Saturday, January 21, 2012
Treadmill Daydream
I am now putting in some solid weekly miles, and will be at or around 40 this week. (first time at 40 in a long, long time). In fact I will have run more miles this week than in two different months of this deployment. Numbers wise, I have ran 84.4 miles this month, which, not astronomical is more than I have ran in a single month since May 2011, and already a tenth of my totall 2011 mileage! And, my legs are feeling great, stronger than ever.
The downside to all of this...almost every step of it has been on a treadmill, including this mornings 14 miler (2:17:35). Thats right, I had to reset it not just once, but twice because the timer wont allow more than 60 minutes at a pop. Talk about frustrating.
To break the monotony of just pounding miles, I set the inline at random (no less than 3% grade) and just go with it. Since I have a few big mountain races coming up this summer, I need to learn to run uphill better anyway. This naturally makes me run slower with a shorter stride and forces me to increase my running economy, but it also does something else...
About 6 miles in today, my brain started drifting, day dreaming if you will...(I am thinking more like hallucinations mixed with delusions of granduer). As the TM started up another incline for me to suffer through all of a sudden I was racing in Cheyenne Mountain against one of America's (and the worlds) best mountain runners in Max King. In my daydream we chased each other through 26.2 miles of trails at the Xterra Marathon of Trail Races, Max is so good that my daydream wouldnt let me drop him. (He did win the Xterra National Championship last year). We pushed each other to the brink on the final big climb to the second highest point on the course, North Talon Loop and with both of us in oxygen debt is where I made a move, 4 miles to the finish. The last super steep, rocky section of North Talon instead of going into an economical walk, I surged up and over the top...praying that my legs would recover and I could put a couple hundred yards on Max before he could do anything about it.
(I had some Pearl Jam set to random, so the sound track that was playing in my ears to all of this was simply outstanding, Given to Fly, Severed Hand, Porch, Life Wasted, WWS, Yellow Ledbetter...I could run to these guys for hours...and I often do). Back to the daydream
I couldnt believe it, I had broken Max King, on a climb in near sight of the finish line. I only had two miles to go in my run and was cruising along, at a steady 3% and decided to shift gears on the treadmill, I bumped it up another .2 mph...feeling the finish. And my mind drifted back to the race...all of a sudden I am neck and neck with Peter Maksimow (Cheyenne Mountain 25k, Greenland Trail 50k winner)..and its a race again. With one mile to go the treadmill decides its going to lift me to the moon, and I make the brutal mistake of not slowing...as it goes to 5.5% grade, I try to push the pace and pay for it.
I had completed this entire run with only a little water and no gels...I wanted to push myself into suffering today..and the last mile, suffering is what I did. I had to slow down and walk for a tenth, because my breathing was ragged and true to form Peter went on for the win, I finished second (even my dreams keep me honest) breaking 3:50 in a trail marathon (listen, this is MY dream).
I am glad for the hard run, though and the welcome distraction of a race, even if it is in my own mind. I am really starting to feel strong and run strong. I am learning how to recover properly and have rid all the junk with the exception of a coke or two a day out of my diet. I drink Fluid Recovery System drink after every hard run and at least once a day otherwise. I am really blessed to have them as a sponsor, I dont think I could train with the intensity level that I want to, without being able to recover quickly. I take 2-4 BCAA caps a day, along with Omega 3-6-9 and a B-12 supplement. I stay away from protien shakes and any thermogenics, as all the protien does is make me fat, and the thermogenics lift my heartrate too much to run.
I am looking forward to an amazing summer schedule which will include the Aspen Marathon, Leadville Silver Rush 50, possibly volunteering (with my family) at Pikes Peak Ascent (Kilian Jornet is supposed to be there and who doesnt want to see him run P.P.), a Dirty Dash with my wife and daughters, and I am trying to decide between a couple Xterra's (Indian Peaks and Cheyenne Mountain) or Run Rabbit Run 100 for my first 100.
The downside to all of this...almost every step of it has been on a treadmill, including this mornings 14 miler (2:17:35). Thats right, I had to reset it not just once, but twice because the timer wont allow more than 60 minutes at a pop. Talk about frustrating.
To break the monotony of just pounding miles, I set the inline at random (no less than 3% grade) and just go with it. Since I have a few big mountain races coming up this summer, I need to learn to run uphill better anyway. This naturally makes me run slower with a shorter stride and forces me to increase my running economy, but it also does something else...
About 6 miles in today, my brain started drifting, day dreaming if you will...(I am thinking more like hallucinations mixed with delusions of granduer). As the TM started up another incline for me to suffer through all of a sudden I was racing in Cheyenne Mountain against one of America's (and the worlds) best mountain runners in Max King. In my daydream we chased each other through 26.2 miles of trails at the Xterra Marathon of Trail Races, Max is so good that my daydream wouldnt let me drop him. (He did win the Xterra National Championship last year). We pushed each other to the brink on the final big climb to the second highest point on the course, North Talon Loop and with both of us in oxygen debt is where I made a move, 4 miles to the finish. The last super steep, rocky section of North Talon instead of going into an economical walk, I surged up and over the top...praying that my legs would recover and I could put a couple hundred yards on Max before he could do anything about it.
