Just Your Average Blog Post

     Today... I'm just writing your average blog post. I can't really think of anything to blog about today. Sitting in my junior Geometry class, I find it harder and harder to think of more things to blog about. Anybody got any ideas? I think that the longer I don't run, the more I realize my whole life revolves around running. When I run more, my school work shows, I'm more tolerable in my family and school life, and my faith is stronger. But when I'm not running, it feels like I just shut down.

     I would start running again soon, but it's SO cold outside. I personally hate running in the cold. It's usually better for you to run in the cold, but it's so hard to get started and get going in the middle of the winter when the wind chill is five degrees every stinkin' day.

     I've been thinking a lot about music, and the different kinds that we listen to. The older I get, the more I enjoy music like Jazz, Classical, and stuff like that. I've matured in the way I act and it's showing in the kinds of music that I enjoy now. It's really relaxing and easy to do stuff like homework and study to.

     I've also matured in the kinds of books and movies that I like. I used to like stuff like Harry Potter, Eragon, typical fantasy books. Now I read stuff like The Count of Monte Cristo, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and of Mice and Men. Just a day in the life of me I guess.

Fasting for Runners

     This post is a DISCUSSION POST ONLY! I've been thinking about fasting lately, and as runners, we know that this is a difficult subject. What are some of YOUR thoughts on how runners should handle fasting while in training? Please leave your comments below!

The "Unfluences" of Life

     The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? James 3:6, 9-11

     Our influences, or "unfluences" as I like to call them, are all around us. The music we listen to, movies we watch, even the jokes we tell are all things that enter our hearts and help determine what comes out of our mouths.  James tells us that what comes out of our mouth determines who we are. It can praise the Lord God who knew us and all our faults before we were born, or it can corrupt our entire body and set the fires of hell to our lives and the lives of those around us. Because of this, we must be very careful what we allow ourselves to be influenced by.

     You may be looking at the word in the paragraph above thinking that I have misspelled the word influences. I wasn't. "Unfluences", as defined in the worldwide dictionary of "Andrew Fields", is anything that we see, hear, or experience that pollutes our mind and "undoes" what Jesus Christ has been working on in our lives. Examples of "unfluences" in today's media: songs with cuss words or sexual undertones (or in many cases overtones), movies with sexual content/extreme violence/language, or even crude jokes and racial or sexist slurs. Now, I can't deny that it is difficult to throw these out of our lives. Honestly, if we try to take out only movies and music that has anything to do with sex, there won't be too many films and songs left for us to listen too.

     But this is an important issue; important enough for Christ himself to bring it up in the Gospel of Matthew. In Matthew 15, Jesus tells the Pharisees that "what goes into someones mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them." Then later in the passage, he says that "the things that come out of a person's mouth comes from the heart, and these defile them." Jesus is warning us to not give in to "unfluences" and only feed our hearts with good things. What goes in the heart, comes out the mouth, and this can hurt our lives and the lives of others. I challenge everyone to look at things in our lives that are "unfluences", and get rid of them. Only allow our hearts to be influenced by things that will give God glory!

SOLI DEO GLORIA!!

Running in His Presence

     Some people have e-mailed me suggesting some topics that would be helpful and relevant to Christian runners. One of the comments I received asked for some advice on how to incorporate God into our runs. As I began to think about this, I thought back to a FCA Distance camp that I have attended the past few summers. The whole idea of the camp IS how to incorporate God into both our runs, and our everyday lives. Many of the things that I will suggest come straight from that camp. If your interested in this summer camp it is the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Distance Camp in Scottsbluff, NE. It was a great place to meet like-minded and talented runners from all around Nebraska and the Midwest.

     Now, back to running. Some of these are specific examples that I learned and use, but don't limit these. Allow your own surroundings to remind you of both Christ and God the Father. When I'm out on a country road, I sometimes look at the telephone poles that remind me of the Cross. I remember that Christ gave everything He had for me and that I need to give Him back everything on my runs and in my life. Another tool I use is my physical pain. When I'm on a run, and I get a side-stich and I begin to feel like I can't go any farther, I remember every detail that the Bible tells us about Christ's crucifixion, and what I learned in a Sunday School class about how crucifixion physically works. I realize that the pain I'm going through on the last part of my run is nothing compared to what Christ we though on the cross for me. Then finally, I recite some verses that help to encourage me during my runs. A few of my favorite verses are Hebrews 12:1, Acts 20:24, and Matthew 22:37.

     "In everything you do, do it all for the Glory of God." Try to apply this verse to your running, and you will never go wrong. Christ gave us the gift of legs, lungs, and a heart to run with. The best way to honor Him is to use our body to its fullest potential!
GOD BLESS AND HAPPY RUNNING!!!

The Winter Slump

     We all experience it. You're FINALLY done with Cross-Country, whether that be state, a regional sponsored meet, or Nationals for the lucky ones, and we find ourselves taking that well earned week or two break. We keep waiting, and waiting; telling ourselves, "I have GOT to go run. It's been almost a month!" but we never step foot out the door. This is what I call the Winter Slump. As the cold air moves in, it forces us runners to either work harder at bundling up, or hit the treadmill; neither of which sound fantastic. But in order to be fully prepared for the Track season ahead, you have to get SOME running in, even if it's something as small as a nice easy three or four miler every other day.

