We Must Inspire Others to Stay Faithful

“Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel to rescue his servants who trusted in him. They defied the king’s command and were willing to die rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.” Daniel 3:28 NLT

In an uplifting story titled “Local man, 73, hopes his last-place Pittsburgh Marathon finish inspires other runners,” published earlier this month, it was reported that among all the inspirational athletes seen at the Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon, one man stood out from the crowd, with the bib name “Slow Tony.” Anthony Kovatch, 73, a retired pediatrician from the North Hills, proudly finished the race in last place. “I was sprinting at the end, you would never believe that by looking at that picture, I’m hustling up that hill,” Kovatch said. Anthony sat down with Channel 11’s Cara Sapida to talk about the video of him crossing the finish line, which has now been ‘liked’ half a million times ons social media. He crossed at 7 hours and 41 minutes, though he started in the last heat. “And the announcer says, ‘and here’s Tony Kovatch, 73 years old and look at how he’s coming in!’ and everybody cheers. There’s a lot of perks to finishing at the end of a race,” he said…Tony plans to run again next year and even work on his speed. He is proud of his finishing time and hopeful it will inspire people, on and off a marathon course, to never give up.

And, you know, when it comes to inspiring people, as believers we should be so on fire for Christ that we are known as people who never give up and are literally “willing to die rather than serve or worship any god except” the one true God who is the great “I am.” You see, living to please both God and man has no power to lead people to the cross as it displays no real fruit or faith. But the faith that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego displayed when they said, “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up” surely made people see that they were set apart. And, of course, when the Creator of the universe spared them from burning up in the fire, even King Nebuchadnezzar praised the one true God. Their faith that either God would save them or would usher them into His presence (where they would be rewarded for their faithful service) instead was inspiring to all those who witnessed it and to billions of others who have read about it and will continue to read about it. 

So, vow to live in such a way that inspires others to praise the one true God as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did my friend. Refuse to compromise in the seemingly little things, as Daniel did as well, so that you will gain the courage to not give up when you’re faced with the hard things— and in doing so, will lead others to the Lord  

Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us that we have the power to inspire others by the way we live out our faith. Help us to remember that when we are considering giving up on God in the midst of a great trial or hardship. Help us be strong by reminding us that eternal life with You will be our reward for enduring the light and momentary troubles of this world. It’s in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!

The Lord is Attentive to Your Cry

“The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry; ” Psalm 34:15 (NIV)

As I set out for my early morning run yesterday, my heart was heavy for many reasons. The most pressing was the somber thought that this might be the last Mother’s Day I would be celebrating with my mom, a woman I love with all my heart and consider one of my closest friends. After being hospitalized once again for chest pains and then consulting with her doctor, she knows that her heart is wearing out and it’s just a matter of time before it completely stops. Then there’s the knowledge that one of my dear friends will be spending her first Mother’s Day without her one and only son, Rudy (aka Junior) who tragically died after completing the Frog Hill Half Marathon in October. As a mother myself, I can’t even begin to imagine the unbearable pain of losing a child. My heart was also grieved thinking about another dear friend whose mother went home to be with the Lord this past Easter, leaving her to face this holiday with sorrow. Sadly, there were other women on my heart as well that I know will spend the day mourning their prodigal child and praying for their return. 

And, you know, while I can’t take away the pain that so many of my friends will be feeling this Mother’s Day, I can and will pray for them, knowing that the fervent prayers of the righteous are powerful and effective. And I can and will remind them that the Lord not only sees (the eyes of the Lord are on them) their pain but hears (his ears are attentive) their cry. In fact the Bible tells us that God actually bends down to listen to us. That’s truly a comforting thought when we consider that the Creator of the universe doesn’t need to bend down to hear us (after all, He isn’t hard of hearing) but does so for our sakes—in a demonstration of His great love and tender care for us. Furthermore, the Lord is close to the brokenhearted and comes to the rescue of those who are crushed in spirit. 

So, if you know someone that will be struggling this holiday, reach out to them my friend and remind them that they are loved, cherished and being prayed over. And if it’s you that might be struggling, call upon the Lord knowing that He will hear your cry and will give you the comfort you so desperately need. 

Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us that there are people in our world who might be struggling for one reason or another today and on the day we celebrate all mothers. Cause our hearts to be sensitive to their needs Lord that we might remind them that there is a God in heaven who knows and cares about them so much that that His eyes are upon them and His ears attentive to their cries. It’s in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!

By His Wounds we are Healed

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5 NIV

In a disturbing story titled “Oklahoma runner loses toes before doctors discover artery blockage,” it was reported that an Oklahoma man lost nearly all of his toes and almost his entire foot until he got a second opinion. Tom Parrott was an avid marathon runner for nearly 50 years, but one day he noticed a sore on his big toe. He thought it was just from running, but it never healed. “That sore over a period of 30 days just opened up and became staph infected and down to the bone,” said Parrott. Doctors decided to remove some of the toe, but that wasn’t the end of it. One by one, his toes became infected, and doctors continued to amputate them… Finally, a podiatrist suggested the issue may not be in his foot, but in his heart, so he went to the CardioVascular Health Clinic. He had a blockage in his thigh of 100 percent and also a blockage just below the knee of 100 percent,” said Dr. Jim Melton, CardioVascular Health Clinic. Dr. Melton’s team got to work immediately and cleared the arteries and restored blood flow in less than 72 hours.. The wound is now completely healed, and the blood flow is excellent. 

And, you know, when it comes to clearing blockages and healing wounds, the Bible tells us that Jesus “was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Is that amazing or what? Sin created a barrier (or blockage) between us and the Father. We didn’t need a second opinion to understand it, we needed a Savior to fix it. So God sent His one and only Son to stand in the gap and to reconcile mankind (that’s us) back to Him…to clear the blockage. That means the blood of Jesus healed us from our sin disease! And now those who have accepted Jesus as their Savior are completely healed, set free, and sanctified. All because of Jesus Christ. 

So, if you have not accepted the free gift of eternal life that Jesus provided by His death on the cross, I urge you to do it today my friend. Without this saving grace, there is no absolutely no hope for recovery and no hope from being spared from the consequences of sin.

Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us that without the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we had no way to be reconciled to You and would rightly be sentenced to hell for the debt our sin created. Lord, help us to share our stories of salvation with everyone we meet that we might spare them from the pain and consequences of a life lived apart from You. It’s in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.

Happy Running!

 

BASS PRO MIDWEEK MOTIVATION - You are Never too Old

Hello runner friends!

Welcome back to the Bass Pro Fitness Series

MIDWEEK M😊TIVATI😊N blog!  

Now let's get started by talking about going after your running dreams no matter how old you might be. This is an important topic since so many people either get into running late in life, are continuing to run into their golden years, or think they’re too old to even start running. 

This was something I was thinking about after reading about 50-year-old-runner Jerry Snider, of Hewitt, TX, yesterday. Not many of us in our 50’s will be as fast as Jerry but that doesn’t mean we can’t dream about being faster or being able to run further—and then creating a game plan to see those dreams come true.

But without further ado, here’s some of the story titled “Hewitt, Texas runner, 50, fulfills childhood dream of ranking in top 20 worldwide” that reminds us that we are never too old to dream:

A 50-year-old runner who has achieved All-American status 23 times since 2017 says it’s a dream come true after he wore a USA uniform and cracked the top 20 in the world for the first time in his career.Jerry Snider, of Hewitt, won sixth place at the World Masters Athletics Indoor Track and Field Championship in Gainesville, Florida, earning him the ranking of 15th in the world.USATF Masters refers to the masters divisions within USA Track & Field and offers competition for athletes 25 and older. 

“I started running when I was in eighth grade in 1988 and had this dream of competing for the U.S., and it didn’t materialize after college,” Snider said.

“Then I discovered masters track and field when I was in my 40s, and in 2019, I competed in my first national masters meet. I wasn’t as successful as I wanted to be, but it struck that fire that I had when I was younger, and I wanted to compete for the U.S. again.”

Snider found pretty quick success.

He won the national title in the indoor track 3,000-meter distance in 2024 and 2025 and consistently ranks in the top five nationally in his age bracket in different race distances.

