I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
I am an absolutist when it comes to religious freedom, so as long as the exercise of your religion doesn’t infringe on the rights of others. While I may not agree with your religion, beliefs or practices, as an American I will 100% support your right to believe and practice your faith.
As for myself, I am a Christian. I am a follower of Christ and believe in the miraculous birth from the Virgin Mary. The celebration of the Birth of Christ is significant. It is the fulfillment of prophecy and the promise of eternal life with The Father, through Christ and Christ alone.
Every morning that I wake, I thank the good Lord:
“Thank you Lord for the air in my lungs, the blood in my heart and a body that moves"
If I am allowed to walk this earth another day, God has given me the opportunity to live fully and to help others how I can, where I am with what I have. To make the greatest attempt that I can to love others through action, forgive with grace and to be a positive example to others.
I fall short of these often. God knows this will happen. He knows I am a sinner. He knows that I will fall short. Therefore He sent His only son to provide the way, through faith.
My friends, family and anyone who has ever interacted with me can easily see my many faults and witness my failures. Sometimes I lose my patience and that results in a moment of extreme reaction that often times hurts feelings, creates conflict and leaves the relationship strained. I can become relentless on specific topics and my stubbornness prevents growth or change. I often speak more than I listen and run my mouth more than what I should. I overeat, often, and fail to honor this body that God has given me by ensuring I am seeking wellness.
Honor this life, respect the gift God has given with a capable body by seeking wellness through nutrition and fitness.
This blog started as an examination and accounting of the Physical, Mental, Emotional and Spiritual rigors and experiences of training for the Marathon.
Spiritual experiences my vary and many times are not duplicated. I believe my relationship with Christ is personal, my salvation is personal. The actions of others can not dictate or change my faith in Christ. My actions are mine alone and individual responsibility will be accounted for when being judged by God.
Individual accountability is required. It is clear to me that the convergence of faith and fitness can be found in how I treat my body. I am required to recognize the gifts God has granted me in providing me a capable body and by using it in the continued pursuit of improvement. To be better today than yesterday. To push myself physically and seek growth through discomfort is a symbol of appreciation of what I have.
Seeking physical improvement is an act of love. Love of God, love of the blessings I’ve been given and a love of life. I seek not physical improvement because I hate the way my body looks, or I dislike myself, no I seek improvement because I do love myself and I do love the opportunity to improve through hard work and truly appreciate having just 1-more day to improve.
Our Christmas was spent in Orlando, FL with our daughter who is wrapping up her time working at Disney World. We didn’t want her to be alone over Christmas, so we packed up made the trip. It was an odd year, spending Christmas Eve at Disney Springs and Christmas Day in a hotel. We had no traditional meal and our Christmas tree was a small wooden replica with some lights strung about.
Christmas is over and we're back home in North Carolina and enjoying a quiet week before 2024 kicks off. Overall it was a good vacation and it was great to see my daughter. I only got in one run on Saturday morning around the Pop Century and Art of Animation property which provided some great pictures.