"HELLO. My Name is CHRISTIAN."

Juliet:  "What's in a name? That which we call a rose

by any other name would smell as sweet."

Good question . . . what is in a name? Do they really matter? Juliet's point was that they don't . . . or at least not in this particular case - and I would have to agree. She was in love with Romeo regardless of his family name and heritage.

But, "names" . . . do they matter? You know, in the grand scheme of things, who you are and that by which you identify yourself . . . does it matter.

Running The Rugged Red

2014 Rugged Red

Back in the spring, while looking through some Half-Marathon races, I came across The Rugged Red Trail Half-Marathon . . . 13.1 miles in the Red River Gorge.  I really don't even remember where I first found out about it, but it intrigued me so much that I registered the same day.

At that time, I'd NEVER run a trail in my life . . . I was the quintessential trail-running newbie.  I had no idea what trail running was like, but I knew that this one was for me.

The Trails Are Calling

The Swinging Bridge

I'm less than two weeks out from 13.1 miles in Red River Gorge . . . September 6th is The Rugged Red.  This trail-running thing is quickly becoming the one of the highlights of my week.  Of course I have several things that trump running the trails (aka: spending any time with my wife and kids), but this new hobby is a great way for me to enjoy the outdoors, stay/get in shape, and challenge myself physically and mentally.

Last Saturday was one of those physical and mental challenges.  I decided to cover the upper half of The Rugged Red course (which I hadn't been on yet) and also to make it my longest trail run yet.

Chronicles of a Trail-Runner-Newbie

Morning on the Trail

I've enjoyed running since 2010 when I completed my first half-marathon.  Over the past 4 years, I've run off and on and typically gone too far too soon and ended up with a layoff due to an overuse injury . . . IT-Band Syndrome, Peroneal Tendinitis, ruptured lining between my heel bone and whatever the other bone is called that meets up with that one.

After almost a year off from running, I began easing back into it and then . . . it happened.

Spiritual Myopia

Sitting down this afternoon to plan out worship sets for this Sunday morning . . . struggling a bit.  My mind is constantly invaded . . . distracted by this heart-ache that punches me in the gut.  So, I thought I'd post my thoughts.

I was reading back over this post from June 7th of 2013 . . . the year I turned 40 . . . and thought I'd share the content of that post again.  It's a good reminder for me as I continue on the journey of getting and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Right now I'm training for two runs that are coming up in . . .

Teach Them Diligently

Families choose homeschooling for many different reasons, but the main reason for our family has always been a deep seated desire to be THE primary influence in our children's lives.  We felt strongly that we would not be able to be that influence . . .

Words Matter

"Wise men speak because they have something to say;

Fools because they have to say something." --Plato

Words matter . . . what we say, how we say it, when we say it, why we say it . . . it all matters. When we speak, it reveals what's on the inside. Jesus said, "The mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart." [Matthew 12:34] What do the words you say reveal about your heart?

Renewed Purpose

“For you have been called for this purpose

 since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example

for you to follow in His steps.”

 

For most of us, if we’re honest, we’ll discover that our lives have very little to do with the purposes of God . . . with following in His steps . . . with denying ourselves and following Him.  We have bought into what is called “The American Dream.”  In his book Radical: taking back your faith from the American dream, David Platt describes it this way.