80 and Counting

January 25, 2013: 80 and Counting…… 11-miles (Treadmill) – 74:30 – Felt pretty decent; While on the treadmill,  I started watching a movie called “Facing the Giants.”  It is a great movie….very inspirational.  The acting will not/did not win any academy awards, but the message/theme was encouraging, inspirational, and motivating.  It’s definitely pretty good considering this movie was made by a church in Albany, GA.  Anyway, one of the themes/messages was ‘Praise God NO MATTER WHAT.”  After many events/circumstances, the football coach came to a point where he told his team, “If we win, we praise God.  If we lose, we praise God!”  Their job was to give everything they had, and leave the results with God.  This is a theme I want to take with me when training for Boston.  When things are going great I want to praise God.  When things may not seem to be going as great, I want to praise God.  If do well at Boston, I want to praise God.  If the wheels come off at Boston, I want to praise God.  I must remember that my number one purpose in life is to love and honor Him with everything in me.  My second is to love my wife and kids as Christ loves the church.  My third is….whatever I do, work at it with all of my heart as working for the Lord and not for men (Colossians 3:23).  God is bigger than the Boston Marathon.  He is bigger than the day to day training.  I know He is with me through the entire journey, which makes it so much more thrilling and fulfilling.  I want to do this for the higher purpose of honoring Him and bringing glory to His name.  In my heart of hearts, I want people to know the same God that made me, saved me, and who loves me unconditionally.   If I run an amazing race in Boston, but do not keep Christ the center of it, then I have run in vain.