Lessons I've learned over 2000 miles

After 8 years and 2000 miles run on my personal health journey, I reflected back over what I've learned from "running" that first mile, to my first 5K, half-marathon, and hopefully the Chicago marathon this year.

Here are a few lessons I've learned along the way that are key for running the physical race as well as the spiritual one.








1) Set Goals, but enjoy the run.
I've learned to have goals when leaving out on a run. Sometimes the goal is just to get moving or perhaps a specific mileage, but days I lack a goal I also lack perseverance and quit too quickly.

Commit to goals in your faith life. Not goals to simply try harder, but real measurables.

• I'm going to read the Bible for 5 minutes every day. 
• I'm going to make a personal prayer list
• I'm going to talk to 1 person about Jesus this week. 

You may not hit your goals, but without goals you'll never know if you're improving. 

2) Change your tactics and equipment.
Rafiki was right: "Change is good." (Unless you're making a live action "Lion King" that no one asked for.) I'm constantly changing things to keep my running fresh: switching between music and podcasts for longer runs, trying new trails and paths, or even completely switching shoe brands from what has been historically comfortable to what is actually comfortable today.

God promised Israel a new deliverance through the Messiah who would completely change everything! Some were resistant to the change and missed great blessings as a result. Look for new ways to pray, perhaps prayerwalking through your house or neighborhood. Listen to new preachers online for fresh perspective. Read the Bible out loud to yourself (my new favorite exercise) or listen to the audio features on YouVersion to force your brain to interact with God's Word in a new way!

3) Run with others.
Running is my "me time" and I had been hesitant to share it with others for years. In addition to being kind of a loner, I also was fearful of failing with an audience. Running with others has turned out to be for my benefit! Sometimes I get to encourage a new runner staying alongside them and providing encouragement. Other times I pace with my faster friends like Ethan, Travis, or most of the Fleet Feet lunch runners and find my overall times improving even when I later take a solo run!

Faith, like running, is better in a group. God has created the church for our benefit. We instantly have a group of people to make connections with who can help us run the race of faith. Perhaps your prayer life encourages someone struggling in that area, or someone else's Bible study method could be exactly what you've been looking for. We're all on different places of this faith journey and have much to teach and learn from each other.

One final encouragement from my years of walking with God. When you suddenly see multiple areas of life that you want to address, God's grace allows you to take them one at a time. Take the area that spoke most to you, and prayerfully pursue your opportunity to grow on that point even today!

An SBC Pastor's Statement on Sexual Abuse within the Denomination

I have been a lifelong Southern Baptist, spending my entire 19 year ministry within this denomination, and the last five as pastor of First Baptist Church of Machesney Park, IL. 

Like many, I was heartbroken by the recent reports from the Houston Chronicle regarding sexual abuse within our denomination. At the same time, I applaud the efforts of journalists and victims to bring these stories to light in order that others might not face the same experiences.

Machesney Park is located just miles from the Wisconsin border and there are many within the life of our church who have never been Southern Baptist prior to their membership at FBC. For their sake, and for the sake of anyone else reading this in our area, I want to offer the following statements on behalf of our church. 

1) We express, in no uncertain terms, our absolute abhorrence and sorrow that people who sought refuge, comfort, and guidance from a local church instead faced abuse and victimization. 

2) We absolutely agree with our SBC President, J.D. Greear, that any church "proving a pattern of sinful neglect — regarding abuse or any other matter — should absolutely be removed from fellowship from the broader denomination." While SBC churches are autonomous in hiring staff and creating church guidelines, autonomy is no excuse for the larger body of SBC churches to overlook such negligence and allow them to retain membership and influence within the denomination.

3) At First Baptist Church of Machesney Park, we take diligent steps to protect our members from sexual abuse, including:

• Leaders within our ministries to minors operate in teams where leaders and volunteers are not left alone in dealing with children and teens.
• I have created a system of background checks for volunteers to minors in my last three churches, including at the start of my tenure here at FBC. No one works among our children who has not been properly vetted. 
• As pastor, I do not meet with children unless their parents are present and ensure that meetings with an adult member are not happening alone behind a closed door apart from accountability. 

Jesus came to offer forgiveness to sinners. But that forgiveness must never be wielded as a license to sin or to coerce a victim into silence against an attacker.

In my personal experience, I believe the overwhelming majority of SBC churches to be staffed and served by Christians who unite behind the cause of the gospel. We can prove this by the steps we take from here. I will be at this year's SBC annual meeting with every intention of seeing our denomination create firm procedures to deal with any denominational leader or church that has protected their reputation more than their congregation. Autonomy is no excuse for abuse. 

Jesus' Most Difficult Prayer

You struggle with difficult prayers at times. So did Jesus. 

