A Thousand Words

Training Update:

Perfect weather. The temperature was in the mid 40s and it was sunny. 8.5 miles at 6:20 per mile was the goal for the morning. It wasn't too difficult, for the most part. I was just a little fast on most miles, after starting at 6:31 for the first mile. I plan to bump it up to marathon race pace (6:20 per mile) for 10 or 11 miles in a few weeks.

I rowed on the Concept 2 for about 30 minutes in the evening.

Where I Run

Here are some pictures from Corey Collmann of the trail at Lake Zorinsky where I usually run. These are some nice photos taken about a week ago.

Training Update:

10 miles pretty easy at 7:30 per mile. At Lake Zorinsky.

A Little Bit about a Lot of Things

I talked about faith today in church. You can listen here.

We had a bunch of new people over to our house after worship this morning. I always enjoy Starting Point because I get to know new people--something that is difficult to do on Sunday morning. I love listening to people's stories and hearing about their dreams in life. Today's group of people were excited about church and a fun group to hang out with.

It was boy's night tonight at the Finnestad's. Amber went out with some friends for a well-deserved night of fun. David, Benjamin, and I had lots of fun of our own playing and wrestling.

Speaking of playing, Nebraska looked awful last night in their football game. Even though the game was close at the end, Nebraska couldn't run the ball, missed tackles, and made lots of silly mistakes. Missouri on Saturday night. If Nebraska doesn't play better, this one will be scary.

Congratulations to occasional training partner and friend, Gary, for getting his Boston Qualifier this morning at the Omaha Marathon. Congratulations as well to regular training partner, Christy, for winning the Omaha Half Marathon this morning. Happy 40th Birthday to occasional training partner Dave. We won't be in the same age group for another year and a half!

A new world record was set this morning in the marathon in Berlin. Haile Gebrselassie ran an astounding 2:03:59. That's under 4:44 per mile for 26.2 miles. Crazy.

It was good to see Lonnie Gibson in church this morning. She and her family moved to San Antonio last summer. She was back in town for a wedding. Lonnie is a frequent reader and occasional contributor to this blog. We miss having her and the family around.

Training Update:

I gave the legs a rest today and worked out on the Concept 2 Rowing Machine.

15 minutes easy rowing.
25 minutes of 1 minute harder rowing with 2 minutes of easy rowing for recovery.
10 minutes easy rowing.

14000 meters total in one hour.

2 Weddings in 60 minutes

I did two weddings today within 60 minutes and the two weddings were about 10 minutes apart. Both weddings were great and it was a privilege for me to be a part of both of them.

At both weddings I said something like this (I figured nobody would be at both weddings, so I had no problem repeating myself. Ironically, one other person was at both weddings!):

As of today, you are no longer two, but one. You come into your marriage relationship as individuals and you will not lose your identity, rather you will use your individuality to create and strengthen your marriage relationship.

Today you promise that you will love, honor, and comfort each other to the last of your days.

Today you promise that you will cherish each other and be faithful to each other always.

Today you promise that you will do these things not just when you feel like it – but for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health – even and especially when you don’t feel like it at all.

Today you give away part of your freedom.

Today you take on each other’s burdens.

Today you bind yourselves together in ways that are even more painful to unbind emotionally than they are to unbind legally.

What is it then that you get in return?

Not very much, but the one thing you get is really cool. You get each other.

Assuming you have any success at all in keeping these promises, you will never have to face the world quite alone again. There will always be the other to talk to, to listen to. If you are blessed, even after the first passion passes – you’ll still have a kindness and a patience to depend on and a chance to be patient and kind. There will be someone to get through the night with, to wake the new day beside.

You will both have lives apart as well as life together.

But a marriage made in heaven is one where a man and a woman become more richly themselves together than the chances are either of them could have managed to become alone.

[The above verse was mostly written by Frederick Buechner]

To Brain and Lisa and Rob and Julie -- I pray for years and years of faithfulness and fruitfulness in your respective marriages.

Training update:

20 miles at 7:30 per mile with Chris, Dave, and Dave. We started at five thirty in the morning and finished two and a half hours later at eight o'clock. We hit Elmwood Park, Memorial Park, and the Keystone Trail. Great run with some great guys.

