It lives.

It's been at least two years since the last couple posts I put on here. I almost never use this blog anymore. I just swung by to say - I'm now wishing that I started an "unemployment" blog when I lost my job - almost two years ago. I didn't bother because, I honestly thought my unemployment wouldn't last too long. WRONG! My two year anniversary of joblessness will be Memorial day weekend.

"Run!"

On June 19th, I gave my very first sermon at church. Here it is! It's based off Hebrews 12: 1-3.

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What would you do if you were asked to run a marathon? What if you had to run it with only a couple of weeks worth of preparation and training? Could you do it?

Would you say yes to the challenge?

Last summer, Eddie Izzard - a British comedian and actor decided he was going to raise money for a UK-based charity called Sport Relief. Sport Relief’s mission is to unite the worlds of entertainment and sport to raise money for the poor and vulnerable people of the UK and other, more impoverished countries around the world. Eddie chose to run. But Eddie wasn’t just going to go for any run. He was going to run around the whole of the United Kingdom. In seven weeks. In order to complete this challenge, this meant that Eddie - a middle-aged, quasi-out-of-shape man who was quoted as saying his primary running experience was “running around the playground a bit” when he was a boy, would have to run the equivalent of 43 marathons - in 51 days. Breaking that down further, he’d be running an average of 27 miles a day, 6 days a week - with Sundays off...for 7 weeks straight.

The announcement was made to the press - and to many people - to most people, Eddie’s challenge seemed impossible, more than that, it seemed crazy. How could a person with little to no running experience, and roughly five weeks worth of training, finish one marathon, let alone 43 back-to-back marathons?

Francis Chan, Pastor of Cornerstone Community Church in Simi Valley, California says in his book “Crazy Love”:

“Having faith often means doing what others see as crazy. Something is wrong when our lives make sense to unbelievers.”

To a non-runner, and even to a seasoned runner - Eddie’s goal seemed crazy - but Eddie was determined - he believed in himself, and had faith that he could complete the challenge laid out before him.

In Hebrews, we are told we have our own challenging race set before us. I’d like to invite you now to take your Bibles and turn with me to the book of Hebrews, chapter 12. If you do not have your Bible with you, you should find one beneath the seat in front of you. Let’s look at verse one:

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”

The author is describing a marathon. Verse one mentions a “great cloud of witnesses”. We must note that the first word in Hebrews 12 is “Therefore”. This is a cue that this passage is tied to the last chapter. Hebrews Chapter 11 has been referred to at times as the “Hall of Faith”.

This chapter on faith in Hebrews 11 is meant to serve as encouragement to the Hebrews, who were bending under the weight of discouragement from the hardships and abuse they were facing for their conversion to Christianity. The author is trying to encourage them with a stirring reminder of true faith.

Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see.”

Verse 6 says “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”

The author goes on to list several examples of faith - Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Samson, David, Samuel and the prophets, among others. Some of these people in this list prospered, while others suffered, yet all had great faith.

Hebrews 11:38-40 says: “the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.”

The chapter break here, is kind of unfortunate - the beginning of Hebrews 12, is the continuation of Chapter 11. Faith, the author concludes, most resembles a difficult race. It is a marathon, not a sprint, and evidently the Hebrews were expecting a sprint - not a grueling long distance contest. They were in need of extra encouragement and discipline to survive the long distance spiritual contest. The “great cloud of witnesses” mentioned in Chapter 12, verse one, are the faithful mentioned in Chapter 11. They watch the rest of us run the race of faith - not in order to judge us, but as a source of encouragement - they finished their race of faith, and so can we!

During his own grueling race, Eddie Izzard was followed and watched by a camera crew, a sports therapist, an ice cream truck - selling ice cream for donations, and over 1.5 million followers on Twitter, including myself as he Tweeted, blogged and video blogged his race across the UK. Not being a seasoned or experienced runner, along the way Eddie learned what agony running a long distance race can be - to the extreme, and he also learned the importance of running light - casting off all unnecessary weights, taking care not to slip or stumble over sticks or pebbles strewn across the road.

Similarly, Hebrews 12, verse one calls on us to be watchful - it continues:

“let us throw off everything that hinders, and the sin that so easily entangles”.

We must take care while we run. The most seasoned runners know that the lighter the shoes and the clothing you wear, the easier and less painful it is to keep running. What is hindering you in your life? What is holding you back and keeping you from that deep personal relationship with Christ? We must admit to ourselves what that is, repent and ask forgiveness, and cast it aside! Only when we eliminate what is entangling us can we continue to run our race!

