what a monday this has turned out to be...i wake up this morning just as i normally do and head to work to find all the doors locked and no cars in the parking lot. what the heck i kept saying to myself before i tried to get in touch with my boss. of course no answer from her work number and no cell phone number. so of course i call momma to see if i had missed something. i asked her what today was and she preceded to think i was insane as if i had lost my mind and she was worried sick. quickly i let her no i hadn't lost my mind yet but that no one was at work. ohhhh she says it's president's day and the banks are closed. thanks boss for the heads up but hey i'll take a day off anyday. and yes mom for the record to my knowledge i AM sane for the time being.
alright so this is the first time i've written since i ran the mercedes half marathon last sunday. i was pleasantly surprised with my time as i posted a 1:44:54 in lehman's terms that's one hour, 44 minutes, and 54 seconds good for 313 overall out of about 7000 and 42 in my age group. ok ok enough about me and my awesome time, even though that is pretty good for my first half right?
so here i am running my heart out counting down the miles until i see the finish line in sight when i reach something that really touched me. between about mile 11 and 12 i can see nothing but runners ahead of me and really no end in sight. people had lined the streets to cheer on for about the entire race, however, during this stretch there weren't many people on the sides of the streets. all of the sudden i take a glance to my right desperately needing a cup of water, powerade, banana, or something for that last stretch, and i saw exactly what i needed for that last push. to my right a see a boy around the age of i'd say 13 or 14 on a walker cheering his heart out with a friend helping him stand and root us on. talk about heart wrenching. i wanted to stop right there, put him on my shoulders and carry him to the finish line. this boy whom i have no idea who he is had so much energy and passion out there and in the split second i saw him i could see his energy and passion he had for his life no matter what was wrong with him. i don't know his exact condition was, but i do know it was one where he hasn't been blessed with the capabilities and abilities someone like you or i have and to my eyes it seemed as though he could care less. the joy that kid put on my face was like something i'd never experienced. it was just incredible. i wish i could meet this kid just as i'm sure he wished he could put on the asics and run. to say the least that was all the motivation i needed to get through that last leg, and what a way to finish; with a smile on my face and a tear in my eye. so thank you to you, whoever that boy was that carried me through!
so...so what, i finished a half marathon. moral of this story be content and take advantage of EVERY gift and ability the Lord has given you because not everyone is as blessed as you may be
Monday, February 21, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
How you spell fun...
shhhhhhhh......don't tell anybody but yes i'm blogging at work. to many ole miss fans my title may take on a different meaning as well all know the way you spell fun is W-I-N! and hopefully that will be spelled out shortly.
anyway before this blog entry gets all about my passion and intensity for ole miss athletics, i'll move on to what i really want to get across.
not that i have my life figured out or even have a clue what is going to happen in the next week much less the rest of my life, i heard a sermon this past sunday that really just left my smiling and upbeat all week. i have been going to church of the highlands in birmingham pretty much since i have moved here. at first, i was skeptical because i really wasn't open minded about the whole reformed/new age or whatever you want to call it church. little did i know that about a year later i would still be going to this church and absolutely in love with it. i have found my "fun" in this church!
the sermon this past sunday really hit home to me. it wasn't anything mind blowing or radical, just a simple message on the ten year anniversary of the opening of the church. i grew up as many of my peers going to a "traditional" church. in doing this, i got the impression of church being a strict, serious thing. since going to church of the highlands i realized that's not the case at all. jesus wants the best from you no matter how you worship. i have found a church that fits who i am and what i want. i'm not the most serious or uptight person as many of you know. i prefer to be laid back and carefree and let life come, though when the going gets tough, i'm the toughest there is (in my opinion). the basis of this past sunday's sermon was broken into three simple parts:
in closing today, oh how i am grateful for the lord jesus putting a church in my life that i can call fun! and as pastor chris said sunday the lord wants us to be joyful and "fun" in everything we do.
and that my friends is how you spell fun!
anyway before this blog entry gets all about my passion and intensity for ole miss athletics, i'll move on to what i really want to get across.
not that i have my life figured out or even have a clue what is going to happen in the next week much less the rest of my life, i heard a sermon this past sunday that really just left my smiling and upbeat all week. i have been going to church of the highlands in birmingham pretty much since i have moved here. at first, i was skeptical because i really wasn't open minded about the whole reformed/new age or whatever you want to call it church. little did i know that about a year later i would still be going to this church and absolutely in love with it. i have found my "fun" in this church!
