The Marathon

I came in at 4:26:28.

68th overall out of 101 marathon finishers.

The race results are here.

Overall, it was an awesome experience, although I missed being at Compass. I wish these marathons were on Saturday.

I did well the first half, and about the 18 mile mark my hamstrings got seriously fatigued. I ate a few of the gels and took either water or Gatorade at every station.

In retrospect, I shouldn't have worn a belt carrying a 20 oz. bottle. But I was worried that the drink stations would be crowded and I didn't want to have to wait for anything.

Also, I was surprised to discover that I lost 3.5 pounds during the race!

The course was pleasant until the last six miles when we had to run down Glendale Ave. Let's just say you won't see any of photos of that street on their "Come to Glendale" visitor's guide.

"If I can just make it past the landfill" was all I kept telling myself. I had to pass the salt mine and a bunch of other unsightly places before I got to the landfill. Of course that was at about the 22 mile mark and I was basically shot by then.

The finish line was right in front of the Jobing.com arena, and it was awesome to be able to cross it. It was all I could do to not fall over once I finished, and I grabbed whatever was handed to me: a bottle of Gatorade, a banana, a bagel, a bag of chips, and some broken up chocolate chip cookies. I stuffed everything in my mouth and walked around in a daze. They basically pummel you when you cross the line to get their chip back so you don't walk off with it.

They say that once you finish your first marathon you'll swear to never do one again or you'll be pumped about the next one. My reaction was the latter. I'm excited about beating my time. I'd love to at least get under four hours next time.

It was pretty awesome to have Judi and the kids standing there on Glendale Ave cheering me on. Lisa Cantrell was there as well, and they all had a sign (it was a pink sign, but nevertheless) with my name on it, and that was a huge encouragement.

We all went to the Cantrell's afterward and met up with the other runners from the Village running club in Verrado. Apparently I was the only full marathon runner - everyone else did the half, still quite an accomplishment. We ate stacks of ribs, baked potatoes, beans, salad, and a fantastic banana/chocolate cream pie.

So it was a great day, but I still missed being at Compass. I can't wait for this Sunday!!

By the way, here's a video of me crossing the finish line:

Marathon Day

Today I'm running the IMS Marathon. It's the first year they're doing this, and its my first marathon as well. It starts at the new Target center on Yuma and Cotton Lane and takes the long way to Westgate in Glendale.

I wish they didn't do these events on Sundays, for obvious reasons. I'm going to miss the folks at Compass, but the course takes me right by the church, so hopefully I can hear the worship team blasting through the walls!

Tom Garasha from the EFCA West is preaching today, and he'll do awesome.

Well, gotta go!

Theology on the Run – Part 1: When They Take Your Ball

So Ryan is playing is basketball this season and having a blast. While he gets along with everyone on his team really well, there’s one kid who for whatever reason never brings a ball to practice. This has resulted in him grabbing Ryan’s ball and shooting around with it as though it were his own – and this has happened on more than one occasion.

Ryan has finally gotten tired of this, and expressed to me his frustration that this one kid keeps taking his ball. He was hoping, in a more than subtle way, that I would solve this problem for him. What do you do?

I pulled him aside and said, “Well, son, here’s how this is going to go: Every battle you cannot fight for yourself I will fight for you. I am your father; that is my job. But every battle you can fight for yourself I will not fight for you. My job is to teach you how to fight the battles that arise in your life.”

I went on: “You need to get into this kid’s face and say, ‘Hey, that’s my ball. I will share my ball, but you need to ask me first. Do you understand?’ If he doesn’t listen to you, you need to get up in his face closer, repeat what you just said, and then grab your ball and insist that he not touch it anymore. If you want to be a leader, then you define the terms. Don’t let a guy who is acting like a jerk define the terms for you.”

My son is not a perfect child, but he doesn’t understand why another kid would just make off with his ball as though he were entitled to it. He has not been brought up that way – his logic tells him that if you want to use someone’s ball you either ask him or he offers it to you - that’s just the way it goes.

This kid’s behavior, however, is a microcosm of a larger issue that I knew I would eventually have to deal with. So at that point I decided it was time to break him out of the Disneyland view of the world:

“Ryan, I want you to listen to me very carefully. This world is a rotten place. That kid on your team is a sinful, selfish kid. He does what he does because that’s what he was born to do – think only of himself. It’s what we were all born to do.

“This is the reason Jesus had to die on the cross. He didn’t die for our sins because we’re all basically good but sometimes we shock ourselves and do bad things. He died for our sins because we are born selfish, sinful, rotten people. I’m not saying we should always expect people to act sinful and self-centered. I am saying we should not be surprised when they do.”

