Category: race

Dance: To Move Your Body

Let them praise his name in the dance: 
let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.
For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people: 
he will beautify the meek with salvation.
(Psalm 149:3-4 KJV)


This old photo was on some mail I got from the St. Louis History Museum,
 thought it fit well with our theme today.
 It was either this or a video of me dancing! I figured you’d prefer this!

Dancing may be the last thing on your mind when you think of quiet. If you have no rhythm, like myself, you may  want to skip this idea completely. But even as I admit that I am rhythm deficient, I still like to dance unto the Lord! I love to crank up the praise music when no one is home and just move as the Spirit leads. But dance is not the only kind of movement that draws us closer to God. 

Scripture often likens our relationship with Him as a walk or even a race. I think dancing, walking, running or any exercise can give us a focus that clears our minds, placing us in a posture for deeper listening to God.

Pam Farrel agrees. Listen in as she relates her experience with dance and exercise as means to connect with God in the quiet of our hearts. (If you are kinesthetic learner, you’re gonna love this. If you’re not, you should still give this idea a try. See if God shows up in a way you never experienced before!)

Pam does admit that she is a trained dancer and gymnast, but still there is value in trying a new experience even if you’re not an expert:

I took a Jewish folk-dance class and the holiness of dance became real to me. As the teacher explained the meaning of the dances and their steps, I began to grasp the full picture of God’s plan. One dance had a step for water . . . I thought about how Jesus said, “I am the living water.”

At the moment my feet were moving to the music and doing the steps  that meant water, I knew that for me the living water is what I needed for survival . . . I had intellectually known that for years  and years, but in that moment my whole body could respond to the truth of that one simple phrase in Scripture.

If dancing doesn’t appeal to you, try taking a walk or jogging with praise music or riding your bike with the intention of listening to God.

Pam shares some research and  her experience with exercise:

Professional counselor Earl Henslin says that often it is after intense exercise and rest that our minds think clearest. I also have seen that I am most creative after I have exercised and prayed. It is as if those two activities serve as an eraser on the chalkboard of my life, wiping away the superfluous noise of busyness.

©Pam Farrel from 30 Ways to Wake Up Your Quiet Time (IVP). For more devotional books by Pam http://www.Love-wise.com


Can you share a time when physical activity 
helped you to connect with God?
Posted on by kelrohlf 7

Race: Progess Toward a Goal

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run,
but only one receives the prize?
So run that you may obtain it.
1 Corinthians 9:24 ESV
 
 

It was a race against time. In a few short hours, he knew the cohort would surround them. It was dark and cooling off in the deserted olive grove. How often, they had walked here to escape the heat of the day, to talk over life. Tonight, he pushed towards the goal, along the way he told them a parable, one of his favorite ways of teasing them. To make them think, to challenge their status quo. To remind them that following was an adventure.

He spoke of the vinedresser, the vine and the vintage fruit. Reminding them that life apart from the vine was fruitless. But now, his heart raced, blood coursing through his veins in nervous expectation. Would he be able to finish the course set before him? The course his father imagined eons ago.

The faithful few were yawning, a stone’s throw away. A simple request: Watch with me. I need your prayers and your cheers to finish.

They nodded off. He remonstrated with them, please; I need to know I’m not alone. Won’t you press on toward the goal with me?

The third time the sweat on his brow, now, wiped on his sleeve; he was resolved. Panting with exhaustion, yet determined to go the final stretch. To be stretched beyond recognition.

A haunting rebuke, couldn’t you just give one hour?
 
Linking up with:
 
 
Posted on by kelrohlf 11

More Running the Race

“…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. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:1b-3 NIV)

 
Five Lessons from the Race

1.       This is my race. Don’t compete with the others.

2.       Race in progress. Keep going, it’s not over yet.

3.       The agony of victory keeps you racing.

4.       This race was designed for you to finish.

5.       You’ve been training all your life for this race.

Yesterday, three of us piled into my friend’s car with our bikes securely attached to the bike rack and headed to Milstadt Parks Biathlon. Our first ever attempt at a combo bike/run. We each went through various moments of nervous doubts to “we can do this” affirmations.
 

When we pulled into the parking lot, our enthusiasm deflated. Next to every car we passed, a very athletic looking man lifted his bike effortlessly off the car rack. Are we at the right race? What did we get ourselves into now? Eventually we did see some women and met some first timers as we checked in, put our bikes in the staging area and walked over to the start. By the time we did all this plus took our obligatory bathroom break, we were standing at the back of the pack.

This is my race. Don’t compete with the others.

Before the race, I told my friend to just take off and I would run my own race. I knew I couldn’t keep up with her or her other friend because they have more experience. Once we were off, it was hard not to run really fast to keep up with the main group. About a few hundred yards into the race, I decided again this was my race. So I throttled back to my own pace.