Faith

I'm talking about faith on Sunday morning. I had a great time researching this week and can't wait to share on Sunday. Here is some of the work:

What Christian faith is not:

1. The ability to manipulate God. This approach only sees faith as having one aim -one fruit - a life of ease and blessing.
2. The adherence to a set of beliefs. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed. 2 Timothy 1:12 (NIV)
3. A blind leap into the dark. Reason is our soul's left hand, Faith her right. -John Donne

What Christian faith is:

1. A biblical definition: Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. -Hebrews 11:1-3 (NIV)
2. A gift from God. And now these (gifts) three remain: faith, hope and love. -1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV)
3. Faith is like radar that sees through the fog. -Corrie Ten Boom

What Christian faith means for us today:

Salvation

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast. -Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)

Compassion

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. -James 2:14-17 (NIV)

Power

“You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.” -Matthew 17:20 (NIV)

Faith makes things possible, not easy. -Unknown

Faith is raising the sail of our little boat until it is caught up in the soft winds above and picks up speed, not from anything within itself, but from the vast resources of the universe around us. -W. Ralph Ward

Faith enables persons to be persons because it lets God be God. -Carter Lindberg

Faith can move mountains, but don't be surprised if God hands you a shovel. -Unknown

Hope

By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. -Hebrews 11:7 (NIV) and “But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded.” -Genesis 8:1 (NIV)

A little faith will bring your soul to heaven, but a lot of faith will bring heaven to your soul.

Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase. -Martin Luther King Jr.

Training Update

Another bad bad. I don't know why, but I'm just not feeling it lately. And easy 8 this morning with Dave and Dave through Elmwood and Memorial Parks long before the sun came out. 59 minutes.

Kid's Update

David on the Mac

Benjamin getting ready 50s Day at School

Revolution

I was reading about the American Revolution earlier this week. Here is some of the stuff I dug up:

• "Gentlemen may cry peace peace—but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" -Patrick Henry
• "I am well aware of the toll and blood and treasure it will cost us to maintain this declaration, and support and defend these states. Yet through all the gloom I see the rays of ravishing light and glory. I can see that the end is worth all the means. This is our day of deliverance." -John Adams
• "America is ready to fight fifty years to win." -Benjamin Franklin
• "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." -Nathan Hale
• "I have not yet begun to fight!" -John Paul Jones
• "Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.” -Thomas Paine

Easily some of the most powerful words ever written. It’s no wonder with people thinking like this that the British decided to hop in their boats and take their chances with a wooden boat, cloth sails, and the Atlantic Ocean. A few hundred years later the dream still exists.

A French historian named Alexis de Tocqueville described the challenges and opportunities of democracy, in general, and the United States, in particular. 175 years ago he wrote: “The greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults.”

Now consider your life. The early Americans wanted something better. And they were going to do whatever it took to improve their lives. I think our situation in life is much like the Revolutionaries.

We have faults. We want something better. Greatness comes when we repair our faults. For the last two weeks and in the next two weeks we are talking about personal revolution. We have been talking how to take our life from 211 degrees to 212 degrees. In the way that we think, in what we believe, and how we act. We can and will change the world one person at a time. Do something big today. If you aren’t able to do something big, then do something small. Dream a big dream. Take a risk. Help somebody. Open the Bible. Join a serving team. Say a prayer. Fail and get back up and try again until you succeed. Life is too short to settle for anything less.

Sunday morning I’m talking about faith. In the vernacular faith has come to mean something like believing in God. But in the Bible I think it means something a little different. Something like: Believing that God believes in me. God believes in you. Don’t settle for good when great is right around the corner!

Training update:

I had a YMCA Board of Directors meeting this morning. Christy was kind enough to delay our start until later than usual. We paid for it as it was getting warm and sunny out.

2 mile warm-up

3 x 2 miles at 6:15 per mile. We were pretty much right on the whole time. 800 meters jogging between reps.

3.25 mile cool-down which is probably more accurately described as a slow run back to our cars with pit stops at every water fountain. 12.25 miles total.

Benjamin is home sick today. I get to stay home and take care of him.

Parenting

I have been thinking a lot about parenting lately. I have one chance with the boys.

A general observation:

• Bad parents can produce good kids.
• Good parents can produce not-so-good kids.

But they seem to be the exception and not the rule.

Another observation:

We receive so much training in life for stuff: our jobs, etc...But we receive very little training for our most important roles in life: being a spouse and being a parent. Most of us would do well to read books or take a class or seek some mentoring from others on such things.

Anyway, here is what I have been thinking about the past couple days. A few generations ago, our culture was relationship rich and experience poor. What I mean is that in previous generations there weren't a million opportunities to play lacrosse and dance and learn tae kwon do and play baseball 12 months a year. We just spent a lot of time together and focused on relationships. Today, we cart our kids around from soccer to cheerleading to piano lessons. Lots of experiences, but not a whole lot of relationships. Unless you count the time stuck in traffic.

The solution is not to take the kids out of all activities and start spending serious time with them. It is probably more along the lines of balance (See yesterday's post on balance for more details). Find a balance of experience and relationship. Experience is not bad. Too much experience is bad when it affects relationship.

Become involved in their experience. Let them be part of yours. Say "no" to things that aren't essential and create healthy environments where relationships can be nurtured.

Training update:

This morning's run was painful, especially the first mile. My hamstrings were like a tight rubber band. I got warmed-up after a while. I ran easy for an hour. About 8 miles. On the bright side, it was a beautiful morning. Lots of fog.