A seminary professor once told me the true test of a Lenten discipline is not the extent to which you are able to keep it for 40 days, but the extent to which it becomes a part of your life.
For the past several years running has been my Lenten discipline. 200 miles to be exact. Each of the 40 days, I run 5 miles. Sometimes it’s in the morning. Sometimes it’s at lunch. Sometimes it’s at 10pm at night after a long day of work and meetings. But I run.
In the craziness of Lent for a pastor you might imagine finding the time and energy to run 200 miles would be difficult, and I suppose on one hand it is. It wouldn’t be a Lenten discipline if it wasn’t. But on the other hand, it has proved grounding and healthy.
Which is why this year I decided to take the lesson from my seminary professor to heart. I committed myself to running not just 200 miles in Lent, but 200 miles in Easter and, a week after Pentecost (5/27), the Buffalo Marathon.
Now, let’s get one thing straight. Running 26.2 miles is crazy. It’s even crazier for a 200 (*cough* *cough* plus) pounder who has only run one other race in his life and it was 9 years ago. Trust me, I know that. But I also know that while running 26.2 miles is crazy, it’s even crazier to think about all of the ways we as a people have become sedentary and inactive–even, or perhaps especially, our kids.
At Hope we’re building a facility we believe will help generations of young people in our area change that. We call it a Future with Hope, and for us that is what it represents. A facility that will be home to free and organized play where youth (and adults!) can move and recreate and be active.
Rendering of the A Future with Hope Community and Ministry Center which will break ground at Hope Lutheran Church in 2018. The facility will house a full size gymnasium, youth activity rooms, and an area for community outreach.
Here’s how you can help: $26 for 26! Please consider donating a dollar for every mile I will run at this year’s Buffalo Marathon. Your donation will help build not just a community center, but a future with hope for generations to come.
Donate $26 for 26 via paypal or credit/debit card: $26 for 26
Donate another amount via paypal or credit/debit card: Donate Now
More information about our project can be found at: http://hopearcade.org/future/
And other ways to give are listed here: http://hopearcade.org/donate/
Thank you for supporting me as I run this marathon, Hope as we build this center, and the youth in our community who will get to use it. I appreciate it more than you know, and I thank God for you.