Team Samaritan's Purse

This 131 day journey actually began a couple of weeks ago. Carolyn, one of my students, emailed me and asked if I would run a marathon with her. At first, I thought she was crazy. But, as I listened to her talk, her passion was compelling. She told me that she wanted to run for Samaritan's Purse, and she wanted to raise money. She had looked at the webpage, and it suggested a goal of $1000 per person. She prayed about it and told me about how she wanted to use the desires of her heart for God. She has been a runner for several years and wanted to give that interest of hers back to Christ to use for His glory and to make a difference.

As I contemplated the decision to run with her, I couldn't escape the challenging call of her words or my desire to partner with her and be a part of this God-given passion in her life. It was not long before I had agreed to run a half-marathon, 13.1 miles. And we both talked about it and prayed about it, the passion became contagious. Others in my office signed on to run with us; other staff and faculty, more students. Over 20 people came forward saying they wanted to be a part of this race and this cause. Carolyn told me at one point that $1000 seemed like such a small goal. Now, instead of two of us running and raising $2000, we have a whole team of runners, for the half-marathon and the 5K, and instead of $2000 as our goal, we are raising $35000 to build a mission hospital.

The way the pieces have come together has been amazing! The excitement on campus, the different levels of expertise, people volunteering to help with coolers, or with T-shirts, setting up volunteer opportunities and events to support us along the way.

This is an incredible journey, about 20 weeks of training, and about 8 more miles than I am used to running. It will require a vast amount of time and energy, and at times, I am sure that it will feel overwhelming. As many of you know, though, I went to Nicaragua this summer and witnessed some of the world's deepest poverty and physical need. I came home and went relatively back to my former routine, not untouched, but perhaps unmoved to do anything more. What do I do to reach out with compassion? How do I show Christ's love to those who are hurting and in need? Part of running this race is putting that need at the forefront again and supporting Samaritan's Purse, an organization that helps communities and barrios around the world. This is part of what I have to give, my time, my effort, my desire to run - I want to be like Carolyn and lay it all on the altar for His use.

What do you have to give? What will you do to partner with us and make a difference? There is a link to our fundraising website on the right of this blog page. There is a video to learn more about Samaritan's Purse. Pray about giving, running, cheering us on, pray about being involved as Christ leads. Thanks for sharing this journey with us!

131 Days to 13.1

September 25th, I start a new journey, one that will take me 131 days to complete. I begin intensive training for my first half-marathon, 13.1 miles. I will be running the Myrtle Beach Half-Marathon on February 19, 2011. It is an intimidating goal. My longest race so far has been a measly 5 miles. 13.1 seems overwhelming and intimidating, daunting.

Why run? As I sacrifice my opportunity to sleep late on Saturdays and commit to workouts three times a week, I sometimes wonder myself.  I enjoy it. It is a stress reliever. It is good conversation time with other runners. But what drives me to sacrifice my time and my energy? What greater need does it fulfill in my life?

For me, the answer comes from the discipline of training. What I learn about myself from running is the importance of submitting to a knowledgeable coach, the necessity of constant practice, the commitment to overcome hardship & injury, and the challenge to succeed each time with my personal best. There is not much that can compare with the thrill of crossing the finish line and seeing my efforts pay off in doing something I wasn't sure that I could do.

I ran my first 5K last year. And as I look back on that experience now, I see how much I was able to accomplish in such little time. I went from not running at all to running 4.5 miles consistently in 12 weeks. I remember thinking what if I could apply this training, this purpose, this discipline to other areas of my life.

For me, that's what drives me to run, being able to see the metaphor of running play out in my everyday life. Everything that I learn from the training helps me develop that mindset of discipline, commitment, and excellence. I think of 1 Timothy 4:7-8 in the Bible which says, "Train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness had value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come" (NIV).

Through this blog, I hope to share my journey with you, the physical training and the spiritual discipline. I'll share reflections along the way and invite you to join in the conversation. Hopefully it will inspire you to run your race well, whatever race that may be.

I look forward to seeing you at the finish line. Let the training begin!

Heart & Sole

Almost a month ago to the day, I hurt my ankle. I ended up missing over three weeks of training for the Heart & Sole 5 miler, a race that I had been talking about since the fall. As I started running again last week, I really thought it was too late, that I had missed too much time to be able to run and finish. I was planning on sitting it out and just waiting until the next 5k. My Fleet Feet running mates encouraged me to come out and do it, though, to take it easy and just do the best I could. I was scared of disappointing myself or re-injuring my ankle, but I decided to give it a try anyway.


And so this morning I ran the race. And I ran it, all of it, the longest run I have completed in over a month. Although there are other races that I have completed with faster times, as I crossed the finish line today, I thought about how much more special this one is, especially after overcoming the injury and overcoming some serious self-doubt. It was sweet to complete it, so sweet.

As I came home and started thinking about the experience, I am just reminded again of how much running for me is a metaphor for life. I was thinking about how God has set a course for us to run, and He sent His Son to make us eligible for the race. As we start out on the journey, there is much celebrating and festivity. As we continue on the course, though, there are some tough spots, where the sun is beating down and steep hills (like Gervais St) discourage us. There are times we are offered detours along the way (Three mile walkers, turn left here) and have to decide if we are going to stay the course or not.
 
Each time, though, when I thought I couldn't go anymore, right then, it seemed like there was a water stop, a time to pause and replenish and soak in the mist (a time of revival and restoration). There were volunteers along the course (church family), cheering me on, cheering us on. Seeing their energy and sensing their encouragement gave me fuel to keep going. About mile marker three, there was a section of the course where you could see the ones who were far ahead (mature Christians). As they passed by, they had words of encouragement too. That encouragement meant the most - seeing the ones that were further along the course, the ones who had gone before us, the ones who knew the way and had travelled the path before.
 
All the while we are running, we have to keep our focus on the finish line, and the one there to meet us. Today it was a guy with a bucket of roses... in the future, it will be the One ready to welcome us home, the author and perfecter of our faith, the One who go befores us, the One who goes with us, the One who keeps us on course for His best and for ours.
 
I did not set a personal record today... but I did something even more special. I showed myself what Heart and Soul are really all about - committing to run the race Christ has set before us and sharing that journey with others, being encouraged by them when we are weak, and encouraging others when we are strong.

(Untitled)

penned up inside
refused voice
refused ink
destined to be felt deeply
to serve purpose
to remind
to hurt
to ache endlessly
to love truly
to keep alive
the feeling -
    and yet, still words.

~erin, 1996

The Whole of My Sin

In a hole to start with,
trying to escape -
keep digging, digging, digging
only deeper and deeper I go.

One-time feeling evolves into state of mind
Can't get out, trapped in it's grasp;
let go, let go, got to get out.

Can't be done, in too deep
no visible answer, no ladder around

As giving up Hope and Fate to give in,
Sudden release, Savior indeed;
freedom at last from the hole of my sin.

~erin, 1994