Last post: before my feet hit the floor

For many years, we have heard Gene (Jason's dad) tell us that "before his feet hit the floor" each morning that he prays for us. This is quite a gift to know that some mornings before I have even gotten out of bed myself that he has covered us in prayer. 

Just because you won't be getting email messages from me every day anymore 

since the training and the race are over, I just want you to know that I've begun to follow in Gene's footsteps and have a few people I pray for every day before my feet hit the floor,

 and you need to know that you are among those people. 

One of the prayers we pray in our small group time: 

"We thank you, O Lord, for those whom you have given to us and to whom we have been given."

I am thankful you have been given to me and that I have been given to you.  

If these posts have not done anything else for the last 13 weeks, I hope that they have simply reminded you that you are loved.  

PR Day

It's been 13 weeks of training and running,

 and today was the day to put that to the test. 

13 weeks (to celebrate your (almost) 13 years!) 

It was so sweet to wake up to this note from Taylor that he left out for me this morning.  

There were a few things random folks cheering along the way said to me 

and these were the things that I used to offer as prayers for you: 

1) Go the distance. 

May you go the distance- especially when it's hard and when you don't know the outcome. 

May God give you grace and perseverance for each mile ahead.  

2) You got this. 

When you are feeling discouraged, may you dig deep and know that "you got this!" 

But even more so, may it be a prayer that you pray often to God saying to Him- "God, you got this!" leaving things in his hands that seem out of your control and trusting Him for the road ahead. 

Thank you Liam for being with me in spirit this morning. 

Many cheers for you as your 13th birthday is almost here! 

XOXO, 

Emily 

'twas the night before race day

Liam, this is the 90th post on this blog. (Good grief- that's a lot of emails you have had in your inbox!) Thank you for being a good sport and reading along. 

Know that it has been a sweet thing to tie you up in my shoelaces with some prayer in the last few months of training and running-- bringing you along the way and holding you up to the Light. 

I just googled "night before race day" and found this very funny poem.  

‘Twas the night before race day, when all through the town

No sleep would be had by the runners around;

Their race clothes were laid by the door with care,

In hopes that a PR soon would be there.

The rest of the world – they were snug in their beds,

While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.

But for runners like me, sleep would not come,

We tossed and we turned until up came the sun,

Only then did our bodies succumb to a nap,

But then – BOOM! Our alarms went off like a slap.

We frantically pulled our clocks to our faces,

To make sure we hadn’t slept through our races.

Next: Check the weather. Sunny or Snow?

Running through heat or twenty below?

Even though we’d stalked the forecast forever,

We needed that last minute check on the weather.

Time to get dressed, get stressed over layers,

Yes, it’s cold now, but what about later?

Sure we can shed some clothes as we go,

But where goes the damn race bib? We know it must show.

Once our wardrobe is finally complete,

It’s time for the Glide and to deal with our feet!

Glide is easy: everywhere it goes

More difficult is dealing with feet and with toes.

Long or short socks? Compression or not?

Too risky to try the new ones we’ve bought?

And no matter how much we adjust our right sock,

There’s a bump in it that feels like it’s hiding a rock.

Next come the sneakers, a whole different stress

One wrong lace and BINGO! Your feet are a mess.

First they’re too loose. Then they’re too tight.

On race day they never ever ever feel right.

Next up: some food, though it’s barely daylight

And who wants to eat when it’s still kind of night?

So we choke down bagels, maybe oatmeal instead,

And toss back some coffee to wake up our heads.

Breakfast is over, so now we must pack

Some fuel to eat for a mid-race snack.

Chompers or gel? Sport beans or Gu?

Too many choices, so we just grab a few.

We’re dressed! We’re packed! We finished our meal!

Time to head out – it's sure getting real!

But of course we cannot just head out the door,

Without visiting the loo, at least one time more.

Off to the race site, time to check in,

Stare at the elites – those guys might win!

Then straight to the porta potties – get in a line,

We know that is where we will spend most of our time.

After spending quality time at the John

We realize the moment has come to move on

And make our way over to the starting line;

Adjust our Garmin and pacebands one final time.

Do a few stretches, hand to your heart,

As the national anthem signals the start.

Excitement builds, you’re ready to burst,

Whether it’s your fiftieth race or your first.

The countdown begins and off goes the gun,

It’s finally here – the race has begun!.

So we look up and wish on the new morning star,

“HAPPY RACE DAY TO ALL, AND TO ALL A PR!!

You'll definitely be with me in spirit tomorrow. :) 

ashes, ashes

so grateful for the Ash Wednesday service I got to attend 

at SPU yesterday afternoon and the one Anna went to at UPC last night.  

 "By this symbol (of the ashes) we acknowledge our own frailty and mortality; and with humility, we recognize our dependence on God. The ashes remind us "from dust we came and to dust we shall return." By embracing our own limitations and death, we begin to understand the great hope we have in Christ's resurrection." 

(from SPU's Campus Ministries program)

(this also highlights that I have a lot of wrinkles...:) 

Ash Wednesday reminds me of my dependence on God--
 that He is the vine and I am a branch on that vine.  

