Pray for Boston and the Running Community

Photo courtesy of Linda Brain Beck

"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." ~Isaiah 40:31

I'm sure most of you have heard the news by now, but two bombs went off near the finish line of the Boston Marathon today. This saddened me deeply on many levels. The fact that a senseless tragedy took place that injured and killed innocent people is almost unfathomable. My heart breaks for those impacted by this act of terror in Boston. There are no words to heal the physical and emotional wounds, but I would suggest reading Psalm 34:18, which says, "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit." God is the only one who can bring any sort of comfort after such an event as this.
Another reason this tragedy saddens me is the fact that it happened at a running event.  I understand the immense effort needed to qualify for the prestigious Boston marathon and the numerous amount of miles and hours necessary to train. This should have been a day of celebration for everybody, but instead it was marred by tragedy. Running is a peaceful sport, not one full of any type of violence. Sure there are fierce rivalries, but at the end of the day, we're all friends. Comradery is the essence of running. Just look at Mo Farah and Galen Rupp, or Kara Goucher and Shalane Flanagan; two fierce rivals who train together and have become friends. (The greatest moment out of today's marathon involved Kara crossing the finish line and immediately asking how Shalane finished). Those of us who are runners understand that the running community is more like a big family than anything else. If something bad happens to one runner, it's almost like it happened to us. Runners stick by each other through good and bad times, helping out when others are in need. Although many consider running an individual endeavor, it truly transcends boundaries and every runner looks out for another during races. I have so many fond memories from running and have built friendships along the way. I remember back in the 8th grade I was the only girl who would be running the mile at the local Hershey track & field meet and numerous members of the high school distance team decided to band together and join me for my mile run on the track, some of whom might have been wearing jeans if my memory serves me correctly. I also befriended members of other teams and although we were fierce rivals on the track or cross country course, we would laugh together and warmup together when we weren't racing. After high school, I have encountered many friendly runners who enjoyed my running outfits by telling me that I looked like an Easter egg and who helped me conquer obstacles during the Tough Mudder.
All that we can do now is pray. Pray for the runners. Pray for the spectators. Pray for the first responders. Pray for the doctors. We should even pray for those who are responsible, as difficult as that is to fathom. Everybody was created by God, and unfortunately sin has twisted the way people function in this world. It makes me long for my heavenly home because I don't belong here on this Earth. Philippians 3:20 states, "But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ." Events like the tragedy in Boston make it even more apparent that this world is slowly going to hell in a handbasket. I can't wait for the return of Jesus and life is what's described in Revelation 21:4 ~ "'He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.'"
For now, us runners must band together and persevere. We can't allow this tragedy to impact our love of running or our desire to run the prestigious race in Boston. If we alter our thinking, we let the terrorists win. As runners, we must remember that what we do best is endure. We endure pain and suffering to achieve our dreams of finishing 5Ks, 10Ks, half marathons, marathons, ultras, trail races, and any race in between. We know what it's like to not know if we can take another step, but then we do because we refuse to give up on our dreams. So whether you're in shape or not, if you consider yourself a runner, I urge you to get outside and run tomorrow. Run for those who were impacted in Boston. Run for those who can no longer run. Run for those who may never be able to run the same way ever again. Whatever you do, make sure you run, whether it's 100 yards or 100 miles. Once a runner, always a runner!

