Riding the Mission Trail

I've wanted to ride (bicycle) the Mission Trail here in San Antonio, for quite some years. From Mission Concepción to Mission Espada, eight (8) miles of dedicated paved pathways are reserved for the hiker and biker. There are five missions--The Alamo, Mission Concepción, Mission San Jose, Mission San Juan, and Mission Espada.

A friend of mine, was supposed to go with me, but he got sick. Right when I received that message, I looked up and said, "Oh man." My running coach was sitting across from me, and said, "What was that about?" So I said, "I was supposed to ride the mission trail today...I've been wanting to do it for years, but now I'll have to go another time." He then asked me, "How about Thursday?" and of course, I said, "Sure!" :) We worked out a time and I was set.

Coach and I rode the Mission Trail--it was beautiful. He told me all about race history, the Missions, Texas history, and all sorts of interesting information. I was so excited! I came home and told my Mom about the ride! I then told her that she had to go and bring a camera in the next few days. The Texas wildflowers are breathtaking right now! :) And the Texas heat, well, we're in the 90's.

So...Friday afternoon, Mom and I rode the mission trail together. We rode from Mission Concepción to Mission Espada. Below you will find pictures of our special ride. Happy Mother's Day Mom, I had fun spending time with you riding!

Historic Structure

Cool Hay Art


More Hay Art


My beautiful mother, enjoying some water. It was in the 90's!


We kept seeing cranes on our ride.


Mission Espada


I can hardly believe how short the doorways are!


Myself in front of Mission Espada


An upwards view of Mission Espada


We checked out the Espada Dam and Aqueduct




As you can see from these pictures, the flowers were just gorgeous and made for a lovely ride!



Mom and the flowers

Broke!

Today was a special day. I went to a pottery place, to purchase my Moms Mother's Day present. I knew some of what I wanted to purchase for her, although, I primarily wanted to look around to find that "perfect piece." After looking at piece after piece, I chose four different pieces of artwork--all useful. :) A teapot, a tortilla container, a bowl with a lid, and a flower vase.

I was able to go to HEB and pick up some flowers to put in the vase. Mom came home, right after me, and helped me put the flowers in her new vase. We used a frog--so I learned about frogs. I'm not even sure if I'm spelling the word right, but I learned something about flowers. I was excited, because I had picked the flowers out by myself, and they look quite lovely if I do say so. :)

Bouquet of flowers in the lovely vase; the flowers are quite pungent!

The teapot

The bowl with the lid

The tortilla container

Back up...between the time I came home from the pottery store, and left for the closest HEB, I very carefully took each of the pieces out of the bags they were in, unwrapped them, washed them, and dried them. I then placed them on the dining room table, so that my Mom could see them when she got home. Mom was able to look at them quickly, before we went out for a bike ride together.

Our bike ride was fabulous, and I could not have asked for a nicer time with my Mom...I will share about the ride in another post. This post is about my beautiful mother and some pottery. My Mother loves lavender. In fact, she painted her kitchen a lavender colour. I know that my Mom owns some similar pottery from a local artist in Taos, and I wanted to surprise her with some fun additions, that would complement what she currently has and uses.

Later in the evening, I was carefully putting the lids on the pieces, and was going to move the pieces of pottery to another table, so we could use the table for dinner and eating purposes. In reaching, my watch caught the top of the tea pot, and I broke the lid! Not all of it, but part of it. I was devastated. Actually, I still am. Here I was being so careful with these items, and then my watch catches the end, and I break the gift that I had chosen so carefully for my Mother. I did all I could. I picked up the pieces. And tried not to cry. That never lasts long for me. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a crier. I cry. And I cried.

This is so you can see where I broke the lid. It is a clean break, so it should be fixable. Both the hat, and the little tea cup are broken.

Mom hugged me and told me it was okay. But it's not okay. She didn't even seem to care too much. Don't get me wrong, she was sad that I broke it, but she seemed more worried about how hurt I was. I care though...I tried so hard to find a good and useful gift, and then I have to break it and ruin it myself before she ever gets to use it. I guess now it has character--because I broke it. Way to go, Faith!

Have you ever tried so hard to find that perfect gift, feel like you've finally found something that the other person would enjoy, and then presented it to them, only to ruin it yourself? I wish I could describe how awful it feels. I know my Mother still loves me, and I know that she knows it was an accident and that it can hopefully be fixed somehow, but it will never be the same piece it was when I bought it in the morning. It's broken, and can never be made 100% whole again.

