he explains.

While there are exceptions to every rule (meaning some runners will need shorter or longer breaks), Twiggs gave these further benefits of using the 30-Second Run/Walk Interval:

There’s a notable perk to shorter running intervals. “It allows you to run at a more natural pace for you,” Twiggs says. As he explains, to complete a half or full marathon, you have to adopt a slower pace than what you’d average on a shorter run, such as a five-mile jaunt around your neighborhood. However, there are only two ways to slow down your average pace. The first is to deliberately hold back while you run, which can compromise your biomechanics and cause more vertical oscillation up and down, Twiggs says. “Often, what we find is, when people are forcing themselves to run slower, they end up bouncing,” he says. This can cause more pounding on the joints, leading to an uncomfortable stride, he explains.

The other way to slow your pace is to inject regular walks into your runs. “Now, I can run the same pace for a half marathon that I’m comfortable running for five miles, but by putting in the walk breaks more frequently, it brings the average pace down to something that’s sustainable for the entire half marathon, or something that’s sustainable for the entire marathon,” Twiggs says.

Still, for the vast majority of athletes? Those 30-second breaks are where it’s at.

Rarely, but sometimes you will need to walk a little longer as Twiggs explains: 

One is if you start a workout or race too fast without a proper warmup. This can jack up your heart rate and push you into the anaerobic zone. “You want to recover from that as soon as possible,” Twiggs says. To help lower your heart rate, you can either add in an extra walk or lengthen an existing walk. Once you get back into the aerobic zone, he suggests resuming the 30-second walks.

What if you feel extra tired toward the end of the race? It's better to take more frequent short walks than fewer long walks, Twiggs says. That’s because once you start extending the walks to a minute or so, it can be challenging to start running again. If you feel like you need a longer walk, you likely just need to shorten your run segment, Twiggs explains. For example, instead of doing cycles of 3-minute runs/30-second walks, you could shift to 2:30 runs/30-second walk.

Keep in mind: The 30-second walks apply are for tempo and long runs only. When it comes to speedwork intervals—for example, quarter-mile, half-mile, or mile repeats—you’ll need longer walks after each repeat to give your body time to properly recover from the high-intensity efforts. “We may put as much as five minutes of walking in between those harder effort miles,” Twiggs says.

So, there you have it friends. There's no reason to NOT sign up to join the funnest group of people on the face of the planet for Marathon Weekend, aka the greatest running weekend of all time. By using run/walk intervals, getting to the finish line can be easier than you thought. So get signed up next week and get to training. You'll thank yourself in November. 

Happy Running!

Jesus Never Changes

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8 NIV

In an article titled “Running USA Launches 2025 Global Runner Survey with Exciting Incentives for Participants” it was reported that Running USA is, once again, calling on runners worldwide to participate in its 2025 Global Runner Survey, the most comprehensive annual study of the running community. To increase their chances of getting more surveys this year, Running USA is offering their respondents the chance to win entries to four premier running events or a premier treadmill, thereby making participation more rewarding than ever. To explain why the survey is so important, Jay Holder, Executive Director of Running USA, said “The running event industry is always evolving, and we want to make sure that the races runners love are keeping up with the needs of their participants. By taking just a few minutes to complete the survey, runners can make an impact on the direction of events around the world.”

And while the world might constantly be changing and the running event industry always evolving, there is one thing that never changes. And that is Jesus Christ. He “is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Which means God's character never changes or evolves. Because of that, His word, His standards, and the way of salvation also never changes. The wages of sin is still death and there is still only one way to eternal life. And that’s through the free gift of salvation that Jesus provided by His death on the cross—a gift that can be claimed by the renouncing of the things of this world and the acceptance of Jesus as one’s Savior. 

So, if you truly want to make an impact on the direction of events around the world, share the Good News of the Gospel my friend! There’s no better way to positively change our world than by sharing the only Message that has the power to change the lives of all who accept it. And if you have not accepted this free gift yourself, I urge you to do it today. It will be the best decision you will ever make in your life.

Heavenly Father, thank You for being the God who never changes unlike the thousands of other gods of this world. Thank You for having unchanging standards so we can know that what’s labeled sin never changes either. What was wrong since the beginning is still wrong today. Which is the very reason we praise You for sending Jesus to save us when we were powerless to do it on our own. Help us to share this Message boldly with the world Lord so we can make an eternal impact. It’s in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!

Continue the Mission

“We will not hide them from their children, Telling to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done.” Psalm 78:4 NKJV

“When I told Nadine that I wanted to do this challenge, I didn’t even believe in myself that I would finish. Yet, I needed to do something to help get me unstuck, feeling sorry for myself because of my physical ailments that accumulated over my time in the Army. I struggled everyday. I woke up to get on the bike and just finish that days workout, being exhausted from long weekends of wrestling tournaments, and fighting sinus issues. All excuses! I Did It, and I Do Not Plan To Quit At This Point! Task completed, Charlie Mike!!!” These were the words my dear friend Kevin (Nadine is his wife) wrote after completing the Taji 100 challenge last week. And let me tell you, Kevin not only completed the challenge, he went above and beyond the 100% completion rate needed to be done and then pressed on to end up with a whopping 181.3%  rate that earned him a place at the top of the leaderboard. Was it easy? No way! But Kevin got it done and vowed to  ‘Continue the Mission’—which is the meaning of the Charlie Mike military code phrase. Per heroesbridge.org, Charlie Mike is used during military operations that experience a delay, or for individual issues such as minor injuries, discomfort, or even pain. Over time, military personnel learns to silence complaints and “continue the mission”.

And, you know, when it comes to important missions, there is no mission more important than telling the “generation to come” about the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, including “His strength and His wonderful works that He has done,” that they might come to know Him. You see, you and I must “not hide them from our children” and the next generation if we are to ‘continue the mission’ of fulfilling the Great Commission—which is the telling of the most praiseworthy thing God ever did for all of humanity…He loved the world so much that He sent His one and only Son to die for our sins so that all who would believe in Him would have eternal life with the Father. 

So, continue the mission my friend.  Press on in the midst of minor injuries, discomfort, or even pain in your calling to share the Good News. And remain hopeful and persistent when you experience the delays and setbacks that are sure to come when you set out to spread the Gospel. 

Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us that every believer has the same important mission… and that is to know You and to make your great Name known. Please give us opportunities to tell the world what you have done in our lives, starting in our own homes, and how you saved us from our sins so that we might inspire the lost of every generation to seek You and Charlie Mike!!! It’s in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!