Oh No!!! Not the Wind Again!

Today I finally got outside on the bike. That is right the bike trainer has no hold on me. It was time for me to hit the open road and let the wind flow through my hair under a bike helmet of course. Oh, wait did I say wind? No I didn't just mentioned that bad 4 letter word? Wind! Oh man. Thats right, this is what happened today. I got out on the open road and started pedaling. Up to the top of the hill down the other side and up another hill. when I finally got to flat ground, I thought wow my winter bike plan was working because I was cruising at 28mph. That was when I realized that I didn't have a winter bike plan. I was injured all winter. Then that is when it hit me this speed I am traveling at is all wind generated. That thought might not seem like allot but  when I turn around I am gonna be heading right back into the wind. The same wind pushing me at break neck speeds is gonna be pushing me to a drastically slow pace.

So while doing my SUFFERFEST bike ride the thought came to mind. That while riding, the wind at my back was pushing me and when the wind was in my face it was holding me back so to speak. It was while I was suffering that I was reminded that in my Christian life if I walk in the Spirit it seems like my life is on cruise control, while not perfect or with out issues ( I have some, OK maybe allot) ,but things just seems to flow real good. Although when I am not in the Spirit but in my Flesh walking my own way. This is when I feel like I am riding against the wind in my Christian life. The Bible says that the Holy Spirit gives power (Acts1:8) gives comfort (John14:16-26) helper (John14:26) and convicts (John16:8-11). You see God has sent His Holy Spirit to work in our lives. He is here to help, lead and move us to grow closer to Him and serve others. He gives us POWER to do the will of God. While we are living in a Spirit Filled lives we will draw closer to Him. While we serve others we draw closer to Him.

So as we allow God to flow through us with His Holy Spirit. (I John 4:13) There is nothing we cannot do for Him. My desire right now is to be like a mirror. I people to see God's Glory reflecting off of me. So when the they see me they see Jesus. I believe this can happen if I let the Holy Spirit flow through me as I continue to Stare At Lines.

It Is Not How You Start, But How You Finish!

Today is my first day back on the training cycle again. Yet once again it seems like I am asking my self the same old question. With 2 months left before Tri-Shark, the question that I find myself asking do I compete or participate? I know that I am very competitive but the real question is, will I be ready in time? 2 months is not a lot of time to become competitive. My goal will  be to start training so that I will be ready for my last race the North Carolina TTT's in October.

As For my race goals for the Tri-Shark? I always wanted to compete in this race. so I guess I will try to get ready as best as I can. I must remember, it is not the beginning of the season that I am looking forward to it is the End. The North Carolina TTT's. so I guess I may have to wait til next year to compete in Tri-shark then again I just might be ready. June 4th will be the day for me to find out if I am ready or not.

While I was swimming today. I found myself thinking about a conversation I had with My pastor. He and I was talking about how I was saved at 19yrs old, but by the time I was 28 I was off doing my own thing. I then told him how coming to Elevate Church had changed my life. Then I then told him about how I have wasted more of my life on myself than serving Him. I told him how I really felt bad about what I have done. Then my Pastor said this, "Ric you are a Triathlete and you should know this, it is not how you start but how you finish."

This is so true, not only in my Triathlon life as well as my Christian life. It is never how you start but how you finish. As we go through life we see a progression of learning and growing. I hope you will see it is not how I start but how I finish. So while I continue to Stare at Lines, lets see how I finish not how I start.

What Do You Love?

     Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing". They said to him, "We are going with you also." They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. Jn. 21:3
     He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to Him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said unto him, "Feed My sheep." Jn. 3:17

During one of my recent morning devotions I read John 21. What was odd is I never really had a scripture grab me like this one did. I have never thought about Peter deciding to re-start his fishing business. I have always looked at is as Peter was just wanted to pass the time and do a little fishing like you and I. I really do not know why I have thought that but I did. The fact that he boarded a boat with some of the Apostles and fished with nets all night makes me now believe he was re-starting the family business. As I went through the day the phrase kept running through my head, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?" The phrase, "love Me more than these?" just rang in my head all day. As I thought about, the more I came to realize it wasn't Peter, Jesus was talking to this day. It was me!!! While in the Scripture He (Jesus) was in fact talking to Peter, today Jesus was talking to me.