(I had some Pearl Jam set to random, so the sound track that was playing in my ears to all of this was simply outstanding, Given to Fly, Severed Hand, Porch, Life Wasted, WWS, Yellow Ledbetter...I could run to these guys for hours...and I often do). Back to the daydream
I couldnt believe it, I had broken Max King, on a climb in near sight of the finish line. I only had two miles to go in my run and was cruising along, at a steady 3% and decided to shift gears on the treadmill, I bumped it up another .2 mph...feeling the finish. And my mind drifted back to the race...all of a sudden I am neck and neck with Peter Maksimow (Cheyenne Mountain 25k, Greenland Trail 50k winner)..and its a race again. With one mile to go the treadmill decides its going to lift me to the moon, and I make the brutal mistake of not slowing...as it goes to 5.5% grade, I try to push the pace and pay for it.
I am glad for the hard run, though and the welcome distraction of a race, even if it is in my own mind. I am really starting to feel strong and run strong. I am learning how to recover properly and have rid all the junk with the exception of a coke or two a day out of my diet. I drink Fluid Recovery System drink after every hard run and at least once a day otherwise. I am really blessed to have them as a sponsor, I dont think I could train with the intensity level that I want to, without being able to recover quickly. I take 2-4 BCAA caps a day, along with Omega 3-6-9 and a B-12 supplement. I stay away from protien shakes and any thermogenics, as all the protien does is make me fat, and the thermogenics lift my heartrate too much to run.
I am looking forward to an amazing summer schedule which will include the Aspen Marathon, Leadville Silver Rush 50, possibly volunteering (with my family) at Pikes Peak Ascent (Kilian Jornet is supposed to be there and who doesnt want to see him run P.P.), a Dirty Dash with my wife and daughters, and I am trying to decide between a couple Xterra's (Indian Peaks and Cheyenne Mountain) or Run Rabbit Run 100 for my first 100.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Audacious!
"Reach for the stars, for if you fall short, you will still land on the moon"- somebody famous
What's the point of dreaming if you dont dream big? I mean, really lets think about this. If you are dreaming and making plans for things that you know you can do, what really is the point? Life is about finding our limits, and pushing ourselves beyond them; not settling (many times out of a fear of failure), for something that is already within our grasp. Life is about having a dream so big and so audacious that others call you crazy for even thinking it, let alone attempting it. When you are training for it or getting ready for your goal, these non-dreamers will tell you to "take it easy", or "pace yourself", "dont push too hard". If you fail, they will tell you that it was too big, or that you shouldnt have ever tried. However; when you complete it, those same people will be left speachless.
I take this attitude with pretty much anything in life, or at least I try to, but no area more so than my running. My first race, when I began running wasnt a 5k...no, with two weeks of training I chose to race a really hard 10k. Why? Because anyone can run a 5k...I wanted to go bigger. I wanted to push myself through a barrier that I didnt know was there. I knew that the Half Marathon and Marathon was much too far on newbie legs, and I didnt want to walk...so I chose the 10k, which climbed over a huge hill right in the middle...seriously the course was a loop, but it was uphill the whole way..I swear! (I finished that first race and took 3rd in my age group).
Now, here I am, 4 years removed from that first race and actively (no kidding), planning out 50 and 100 mile races that I want to run, and wondering where my limits really are. I thought my limits were at the Marathon, where I struggled to break 4:30...but I was wrong when I finished my first Ultra. So now I am looking for more.
I often find myself wondering, as I plan out these wild ideas...did anyone ever tell Neil Armstrong that the moon was "just too far away"? What about Lance Armstrong, laying in his hospital bed fighting cancer and dreaming about cycling...did people tell him to "let it go"? What about anybody who has ever done anything of use or of ambition? Did people tell them to slow down, to pace themselves or to take it easy? Or did people tell them that while their dreams were audacious, to go for it...because the only way you know how far you can go, is to put foot in front of the other until you simply cannot anymore.
We can go further than we think, we can go harder than we think, we can do more than we think. Where are your limits? What is your audacious dream that for some reason you havent gone for yet?
What's the point of dreaming if you dont dream big? I mean, really lets think about this. If you are dreaming and making plans for things that you know you can do, what really is the point? Life is about finding our limits, and pushing ourselves beyond them; not settling (many times out of a fear of failure), for something that is already within our grasp. Life is about having a dream so big and so audacious that others call you crazy for even thinking it, let alone attempting it. When you are training for it or getting ready for your goal, these non-dreamers will tell you to "take it easy", or "pace yourself", "dont push too hard". If you fail, they will tell you that it was too big, or that you shouldnt have ever tried. However; when you complete it, those same people will be left speachless.
