"World's Largest Rain Dance"

It was misting yesterday morning when my 5:45 alarm went off. After my devotional reading and a few moments getting prepared, I was out my door, running. Angela Thomas was encouraging me as I had her YouTube video playing simultaneously to the Couch2 5k app. In case you have forgotten, we WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She screams.
I am excited for this day.

The further I run the thicker the mist comes down. It begins to rain. The sky is dark and I enjoy pretending this entire world is mine, for I see no one else outside, and only a handful of lit windows in my neighborhood convince me otherwise.

 

 Contra Costa County, Rain

                                        
As the rain soaks through my hair, my yellow Nike top, my black yoga pants, I reach over to where my cell phone, holding Angela tightly, is hugging my upper arm. I get nervous that the rain will saturate the sleeve holding my phone and so I fumble with it, whilst running, making certain to somehow protect it.
I succeed only in making Angela go away. 
Not wanting to remove my phone from the sleeve protecting it from the rain, I realize that the remainder of my morning run is all me. All me, and God.

When I first began running, roughly a decade ago, I did not own a Walkman. Yes, I said Walkman. Cell phones were not yet wireless computers, MP3 Players did not yet exist. When I ran, I would sing inside my head, talk with the Lord, and motivate myself. My Spirit is willing but my flesh is weak became my mantra. Just three more trees, the next curve, one more lap, my audience.

A moment after Angela left me, a man's voice came over my phone. In addition to tuning Angela out, I somehow turned Kirk Cameron on. (As in, I stumbled across a YouTube video of his, with fingers not knowing what they were doing and eyes not looking his way.) He shared this gem:



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdbylpuCyYk
(my apologizes if this video does not show -up on my post. You may need to click on the link above.)

This is very well said, thanks Kirk, but what amplifies the impact this segment had on my heart was the devotional I had read yesterday morning pre glitch with my cell phone. In it, I read that Jesus had the power to heal Lazarus, but He chose not to. Jesus could have gone directly to Lazarus when he first died, but He chose not to.
The devotional, written by Lysa Terkeurst goes on to say,
"No one thought healing was possible for this dead, dead man. But Jesus possesses a power beyond healing. He possesses resurrection power. And when Jesus called Lazarus out of the tomb, he came."
(emphasis mine)

We do not have to "get it", but our faith in Jesus gives us assurance that, "I may not understand it, but I know if it's a good writer, I am going to see that show up again later in the story and it will all make sense."

God is the Author and Finisher of our faith. He is writing our stories. Your story. And guess what, friend? For those of us who know Jesus and have accepted Him as our Lord and Savior, WE WIN!!!!!!!!!!!
As my run continued, the sky became a light blue and gray. The sun was sneaking up in the horizon.

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If you have read this post today, I would like to thank you.
It is never a given that someone will read, understand, connect, or even care about what I write.

Friend, if you do not know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, I encourage you to click on this link and read about the Romans Road to Salvation.
The book of Romans is located in the New Testament (recording the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus and following His Disciples thereafter). This book outlines what it looks like to accept Jesus as Lord of our lives.
*We are all sinners
*The penalty for sin is death
*Jesus died on the cross to pay the debt we owe (which is death)
*If we believe and confess that Jesus is Lord, and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved.
John 14:6 reads:  
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (emphasis mine)
Matthew 6:9 reads:
"This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,..." (emphasis mine)

Many people believe in God, or some sort of "god". Many believe in Heaven.
Friend, God, Our Father, is IN Heaven and the ONLY way to get to Him is through His Son, Jesus.

Another great word I heard from my friend Angela Thomas (I pray someday you are, indeed, my friend) is that I decided that, He was who He said He was, and that the Bible is His Word to me. And then I decided that I was just going to stake my whole life on that Truth.

Friend, I pray you know Jesus and that He be alive in you!