Treasures on Earth vs. Heaven

This was a very good triathlon season. I placed really well and received several awards this year. At the same time my youngest son asked to move back in with me from California. Which caused me to have to move all my awards out of the extra bedroom. It was during this period of time I was faced with trying to find a place to put all these awards. I had worked very hard this year and my hard work had paid off. I had made a plan, evaluated my previous season and worked on my weakness. In the end I had ran 6 triathlons and received 6 awards.  Not bad for a second triathlon season. 

I have been trying to see things how Jesus would have me to look at things.  What I mean is that I want to try and see things from a more heavenly position. I want to see things from Gods view point. (Isa. 55:6-9)  So I was hanging up my rewards from my labors of training and healthy living. One of the teachings of Jesus came to me. Jesus said, "Lay not up yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasures is, there will your heart be also".(Matt.6:19-21KJV) So with this thought in my mind and while hanging my dust catching objects on my wall. I started to think about what I am doing and how I should be viewing my service for God.

I have really worked really hard this year on becoming a better triathlete. I really focused on my weakness. For this last season I determined to boost my running. I did a run focus off season training while most of my friends focused on their cycling skills.  What I did find that while I focused on my running, my cycling came up as well. I think that was due to my increasing endurance. I also studied the races I was planning for the season and researched those results as well. This I did so I could know what to shoot for as far as times and paces. So as you can see I put alot of work into having a successful season, and I received my rewards.

You know just as hard as I work on my triathlon skills, I really need to work on my servant skills. Jesus said, "to lay up our treasures in heaven." You know most times we read these verses and we automatically think of money but rewards come in various ways as well. Jesus talked about prayer (in Matt 6:5-6) and referred to the hypocrite's prayer as his reward because of what the people who heard him pray thought. If we do anything for Jesus we must do it with the right attitude. If we give, serve, or anything we do in the name of Jesus and we seek mans praise we did it for the wrong reasons and our reward is just that mans praise. I know that when I do the sound for the Church that I attend. Sometimes people will come to me and say good job. While I sometimes get the occasional good job today Ric. I always think to myself oh no you just blew it. I feel like my reward is slipping from heaven. I do like to hear the occasional good job but what I really want is to hear is Jesus say, "Ric good job in serving Me."  That is the reward I seek. I want God's  praise not mans praise. When I give I really do not like getting letters or any type of thank you for my support. Again I know this sounds silly but just hear me out. I don't give because some man or preacher says I should. I give to Honor God with all he gives me. I do not want man to say thank you. I desire for God to say Thank you.

I want to say that while I have these desires does not mean that I am super spiritual. I do fail, even in this area of my life. Trust me I do have pride Issues. I love hearing I do a good job. I love when people say I am good at something. It makes me feel like I belong somewhere. While I do struggle with this issue. I also want to put things in their proper place. It is my desire that I put my earthly endeavors and my heavenly endeavors in there proper place. I want and will always love hearing how good I did in a Triathlon. While I know it is God who gives me the strength and the health to do these things I do get my rewards on earth. Likewise when I serve and do what I do for Jesus I do not what the praise from man. What I desire is for God to be glorified and His praise. (Romans 11:33-36)

So as I continue to walk through this life as a Christian triathlete I will always have the Bible as my guide, and as I follow those silly lines in training. It is my prayer that you will follow me as I continue to, Stare at Lines.

Slacker? Triathlete/Christian

While recovering from my ankle injury I have been reflecting on a triathlon I did last year. The Galena Triathlon and Dualathlon. As I have said once before hind sight seems to be 20/20. So some of my thoughts of this race are different today then they were when I was in Galena. God has been working in my life in a great way. I now see things in a new light, then I did a year ago. I have told my Galena story several times, but I never saw it the way I see it today.

Galena was my 2nd triathlon and being new I was very eager to learn as much as I could about this sport. so as I was setting up my transition area. There was an older man giving this young lady some advice. it was obvious to me that the girl was doing her first triathlon. He was telling her how to set up her transition area and what she could expect through out the day. Then the young lady said, "oh you've done allot of these have you"? He then replied with,"nope, I am what you call a SLACKER TRIATHLETE. I just like doing triathlons, but really do not like to do all the work to be good at it. I just do enough to just get by".  I was kinda shocked by his comment. When you are as competitive as I am that just did not set well with me. How can you do just enough to get by? I decided I did not want to learn anymore from this guy.