“In the past two years, I’ve been able to win the USATF—which is USA Track & Field—national title in the 3,000 meters. So, the goal is now to win a world title, to hopefully one day outlive everybody else and have my name as a world record holder simply because I’m faster than anyone in my age group,” Snider said. “I jokingly say that because I’m still pretty far away from the world records in my age group.”

Snider said cracking the top 20 in the world in his latest competition is a great start to accomplishing his goal of a world title.

Snider isn’t the only runner to achieve success later in life and to go after his dreams of breaking records though. Several other runners have broken age-group records later in life, demonstrating that it's never too late to pursue athletic goals. Notable examples include:

Emma Maria Mazzenga, who broke the 90+ world record in sprinting. Other impressive achievements include records set by Mike Fremont at 96 and Diane Friedman at 100. Ed Whitlock also broke numerous marathon records in his later years. 

Here's a more detailed look at some of these record-breakers:

Emma Maria Mazzenga (90 years old):
This Italian runner broke the world record in the 200m sprint for women aged 90 and over. 

Mike Fremont (96 years old):
Fremont broke the American record in the 95+ age category for the road mile at the Grand Blue Mile. He also holds multiple world records for marathon and half-marathon times in his 80s and 90s. 

Diane Friedman (100 years old):
Friedman broke three masters sports records, including the 100m dash and 200m dash for women 100-104 years old, at the Michigan Senior Olympics. 

Ed Whitlock (85 years old):
Whitlock, who began running again in his 40s after a career break, set numerous marathon records in his later years. 

Ida Keeling (106 years old):
Keeling was the first woman over 100 to participate in the women's 60-meter dash and set multiple records in her later years.

George Etzweiler (99 years old)

George began running at the age of 49 and has continued running for 50 years, following his dream to run a mile every day until the day God calls him home. 

So there you have it friends. It’s never too late (or too early) to dream about being the best runner you can be. Like I said though, you may not be the fastest but you can always strive to be faster. Likewise you may not be able to run the farthest but you can strive to run farther. Make it your goal to the best you can at whatever age you can and you might just be running into your 80’s, 90’s, and even 100’s like these spry runners I mentioned. That’s my dream anyway, because it means I will have outlived my competition and can break all the records and claim all the rewards. Happy Running!

The Conditions are Ideal

in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” 1 Corinthians 15:52 NKJV

In a story published Sunday by the Spokesman’s Review it was reported that Kenyan runner Veronica Loleo broke the Doomsday 12 kilometer (7.5 miles) women’s course record on Sunday. Loleo did by just a whisker – one-hundredth of a second. She navigated the 49th edition of the 12-kilometer road race (7.5 miles) in spectacular fashion, winning in a time of 38 minutes, .02 seconds. The previous best, 38:00.03, was set in 2016 by Cynthia Limo. “I tried my best to push,” Loleo later said. “It was very hard. The course is very good. I was in good shape.” There was another thing that was good, which no doubt aided Veronica to win… the weather. It was ideal running conditions Sunday morning – 45 degrees and sunny skies when the gun sounded for the women.

I don’t know about you but the thought of someone breaking a record by one one-hundredth of a second is mind blowing! I mean, how do you even measure something that happens in the same time as a literal blink of an eye? What’s even more mind blowing though is that the Bible tells us that Jesus will return “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.” And if you thought a blink was fast, a twinkling occurs in about one billionth of a second. That’s super fast! Which is the very reason, a person must be ready for the return of Jesus now since there will be no time to prepare when the time comes. And although no one knows the day or hour this will happen, we do know (based on the events that have already happened and are taking place around us) that it will be soon (think ideal conditions) and that only those who have accepted Jesus as their Savior will be  taken up. All those who have rejected Jesus will be left behind to deal with the fallout and a world that will quickly deteriorate. 

So knowing what awaits everyone who denies Jesus Christ, let us be bolder than ever in preaching the Good News of the Gospel with the world my friend. Let us seek to break records by the speed in which we do it! We will not only be doing our part in making heaven full but will help usher in the end that every true believer has been waiting for. 

