Author Archives

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Coaching Mary Cain

Mary Cain is a rapidly up-and-coming, world-class middle distance runner. During the three years I’ve followed her running career, she never fails to inspire. When this race was videotaped, she was a sixteen-year-old junior in highschool. Now seventeen, she continues to be a barrier breaker. She has great character and sportsmanship, and contagious enthusiasm for her sport. She looks like she loves to run. In media interviews, she sounds like she loves to run.

Many factors make this story one to watch, a rare combination that are “oh so good and right”. It goes beyond athletic talent; it surpasses Mary’s affability. It’s about an individual at her best, supported by a community at their best. Mary is racing the world’s elite already, yet after every race I’ve seen, her competitors shower her with praise and affection. So far Mary is proving it’s possible to remain unaffected by outside pressures and retain joyous passion for her sport. It’s about a girl trusting her coach, and letting him determine the timing and pace of her progress.

Mary Cain is surrounded by some of running’s best. She’s coached by Alberto Salazar, a decorated, world-class marathoner. Salazar also coaches Mo Farah and Galen Rupp, gold and silver distance medalists respectively at 2012’s London Olympics. I’ve heard Salazar comment on his training plan for Mary. It’s a big picture plan, a patient plan, a sequential plan. He’s not just talking about Mary’s race today, he’s talking about the plan for Mary’s races in the years ahead when she will be physically mature and optimally trained. Mary’s success speaks for her coach’s wisdom. Even her emotional health is exemplary.

I ran track for a decade at a far lower level than Mary, but I know how pacing becomes integrated into a runner’s very being. After hundreds of interval workouts, Fartleks, ladders, tempo runs, hills and repeats, pace becomes part of your internal clock. Some great exercise physiology classes and communicative coaches taught me how and when the body responds to a well-planned training regime. It doesn’t happen overnight. You can mistime it. You can over-train. Good coaches know how to get their athletes to peak condition for key meets. Good coaches and their runners understand how to maintain a base, when to start speed work, when to taper, when to rest; how confidence is built on success.

I view God as my coach, the best of the best. If Alberto Salazar is a great coach, consider how extraordinary God’s coaching is. He knows about pacing, about human limitations, about physical performance and equally critical confidence. He has a big picture plan and knows how best to get us ready for key meets. He knows not to over-train, and when to keep us out of the public eye. He knows when we’re ready to succeed.

Like Mary Cain trusts Alberto Salazar with her huge talent and career potential, we can trust God with our lives. Like Salazar has short and long-term goals and training plans for Mary, God has the same for us. He can be trusted with our aspirations and desires. We can rely on him with our talents and relationships.

Mary knows what Salazar’s plans are. Listen to her interviews on YouTube. This is not a naive girl left out of the loop regarding her own life, blindly or ignorantly trusting in her coach. Mary Cain is informed. Salazar has kept her in the loop. She understands the big picture plan for her running career and is on board with it. And why wouldn’t she be? Salazar’s plan has proved to be wise, successful, restrained, patient, and always in Mary’s best interest.

How much more so, can we trust God’s plan for our lives? And how much more so, will he keep us in the loop regarding our lives? Ask him what the plan is, and don’t settle for silence. Expect to be informed and educated, and be willing to sit in his classes, personalized just for you. He’ll teach you. There is no better coach than that.

 

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On This Rock

A building needs to be strong enough to withstand all that comes against it. It needs a foundation that distributes and withstands the loads above ground: dead load; wind, live and seismic loads.  A building’s height above ground must be balanced by an adequate underground foundation. Each part of the building needs to be strong.

YOU need to be strong. Could it be that God has exposed you to challenging conditions to reinforce your foundation? In the blustery conditions of your life, are you deepening your purposefulness? Are you becoming more committed, determined, unwavering; more dependent on Him, more consistent—is your foundation being made secure?

excavator-digging[1] In the midst of suffering, do you exercise your free will to consistently please God? If you haven’t yet, you can start today. If you have been faithful, as Job was faithful to God in successive losses, God is no doubt at work converting your grit and resolve, your daily grind of faithfulness, to the laying of a steadfast foundation. He does so in order to build above ground in your life ahead. The greater the depth of your foundation, the higher He can build your future.

