Reflections of a Running Reverend

We are now in the third week of the season of Lent which is a period of 40 days (excluding Sundays) before Easter where we as Christians intentionally reflect on the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus and what it means for us in our walks of discipleship. More than mere commemoration of Jesus' sacrifice, though, I believe the season of Lent reminds us of a necessary process that we as followers of Jesus need to undergo on a regular basis. We need Lent because it reminds us of a necessary dying that needs to happen in our lives on a regular basis. We need to constantly die to ourselves that Christ may live in us. As Paul wrote to the Galatians, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." (Galatians 2:20a, CEB). The practice of fasting, not just from food but from other creature comforts, is synonymous with the season of Lent. However, this practice of giving things up only works when we do it as a way of clearing ou...

Photo by Steve Charles shared on the Willow Running Company Facebook page I'd like to continue on the theme of praying for General Conference, which I wrote on last week: #pray4gc2016 . Prayer Runs As I've posted on many occasions on this blog already, running for me has evolved into a spiritual discipline . It is a practice that allows me to be centered in my relationship with God. It is an activity where I am able to prayerfully process thoughts, ideas and deep concerns. In the past three years, I have ran some marathons as "prayer runs", dedicating the miles to different prayer concerns. I've ran in  prayer for our Alaska churches . I've dedicated miles in prayer for those in unfortunate life situations .  This month, I am excited for another opportunity to run in prayer run. #miles4gc2016 As I posted last week , February 13th is the day assigned to us in the Alaska United Methodist Conference to join the denomination's prayer vigil: 13...