+FillUs

As soon as I crossed the finish line, I was ready for another marathon. It wasn’t because I just had the best marathon in my life or I just qualified for Boston. Quite contrarily, I just limped four very painful miles to the finish, failed to break four hours, one of the two goals of this marathon. The other goal? Crushed as well. I wanted to remain injury free. From the very start, I followed the 4:00 pace group faithfully until the pacer had to take a bathroom break. So I continued on my own, checking my garmin from time to time to make sure I stick to a pace between 8:45 and 9:00 min./mile. Discomfort started kicking in at about mile 13, but it soon built up to pain. I knew I was in trouble but I couldn’t tell much beyond that. Somewhere between mile 16-18, I realized my running form changed due to tensed muscles from pain. One step at a time; one foot before the other. That brought me to mile 19. And Mile 20. Earlier during the run, a gentleman wisely said, “Mile 20 is half the rac...

One Day Wages has provided the birthday campaign idea and I have started a page on its website: Phyllis’ Birthday for a Cause. The story: I need not to repeat the global statistics on poverty and the dire needs around the world. We have all heard and seen enough to compel us to do something. For those of us who are Christians, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (James 1:27). The mandate is plain and simple, but easier said than done. A couple days before this year’s birthday, I got this daily verse in an email: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). Even though salvation cannot be gained, but our walk of life reveals our faith and our inner reality. Looking at my bank account, I question where my true treasure is found. Everyday we are faced with different choices, like where and how to spend our money? When Moses came be...

Ran through Uptown Charlotte and climbed 683’ with over 1300’ elevation change along with a couple thousand runners, I finished my half marathon in 1:48:09 last Sunday. Here’s me with my finisher’s medal, adding to my collection of six this year. The concept of a finisher’s medal is foreign to my grandma. She still thinks I’ve won all the races. (Wouldn’t that be nice…)

Today is the first day of Advent - the fourth Sunday before Christmas that marks the beginning of a time of waiting and expecting. It is only appropriate that it follows right after Thanksgiving which leads us to enter into this period of time with thankfulness. At church today, we sang: Jesus paid it all; All to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow Think about it. The two biggest problem all humans have to deal with are sin and death. And Jesus has taken care of both. Talk about freedom. Jesus has broken the chain of death and our slavery to sin. 2 Corinthians 5 says: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. This is the scripture which led me to Christ and I was being reminded of this once again today. Talk about a new life. When we were young, my sister once asked God for a new sister, a replacement. Last time I heard, she was pretty happy with the “new” sister God has granted her. I hav...

Without a car might be a hindrance in many ways, but it is also a blessing in disguise in many ways. Over the years I discover how much riding a bike, or running for that matter, has in common with our Christian walk. In difficult times, in times which I want to stop, it teaches me perseverance and what faithfulness looks like. Exhaustion doesn’t just happen during physical activities. Prophet Elijah asked God to take his life after a day’s journey in the wilderness. At the brink of giving up, I learn that faithfulness is a long obedience in one direction, as Eugene Peterson says in his book. It’s keep-going when every part of you scream stop. People like to say, “If marathon is easy, everyone will be doing it.” Likewise, there’s no turning back in being a Christian and it’s not easy. I have also learned the importance of one step at a time. When I’m getting tired on hills, I tend to put my head down and pedal. Looking at that formidable hill doesn’t give me energy but instills fear....

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” Holiness is a description of God, a sum of all His divine attributes. His glory is the radiance of His holiness displayed. In essence, there is nothing worth desiring more than the holiness of God. When John Piper unpacked what it meant for our lives, he asked: How [and/or when] do you feel being loved by God? Perhaps when He gives us what I want? Perhaps when I feel like being used by God? Maybe when He is making much of me? This can’t be more wrong. Think about it. What does God desire? As much as He loves us, He ought to desire The Best, the infinite valuable, which is His holiness. Jesus, “the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature (Hebrew 1:3),” is His holiness make accessible. Logically speaking, this implies that the goal of salvation and of creation is not us, but His holiness. His love for us is not so that we could make much of ourselves, but we could make much of Him and ...

I can now testify to the truthfulness of running the last third of a marathon with your heart. Physique plays an important part of the game, but at mile 20, everyone feels crappy. At the end, it is the mind who keeps one going, keeps one persevering, and keeps one enduring pain. During the last few miles, I really wanted to stop. My legs are sore, my feet hurt, and my knees feel like they could buckle anytime. My body probably really hated me for not listening, but I had to go with my heart that said no stopping. To my rescue, my friend Greg Hassen from Southcoast Road Runners found me and ran me in at mile 22. That was tremendous help. Perhaps I would have really stopped if he didn`t pace me and kept me companied. Thank God for sending help right when I needed it. Although I didn`t meet my arbitrary goal of 4:30, I was happy about the race. It was arbitrary because I never ran 26.2 miles in my life. Running an 8 minute pace on a 10 mile run doesn`t mean I could do the same for another...