Matthew 16:18 “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” 

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“…I will build my church…” He is the one who will build it; the pressure is off you. Wait to see what He does. Wait to be driven by the desires He puts within you. Don’t guess what He wants done, ask Him. Wait to know from Him each step of the way. You can’t imagine what He has in store for you, or how and when it will transpire.

It’s possible to bypass God and fabricate your own building—many people do it and some even claim it’s of God. There are plenty of existing buildings to model after—they don’t even need Him to oversee construction. Those buildings may even be well-built. The greater challenge, though, and the far greater outcome, is to be built by God.

In the process, He may do the unexpected: He may address religious styles and exclusivity by removing insider Christian lingo from your vocabulary; He might keep you from your past influences until you are strong enough to not be reabsorbed into the style, theologies, religiosity, or social demands He wants to change; He may reduce your life to a simple relationship—just you and Him; He may grant you the privilege of extensive access to His opinions, personality, teaching, and insights.

o8l5Llw[1] You are being prepared for your future. Don’t be intimidated—it will be a new thing but it need not be a difficult thing. You may fear being inadequate, imagining that you’ll be judged for lack of knowledge, influence, or formal training, but don’t worry; it won’t be like that. It will be comfortable and natural for you, because your relationship with God is comfortable and natural; that will go forward.  You’re the same person, moving from underground foundation building to an above-ground structure, from relative seclusion and isolation to the public eye.

When viewed from this perspective, your past traumas, pain, injustices, and miseries are changed from regret to gratitude. Without your past you’d be incapable of what God has ahead. The building, YOU, has the capacity to be bigger and higher because your past suffering produced a solid foundation.

Amid your painful past,  you may also have bittersweet memories you cherish. You may never again have the voluminous time of solitude you’ve had with God. In your suffering, you had His warm embrace and comfort, His coddling, His soothing words of assurance and hope—don’t hold them so tightly that you refuse to move forward.

You may be apprehensive too, as the future is full of unknowns. You may be asked to take a leap into that unknown and into a changed life. Do it despite your apprehension. It will be different ahead, but better ahead.

Trust Him. His buildings don’t topple; they don’t harm others. His are fortresses, an aid to those in need. Be patient.  He is making you capable of withstanding daunting loads. Let Him build you. Let Him train you, mold you, gift you, prepare you, and lead you. When your building begins to be constructed above ground in public, it will be evident to passersby who the builder was.

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Understand that your suffering is not wasted and is useful for God’s purposes. There will be a day when you’ll see all that you gained from the pain. Stay faithful to God. Like Job, an abundance of good things ahead resonates logically, in direct correlation to the abundance of injustices  you’ve endured.  Though it can be difficult to imagine your life changing to good and the concept of being blessed is foreign, you must accept His blessings just as you accepted His challenges.

Watch as He builds you. Let Him change the pain to joy, the ashes to beauty, and lack to abundance.  Accept His finishing touches on your building and remember: it will be evident to passersby who the builder was.

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Remembering My Father

Dad and me , dates on black

I think my dad would chuckle about this, his debut on a blog post with a link to Facebook. He never heard of either. So much has changed in twenty-five years. Soon after his death, the Berlin Wall fell and the Soviet Union collapsed. Two more grandchildren were born, and all are now grown. Ninety percent of people on earth carry mobile phones; half use theirs as their primary access to the internet. His five great-grandchildren use Skype to stay in touch—they’ve never known the distance between China and America to be vast.

Some things are strikingly familiar. Tensions continue in Korea long after fulfilling his Army duty there. The community he treasured goes on, still strong. His farm remains in the family. Friends, family, neighbors, church and community members mention him often. He would be humbled that people speak of him fondly. He is missed. Cancer robbed us of two or three decades of his warmth, devotion, compassion, laughter, and companionship.