     Here are some tips and tricks to get you over the "slump" and ready for anything come track season:

• GET OUT AND RUN. This seems like a "duh" point, but it's true. Over the years, I've realized that the LESS you run, the less you WANT to run. The MORE you run, the more you WANT to run. Sometimes we just need to pull up the running tights, suck in our guts, and get out there.
• Don't dread the cold! Many distance runners, (myself included), live in an area that is dominated by FREEZING winters, and we aren't too fond of it. Cold is a good tool to use in your running though. While making it a bit tougher to breath, it strengthens both the diaphragm and our lungs so that when the cold leaves and Spring pops up, we have the aerobic base we need to destroy the track.
• Minimize the "bundling up". Many days, I'll go out for a run in twenties with nothing more than my short shorts, a tee-shirt, stocking cap, and gloves. Just like your coaches and parents tell you, "Once you get out there, you're gonna be hot." I've come home from a winter run sweating more that I did during summer build-up because I bundled up too much. Trust me, it won't be that cold, (unless you live in any state above South Dakota ;)

     Winter is also a great time to get in some strength training. As distance runners, we know that we usually aren't the strongest competitors in events like the mile and 800M, so to get that edge we need back, lifting is a great tool. Don't lift for power! This will train your muscle fibers to worry about one big, but short push and NOT the long run. The best way to lift for endurance is to use lighter weights and lots of reps. Typically for upper body, I'll lift 50%-65% of my max with three sessions, first with 20, second with 16, and third with 12. Try to increase in weight as you decrease in reps.

HOPE THIS HELPS! HAPPY NEW YEAR AND GOD BLESS!

The Pretenders

     Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2.

      We as runners can relate perfectly to this verses. Every race day, I step off of the bus, and onto the golf course, (which should be renamed "XC Courses" because that's their best use), I am consciously aware that everyone will be watching how I act during the meet. My teammates, rivals, friends, and parents all are "witnesses" to how I will represent God during the day. So many times, however, I end up being a pretender. I act like I have it all together, act like I'm truly who I say I am, but I screw up like everyone else, if not more than everyone else.

     The hardest part of being a Christian is when you are getting closer to God. Often times I forget that it's not just my Fallen Sin nature that is working against Christ, but that there is a Devil that is real and evil who wants to keep me as far away from the Best Thing for me at all times. The closer we get to God, the harder the Devil works against us. These are the times when we are trying to reach out to others and we mess up or make a mistake and become so guilt-ridden that we can't accomplish what God wants us to. Guilt is a form of pride. When you say to yourself, "I am such a terrible person, and there's no way that God can still love me," we put our "bad deeds" in front of God's forgiveness. We say that we are powerful enough to do something so bad that Christ on the Cross can't cover it. We lie, and say that God doesn't love us enough to truly have sent His Son to die for what we just did.

     No matter what you do, never forget that God can, and would do anything for you, and that we need to give Him everything back. So stop pretending, and start walking the walk. Make this your New Year's "Resolution"; that you would show the world the Light of Christ's love in you.

The Beauty of White

     I'm sitting here in the warmth of my living room, looking out at, probably, the last beautiful snowfall of the year, and it got me to thinking. Snow is one of God's greatest wonders. It brings both beauty and moisture to a desolate season. I believe that before the Fall, there was no Winter. A couple of reasons for this is that first of all, plants grew all year round. There was never an "off-season" because there didn't need to be. Second, neither Adam, nor Eve ever wore any cloths until after the Fall, (now they didn't put on cloths to keep warm, but still). Also, people tend to be more depressed, and more bad things seem to happen in the colder months. Nothing grows, and in the older times, people would freeze to death more often, they would starve, and now, there are car accidents all of the time because of the ice on the road. Then enters snow.

     Snow, like I said, gives us moisture during a time when, without it, there wouldn't be much of a jump start into spring. But it also brings a bit of warmth to it. Anyone who has been buried under the fluffy white stuff as a child will understand what I'm talking about. Snow if cold, but it allows us to keep insulated.

      Then there is the simple beauty of snow. Why do people always want to have the same snow that is falling on my backyard for Christmas? Because the symbolism fits so well. Jesus Christ came from heaven to earth to save us from sin and to bring us near him to have a better life because he loves us. Snow falls from the sky to earth to help keep the ground fertile and watered, and it keeps the ground warmer by insulating it from the excruciating cold of the outside world. The expression "white as snow" doesn't just apply to the color of ourselves. It applies to everything that Jesus has done for us, and the fact that God's gift of this tiny crystal of frozen water can represent so much to those who love Him.

The Race

     The greatest feeling in the world would have to be breaking that tape at the end of 3.1 miles of toil, sweat, blood, and tears. The greatest race I've ever ran in was probably the Central City cross country invite in my sophomore year.

     It started out as the perfect day to run. The temperature was about sixty degrees, there was no wind, and a light sprinkle was coming down on the flat course. I warmed up in the usual way: warm-up mile, jogging to give the girls their waters, and plyometrics. We had all gotten to the starting line. We did our stride outs, pre-race chats, and we were all lined up. Then came the gun.