Response to News About Jesus Supposedly Having a Wife

To say the public enjoys a good scandal is an understatement. I'd say at least the American public thrives on scandals, especially those involving relationships. Which is why I wasn't surprised that CNN had a news story about an ancient scroll claiming that Jesus had a wife. The article states that no clear conclusions can be made from the piece of papyrus, only that it says, "Jesus said to them, 'My wife...'" I consider this more a stirring-the-pot moment than a clear archeological sign that could possibly impact Christian theology.
For starters, we must consider the source of this archaeological finding. The person who made this discovery was Karen King, who is associated with the Harvard School of Divinity. To get a better idea of her work, I went to Amazon.com to gather information about the content of her books. The first is entitled The Gospel of Mary of Magdala: Jesus and the First Woman Disciple. Within the description of the book, it states, "This brief narrative presents a radical interpretation of Jesus' teachings as a path to inner spiritual knowledge. It rejects his suffering and death as a path to eternal life..." Interesting that this woman would disregard the Bible's teaching for a text that was rejected as part of the canon and deemed gnostic. Another book is entitled The Secret Revelation of John, which has the following description: "Her work helps the modern reader through many intriguing--but confusing--ideas in the text: for example, that the creator god of Genesis, a self-described jealous and exclusive god, is not the true Deity but a kind of fallen angel; or, in an overt critique of patriarchy unique in ancient literature, the declaration that the subordination of woman to man was an ignorant act in direct violation of the 'holy height.'" Again, I find it interesting that the only reason that Jesus has become newsworthy isn't because He is our Savior, but because a woman who has no respect for the Bible or what it contains has presented the world with the radical scandal of Jesus possibly having a wife.
I have had a couple of days to mull over what I think about this whole concept. It was first presented to me at work because a coworker commented on the news story, and my only response was, "That can't be true." Now that I have thought about it some more, I believe a better response would entail pointing those with questions to specific passages within the Bible. For starters, one could turn to Ephesians 5:25, which says, "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her." This verse symbolically demonstrates how Christ is the husband and the church is His wife. Another verse that people could refer to is Revelation 21:9, which states, "Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, 'Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.'" This again talks of Jesus symbolically having a wife, not literally. Those who are not well versed in the Bible might not get the connection between Jesus and the lamb, so it would be beneficial to also provide probing individuals with John 1:29 because it contains the following information from John the Baptist's sighting: "The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!'"
By combining the information from all three of the verses provided in the above paragraph, a Christian will be able to minister to those questioning this new finding by Karen King. It is important to defend the Gospel from such unfounded claims using the Word of God because He knows all and is the only one who can provide the answers to difficult questions.

Satan: The Epitome of Inception

I am a big fan of the movie, Inception. This action thriller is based in numerous dreams, with the main premise being to plant a business idea in a man's head using the concept of inception. In the movie, the character, Arthur, says its impossible because, "The dreamer can always remember the genesis of the idea. True inspiration is impossible to fake." Cobb, on the other hand, knows that inception is possible because he had used his wife as a guinea pig. Unfortunately, the concept that he had planted in her mind in order to save her from remaining in her dream world's limbo eventually led to her death in reality.
The concept that our thoughts can be so consuming and crushing that they eventually kill us is a very real matter due to the constant spiritual warfare around us. Satan is continually trying to impress upon us thoughts that turn us against God, which would separate us from His love and eternal life. Satan does this by using our minds to conjure up thoughts that cause us to doubt His goodness and authority. Satan twists positives into negatives, and negatives into positives in order to lead us astray.
When reading Radical Womanhood by Carolyn McCulley, I became very aware of how Satan polluted Eve's thoughts. Her focus turned from the numerous trees that she could eat from, to the one tree she was forbidden to eat from. Satan not only got Eve to question God's authority by asking, in Genesis 3:1, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?", but he also planted a lie into what she thought God had told her originally. In Genesis 3:3, Eve says, "But God did say, 'You must not eat from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'" Looking back in Genesis 2:16-17, where God originally instructed Adam and Eve, one will note that the phrase "and you must not touch it" is not found within the text. This is the lie that Satan slyly planted within Eve's mind to cause her to become irritated with the boundaries that God had set forth within the Garden of Eden.
Some might wonder how the inception of ideas is possible. The answer is found within Ephesians 6:12 ~ "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." The concept of spiritual warfare is reiterated within 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, which states, "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish the strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." We are called to protect our thoughts in order to guard ourselves against the evil spirits who strive to infiltrate our minds in order to turn us against God. Revelation 12:12 tells us, "But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short." Satan's only goal is to turn as many people away from God and eternal life as possible. He does this by manipulating our weak minds to believe his twisted concepts about God. If someone decides to turn against God and choose the side of evil with Satan, his or her name will not be found in the book of life. Without your name in the book of life, meaning that you accept Christ as your Savior, there can be no eternal life. This is confirmed in Revelation 20:15 which states, "Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire." Paul voiced his concern about the grip sin has on the human mind and how easily it can be deceived within 2 Corinthians 11:3 ~ "But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ."
My suggestion is to keep the knowledge of spiritual warfare on the forefront of your mind in order to heighten your awareness to potentially disastrous thought processes. To protect yourself, "Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand," as Ephesians 6:13 suggests. God is our only source of protection against the evils of this world, so we must make the decision to rely on Him and call on Him in times of need. The best way to protect your mind is to pray, read God''s Word of Truth, and follow the instructions found within Philippians 4:8 ~ "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things." You will be amazed by the impact of positive thinking and allowing God to have complete control over every aspect life.

