Boston: as a newbie runner & the fight against fear

Boston.  It is one of those moments that you will forever remember exactly where you were sitting when it happened.  I was in a coffee shop with a friend that had just returned from the mission field.  Her back was to the tv screen and I had to interrupt her and say I am so sorry, but something has happened.  Even the coffee shop crew came from behind the counter to gather around the tv to see what had happened.  It's one of those moments you have no idea what's going on but all you can do is say the Name JESUS over and over again.

I've struggled with the words to say over the past week because I'm new to the running community.  So new, I wonder if I have words to say, or even if I should say anything at all.  When it went viral to wear a marathon shirt on Tuesday to support Boston all I had was a couple of 5k shirts.  I still wanted to show my support, so I wore it anyway...but that just shows how new I am to this community!  So new, I haven't even written my whole running story on here yet, but I did want to say a few words today.

One week from today Katie and I will run our first half marathon together.  We have been training since the first week of January.  We've been running "together" since Thanksgiving.  She lives in Nashville and we text almost daily holding each other accountable.  I know how hard we have worked for this half next weekend and it's a race that anyone can sign up for---Boston is a race of a lifetime.  I can not even imagine someone wanting to steal that from someone....but that is not the purpose of this post.

Fear.  Katie and I stayed up late Monday night talking each other out of exactly where the enemy wanted us to go---the pit of fear.  I could feel it creeping up on me.  As the news reports came in and as we watched the clips over and over again, we just kept talking each other through it and out of it.    The questions we've asked each other--do we want our families standing at the finish line--something as a newbie runner you've been dreaming of for your first big race.  And if I'm being honest with you for a split second I had the thought creep in--do I want to do this--put myself and my family at risk?  Is this whole running thing worth it?

As the week has gone on...YES.  More now than ever do I want to run.  I was passionate about it before, and I plan on sharing my running story with you this week my first big race approaches, but running is absolutely worth it.  I will not only run on Saturday, I will run more this upcoming year than I had originally planned prior to Monday.  Run now for those that can't.  Pray harder that Jesus will somehow use this for His good.  I will enter into Saturdays race declaring that the enemy has not won.  Jesus is Victorious.  Fear cannot and will not win.

--

For the tangible side of things....how can you help?

Pray.  That Jesus would be made known in the midst of this.

Another Mother Runner has a great blog post on 10 ways to support Boston.

Pavement Runner has organized A Week After:  A Run for Boston (click that link to find your city!).  There is one in Piedmont Park for Atlanta.  The facebook page for that event is here.

Big Peach Company is also organizing runs for Monday night--click their page here.

Something you can do from anywhere is the Run 26.2 for Boston--it's an event going on on Facebook that you can join and commit to run 26.2 no matter where you are.  You can do it in one day, one week, one month.  Click here for the event page.

And to close it out--My favorite article I have read so far can be found here--Let The Healing Begin: Running Still Matters by Brian Metzler.

Labels: Boston Marathon, running

posted by Kristin @ April 20, 2013 1 Comments

Ten Years Later [McLendon Missions-Part Three]

Thank you friends for being so kind to my heart earlier this week.  I am so excited to start writing again and I can't thank you enough for your kind and encouraging words.  They mean more to me than you know!!

~

Ten years ago this month I came "home" from the mission field of Costa Rica.  I had been working with Christ for the City with their Renacer program (the rehabilitation ministry for street girls).  Although I wasn't certain how long I was going to be there, I was sure I would be there longer than the three months I had been there for.  Let me back up just a little.  I fully surrendered my life to Jesus the Fall of 2001.  I went on my first mission trip Spring 2002 (which happened to be to Costa Rica).  I graduated from UGA in May 2002 and spent the months that followed raising support and allowing the Lord to prepare my heart to go.  I left in January 2003 and in April the Lord started giving me dreams of me at RHUMC--which was nowhere on my radar.  We all know how the story unfolded--the Lord opened the door for me to move to Richmond Hill and work with the youth for the next five years, but the part of the story I want to share today is what He has done in my heart when it comes to missions.

