The Spiritual Side of Running

"Please stop to smell the flowers." -God

"Thus I do not run aimlessly; I do not fight as if I were shadowboxing. No, I drive my body and train it, for fear that, after having preached to others, I myself should be disqualified." 1 Corinthians 9:26-27

"The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak." Mark 14:38

I have always felt a strong correlation between my physical health and my spiritual health, so the passages above are more like rallying cries. Spiritually and physically, I really feel the effects of Original Sin. When it comes down to anything that is healthy, for me at least, it is an uphill battle.

My Spirit wants to exercise at lunch, but my flesh wants to go eat Thai.

My Spirit wants to juice for breakfast, but my flesh wants a donut.

My Spirit wants to avoid bad habits, but my flesh cries out for them.

Praise God for His Mercy and Forgiveness and for Our Savior Jesus Christ to rescue us from our sins!!

Yesterday my Spirit scored a victory over my flesh whenever I finally got back out on the road for a run. I really love to run because it provides me with some of the best one-on-one time with the LORD that I've ever had. But yesterday was a bit different. Before I went out, I left a comment on my facebook account:

"Chad is: going for a run."

My reasoning is that if I put it on facebook, I can't back out! Virtual accountability as it were. So I get out there and start the run and immediately my flesh is staging a revolt! Knee pain, foot pain, leg pain, shortness of breath...and this is all in the first, no kidding, 50 yards of starting! As a matter of fact, in my head I was already composing my facebook comment for when I returned:

"Chad is: out of shape"
"Chad is: too fat to run"
"Chad is: not what I used to be"

But this is the one that really got me:

"Chad is: frustrated that my running efforts this year look more like 2008 than 2007"

2007 was a good year, and my goal this year was to match that. But LIFE happened in '08 and so far in '09 as well, and I didn't, and haven't, matched my goals I set for myself. So I was really ready to throw myself a great, big pity party right there on my run, but God just wouldn't let me. All I had to do was just stop feeling sorry for myself, and focus on the run and He took over. I began to remember how nice it was to pray while I ran. To think of things like the Sacrifice that Christ made for us all and how this little run is nothing compared to His walk to Calvary...uphill...with the Cross on His shoulders and thorns on His head, all so He could die for you and me. It really is profound, and again, it snaps one out of feeling sorry for oneself really quickly.

When I had to stop to walk for a little ways, I noticed a nice little flower in the grass and a thought occurred to me that God let me walk right now, just so I could see this pretty flower. He wanted me to see it, but why? The answer: to let me know that He is present with me right here and now. He literally wanted me to STOP AND SMELL THE FLOWERS!! So I plucked it up and tucked it in my watch band and there it remained for the duration of the run to serve as a reminder of His presence. The rest of the run just got better and better. My aches and pains went away as my body remembered that, "oh yeah, I remember this!" I focused less on myself and my thoughts turned heavenward and to those in need of prayer.

And once the run was over, I felt so good and was so happy that I ran at lunch instead of going out to eat. No food could provide the satisfaction that I was experiencing from that run. But like all things, tomorrow is a new day and the battle will begin anew, but:

"with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26

So, in the end, God turned my frustration into encouragement. He turned a bad run into great run, and He gave my physical AND spiritual health a nice little boost!

And I'll close with one of the many ponderances (is that a word?) from my runs. I've really had some profound thoughts occur to me on runs, only to forget them before I can write them down. But some stick with me...

God doesn't want my first mile when my legs are fresh and my breathing is easy. That first mile is completed with little reliance on Him. If you can give at little to no cost to yourself, have you given anything? No, He wants my last mile, when I am totally spent and have nothing left to give but my breath, my sweat, my pain. In that last mile, it is only because of Him that I keep going.

Wall of Fame

I love bringing the boys' artwork up to the office and putting it on my "wall of fame." Here is what it looks like currently:
Starting from the top left hand corner we have Drew's picture of Heaven, below that is my bib collection, and below that is Elliot's Easter Egg picture. To the right is a picture of Dylan and I that we took at Fuddrucker's. (They have a really neat new photo booth in the game room - $2 for a priceless memory. I'm a sucker for these. I have taken these with some of the kiddos when they were babes, but I don't think I've gotten all 4. These will be priceless gifts to them when they are grown.) To the right of the photo is Elliot's drawing of St. Michael (his Patron Saint) and below that is Evan's Blue Jay drawing. Next column to the right is Evan's White Wolf drawing and below that is his "Sunrise Savannah." Finally is Drew's depiction of a Sith battling a fierce creature. Not only does the Sith have his red lightsaber, but he is also giving the creature a heavy jolt of Force lightning!

