Turning the Ordinary into Something Extraordinary

Only God can turn a Mess into a Message, a Trial into a Triumph, and a Test into a Testimony!

When someone sees a rose, their natural response is probably to look at its beauty or smell its wonderful fragrance.  But what would you do if you were walking through the park and stopped to smell a large patch of these beautiful roses, when along came an old grumpy hard looking person?  They take one glance at these flowers and then at you.  They snort and smirk as they comment,

“Do you know how annoying roses are?!  They are covered in thorns and you can’t pick them.  Bugs are all over and it takes so much work to take care of them.  Have you ever tried to grow them?  Well don’t!  They require way too much effort to keep them looking nice.  I had a patch in my yard and tore them all out.  Eventually I hated the very look of them so much because all I could think about was how much effort it took to take care of them and they still weren’t perfect.” 

And with that he stomped away, leaving you speechless and quite confused.

Did you know that by doing one simple task you could change your entire perspective on something?!  I have done this multiple times and it is amazing!  Though the trick is actually remembering to do it and then choosing to do so, because I normally don’t feel like doing it!  But it really can turn something so ordinary into something totally extraordinary!  Do you believe me?

It’s all about Perspective!

Here is a challenge for you.  Think of something you really don’t like in your life right now.  You got it?  Okay, now THANK God for that.  I know, you may be thinking, “Yeah right, you don’t know what I picked.  I could never be grateful for this!”  Well first off, don’t say never, and secondly, I didn’t ask you to BE grateful, I asked you to THANK God, two totally different actions.

Now the next time you think of it, thank Him for something about it.  Then let it flow from there! You will be surprised, as you practice this more and more, how quickly it changes your attitude!

Here is an Example

Lord, thank you for Covid19.  Thank you that it has allowed our family to spend more time together.  Thank you that it has given me some rest time that I know I probably needed.  Thank you that it has taught me to trust in you.  Thank you that you turn all things out for my good.  Thank you that you promise to take care of me.

Get the picture?

Check out Ecclesiastes 5:18 through 20.

"Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion. Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God. For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answereth him in the joy of his heart.”

How is one supposed to ENJOY and have JOY in something if all they do is criticize it and look at the negative?  Everything that happens in life, EVERYTHING, has goods and bads.  And if you love God, He promises to work all things out for your good.

Do you lack peace?

I don’t mean a knowledge or feeling of dependence in yourself or anyone else, I mean REAL peace!  The bible says we can have a peace that passes all understanding, a peace that fills our very being, and a peace not like anything of what the world gives, but how?  Philippians 4:6 tells us that we have to tell God our requests, but then THANK Him!  When we thank God it puts a whole new perspective on everything!  It takes our focus off of ourselves and puts it on reality, something we all seem to forget even though it stares us in the face every minute of the day. 

What good are feelings if they always lie to you?  We must take these feelings to Jesus and ask Him to change our perspective.  But we must share our hearts with Him.  We must tell Him everything and then thank Him for keeping His promises.

I challenge you to, the next time you go out for a run, whether physically or spiritually, try putting this challenge into action and watch God change your heart!  And trust me, your feelings are very persuasive, so they will follow your choices ever so gratefully, filling you with a peace you’ve never had before! 
WARNING: This is not a onetime thing; you must continually practice it in order to get the results you are looking for.  If you ate healthy one day of your life, would you expect to be healthy the rest of your days?!  Of course not, you know very well that in order to produce a healthy body that you must continually treat it right.  So get out there and ask for God’s grace to begin being thankful!  I promise you, ever road God takes you down is rocky and hard, but the rewards are precious and so worth the effort!  I promise you, if you allow Jesus to change you, you won’t regret it!

Until next time, Happy Running Ya’ll!

You Are What You Think

A Challenge Just For You

Ever feel like your brain is full of fog or shadows?! You can change that!

It started sometime in the beginning of this year.  I kept hearing this phrase or something similar, “You are what you think.”  I joined a bible study on Speaking Truth in Your Heart and came across a verse I was familiar with, but this time it took on new meaning.

