It takes hard work

"All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty." Proverbs 14:23

Just recently, my friend Darrell updated his Facebook status by saying, "This time last year, I was thinking how I should get in better health and fitness." Having only met him in October and knowing that his current fitness level allowed him to easily run 7-8 miles at a time, I was curious what had motivated his new-found fitness. To my question, he said, "I was 50 pounds overweight and started having health issues. In mid-July I started walking. In mid August, I could run one mile. On September first, I started a running log and in October ran a 5k" where he, by a divine appointment, met a runner who got him involved in a running group that encouraged him and held him accountable. He recently turned 66, is training for a half marathon in October, and has a lifetime dream of running a half marathon in Jerusalem.

And you know, throughout my years of running and coaching, I have learned that people who simply talk about how they would like to be fit but aren't willing to put forth the effort to do so never get fit. Solomon certainly understood this saying, "All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty." You see, he knew that to see benefits or reap rewards in anything, whether it be for spiritual, physical or monetary gains, required effort. And that a person who settled for merely talking about it would never experience success or see "a profit."

Perhaps you're where Darrell was a year ago and contemplating making a change for the better in your life? Maybe it's beginning a fitness plan? Or maybe it's advancing in your career or serving more in your church? Whatever it is, don't just talk about it my friend. Make today the day you do something about it.

Heavenly Father, thank you for the reminder that words don't produce results and that life, no matter how many years we live, is really short. Help us to act upon the things we know we should do today and "work hard" to do them, giving all the glory to You. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.

Happy Running!!!

Live life loud - Hawk Nelson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hn0xEai4vQw

Invest in eternal treasures

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal." Matthew 6:19, 20 BSB

Perhaps you're like thousands of other runners who took full advantage of Amazon Prime Day? After all, the self-described "Christmas in July" event offered savings on everything from running shoes and apparel to running watches and wireless earphones. They even included treadmills, granola bars and crockpots to make protein rich post-run food. And while all these items were made for runners, they had something else in common. Can you guess what that is? Every single item sold will one day rot, rust away or be stolen-and even the most expensive and treasured item you and I purchase will one day be worth nothing

But you know, the treadmills, watches and shoes aren't aren't the only items that will rot or rust away, everything in this world will. Which is exactly why Jesus urged us not to store up our "treasures on earth" but "in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal." Just how do we do that though? Rick Warren sums it up like this, "The way you store up treasure in heaven is by investing in getting people there.”

So I wonder today? Are you and I investing more of our time and money in acquiring 'things' or in bringing people to the foot of the Cross? 

Heavenly Father, thank You for the reminder that, although there are certain things in this life that we need to get by, we would do well to invest the majority of our time and money in people and things that have an eternal impact instead. Help us to have a discerning heart that we might see the difference. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!!!

Give it all away - Sidewalk Prophets

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aacp4UgCkuc

The happiest place

"He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever." Revelation 21:4

Joseph Hostetly recently blogged that, by using 6,000 Delta miles and 4,000 Southwest points, he was able to fly from Cincinnati to Chicago and back to run what he calls the happiest 5k on the planet. This happy run, better known as The Color Run 5k, he said, is "designed to distract you from the fact that you’re doing something healthy for your body. You’re having too much fun to realize that running actually blows." He went on to say that, "The Color Run in Chicago was super fun. It was a reminder to me that miles & points are useful."

And while most everyone has a different idea of where the happiest place or event on the planet is, there is no disputing where the happiest place we could ever go is... Heaven. The Bible tells us that Heaven is a place where there will be no more tears, death, sorrow, crying or pain. Oh won’t that be a happy place? And the best part? We won't need any miles or points to get there. It is open for all those who have placed their trust in and called upon Jesus Christ to be their Lord and Savior. 

So I wonder my friend, will you be there one day? Will you be joining me in a place filled with more happiness than we could ever dream of? You will if you have accepted Jesus into your heart. Have you? 

Heavenly Father, thank You for the reminder that no matter how much sorrow this world holds, every believer can look forward to being reunited with you in a place where there will be no more tears. For those who have not yet made the decision to follow You, I pray that today would be the day they would pray, "I admit that I am a sinner and I need you Jesus. I believe that You are the Son of God and that You died and rose again to save me from my sins. I ask that You come into my heart right now and dwell in me forever that I might one day join You in heaven." It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!!!

There will be a day - Jeremy Camp 

https://g.co/kgs/fB3h9Z

A shared goal

"If then there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by thinking the same way, having the same love, sharing the same feelings, focusing on one goal." Philippians 2:1,2 HCSB

Last Saturday the Frog Fitness Group, a family of believers that I am blessed to be a part of, celebrated their one year anniversary. And as I watched and worked alongside the many volunteers that started early that day to get set up for the morning's festivities that included a 5k run, games, giveaways and free food, I couldn't help but smile at the thought that so many other people shared the goal of being the hands and feet of Jesus in our community-the very reason FFG was formed and the reason it had grown exponentially over the course of 12 months. 