He was fully God and fully man, so how can this be?
Jesus was and is God (John 10:30), but He chose to limit His divine "omnis" during His time on earth (omnipresence, omniscience, omnipotence...Philippians 2:5-8).

He took on human flesh to be our sacrifice for sin and our example for life.

One of those great moments of example is found as Jesus prays in the Garden prior to the cross. In His prayer, I find 3 reminders that carried Jesus through His most difficult prayer and can do the same for us. 

And Jesus said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will."  Mark 14:36

Did you notice the three reminders for our prayers struggles?

1) "God can do anything."
Jesus recognizes the current difficulty doesn't diminish God's ability. God could do absolutely anything and Jesus prefaces His upcoming request with this recognition.

2) "God do this."
Jesus specifically prays for any other options. Could He have been thinking of Abraham once on the very edge of sacrificing his own son, Isaac, before God stopped him at the last moment? Jesus was not afraid to pray specifically. We are not called to hide our true feelings from God in prayer. He invites us to be honest with our fears and hopes.

3) "God do what's best."
I can't help but think of Ephesians 3:20 here: "Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think."

Jesus knows what God can do.
Jesus knows what He'd like God to do.
Jesus knows that God will do what's best.

Don't be afraid to pray specifically, but also be ok for God to change the specifics. Some of our prayer struggles come from praying so specifically for our will without any room in our heart and mind for God to do something better! He's infinite, eternal, and plans things so much better than you or I.

Finally, don't miss the most comforting part of all this. Jesus prays by calling God, "Abba." This intimate term was not a title, but a statement of affection like calling out "Hey Dad! Hey Pop!" As a child of God, we have the freedom to talk to God at all times as we...
Remember He can do everything. 
Tell Him what you'd like to see done. 
And be ready for Him to do even better than you could ever ask or think. 

If I Believe It, Why Don't I Teach It?

Pastor is one of the most dangerous titles a person can hold. 

Pastors can be tempted to misuse their position, granting themselves authority over people's lives that is non-existent. For me, 1 Peter 5:2-3 is the ultimate pastor job description:

"Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing...not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock."

My role as a pastor is to lead by example. 

My role as pastor is not to lord over others. 

As a believer, I hold personal convictions. 

As a pastor, I cannot teach them as commands. 

Let me give you the two examples I am challenged on the most. 

Thou Shalt Not Drink

Baptist church constitutions have for years adopted a covenant including this line: "Members will abstain from the sale and use of intoxicating drinks as a beverage." While I appreciate the intent behind the statement, there is a huge problem...the Bible doesn't prohibit drinking alcohol. 

The Bible warns against the dangers of alcohol consumption, of which there are many (Prov 23:29-35, Isaiah 5:11). What the Bible does not do is expressly prohibit the drinking of alcohol. I personally do not drink. I've seen too many lives damaged, and I hold to the words of Dr. James Merritt, "You'll never be bitten by a snake you don't play with." 

Should I teach my church that drinking alcohol is a sin? No, because scripture does not teach it. Do I share my personal conviction on the subject with my church? Absolutely, but I ensure they know it's the words of man and not of God. 

Thou Shalt Tithe

I know several people in my church disagree with me on this point, but the cool thing is that we have no trouble continuing our potlucks together! However, the assertion that I do not believe in tithing is only half true. 

I recently taught a series on generosity in which I shared a pattern of generosity for every Christian I learned from a former pastor with Generis:

1. Potential: We all have the potential to give
2. Priority: We all must make giving a priority
3. Proportional: We should set an intentional proportion in our giving
4. Partner: We should be ready for additional opportunities for generosity

#3 on Proportional giving is where I think the tithe (giving 10% of your income) would fall. Personally, I have always held the tithe is an important place where our giving really grows our faith. However, if people give 10% because they were told they must, there's little opportunity for faith. The church hasn't allowed many believers to first understand their potential and the need to set giving as a priority before becoming a proportional giver. 

The New Testament gives numerous statements on our generosity. We don't determine our giving with a calculator, but with our heart (1 Cor 16:2, 2 Cor 9:7). 

Should I teach my church that failing to tithe is a sin? No, because scripture does not teach it. Have I seen the blessings of proportional giving in my own life? Absolutely, and those blessings have moved our family to be a partnering giver in other areas as we are able. Christians don't have freedom from giving, but they have freedom in giving. 

My Wish Is Not Your Command

Paul writes in 1 Cor 7 of how singleness has freed him from the pressures of married life to more fully serve Christ. While he sees the value of such a life, he writes in 1 Cor 7:6-7:

"This is not a command. I wish that all of you were as I am." 

Paul shared his personal conviction on singleness, but he never pushed his conviction as a commandment.

It would be easier for me to simply teach my personal convictions as biblical commands. 

It would also be dishonest, no matter how well-intentioned I may be. And if my congregation can't trust me on one doctrine, how can they trust me on anything ever again? Allow scripture to shape your convictions, but don't allow the line between personal conviction and biblical command to become blurred. 