I take this attitude with pretty much anything in life, or at least I try to, but no area more so than my running. My first race, when I began running wasnt a 5k...no, with two weeks of training I chose to race a really hard 10k. Why? Because anyone can run a 5k...I wanted to go bigger. I wanted to push myself through a barrier that I didnt know was there. I knew that the Half Marathon and Marathon was much too far on newbie legs, and I didnt want to walk...so I chose the 10k, which climbed over a huge hill right in the middle...seriously the course was a loop, but it was uphill the whole way..I swear! (I finished that first race and took 3rd in my age group).
Now, here I am, 4 years removed from that first race and actively (no kidding), planning out 50 and 100 mile races that I want to run, and wondering where my limits really are. I thought my limits were at the Marathon, where I struggled to break 4:30...but I was wrong when I finished my first Ultra. So now I am looking for more.
I often find myself wondering, as I plan out these wild ideas...did anyone ever tell Neil Armstrong that the moon was "just too far away"? What about Lance Armstrong, laying in his hospital bed fighting cancer and dreaming about cycling...did people tell him to "let it go"? What about anybody who has ever done anything of use or of ambition? Did people tell them to slow down, to pace themselves or to take it easy? Or did people tell them that while their dreams were audacious, to go for it...because the only way you know how far you can go, is to put foot in front of the other until you simply cannot anymore.
We can go further than we think, we can go harder than we think, we can do more than we think. Where are your limits? What is your audacious dream that for some reason you havent gone for yet?
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Perpetual Forward Motion
"Every marathon has a breaking point where the finish line seems out of reach."
Truer words were never spoken. Distance running is hard, really hard, and anyone who has ever ran more than a 10k knows this. I am not making this statement to belittle shorter distances, but lets be frank, running for an hour will not cause you to hit a wall (unless you are running flat out). Distance running though, when your runs get into the 10's, 20's, 30's and beyond have a definite wall, that takes concerted effort to break through.
It's funny how much life and running go hand in hand in this manner.
Before I deployed to Afghanistan last May, I ran a 50k trail race in Colorado. I remember starting that race with such phenomenal goals, that I was going to finish sub 5 hours, and in the top 20 overall; because all the preparation I had done leading up to that race had gone well. I had worked hard, was in some of the best shape of my life and had even gone and walked the entire course to get an idea of what I was going to be running through. I was prepared, mentally and physically for a great day.
What I wasnt prepared for was 80 degrees and sunny, with a stiff wind that seemed to stay in my face all day. I wasnt prepared for the subtle way the elevation gains over 50 km strips the energy out of your muscles, and around mile 18 I hit a wall. There I was, running along, knocking off 9 minute mile after 9 minute mile (which is pretty good on a hilly trail course)...and I came in to an aid station to get a refill of water and some food and as I started to leave, my body decided it didnt want to run.
Jump ahead to Afghanistan, it is now January, I had just returned from 2 weeks R&R with my family in December and up to this point my tour had been going exceedingly well, every day was getting ticked off the calandar quickly and time was flying bye. Then I went home, to get a refill on the lovin that I was missing from my wife and the daughters. Everything was going great, until I was ready to leave and come back to Afghanistan. My body didnt want to leave the comfort of home, just like it didnt want to leave the comfort of that aid staion. It took a force of sheer willpower to send myself back off on that plane to Afghanistan.
And now, here I sit struggling to make every day move a little faster, I know that I am nearing the end of this particular journey, however my mind and body do not want to co-operate. The rest of the race was a mixture of feeling good and feeling bad, and that is what the last month has felt like for me here. In fact in most of my life and especially in the area of my faith I have hit patches where I struggle to keep moving forward, because its just easier to sit down and stop and let the aid workers carry you back to your car.
But like my race, where the only way to get to the end and still respect yourself when you get there is to keep moving. Keep putting one foot in front of the other in a perpetual forward motion. I think the apostle Paul was a runner, because he tells us over and over that even though it is hard that we are to endure. Enduring doesnt mean feeling good, or running fast, enduring is about continuing to move forward no matter how badly it hurts. Paul compares life and faith to a running race, in particular to a marathon, and he isnt concerned about who wins, he is concerned that you finish well. And I think that is the point: to finish well.
At mile 28 of my race I received a nice second wind (along with a long downhill and a tailwind) and was able to pick up the pace and finish strong, I ran almost the entire 3 miles in to the finish and was able to even throw my hands up in success because I was able to endure. I had taken my mind and body places they had never been before in terms of hurt and pain and was able to endure to the end of the race.