Verse one continues: “and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”

Eddie had pre-planned a specific course. This grueling course would see him running from London to Liverpool, then Stranraer, Belfast, Londonderry, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Leeds and back to London. Eddie stuck to his schedule, and to his course despite horrific conditions.

Rain soaked his shoes, causing blisters to erupt all over his feet. Each night his legs would begin to fill with fluid, blowing up to twice their size, forcing him to take agonizing ice baths to keep the swelling at bay. He lost the toenails on his outer toes. Yet he pushed through all the agony because he knew that in order for him to meet his goal of finishing these 43 marathons in 51 days, he would have to stick to the course laid out before him, and not deviate.

Like Eddie, and as the author of Hebrews reminds us we too must “run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” We must run the race marked out for US. Each of us has our own race.

We need to focus on our own journey, our own walk with God and not concern ourselves with what others are doing in theirs. Keep your fingers in Hebrews, but turn with me for a moment to John Chapter 21. Let’s look at verse 20. Now, just prior to this verse, Jesus had reinstated Peter before the other disciples. He did this primarily for the benefit of Peter - not only to reassure him that he was loved and forgiven, but also to restore him in the eyes of the other disciples after his very public denial of Jesus before the crucifixion. In verse 19, Jesus asks Peter to follow him. Now, in verses 20 through 23, they are walking together - read with me:

“Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. When Peter saw him, he asked, ‘Lord, what about him?’

Jesus answered, ‘If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” Because of this, the rumor spread among the brothers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, ‘If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?’”

What Jesus is saying here is that we are to focus on our assigned parts and focus on the God who gave them to us. Jesus has an uniquely tailored plan for each of us. That is why it’s useless to compare ourselves to others. We are to run the race marked out for us without comparing ourselves to others for our own protection - because comparison can do one of two very dangerous things: it can produce false assurance, or false insecurity. To whom are you comparing yourself? How is your perception distorted? We can only glorify God in our own unique ways.

Let’s turn back now to Hebrews 12 and look at verse two. Verse two discusses where our focus should be, where we should fix our eyes:

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith...”

I remember watching this episode of Cheers many years ago. Woody, the none-to-bright bartender had an encounter with basketball and Timberwolves coach Kevin McHale. He managed to inadvertently throw McHale off his game by getting him to focus on the number of bolts in the basketball court floor. So instead of paying attention during this pivotal game McHale was focused on the rivets in the court - running up and down the floor counting rivets, disengaged from the game, ruining a potential win for his teammates and ending by crashing into some off-screen obstacle to the horror of the fictional characters on the show, and the uproarious laughter of the studio audience.

2 Corinthians 4:18 says: “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

If our eyes aren’t focused on the prize - on Jesus, our Savior, where are we headed?

Not only do we look ridiculous if we are running the court with our heads down, completely disengaged from our surroundings, but we are a danger to ourselves and to those around us! If we don’t keep our focus on Jesus we will stumble into iniquity - and worse yet, we could cause others in the race to stumble too, taking them down into iniquity with us. So, we must “fix our eyes upon Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith”.

We must not forget either, that Jesus ran this race before us. But why did He run the race? Verse two of Hebrews 12 tells us that Jesus “who, for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, scorning it’s shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

What joy do you think was before Jesus? His joy, was us! And the prospect of sharing eternity with us!

Earlier this year, I was particularly struck by a passage in John, chapter 17 that I’d never quite realized the significance of before. In this chapter, Jesus is praying in Gethsemane prior to his betrayal by Judas and subsequent arrest. Jesus has prayed for Himself, and for His disciples. In verse 20 He goes on to pray for all believers. Jesus prays:

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in You. May they also be in Us so that the world may believe that You have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave Me, that they may be one as We are One: I in them and You in Me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that You sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved Me.”

Verse 24: “Father, I want those who You have given Me to be with Me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory You have given me because You loved Me before the creation of the world.”

Wow. I don’t know about you but, seeing here that Jesus is praying for us - for all of us, is just amazing. He wants us to be unified, as He is unified with his Father and for us to be unified in Them as well.

I want you to look especially at verse 24:

“Father I WANT those You have given Me to be with Me where I am...”

There! Right there - Jesus’ joy is for US to be with Him and to see His glory and the glory of His Father - our Father! That is why Jesus endured the agony and shame of the cross! He couldn’t bear to lose us!

Now, let’s take a look at the significance of the last part of Hebrews 12 verse 2 where it says that Jesus “sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” The fact that Jesus sat down is very significant. If you’ve ever read the book of Leviticus or Numbers you are aware of the incredible amount of work required of the priests of Israel - they were kept very busy making sacrifices for the peoples sins. Once a year they would have to go into the Holy of Holies to offer a sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins people had unknowingly committed. Only the High Priest could go in and only after special cleansing and preparation.

