The comfort filter

"But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am too young.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you." Jeremiah 1:7

In an article published by Men's Journal titled, "When should you really replace your running shoes?", experts and runners debated the long-standing idea that shoes should be replaced every 250 to 500 miles. The problem with that, they said, is that there's little evidence to substantiate the need for such frequent replacement and the factors that determine how quickly a shoe wears out vary differently between every runner. Their conclusion was to gauge the need for a shoe change by the "comfort filter." Simply said, if the shoes are comfortable, keep them and if they're not, get a new pair. 

And while it's definitely nice to be comfortable in our running shoes, getting comfortable in our spiritual shoes is not a good thing. You see, God made each one of us to be used as he sees fit-to step outside of our comfort zones and go wherever he calls us to go and do whatever he calls us to do just as he commanded the prophet, Jeremiah, "go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you." 

Maybe, like Jeremiah, God is calling you to a task today that seems beyond your ability and your "comfort filter"? You can forget the excuses my friend, because if God has called you to do a job, whether you feel you're "too young", too old, too shy, too weak or too anything else, you can be sure he will give you everything you need to do it. 

Heavenly Father, thank you for your Word that reminds us that every one of us was made for a purpose. Help us to be willing to be uncomfortable that we might do the work you have called us to whether that means feeding the homeless, serving on a missions trip in Africa, ministering to an addict or simply witnessing to our neighbor. Help us to be bold that we might be the hands and feet of Jesus. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!!!
www.team413.org

Here am I - MercyMe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTeTwqJ4iZE

Make the change

"You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." Ephesians 4:22-24

Runners in the Vermont City Marathon in Burlington had to set their alarm clocks an hour earlier last Sunday in order to be at the start line by 7:00 a.m. The new start time was prompted by the extreme heat that stopped the race prematurely in 2016 when the conditions were declared to be at an "extreme risk" for the runners to continue. Ashley Foutz of Williston, who participated this year as part of a relay team, said she was thankful for the early starting time due to her experience last year. "It's going to be an adjustment, but I think in the end, it'll be good," Foutz said. "Last year was really rough, and it wasn't fun."

You know, adapting to adjustments isn't always easy or fun but, as the story illustrates, is many times necessary in order for us to make it to the finish line. And that's most definitely true in our spiritual lives as well. Paul knew it when he reminded the Church at Ephesus that, in order to be more like Christ and finish the race, they would need to make some adjustments in their behavior. You see, when you and I continue to live as we did before we became Christians, we are at an "extreme risk" of failing in our walk and in need of a change. And that change means putting off our "old self" or the way we once acted, spoke and thought and replacing it with a "new self" and a mind guided by the Holy Spirit.

So if what you're doing or the way you're living now is just not working and putting you at an "extreme risk" for failure, maybe it's time to make a change? It will definitely be an adjustment, but I know in the end it will be more than good. 

Heavenly Father, thank you for loving us so much that you would forgive us when we don't act like the people you created us to be. Help us to recognize if our thinking or actions need to be changed and then give us the power to make the adjustments. Renew us from the inside out Lord. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!!!

www.team413.org

Renew me - Avalon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cor1i_dX70c

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/local/2017/05/28/runners-spirits-high-despite-earlier-marathon-start-time/347376001/

Just be willing

"His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him." John 9:2,3

I was blessed to take part in several runs over the Memorial Day weekend and witness many more via social media. One that was particularly exciting was the TEAM 413 Gracerunner Journey held in Florida where a group of nine team members attempted to complete 413 miles in a 72-hour round-the-clock relay. And while there were runners of many abilities participating, one stood out above the rest-not because she was better or faster than any of the others but because she had to overcome more than any of the others. You see, Terryanne is a walker in need of a double knee replacement. But rather than allow her handicap to stop her, she allowed God to use it to prove the power of His strength. Every nine hours during the relay, Terryanne, cane in hand, did what should have been impossible. Through the pain, she walked 30 minute segments until the race was over and the goal had been completed.