As I write this, I am still in tears, over a piece of pottery. I'm sure, someday it will be funny, although right now, it feels like the end of the world in so many ways. I should consider this year another unplanned blessing--I am able to spend Mother's Day with my Mom. I had originally planned on being in Ukraine right now, and then I was so sick, we really didn't know what was going on...Mom keeps saying that she is glad that I am here to spend the special day with her. The situation in my mind has not been rectified. I don't know how that rectification will come though.

My mothers response continues to blow my mind--"You're my mother's day present, that's just stuff, Faith." I see Jesus in my Mom. You read countless stories in the bible, how things just don't go how the disciples wanted them to or thought that they should be, but Jesus, He still loves them, and calls them His disciples, and teaches them to do and be better. My Mom didn't throw me aside, she hugged me, and held me, and told me it was okay. She gave ideas for fixing the situation at hand. I just wish that it had never happened.

I wish there was a happy ending to this post, but really, there is no ending...at least as of yet. I'm still crying, and wishing my watch hadn't caught on the lid. So...if I remember I'll update the blog post of how the situation was rectified in the end.

Jesus, Thy Boundless Love to Me

This weeks opening prayer for the daily bible readings uses one of the verses in the hymn, "Jesus, Thy Boundless Love to Me." I found myself reading, and re-reading the following words...

Thine wholly, Thine alone, I'd live, myself to Thee entirely give.

This challenges me. It's not so easy to give God EVERYTHING and EVERYTHING of/about me. There are so many things in life that "get in the way" or take me off course, that I do not give myself ENTIRELY to Christ alone. How do you give yourself to Christ, each and everyday?

Our sermon on Sunday was about community. It was about giving up our freedoms to be in community with one another. We cannot say to each other, that's not my job, because it is our job. By giving ourselves to Christ, we are NOT being devalued, although, all to often, we emphasize where our rank is on the ladder, as opposed to wanting to serve others--what God has called us to do. Why do you continuously rank yourself next to others? Why do you fear being devalued? The church is to be a place where everyone is loved, honoured, respected, and cared for. It is my job to give my ENTIRE self to Thee.

Salt of the earth

You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.
Matthew 5:13

Salt does three things:

• Salt preserves--As a Christian I am to maintain and continue to grow in my faith in Christ.
• Salt creates--Through my words and actions, I strive to make people want to know God.
• Salt cleanses--I fail sometimes, and through Jesus Christ, I am purified and refined. I must admit that I am wrong, and seek help. God is always gracious and merciful!

How are you maintaining and growing your faith in Christ? How do you make people want to know God in a more and real way? Are you confessing your sins to God and returning to Him, when you fail?

Fail!

¹¹And He said, "A man had two sons.¹²"The younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me ' So he divided his wealth between them.¹³"And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living ¹⁴"Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be impoverished.

¹⁵"So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. ¹⁶"And he would have gladly filled his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him.

¹⁷"But when he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! ¹⁸'I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; ¹⁹I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men."'

²⁰"So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.²¹"And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'

²²"But the father said to his slaves, 'Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; ²³and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; ²⁴for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.' And they began to celebrate.

²⁵"Now his older son was in the field, and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶"And he summoned one of the servants and began inquiring what these things could be. ²⁷"And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him back safe and sound.' ²⁸"But he became angry and was not willing to go in; and his father came out and began pleading with him.

²⁹"But he answered and said to his father, 'Look! For so many years I have been serving you and I have never neglected a command of yours; and yet you have never given me a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends; ³⁰but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.' ³¹"And he said to him, 'Son, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours. ³²'But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.'"

Luke 15: 11-32

Sometimes I fail, and that's why I love Luke 5:11-32, and the book of Mark. In terms of math...
Failure ≠ Lack of usefulness
You can fail and still be useful!

What particularly sticks out to me is in vs 18--the man admits that he has sinned, he failed, he wants to be better, and needs help. The response to this mans humbleness is overwhelmingly gracious and merciful.

I love David's prayer in Psalm 25:16-18.

Turn to me and be gracious to me,
For I am lonely and afflicted.
The troubles of my heart are enlarged;
Bring me out of my distresses.
Look upon my affliction and my trouble,
And forgive all my sins.

David gets it! :) He is admitting that he's failed, and is asking for help! When you fail, are you going back and asking for help, admitting that you were wrong, or do you try to hide it and cover it up?