     Now Central City is one of our more difficult meets. Our school is in the smallest class in the state, and at this meet we see anywhere from the smallest to the second largest. During this year, the previous Class B champion was also running for Lexington. This year our team was to win it's first and only Cross Country State Team title, but we were still nowhere near the ability of Lexington.

     We shot out from the line like race horses biting at their bits. Loads of state medalists were at this meet. Hans Epp, Jahn Ladrigan, Franklin Ibarra, and me. The first mile was exhilarating. Everyone was switching places, first place was never the same for long, and then something happened. I and the previous state champion, a guy whom I had only hoped to stay with, pulled away from the pack. I felt amazing! When we hit the second mile, it was just us two. At one thousand meters to go, I took off. All that was on my mind was this guy's kick, and my lack thereof. I crossed the line in first place with my personal record. The most amazing thing was that I felt as though God had actually helped me through the race. It was amazing. I actually felt like I was running WITH God. This is the feeling that most Christian runners look for. God gave me an amazing race, and I gave it back to Him in the interview after. Always give the glory for any success you have to God, because it's always Him who allows you to do well!

'Tis the Reason to be Jolly!

     "And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:8-11.

     What was your greatest Christmas present ever? Honestly? I would have to say that mine was either a PS3 that I got fifteenth Christmas, or being able to read the Christmas story from the family Bible at Grandma and Grandpa's last year. Now, lots of us have been told that we shouldn't be worried about the presents, because Christmas is all about Jesus. That is completely true, but we should also take the time to be thankful. That's the reason people started giving gifts in the first place. The early Roman's were so thankful to their "gods" that they would share their happiness with others in the form of giving them a gift. If the Romans were able to be that thankful, why can't we Christians who have been given the ultimate gift, a relationship with Jesus Christ, be thankful enough to both give and receive gifts?

     When we give gifts, we are trying to model the "Giver", God the Father, who sent the only son that he had to die on a cross for sinners that hated Him. But when we receive gifts, we model accepting Jesus Christ into our lives. That is getting a present should look like. We should always remember that Christ gave us the greatest give of all. No matter what gift you get this year, try to be as thankful as you can be. And when you remember whose birthday it is, tell Him how thankful you are that He gave His life for you, because he loves you more than you could ever imagine!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! GOD BLESS YOU!!!

Discussions and Posts

     If anyone has anything they would like to see discussed and talked about, posted on this blog, please leave a comment below! It can be anything running or Christian related! Thanks and God bless!

The Joy of Running

     Lots of people consider running to be a pain; they say that it's a hard and boring thing that people only do to lose weight or keep in shape, but running is so much more! Running consistently gives a person a sense of accomplishment, of being closer to God, and nature. In my experiences, Cross-Country and Track seasons are the times where I both grow the most in my faith, and am more consistent in my faith.

     Running also helps the physical side of your emotions and faith. Running allows your body to release endorphins, which are the hormones that "cause" or aid happiness and good attitudes during our lives. People who are more active tend to get depressed much less, are able to cope with bad circumstances, and don't get agitated by trivial pains during our normal days. Running obviously exercises our muscles, heart, lungs, and diaphragm which makes our bodies more efficient and usually more healthy.

     There are lots of different ways to get the most joy out of a run. My first piece of advice is to RUN! There is nothing quite like the sense of euphoria runners get when we've finished a long and hard workout. Next, try to get outside as much as possible. Getting the fresh air, being a part of nature, and being alone with God on a run helps you to have a better attitude during AND after your run. Finally, don't focus on the run itself. When I go for a run, I will try to keep my mind occupied by listening to my iPod, looking at the things around me, or sometimes praying. When you think about how much it hurts, you will almost always end up walking, or quitting. By putting your mind elsewhere, you give yourself a chance to both enjoy your run, and to get more out of it. I always feel like I worked harder when I didn't even notice how fast I ran on a run, verses worrying about how tired I am at that time. Running is a gift from God that gives us both HEALTH and JOY, so lets use it to its fullest potential!

He Gave Everthing for Us

     "And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 2:8-11.

     What a great God we have. While the Muslims have a god who oppresses them, the Hindus have gods who require little from them, and the atheists have no "god" at all, we have a God who would give up His life for us! Let's just stop and think about that for a second. What person do you love most in the entire world? How much would you do for them? Would you DIE for them? How about your worst enemy? That's EXACTLY what Jesus Christ did for us! Our actions every day spit in God's face, and tell everyone that we hate him. Despite that, He loves us so much that he would die an extremely painful death, and separate himself from his Father, just so that we could be a part of his kingdom!

     We need to realize that every single day, and give Him as much glory as he truly deserves. Not only did he die for us, but he lived for us! Through out his life, he never sinned once, so as to fulfill the law FOR us so that we could be forgiven by his blood. WITHOUT CHRIST we would never be able to get to heaven. We would be separated from our Creator, the God who loves us more than anything, forever. I don't know about you, but I need to work on giving Him everything, because without him, we'd have nothing.

SOLI DEO GLORIA!!!