the sermon this past sunday really hit home to me. it wasn't anything mind blowing or radical, just a simple message on the ten year anniversary of the opening of the church. i grew up as many of my peers going to a "traditional" church. in doing this, i got the impression of church being a strict, serious thing. since going to church of the highlands i realized that's not the case at all. jesus wants the best from you no matter how you worship. i have found a church that fits who i am and what i want. i'm not the most serious or uptight person as many of you know. i prefer to be laid back and carefree and let life come, though when the going gets tough, i'm the toughest there is (in my opinion). the basis of this past sunday's sermon was broken into three simple parts:
- Love life
- Love people
- Love God!
in closing today, oh how i am grateful for the lord jesus putting a church in my life that i can call fun! and as pastor chris said sunday the lord wants us to be joyful and "fun" in everything we do.
and that my friends is how you spell fun!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Wait for it.....
as i begin thinking about what my next blog topic was going to be i juggled a few options. my mind just continues to race, twist, and generate more and more ideas as to what to right about. i finally decided and deemed it appropriate for national signing day eve to write about anticipation.
anticipation is a funny word. in my opinion, is it not just a fancy word for wait? we all look forward to what lies ahead in life, but more importantly when we anticipate a lot of the times we have a feeling as to what the outcome may be. for example tonight i ANTICIPATED my beloved ole miss to get it handed to them at the hands of the kentucky wildcats. much to my surprise i was wrong. (thank you chris warren)! that is another funny thing about anticipation. it sometimes makes you wonder as to whether what you actually anticipate is actually what is going to happen.
on to one thing/day that i anticipate more than anything in this world, and that is the anticipation to meet my lord and savior jesus christ. whether it be when i pass from this earth or when the lord returns for his people, what a thrilling and exciting feeling it should be to think about that day and what it holds for all of us. it is a type of anticipation that is uncontrolled, something i ultimately think and look forward to everyday. everything i anticipate on this earth pales in comparison to the anticipation i have for that fateful day. i get giddy just thinking about it (shout out to ben bax)! anticipation as described by wikipedia is an emotion involving pleasure (and sometimes anxiety) in considering some expected or longed-for event. that in itself describes exactly why i can't wait to meet the one that created it all and sit and talk for hours upon hours in awe and disbelief!
on a lighter note, i am eagerly anticipating tomorrow, wednesday february 2. as many sports fans know it is national signing day, and as an ole miss fan, it's really been the one thing i could look forward to after a dismal football year. come on houston dale bring in that top 10 class!
in closing we all anticipate and i hope in everyone's case that is reading this blog is anticipating the same thing i am in the end! but until that fateful day comes we must just do as the title says WAIT FOR IT....because eventually it will be here.
in the mean time, make the most out of everyday and everything you do!!
Verses to ponder:
Romans 8:19-22
P.S. Sorry for using the word anticipation a lot, but not really. just trying to get a point across
anticipation is a funny word. in my opinion, is it not just a fancy word for wait? we all look forward to what lies ahead in life, but more importantly when we anticipate a lot of the times we have a feeling as to what the outcome may be. for example tonight i ANTICIPATED my beloved ole miss to get it handed to them at the hands of the kentucky wildcats. much to my surprise i was wrong. (thank you chris warren)! that is another funny thing about anticipation. it sometimes makes you wonder as to whether what you actually anticipate is actually what is going to happen.
on to one thing/day that i anticipate more than anything in this world, and that is the anticipation to meet my lord and savior jesus christ. whether it be when i pass from this earth or when the lord returns for his people, what a thrilling and exciting feeling it should be to think about that day and what it holds for all of us. it is a type of anticipation that is uncontrolled, something i ultimately think and look forward to everyday. everything i anticipate on this earth pales in comparison to the anticipation i have for that fateful day. i get giddy just thinking about it (shout out to ben bax)! anticipation as described by wikipedia is an emotion involving pleasure (and sometimes anxiety) in considering some expected or longed-for event. that in itself describes exactly why i can't wait to meet the one that created it all and sit and talk for hours upon hours in awe and disbelief!
on a lighter note, i am eagerly anticipating tomorrow, wednesday february 2. as many sports fans know it is national signing day, and as an ole miss fan, it's really been the one thing i could look forward to after a dismal football year. come on houston dale bring in that top 10 class!
in closing we all anticipate and i hope in everyone's case that is reading this blog is anticipating the same thing i am in the end! but until that fateful day comes we must just do as the title says WAIT FOR IT....because eventually it will be here.
in the mean time, make the most out of everyday and everything you do!!