“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…”  Proverbs 23:7

 Things started to click in my mind and it was like I was having a light bulb moment!  Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” I realized that we reap what we sow in our mind, because what we plant through our thoughts, whether it be a fruit producing seed or a weed seed, it will spring forth.  If you constantly dwell on the thought I’m slow, you will create a belief in your heart that you are slow.  If you constantly dwell on the thought that you are a failure, you will create a belief in your heart that you are a failure. 

From these beliefs, according to multiple scriptures, you will live your life out of this.

(See Galatians 6:7-8 for more.)

I’m in the middle of reading a book called, “Me, Myself, and Lies” by Jennifer Rothschild.  She brought up the fact that everybody does something called “soul talk”.  At first some people think this is kind of odd, but if you think about it, you probably talk to yourself a lot.  Have you ever asked yourself where you put something or walked into a room and wondered what you were going to do?

This week I challenge you to look through the many Psalms that David wrote. 

  • He was constantly talking to himself. 
  • He asked himself questions. 
  • He scolded himself. 
  • He reproved himself. 
  • He encouraged himself. 

I would suggest starting with Psalm 42, as it’s one of my favorite passages on this topic! 

So what do you tell yourself every day? 

Recently I have been playing around with different mantras, such as “I am not a slave to my thoughts because it is not I who lives, but Christ who lives in me”.  While I’m running one of my favorites is “I have the spirit of Love, Power and a Sound Mind.”

Leave a comment below letting me know some things you speak to yourself about, I’d love to hear it! 

Thursday’s Truth

Romans 12:2


And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

So I have been seeking God on expanding BSR and I am excited to announce that by Gods grace I am going to be posting more consistently!My goal is to post a blog post every other week with a section called Thursday’s Truth on the off weeks!  I can’t wait to get more consistent with getting content out to you guys!

I have also been working on two surprises for y’all, one of which I hope to reveal by the end of the year, Lord willing!!

Should I, Should I Not

Should I?  Should I Not?  Ever had this run through your mind when making a decision?  If you’re anything like me you have and multiple times, maybe even every hour for weeks on end!  I know how complicated making decisions can be, but during these times of confusion and uncertainty it has drawn me closer and closer to Christ.  I hate being confused and not knowing what is going to happen is even worse.  I get so stressed out if I do not have a plan for the day and then I hate sitting around when I’m tired with an ever growing list of things I need to do.

During my run today, my goal was to possibly run a straight 5k.  After taking a month off, I had slumped back quite a few miles and to top it off I was running in some fog and sweating like a pig, so I know the humidity had something to do with the difficulty I was having.  Nonetheless, I was not going to give up easily, but my muscles and lungs did not agree with my head.  I was debating on whether I wanted to push myself or be smart and just go with a lighter intensity.  I stopped a few times to massage a couple tight spots on my leg and with a mile left I decided to stop and pray.

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.  But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.  For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.  For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.

James 1:5-6

 

I asked Him to help me make the last mile without stopping.  I don’t remember exactly what He said but it was something like, “Why do you always ask me to do things for you?  I gave you the strength, it’s already in you.  You just need to train.”  I then felt like He grabbed my hand, smiled, and said, “Let’s go!”

Lately, I always ask the Lord to run with me, to protect me, and to teach me.  He has not one time failed me.  A few weeks ago, after reading about Ryan Hall, (of which I would highly recommend you look him and his wife Sara up if you don’t know who they are), I also asked God to be my coach.  I would love to pay for a physical coach but the Lord has not made that a possibility right now.  This situation has pushed me to listen to my body, listen for God’s direction, and study quite a bit.  Not only has training for impossible “runs” strengthened my body, it has also strengthened my faith in God.   

We as humans with finite minds will never know everything.  But God is infinite and He has promised to give us wisdom if we ask and believe that He will answer.  But the problem is, once He does give us the direction, sometimes we still doubt, or fear takes hold on us in such a way that we cannot move forward. 