Elliot through the years

Elliot has always been more of a Daddy's Boy than any of the others. Here's a snapshot of his last 4 years.

2006 (3 years old)

2007 (4 years old)

2008 (5 years old)

2009 (6 years old)

...ooh, babe, you'll always be baby to me...

All due respect to Pink Floyd, but I feel a strong connection with the song 'Mother' and can easily substitute 'Daddy' as the title. The fact is that no matter how much my children grow, they'll always be my babies. I'm at that awkward intersection of life when I can vividly recall being Evan's age, yet here I am on the other side of the dynamic. Strange and wonderful at the same time. I can remember my mom telling me that I'll always be her baby (me being the youngest of the family) and now I see what she means. Watching Evan, Elliot and Drew maturing and doing more and more each day is amazing. Especially when it comes to watching Evan play ball. I'm having to let go a little bit at a time and it's hard. I want to be the supportive parent, but don't want him to feel pressure to impress me. There's a fine balance to be made.

With that being said, we are fast approaching Drew's 4th birthday and I just marvel at his growth every day. He is such a 'big boy' and I am blessed to have as strong a connection with him as I have with all my other boys. Like Evan before him, there was a time when I wondered if Drew would ever want to have anything to do with ol' dad. We stressed a bit because he was still sleeping in our bed when Kim was pregnant with Dylan, but we eventually succeeded in moving him to Evan and Elliot's room and now it seems like he's always been there. He certainly growing fast and I don't want to miss a moment.

Here's a glimpse of the years gone by:

Drew celebrates 1 year at Gran and Pop's house, 2006.

Taking in an Astros game in 2007.

Playing in the sprinklers, 2008.

Exploring the Peach Creek Bridge during the Cub Scout Camp Trip, 2009.

HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY DREW!!!!

Yesterday

This is a re-post of a note I wrote on my facebook account, but it is still very much fitting of how incredible yesterday was. So, instead of yardwork and grilling, it was baseball and Mass...now, that is a fantastic combination!

Wow, what a gorgeous and fantastic day yesterday was. Perfect weather! Why, yesterday was such a good day, I'm compelled to write a note about it!First of all I got to sleep in! After waking up, I was able to exercise and the boys even joined me at the end. It was so sweet...Elliot saw me huffing and puffing, so he left the room and came back with some Chocolate Milk for me and he said, "Here dad, I fixed you some chocolate milk in case you run out of water." My sweet baby!

After exercise it was homemade banana pancakes and coffee from my beautiful bride, Kim. I'd like to pause here and say that I've never been a coffee drinker until recently, and even now, I only like coffee when it is made at home. I find that the only way I can enjoy it is with Kim. She makes the perfect cup, but it's not just the taste. It is being HOME. I've tried drinking coffee at work and do not like it at all, and even getting a coffee at Starbucks just isn't the same as the experience I have at home.

Next on the agenda was to get some landscaping things and party supplies for the boys' birthday party next weekend. We bought 10 bags of mulch and it covered our front flowerbed only (I'll have to get some more to finish the job.) Evan and Elliot gladly helped with this "dirty job." We then moved to cleaning up the back yard which was not completed but it stlill looks a lot better now. Kim went to the store and bought some ribeye steaks to grill and Dos Equis Special Lager (green bottle.) My oh my it just does not get much better than that!

After the wonderful dinner and bathtime, me and the boys had a "slumber party" where we went up to the guest room and watched Inspector Gadget 2 while drawing Star Wars comics. Before the slumber party began, we said prayers and my boys all had some very profound prayers to say. Evan had so much to say that once we had gone around he asked if he could say "prayers part 2" because he thought of some more things to thank God for! So wonderful.

So, in a nutshell, yesterday was a lot like what I envision Heaven to be. Not only the perfect weather, but I was surrounded and enveloped in love and PEACE. Oh my, the Peace that I felt yesterday was unlike I've ever experienced. And we did so much, it was like the day was going to go on forever, and that was fine by me! So it was kind of like a little taste of Heaven and being in the "Eternal Now".

Yesterday, God answered a prayer I never actually prayed. Just the night before I pondered many things and I came to the conclusion that deep down, I felt like my best days were behind me. And that was the main reason why I want to do triathlons and 1/2 marathons and just try to get into good shape in general: I'm trying to prove to myself that while there are many, many good days behind me, the best is yet to come. Well, on Saturday, God showed me that He can take me AS I AM, and give me one of the best days of my life.Yesterday was awesome....I can't wait to see what God does TODAY!

