Training in or out of season

Regular training requires zeal and dedication to sustain it. One’s passion for running will certainly bring him/her to a point where running will not only be a sport or form of exercise but a way of life. A runner continues to run with or without a race at hand. He would continue to conquer hills, hit the pavement for a long run and trek the trails in order to maintain his fitness level. These trainings would prepare him for any up-coming race. A long break in training would certainly slide back one’s fitness level at a point where it will be harder to run again.

In our Christian life, lack of zeal and dedication in doing the will of God would certainly put us away from Him. Like a passionate runner who runs with or without a race at hand, our constant participation in the works for God will draw us closer and closer unto Him. Training ourselves in hearing His voice and understanding his words will bring us to a level of complete trust and obedience unto our Lord Jesus Christ. And when trials come our way we can triumph over it. But if we allow ourselves to be away from Him especially for a long time, it will become harder for us to recognize His voice. It will be harder to walk in His ways.

Let us continue to be in fellowship with our fellow believers so that we can encourage and support one another. Like runners who draw strength from fellow runners. Let us run the race of life with endurance and passion to finish the race. Let us run side by side with Christ.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” - Hebrews 12:1-2

How you look at the hills

For most runners, the hills post the greatest challenge during races. Technically, a hill is a slope or gradient in a road that commonly intimidates runners. It may vary in form from a long and gradual incline to a short but steep ramp. Running hills could be tough and may require great power and strength in legs and core muscles. This can be achieved by having constant practice in running hills and an extra core and leg training exercises.

But do we really have to fear running on hills? For some runners, running on hills can be fun, for other races or tribes it is a way of life. For the thrill seekers, hills gave the adrenaline rush needed, thus inventing sky running (race to the top of a mountain) among others, as an adventure or extreme sports. We don’t need to fear on the hills. It’s just how we look at it.

In life, we are also faced with many hills. It could be a long and lingering ailment or an unresolved problem or it could be a short but painful experiences. These things we cannot avoid in life but we can be strong in conquering it. Like a runner who constantly practice running on hills, dealing with our problems and not avoiding it will give us strength emotionally in handling those difficulties in life. We become a stronger person after each victory. Problems in life need not be feared. It’s only how we look at it that makes it difficult.

Seeing our problems or difficulties as an opportunity to see God’s power and His great love for us can make any problem insignificant. Like a good coach, God allowed us to have problems to strengthen our faith in Him. Let us look back at those victories we have in conquering our hills in life together with Jesus and be confident that there are no greater hills that we cannot overcome if we get our strength from Him. God bless us all!

Need a coach?

During my early days in running, I got the privilege of training with Team Baldrunner and its elite team of coaches at the ULTRA. It was when more and more people are getting serious into running not only for physical fitness but also as a sport. Running clinics and group trainings was a common event then. Other runners would even have their own personal coaches to further improve their performances in running. A coach plays an important role in an athlete’s quest of being the best in their chosen sport. A coach guides its athlete in every step of the way, teaching them the basics to a more advanced techniques. He designed training schedules that would bring his athlete to his/her peak condition on game time. He even asked his athlete to do drills that sometimes seemed irrelevant to the sport but later would proved to be beneficial for the athlete. A coach can only be able to do these things because he himself had done it. He had been through all these and had become victorious.  All these things we follow because we believe that our coach knows what he is doing. Others even followed without asking the rationale behind doing those drills during training. All these we do because we have full trust and confidence to our coaches.

In the race called life, we can also have one true coach and his name is Jesus. Jesus had live among us. He experienced what we are experiencing right now. Jesus had been showing us the way to be victorious in every trial or problems we have in life but have we listened to Him? Have we put our full trust and confidence in Him that we fully obey Him and be victorious in every trials and difficulties we have in this world? Or you have yourself or others to follow? Why don’t you try Jesus. He can be your life’s coach! God bless us all!

TAKE ACTION

“Be doers of the Word and not hearers only.” James 1:22

Coaches are teachers. Their job is to instruct players. Great coaches work hard to prepare their players for competition. They study their opponent, and come up with a game plan to produce the best possible outcome. Great coaches are constantly looking for ways to improve. But for all the hard work and effort great coaches give, it’s meaningless if their athletes don’t respond.