And you know, even though most of us would never choose to have a handicap or disability, we can choose to embrace them knowing that many times our limitations are the very things that God can and will use to bring him glory. The Bible tells us so when it recounts the story of a young man who was blind from birth. When the disciples questioned Jesus as to whether it was caused by the man's sin or his parents' sin, Jesus told them that it was neither, but happened "so that the works of God might be displayed in him." After saying this, Jesus restored the man's sight displaying the power of God to heal.

So regardless of our reasons for suffering, two things are true. God will give us the strength to endure the adversity and hardships in our lives and He can and will use those situations and afflictions for his glory... if we let him. The question is then, will you let him?

Heavenly Father, thank you for your Word that reminds us that, while we may not ever understand why things happen to us, you can be glorified in and through every situation that we might face in life. Help us to trust you and then focus on the things we can do rather than the things we can't... just use us. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!!!

www.team413.org

Use me too - Johnny Diaz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKa5iM5DTy8

For love of country

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters." 1 John 3:16

On May 30, 1868, the first Memorial Day (then called Decoration Day) was observed to commemorate the sacrifice of Civil War Soldiers. During that first national celebration, former Union General and sitting Ohio Congressman James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery that included these words, "We do not know one promise these men made, one pledge they gave, one word they spoke; but we do know they summed up and perfected, by one supreme act, the highest virtues of men and citizens. For love of country they accepted death, and thus resolved all doubts, and made immortal their patriotism and their virtue.” It wouldn't be until many years later that Memorial Day was declared a legal holiday and the official day for all Americans to pay tribute to the brave men and women of the United States Armed Forces who, for love of country, gave their lives in service to the nation. 

But you know, not only did these brave men and women give their lives for the country they love but also for the people, like you and me, who lived in that country... people they would never know or who may never even appreciate or acknowledge the freedoms their sacrifice offered. And yet they served anyway-willing to lay down their lives at any moment for their "brothers and sisters" just as "Jesus Christ laid down his life for us". There is perhaps no greater example we may ever see this side of Heaven of "what love is" than that my friend. 

With that in mind, may we, on this Memorial Day, take time out from our runs, races and barbecues to honor those heroes who, by one supreme act, gave their lives for us to enjoy the freedom to live and worship in what is still the greatest country on Earth. We most certainly owe these fallen soldiers a debt of gratitude and our sincerest thanks, wouldn't you agree? For who else but Jesus Christ and the American Soldier has ever been willing to die for us? 

Heavenly Father, thank you for your Son, Jesus Christ, who showed us what it means to truly love one another. And thank you for the American Soldier who followed that example that we might live in a country where we are still free to worship You. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!!!

www.team413.org

If you're reading this - Tim McGraw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6J6DDcdp2U

Watch out

"Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour." 1 Peter 5:8 NLT

On May 13 around 10 p.m. on Onset Avenue in Wareham, Massachusetts, Rene (who asked only to be identified by her first name) was about five miles into leg 12 of the Reebok Ragnar Cape Cod Relay when she heard what she thought was another runner approach her from behind. “Kind of thinking, 'Why isn't he passing me? There is nobody else around. Just go around me,'" Rene said. That's when the man began his attack, pushing her to the ground and strangling her. Thankfully a woman was nearby and yelled, scaring the attacker away. While the investigation is ongoing, Rene said she just wants to know who her attacker is.

In the middle of a publicized and sanctioned race with others around is certainly not where you would expect a person to get attacked is it? But it's yet another reminder that we should never let our guard down. And the same is true of our spiritual lives. The Bible warns us to "Stay alert!" and tells us exactly who our attacker is- the devil who "prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour." And you know, just as Rene was assaulted while she was alone and not at all ready for it, we are most prone to attack when we are alone, or not in the safety of a body of believers, and not at all ready for it by being untrained in the Word that teaches us what to "watch out for" and how to fight back. 