Before you think I am some kind of nut job, let me explain. Last week I was feeling a little down and frustrated with all my injuries and illness. I have not really been training like I was before I sprained my ankle in November. I was just starting to get my training up to speed then my chronic Bronchitis came back real hard. I am still trying to recover. So while in a self imposed pity party it was Jesus saying to me,"Ric do you love Me more than racing/training?" I am not sure why He had put these verses in my mind and heart, but I do know He spoke and I have listened. I have been evaluating what I love. I ask myself if I love this more that Jesus.

I am finding myself Loving Jesus more and other things less. I still love and long to train but it doesn't seem to be my top priority anymore. I find myself wanting to read my Bible and pray first then what time is left then I train. Training and Racing are starting to be secondary to what I am doing for Him. So I pray that you will, pray for me while I follow the true line of Faith and life. So as I Stare at Lines I hope my journey will be one that Honors and Glorifies God.

Spring Training in Full Swing or What?

Well this was the week I was suppose to start training full swing. I was planning to bike outside and really start picking up my training. I wanted to Get focused on June and Tri-Shark. This is a race I have missed the last 2 years. I have a very competitive spirit but coming into this year my competitive vision has not been as strong. I have been seriously considering if I am gonna compete or participate. This has been a serious struggle for me. I have always had a competitive spirit it has been in my blood since I was a little boy. But now it just seems like I have been content to just go thorough the motions. I am not sure if it is the injury to my ankle or this case of bronchitis that has me down over the weekend. What ever the case I have kind of lost my focus for training right now. While I am trying to find my way for this Triathlon season it has left me thinking of how I will face this season. Will I compete or will I just participate is the question I will be asking myself for the next few days.

I think it is funny but there are times in my life I find myself asking the same thing about my Christian walk. Not so much anymore. When I first met my girlfriend Julie we  were not seeking God. But as our relationship started to grow we started to seek Him. We went to a church and we went through the motions. You know get up on Sunday's and go to church and feel good for the moment and then we lived our life until the next Sunday. I now think back to those days and wondered how I could live like that. Craig Groeschel wrote a book  about that very thing called,"The Christian Atheist".

A Christian Atheist is one who believes in God, but lives as if He does not exist. So as God continues to work in my life. I now look back and wondered how I could have lived my life in that way? While I must admit that from where I came (total disobedience) to where I was just a little over year ago was an improvement, but was still Christian Atheism. Ever since God really got a hold of my heart to now I find myself growing closer and closer to Him. Just about the only thing I really know for sure is, that while I am not perfect I believe I am on the right path in my walk for Him. As long as I keep His words in my heart and my mind on Him, He will direct my path. (Prov. 3:5-6)

So while I may not know where I am going on my Triathlon journey one thing is for sure I know my  bike course, and my running path and as long as I keep my sight right on the swim course of Life. He will guide me. As I Stare at Lines.

More Thoughts on Heart-Rate Running

Since the weather has been warming up and I am tired of running on the treadmill already. I thought I would start running outside. I love being outside but what I noticed is that the area I live in is quite hilly. Because of these two factors I quickly learned 2 facts about heart-rate running that I did not realize. First, I learned that my perceived running on a treadmill and my perceived running pace outside are not the same. While running at a comfortable pace outside I soon learned I was actually running faster then I had planned on running causing my heart-rate to shoot up. The other thing I learned is that when running up hills my heart-rate shot up but running down hill my heart-rate slowed down. These 3 elements, (perceived running pace, up hill and down hill) have caused me to look at thing a little different. When I run at a pace that averages what I run in zone 2 I find out that I can run farther at a slower pace then when I go all out. When I go all out I seem to get tired and I cannot hold the pace as long. What I must remember about running up hill is that I am going eventually go down hill and my heart-rate will slow down.

What I think is ironic is this is how my Christian life goes as well. If I go at my own pace and not at God's pace it seems like whatever it is I am doing dies out real fast. But if I go at God's pace and in God's time I seem to be able to just about do anything as long as He needs me to do it. I also have noticed that when I am going up hill in my walk with Him. It seems like the top of the hill is not in sight, but that is when I need Him the most to get me to the top. Then when my life is going down hill I find myself coasting and reminding myself to enjoy this because I have earned it and now know the lesson I have learned from the climb.