We all have fear but where has that gotten us so far?  Fear has torment and is the main thing that the enemy uses to control us.  Think back to decisions you have made.  Did fear have any deciding factor in your final decision?  It’s time we let go of the fear and realize just how much potential we have without it.

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment.  He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

1 John 4:18

To be continued…

Revelation

When God, according to His nature and justice, needs to being about a curse, He uses evil people. They are willing to be used and most of the time, happily.

When God needs to bring about a blessing, who does He use?! Where are all the willing righteous people?!Why are the evil so much more willing to bring about evil than we are about bringing about righteousness?

I know you’re thinking, Well it’s because of our flesh. But is that really the case? Or is it that we are not willing to be used for fear of what may happen, because we do not trust God?

Most unbelievers shy away from Christianity because of our hypocrisy. We talk and do not do. We speak and do not act. We are no different than the Pharisees and Sadducees who Jesus was so dissapointed with. I know this because I’ve heard it from their own mouths. I’ve seen it. I’ve read about it. Why should they believe our words when we do not even believe it ourselves. If we did, we would act differently because “as a man thinks in his heart so is he.”

If you are a nonbeliever reading this, I want to thank you for showing us Christians where we have gone wrong.

If you are a believer, I want to encourage you to join me in seeking God to change our hearts. We pray for revival but we are not willing to do anything. Sinful people act on their sin. Righteous people need to start acting on their righteousness. Before revival will ever break out, we must allow God to change our own hearts first.

Will you join me?

The Life Jacket

Letting Go of the Boat

Have you ever had that one endeavor, that one dream, or that one task that just seems so daunting?  I have.  A lot of them!  Ones that seem so far out of reach that they are like mere fantasies rather than things that could actually become reality.   

God has been teaching me that it’s time to let go of the boat.  For me personally, at first I didn’t quite understand what that meant.  But one morning I had to run my one hour for the week in which my goal was to see how many miles I could complete in that hour.  With the July humidity my workouts had not been very good, and actually the most I had done that month was 4 miles, and half of it was walking. 

Well according to the radar it wasn’t supposed to rain for a couple hours, but the sky sure didn’t look too promising.  It wasn’t supposed to be a thunderstorm so I decided to go out (and if you’ve read my past posts, you know I’m fearful of getting caught in another storm).  So I grabbed a rain jacket in case it did rain, that way I could keep going and not worry as much about getting hypothermia.

As I began I kept watching the clouds and decided to put it on while I was running, which was quite difficult in itself, not to mention the netting inside kept getting tangled around my arm, but I had to keep going.  Ug.  Once the coat was on, I began getting miserable and uncomfortably hot.  I eventually took it off and deemed it unnecessary for only an hour any way.  But then about 15 minutes later I did the whole thing over again. 

About half way through I decided to just leave it wrapped around my waist.  On one of my passes by the house God suggested I toss it to the side till I was finished.  I mean, it was very annoying as it kept turning and it was just an added extra weight.  But I decided to keep it anyway.  I felt more comfortable wearing it, having it on hand just in case I needed it.  It was then that God began showing me how that little rain jacket, which really wouldn’t have done much for very long anyway, was like a life jacket to me.  I felt safer so to speak in holding it close to me.  Ever since that day, God has been showing me the different “life jackets” that I have in life.  You know, the back up plans!  Or plan B, C, D, and maybe even on up to Z!

Life has a way of turning upside down in the smidgen of a second.  That’s why we have all these plans right?  That way it saves us from disappointment or having no direction or from getting hurt.  We seem to live in fear as an outcome.  And these fears are really just an added weight to our walk with the Lord, but we seem to gladly hold onto them, as if they would somehow save us from the approaching storms.

The Lords desire is for us to cast all of our cares upon the Lord and to ditch every fear.  He desires for us to walk on the water.  But in order for us to do this, we must let go of the boat.  Peter would have never walked on the water if he had held onto the one thing his flesh deemed necessary for survival in the raging winds.  Most sailors desire and eagerly seek to stay in the boat during a storm, but Peter wanted out.  He wanted to walk to Jesus.  Why?  Because He knew who Jesus was.

