Running. Where do I start?

So Saturdays are usually the days that I go for my long runs! I get a ton of questions on how I started running and how others can start. So I thought every Saturday, I would give little tips for people!

Where better to begin, than the beginning?

First thing you need to decide before you even set out is to have a goal. Some of you, your goal might just to be start running. Great! Get going! Some of you, you might want to lose weight, get healthier or run a race of any distance. Once you have it, write it down! And put it in a place you will see it all the time. This could be on your fridge, or even setting a reminder for the same time every day on your phone! When you write it down, you are much likelier to do it. I have a whole bulletin board with my goals on it right opposite my bed. I see it every night and remind myself on my running goals.

Limits are nothing. Do not doubt yourself and reach for the goal, no matter how unlikely it seems right now! So what do you want to do?

Secret Date to the Lake!

Hi everyone! I am pretty proud of the fact that my husband comes up with some great date ideas. Mine are not half bad either if I do say so myself. We keep getting on Pinterest and trying to see if there are any other great date ideas, and sadly, we have already done most of them! So instead of complaining, we thought we could try to add to the mix and give some good ideas to anyone looking for some fun things to do!

Jared and I actually did this date almost five years ago now when we had our first summer in separate cities while still in college. Jared came to visit me and so I got to show him my town! He had no idea when he came to what I had planned. So we made the long car ride to... Ft. Worth! And I got to show him one of my favorite local places, Burgers Lake!

Image from http://www.burgerslake.com/

This little swimming hole was built over 50 years ago, but they are constantly updating it and have a great set up! There's a trapeze, high dive, water slide and diving platform. My family has been coming for a while now and we've seen the high standards the owners hold the lifeguards to first hand. My cousin was actually asked to be a "fake drowning victim" to test the lifeguards and they were on top of it! The place is quaint and beautiful and there are picnic tables everywhere with places to grill!

Jared and I had so much fun jumping off everything and then grilled hamburgers. But the best part, was I brought painting supplies! We didn't know a ton about each other yet and so we each took a half of a heart and painted different things that we loved. That was the only rule. I think it was pretty obvious that our personalities came out on the canvas!

Drying!

Put together!

We STILL cherish this painting today!

After the lake, we changed (they have great showers at Burgers Lake!) and went to downtown Ft. Worth to the Water Gardens! This place is amazing and definitely worth visiting. I love going back again and again!

Our favorite spot, the waterfall you can actually walk down into!

Yep. I was in love!

I love the water!

Our first of many times to the Water Gardens!

This date isn't really different or outrageous. But we visited a new place and added a personal touch since we both loved painting. Dates don't have to be super spectacular like you see on the Bachelor or something. They just need to have a great combination of new and common interest that ultimately brings you two closer together!

Have you gone on dates to lakes that were really fun?

Let's Go Camping!!

Last week I turned 25!!!! I had the most amazing birthday yet. My friends and family really made the day so special!

One of my favorite things that we did for my birthday was go CAMPING! Jared and I love to camp! It's an amazing way to get away and unplug (literally) from the world. We have so much fun and see such amazing things. Check out this view that we had!!!

Camping has really been a crucial piece of our marriage as well. We have a pretty solid marriage on a day to day basis. But getting away and not getting distracted by phones or TV or anything else is really special. It takes our relationship deeper and stronger and we come back feeling so refreshed!

We've been going camping for a while now. We are by no means experts but we feel like we have a great system down and can do it pretty cheap! And while Jared and I were out on our last camping trip, we discussed that it might be a good idea to pass on our tips and tricks for camping! We hope that this series of blogs will be helpful for anyone out there that might be interested in starting to explore the great outdoors!

So the first thing you really need to think about before you do anything is set your expectations. Camping is a ton of work. There is a ton of preparation involved. You are going outdoors. There are bugs and no air conditioning and everything takes twice as long to do as it takes at home with a ton more effort. It's not going to be a five star hotel, but you will have an adventure! Setting your expectations is important to help your planning and teamwork to go better. Good planning makes a really great camping experience!

Second thing you need to do is decide weather you want to go RVing, camp in an enclosure, or go with the tent. Jared actually lived in an RV for a month between apartment rentals, and I actually enjoyed visiting while he lived there. It is nice to have an enclosure with semi-house like feel. My extended families would take their pop up campers with them on our family camping trips and they do make the experience a bit more pleasant for those who don't camp often or aren't big fans of the outdoors.