Not long ago, I met one of his high school classmates. While the man described my dad, his tears flowed as readily as mine. They knew each other for forty-five years. “Harold left a lasting impression. He cared. He was a good, good man,” he finished, then hung his head. It’s still a loss after a quarter century.

Dad did care about people, and they cared about him. Those who knew him are blessed. And I am blessed that this good, good man was my father. Would that all children everywhere could be as fortunate.

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A Second Chance

If I’m expecting a second chance, or being handed an opportunity to enjoy the next chapter of my life, it seems to me that I should earn it. Why should I get a second chance or a great opportunity if I’ve done little to nothing to deserve it? Why should I accept a gift others aren’t receiving? Why should I live in peace when others are at war? Why should I be healed when others are dying? Why should I have favor when others do not?

After all, the equation should be sensible, mathematical, and logical. If I haven’t earned it, I shouldn’t get it. Beyond that, if I got myself into trouble, I should pay something to get out of it. Or I should have to work for years for it. Or suffer a lot—it seems right to suffer a whole lot. I should do time in my metaphorical prison cell. That’s only fair, right? That’s sensible, mathematical, and logical. It equates.

Innocent people suffer—that’s life. I accept affliction even when I’m innocent, because I see others do so with grace. Certainly guilty people should suffer. When I’ve caused my circumstances, I embrace the consequences of my stupidity. If I were offered release from my punishment, no questions asked, no demands given, I couldn’t accept it.

But what if the jailer said to me, “You’re right. You can’t be released without penalty. That is the law”.

“Now THAT makes sense.”

“A price must be paid for your offense. The law calls for consequences. That’s just the way it is.”

I’d understand that. “Got it. What is my penalty? Tell me, and maybe I can do it. If not, I understand. I should stay here imprisoned, because that’s what I got myself into.”

“A ransom can be paid. The King has paid yours for you.”

“What? He paid my fine? No. That’s not right. I’m the one who has to pay.”

“I found it in the records. There was a heavy penalty for your offense, and he paid it. He didn’t go to his bank vault to buy off your release. That would have been easy, because he’s very rich. Instead, he suffered for it. I read it in the records. It was not at all fair that he suffered. He did nothing wrong. Terry 2“But the records explained that he didn’t suffer in vain. It wasn’t just senseless torture. It wasn’t for naught. When he suffered, it was to pay off the hefty penalty for your release today.”

“Absolutely not. I won’t accept the release. It’s not right. He’s good and I’m not. It’s only right to stay in jail and do the time I deserve.”

“You’d make his suffering senseless? I beg you not to do that. I couldn’t bear it. If you decline, you make his brutal punishment for nothing. He’ll mourn the senseless waste of your life. What point is self-imposed punishment and living out your remaining days in a jail cell? He wants to see you LIVE. If you accept your freedom he gets to celebrate. He’ll be elated! He wants to see you fulfill the potential he sees in you. He’s already anticipating you living freely and fully, in health, abundance, and joy. Don’t reject his offer. Don’t do that to him. Not to the one who is so good, so noble, so gracious, so generous, so sacrificial. For HIM, take the offer of this free release from jail.”

“I knew this about the King. He does this for others, but it’s different when it’s about me. To contemplate walking from these walls, expecting good from the world, a free person without any fines, living and enjoying life…it made no sense to me. But you’ve made me see… to not accept his ransom would be to make his sacrifice pointless. I won’t do that to him. I”ll take this opportunity of free release from captivity. For him. “I’ll just walk out, knowing I don’t have to pay. Or suffer. Or do anything at all. Just walk out, and take the second chance and new opportunity. I won’t let his sacrifice be futile. I want to make his suffering profitable for him…I want to be a good investment.”

Pride and relief fill the jailer’s parting words: “Go, my friend. Live justly. Extend mercy. Love freely.”