To be honest I did not leave the mission field in April 2003 very willingly.  Even though the Lord gave me very vivid dreams of RHUMC and we know how the story ends now, I did not know all the pieces then, and I still thought there was a full time calling of missions on my life.  I was confused, a little hurt by the Lord if we want to be honest, and wanted more than three months (all very selfish).

It is now April 2013.  I can hardly believe ten years have passed.  What I have seen the Lord do is more than I could have ever, ever dreamed of.  Now both in Richmond Hill and at RiverStone He took my passion for missions and my passion to see youth walk in the fullness that He has for them and He put them together.  I tried to count the mission trips that He has allowed me to lead the other day and I couldn't.  I got overwhelmed by His goodness and now think the calling of "full time missions" for me may have just looked different all along.

This year overwhelms my heart even more than any other--because I get to watch my husband lead.  In 2005 he came along with me on a mission trip to none other than Costa Rica.  He had never been on a mission trip before--much less ever been out of the country.  The second day there I ended up in the hospital in Costa Rica and he ended up leading the team beautifully all week long.  He has been marked as a leader from the very beginning and I love that I get to see it coming out this year more so than ever before.  We've been able to lead together over the years--but this year I get to watch him lead on his own and it's beautiful (he'd probably beg to differ with me--but I think it's beautiful :).

At RiverStone Tom says, "we want all of you to go on a Short Term trip and we want some of you to come home."  Ten years ago I was one that was unhappy I was "coming home"  but I am one that now has had the privilege of going back over and over again.  Admittedly ten years ago I questioned the Lord A LOT.  Today, I wouldn't have had the last ten years any other way.  To know the youth I've had the privilege of knowing.  To take them on life changing trips.  To now see Robert lead, not only a trip, but lead a Summer Camp and a mission team (which is not for the faint at heart) and to remember the Robert in 2005 being out of the country for the very first time.  Jesus is beautiful.  His plan is absolutely perfect.  I'm so thankful the April 2003 Kristin decided to listen to Jesus and come home.

To read the full story of what the Lord has the McLendon's up to this Summer click here and here.

posted by Kristin @ April 12, 2013 0 Comments

Why I almost quit writing... [a very honest post]

I almost didn't write yesterdays blog post because well-my Fresh Start was for April 1st and as you can now see I didn't write it till April 8th.  I looked back in my journal at April 1st in my Secret Place with the Lord and this is what I wrote, "Jesus.  Not only is it a new week, it is a new month.  I love when the first falls on a Monday.  There is a freshness to it.  A fresh start.  A newness.  A do-over.  Jesus, that is exactly what I am asking for today.  I just feel like I can take a deep breath in you.  Whisper your name and say let's do this."  (As I type that out of my journal I feel like I am letting you see a piece of my heart--please be gentle with it.).   I drank deep of this with the Lord and so wanted to share all of this with you...

The reason I didn't write it for a week is because my Fresh Start got further and further away with each new day last week (and do y'all follow Robert on twitter?  If you do you can see what happened after I posted yesterdays blog post!  Y'all-for real!!!  Sometimes all you can do is laugh!).  The reason I did write it is because it was a promise from the Lord that I feel like He whispered to my heart that I felt like some of you could relate to and I was being disobedient by not sharing it.

With that, here comes a very honest post--back in the fall I felt the prompting from the Lord to jump in with the Nester and do a 31 day blogging series and what the Lord gave me was Isaiah 32:18.  I didn't make it all the way through the 31 days because life hit, but it did stir something in me.  So much so a couple of months ago I spent time rearranging our blog and changing the name of it from "The McLendon Whereabouts" to "The McLendons" with the subtitle of "and their journey to an Isaiah 32:18 home."

I did a lot of rearranging of things on the blog--but never once wrote a blogpost once I did it.  The reality of it was I felt like I had to have it all together before I did so.  The same with last week.  I had a fresh start on Monday and lost it all on Tuesday.  The lie that entered into my mind was that I no longer had something to offer or to write about.  I know that is not true, but it's the fear of man that enters in--that we have to present ourselves as if we have it all together.  I'll just throw it out there--I do not have it all together at all.  Most of the time I feel like I am the full time wife, full time mother, full time youth pastor that isn't doing any of these things well.  Or at any given time, doing one of the three things well while the other two are being neglected.  And the one that doesn't even make it onto the list--house wife--I'm completely horrible in this area.  My house gets a good cleaning when we have company over and let's just say it's time for company to come over to kick my butt into gear (I said this was a completely honest post right--it's going to take everything in me to hit publish on this post and then I'm going to have to walk away and not come back to my computer and hit delete!!).

The beautiful thing is I know my little family is unique.  We are a family in full time ministry.  We are a family in full time grad school.  We are a family in full time two year old BOY toddlerhood.  I feel like we are the opposite of the "normal" (or whatever normal is suppose to be) family.   In the midst of this absolute craziness I do believe the Lord has set me on a journey of discovering what it means to have an Isaiah 32:18 home.  "My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places."  I almost quit writing because my journey is not pretty.  I don't have it all together....and somewhere along the way I started to believe the lie that I have to have it all together before I could write.  So here we go.  I really do want to write again.  It's good for me.  I am a writer.  I know I am.  (Thank you Dorie for reminding me that I am.)  The noon deadline every Tuesday for five years in Richmond Hill for my Hill Topper article almost drove me crazy, but now that it is gone, I miss it.

It's not going to be pretty--but I'm on a journey--1.  to offer my family an Isaiah 32:18 home.  2.  to write again.  I hope you'll join me....

Labels: family, Isaiah 32:18, life

posted by Kristin @ April 09, 2013 1 Comments

A Fresh Start

Last Monday morning I woke up with a newness in my heart.  It was for starters a Monday morning.  There's something about a Monday--like a chance for a do-over (am I the only one that feels that way?).  Then it was April 1st.  The combination of the two did something for my heart.  February and March were long months for the McLendon household.  February was especially hard and March just felt like we were trying to dig out of the hole that February created for us.  With all that said I welcomed Monday, April 1st with open arms.  I woke up early, eagerly anticipating all that the Lord had for me in the Secret Place and the word He gave me was "A Fresh Start."  Thank you Jesus.  I whole heartedly receive that.  As I pondered on that throughout the day, I thought-I may even blog about this one.  Yes, an April 1st-a blog entry would be good.  Who doesn't need a "Fresh Start"?  Of course, the day got busy and I felt my time to blog go slipping through my fingers and as I laid down to sleep that night I thought, it's okay, I can still blog on the 2nd, it's not too late.

 The next morning, as I stood in the kitchen fixing little man his breakfast he proceeded to get sick all over the kitchen floor (with no fair warning at all--somehow that is so unfair--to both of us!!).  As I rushed to clean him up and settle him down, I felt my "Fresh Start" and April being different than February and March not just slipping away, but being stolen by the enemy (these were the lies that were quickly coming at me--just being honest here).  

Tuesday quickly turned into friends covering shifts and Robert and I playing tag as we each ran back and forth from home to work to home to work as we each had meetings we both had to be at through out the day.  Wednesday turned into much the same with an added bonus of a friend leaving dinner in the church refrigerator for us to pick up.  If I have learned anything in the hard months of February, March and now the first week of April, we are not alone and our community has kept our little heads above water (so, so, very thankful for our RiverStone community!!).

Now, back to my "Fresh Start."  Jesus gave it to me one week ago today.  Little man may have been feeling better on Thursday so we sent him back to "school", just for him to wake up from his nap on Friday at 4:30pm screaming, "IT HURTS!!"  So off to immediate med we went--an ear infection and ten days of antibiotics for us!  But here I am, once again on an absolutely beautiful Monday morning... again.  It's not April 1st, it's April 8th, but I'm still claiming it for all it's worth.  The winter is gone, the Spring has come.  The McLendon's need a Fresh Start.  We need the Fresh Air.  We are drinking deep of all the goodness of Jesus as He says in Isaiah 43:19, "Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?"  A Fresh Start.  Jesus has that for me today (I'm claiming it with every ounce of my being and not letting the enemy steal what Jesus has given me).  If a Fresh Start is what you need today--know I am praying for you!

posted by Kristin @ April 08, 2013 0 Comments