Imagine a coach doing his or her best to teach the team, prepare them for competition and then once the athletes got in the game, they all decided not to do what they had been taught. The coach would be upset and the team would be unsuccessful!

James 1:22 tells Christians, to “be doers of the Word and not hearers only.” Sometimes we know what we are supposed to do because we know what God’s Word says, but we just decide not to do it. God wants us to read His Word and listen to Him, but if that’s all we do, then we are forgetting the most important part. It’s in “doing what He says” that we let the world know that Jesus loves them, that He died for them, conquered sin and death, and wants a personal relationship with them. So keep listening to God, but make sure you take action as well.

Has the fire and enthusiasm in running and blogging gone?

I knew running as a sport has been in the country for a long time but I’m glad to have been part of the great resurgence two to three years ago. I found a new interest in running three years ago when you can still keep track of all the races held in Metro Manila. There were only one or two races then, held every month. But things have drastically changed over the years with the emergence of running blogs that ignited the fire and enjoined everyone to jump on the bandwagon of road races. I myself has been bitten by the bug so to speak. Today, simultaneous races are happening not only on Sundays but even on Saturdays. But has the fire and enthusiasm of runners to run and blog gone?

What I have noticed lately is that blogs now serve as venues for advertisements, promotions, contests and inspirational articles are now commonly relegated to a simple race recap. I have nothing against this type of blogging. I too have been promoting races, injecting advertisements on this site. But I have been missing those inspiring articles by other bloggers that encourage others to run and go beyond their limits, challenging everyone to level up in distance races. This was what pushed me to strive hard, train hard and finish my first 10K race, 10 miler, half marathon and finally a full marathon. The exchanges of comments, reactions and even gatherings of bloggers added to the fun and excitement of running a road race. Yes, the numbers of runners in races today have significantly increased since then, but I have been missing those runners whom I get to know in races and blogs that in one way or another have influenced me to run. I hope you’re still running, or has the fire in you to run already died out? Or could it be that most of you have embarked into a greater challenge of ultra-running (road or trail) or multi-sports (duathlon, aquathlon,triathlon). If so, then good for you and I salute you for taking up the challenge.

But I still hope to read more encouraging stories, motivational articles and inspiring thoughts in my favorite running blogs and rekindle the fire to run and finish the race we have started. I too will try my best to do my share. See you on the road!

LOVE? WHAT'S THE POINT?*

A Jewish teacher of the law once questioned Jesus, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" We get this to mean as -- "Which is the most important commandment among all the laws that God had given man?”

A Jew would most probably presume that Jesus would pick one of the 10 commandments which God had written with His own hands on the stone tablets He gave to Moses. Surely those 10 commandments were the best known.

But let us read Jesus' answer in Mk 12:29-31.

"The most important one", Jesus answered,"is this: `Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: `Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." (NIV)

Jesus' answer was none of the 10 commandments. Jesus' answer was first, "Love God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your strength", which is taken from the book of Deuteronomy. This was understood to be part of the implementing guidelines for the 10 commandments. The second part of the answer was, "Love your neighbor as yourself", taken from the book of Leviticus and which was also an implementing guideline for the 10 commandments.

In a parallel account in Matthew, Jesus added, "On these two commands hang the whole law and all the prophets". Actually, these two commands would summarize all of the ten commandments. The first four commandments could be summarized as, "Love God with all your heart .…….." The rest of the commandments could be summarized as, "Love your neighbor as you would yourself".

Now how do we apply these two commands into our lives?

Read more ...

*from Hosanna!, an outreach publication of Hosanna. It is a compilation of teachings delivered during one of the Sunday Services of Hosanna.

Getting inspired before a marathon

Hearing good motivational speakers in a conference would always get you inspired. During the GIS Users Conference that our agency participated in as an institutional partner, I got a chance to listen to one of the guest speaker whose topic was “Dreaming Big”. It was a motivational topic that aims to inspire GIS practitioners to explore on the vast array of GIS applications and the great potential that system and technology offers in improving life. Though it was not the first time that I heard of such kind of talk, it caught my attention as the speaker, Mr. Alex Araneta, started to relate it to running. He showed a familiar video of a father and son team, the Team Hoyt, who together finished marathons, ultra-marathons, ironman and more. They have accomplished it in a not so ordinary way. The father has to push his son, a quadriplegic, in a special wheelchair. There were three lines that capture the essence of the video.