That experience is something that I need to hold on to, as I move forward in this deployment and in the ministry that God has given me. That I need to just keep moving forward, whether at a run or a walk, to not stop when it hurts, but to push through the pain and to work on finishing well. This lesson is why my favorite bible verse is Hebrews 12:1 "I will run with endurace the race that God has set before me". It is so important that we remember that life is a marathon, not a sprint. In fact, life is probably better compared to an ultra marathon in the terms of the total amount of self inflicted pain that so many of us go through. Self inflicted or not, though, it is important to continue to endure and to finish well.
Jesus Christ finished well, and his finish line was the hardest part of his life, yet it was what he was put on earth to do. His exact words were "It is finished." He knew that he had endured, and that the father was proud of him. When I finished my race, I knew my wife was proud of me, and when I finish this jouney in Afghanistan, I know that she will come running and leaping into my arms. But most importantly, when I finish this life, I want Jesus to meet me with a smile and congratulate me for a life well run and for him to say that I finished well.
Truer words were never spoken. Distance running is hard, really hard, and anyone who has ever ran more than a 10k knows this. I am not making this statement to belittle shorter distances, but lets be frank, running for an hour will not cause you to hit a wall (unless you are running flat out). Distance running though, when your runs get into the 10's, 20's, 30's and beyond have a definite wall, that takes concerted effort to break through.
It's funny how much life and running go hand in hand in this manner.
Before I deployed to Afghanistan last May, I ran a 50k trail race in Colorado. I remember starting that race with such phenomenal goals, that I was going to finish sub 5 hours, and in the top 20 overall; because all the preparation I had done leading up to that race had gone well. I had worked hard, was in some of the best shape of my life and had even gone and walked the entire course to get an idea of what I was going to be running through. I was prepared, mentally and physically for a great day.
What I wasnt prepared for was 80 degrees and sunny, with a stiff wind that seemed to stay in my face all day. I wasnt prepared for the subtle way the elevation gains over 50 km strips the energy out of your muscles, and around mile 18 I hit a wall. There I was, running along, knocking off 9 minute mile after 9 minute mile (which is pretty good on a hilly trail course)...and I came in to an aid station to get a refill of water and some food and as I started to leave, my body decided it didnt want to run.
Jump ahead to Afghanistan, it is now January, I had just returned from 2 weeks R&R with my family in December and up to this point my tour had been going exceedingly well, every day was getting ticked off the calandar quickly and time was flying bye. Then I went home, to get a refill on the lovin that I was missing from my wife and the daughters. Everything was going great, until I was ready to leave and come back to Afghanistan. My body didnt want to leave the comfort of home, just like it didnt want to leave the comfort of that aid staion. It took a force of sheer willpower to send myself back off on that plane to Afghanistan.
And now, here I sit struggling to make every day move a little faster, I know that I am nearing the end of this particular journey, however my mind and body do not want to co-operate. The rest of the race was a mixture of feeling good and feeling bad, and that is what the last month has felt like for me here. In fact in most of my life and especially in the area of my faith I have hit patches where I struggle to keep moving forward, because its just easier to sit down and stop and let the aid workers carry you back to your car.
But like my race, where the only way to get to the end and still respect yourself when you get there is to keep moving. Keep putting one foot in front of the other in a perpetual forward motion. I think the apostle Paul was a runner, because he tells us over and over that even though it is hard that we are to endure. Enduring doesnt mean feeling good, or running fast, enduring is about continuing to move forward no matter how badly it hurts. Paul compares life and faith to a running race, in particular to a marathon, and he isnt concerned about who wins, he is concerned that you finish well. And I think that is the point: to finish well.
At mile 28 of my race I received a nice second wind (along with a long downhill and a tailwind) and was able to pick up the pace and finish strong, I ran almost the entire 3 miles in to the finish and was able to even throw my hands up in success because I was able to endure. I had taken my mind and body places they had never been before in terms of hurt and pain and was able to endure to the end of the race.
That experience is something that I need to hold on to, as I move forward in this deployment and in the ministry that God has given me. That I need to just keep moving forward, whether at a run or a walk, to not stop when it hurts, but to push through the pain and to work on finishing well. This lesson is why my favorite bible verse is Hebrews 12:1 "I will run with endurace the race that God has set before me". It is so important that we remember that life is a marathon, not a sprint. In fact, life is probably better compared to an ultra marathon in the terms of the total amount of self inflicted pain that so many of us go through. Self inflicted or not, though, it is important to continue to endure and to finish well.
Jesus Christ finished well, and his finish line was the hardest part of his life, yet it was what he was put on earth to do. His exact words were "It is finished." He knew that he had endured, and that the father was proud of him. When I finished my race, I knew my wife was proud of me, and when I finish this jouney in Afghanistan, I know that she will come running and leaping into my arms. But most importantly, when I finish this life, I want Jesus to meet me with a smile and congratulate me for a life well run and for him to say that I finished well.
