5k Every Day in the Month of May 3017 (Day 11)
What a day! So as to not get stuck in some random end-of-the-world type of thunderstorm today, Jodi and I got out first thing in the morning for our daily 5k.
It was a beautiful day for a run. Aside from an overly ferocious sounding sheep dog giving us a bit of a scare midway through the run, our 5k was rather uneventful. It was just really nice.
We actually went a touch long. We ran 3.5 miles at a 10:31 pace for a total time of 36 minutes and 56 seconds.
We have had a fantastic time in Iowa as a family. Tomorrow we will get one more early morning Iowa run in before heading back home. It will be another full day of driving. Next week I hope to put in more miles on my feet and less miles in my seat.
Today in the scripture reading, there were three main things that stood out to me as I was reading. They are kind of random, but that happens sometimes.
First, I thought it was interesting to notice Jesus getting angry.
And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. – Mark 3:5
We often think of Jesus tossing the temple tables (which he actually did at least twice) and say, “well, he was Jesus so he is allowed to be righteously angry in that particular situation…”
But the more that I read scripture, I see him getting angry from time to time and I can’t help but feel like anger is just a part of the human experience. Not only that, but anger, it seems, is actually a normal part of the Spirit-filled life.
In the politically correct, do-not-offend-at-all-costs world that we are living in, there is no room for Christians to become angry. We think that we have sinned if we get upset (and other Christians seem eager to validate this false understanding).
When I look at Jesus, I see a very different picture. Hardness of heart seems to be reason enough for him to be angry without sinning… perhaps it is enough for us, as his followers, as well.
The second thing that stood out was in Mark 5:
As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” – Mark 5:18-19
This is so fascinating to me because the man who was possessed by a demon wanted to follow Jesus. He seemingly had nothing going for him (after being possessed for who knows how long)and was willing to let go of everything and follow Jesus, which is exactly what Jesus asked for from the disciples… but this time he said, “No.” Jesus had a different plan for this man.
I love that Jesus has an individual plan and purpose for each of us. We need to lean in to God and find out what that plan and purpose is. For some it was to drop their nets and follow him. For others it was to go home to their friends and tell them how much the Lord has done.
What specific, individual calling is God calling you to?
The last thing that stood out to me from today’s reading was what Jesus spoke to the woman who suffered from bleeding but was miraculously healed by just touching Jesus’ garment.
Imagine this woman whom no one wanted to be around. She suffered from bleeding and was “unclean”. She was essentially untouchable and unknowable. She had nothing and no one. She snuck up to Jesus to touch him because she was desperate and did not even think of talking to him before OR after. She was a nobody. She just needed to get in and get out without being caught.
But she WAS caught.
Busted.
And what was Jesus’ response to this outsider who tried to secretly smuggle a healing from him?
… he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.” – Mark 5:34
Daughter?!
Wow! Is there anything that he could have said to her that would have lifted her higher? Anything that could have spoken more dignity or belonging?
I don’t think so.
Jesus pointed her out as an insider. She was part of the family. Daughter.
How beautiful!
Do you ever feel like an outsider? Unworthy? Unwanted? Untouchable? Unknowable?
Reach out to Jesus. He calls you son. He calls you daughter. You belong.
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Today was not a good day on my running. All I can say is I didn’t want to do it and got it done. I had a 9:15 pace and it was hard to get that. My aim this week was to be in the high 8:00’s for pace.
It’s interesting to read Mark because it’s really close to Matthew. That’s cool to see. It hit me today reading about how Jesus was sleeping through the storm and the disciples woke him up because he was sleeping. And then in a couple paragraphs I read that a women that was bleeding for 12 years touched his garment and was healed. He felt the power going out of him knew that someone touched him. Even the question he had was who touched me? I doubt he really needed to ask because he knew already? To me I had to think fully human and fully God.
9:15 pace is nothing to be sad about! Way to keep going! Good job!
Jeff, awesome time with you in Iowa!! Thanks for everything. Run/walk done on another beautiful night. In the scripture, I am always drawn to the parable of the sower. I often wonder what, soil am I? Seems like the struggle a lot of times for me, is to not be so thorny.
Haha.. I suppose we all have our thorns, don’t we… Way to get your 5k and reading in. I know you had a busy day (because I was there for most of it)!
Well when you don’t get up in the morning to run on the treadmill your hubby has to drop you off on the way home from the ball game and run home. After a long day pretty tired. I will be back at it in just a couple minutes again for today. I can’t run home from Cleveland tonight.