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Word of the Week: Veracity

Ve·rac·i·ty

  • habitual observance of truth in speech or statement; truthfulness.
  • conformity to truth or fact; accuracy.
  • correctness or accuracy; precision
  • something true; a truth.

Synonyms: honesty, integrity, credibility.

Veracity. It’s what we should have. Sometimes the best example of what a thing looks like, is an example of what is doesn’t look like. 

A contractor was at our home recently to upgrade a service. He was friendly and outgoing, but every sentence that came from his mouth contradicted his previous one.   As he struggled to figure out the install, his confident but deceptive verbiage (i.e. BS) piled up.

When I searched for basic facts I needed from the pile of his double talk, he shifted to criticizing his coworkers and employer. Trying to get clarification on how to use the new service was like catching paper in the wind. Finally, it dawned on me …

“Have you done this before?”

“You need to call the company. They’ll tell you what to do to get it working.”

… He didn’t know how to do the job.

“Call the company?”  (The company I called last week? The one that put me on hold forever? The one that scheduled him to do the install?) 

“You don’t need to call them. I got you set up. It’ll work.”

Another flip flop.  After he left, it didn’t work. I had to call the company.

I didn’t complain about the guy. If he’s a new hire, his incompetence deserves forbearance.  What I’m left pondering is his constant flow of deception. He talked a big talk for two hours. Did he say what he believed I wanted to hear, or fake knowledge to end questions he couldn’t answer? Was his BS habitual? I don’t know, but truthfulness wasn’t his modus operandi, and I was impacted as a customer.

That relatively harmless but irritating experience gave me a fresh appreciation of habitual truth-seekers and truth-tellers. We get into habits with truth. Or not. It’s a choice to be factual. Or not. We impact others either positively or negatively, depending on which route we choose.

Big and small, truth has an immeasurable impact on who we are. It grounds us. From that solid ground, we can build lives that don’t shift in the sand. Or blow in the wind.

Veracity. It’s what we should have. 

 

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Fan the Flames

I’m not a fan of futility. I’ve noticed it’s about the biggest oppressor of my spirit. I don’t mind hardship so much if it yields something good. But if trouble is all for nothing—if there are no improved conditions, if all is futile—then the flames of my hope, ambition, purpose, and joy are reduced to smoldering embers.

In Romans 8:20, it says: For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

The NIV version uses the word “frustration” instead of “futility.” That doesn’t sound any better. And I’m curious about the phrase, “because of him who subjected it.” It implies God may be the one responsible for frustrating us. Why would he do that? And if not him, why would he allow it? Can anything good come out of futility?

I think it can. The snuffing does something unique to the embers of a spirit. When we get a chance to live again, to be a fire again in an open space with pure air, it’s a bigger and better fire than it ever was before.

But we don’t know that when we’re being smothered. When we’re forced to endure prolonged hardships or injustice, our choked spirits fade. If it’s bad enough, for long enough, we get desperate for something to change. Death can even look appealing, comparatively better than unending agony.

“Just douse me with water already, and let it be over with. Kill off this struggling spirit if nothing is ever going to change. Or relieve me of frustration and bring these fading embers to a full flame. SOMETHING other than this futility.”

If that’s you, I pray you’re soon relieved of the dampening, snuffing and futility. May the oppressive blanket smothering your fading hope be removed, and fresh air breathed onto the embers of your spirit. May your soul be rekindled and grow at the perfect pace, even hidden when needed to avoid another snuffing. Ultimately, may your fire be ignited to full, bounding flames of purposefulness, ambition, joy, gratitude, righteousness, hope, faith, and love.

If you are fading right now, don’t worry about the “why”, “when”, or “how”. Just get through today. Do that again tomorrow. One day you’ll look back and marvel—somehow the fire that leapt from your futile conditions is grander and more meaningful than if your spirit had never been suppressed and dampened at all.

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Words of a Wise Man

I know a man who has never had it easy. Since birth, his life was an uphill battle. He was victimized by people, to put it mildly. The details of his story are his to tell — just know the series of tragedies that came his way should never happen to anyone.