The Church Isn't Supposed to Be Inspirational

America's Got Talent should be renamed to "America's Got Inspirational Stories."

Our family watches every summer, living and dying with the performances of our favorites. As the show progresses, the talent takes a backseat to the stories:

• The deaf woman who sings. 
• The violinist who's losing feeling in his fingers. 
• The comic who's stuttering issues make a 90-second set a challenge. 

As this year's show was just starting, auditions were already being pushed for next year.
Because theses inspiring stories will fade.
Many Twitter and Instagram followers will eventually "unfollow."

Inspiration is really just a feeling, and feelings are fleeting.

(OK...this one is pretty good)

Pre-marital counseling with a starry-eyed couple starts as I ask them to define the word love. After allowing them to ramble a while, I finally help them out: "Love is not a feeling. It's a commitment."

Inspiration isn't a commitment. It's a feeling.
Churches and pastors cannot be ok with simply making worshippers feel something.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness 2 Timothy 3:16

Notice scripture is not meant to inspire, but to convict.
Inspiration is fleeting.
Conviction is forceful.

A memorable turn of phrase or inspirational quote can support a lesson, but the church cannot allow those to be the lesson. To do so elevates human wisdom and turns the Bible into nothing more than proof texts to be cherry picked in support of whatever we want to say. 

God did not leave the church behind to inspire. He left it behind to make disciples. That's a hard work and undoubtably it is also an emotional work. But we cannot allow ourselves to be driven by the mental sugar rush of emotions or we will find that when the real trials come, we have no solid truth to stand on.

The church must declare the truth of Scripture. 
The truth of Scripture is what changes our thoughts, words, and actions. 
As a Bible teacher, allow the scripture to speak louder than your own notions. 
As a Christian, don't merely look for inspiration. Accept the conviction of scripture knowing it is the very Word of God that prepares and upholds you for every situation life can throw at us. 

Fight the Idea, Not the Individual

"Old buddy, that's politics-after 6 o'clock we can be friends; but before 6 it's politics." 
-House Speaker Tip O'Neill (D) to President Ronald Reagan (R)

John McCain's passing this week reminds us once again that political rivalries are less serious in Washington than between two random, politically-opposed people on Facebook.

Hours after McCain's passing, Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer proposed renaming the Senate Office Building in McCain's honor, a Republican. In our politically charged environment it seems impossible that political opponents could also be friends. 

Clearly not every person across the aisle has a bestie, but there are more than you might realize. We've been reminded of numerous odd political friendships during the memorial this week:

• George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton
• John Boehner and Barack Obama
• Michelle Obama and George W. Bush

While they disagree on fundamental issues, it doesn't prevent their ability to be civil and even friendly! As Christians, we must be models of both standards and civility.  

"Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable..." 1 Peter 2:12

We must learn how to disagree without disregarding someone. Clearly I want to see politicians who will stand up for their principles, but the mission is to fight conflicting ideas, not individuals. 

Let's speak our mind. 
Let's disagree respectfully.
Let's represent Jesus and truth well as we seek to love those we disagree with the most. 

If God Knows the Number of My Days, Why Run?

Does God know when you will die? 

The simple answer is yes. Psalm 139:16 says,
"Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

So if God could literally display a calendar for all the days of my life, then why should I take the time to run for my health?

This question is one of perspective. 

God KNOWS when I'm going to die.

I have NO IDEA when I'm going to die. 

Yet I know certain choices can accelerate the process: 

-Drug or alcohol abuse

-Overeating

-Lying in the middle of I-90 in downtown Chicago around 5pm.

God's omniscience means He knows all the choices I'm going to make, including the choice to take better care of myself. I have good reasons to run. 

I run to honor God with my body. (1 Cor 6:19-20)

I run to stay ready to serve God and others (1 Tim 4:8)

I run to encourage others (Hebrews 10:24)

God once told King Hezekiah he would die soon and to set his household in order. But Hezekiah refused to merely accept this fate. He cried out in tearful prayer for God to grant him more days. God responds in 2 Kings 20:5-6, "I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will heal you...and add 15 years to your life." God then revealed a treatment through the prophet Isaiah that healed Hezekiah's sickness and displayed that God is not anti-medicine. 

Did God know Hezekiah would pray? Yes

Did God know Hezekiah's prayer would grant him 15 more years. Yes

Did Hezekiah know any of this? Nope

Therein lies the point. Just because God knows the number of my days, doesn't mean I fail to take responsibility for my life. Certainly, not every runner is granted a long life. But if living healthy could potentially extend my time with my family, make me more useful to serve God, and prove 13.1 miles isn't an impossible goal, why not give it a shot? 

Head back over next week as the late Senator John McCain teaches us how not to be a jerk...