So I guess what I am learning is that while I am training I must stay focused on my proper heart-rate zones and I will eventually get faster in due time and the Hills will make me stronger. Also in my Christian walk I must always keep my eyes fixed on Him and go at life in His pace not mine. Maybe my line in my walk is not my will Lord but Yours be done. Additionally, I really need to appreciate the mountains in my life for when they are done I seem to enjoy the climb more than the decent. This line might be called, "count it all Joy when you fall into diverse trials". So until next time follow me as I keep Staring at Lines.

Not The Guy I Once Was

The other day I was looking at pictures and I ran across a photo of me on my bike. What makes the photo so unusual was that I was wearing glasses. In April of last year I had Lasik surgery. I wore glasses for over 30 year. Even though I have only been glasses less for only a short time 10 months now when I see a picture of myself, I find myself saying, "oh yeah I once wore glasses".



Me in April of 2010



Me in Sept 2010



In January of last year (2010) I started attending  Elevate Church. While attending there God started speaking to me  over the last 15 months God has really been working on me. Jesus has given my soul a Lasik surgery only he can give. When I look back at my life over the last year. I see a totally different man then I was a year ago. What is truly amazing is how it has spilled over in my personal life as well. I am finding myself becoming a leader in my family, in my Church and in my work. I strive to be the best person I can be to honor God. I am finding that while I am not perfect, He is still working on me. So while I continue to Stare at Lines (God's perfect Word). I hope that next year I will look back and say, "while I am not perfect I am a different person today then I was a year ago."

Sticking to What I Know

I have a friend from work who want to try and do a Triathlon. I have helped a few people in the past reach their goal of completing a triathlon. So it was nothing for me to tell her I would help her. So today she met me at the gym I train at and I just had her follow me and train along with me. On Monday's I do a strength training and did my normal routine of, Dips,Pull ups, Chin ups, Squats, Lunges and Bench press. Then we moved to the Treadmill (or the dreadmill, same thing) I noticed that she was running flat footed which I had never seen before. So I pulled her off the treadmill and went to the indoor track where we worked on proper running form. I taught her how to run on the balls of her feet instead of flat footed. Then back to the dreadmill for a 30 minute run (she is in the National Guard and is in good shape already) After the run she said that was the best run she ever did and it felt so natural. Not sure if it was because of my great coaching abilities or if she was so used to running bad that the good form felt better? Anyway after the run I met her at the pool. Before we started to swim she said she had a hard time keeping her head underwater. So I knew the first thing I had to do was to teach her how to breathe. I told her that swim breathing is backwards. You breathe out you nose (underwater) and in your mouth (preferably out of the water). So I had her practice this while I did my drills. She said, I finally get it now. I said good and then I gave her a pull drill and a kick drill. After it was all said and done she thanked me for all my help. She also said I really helped her allot. As I walked away I thought I really didn't do anything. She did all the work I just told her what I know.

You know our God is like that. He tells us what He knows.  He tells us how to live. How to talk. How to treat each other. He has instructions for everything we do in life. God gave us the Word of God. The Holy Bible is life's, "How to Manual on Life". I think it is funny how we as Christians spend so much money on how to books for our lives. I am not saying that these books are wrong, I buy these books as well.(allot of these books are based on Scripture as well) I just wonder if we as God's children would seek God's advice by just reading His Word and Praying. (praying = talking to God, Reading the Word is God talking to us)  I think if we spent more time doing this we could get the same advice that the authors of the books we buy get with the added bonus of spending time with our Great Saviour.

So until next time I will continue to seek Him and His will for my life as I Stare at Lines. (the Word of God. The only line, path and direction I need.)

A Time of Reuniting

With Tri-Season just around the corner one of the things I love the most next to racing is meeting people. I love going to races and meeting new people and then reuniting with people I have met in the past. I love talking to the new people and learn about what they are doing, whether it is how many races they have done or if it is their first race. The I also love meeting the people I have met at previous races and we get to talk to about what we are doing now and what races we have done. It is kind of weird but we get to bond over something that we have in common.