What is God’s plan for me? Bringing Him to a public school. My purpose is to educate kids but my prayer is that I share a bit of His light to my students and peers through the way I approach situations and live. And when they ask questions I am not hesitant to answer.
Haha… I love it! Being dropped off to run home is pretty epic! I also love your heart and the realization that God has placed you right where you are to be a light! So true!
We ran our 5K in the morning. Somehow we did it without getting rained on. It was dark all morning long, but it held off for us! Our run time was 24:26 (mile average of 7:53). We also read Mark 3-5. One thing I love about the gospels is the different perspectives/details throughout the different books. In Mathew it talks about the demon possessed man whose demon was sent into the pigs, but in Mark we find out the name of that demon and details about the man after he had been healed. I just love piecing it all together!
Wow! Great run! And great reading! I love digging for little truths throughout scripture like that. These supposed discrepancies, when I take the time to really dig in to them, become so faith building in the end. I love that the Bible is real and raw and that God used the individual people and personalities who wrote it to communicate His truth in their own way and from their own perspective. That is just who He is! He doesn’t need us to be perfect (which is good because we are not). He just needs us to be willing… He’ll take it from there.
Both 3s in yesterday morning (inside because we don’t like the rain!), and both 3s in today (outside). It’s a wonderful way to begin the day. The world was just waking up, but the earth was fully alive! The birds chirped and the little animals scuttled away as we walked along. We have made some discoveries along the way–both of us have discovered bones, muscles, and other body parts we didn’t know existed! Hearjng God’s Word is another good way to start the day! I wonder why God wanted some of these things put in the Bible more than once. Did He think we’d enjoy hearing them over and over again? Did He think we’d need to hear them more than once in order to “get it”? Is He telling us something(s) that is so important, and He wants to be sure we don’t miss it? As I heard again about how Jesus fed all the people and how the disciples couldn’t figure out how they could take care of the people because they didn’t have enough money, I felt God telling me, “See, you can trust me. I’ll take care of your needs. Don’t be so concerned about the money part. I don’t really need money.” (To which I told Him that it sure comes in handy though.) I felt like He was telling me that He knows that, but what He really wants is my trust in Him.
I love that time of the morning… when the world is just waking up… Great job, and thanks for sharing!
I’m glad you guys’ 5K did not include thunderstorms today (or yesterday I guess!). Safe travels home today! I got my 5K done on the treadmill in 28:07 with a pace of 9:02. Randy decided to just start running home and let me pick him when I passed him. Ha! He made it 7.15 miles in 57:51 with a pace of 8:05! Wow! I knew he would rock this so much better than me, but even I have been surprised at what he has done! I just hope he doesn’t decide to go for a full 365! 😉
I think the part that most stood out to me was where the people were accusing Jesus of being possessed by demons and Jesus stated that a house divided against itself cannot stand. In John, at the end of His life when Jesus is praying for the disciples and His later followers (us!), He prays that we will be one in Him and the Father. Wow! Jesus prayed that His followers would be one and I just don’t see a whole lot of evidence of that in the Church. It seems it is divided either over petty legalistic things that shouldn’t matter or actual Biblical things that do. And instead of being “one”, the Church feels like “many” to me. Sometimes I look at the Church and it’s easy to see why people don’t want to be a part of it. That being said, I know that until Christ comes, we are all just broken people being part of a broken Church. I just wonder what would happen, though, if the leaderships and powers that be would make more of an attempt to truly unify and be one as Jesus prayed.
Let’s face it… Randy rocks! Great job to both of you.
It is really sad that Jesus (of all people) was accused of being possessed by a demon. It is hard to wrap my mind around that… But if they misunderstood Him, then it stands to reason that they would misunderstand us. Sad, but true.
Our call is to be faithful, truthful, loving, and bold… and to make sure that we are not guilty of demonizing God’s people, ourselves…
Late posting, but yesterday was one of those days. Got up early for work and was dead tired when I got home. Figured I’d nap before running. Woke up not feeling well. I wanted nothing more then to say forget it and go to bed. But, I changed into my running gear and forced myself out the door. Not with any speed records either. But, what a great time it turned out to be. After a few min I actually started feeling better. I was listening to the chapters while running and It was epic. Hearing about Jesus healing while I was running, not feeling well then starting to feel better. He still heals today! Plus, he blessed me with some deer along the way. God is good.
Haha… I have had so many mornings when I started out very much “not feeling it”. After a couple of miles that “not feeling it” feeling typically goes away. (Not always, but usually.) Way to get it done!
And yes! God is good!