And you know, there's really no limit to what can be accomplished for the Kingdom when Christians in "fellowship with the Spirit", think the same way, have the same love, share the same feelings, and focus on one goal. Paul certainly understood this which is why he stressed the importance of spiritual unity. He knew that when believers were bonded together by their shared adoration of Christ, shared the same vision and worked together to achieve it, that His purpose of reaching the lost and hurting could be better fulfilled.

So may we always remember, in the words of Pastor Rick Warren, "Success is never a one-man job; it takes teamwork. God wired it this way because the most important lesson he wants you to learn here on Earth is to love people. The stronger your team is, the more you can fulfill your dream."

Heavenly Father, thank You for your blessings this past year. Thank you for allowing FFG to grow and have a greater impact in our community. I pray that more and more people would share the vision and come alongside to serve so that more and more lives would be changed and lost people reached. Help us to be your hands and feet Jesus. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!!!

Send me out - Steve Fee
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8ZGQPW7OXg

Heal the hurts

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9 ESV

At one point or another, nearly every runner will experience an injury bad enough for their doctor to recommend cutting back on mileage for a while or even taking a complete break from running to allow the body to mend. And while downtime will most certainly give the injured body part time to heal, it may not always fix the underlying problem to prevent it from happening again. Which is why most running coaches and specialists will recommend "active recovery", or using the break to do exercises that will address muscle weaknesses and faulty mechanics to avoid re-injury, as a much better option. 

Sadly though, it's not just our physical bodies that can be injured, damaged, wounded or hurt. We can be wounded spiritually by the sin we bring into our lives or by the actions of others. No matter the cause of the pain though, unforgiveness is at the root. And just as a physical wound must be cleansed in order to heal, our spiritual healing can only begin when "we confess our sins" and allow God "to forgive us... and to cleanse us" and then we, in turn, forgive those who have hurt us. You see it's only then that we can let go of the bitterness, strife, resentfulness, hurt, anger, guilt, and self-pity that continues to cause us pain.

So won't you make the choice to be healed today my friend? Won't you forgive just as you have been forgiven and then let it go? 

Heavenly Father, thank you for the reminder that unconfessed and unforgiven sin as well as our unforgiveness of others is harmful to us in so many ways. Help us to freely let go of both that we might be thoroughly cleansed and healed and completely healed. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!!!

Even when it hurts - Hillsong United

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSvFEaFDn00

Learn from the ant

"Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise!" Proverbs 6:6 NLT

In an article titled, "A lazy person's guide to start running," Craig Risi offered some advice to those gamers and entertainment junkies that need to get off the couch saying, "It might sound cliched, but physical exercise is incredibly good for you." And his advice? Start slow, stretch, do core exercises and build up distance gradually. And most importantly, he said, "You need to do it regularly. At least three times a week... I know this means more time away from your TV and games but just imagine how much better you will feel when your gaming actually improves because your mind is suddenly a lot more alert." 

Did you know that 80 percent of Americans don't get the recommended amount of exercise they need? And that a study last year linked physical inactivity to more than 5 million deaths worldwide per year, more than those caused by smoking? And while laziness has become a destructive lifestyle for many people, the Bible is clear that God designed us to refrain from living this way and to work hard saying, "Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise." 

So may you and I indeed learn from the ant today my friend. They are diligent and never lazy. They are never poor and they are never hungry. They work together as a team and their hard work sustains them. May the same be said about us. 

Heavenly Father, thank You for the reminder that being lazy spiritually is as bad for us as being lazy physically. Help us to take seriously the command to learn from the ways of the ant that we might become wise and actively and daily work to serve You and further your Kingdom. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!!!

Establish the works of our hands - Aaron Keys

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5V2_cs8gTIw

Made to be different

"So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." Genesis 1:27

In an interesting article published last week by Business Insider, Lindsay Crouse reported that 5% of men dropped out of the 2018 Boston Marathon due to the unprecedented cold, windy and rainy weather conditions, compared to just 3.8% of women. That means the dropout rates had increased almost 80% since the 2017 race for men and just 12% for women. Cruse spoke to elite distance coach Steve Magness who offered this explanation, "Women generally seem better able to adjust to their goals in the moment, whereas men will see their race as black or white, succeed or fail, and if it's fail, why keep going?" That is to say, for women, simply finishing the race may be important; for men, winning (or beating their personal best time) may be key. And the implications of this gender difference go beyond marathons, or athletic prowess.

And you know what? In a world that tries to minimize the differences between men and women, there is no denying the fact that we are different. We think differently. We process emotions differently. We make decisions differently. We show love differently. We learn differently and we approach running differently. In fact the Bible is clear that, although "God created mankind in his own image...he created them; male and female." And men and women were not made the same for a reason - we were made to perform different roles and yet complement one another beautifully. 

So let us celebrate those differences today my friend. And then let us praise our Creator for all the ways that we are different but fit so perfectly together. 

Heavenly Father, thank You for making us so uniquely. Help us to remember that while we were made differently, we were all made for the same purpose of bringing you glory in our families, lives and relationships. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.

Happy Running!!!

Perfect - PhillipaHannah

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaVw-B30X8Y