Adapting To Conditions

I have faced some challenges as I prepare for the 2014 Run 4 Healthy Churches.

This has been a harsh winter in the Mid-Atlantic region. I have counted fifteen measureable snowfall events this winter and that makes training outside for a half marathon rather tricky business. I am doing most training indoors on a treadmill.

I also fell during a training run in Southern California in January. I injured a rib and that has also made running and other forms of training painful.

Tim Laniak, in his book While Shepherds Watch Their Flocks, describes how shepherds adapt to their surroundings as they care for their flocks. He notes that the desert is an incubator for innovation. He further notes that adaptability becomes a way of life when shepherding is a way of life.

So, I continue to adapt while I train and encourage you to join me as I prepare to run 20K this Saturday, March 15, to benefit Mission Mid-Atlantic.

You can follow this link to make an online donation, or you can send a check to Mission Mid-Atlantic at PO Box 345, Clayton, NJ 08312.

Thank you in advance for your prayers and financial support.

Run 4 Healthy Churches 2014

March 15 is the date for the 2014 Run 4 Healthy Churches. I have begun training and look forward to running 20K to benefit Mission Mid-Atlantic.

I am looking for those who will support the run via prayer and financial support. You may use the donate button on the right or donations can be mailed to Mission Mid-Atlantic at the following address: PO Box 345, Clayton, NJ 08312

I will be posting updates on the blog so please visit often.

Thanks.

Jim

Run 4 Healthy Churches Final Report

I want to thank Scott, our son, for running part of last Saturday's Run 4 Healthy Churches with me. He kindly slowed his pace so that his dad could keep up. Saturday was a great day for the run. I started at 7am and met Scott at our house as we did the second and final lap of the course together.

Here are the final stats:

 

We also have a final total for donations:

$1,311.00

I want to offer a special thank you to all who supported the 2013 Run 4 Health Churches via prayer and donations. I want to improve the 2014 Run 4 Healthy Churches to support Mission Mid-Atlantic in even greater ways so stay tuned!

Thanks again for your support.

~ Jim

Don't Give Up!

I ran 10 miles yesterday in preparation for Saturday's Run 4 Healthy Churches. Between 8 and 9 miles in, my left leg seemed to stop working. I probably looked a little silly trying to run in that condition. It has been about a year since I ran 10 miles so I was also dealing with the mental barrier of running that distance as well as other unknown issues with my left knee. 

Here is the secret I discovered to running that distance. 

Perseverance. It is as simple as that.

At some point you reach a certain level of physical conditioning when running longer distances and the real issue is sticking with it until you reach your goal.

My goal yesterday was 10 miles. My goal this Saturday is 20K or 12.5 miles.

I think my physical conditioning will allow me to reach my goal. The real question is, do I have the mental toughness to endure running over 12 miles? I believe the key to my success will be the ability to persevere.

The same is true in ministry as well as life. Just as my body was telling me to quit yesterday, we all are confronted daily with similar temptations. We often feel the urge to quit when the task becomes difficult.

I encourage you to persevere through the challenges you are facing in life and ministry. 

Maybe you are facing a challenge in a friendship and you want to give up and quit on that person. Don't give up. Persevere.

Maybe you are facing a challenge in ministry. Things are beginning to move in a positive direction but the obstacles still seem to be impossible to overcome. Don't give up. Persevere.

I also ask you to pray for me as I run 20K this Saturday in the Run 4 Healthy Churches. The weather forecast doesn't look that good, so that may be another obstacle to overcome.

I also invite you to partner with me by Fueling the Run (prayer) or Funding the Run (Donate). You can leave a comment at the bottom of this post to let me know you are praying. You may also use the donate button on this page to support Mission Mid-Atlantic. Or, you may also send your donation to Mission Mid-Atlantic, PO Box 345, Clayton, NJ 08312

Remember, don't give up!

~ Jim

New Discoveries

Last Wednesday I ran 6.5 miles in preparation for the Run 4 Healthy Churches on March 16. 

It was the longest I have run for awhile, and I learned things about my body that I would not have learned if I hadn't pushed the distance. 

The same is true in ministry. There are lessons you will never learn until you put yourself out there, until you engage on mission for the Gospel. 

Want to make some new discoveries? Engage in building new relationships with people who need the Gospel in your community. Invite a friend out for coffee and encouragement. Try something new in your ministry that is outside your comfort zone. These are all ways to make new discoveries.

I also invite you to also partner with me in my Run 4 Healthy Churches. I am running 20K on March 16 to benefit Mission Mid-Atlantic. You can use the donate button on this blog to make a contribution or you can send a check to the following address: 

Mission Mid-Atlantic 

PO Box 345

Clayton, NJ 08312.

I also invite you to pray for me as I continue to make new discoveries as I prepare for this run. 

Thanks!

~ Jim

I am a Philanthropic runner and this is why I run.

I run because it improves my health. Running helps me to lose weight and keep it off. I feel more confident and it also seems to improve my attitude. But these are not the only reasons. 

As a Philanthropic runner, I also want to raise money for others and the Run 4 Healthy Churches on March 16 will raise money for Mission Mid-Atlantic. 

Why am I doing this? I have served Mission Mid-Atlantic as Regional Executive Director since 2006. Few people can say they enjoy what they do for a living. I am one of the few.

I run to benefit Mission Mid-Atlantic because we are currently creating an Identity Document for our region. Our Identity Document is an association document that defines our raw and basic position on a variety of topics. This document describes the covenant between our churches and a covenant equals a pledge to relationship. As we live in relational community in covenant with one another, it has a ripple effect of health.

Just as I desire to improve my health by running, we also desire to become an association of healthy churches that gives ourselves away. Our goal is health for the good of others and not our own. Jesus was incredibly healthy and He died on the cross to give himself as a ransom for others. I run to raise awareness of our efforts to become a healthy association of churches in covenant relationship with one another. 

We will share the final draft of our Identity Document with our churches at our Annual Meeting in Lancaster on April 26, 27. We invite you to join us. More details about our upcoming meeting are found at our website: www.missionmid-atlantic.org.

I also invite you to join me as I run to benefit Mission Mid-Atlantic. I need people who will fuel my run. You can fuel my run by praying for me as I prepare and on the day of the run. I am not getting any younger so I need prayer as I train. If you want to fuel the run, add a comment below to let me know you are praying. That will mean alot.

I also invite you to fund my run by making a donation to Mission Mid-Atlantic. Since I am running 20K, you might want to donate a dollar per K = $20.00. Your donation, whatever you are led to give, will also be appreciated. Remember that all gifts to Mission Mid-Atlantic are tax deductible. You will find a donate button along the right hand side of the blog if you want to give electronically. In addition, checks should be made out to Mission Mid-Atlantic and mailed to PO Box 345, Clayton, NJ 08312.

I hope I have provided an adequate explanation why I am a Philanthropic runner. And, thanks for your help to fuel and fund my Run 4 Healthy Churches.

Keep visiting the blog for further updates.

~ Jim

Adapt or Fail

My running schedule has been sporadic recently. I have tried to not just maintain my mileage but also increase it as I prepare for the Run for Healthy Churches but a heavy travel schedule has made this really challenging.

I don't normally run outside when I travel so I am thankful that most hotels have fitness centers. I try to log alot of miles on a treadmill.

Blending a running schedule with a heavy travel schedule requires the need to adapt. If not, I will never be ready to run 20K on March 16.

This need to adapt reminds me of the challenge many churches as well as leaders face today. Times have changed, but the response of many to those changes is to continue to do ministry the way it has always been done.

If we don't adapt we will eventually fail. This is not only true about a training program. It is also true about life and ministry,