Hebrews 10:11-12 says “Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when This Priest (Jesus) had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God.”

Jewish priests NEVER sat down - the tabernacles, and the temple didn’t have seats - there was no place to sit. The fact they did their work standing was symbolic - it meant that the work was never finished. But Jesus, having finished the work of a priest once and for all - sat down.

So, when in Hebrews 12 verse two we are told that Jesus “sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” we should rejoice! The fact He sat down means that His work is done. In other words, He won the race for us already! We can’t be defeated or stopped - but we still need to finish - so we must keep running.

It was the evening of October 28th, 1968 around 7pm during the Olympics in Mexico City. A marathon had started earlier that day, and the winner had crossed the finish line more than an hour before. The spectators that had stayed in the stadium to cheer on the last of the runners were finally starting to depart, when those near the entrance heard sirens. One last runner appeared - Tanzania’s John Stephen Akhwari hobbled into the stadium, in intense pain from a fall earlier in the race - his leg was bloodied and bandaged. Those remaining watched and applauded him as he struggled around the 400 meter track, completing the marathon. After crossing the finish line, he turned to leave the track. A curious spectator stopped him and asked, why he finished the race under such circumstances. Akhwari turned and replied:

“My country did not send me 7,000 miles to start this race. My country sent me to finish.”

The race we are running, won’t always be easy. In fact, it will be quite painful. Jesus assures us in the Bible that the Christian life isn’t an easy one. We will face adversity, we will face scorn and opposition, hate. We will get discouraged. But we must keep running and finish, no matter what!

On his journey around the United Kingdom, Eddie confessed to the documentary crew following him that during his time alone, running these back to back marathons, he felt very discouraged. The agony of his body, the exhaustion of his mind was becoming overwhelming. He began to notice how much death there was present along the road - whether in the form of animals hit by vehicles, or the presence of crosses and flowers marking places where people had been killed in fatal accidents. At times, his documentary crew would try to ride ahead of him to remove the dead animals from the road to save Eddie from the overwhelming sadness that would overcome him when he saw such things. But always, at the moments of greatest discouragement, as if by magic a friendly face would appear. Fans who had been tracking his charity run on Twitter managed to find him at various places on his journey and came along side him to run with him for several miles at a time - giving him encouragement, spurring him on.

And Jesus, does this for us. He will always come and run along side us when we need Him most.

In verse three of Hebrews 12, we are offered some encouragement for when we feel discouraged. We are told to “Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary or lose heart.” Remember that no matter what we face, Jesus has been there before us. He knows what we are facing. He’s been there. He’s finished the race before us, and He’s waiting for us at the finish line with open arms.

Eddie, despite his doubts and fears at times throughout his incredible journey, finished his race. When he started, it took him over 10 hours to run 26.2 miles. When he crossed the finish line of that final marathon - the 43rd - he finished in 5 and a half hours - but could have shaved off over 20 minutes from that time if he hadn’t stopped and waited for his camera crew to catch up. Eddie’s first words on crossing the finish line after such an incredible feat of human endurance was “I feel dead!”

A rather profound statement - when you consider that Eddie Izzard is a staunch athiest. Here is Eddie - a middle-aged, out-of-shape man who took it upon himself to run 43 marathons in 51 days for good cause - with only a few weeks of training. He managed to complete this challenge under his own power - his only drive being the sheer force of will and physical endurance of a godless man. He raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for charity, but when he finished his race, he felt dead.

Our Savior, Jesus Christ died for us - He paid all of our sin-debt for the joy of having us beside Him and His Father in Heaven.

We are running our race under the sustaining power and love of Jesus Christ. If an inexperienced, non-athletic athiest can complete the seemingly impossible challenge of running 43 marathons in 51 days under his own power, how much more can we accomplish in our race with the power of Christ and His loving sacrifice behind us?

Blogger or Tumblr?

I feel like I need to start a blog going again. Whether or not I can maintain posting consistently, remains yet to be seen. I'm still undecided as to whether I will start blogging here or at my Tumblr account (caffeinatedangel.tumblr.com). There are pros and cons to both. I guess we'll see what I feel like! :)

I did it!

And, my new hair pretty much kicks ass. I look smexy, if I do say so myself!




See? Hot stuff. But then, I've always been that way. And I've always been humble, too.

Hair today...

Gone, in a couple weeks maybe? I'm thinking of hacking off all my hair. I need a change. I've been looking at a lot of 'do's, but I think I've settled on this one. Thoughts? Comments? I think I like it.

Front view:

Side view:

I think it's cute. :) Come the 28th I may be a different woman! With far less labor-intensive hair!