The Wurglers

 Runners are crazy.  Absolutely crazy.  Who submits their body to such distances?!!  Who pushes through pain... just to run?!!  Who shows up undertrained with an air quality index of over 400 to run a half marathon?!  Thousands and thousands of crazy... and dare I say foolish people!  Including me.  When I woke up and cursed the pollution I vowed to only run 10K of the race.  But then the race started... and I was wearing a mask... and I was swept away by the insanity.  Ten kilometers came and went and I was still going.  I felt better in this race than I had in my races from years ago.  So I just kept going.  And I finished!  It felt so good to cross the finish line... especially because I thought a half marathon was 20K and so when I hit 18K and shifted into gear (you know, I always save something for the end) and then 20K came... and we were still running.... and it was brutal... and confusing I might add.  ...

This past weekend we had a team retreat that took us to the mountains outside our city. About a 1.5 hour drive north of us, you can actually breathe clean air and see beautiful scenery - a place of refuge away from the concrete jungle we live in. Sara and the kids and I took off together one morning to do a little hiking. We heard of some trails around our little motel and were determined to find one. The morning was beautiful: cool air, blue skies, the turning colors of autumn, a slight breeze. All the things our hearts have been needing lately. We set off up a hill and hiked (more like dawdled if you're a Wurgler boy whose name rhymes with "laymen") for a while. Evie made it her personal mission to pluck every helpless flower along the way and gift it to one of the family members. Emma talked about various things ranging from Grandma and Grandpa coming to visit next week to her new friend she made at the motel to the beauty of the outdoors. Sara and I encouraged Jaman...

It has been seven years since the last time I ran a race longer than 5 kilometers.  Seven years ago I ran my first  and only marathon.  It was.... painful.... and it felt glorious to finish in 4 hours and 45 minutes.  I'm no record breaker but I crossed the finish line!!  I got a taste for long distances after running a half marathon right here in the city we live in, 8 years ago.  This month I am going to run that same half marathon again with 2 of the same friends I ran it with the first time.  I remember at one point during that race looking around me.... as far as I could see in front of me was black, bobbing heads.... and as far as I could see behind me was black bobbing heads....  That moment was exhilarating; it felt so good to be running the race, so good to be in that country and it also felt like  a picture of that season of my life.  So much to be done but so much hope and promise.  Could God reach a billion people? Of co...