The Dick (father) is the body
The Rick (son) is the heart
Do not run alone!

And towards the end of his talk, he shared that he together with his wife have ran and finished their first full marathon in February 2010 during the Hong Kong Marathon. We can dream big and be able to realize it not only alone but with other people who have one goal and one vision that we have. Let us not run alone! Run with our loved ones, friends and other runners who have the same passion in running as we have. Swthrt and I will be running at the Condura Skyway Marathon on Feb 6 2011! See you there!

TRUE JOY

“With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation” Isaiah 12:3

There’s no doubting the joy and happiness that come from hitting that game-winning home run or last-minute buzzer beater. You’re a hero when you succeed – but what about when you miss the shot? It’s easy to be joyful when everything’s going perfect, but what about those times when things aren’t going quite as you expected? Doesn’t theBible teach us to praise God no matter the circumstances?

Learning to have joy in life is a lot like saying wedding vows. We as Christians must remember to express our love and faith “through good times and bad.” Just because life is throwing a few curve balls doesn’t mean God has stepped off the mound. God wants us to learn to find joy even on the not-so-joyous days. Once we can find that type of faith, it becomes easier to give him praise on the hard days.

Remember, God has more than just a few plays—He has the game plan for your life!

- Natalie Creech

A FISHING FINALITY!

“Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed. Joshua 23:14

Fishing is a calculating and often temperamental sport. One must figure out exactly what the fish are striking at to be successful. One day you find out plastic worms are working; the next, it’s a deep-diving jig. Other days, good ‘ol crickets are what the fish are feeding on. You never know what the day will hold, and you must adapt each and every time to weather patterns, feeding patterns, water temperature, and a number of other factors.

The human race is just as fickle. Every day holds a different story and every day we experience changing emotions and outcomes. The good news is that God is stable and constant day in and day out. We don’t have to figure God out every day. His Word portrays consistency and is something we can feed on each day, no matter what has changed since the last. Fishing analogies were used many times in the Bible. Remember God’s consistency the next time you hit the pond, and be grateful that God’s promises and love are not like those fish you are trying to catch.
—Eric Jones

BLUE SKIES

“I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? Psalm 121:1

There is nothing like going to an athletic event outside under with Blue Skies. In North Carolina we call them Carolina Blue Skies. I guess that is what most UNC fans think. When I think of blue sky, I think of the verse that says, “I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from?” (Psalm 121:1).

I am amazed at how a blue sky can set the mood for how someone feels. Those cloudy, rainy days may be a little discouraging or make our spirit feel down, but again remember to lift up your eyes. It does not matter if the sun is shining outside or not, the key is the Son shining inside. As we follow athletics, we will sometimes be up and sometimes be down because of wins and losses. But look up—maybe at a Carolina Blue Sky day or a Blue Sky wherever you live—and let that help you remember that your help comes from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
—Robert Walker

TAKE ACTION

“Be doers of the Word and not hearers only.” James 1:22

Coaches are teachers. Their job is to instruct players. Great coaches work hard to prepare their players for competition. They study their opponent, and come up with a game plan to produce the best possible outcome. Great coaches are constantly looking for ways to improve. But for all the hard work and effort great coaches give, it’s meaningless if their athletes don’t respond.

Imagine a coach doing his or her best to teach the team, prepare them for competition and then once the athletes got in the game, they all decided not to do what they had been taught. The coach would be upset and the team would be unsuccessful!

James 1:22 tells Christians, to “be doers of the Word and not hearers only.” Sometimes we know what we are supposed to do because we know what God’s Word says, but we just decide not to do it. God wants us to read His Word and listen to Him, but if that’s all we do, then we are forgetting the most important part. It’s in “doing what He says” that we let the world know that Jesus loves them, that He died for them, conquered sin and death, and wants a personal relationship with them. So keep listening to God, but make sure you take action as well.