The Point of No Return

Have you ever wondered how you ended up at a particular moment in your life and realized that it was way too late to ever turn back and "make things right" as they say (whoever they are)? Last Monday, I had one of those moments and have done my best not to dwell on it ever since, but I've reached a point where I don't have enough distractions to keep my questioning thoughts at bay.
I'm sure the majority of people in this world have lost touch with particular friends or individuals in their lives, allowing friendships to fade into the background bearing no second thought. This past semester, I became busier than usual and apparently let one of my friendships slip to the wayside, (though I was informed it started before that) and unfortunately, it has not gone quietly. Rather, it slowly eroded until Monday, which is when it apparently imploded into oblivion. I'll admit I definitely played a role in the neglect, possibly choosing to spend time with others rather than this person, and probably became severely apathetic back in April. But what I am also aware of is that it takes two to make any friendship work, and I think I am most appalled that all of the blame has been placed on my shoulders, along with being told that I was not a good friend and this person no longer wants me in her life.
Over the past couple of days, I have done my best to not think about this particular setback in my life. Those close to me have told me to not blame myself, which is easier said than done, especially when I'm a fan of the Switchfoot song "Stars", which starts out with the lines, "Maybe I've been the problem, maybe I'm the one to blame. But even when I turn it off and blame myself, the outcome feels the same." Other friends have forbidden me to think all together, which is pretty much impossible, but fun to attempt. The best advice I received from a friend was to not beat myself up over things that aren't completely my fault and out of my control and to also stop thinking I cause everything to happen because I'm not God. I definitely appreciated all of this advice, but I feel it's hard for others to understand because getting told that I wasn't a good friend jumped past the realm of a slap in the face, straight to being a borderline crippling statement. To try and stay positive, I settled for listening to the song, "Up and Up" by Relient K in order to gain some sort of direction or meaning. The following lines are where I gained the most insight:
"Yesterday, is not quite what it could have been...But I swear today, with every breath I'm breathing in, I'll be trying to make it so much more...Cause I seem to get so hung up on the history of what's gone wrong. And the hope of a new day is sometimes hard to see...I'm on the up and up and I haven't given up. Given up on what I know I'm capable of...To be content with where I am and where I need to be, I'm moving past the past where I have failed."
My recent trip to New Orleans with a good friend of mine also helped to keep me from dwelling on my issues. I didn't want my wandering thoughts to prevent us from having a splendid time in the Big Easy, so I tried my best to keep everything on the back burner. Eventually, though, these thoughts became too persistent and needed to be addressed, which turned out to be while relaxing in an off-the-beaten-path park just outside the French Quarter whilst pondering potential tattoo ideas. I'm not sure if I will ever actually get a tattoo, but I have always figured that I would utilize a meaningful Bible verse, though I was never sure which one until that day in the park. While thinking over the messages I received on Monday, it suddenly hit me that the first portion of Proverbs 17:17 would be the most fitting for me. This states, "A friend loves at all times," which is a very powerful statement in my book because no matter what the situation, whether it be joy, anger, or personal crisis, a friend should love you through each and every moment. Sanctus Real has a song entitled, "We Need Each Other" that touches on this point. Some of the following lines ring true for me:
"I think I caught a glimpse of a life without friends. Bitter, empty, hollow, dark and lonely. We never meant to hurt each other so can't we trust again? And take it as a chance to keep on growing...Oh, it's just part of being a family. Taking the good with the bad and the ugly...Oh, oh, we need each other so what's the fighting for? Oh, oh, we need each other, please don't close the door. Oh, oh, we need each other through all the highs and lows. Oh, oh, we need each other and I don't wanna be alone."
If, instead, you are constantly walking on eggshells because you are so afraid of screwing up or being a let down, then maybe the person that you consider a friend is really no friend at all. This thought crossed my mind as I pondered the recent events in my life, especially since I was written off so quickly with no chance for redemption. I know I have screwed up and I know she has screwed up, but without the chance of forgiveness to rebuild the relationship, there is nothing left to do but move on.
In order to work towards contentment in the moving on process, I've been listening to "This is Home" by Switchfoot, which begins with the following lyrics: "I've got my memories always inside of me, but I can't go back, back to how it was." What I need to do now is focus on the fact that God is in charge and knows exactly what He wants in my life. He planned out everything before I was even born, which is apparent in Revelation 22:13 that says, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." Instead of dwelling on the what-ifs of this situation, I think I am just going to accept what God has chosen for me in my life. I will leave you all with one final thought to ponder, though. The notes for Proverbs 17:17 in my NIV Life Application Study Bible state the following: "What kind of friend are you? There is a vast difference between knowing someone well and being a true friend. The greatest evidence of genuine friendship is loyalty (loving "at all times")--being available to help in times of distress or personal struggles. Too many people are fair-weather friends. They stick around when the friendship helps them and leave when they're not getting anything out of the relationship. Think of your friends and assess your loyalty to them. Be the kind of true friend the Bible encourages."