Every Sunday I look forward to going to Elevate Church. It is a place where I get to hang out and worship God with some of the most incredible people I know. I get to catch up with people I like hanging out with. It is so awesome to just hang out with God's people and praise God for what he has done in our life, and yes maybe pray for those who are hurting or in need of God's help. Elevate for me is a place that I always look forward to going to every Sunday and when I am not there I feel like I am missing out on something. Once again it is a place where I get to bond with people over something we have in common.

One day though I when I pass from this earth or Jesus comes and gets me. Either way I am gonna be going to heaven. When I get there I know that I  will see Jesus for the first time. I will get to walk on the streets of Gold and I will be in the presence of God. I will also get to meet all the people I have met in the past. All the people I have led to Jesus, all the Sunday school kids and Jr. church kids I have taught Jesus to. We will talk about the victories and the defeats. We will discuss our failures and our successes as well. Then we will stand in eternity and Praise the Living God who gave us all the blessings that we have received and will receive.Yes, we will have a time of bonding over the One who Gave us Life.

I look forward to the day when all this takes place and know this. I will continue to Stare at Lines til this time comes.

Needing Some Inspiration.

Today  I started my triathlon training for the 2011 season. So while I am writing this I am watching the 2010 Ford Ironman Championship in Kona, Hawaii. For those of you who don't know me this is my goal. My journey and maybe my vision quest. This is probably the one thing I humanly want more than anything else. Although I will always want to walk in the will of God .I have both 2009 and 2010  the 70.3 and the Ironman World Championships. I have kept them on my DVR just for these moments. I watch them to get myself motivated, and they help inspire me with the behind the scenes stories. I love being pumped up it helps me get my training focused. I have some goals for this year and I am ready to move it up a notch. This year my race schedule may be smaller but my races are bigger. I will do 1 Sprint, 1 Olympic, 1 70.3 and finally the TTT in North Carolina. I have some goals, and some desired finishes but most of all I just want to Honor God with my life. Racing has become secondary to winning. This is a new area of my life. I have ever been this way in my life about anything. To me winning was everything, but now I want to race to Honor God with my life instead.

The last year of my life I feel like I have grown-up a little. You see Triathlon was my life. It was what defined me. Now being a Christian is what I desire to define me, and being a triathlete is now my hobby. I have seen my life change so much in the last year. I would have never thought I would be where I am today. I defiantly didn't see writing this blog. I didn't think serving God would be my priority. God has blessed my life more than I defiantly deserve. I know God is not finished with me yet but I have some dreams and goals of things I desire to do for God. While I am not sure of my direction and destination but I do know one thing. If I stay faithful and trust in God with all my heart and soul He will direct my path.( Prov. 3:5)  As Long as I continue to Stare At Lines He will direct my path.

Restoration

Psalms 51:11-12 Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. (12)  Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free Spirit. (KJV)

A little over a year ago I was just going through the motions as a Christian. You see a long time ago I was called by God to preach His word. To serve Him full time in the ministry, and as I said last week I just quit one day. Well actually it didn't happen in just one day. It happened over a period of time. You see I let somethings get in my way and that allowed me get distracted. Then when I was least prepared to defend myself, and  when temptations came it was to late I was far from God.

So for the next 20 years I wandered in the wilderness of life like the children of Israel. I now find myself looking back at my life and seeing the same mistakes in my life. That the children of Israel made in theirs. I also see how David a man after God's own heart made several mistakes and yet here in Psalms 51 David seek restoration with God. While I did not seek restoration for the 20 years I've wasted, nor was God in my thoughts during this period of my life. Within this last year while I did seek God. for some strange reason I did not seek restoration. Although I did ask God to forgive me for my transgressions and I now seek God's will for my life. My quest was not for restoration, but God is slowly restoring me to my original calling. On February 13th I will be speaking in a Church. for the first time in over 22 years.

I am not saying I will be fully restored to the full time ministry. Although I have not ruled this out, and I have given my life back to Christ to be a willing to servant of God and do His will. I will seek to serve him whether it is doing the work I do at Elevate Church or speaking a message in a Church. or some type of Christain setting. I am seeking restoration of my soul 1st and my calling 2nd. So as for now my Journey is to follow Christ and His perfect will for me by Staring at Lines.