What about you? What is your life jacket?  Are you willing to let go of the boat in order to walk to Jesus?  Do you really know who Jesus is?

The Much Neglected Necessity

Are you guilty of it?

Take the Quiz to find out!

Answer these questions, really pondering over what is being asked.

  1. Are you lacking peace?
  2. Are there things in your life that bother you?
  3. Do you worry about anything?
  4. Do you neglect refreshing yourself on a daily basis?
  5. Are you easily agitated or irritated?
  6. Do your emotions seem to dictate what you do and not do?
  7. Do you have fear?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then most likely you are missing one of the greatest blessings God wants to give you.  As human beings we are work oriented.  Sometimes we work 24\7, leaving only enough time for some food and sleep.  Sometimes we feel lazy, sitting around watching our favorite shows.  And sometimes we have a good balance of our life – rest, play, work, sleep, food, family, friends, ministry, quiet times, etc. etc. 

Have you ever had a list that seemed to only get larger, never smaller?  I have.  I go back and forth with lists, making them and not, because I get so overwhelmed with all the tasks.  It’s so much easier to just not have a list.  But recently I’ve been feeling like if I want to get anything done other than ordinary life, I’m going to need to start making lists again.  This has been something I’ve been feeling God drawing me towards.  But I began realizing He had something a little different in mind than I did.  A secret so to say. 

This secret is something we all know we should do.  Some people are better at it than others and some may act like it’s an old-fashioned term.  The secret?  It’s a four letter word… REST! For me personally, the Lord has been convicting and encouraging me to rest in Him.  The other day I watched a sermon that talked about pursuing your dreams, goals, and talents with an open hand.  God often leads us through our desires, but if we decide to hold these with clenched fists and God wants to give you something else, something better, because He loves you He is going to have to pry open your hand in order to change your direction. 

Holding our dreams with a relaxed hand, leaving the results of what we do up to God, requires resting in His promises.  Resting in the truth that God is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do.  What an awesome reality!  Someone who keeps their word no matter the circumstances!

I am still learning what it means to rest in Jesus – to take His burden – to cast all my care upon Him – to pray with faith, believing that if I am abiding in Him, He will answer my prayers, with not much on my part.  I have been meditating on God’s Word a lot recently and I can’t believe how many promises it contains!  It has so many! Including ones that show us how we can live free of worry, fear, anxiety, and stress!  I challenge you to start by reading John 15 and really pondering over what it says.  Ask God to reveal to you all the promises He wants to give you personally and pray that He would give you the grace to do your part so He can do His!

I love you guys and am praying for you!  Hope you have a blessed day!  Feel free to share what promises God has placed over you, I’d love to hear about them!

What is More Painful than an Injury?

Taken by Allison Dougherty

If you have ever exercised for an extended amount of time, you know that injuries are bound to happen sometime down the road.  Have you ever gotten an injury that seemed to be more painful during recovery than when it actually happened?  Most recoveries are painful, that’s just the way God created it to be.  When someone says they tore, broke, ripped, or pulled something on their body, your natural response to them is, “Did that hurt?” and then, “How are you feeling?”  Why?  Because everyone knows that the injury is not the only part that is painful.

For me, recovery is way worse than the actual injury itself.  Simply because I can do some things, but not nearly as much as I could.  And the part I hate the most about exercise is that of when you know you must push your muscles a little more than they can comfortable handle in order for them to get stronger.  Yes, I’m talking about Strength Training!

I absolutely hate strength training, especially if it is a thirty minute workout targeting a specific set of muscles instead of the full body.  On the contrary though, I love cardio!  I love feeling the wind in my face as I run down the road, thoroughly sweat purged!  It just delights my soul!  But feeling sweat dripping off your face while at a standstill, purposefully “tearing” some of my muscles so that I can run that road faster and more efficiently… well, I love the benefits from it, but I hate the process.