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Race for the Least of These and King Williams Parade

Race: Race for the Least of These

Distance: 10K (6.2138 mi)
Goal Time: 58 minutes (9:20 min/mi)
Actual Time: 00:57:42 (09:17 min/mi)
5K Split: 00:27:42 (08:54 min/mi)
19/29 racers total
06/11 women
2nd finisher in my bracket

I had a long run Friday morning--a nice 10 mile jaunt. And then Saturday, was this 10K race. I enjoyed Race for the Least of These, as it was small, and a nice stroll through McAllister Park. We had hail Friday night/Saturday morning, therefore, I was extra tired, and the ground was wet. I'm not a fan of running through mud, but that's okay. In fact, I had washed the car Friday, so I was bummed that it dirtied so fast! Ah well.

• Mile 1ish: I was surprised how good I felt.
• Mile 2ish: I wonder how I'll feel at the end of this!?
• Mile 2 1/2 ish: I saw Coach and he cheered me on, that was fabulous! I felt good, no, make that I felt great!
• Mile 3ish: Whoa, I'm almost done with the first 5K!
• 5K Split: I cannot believe I finished the 5K in 27:42. That's better than my last 5K. Maybe that's not so good, I have another 5K to go. I sure am happy with that 5K split time. I'm thirsty. So...just ahead I stopped and drank that water that was available to me.
• Mile 4: I need to slow down my pace a tad, it ended up being from from 8:54/mi to 9:39/mi...oh well. Over time I will learn how to pace myself properly.
  
• Mile 5: I'm almost done. This is nice.
  
• Mile 5 1/2: I passed a 5K runner and cheered her on! I was excited that she made the choice to do this fun run and finish! She did not give up. After I cheered her on, she in turn cheered me on. I was pleasantly surprised.
  
• Mile 6: Whoa, this is practically over.
  
• Finish line: Yay! I finished in under 58 minutes...my goal time.
  

Overall the six miles went by relatively fast, and there wasn't too much going through my head. I was kind of surprised when I was finished. The 10k'ers simply ran the 5k loop twice.

After the race, I went home, so that I could meet up with some friends and drive down to King William area, to celebrate one of the 2010 Fiesta events--King William Parade and Fair. I thoroughly enjoyed my time, watching the parade, browsing the vendors arts and crafts, listening to music, and spending time with great people from church!

Sara and myself.

Steven and myself.

1 Timothy 1:12-17

¹²I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. ¹³Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. ¹⁴The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

¹⁵Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. ¹⁶But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. ¹⁷Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

1 Timothy 1:12-17

This here is an example of the icing on the cake! (See previous entry!) I thank Jesus Christ, our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He has considered me faithful, putting me into service, even though I am a sinner and I am wet! I have found mercy, because Jesus came into the world to save sinners. God's grace is more than abundant, amidst the faith and love, which are found in Christ Jesus alone.

Lessons learned

Why?

• Why do I want to go back to Ukraine?
  
• Why do I continue to speak of the greatness of God?
  
• Why do I continue to tell you of the faithfulness of God?
  
• Why am I excited for what God has in store next?
  
• Why do I have hope, during this challenging time?
• Why do I continue to share how Christ has been gracious?
  
• Why do I continue to share how Christ has been merciful?
• Why do I say that God is good?
  

I came across this blog, when looking for something else...and I'm hooked! This is a great lesson, and so true. In fact, I've read the entry five or six times.

WHY?

Lately, I have found myself questioning the marathon. Why do I bother? I may be getting faster but I have still not broken four hours and even after I finally I do, I still have ten minutes to cut in order to qualify for Boston. Boston has always been my aim and if that isn’t going to happen, maybe I should just hang up my shoes. Why should I keep putting myself through the stress of training?

This weekend, I found my answer. For three years my daughter and I have made an hour long drive to Olympic Development soccer tryouts. Over the years, Meg has put every ounce of herself into the tryouts only to be cut on the third day. This year as tryouts approached, I found myself dragging my feet. I knew the registration was open and I was well aware that she would want to tryout. But personally I dreaded it. It wasn’t the two hours spent in the car each day or the hour and a half spent standing in the cold watching my daughter play her heart out. It was the disappointment I have witnessed as she looked carefully through the call back numbers and didn’t see hers. It was the look on her face the next time she was on a soccer pitch. A look that told me she wondered whether she was good enough to play at all. There was a part of me that hoped she would change her mind. She would decide not to go. She would not have to face the disappointment again.