Verses to ponder:
Romans 8:19-22
P.S. Sorry for using the word anticipation a lot, but not really. just trying to get a point across
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
New Year, New Place, New Focus
okay okay so i lied...i didn't get a blog written last week like i had promised to do. sue me. i was busy.
the title of this entry pretty much entails what it's about really. so far 2011 has been nothing short of outstanding. i mean i got this new ba job with bbva compass bank, i moved into a brand new apartment downtown with one of my best buddies ever, and i started my last semester of graduate school. i mean life is looking pretty amazing right now, which it usually is in my eyes.
2011 is going to be a year that when it is over, i want to look back and say i did a lot of things this year that i never thought i could do. i want 2011 to be the year that i can look back and say this wasn't just another year of going through the motions, but it was a year of getting off my butt, stopped talking about things i wanted to do and actually did them. life is too short to look back and say i wish i would have done this or i wish i would have done that. that has sometimes been a hard concept for me in that i was just doing what was necessary on a day to day basis. i have since been challenging myself to take a larger step and do what is extraordinary on a daily basis. i'm usually not one to challenge others either, but that should be a goal for each and every one of us. start each day with a plan of goals and ideas you would like to accomplish on that day, week, month, etc. let it be your goal each day to work towards what you want to accomplish not only on that day but on future days as well. if you haven't a clue about a goal or something you want to work towards...pray for it! i guarantee He will show you exactly what you are looking for in one way or another.
speaking of 'new', i have also been trying some new things that i really haven't done ever. cooking, reading, and of course blogging come to mind immediately. the more i have grown and matured the more 'new' things i want to try just for exposure and to broaden my knowledge and uniqueness. i mean hey why not. call me weird but i mean really everyone is weird in their own way!
lastly if any of you readers are out there a quick update on marathon training. i will be running a half marathon on february 13 which will put me well on my way to completing my goal of a full marathon by the end of the year.
a few bible verses concerning new, so take a look:
1 Peter 1:3
2 Corinthians 5:17
Phillipians 3:13-14
P.S. A big black bear shout out to CJ Johnson!!!!!!
the title of this entry pretty much entails what it's about really. so far 2011 has been nothing short of outstanding. i mean i got this new ba job with bbva compass bank, i moved into a brand new apartment downtown with one of my best buddies ever, and i started my last semester of graduate school. i mean life is looking pretty amazing right now, which it usually is in my eyes.
2011 is going to be a year that when it is over, i want to look back and say i did a lot of things this year that i never thought i could do. i want 2011 to be the year that i can look back and say this wasn't just another year of going through the motions, but it was a year of getting off my butt, stopped talking about things i wanted to do and actually did them. life is too short to look back and say i wish i would have done this or i wish i would have done that. that has sometimes been a hard concept for me in that i was just doing what was necessary on a day to day basis. i have since been challenging myself to take a larger step and do what is extraordinary on a daily basis. i'm usually not one to challenge others either, but that should be a goal for each and every one of us. start each day with a plan of goals and ideas you would like to accomplish on that day, week, month, etc. let it be your goal each day to work towards what you want to accomplish not only on that day but on future days as well. if you haven't a clue about a goal or something you want to work towards...pray for it! i guarantee He will show you exactly what you are looking for in one way or another.
speaking of 'new', i have also been trying some new things that i really haven't done ever. cooking, reading, and of course blogging come to mind immediately. the more i have grown and matured the more 'new' things i want to try just for exposure and to broaden my knowledge and uniqueness. i mean hey why not. call me weird but i mean really everyone is weird in their own way!
lastly if any of you readers are out there a quick update on marathon training. i will be running a half marathon on february 13 which will put me well on my way to completing my goal of a full marathon by the end of the year.
a few bible verses concerning new, so take a look:
1 Peter 1:3
2 Corinthians 5:17
Phillipians 3:13-14
P.S. A big black bear shout out to CJ Johnson!!!!!!
Friday, January 14, 2011
Number 1
so, this is it...the blog i've been wanting to start for months and i finally quit talking about it and made it happen. i figure what better way to share my opinions, views, and beliefs than to create a blog. the title sort of explains what i'm doing with my life right now. another thing i've been talking about doing for a while now is run a marathon, hence the road to 26.2. there are 26.2 miles in a marathon and i WILL do one in 2011.