Trying To Advance My Faith...?
Received this one line message from a "friend" on Facebook today. "I am trying to advance my faith." My initial thoughts were, "thats great man" and "what can I do to help". But before I sent that message back to him, I thought about it for a minute.
"I am trying to advance my faith", not "I am growing in my faith" or "I have been unfaithful, and am trying to come back.", but somewhere in between. It is a very non-commital statement once you think about it. Like, Jesus is going to tell you when you die..well, "you tried, thats what counts."
"I am trying to advance my faith", not "I am growing in my faith" or "I have been unfaithful, and am trying to come back.", but somewhere in between. It is a very non-commital statement once you think about it. Like, Jesus is going to tell you when you die..well, "you tried, thats what counts."
not to go yoda, but, "do or do not, there is no try". Jesus isnt going to say "good try", friend....sorry, he is going to say one of two things..."Good job, true and faithful servant", or "get away from me, I never knew you"...it sounds harsh, but that is really how it is. Jesus didnt really waste time on the people who were trying to advance their faith in a very non-commital way. In order to call your self a Christian, defined: Follower of Christ, you must be willing to commit.
Jesus did not mince words with people who werent willing to fully commit. When the rich man came and asked Jesus what he had to do to reach the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus asked him if he had obeyed the commandments. The rich man said he did, and Jesus knew it was true. But then Jesus turned the table and said "if you want to see the Kingdom of Heaven, sell all you have and follow me." The rich man left, did not follow Christ, because he was too attached to his possessions and money than to fully commit. But notice what Jesus did...nothing. Jesus didnt chase after him, he didnt make a deal with him or soften the responsibilities of the man, Jesus moved on.
A commitment to become a follower of Christ is a full life commitment. Our salvation is based off more than just simply saying a prayer and then continuing our life as nothing else has changed. The acceptance of salvation means a repentance..not just being sorry, but a full turning away from your sins. This is not lip-service salvation, this is full on lifestyle change salvation. Paul tells us in Romans that we are not saved by our deeds but by Grace alone; however James tells us that "faith without works is dead". It is both, we have to believe with our hearts and minds, and follow with our bodies. We cant try to work on our faith, we have faith and we put it to work. Do or do not..there is no try, I think Jesus and Yoda would agree.
Jesus did not mince words with people who werent willing to fully commit. When the rich man came and asked Jesus what he had to do to reach the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus asked him if he had obeyed the commandments. The rich man said he did, and Jesus knew it was true. But then Jesus turned the table and said "if you want to see the Kingdom of Heaven, sell all you have and follow me." The rich man left, did not follow Christ, because he was too attached to his possessions and money than to fully commit. But notice what Jesus did...nothing. Jesus didnt chase after him, he didnt make a deal with him or soften the responsibilities of the man, Jesus moved on.
A commitment to become a follower of Christ is a full life commitment. Our salvation is based off more than just simply saying a prayer and then continuing our life as nothing else has changed. The acceptance of salvation means a repentance..not just being sorry, but a full turning away from your sins. This is not lip-service salvation, this is full on lifestyle change salvation. Paul tells us in Romans that we are not saved by our deeds but by Grace alone; however James tells us that "faith without works is dead". It is both, we have to believe with our hearts and minds, and follow with our bodies. We cant try to work on our faith, we have faith and we put it to work. Do or do not..there is no try, I think Jesus and Yoda would agree.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Stuck in the Middle
It’s not easy living in the middle, especially when your middle is between good and great. It may as well be the middle of a rock and a hard place, only I think it is actually worse to be stuck between good and great. At least a rock and a hard place there is no right answer, so you can go with your gut and shrug off the results. Not so with Good and Great.
You see, Good and Great demand a choice, demand a sacrifice of one over the other. Good and Great involves risk taking, faith and dealing with fear. Good and Great demand a decision and for you to put action to words; where as a rock and a hard place, well, they really don’t. Good and Great can be the choice of teaching music or playing music professionally; it could be teaching Biology, or actually getting out of the classroom and into the Wild. Good and Great can be between showing up on Sunday morning for an hour of worship before football, or leaving the comforts of your home town or country to take a six month mission trip. The rock and the hard place will never make you suffer the way choosing between Good and Great will.
Most Western Christians probably feel this struggle on a daily basis. Do I choose the comfort and security that God has provided for my family, or do we step out of that comfort into a lifetime of service? Do I keep my high paying job with fancy car and half million dollar home? Or, do I take the offer to go build homes for the poor?
I mean, the good job and nice car and home aren’t necessarily bad, and living in security and comfort are not by any means bad. However, is that what Christians are called to do? Are we called to just show up on Sunday and go throughout the other 6/7ths of our existence just kind of being good? Or are we called as Christians to leave behind what the world values as Good and pursue what God calls Great?