Heavenly Father, thank You for clearly telling us that Jesus will return at the appointed time. Help us to understand that the time spoken of and predicted could be at any moment. Knowing that Lord, give us a passion to share the Good News with the lost at a record breaking pace that no one would perish on account of us not telling them. It’s in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!

Repent and Move On

“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,” Acts 3:19 NIV

In a story titled “2,000 People Ran the Atlanta Marathon. Then They Found Out It Was 554 Feet Short,” published last week, it was reported that “a measurement error caused finishing times to be off by 36 to 87 seconds, including some Boston-qualifying marks.” The ATC (Atlanta Track Club) acknowledged on April 13 that the inadvertent misplacement of several cones near the 20-mile mark resulted in the course being short. The route had been measured as part of its USATF certification process weeks prior to the race, but when an unexpected race-week construction project arose, it forced ATC senior event operations manager Brantley Sherrer and his team to reconfigure sections of the course between miles 20 and 24 just a few days before the race—and just a day before the club was hosting the USATF Half Marathon Championships. The ATC was confident of the accuracy of the new marathon course—which included utilizing more space in the city’s Grant Park—but the problem arose when several cones were improperly placed during the course setup early on March 2. The snafu impacted the final finishing times of all 2,000 runners in the race, including 80 who finished in times that were faster than their age-group qualifying times for the 2026 Boston Marathon. The ATC reached out and apologized to all of the runners in the race, and offered each one a complimentary entry to any of the 35 events the club organizes annually, including next year’s Atlanta Marathon.

And, you know, while the ATC made a huge mistake, their willingness to own up to their blunder and quickly apologize to those that were affected greatly helped them recover and move on. Which is the same way we should handle the mistakes we make in our own lives. When we transgress or do wrong and come to realize that we have sinned against the Lord, we are to immediately “Repent, then, and turn to God” so that our sins may be wiped out. And then we are to go a step further and apologize and make restitution to anyone who might have been affected by our transgression, since our sins rarely only affect us. 

So, don’t hold on to unconfessed sin my friend thinking that the consequences of it will just go away. They won’t. Confess it to God and repent from it “that times of refreshing may come from the Lord” and you can move on. You’ll be so glad you did. 

Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us that we all sin and fall short of the mark. Lord help us to see where we have failed You and when we have harmed others in the process that we might repent, apologize, and move on. It’s in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!

Satan Wears a Costume Too

“But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. In the end they will get the punishment their wicked deeds deserve.” 2 Corinthians 11:14-15 NLT

In a story posted by the Deseret News, the writer made an attempt to answer the question that many marathon spectators have asked themselves, “Why do runners wear costumes in marathons?” After then sharing a few stories of runners who had recently dressed up, the writer said, “Runners wear costumes for a variety of reasons, including fundraising, bringing awareness to a cause… and just for fun or to express themselves. Some runners dress up as a way to connect with spectators and encourage other runners on the course. Races run at Halloween encourage costumes. Online retailers offer running garb of all kinds from an inflatable chicken to a Forrest Gump getup. Among the 30,000 runners at the iconic Boston Marathon last week, there was a Princess Leia, a Chiquita banana, a leprechaun, a Larry Bird and a ‘Where’s Waldo.’And it’s not just marathons. Runners dress up for 10K races and half-marathons, too.”

And, you know, while runners have their various reasons for donning a disguise (I, myself have done it on many occasions), our enemy the devil “disguises himself as an angel of light” and his servants “disguise themselves as servants of righteousness” for one reason, and one reason alone… to deceive the lost (and even the elect if possible) and lead them astray by their false doctrine and their desire to be held in high esteem. As Paul said though, these are false apostles and deceitful workers who in the end “will get the punishment their wicked deeds deserve.”

So, knowing that there are many false teachers in our world who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ, don’t be fooled by their masquerade my friend. Check their fruit and check their doctrine. This is the best way to spot someone who is wearing a costume of righteousness only to hide the evil underneath it. 

Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us that many false prophets will arise in the end days just as Jesus told us, and would deceive many by masquerading as angels of light. Knowing that Lord, help us to see people through a spiritual lens, testing their every word to ensure it aligns with your Word, and checking their fruit so that we might see through the disguises of the enemy and bring their evil deeds to light. It’s in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!