So I went out and struggled to get through my fist open water swim and did my bike ride then off on the run. Galena was a very hard course for a newbie. While on the run, I came to the final hill which started with about a 200 yard down hill run with a 200 yard climb. As I arrived to the bottom there was another man sitting on the guard rail. He was cheering people on. "Keep it up, your almost done. Keep your head down and just get up that hill", were some of the useful advice he was giving. I just felt to ask, "so are you done?" To which he replied, "nope I am still working on it". So I powered through and finished strong. After talking to a few of the other racers I had met. I was curious and looked down the hill and the guy was still there. Still cheering and yes, still working on it. I don't even know if he ever finished the race.

Wow, what a combination of lessons we can learn from these two events. How many times do we as Christians do just enough to get by. Just enough to be called a Christian. Just go to church, just give a little bit, and speak just enough about Jesus to fit the bill. The Christian life is not about doing just enough.  God did not just do enough by giving us His Son as a living sacrifice. Jesus did not just do enough to give His life for out sins. Jesus came to give us Life and Life more abundantly. (Jn. 10:10)  The Christian life is to be a lifestyle. Just like my triathlon lifestyle is a my healthy way of life. So should my Christian lifestyle needs to be my spiritual lifestyle. It demands me to be diligent to the things of God. Just as I work hard to be successful as a triathlete. So much more I should be ever so determined to work at Christian life as well.

Which leads me to the next thing. Why am I so content on, "just working on it"? Why do I get so comfortable in my Christian life that when an obstacle that is bigger than my comfort zone. I would rather sit on the sideline and cheer my brother and sisters on. Why am I so content on just giving Spiritual advice. While I sit and try to decide if I really want to face my next challenge. Why do we as Christians think we can offer good advice if we cannot live it ourselves?

I am starting to believe that we as Christians have lost our perspective of who and what God really is. I think we view God based on what He can do for us, and not what we should be doing for Him and His Glory.(Isaiah 55:6-9)  If you are asking God for things that benefit self and not the Glory of God. Is he your lucky rabbit's foot? Have you ever listen to yourself pray? Have you listen to what you ask God to do? Are your request that which brings glory to God? Are they plea's for God's will be done? I think this is the true test of how you view God. You might want to re-evaluate how you view God.

As I have said before God is working in my life. I HAVE NOT ARRIVED, but I am working on it. Not from the sidelines, but on the front line. I will make a diligent decision to work on my Christian life as hard as I am on my tri-life. (Philippians 3:13-15)  I will face that which God has put before me, not for my glory but for His glory. I will encourage my brother and sisters not with my words but with my life. Most of all I will constantly evaluate how I view Jesus. I will strive to put God in His Proper place. Finally will continue to follow the Spiritual Lines that God has place before me. As I Journey through life, Staring at Lines.

Focus, Focus, Focus

Now that my season is over I have decided to work on my running again for the next few months. Trying to build a good running base. It is my hope to do some longer races this next season and I want to have a good distance base. I am hoping to do at least one 1/2 marathon and a 1/2 Ironman as well. After some research I have decided to do the Heart-rate running system. So I have been working the system. One of the things you do in the heart-rate system is you take your max heart rate and your resting heart rate and calculate the two numbers to get your heart rate zones. I know this sounds complicated but really this is very easy. I have a web site that I visit to get these numbers and zones.

So while I was enjoying a beautiful morning run this last week. I was trying to do a max heart rate test. I was attempting to dial in my heart rate for my heart rate running training. So the plan was to do a 15 min warm-up and then a 1/2 mile sprint with a 1 min rest then a 2nd 1/2 mile sprint. What ever your heart rate is at the end of the 2nd sprint is what your max heart rate. So I set off on my warm up feeling fine. pretty much staying in zone 1 just trying to stay loose. So as I started my first 1/2 mile sprint. I held a a comfortable pace and was now kicking it up for the finish. I then hit my lap counter to get my time and then flipped to get my heart-rate but the lap screen stayed up. So now I am staring at my watch I didn't see the pot hole in the middle of the running path. Yep, that's right I twisted my ankle and I dropped like a ton of bricks. I walked it off for about 5 minutes and then finished with my 2nd sprint. Although I did have 2 good 1/2 mile runs of 6:45mile avg and 6:58 mile avg. I unfortunately I did not  get an accurate heart-rate, but what I did get was a very sore ankle. I have been nursing this sore ankle for about 5 days now. I don't think I will be running for about 10 days. All because I was not watching where I was going.