Let me start by saying that this is not about dropping everything and running out to the middle of Africa, I understand that many are not called to that (though more are than realize it), this is actually for those of us who say, “there is plenty to do right here.” We use this as our excuse to not go around the world and live in poverty, because there is “plenty of ways to serve right here.” Only…we don’t do anything right here!!
I am going to say this, quite plainly, Jesus demands more from us than simply showing up to service on Sunday and dropping a few dollars in the bucket to think “there, I’ve done my part.” You haven’t done squat. You like the idea of Jesus, you like the idea of missions, but you think that missions are for the “Real Jesus Freaks”, but you…you have bills to pay, with money you don’t have and so you have to work harder at a job you don’t even like, earning money to pay the bills for the stuff you bought, which you don’t need, to impress the friends whom you don’t like anyway. So, you just don’t have time for any of that hippy stuff. “Give me my Jesus on Sunday morning, but after that, leave me alone.” Do you know what Jesus says about this attitude? “Get away from me, I never knew you!”
Do you realize that by sitting in the middle of Good and Great, you are missing the ENTIRE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.
“But it’s hard.” You say..It is supposed to be hard. Jesus carrying his cross was Hard, you being a bit uncomfortable is not hard, you just don’t want to.
“But what about my kids.” What about them? Teach them that living a life for Christ is more fulfilling than anything they could ever want to do. Teach them that feeding the homeless, and caring for the sick and loving the unloved is what Christians are actually called out to do.
“But my husband/wife won’t go with me.” Who is more important to you? If your husband or wife is more important to you than Jesus, you need to reassess your priorities. I am not saying they aren’t important, but even Jesus said that we need to hate everyone else in comparison to Him. We need to love and obey Jesus first, and anyone else after, to include our spouses, our children, parents and family.
This is one of the reasons people get stuck in the middle, they have a Good life. Things are good, the kids are good, the husband/wife is good, the job is good, everything is good. If I take Jesus too seriously and risk it all what will happen? I might lose all that is good. If my spouse won’t commit with me, I might lose them as well. What if one of my actions following Jesus causes discomfort for my children? These are the questions that every Christian in the west faces, and sadly most Christians choose Good over Great.
Just imagine for a minute if you would, all the millions of church going Christians that live in America and Canada. Imagine the thousands and hundreds of thousands that live in each city, town and village. Now, imagine if every single one of those Christians, rather than leaving church every Sunday morning going on with the “rest” of their lives, not thinking about Jesus or God for the next week …imagine if instead all those millions of Christians went out into the world and witnessed for Jesus, what if they went and took food to hungry, and medicine to the sick and lifted up the broken hearted. Imagine, just imagine what it would look like if these people went out into their own communities and shined the light of Christ. Can you imagine?
Sadly, most wont. Sadly, most will leave Sunday judging the Pastor, or the Sermon or the Worship style or the lady with the weird hat…or the girl that did not come in dressed in her Sunday best. Most will block their hearts from actually experiencing the word of Christ and following His invitation to go where He is going. Guess what, Jesus isn’t going to Golden Corral after service, so if you want to eat lunch with Him, why not follow him to the local shelter.
Essentially what I am trying to say is that the choice between Good and Great doesn’t need to take you a million miles from home (unless Jesus is calling you somewhere specific), but it does need to take you out of comfortable. Jesus says in Luke 9:23 “Whoever wants to follow me, must die to himself and pick up his cross daily.” This is where we are stuck, in the middle, trying to decide to pick up the cross and follow or get left behind chasing after things that are just Good.
Go for Great, follow, die to yourself, pick up the cross. Great is the Kingdom of Heaven, Great is easing the suffering of an orphaned child. Great is letting the tears of mother who lost her baby to sickness fall on your shoulder. Great is serving food at a homeless shelter. Great, is loving your enemy. Great is giving up your anger and loving someone who is unlovable. Great is forgiveness. Great is mercy. Great is giving up fame on earth for being famous in heaven. For a Christian, it really shouldn’t be hard to determine which path to take…Good or Great. Jesus took sacrifice, Jesus took our sin, and Jesus paid our way to heaven. Jesus took Great, and invites us to follow Him.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Raising Your Hands To A Worship Song Doesn't Get You Brownie Points in Heaven.
Where is the line between Faith and Religion? How does a Christian understand the difference of trusting in their salvation regardless of their works, and faith without works is dead? How does the Body of Christ, His Bride remain the Body or the Bride, if the Church is walking away from what is truly Christ-like?
Man, these are some great questions, and honestly it seems that everyone is talking about these topics this week and rightly so, because they are very, very relevant. We as people (not just Christians) always have the need to justify things, to earn what we have and to always wait for the other shoe to drop. We also prefer to be around people who are like us, we like to be told happy fortunes instead of dire warnings. We like peaceful, loving, feel good messages and sunshine, rainbows and flowers rather than getting dirty with hard to handle discussions that hit home and are extremely hard to swallow. We like watered down, Buddy Jesus, as opposed to the Jesus who actually went into the ghetto's and talked with the deaf, touched the leppers and accosted the rich.