It reminds us that without Him, we can do nothing. 

Lent is a time God invites us to remember that vital connection. 

May it be a deepening season for you, Liam--

(and a bit of a countdown to your 13th birthday which will be here before we know it!) 

another look at Jeremiah 29:11

Last month, I shared with you one devotional reading on Jeremiah 29:11. I stumbled across another reflection below about the same verse and thought it was really helpful in continuing to unpack this popular passage.  Praying that you will have hope no matter what your lot is today...

“’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”

My Old Testament professor had this to say about the ever-popular Jeremiah 29:11: “I am going to destroy what this verse means to you, but then I’m going to reframe it so you understand it better within it’s original context, and then you will love it even more when we’re done.” He definitely had our attention!

We often approach Jeremiah 29:11 as a security blanket: God has a plan for me that is good, so clearly this suffering I’m going through will end soon and then my flourishing will begin! But that is not at all what God was promising to the Israelites, and it’s not what he’s promising us, either.

Author and blogger Mary DeMuth addresses our misunderstanding of this verse in her latest trending post, Jeremiah 29:11 Doesn’t Mean What You Think. As she explains, the heart of the verse is “not that we would escape our lot, but that we would learn to thrive” in the midst of it.

Here’s the context: the Israelites were in exile, a punishment from God as result of their disobedience. The prophet Jeremiah confronts the false prophet, Hananiah, who had boldly proclaimed that God was going to free Israel from Babylon in two years (spoiler alert: God doesn’t do this).

Jeremiah calls out Hananiah’s lie, and then states the promise we read in 29:11. God does indeed have a good plan for the Israelites, and it is a plan that will give them hope and a prospering future. Sounds good, right?

The thing is, before he shares this promise, he gives them this directive from God: “seek the peace and the prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” (29:7)

This is not at all what the Israelites wanted to hear! They wanted to be told that they were going to go home. They wanted to be told that their suffering was going to end. Instead, God’s plan was for them to stay right where they were, and to help prosper the nation that enslaved them!

And then came the biggest blow of all. In verse 10, God says that he would fulfill this “after seventy years are completed in Babylon.” This meant that none in the current generation of Israelites would ever return to their home. What a crushing thing to be told!

Mary writes:

Yes, of course God knows the plans He has for us. And ultimately He will give us a glorious future. But as we walk out our lives on this crazy earth, let’s remember that the best growth comes through persevering through trials, not escaping them entirely. And when we learn perseverance, we find surprising joy.

What hard thing are you currently going through? In the midst of your suffering, cling to Jeremiah 29:11, but cling to it for the right reason: not in the false hope that God will take away your suffering, but in the true, gospel confidence that he will give you hope in the midst of it."

do not be dismayed

This morning (usually a day I run with your mom), I was praying for her healing and missing my favorite running buddy. This verse below is one that is so good for times when we are feeling discouraged.  So give an extra hug to your mom today for me and remember this verse for a time when you might need some cheering on too. 

fix your thoughts

There's a verse that says for us to "take every thought captive" (1 Corinthians 10:5)...

may this be an encouragement to you the next time you find yourself all tangled up with thoughts that are getting out of control and bringing you down. 

Here are 6 ways to take your thoughts captive from an article I found online:

1. Accept responsibility for your thoughts. You have the ability to exercise control over your thoughts. God warned Cain to focus his mind on the right things, but Cain chose to think about the wrong things - anger and jealousy - which led to his murderous actions. Are you willing to admit that you can, with God's help, regain control of your thoughts - and think enabling thoughts instead of disabling ones?
    
2. Your mind - not just your behavior - must change. God calls us to change sinful behavior that does not honor and please Him. Instead of focusing on your outward behavior, work on disciplining your mind - from which the behaviors stem. Allow God to transform you by the renewing of your mind (Rom. 12:2).
    
3. Think through your problems rather than just react to them. When you experience difficult challenges, you can react to them and think yourself into despair every time. Or you can look forward to the next opportunity and ask yourself what you learned from this failure. Is your first thought I'll never do anything right? You don't have to get trapped by disabling thoughts. You are capable of getting out of your shame, despair, hopelessness, and anger - by taking control of your thoughts.
    
4. Take your disabling thoughts captive through confession. Paul urges us to "take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" (Rom. 12:21). Confront your disabling thoughts. Turn them over to God and become who He sees you can be. It will take work to take your thoughts captive each time they pop into your mind. But it is possible with the help of the Holy Spirit.
    
5. Choose to focus your thoughts on the right things. We are to think about those things that are "true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable" (Phil. 4:8). When we think on those things, God promises to give us His peace. What a contrast that is to the thoughts of millions of people today. Don't look to a movie, TV show, or how-to formula to accomplish this for you. It takes personal discipline and commitment.
    
6. It is possible. It is not easy to retrain your thoughts or to respond in new Christ-like ways. Take heart: as God empowers you to focus your mind on the right things, it will become easier. You can develop a new frame of reference, based on what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy.