We are the statues...

Allow us to begin with some thought provoking words by C. S. Lewis:

"This world is a great sculptor shop.  We are the statues, and there is a rumour going round the shop that some of us are some day are going to come to life."  Mere Christianity

Looking out over the cold North Dakota landscape, a whopping -10 wind degree temperature, drinking a large cup of hot tea, these words are stuck in my head

"Come to life" 

These words are found in the last paragraph of Lewis' first chapter of his fourth book in Mere Christianity.  They challenge and inspire me, while at the same time developing within me a deep tension as I wrestle with some tough questions:

What is the element, the spiritual force, the religion that brings humanity to life? 

Is the Christian religion a set of moral values instituted by Jesus Christ for people to uphold?  Can humanity uphold these moral views?

What does "come to life" mean?  How does one find the joy that overflows?  Can one even find that joy?  If so, how?  Or are we just waiting to be breathed into?  

Crazy, huh?  How reading one chapter of C.S.Lewis in the early morning can provoke inspiration and challenge. 

I'm often inspired and challenged by the created works of others; in this case C.S.Lewis' writings.  

I ultimately know other people's creations aren't the final work.  C.S.Lewis would be a fool if he wrote a book and claimed, "This is as good as it gets."

I could argue that C.S.Lewis is as good as it gets, but that for an other blog post, plus that would be foolish.   

Art.  

Each person is an Artist.

We've been created with an ability to Create.  How cool is that?

With each piece of art, we inspire people.  Hopefully our art inspires people in a positive way.  

Seeing someone do what they were created to do, inspiring.  

We are all artists, we are, truly.  Some people think of artists as left-brained people, not so.  Yes, left-brained people may be more inclined with drawing or making melodic noises with instruments, but everyone is an Artist.  Nature is God's canvas given to us in which we write and create our story.

Side note: I really dig this sticker:

Each person is an artist in their own respect.

What's your specialty?  

The art you are producing, is it making the earth a better place?

Do you "come to life" when you create it?

Chariots of Fire --- with all my "sole"

Most people want to discover their meaning and purpose in life.  Not often do you hear someone say, "I don't want to find meaning and purpose in my life."

Some people may unintentionally live in a way that is perceived not meaningful and purposeful, or perhaps it's meaningful and purposeful in a way that is foreign to others.

For someone who dislikes running, they wouldn't find running for a year a meaningful and purposeful endeavor, probably more of a tedious and grueling task.

The tasks we perform, hobbies we pursue and talents we discover, what if they were deemed meaningful and purposeful because it keeps us from being aimless?  Almost as if we were created to work.  Hopefully we are working towards something good, right?  Towards something that makes this world a better place.


I'm sitting in my room, after a year of running and speaking, listening to an appropriate movie soundtrack:

I'm also reflecting on a writing found in the Book of Matthew, chapter 12:

"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all they mind.  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.  On these two commandments hand all the law and the prophets."

If I was to paraphrase this passage, the runner in me translates "soul" to "sole."

Where do you find meaning and purpose?

An Unexpected Journey --- What would BILBO do? GO or STAY ???

The Hobbit, the newest installment from Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings franchise has this tag line:

"An Unexpected Journey."

It is a fictional story filled with mythical creatures.  The main protagonist is Bilbo, the Hobbit.  Hobbits are comfortable creatures, who enjoy the simple pleasures and comforts of life: smoking a pipe, reading books and eating good food.

Hobbits are not ones for exploring or discovery.

But in this story, Bilbo finds himself on an unexpected journey with a bunch of dwarfs.  At first he is against going on the journey Gandalf wishes for him to be on, but there is a turning point where the excitement of risk and unknown wells up in this Hobbit and he joins the crew.

“Then something Tookish woke up inside him, and he wished to go and see the great mountains, and hear the pine-trees and the waterfalls, and explore the caves, and wear a sword instead of a walking-stick.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

Our lives are unexpected journeys.  Even amidst the so-called mundane and routines of life.

Sometimes we are called on an adventure, perhaps to follow and pursue a dream, like starting a bakery or writing a book... little unexpected journeys.

The crazy thing is, we have a choice while at the same time we don't have a choice.  We never know what the other choice would have been.  We can always say things like, "I wonder what would have happened?"

With anything in life, we are confronted with this option, do we GO or do we STAY?

If we GO, it may not be easy, perhaps scary or risky, full of fearful moments.  We may miss the comforts of our life.  Freeing and liberating with nothing holding us back.

If we STAY, it may be simple and routine, and we can come home each night.  To some it may seem oppressive because of the stability.

Our life is full of unexpected moments.  In fact, every moment can be an unexpected moment of "Going" or "Staying."

It's not whether we GO or STAY, more or less, but rather why we are "going" or "staying?"

Why do we GO on journeys of adventure, or STAY put in the comforts of every day life?

Do people who GO on journeys lead more "fulfilling" and "meaningful" lives in comparison to those who STAY?

I'm in the middle of a book called "Brother Lawrence, practicing the presence of God," and he is a monk who cooked meals and did routine tasks filled with great love.  His whole practice of life was to be continually aware of the presence of the Creator, in every task.  In the tasks of "Going" and of "Staying."

"I wish you could convince yourself that GOD is often (in some sense) nearer to us, and more effectually present with us, in sickness than in health."  Brother Lawrence

What if we really believed that God is near us on this unexpected journey of life?  We GO when we feel called to go; we STAY when we feel called to stay.  

What if the Creator of the Universe, the One who knows the deepest truths, who loves us so deeply and intimately, is truly alongside of us, giving us direction and hope?  Not walking the steps for us, but whispering in the silence little hints for us to follow, all while longing for our love and affections, only things we can offer when we are aware.  

Any unexpected journey we go on, if we are truly trying to follow God, our hearts will be aligned, so really no matter what we do, whether it is run across the state of Iowa, work in a cubicle, go on an unexpected journey, or stay put and wash dishes, we can find the meaning, purpose and joy out of a love for the Creator.

"I'm proud of you" - How to Inspire Retired Peeps

I got to spend the day speaking at a retirement community is Sac City Iowa.

I was a bit nervous before heading in.

What would I say to inspire people who are older than me?

Would they listen?  Would they care?  

Would what I say apply to them and their lives?

How do I challenge them to set goals in the later years of their life?

These were some of the questions rolling around in my head. 

I quickly discovered I needed to share my story, to be myself and not pretend I had all the answers.  That's what I did, and it went over really well, plus I gained a lot of wisdom from the wonderful residents I met.  

Darleen and I

I met a guy named Howard who is an expert woodworker.  Here is a picture of him and some of the things he made out of wood.  It is absolutely astounding some of the things he was able to create with wood.  I pointed out his buffalo and told him "I ran with a buffalo once."  He thought that was pretty neat.

Howard and some of his wood art 

Howard carved this boot out of wood.  Pretty neat, huh???

I also met a wonderful lady named Audrey.  Right after I was done speaking, she came up and said, "Thanks for sharing that.  Everything you talk about is how I try to live my life.  Setting goals is so very important to me, it gives me some meaning and purpose.  In fact, one of my current goals is to walk a mile every single day."

Audrey and I

I really enjoyed spending my time in the retirement community.  Yes, the people are retired and are a bit older than me, however they haven't stopped living.  You have people writing, playing piano, walking, carving wood and doing random acts of kindness.

In fact, one lady came up after I spoke and told me, "I'm proud of you."  Her comment made my day.

This Saturday, I hope to be making my way back to the retirement community with some middle school students, so they too can experience how cool the people in the retirement community are.


Some of the stories I shared:  
Chilling with Lou and her stuffed cat
When your water freezes, you know it's cold
Dean taught me how to make a wooden coffee cup

that sand dancer dude is weird

Earlier this week, my friend Brent showed me this video.

My first thought was, "This guy is crazy and weird," but quickly thought, "I wonder if people see the Awake My Sole journey this way?"

Check out this video of the "Sand Dancer"

I love how this guy loves to draw in the sand.  He absolutely loves it.  To others he comes off weird and crazy.  He doesn't do it for money, but seemingly for the joy and meaning he receives from using his gift of creating art.

For me, after sharing the Awake My Sole story, people often respond, "It's crazy what you are doing."

I respond, "To you it may seem crazy, but to me, it's my life, it's meaningful."  

I'll ask, "What do you love to do?"  

Some will say, "I love to play tennis" or "I love to paint" or "I love to sell insurance."

I respond, "To me, that's crazy and weird, just like running and speaking across the state of Iowa is weird, but we are both needed."  

What were your first thoughts after watching this video?

How do you deal with others thinking you are "crazy" or "weird?"  

Where do you find purpose, meaning and joy?

Failure, essential to a meaningful life?

I dislike failure.  I'm not aware of anyone who really enjoys it.