We like our Jesus to be just like us.
But we are wrong!! Jesus ISNT just like us, that is the ENTIRE POINT! In the entirety of history, Jesus Christ was the only person (I was going to say man, but then all the women would think I wasnt meaning them too) who truly understood what God is really about!
God is about passion; not rote ritualism.
Dont mistake religious or ritualistic things in Christianity to have no meaning, or heart (Communion for example is a ritualistic device, however for many it is often a moving and meaningful experience for those who partake), but rather doing a ritual for the sole purpose of gaining favor with God is simply a waste of your time. God does not take pleasure in men performing rituals, if they are not at the same time worshipping with their heart. (raising your hands during a worship song, does not get you brownie points in heaven...sorry, it just doesnt).
God wants your heart; not your money.
God would much rather have you worship Him with a glad heart and spend your time lost in prayer and loving him, than he does when you just write a check for the offering. Now, God will use your money and commands us to give of ourselves in this way, but it doesnt garauntee our salvation. No amount of giving, working, good deeds or charity will "earn you heaven". But Jesus demands more of us than a blank check, he commands us to Love God with our hearts, mind and soul and to Love our neighbors as ourselves. Jesus doesnt tell us to tithe 10% and the kindom of heaven is yours...he tells us to visit the imprisoned and feed and shelter the poor and homeless. He tells us to do heartfelt things because that is where he lives, and you dont need to be rich to do it. He will spend your money, and you're not getting it back, but tithing isnt the heart of God, Love is.
Your political views demonstrate your religious understanding.
WRONG!! There are too many diverse ideas and political agendas to clearly deliniate that a Christian can only be Democrat or only be Republican. Political views are just that, political...and God doesnt play in politics. He is the supreme ruler of the entire universe. The social action of a Democrat mixed with the
evangelism of a Republican would be somewhere around where Jesus was...he would be both Democrat, Republican AND Independant....of course if Jesus were here, He would be reigning on His throne and this topic would be moot. Keep your religion and politics seperate, they are not the same.
I LOVE Jesus, but I HATE the Church
Quite simply, then you dont love Jesus...you cant love Jesus and hate his Bride. Jesus established the church, we are the body of Christ. We are made up of people who are flawed, who dont always get it, but keep showing up anyway.
Your church has lost its way and is more concerned about status and money and the proper worship style? Believe it or not that happened in 1st Century Rome as well...it just takes reminding the leadership of what is truly important.
Your pastor doesnt preach out of the bible? find one who does.
There is this really nice lady, who is always sewing in the pew in front of me...doesnt she know we are in church? (I have seen this, literally)...get over yourself, if you took the time to find out, she works 2 jobs, volunteers at a homeless shelter and makes blankets for orphan babies...what do you do (puts check in offering plate).
Your church doesnt have an outreach (at all, or one that interests you). Start one
There are quite literally a million different ways to make the church an effective body of Christ, but it takes someone stepping up and being a leader. It takes someone that really does have a love of God to move, not complain about something, but to make something happen. If you Love Jesus, you will love His Church and you will work to make it effective.
Saving Grace is nice and all, but I still feel like I have to earn it, everyday
I read a story of a college professor who was trying to make this point (yes it was a bible college, dont lose your minds). He knew that the test his Micro-biology students were studying for was going to be a killer. And out of a sense of compassion, and to bring home the point of Grace that found the way into a class discussion a few classes prior, decided to do a social experiment of sorts.
At the top of every test he wrote: All you have to do to get an A is write your name at the top of this paper and turn it in....or, you can take the whole test and accept the grade you receive.
Guess who the only students were that received A's? Yep, everyone else missed that A standard, because they refused the grace of their teacher and were prideful of their knowledge and study habbits and the effort they have already put in to that test. That is what we do when we ignore the grace of God and decide that we can seek salvation on our own, through our works. It is pointless, fruitless, a waste of time, energy, often money....and gets us no closer to God.
What I am trying to say, to wrap this up neatly, is God wants a heartfelt relationship with you. If your heart isnt in it, dont bother doing it. Taking the "fake it till you make it" approach isnt going to get you closer to God, and will infact pull you further away as you run around chasing your tail. Love God, Love Jesus, because he first loved us. That's it. When we love God, when we love Jesus, we will find that we start to love what He loves and are willing to do the things that He did. It doesnt matter what radio station you listen to, who your pastor is, what big church you go to or all the great Christiany things you do...it does matter if you truly love God.