Still, as the day approached, she made her way to the computer and found the tryout times. She told her club coach she wouldn’t be at practices because she would be at ODP tryouts. And she made it clear to me that it was important to her. As in years past, everyone showed their confidence in her. “This is the year, girl. This is the year you make the team.” And I cringed as I wondered how high up they would push her and how much harder that would make the fall at the end.

But this is her dream. She believes she will play on the US Women’s Soccer team. It is all she wants. If you ask a hundred people who know her what her favorite thing in the world is, you will get only one answer, “Soccer.” The walls of her room are covered in soccer posters. She dresses for soccer every day, whether she has practice or not, just in case the opportunity to play should arise. She spends hours of her week thinking of new plays for her team or new moves she might try.

I sat in my warm car on Sunday afternoon and watched out the windshield as Meg ran across the field in pouring rain and thirty five degree temperatures. I watched as she hopped up and down before the scrimmages began, trying to stay warm, as she used every move she has ever been taught on the soccer pitch, as she offered a hand to the player who fell in the middle of play and even as she stayed on the pitch juggling the ball and practicing her moves during the water breaks. I watched her playing and realized that that is what it is that she loves – the playing. When she arrived back in my car every layer of clothing was soaked through, but she had a smile bigger than the Cheshire cat’s. She had had a blast. I asked how she played. She didn’t answer with her thoughts on her chances. Instead, she told me about the rain and the girls, the coaches and the goals.

Today was the last day of open tryouts. The cut sheet will go up later this evening and my heart is in my throat as I wait. Megan keeps checking the computer screen in hopes that this will be her year. I hope beyond hope that she will make it but tonight I know that it doesn’t matter. If she doesn’t make it she will be back next year and the one after that, if that is what it takes. I realized while watching this beautiful girl playing in the freezing rain that it isn’t just about a dream to make the Olympic Team. It isn’t just about the chance to see if she is good enough. It is about the moments on the field, every moment on the field. It is about the joy of the game.

As a mom, there are hundreds of lessons I try to teach my children. Once in a while though, the shoe is on the other foot. Seeing Meg’s love for the game, with or without the outcome she hopes for, reminds me of why it is I go out there. Why it is that after twelve marathons without qualifying for Boston, I still find myself at the starting line each year. Watching Meg has helped me to recognize the love I hold for my sport. So, yes, I will sign up for the next marathon. Maybe I will qualify for Boston this time, maybe I won’t, but now I know, it really doesn’t matter. I love to run. That is why I do it. The rest is just icing on the cake.

The answer is simple. I love Jesus. That is why I write this blog and why I want to go back to Ukraine. It is why I am excited for what He has in store for me next, and why I continue to speak of God's faithfulness and goodness, grace and mercy. My hope is in Christ, and I love Him. The rest is just icing on the cake.

Chosen: Marathon for Adoption

I'm excited to be training for my first marathon--Chosen: Marathon for Adoption. All proceeds will benefit adoptive families and directly care for the needs of 250 children in a Ukrainian orphanage. I will be running 26.2 miles on the 23 October 2010 in Gruene, Texas. To see the course map, click here. I have been wanting to run a marathon since HS, and have decided that now is the time! :)

On a side note...I have two awesome friends who have both adopted children--Erika and Margo. You should check out their work.

Tabitha Designs


Orchid Lane Designs

Check out the video from Great Day SA, here in San Antonio! I added this a couple days later. :)

From the Inside Out

A thousand times I've failed,
Still your mercy remains
And should I stumble again,
Still I'm caught in your grace.

Easter

As I was reading my bible this morning, I came across this verse and note I had in my bible:

He says, "It is too small a thing that You should be My servant to Raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth."
Isaiah 49:6-7

God values me so much that doing a little is not enough; He wants me to do great things!


During my run this morning, God gave me a huge sense of peace. As I was running I was thinking about my past year, and He said to me, "Don't worry, your Easter is coming!" This gave me great encouragement, as I have felt beat down, over and over. Your Easter is coming! :)

Let us find our rest in Thee

Come, Thou long-expected Jesus, born to set Thy people free; From our fears and sins release us; Let us find our rest in Thee. Dear Desire of every nation, joy of every longing heart, now Thy gracious Kingdom bring...

I continue to have sleepless nights, filled with bad dreams. These are not nightmares, rather just dreams of terrible things happening to me, none of which I have control of/over. This morning I took great comfort in these words, "born to set Thy people free...let us find our rest in Thee." Are you expecting Jesus to come and set you free; to free you from your fears, release you from your sin, and give you rest in Him? If not, maybe we need to look at our expectations again.

If my people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14