You know in the Christian life this is true as well. God gives us a basic running path. He tells us to keep our eyes on Him. He has admonished us to, trust in Him and he will direct our path. Provb. 3:5-6. We sometimes get sidetracked. We take our eyes of of Jesus and look to self, or the things of this world.  Although we Love God and want to please him we get distracted by life and we try to go it alone. I don't think we plan it or realize we are doing it until we step in a pot hole of life. Now we are struggling to get back on our feet. I just Praise God that He is an all loving and forgiving God. I thank Jesus that he not only died for my sins, but all of my sins (past, present and future). The thank the Lord that he gave me 1Jn1:9 to forgive me of my sins and that for the most part it does not hurt like my ankle has for the last 5 days.

So now that I have God's little reminder to keep my eyes on focused Him. I will trust in Philp. 3:13-14. Last but not least I will always REMEMBER: to keep my eyes on the right path by Staring at Lines.

NOTE: This web site is the best site I have found for heart-rate training. http://www.best-running-tips.com/index.html
This is the link to the Karvonen Heart rate calculator (http://www.best-running-tips.com/heart-rate-monitor-training-karvonen-calculator.html)

How my Tri-journey is changing.

As I conclude my WyldTri '10 season review. I come to the last race of the season. I hope as you have read these series of blogs that you see the progression of how my Tri-journey has been changing. It has been my desire over these past few weeks to show how I have arrived to where I am now. I hope that I have fully shown how I have went from having an awareness of God in my athletic lifestyle to allowing Jesus to move through me while I race. I also want to show how I have gone from racing to give God the glory in my results to racing for His glory with my actions. While most of my blogs have been in hindsight. This last race was what made me want to look back and see how God was leading me to the point I am at now.

The last race of the WyldTri '10 season was the Great Illini Challenge. It was held on the campus of the University of Illinois in Urbana,IL. This was not on my original last race of the season. I was planning on doing a Half Ironman instead. Due to a family issue again I had to cancel this race and decide to do the Illini race instead. I wanted to help a friend and teammate. My Friend Tony was doing his very first Triathlon. Tony had been training all summer, loosing weight and getting control of his life. Me I just wanted to do just one more triathlon. So my plan was to do my race and then run the run portion with Tony. Who would have known what was about to happen that day. This race changed the direction my Tri-journey.

The morning started with rain. Yes, wonderful ran and trying to set up your transition area in this condition as well. As I went to the swim area. The swim was in a 50 meter inside pool. (6 Links, 300 meters) During my warm up time I felt good and ready to roll. I then started the swim and the first 75 meters went well. It was after the 75 meters I felt like I was drowning. I had to go from freestyle and then on to the breath stroke back to freestyle and back again. I struggled and could not get my swim together. Then out of the water and off to the transition area. Again my helmet ear piece fell off and then my Garmin fell of my bike after I fixed both items it was off on the bike. I has a set pace and was holding it well.  My bike portion was almost flawless. As I was coming back in I saw what I thought was a cyclist that was hit by a car. As I approached the intersection my Garmin fell off again and I had to stop. As quick as I could stop someone handed me my Garmin. I shouted to the cyclist to see if he was okay. He replied he had a flat. I asked if he had a Tube and he stated no. I then asked if he had air and an Air chuck and again he said no. So I gave him a tube, air cartridge, and gave him my air chuck. and I went off to finish my bike ride. Transition was a breeze and off on the run. I had one of the best Runs ever and finished well despite the mishaps.

As I waited for Tony to come by on the run I decided to check my results. I counted off my age-group finishers and found out I finished 4th. (They only awarded top 3) Just missed placing, but for some strange reason I felt at peace with it. I was not upset or mad because of what I did (stopping to give a helping hand). Just then Tony came by and we were off on the run. Tony was a big guy and was more or less doing the run/walk method. My job to keep him focused and push him along. I must confess it was the most fun 5k I have ever ran. I laughed, joked and just talked about life with Tony. I was so proud of him. He was doing it. I even talked to him about how I had helped that guy and how I had finished 4th in my age-group. Tony told me he was proud of me and I did the right thing.  As we rounded the corner Tony's family was in full force. When he finished his family was so proud of him. I was also very proud of him as well.