WHEN I AM WEAK, HE IS STRONG

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2

I recently heard my pastor say, “Trials don’t make you weak, they only bring out your weaknesses.” Not everything goes the way we want it to in life, or even in sports like when we get a bad call and don’t play as much as we feel we deserve. If we react rashly to a bad call, it shows our weakness of holding our tongue and controlling our anger.

Likewise, when we are treated unfairly by coaches or teammates, for us not to continually give our best effort and attitude towards them shows we are weak in that area. If we remain bent out of shape, it only shows our weakness of trusting in God who ultimately has everything under control.

When we go through trials, many times we blame the trials for our frustrations and struggles, when in fact the trials are only showing us how easily we get frustrated.

Trials are inevitable, but how we react to those trials is up to us. Stay grounded in the Word to overcome these trials and let Christ be strong when you are weak. - Leah Metcalf

ESTEEM ENGINE

“‘Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?’ declares the LORD. ‘This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.’”

Isaiah 66:2

Sports provide the opportunity for glory. Single-handedly lead your team to victory, and the crowds will chant your name. Dominate your opponent, and the autograph lines will stretch for miles. Excel, and you will be called “MVP” and “All-Star.” Hockey fans hail “The Great One,” and many a boxer fell at the feet of “The Greatest.” These nicknames affirm that athletes can quickly find themselves flooded with praise. Everyone loves a winner, right?

Wrong. According to 1 Corinthians 1:26-31, God prefers losers. I am not saying He has reserved a special place in heaven for the 1991 Prairie View football team (they were in the middle of an 80-game losing streak), but He does choose to call the unwise, the non-influential, the foolish, and the weak. By giving wisdom to the foolish and strength to the weak, God obtains glory for Himself. That is the whole point of our existence! Sure, Wayne Gretzky and Muhammad Ali were fine athletes, but God has the only valid claim to greatness—He created the universe! With this proper perspective, it is easy to see that nothing we do of ourselves is that great. But when God does something great through you, give the honor and praise back to Him. Be a glory deflector!

—Alex Warner

How far can we go running?

When I haven’t entertain yet the thought of running a marathon two years ago, I seldom notice people running on the streets. When I started running in the summer of 2008, I noticed more and more warm bodies are running during early mornings while on my way to the office. Nowadays, more people are hooked into running. I noticed a significant increase in the number of runners in Fort Bonifacio (particularly in BHS) and UP Campus Diliman doing their regular trainings. In the latter part of 2008, Swthrt and I attended a running clinic conducted by Team Bald Runner in ULTRA track oval which was held during night time. These places are frequented by runners for safety and security purposes. Most of these are runner-friendly places, well- lighted, and ideal for doing a training run. Before, people used to run in the early morning, but today, you can see runners training at night. There was even a race held at night last year.

Last night, Swthrt and I were on our way to Pier 2 to pick up our household help who spent a vacation in Bacolod. To our surprise and envy, we saw runners doing training in the busy streets of the metro. One was along Ortigas near Santolan Rd, the other one at E. Rodriguez Jr. Ave. near Christ the King Church at around 6:30 in the evening. What was more surprising on our way home was to see the last runner at around 9:00 in the evening along Gilmore St. in New Manila. Running has really become the “craze” today but how far can we go in running? Do we just run anywhere, or on places where more runners converge as I previously mentioned? Do we run alone or with a buddy? Do we run on the road or trails? No matter what your answers are, we share the same passion… the love of running.

Swthrt running at night at UPD acdemic oval.

Hearts Revealed

The baby Jesus was only 40 days old when Simeon saw the blessed Infant. Old Simeon held the Child and prophesied that with the life of Jesus, “the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed” (Luke 2:34-35). Thoughts are the inner feelings which we can hide from other people. Our hearts the most secret hiding places. But there is nothing we can hide from God; and with the birth of Jesus, even the secrets of men’s hearts will be exposed.

Let us read Luke 1:26-29. In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel,”since I am a virgin?” (NIV)

Even before Jesus was conceived, the thoughts of people’s hearts started to be revealed. These verses reveal the thoughts of Mary as the angel Gabriel appeared to her. Mary was troubled as the angel greeted her with a very unique compliment. She was not at ease with such a compliment as being highly favored by the Lord. We can easily sense that she was truly a very humble and unassuming person.