Equally unfair, his trials persist. He faces often-overwhelming challenges. While many of us struggle in an area or two, his burdens are multitudinous: physical, domestic, social, emotional, psychological, communicative, financial. It seems he can’t catch a break on this planet.

Still, remarkably, he rebounds. He somehow comes through each injustice with his hope and motivation intact. He has a kind nature and inexplicable optimism.

This embattled friend taught me a great lesson recently. He wrote ten words, a timely sermon distilled to profundity:

“Trying so hard to make it work … God help me …”

Why is it that the balance between effort and reliance is so difficult to find? My friend reminded me the impossible isn’t meant to be accomplished solely by human effort. When we try but fall short, it’s not over — we can expect God to make up the difference. When we buckle under heavy loads, he will take the bulk of the weight. He is the God of the impossible, the God of power, the God of miracles.

As I attempt to balance effort and reliance, I remember the wise words of my friend. After all, he knows a thing or two about striving against the odds.

“Trying so hard to make it work … God help me …”

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What Matters Most

Life can and does sweep us into its cares and concerns: financial woes, relationship conflicts, work stress, dashed dreams, time demands. Those things do matter, but they often take on over-sized, grandiose importance. They loom over our daily lives and darken our perspectives, clouding our outlooks. That’s when a simple, straightforward viewpoint sheds light on what matters most.

I’m reminded of the evening my Dad died, and the day of the World Trade Center attacks. Those were days of shocking clarity, when all the irritations, troubles, and concerns of daily life evaporated into insignificance. On those staggering days, life was re-framed into what matters most.

1 Corinthians 13:12 (The Message) We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!

 

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Personal Landslide

We all know people who don’t want to face the world on a given day. They are tired of being stepped on, and generally sick of the crap of life. Some are overwhelmed by the state of society—”The world is evil; there’s no point; evil is winning”—while some are direct targets of crushing injustice.

In either case, we hear it in their anger. It is evident in their depression. It has become personal. They’re buried under it.

To all those in a state of defeat, worry, frustration, reactive anger, or agony, know that hope is alive somewhere under the rubble. Love is in there too. Faith is recoverable beneath your personal landslide. We hear its life, its breath, its cry for mercy. 

It’s true that corruption and oppression are real, powerful, suffocating, and sometimes deadly. But it hasn’t won. You’re not done breathing. You’re not done with faith, hope, and love. Those three have not flat-lined.

For all those not presently buried, help those who are. It was us yesterday; it could be us tomorrow. Dig to rescue those who are struggling for breath. Shovel the weighty debris off their backs. Get on hands and knees, and push aside the dirt and clay until victims have access to air, to faith, to hope, to love.

Together, let’s resuscitate faith, hope, and love. Those three do remain in people as individuals, and among humanity collectively.

1 Corinthians 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Photo by Roman Apaza on Pexels.com
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Like The Eagles

(The feature photo above was taken by Kris Sundelius Lundine.)

There are a record number of eagles wintering along the Mississippi River in the Midwest this year. They were forced to migrate when ice coverage in northern states blocked access to their major food source. They benefit from the locks and dams in this area, where turbulent waters are free of ice and plentiful with stunned gizzard shad.

eagles in trees for blog

A friend and I ventured out recently in hopes of viewing a few of the regal birds. Happily, we discovered dozens inhabiting one section of the river. We counted 75 eagles perched in the dense trees of a small island, and witnessed fish being snagged from the frigid water by strong, agile talons. My friend pointed out the pairings; the brief separations when one eagle circled the area before returning to its mate.

As we were leaving, a third of the eagles lifted from their perches and filled the sky overhead. Their soaring was majestic, their individual and collective statement stunning.

 

No wonder David used eagles as an example of eminence in Psalm 103: 2Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— 3who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, 4who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, 5who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

And in Isaiah 40:31, Isaiah wrote: But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.