I had two goals for this race…participate and hopefully finish. The race included a five mile run and a 22 mile bike route. The description for the race seemed a bit overblown, since we knew that the highways around the town were fairly flat. Here’s how their website described the race:

TAKE THE CHALLENGE!! Be a part of one of the largest and most challenging races in the central states region! This event not only tests your fitness level, but also your cycling skills. The high speed turns, rolling hills, and scenic farmlands make this event the largest in the metro east area.

Since I didn’t really believe this description, I just plunged in, thinking how hard can this really be? About halfway through the run, I knew how hard it could be. My goal of participating had already been met, but I also really wanted to finish. I kept my pace. I figured I was in last place, but I didn’t look back to check, I kept my focus on the race ahead. 

When I was about two miles in, the other runners were doubling back from the half way point. Some would shout “Good job!” Their encouragements kept me in the race. I even told one of them “Good job!”  I made it to the halfway water station, took a cup of water, drank it as I walked, threw the empty cup in the trash and resumed running. I gave myself permission to run/walk the last half.

Race in progress. Keep going, it’s not over yet.

Running around the turn, heading back to the bike staging area, a volunteer gave me my time: 1 hour 3 minutes. That announcement pleased me, because before the race my husband told me, if I ran the five miles in an hour, I would be able to finish the race.

I climbed on my bike, adrenaline pumping through my body while my legs pumped the pedals. The route out of town was flat. I was fantasizing about catching the rest of the racers, when I met one of the speed demons returning up the hill that I was flying down. Hills are definitely a rush going down, but there’s always one to climb straight ahead. I never caught up with the pack. I went back to my original mantra: “This is my race.” I found my biking pace, blindly hoping that I could keep a 10 mile per hour rate to finish the race under 3 hours.  After several rolling hills and steep inclines, I made it to the 10 mile point. At the water station, I declined a drink and asked what time it was. The volunteers replied “10:05am.”

The agony of victory keeps you racing.

I had fifty-five minutes and about 12 miles to go to beat the mandatory sag wagon pick-up. They have a strict policy of racers being off the route by 11:00am. I drank some water from my water bottle, zoomed down a hill and hit a steep one on the other side. I shifted into low gear to march the bike up the hill, my legs were screaming and I heard a car behind me. I decided to get off the bike and walk the hill, so the car could pass.  They didn’t pass. I looked back. It was the red pick-up truck assigned as the sag wagon. Uggh! I kept walking, they stayed back. I got to the top of the hill and climbed back on determining to at least make it to the 15 mile marker.

This race was designed for you to finish.

I sensed that the sag wagon was back there, and was surprised that its presence actually motivated me to keep going.  I ate an orange flavored power bar, drank water and kept pedaling up and down the rolling hills of Milstadt. I had no idea of the time. I climbed yet another hill and saw the town ahead. My last burst of energy kicked in and I headed towards the finish line.

I rode across the line and the clock read: 2:56:46. I made it. I finished with a few minutes to spare and no sag wagon in sight.
 

 

 

You’ve been training all your life for this race.

While out on the course, the last principle entered my mind. My whole life I had been training for this race. As a young girl, I often spent my afternoons riding my bike over hilly country roads, my husband  and I have biked with our boys across the Midwest and I have been training to run these past few months.
These race lessons parallel my spiritual journey. My relationship with God is mine. And when I compare it to others, I get discouraged. The little signs posted along the race route that read “Race in progress” reminded me that my growth as a Christ-follower is in progress. God’s not finished with me.
I often struggle with the agony of defeat, and the repeatable sin patterns in my life, but I was reminded during the race that Jesus suffered the agony of victory. For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross. The joy was to be reunited to each one of us through His own sacrifice.

The last two principles really offered me hope as I continue to walk with God. He designed us to finish. He’s not making our journey harder than it needs to be. Life is only as difficult as it needs to be. He has provided everything that we need in order to finish, including our past experiences and the current progress our of lives.

 

 

 

 

 
Posted on by kelrohlf 5

Focus: Directed Attention

 
 
Some mornings I find it difficult to focus. I have routines, but they are ever in flux. I get up and want coffee. But then I think maybe I should go run. I have been thinking of setting office hours, so I can be more focused on writing. I have been blogging five days a week now for three weeks. It is nice to have a rhythm going.

I have been running to get ready for a race that a friend invited me to run with her. It actually includes biking as well, so they call it a biathalon. Talk about needing focus. But I’m not sure if that’s really what I have been after these past few weeks. Sure I have a goal to get ready. So I run or bike every other day, challenging myself to push a little further each time. But the focus is not on the race, as much it is on plodding along and conditioning my body to be ready for the race.

I need both the goal of the race, and the focus of the moment. It’s a strange mix, but it does keep me going.
 
 
 
 

Picture

 
 
 
Remember that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize. You also must run in such a way that you will win.  All athletes practice strict self-control. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step. I am not like a boxer who misses his punches.   I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should.

1 Corinthians  9:24-27 NLT

Posted on by kelrohlf 5