Upon hearing that she would bear a son, she dared to ask, “How can this be since I am a virgin?” She was engaged to be married to Joseph, but as yet, she never had any sexual relations with any man. She posed her puzzled question to Gabriel, the mighty messenger of God. To question the powerful angel Gabriel is dangerous. Another person named Zechariah suffered for doing so. Zechariah was already very old when Gabriel revealed to him that he would have a son. He questioned Gabriel how he could possibly have a son in his old age. The angel Gabriel rebuked him by saying, “Because you do not believe one who stands in the presence of God, you will be dumb until all these things have happened” (Luke 1:8-20) Thus Zechariah could not speak until his son, John the Baptist, was born.

Mary asked Gabriel a similar question, “ How can I have a son when I have no relations with a man?” But Mary was not rebuked. Why? It is not wrong to question God when the inquirer is intent on finding out the truth for the purpose of obeying that truth. Mary asked with that kind of sincerity: when the truth is verified to be coming from God, she would surely obey. Gabriel would not rebuke her because of that. This shows us that Mary had a right relationship with God. A right relationship with God is brought about by habitually listening to what God says and obeying readily. Gabriel had described Mary as having “found favor with God”. Therefore, instead of rebuking Mary, Gabriel explained everything to her. She, in turn, submitted to God’s will (Luke 1:35-38). The news about Jesus’ conception revealed the thoughts in Mary’s faithful heart.

Let us read our next verses Matthew 1:18-25. This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to pubic disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” — which neans, “God with us.” When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. (NIV)

Joseph was a just and righteous man. For him, what was right was right; what was wrong was wrong. But he was also extraordinarily considerate and kind as proven when he discovered that Mary, his fiance, was pregnant. The child was not his. The shocking discovery must have hurt Joseph. He could easily have retaliated by exposing Mary to charges of adultery. She would surely be found guilty and thus be stoned to death. But Joseph chose not to hurt Mary and ruin her reputation. We can see that Joseph’s thoughts were very merciful and kind because he did not want Mary to be made a public spectacle. He decided to quietly cancel their marriage plans by telling her privately. This revealed Joseph’s heart as very merciful even when in pain. God was likewise kind and considerate to Joseph. He sent the angel Gabriel to speak to Joseph in a dream to help him understand that all of this was the will of God.

Now we will see God’s heart being revealed. Joseph and Mary travelled to Galilee to register because of a Roman decree. Mary was already in her advanced stage of pregnancy and about to give birth. And they arrived in Bethlehem.....

Let us read our next verses Luke 2:6-7.While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Joseph and Mary were not prepared for what they encountered in Bethlehem. Bethlehem was jampacked with people who had come to register. The couple could find no place to stay in nor any place where Mary could give birth to her child. They only found a stable where the animals were kept. Jesus was born in that stable. And Mary tenderly and lovingly wrapped the Baby in swaddling clothes. Swaddling clothes were strips of cloth wrapped on babies in order to protect the fragile newborn infants. Here, God’s heart was revealed further. God came down in the form of the baby, in a humble and delicate condition, being wrapped in those swaddling clothes. He was placing Himself in human hands, as represented by the swaddling clothes. God’s faithful like Mary and Joseph will respond with love. They will render their total devotion to God with all their hearts, however difficult their lives might be.

When Jesus touches the life of anyone, that person’s life will never be the same again. The lives of Mary and Joseph were forever changed. Their hearts were indelibly marked by the arrival of the Baby described as “God with Us”. And their hearts’ love for God was revealed for all of heaven and earth to see. God had come down to be with us forever. He will expose all our hearts by His presence. That is a blessing, isn’t it?

Delivered during one of the Sunday Services of Hosanna !, PCED Hostel, UP Diliman. Quezon City.

AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST

“We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.” II Corinthians 5:20

When I hear the word “ambassador,” I think of someone who represents a place or someone else. In II Corinthians 5:20, we all called “Christ’s ambassadors.” This means that we are representatives of Christ and we thus have the responsibility of sharing and imitating Christ here on earth. Athletics offer a great tool for us to reach others and impact their lives for Christ, especially for those in leadership positions.

Sometimes people view athletics as a separate entity of their lives, but we should also let our light shine through what we do in sports. Are you representing Christ in how you perform in athletics? It is so easy to get caught up in the pressures of sports. We start to focus on our name or reputation as a player and increasing our stats that we lose sight of our true focus of representing Christ’s name; so let’s keep that first priority. - Leah Metcalf

NEW EVERY MOURNING

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.” Lamentations 3:22

The University of Evansville basketball team was excited about its first season competing in Division I. The Purple Aces were packed and ready for a road trip to Nashville for a game against Middle Tennessee State. Twenty-nine people boarded the charter plane on December 13, 1977, but because of rain and fog, the plane crashed two minutes into the flight. No one survived. When a tragedy like this occurs, our human nature seems to react by asking one of two questions: 1. Where was God? 2. How could God allow this to happen? We doubt either His omnipresence or His omnipotence.

The author of Lamentations witnesses God’s judgment in the form of death and destruction among His chosen people, yet he fully comprehends that God’s mercy can extend beyond His wrath. Though we aren’t capable of praising God with our own strength in the worst of times, the ability to “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thes.5:18) is definitely a gift from the Holy Spirit. Picture your worst-case scenario. Maybe it has already happened. Do you believe that God is there in the midst of agony and chaos? Ask Him for clarity so you might see through the sadness to witness the ever-present manifestations of His love, and revel in the newness of the morning.

—Alex Warner

THANK YOU FOR THE UPS AND DOWNS

“Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.” 1 Chronicles 16:8

Thanksgiving may be a month ahead and months behind, but there’s no reason to stop thanking the Lord. You hear all the athletes on television say how they thank the Lord when they win. Why not thank him when you lose? Sure, winning’s great—the adrenaline, the excitement—but it takes a real winner to thank Him when you lose. In fact, don’t even look at it as “losing.” Look at it as transforming a seemingly negative situation into a positive one. Thank the Lord that you had the opportunity to compete in something you enjoy. Thank Him for having the passion for a
team—maybe you play for them or maybe you’re just the number one fan. Either way, you have a passion that you can be thankful for. Be thankful for the humbling experience that comes with losing. Soak up all that you can learn from the loss. That’s not to say that winning is bad—winning is fantastic! Just keep in mind which team you’re playing for, through the ups and downs.

—Natalie Creech

CHRIST IS #1

“In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:33

Training for track is often physically and mentally grueling. I won’t lie to you, I don’t like pain, and many times I wouldrun slower in practice just to make the pain bearable. Of course, not giving my all in practice was completelydetrimental to my success as an athlete. But if success meant pain, I didn’t want it.

It can be easy for us, as Christians to “run slow” in our race for Christ. Often we get attached to earthly possessions and have trouble letting go of the hindrances in our lives. Work, family and even entertainment become so important that our relationship with Christ is no longer a priority. When Christ is not a priority our growth as Christians is stunted. I couldn’t improve on the track unless I was consistently giving my all. In the same way, we can’t improve as Christians if we don’t seek Jesus with all our hearts. In order to do this we have to let go of those earthly desires andpriorities, however hard that may be.

Being a Christian is not always easy, but the success of meeting Jesus Christ face-to-face is worth any earthly pain you will have to endure!

-Brooke Thompson

GIFTS

“Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.” Romans 12:4-6

As a runner, I was always a good finisher. In the 400, I used that last ounce of energy to pass people on the back stretch. I was a closer. But my start was a completely different story. I almost always started off too slow and spent the entire race catching up. There was another girl on my team who had the exact opposite problem. She was a great starter, but could never hold on in the end. Although we had completely different running styles, we ran about the same times. We began to practice together and we fed off each other’s strengths. She came out strong, so I learned to do the same. My start improved tremendously as did her finish.

In life, God gives each of us different gifts- unique ways to share our faith and love in Christ. Working together with our special gifts, we can accomplish more as Christians. You should always realize the great potential of using your gift to encourage the growth of others and yourself.

- Brooke Thompson