Evan and Elliot's Birthday

Move over Martha Stewart! This is the famous Clone Trooper Cake! I'm amazed at Kim's skills in the kitchen! She is awesome!

The Wampa Water was a big hit.

Solo's Snacks kept the kiddos happy until it was time for cake/ice cream

Darth Vader....he didn't stand a chance!

Where's the Pause button??

With my new position at Baker in full swing, Dylan's rapid progress in crawling and now pulling up on everything (the kid will be walking by the time this is posted), and Evan's baseball games, time is just flying by. I've often joked that I wish I had a pause button. I'd use it sparingly...mainly as an alternative to the snooze button on my alarm! However if you'd happen to press pause at any other time, this is likely the image you'd see:

Evan's Orioles

Evan is loving his baseball team, the Orioles. While it is a busy schedule, they are very well organized and he is learning a lot about baseball, teamwork and work ethic. This is a sequence from his first hit of the season.

On base getting the signal from Coach B.

Now on Third, watching the pitcher for any sneaky moves!

...and he SCORES!!!

I have an autographed copy of this baseball card...do you?? Evan wanted me to make him a baseball card, and after 2 days of searching online for a freeware baseball card maker, I figured I could do a better job myself. So, I did this up in PowerPoint. By the way, that is the swing that got him on base in the other pictures!

Cub Scout Camp Trip: March 2009

Pop's famous catfish and french fries. Once we started cooking, a crowd gathered around us. We were the hit of the camp that night, and consequently, it was Evan's favorite part of the whole weekend.

"What'cha cookin?" We couldn't make the fries fast enough to keep up with the feeding frenzy!

There was a really neat bridge crossing the creek.

We went on a looooooooooooooooong hike Saturday afternoon. Drew and Elliot both decided that I had to carry them about half way through the trip, so that was interesting. I told the group to go on ahead of me and we'd catch up. That was the longest 1.5 miles of my life. I didn't recognize any landmarks and I was beginning to think I was lost! I kept going though keeping the image of Clark Griswold in my head and we made it back to the camp. Not long after that, Drew crashed in the chair.

Christmas 2008

Over the river and through the woods to Grandmother's house we go!

With Maw Maw

This was a really quick photo. The boys were all just getting over being sick and they didn't want to sit still for very long. Still, I had to get the family photo in front of the tree!

The peace and quiet of Christmas Eve. There's nothing like it.

White Christmas (almost)

We were amazed that it snowed a couple of weeks before Christmas! In true Southern fashion, however, two days later we were sweating it out in shorts because it was so hot! That pesky Global Warming!!

To get you up to speed

It's been a while since I've posted anything. here's what's been happening in our neck of the woods:


Evan and Elliot's shared birthday party this year was a big hit. We rented a bounce house and Kim made the most incredible Star Wars Clone Trooper cake. (I will post a picture of it soon, I promise.) Also featured at the party was "Wampa Water" and "Solo Snacks" (again, pics to come.) The party-goers participated in a "Spider Droid" race where everyone had to walk like a Spider Droid; and a "Lightsaber Relay, where the group was split into the Good Side of the Force vs. the Dark Side of the Force. The good side used a green lightsaber as their baton and the dark side used (of course) a red light saber. Afterwards, (almost) everyone got a chance to whack at a Darth Vader pinata. It was great fun.

Evan began his first year of KWFC Baseball, and he is on the Orioles with Larry Berkovsky (Josh's dad) as his coach. This league is a FAR CRY from YMCA Ball. Once practices began, it was at least 3 times a week and now that the games have started, they play on Saturdays and Mondays. The Saturday games are all double headers!! Evan is loving it and improving every day. In fact, in his last game he walked, stole second, went to third on a grounder and scored the winning run when the short stop over threw first trying to get the out! We're so proud!

Evan, Elliot, Drew, Pop and I went on the Cub Scout Spring Family Campout at Peach Creek and we had a blast! Steve (father in law) gave us a HUGE tent and I'm not kidding when I say HUGE. It was so big that it didn't fit in our back yard when I put it up on a practice run. Pop brought all sorts of gadgets to make sure we didn't rough it too much and boy, was it great.

Christmas this year we were able to add another stocking to the fireplace!! Dylan's first Christmas was fantastic even though the boys were all so sick. In fact, we thought we were done with it all when on Christmas morning, Drew threw up while I was videoing him opening his gifts. Poor baby.