so i was sitting at breakfast the other morning with two guys at IHOP of all places. last place i wanted to go for breakfast but hey i wanted to enjoy the companionship while filling my stomach with 1000 calorie all-you-can-eat pancakes. what better way to start my day right. anyway, i had just run a 5k race on saturday and somehow it came up in conversation. i was asked what place i had finished and i had no clue and really didn't care. i finished my first race of the new year and that's all that mattered to me. then i was asked what the point was in running if my goal wasn't to win. i just shrugged at the notion and went about it. however, strangely enough i kept thinking yeah why wouldn't i want to win if i'm gonna be in the race. back to that in a second. i have recently figured out that i do my best thinking while running. i just put the headphones in a my mind just races in twenty different directions. that's essentially how this blog came to be. in a sense i'm using this blog to vent about my passions, obsessions, and beliefs and because i'm in the process of training for a marathon, i'm running a lot, therefore thinking a lot, and if you know me at all that could be a good or a bad thing depending on who you are....anyway back to my thoughts of running in a race if i'm not trying to win it. while i was on my daily run on thursday afternoon i really began to think...why am i running if i don't want to win? i mean isn't that the point? i was running 6 miles so my mind was justa going. then i related that to my faith. kinda weird comparing running to my christian faith, but to me it makes perfect sense. i am currently running a race with heaven as the finish line. god is the mediator and the prize that i get when i finish the race of life. the point i'm trying to get across is that why run the race if we are just doing it to do it. mediocrity is something i despise, and the lord doesn't want our mediocrity and we shouldn't want to give him our mediocrity. in the book of colossians chapter 3 verse 17 it says "and whatsoever you do, do WHOLEHEARTEDLY in the name of the lord, giving thanks to god the father through him. to me this verse says it all about giving everything you do to the lord, and not doing it half way, hence the all caps wholeheartedly. google bible verses about mediocrity and you will find much more about what the lord says about mediocrity and how it shouldn't exist in our lives.
to end, i just had my mind racing while running and a found this to be a very viable comparison. the race i ran and the races i will do in the future can be directly tied to our faith in jesus christ. we train, we get hurt, we get back up again, but in the end it isn't about just finishing the race. it's striving for that prize!
in this blog i hope to do many things. i want you readers to understand a little more about me and read my venting about what could be some random things that go on in my life. i'm hoping to do at least one per week so stay tuned for some fun from stew.
Revelation 3:15-17 - Thought this was a fitting ending verse
so i was sitting at breakfast the other morning with two guys at IHOP of all places. last place i wanted to go for breakfast but hey i wanted to enjoy the companionship while filling my stomach with 1000 calorie all-you-can-eat pancakes. what better way to start my day right. anyway, i had just run a 5k race on saturday and somehow it came up in conversation. i was asked what place i had finished and i had no clue and really didn't care. i finished my first race of the new year and that's all that mattered to me. then i was asked what the point was in running if my goal wasn't to win. i just shrugged at the notion and went about it. however, strangely enough i kept thinking yeah why wouldn't i want to win if i'm gonna be in the race. back to that in a second. i have recently figured out that i do my best thinking while running. i just put the headphones in a my mind just races in twenty different directions. that's essentially how this blog came to be. in a sense i'm using this blog to vent about my passions, obsessions, and beliefs and because i'm in the process of training for a marathon, i'm running a lot, therefore thinking a lot, and if you know me at all that could be a good or a bad thing depending on who you are....anyway back to my thoughts of running in a race if i'm not trying to win it. while i was on my daily run on thursday afternoon i really began to think...why am i running if i don't want to win? i mean isn't that the point? i was running 6 miles so my mind was justa going. then i related that to my faith. kinda weird comparing running to my christian faith, but to me it makes perfect sense. i am currently running a race with heaven as the finish line. god is the mediator and the prize that i get when i finish the race of life. the point i'm trying to get across is that why run the race if we are just doing it to do it. mediocrity is something i despise, and the lord doesn't want our mediocrity and we shouldn't want to give him our mediocrity. in the book of colossians chapter 3 verse 17 it says "and whatsoever you do, do WHOLEHEARTEDLY in the name of the lord, giving thanks to god the father through him. to me this verse says it all about giving everything you do to the lord, and not doing it half way, hence the all caps wholeheartedly. google bible verses about mediocrity and you will find much more about what the lord says about mediocrity and how it shouldn't exist in our lives.
to end, i just had my mind racing while running and a found this to be a very viable comparison. the race i ran and the races i will do in the future can be directly tied to our faith in jesus christ. we train, we get hurt, we get back up again, but in the end it isn't about just finishing the race. it's striving for that prize!
in this blog i hope to do many things. i want you readers to understand a little more about me and read my venting about what could be some random things that go on in my life. i'm hoping to do at least one per week so stay tuned for some fun from stew.
Revelation 3:15-17 - Thought this was a fitting ending verse
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