Often times, it is the fear of failure that keeps us from pursuing our dreams and goals.

Pursuing my dream of running and speaking across Iowa, the word FAILURE often popped it's ugly head around each corner.  

What if you fail?  What will you do then?  

What happens when people don't react the way you want them to?  

What happens when you make a fool of yourself?

Well, yesterday, I failed.

My goal was to run 68-miles to Iowa City.

Since the beginning of the Awake My Sole journey, I had been looking forward to this run with eager anticipation.  My hope was to push myself further than I had ever pushed myself before.

I failed.  I wasn't able to complete the task at hand.  The task I so desperately wanted to complete.

I knew this day would come, and here are some of my "day-after" thoughts of my encounter with failing

Failure, often keeps us from pursuing what we know we should pursue.

This might sound weird, but looking back on yesterday, I'm okay with failure.  I've stepped out and risked everything on this journey.  My livelihood, my career, my all.

I may not have finished the 68-miles yesterday, but I did push myself in ways I didn't think were possible.

I'm going to liken Failure to burned prairie grasses.  Every couple of years, prairie grasses are burned down.  They burn so that the nutrients from the ashes may go back into the soil, into the ground.  Soon after the burning, the prairie grasses begin growing again, healthier, because they have more nutrients in the soil.

In the same way.  Failure is like prairie grass burned.  It is dead.  But failure often promotes a tension in which the individual must live in.  Out of this tension, the person can grow.  If the person grows, they learn from their failure and try again, maybe one step closer to whatever it is they need to be.

Prairie Grasses burned in Ames Iowa

If you look closely, you can see the grasses already growing back.  In time, they will grow healthier

I don't like failing.  However, I'm realizing it is essential to living a meaningful life.

Would our journeys be meaningful if they were always easy and fun?  Of course not, and failure is essential to the journey.

Some good failure quotes:

"Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be."  

John Wooden

"Failure is the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently."  

Henry Ford

"There are no such thing as failure, there are only results."  

Tony Robbins

"I can accept failure, everyone fails at something.  But I cannot accept not trying."  

Michael Jordan

"I do not believe in failure.  It is not failure if you enjoyed the process."  

Oprah Winfrey

"Failure is a detour, not a dead-end street."  

Zig Ziglar

"It is better to be a failure at something you love than to be a success at something you hate."  

George Burns

"It's fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure."  

Bill Gates

"Failure is unimportant, it takes courage to make a fool of yourself."  

Charlie Chaplin

Beginning the journey to Iowa City 

Getting closer.  And growing more exhausted.

Calling it quits.  The sun going down.  14 hours of running.  I was tired.  Pushed myself 15 additional miles.

Check out who I ran into in Grinnell Iowa HERE

Grinnell Wrap Up & Iowa City Running Recap HERE

Will Run For Food

 "You can praise God by peeling a spud if you peel it to perfection. Don't compromise. Compromise is a language of the devil. Run in God's name and let the world stand back and in wonder."  

From the Movie Chariots of Fire

In 54 days I will begin the Awake My Sole trek: a year long run across the beautiful state of Iowa.

Since stepping down from my position as a full time middle school director, I have become a full time speaker and runner.  

My buggy I will be carrying my belongings as I trek across Iowa

Since August I have been:

setting up host homes in 20 towns

setting up speaking engagements

forming teams of people

creating schedules

writing talks

aligning sponsors

meeting with people about what I am doing

running, stretching

working with a graphic designer

reading and studying

dreaming

and tons more...

It has become a full time job, and I love every bit of it.    

Sioux City Journal Article about my run across Iowa

Stickers designed by Brennan (want one?  Comment below)

"You came to see a race today. To see someone win. It happened to be me. But I want you to do more than just watch a race. I want you to take part in it. I want to compare faith to running in a race. It's hard. It requires concentration of will, energy of soul. You experience elation when the winner breaks the tape - especially if you've got a bet on it. But how long does that last? You go home. Maybe you're dinner's burnt. Maybe you haven't got a job. So who am I to say, "Believe, have faith," in the face of life's realities? I would like to give you something more permanent, but I can only point the way. I have no formula for winning the race. Everyone runs in her own way, or his own way. And where does the power come from, to see the race to its end? From within. Jesus said, "Behold, the Kingdom of God is within you. If with all your hearts, you truly seek me, you shall ever surely find me." If you commit yourself to the love of Christ, then that is how you run a straight race."  From the Movie Chariots of Fire 

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