Man, these are some great questions, and honestly it seems that everyone is talking about these topics this week and rightly so, because they are very, very relevant. We as people (not just Christians) always have the need to justify things, to earn what we have and to always wait for the other shoe to drop. We also prefer to be around people who are like us, we like to be told happy fortunes instead of dire warnings. We like peaceful, loving, feel good messages and sunshine, rainbows and flowers rather than getting dirty with hard to handle discussions that hit home and are extremely hard to swallow. We like watered down, Buddy Jesus, as opposed to the Jesus who actually went into the ghetto's and talked with the deaf, touched the leppers and accosted the rich.
We like our Jesus to be just like us.
But we are wrong!! Jesus ISNT just like us, that is the ENTIRE POINT! In the entirety of history, Jesus Christ was the only person (I was going to say man, but then all the women would think I wasnt meaning them too) who truly understood what God is really about!
God is about passion; not rote ritualism.
Dont mistake religious or ritualistic things in Christianity to have no meaning, or heart (Communion for example is a ritualistic device, however for many it is often a moving and meaningful experience for those who partake), but rather doing a ritual for the sole purpose of gaining favor with God is simply a waste of your time. God does not take pleasure in men performing rituals, if they are not at the same time worshipping with their heart. (raising your hands during a worship song, does not get you brownie points in heaven...sorry, it just doesnt).
God wants your heart; not your money.
God would much rather have you worship Him with a glad heart and spend your time lost in prayer and loving him, than he does when you just write a check for the offering. Now, God will use your money and commands us to give of ourselves in this way, but it doesnt garauntee our salvation. No amount of giving, working, good deeds or charity will "earn you heaven". But Jesus demands more of us than a blank check, he commands us to Love God with our hearts, mind and soul and to Love our neighbors as ourselves. Jesus doesnt tell us to tithe 10% and the kindom of heaven is yours...he tells us to visit the imprisoned and feed and shelter the poor and homeless. He tells us to do heartfelt things because that is where he lives, and you dont need to be rich to do it. He will spend your money, and you're not getting it back, but tithing isnt the heart of God, Love is.
Your political views demonstrate your religious understanding.
WRONG!! There are too many diverse ideas and political agendas to clearly deliniate that a Christian can only be Democrat or only be Republican. Political views are just that, political...and God doesnt play in politics. He is the supreme ruler of the entire universe. The social action of a Democrat mixed with the
evangelism of a Republican would be somewhere around where Jesus was...he would be both Democrat, Republican AND Independant....of course if Jesus were here, He would be reigning on His throne and this topic would be moot. Keep your religion and politics seperate, they are not the same.
I LOVE Jesus, but I HATE the Church
Quite simply, then you dont love Jesus...you cant love Jesus and hate his Bride. Jesus established the church, we are the body of Christ. We are made up of people who are flawed, who dont always get it, but keep showing up anyway.
Your church has lost its way and is more concerned about status and money and the proper worship style? Believe it or not that happened in 1st Century Rome as well...it just takes reminding the leadership of what is truly important.
Your pastor doesnt preach out of the bible? find one who does.
There is this really nice lady, who is always sewing in the pew in front of me...doesnt she know we are in church? (I have seen this, literally)...get over yourself, if you took the time to find out, she works 2 jobs, volunteers at a homeless shelter and makes blankets for orphan babies...what do you do (puts check in offering plate).
Your church doesnt have an outreach (at all, or one that interests you). Start one
There are quite literally a million different ways to make the church an effective body of Christ, but it takes someone stepping up and being a leader. It takes someone that really does have a love of God to move, not complain about something, but to make something happen. If you Love Jesus, you will love His Church and you will work to make it effective.
Saving Grace is nice and all, but I still feel like I have to earn it, everyday
I read a story of a college professor who was trying to make this point (yes it was a bible college, dont lose your minds). He knew that the test his Micro-biology students were studying for was going to be a killer. And out of a sense of compassion, and to bring home the point of Grace that found the way into a class discussion a few classes prior, decided to do a social experiment of sorts.
At the top of every test he wrote: All you have to do to get an A is write your name at the top of this paper and turn it in....or, you can take the whole test and accept the grade you receive.
Guess who the only students were that received A's? Yep, everyone else missed that A standard, because they refused the grace of their teacher and were prideful of their knowledge and study habbits and the effort they have already put in to that test. That is what we do when we ignore the grace of God and decide that we can seek salvation on our own, through our works. It is pointless, fruitless, a waste of time, energy, often money....and gets us no closer to God.
What I am trying to say, to wrap this up neatly, is God wants a heartfelt relationship with you. If your heart isnt in it, dont bother doing it. Taking the "fake it till you make it" approach isnt going to get you closer to God, and will infact pull you further away as you run around chasing your tail. Love God, Love Jesus, because he first loved us. That's it. When we love God, when we love Jesus, we will find that we start to love what He loves and are willing to do the things that He did. It doesnt matter what radio station you listen to, who your pastor is, what big church you go to or all the great Christiany things you do...it does matter if you truly love God.
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