Lately God has been teaching me the parallels with this in people’s spiritual lives.  In order for us to enjoy the fruit our lives are bearing, we must endure the trials.  No trials, no fruit.  No fruit, no joy.  God has set specific laws in place.  Not laws as in the Ten Commandments, but I mean things like, a tree losses its leaves in the fall, remains stationary over the winter, grows foliage over the spring, and bears fruit over the summer. 

Our lives are the same way.  We have seasons of growth, seasons of loss, seasons of joy and seasons of dryness.  It is through all these seasons that we must learn to remain in Jesus.  If you root up an apple tree in the spring, will you expect it to give you apples in the fall?  Of course not!

John 15 clearly spells out to us not just truths, but promises!  Promises of answered prayer, patience, love, joy, hope, peace – the benefits of abiding in Jesus are endless!  It is a life that makes us satisfied and fulfilled! 

Since April of this year (2020), I have been quite consistent in meditating on scripture.  In the beginning I didn’t quite get it, but through accountability and encouragement of others, I kept at it.  Then one day it clicked and it’s as if the whole world turned upside down.  Everything made sense and fruit began forming in my life!  I started looking forward to the time I got to spend with Jesus in meditation.  Reminiscing over His very Words to Me, as an individual, became life giving! 

Some days are still dry, as I’m sure there will always be some, but when those satisfying days come, they are even more the sweeter!

May God bless you with a hunger and thirst for Him!!

Hate

Hate.  It’s running rampant throughout the streets.  Its definition is to greatly dislike or disagree with.  Look around.  It’s all over.  Perhaps it is in your own heart as well, whatever side you have chosen to take. 

But where is God in all this mess, we may ask.  What has happened to Him?  Why does He seem silent?  The simple, but hurtful truth is that we have asked him to leave.  We have completely abandoned Him for our own pleasures.  He only stays where He is invited, He does not force His presence. 

It’s time for the silent majority of this world to stand up.  But not in the same way the world would define it.  No.  But rather, it’s time for the Christians to kneel down.  It’s time to take this situation to the only one who can do anything about it.  The bible says multiple times that when nations humble themselves and return to the Lord that He saves them and heals their land. (See 2 Chronicles 7:13-14)

What will it take for us to begin seeking the only solution to this pandemic?  How long will we sit and watch others tear down our nation?  It’s time to take a knee; to seek God’s mercy and ask His forgiveness for the sins of this world.  It’s time to Pray!  Will you join me?!

If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; if my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 
- 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 -

Monday, May 11th, 2020

Sometimes life just needs to pause. Sometimes we need to just stop and realize the present reality. Sometimes we wish we could rewrite our life. Sometimes we wish to rewind, possibly fast forward.

But why not stop and change our veiw? Why not instead look ahead? What if we took notes on the last decade of what worked and what didn’t? What if we prayed over those notes and set goals for the next ten years?

The truth is, once a story is written you can not rewrite it, it can only be revised or updated. The original will still be the original. Our life is no different. We may try to change the past but in reality that is impossible. We simply cannot go back in time to redo what we’ve already done.

You know those feelings and emotions that well up inside of you as you reminis over the past? The guilt, regret, confusion, and hopelessness? We can not rewrite the past but we can edit our present and alter our future.

Yesterday was a very difficult morning run. I did not want to be out and quite frankly didn’t even want to be out of bed. Three miles is a long way when you long to still be sleeping. But the reality was this: I was over a mile from home. I was not in bed. I was on my feet and moving (somewhat) still in the wrong direction to head home.

I began to look around hoping to change my perspective on the situation and noticed this beautiful tree surrounded by a bunch of other ordinary trees. It’s color stood out among the usual earth tones and I couldn’t help but stop and take a picture.

This tree was planted here, crowded by so many others. Yet despite being small and barely noticeable, it stands proud, bold and beautiful. It can not change the fact of where it is, but it can grow and produce fruit. It can not go back and tell the planters to plant it somewhere else, somewhere where it will get easily noticed and better cared for, but it can grow where it is and produce satisfaction to the few passerbys who may notice her.

I challenge all who read this to continue growing where the Lord has planted them. Allow His life sap to flow through you so you can become a tall, bold and beautiful tree (Psalm 1:3).

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