You see, it would have been very easy to simply say, “Oh, that boy probably didn’t mean any harm! He just doesn’t have his own ball, and wants to make some baskets too. I wouldn’t let it get to you.”

A statement like that is flat out wrong, and it begins a cycle of justifying evil by pretending it doesn’t exist. It also goes directly against the Bible’s understanding of anthropology – namely, left to himself, mankind will think only of his own needs and ultimately worship himself above all others.

My goal, however, was to offer Ryan a worldview that could place this event within the larger scope of what is real and true about the world. After all, we may not think it a big deal if one kid takes another kids ball, but for an eight year old boy the significance of an event as simple as that cannot be overstated.

If he is able to tie that experience back into the larger truth that the humanity he is surrounded with is imprisoned to sin, then he’ll be all the wiser because he’ll understand the truth about the human condition.

He also has another apologetic for the reality of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. If he never felt cheated, taken advantage of, or unjustly treated, he would not be able to grasp the righteous anger of God toward our sin and the goodness of his justice.

But if Jesus had to die to make such self-centered people holy, then it not only shows the justice of God in requiring Jesus’ death to make that payment for those he has chosen to justify, but also God’s love and mercy for His willingness to send his Son to die in our place.

In every situation God’s truth can shape, define, and frame the issue in a way that empowers us to see clearly the truth contained in it. Even when you’re 8, right and wrong are important. When Jesus’ truth can be made known in even the common situations, we can bring him glory and bring strength to the one who needs it.

"Thoughts From Pastor Tim"

I have a lot of “thoughts” this week, so here we go:

1) I could not believe a few Sundays ago that we sold out of all the copies we ordered of The Treasure Principle! We ordered a bunch more, so if you haven’t gotten your copy yet, we’ve got one for you.

2) Last week Pastor Jack and I were in Minneapolis at the Desiring God conference. I could try to describe how challenging and inspiring it was, or you can just click here and watch every single session from the comfort of your own home and without having to brave single-digit weather. Minneapolis is a beautiful city, by the way, and of course it adds tremendously to the experience to be able to get away and spend time thinking, planning, and praying through our priorities at Compass.

3) Tomorrow we have a team from Compass leaving for Mexico City. Tom and Diane Schull, Susan Johnson, and Pastor Jack are headed down there to meet with a Mexican church planter to get the inside scoop on their ministry, their needs, and the best way Compass can begin to partner with a church that is in one of the most difficult parts of the world. Here is a recent article on the challenges the Mexican government has in just sustaining the nation itself.

4) Please pray for our team as they head down there. If you’re not exactly sure how to pray for them, just pray specifically for them what Paul prayed in Ephesians 3:16- 21:

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power
through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts
through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may
have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high
and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses
knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now
to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according
to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in
Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

5) I think often about all the new folks at Compass. It’s my deepest desire that, if you fall into that category (i.e., you’ve been here 6 months or less), you’re able to move from saying “that church I attend” to saying “my church” when you refer to Compass! I can’t make that happen for you, but the best way to take that step of connection is to attend our Discover Compass class February 22nd. I always teach that class, and it’s a chance for you to get an inside look at what where we’re going and what we’re all about.

6) I’ve been having some awesome conversations about the Gospel lately. There’s nothing in the world I love more than talking to people about Jesus. For the past 20 years of my life I have been explaining, answering, and preaching the Good News that Jesus has died for sins and brings people from death to life. I’ve argued with people, annoyed them, been yelled at, condescended to, and mocked. But I’ve also seen people respond to the truth, and that makes everything else worth it.

Being a results-oriented guy has made it frustrating when it comes to the Gospel, because the Bible says that many people will hear but not that many will respond. The message may seem attractive at first to a lot of folks, but when the demands of Jesus are really understood, that’s when many say, “Who can understand this?” (John 6:60-71). Sharing the gospel by definition will involve a lot of rejection, there’s no getting around that.

The point is (and this is what I’m learning) the results are ultimately up to God – our responsibility is to simply make the message known! That has been the most liberating thing for me to understand lately.

You see, nobody wants to keep swinging if they’re worried they’re going to strike out! Why try if all that happens is your batting average goes down? But it’s not about that - if you don’t take any swings, you’ll never get any hits! The important thing is to “swing” at every chance you get! Even if you don’t say it completely right, even if you’re just planting a seed, you can still sit back and trust God with the results.