So may we be ever vigilant today and every day, to watch out for the enemy that seeks to destroy both our bodies and our spirits. Because as Billy Graham writes, "The devil will try to discourage you, to divert you; he will seek to dilute your testimony; he will attempt anything to destroy your relationship to Christ and your influence upon others." We must be ready. 

Heavenly Father, thank you for the reminder that spiritual attacks can come out of nowhere and, if we aren't careful, destroy us. Help us to be trained in the Word to fight them and to be linked to a body of believers that will lift us up, keep us focused onYou and join us in the fight when necessary. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.

Happy Running!!!

www.team413.org

Bulletproof - Citizen Way

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gG6ST0DVkw

http://www.fox25boston.com/news/police-investigating-after-runner-says-she-was-attacked-during-cape-cod-race/526300924

Someone cares

"Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7

Earlier this week it was announced that former NCAA champion, Gabe Proctor, was found dead on Saturday at his parents' home in Lyndonville, Vermont. In a statement, the family said, "Gabe had a desperate illness from which he could find no escape-severe depression. As a result, he took his own life." Only 27, this young runner who was said to have a heart "as big as all the world" and who had won many championships and awards succumbed to a disease that the CDC estimates affects 1 out of 20 Americans. 

And while there may be many things that can cause depression, or a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest, the Bible is very clear that we don't have to hold those feelings in or carry around the burdens or reasons behind them. You see, Christ invites every believer to cast their "anxiety on him". He wants us to lay ALL our cares down because it's the little things that we hold on to and allow to hurt us that lead to the big feelings that no one cares for us and there is no hope for things to ever get better-which couldn't be further from the truth! The truth is... there is Someone who loves us no matter what we have done or how unworthy or hopeless we might feel or might have even been told we are. 

And there is always hope because that "Someone" is Jesus Christ, the Great Physician, who has the power to heal all wounds and hurts and restore us completely. Won't you let Him do that today? 

Heavenly Father, thank you for loving us so much that you would send your Son to die for us. Help us to know that He died for each one of us and that each of us is worthy to live a life free from the pain and sadness of depression. Help those who are hurting reach out to get the help they need and help us to be those people that will show them the love of Christ. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!!!

www.team413.org

Oh my soul - Casting Crowns

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjNZf878ISQ

http://www.runnersworld.com/elite-runners/former-ncaa-champion-gabe-proctor-dies-at-27       https://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/basics/mental-illness/depression.htm

The right motives

"When you give to someone in need, don't do as the hypocrites do--blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get." Matthew 6:2 NLT

James and Sam Stafford Allen, two brothers from Castle Acre, England, ran 156 miles through the Sahara desert last month to raise money for a national disability charity called Sense that helps people, like their sister (who is blind), live full independent lives. James, 31, and Sam, 32, undertook a year-long training program before completing the equivalent of six marathons in six days when they ran the Marathon des Sables, aka "the toughest foot race on Earth". James later said, "To prepare yourself for the mental challenge for something as physically testing as this, you have to have the right motivation for doing so."

And when it comes to having the right motivation for doing good deeds or helping others, the Bible warns us to not "do as the hypocrites do" and be people who do good acts for appearances only. You see, when we do acts of charity only to be noticed and acknowledged by others, we become "hyprocrites". And even if our actions are good, the motives behind them are still hollow and you can be sure that the praise of men will be "all the reward" we will ever get.

So may we check our motives and check them often, so that we will do all things for the glory of God and the good of others with a pure heart and for the right reasons. 

Heavenly Father, thank you for the reminder that our motives for serving you and helping others need to be carefully evaluated. Help us to crave the pleasure of doing your will rather than the praises of man. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!!!

www.team413.org

Audience of One - Big Daddy Weave

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFxVfAZj5Q0

http://www.wattonandswaffhamtimes.co.uk/news/an-incredible-once-in-a-lifetime-experience-brothers-run-156-miles-through-the-sahara-desert-1-5030582