Tony Finishing His First Triathlon

While I was waiting I heard my name called over the P.A. to report to a booth that was set up at the race. When I got to the booth a man introduced himself to me as Chris Lansford. he was the guy I had helped. He handed me my air chuck and air cartridge and said, "thanks I thought my day was over". I told him, "thanks". He said, "I guess..." I said, " Look, God has blessed me beyond my wildest dreams. You don't owe me a thing. I just want to be a blessing to someone else".  After we talked a while he and I parted ways. Someone came up to me and said, "you might want to check the board, there was a scoring error".  I found out the scoring error allowed me to go from 4th to 3rd in the age-group and 17th overall. I have said this over and over  again in this blog. You cannot out bless God. I went to be a blessing to my friend Tony and received more blessings than I can count.

Chris Lansford and myself enjoying our Rewards

Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan. How the most Religious of men just passed by and traveled on the opposite side of the road. The one person who was willing to help was in the minds of the Jews the most lowly of people. He not helped the man he put him up and paid for the care of the man as well.  As I was waiting for the award ceremony. I was standing there with my friends Tony, Nick, and my girlfriend Julie. I heard the name of Chris Lansford. I turned to my friends and said, "hey that is the guy I had helped". Chris had just got 3rd place in his age-group.  I went up to him and congratulated him and he said it again, "I thought my day was ruined until you came along". I smiled and thought hey I had a part in that. So if you run the totals for the day you will find. I finished 17th overall, 3rd in my age-group, helped my buddy finish his 1st triathlon. Finally, I acted like a good Samaritan, Honored God with my actions (not my results) and He finished 3rd in his age-group and me I received a blessings of knowing I did what Jesus wanted me to do. I think sometimes we use the saying, "what would Jesus do?" I think what Jesus meant when he said, ..."Go, and do likewise. (Lk. 10:37)  We are to do the will of the Father, and be open to opportunities that would allow us to serve Jesus. By doing something as simple as stopping and giving someone a tube, air cartridge, and an air-chuck. I was doing the will of the Father. There are opportunities to serve Jesus we just have to look for them.

As we were leaving the race that day. Julie (my girlfriend) said to me I think your Tri-journey just changed. I said I think you are right. I hope to find as many ways to serve Jesus as I continue to Staring at Lines.

That Guy

As I was preparing for the Lakeland Tri-Bi Triathlon in Canton,IL. I was at the Gym talking to a friend of mine named Parish. Parish and I train at the same gym. While were talking about the Canton race when someone came up to us and said, "hey aren't you guys the Tri-guys"? The Tri-guys describes us right. When we are at the gym that is pretty much what we talk about. We talk about how we are training what races we are doing and what our goals will be.

I guess you can say I am a man of many hats. To my kids I am dad, and to my grandsons (x2) I am called grandpa. To my loving girlfriend I am her man/boyfriend. To my Tri-Team and Tri-friends I am known as the Wyldchyld. I work at a Maximum Security Prison as a Correctional Officer. To the Inmates I am known as Simms or C/O (short for correctional officer), and they probably know me by other names that I cannot mention here or would I repeat.

In the Bible people were know for various reasons. In the Gospels Jesus was known as the Christ! In Acts the people of the Church in Antioch were 1st called Christians. Also in Acts the Demons knew who Jesus and Paul were but questioned who was trying to cast them out of someone they possessed. James and John were brothers and they were known as the Sons of Thunder. David was a man after God's own heart. Solomon was the wises man in the world. Elijah and Moses are known as the Prophets.

I think it should be the goal of every Christian to be known as a Child of God, man/woman of God, and Christian. In Mt.26:69-75, Mk. 14:66-72, Lk.22:55-62,and Jn. 18:25-27 all tell the story of Peter denying Christ three times. What I also see is that the people knew who Peter was. No matter what Peter said or did at that moment they all knew. They all knew that Peter was a follower of Jesus Christ. How much more we should desire this kind of attention. I know not everyone looks upon Christians with a good view point. That is OK I would rather wear the badge and be frown upon than to not wear the Badge at all! I also know some of us wear this badge and bring it shame. I am not sure why we sometimes choose to live a life of mediocrity instead of Living a Christ filled life. I know as for me I will stay focused and hope and pray that people see me as a Christ follower. I want to be known as a Christian as I continue to Stare at Lines.