Enclosures are actual cabins at the campgrounds. They usually do not have air conditioning but have bunk beds where you can bring a mattress and sleeping bag and you aren't sleeping on the ground. There are also usually screened in which cuts out on the bugs.

Our Little Tent!

Jared and I actually camp out in our little two person tent on the ground! We love the fact that we can not put the rainfly on if we are expecting good weather and fall asleep looking at the stars! It's one of my favorite parts of camping! We do have backpacker mattress pads to help cushion our sleep since we both naturally sleep on our sides and the ground gets really rough on our hips and shoulders. However, the not-as-great-as-at-home night sleep is totally worth some of the amazing views we see and places we get to camp!

So once you know what type of sleeping arrangements you want to have, you can then start looking for campgrounds! Make sure they have spaces that accommodate your camping preferences, and then start planning for a great trip!

Next camping blog, Jared and I will share some of our favorite places to camp!

We are also, by no means, experts. We would value any input you may have! How do you camp and why?

Being Used by God

It's been a crazy couple of weeks!

Last week we had build week for preschool. Our whole preschool hall way is now redecorated and it looks awesome!

After that, Jared came home! But it was no rest for the weary. We left for Houston after church on Sunday and it was go, go, go with moving our apartment. We are officially moved in! Even if all my stuff is still in boxes...

I sat down this morning to catch up on things. It was overwhelming. Not to mention my computer decided to not work last night. And with stuff ramping up at work, I literally had to take a second to just sit and breathe. I know mentally it will all be ok. Spiritually and emotionally, I still feel like an earthquake on the inside.

The Lord has been faithful through it all. He has provided Jared and I with blessing after blessing. We had everything we needed for Jared's work provided for. Moving expenses were covered. We received immeasurable help from our families in our move. We made the move in our short time frame too! Through it all, God has provided. It only can be attributed to Him. Honestly.

Most of the time I open the Bible, it's like a breath of fresh air (disclaimer: there are some moments where I don't come to the Bible with the correct attitude. That's when it is not a breath of fresh air!). Today, I read Ephesians chapter 4. In the light of things starting at work and the things going on in Redeemed, it spoke to me like never before.

Ephesians 4:17 - 19
"So I say this, and insist in the Lord, that you no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding, being alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts. Because they are callous, they have given themselves over to indecency for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness."

I've often wondered why people don't seem to care about the things of God. Why do people see or hear about terrible things happen in the world today (say, human trafficking, poverty, hunger, orphans, etc) and don't step up to do something about it? I think this set of verses begins to shed a small light on that. I believe that it is possible to live far from God even if you have asked him to be your Savior, having lived this way for a small portion of my life. The choices you make on how to live your life determine if you walk through life close or far away from your Savior. Some people's hearts are hardened. Because of this, they alienate themselves from the life of God (read: AMAZING life!) because they are ignorant of it and do not understand it.

Ephesians 4:20 - 24
"But you did not learn about Christ like this, if indeed you heard about him and were taught in him, just as the truth is in Jesus. You were taught with reference to your former way of life to lay aside the old man who is being corrupted in accordance with deceitful desires, to be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and to put on the new man who has been created in God’s image  – in righteousness and holiness that comes from truth."

God is the only one who can change this hard heart for one of compassion and love, fashioned from his own compassion and love for us. We just have to ask. Many times, we need to ask daily, hourly, minute-ly...

Ephesians 4:25

"Therefore, having laid aside falsehood, each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another."

TELL OTHERS ABOUT JESUS! Amen. Also, tell the truth about the way people are living. With love. I hope you see me doing this right now.

Ephesians 4:26 - 27

"Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on the cause of your anger. Do not give the devil an opportunity."

Notice it does not say never be angry. It says do not sin because of your anger. I used to think anger was a bad thing. But now I realize God gets angry too and when I get angry at things, I need to do a gut check with God to make sure I am not selfish in my anger. Then, when I do that gut check, I trust that if God is angry with it too, he's going to change it and be glorified in that change. I get angry that human trafficking exists. I get angry that kids who love church don't have parents that faithfully bring them. But, I know God gets angry about those things too. My anger is suddenly replaced by peace that God is working to change that and I have more fuel to do the things he has called me to do.

Ephesians 4:28 - 32

"The one who steals must steal no longer; rather he must labor, doing good with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with the one who has need. You must let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but only what is beneficial for the building up of the one in need, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. You must put away every kind of bitterness, anger, wrath, quarreling, and evil, slanderous talk. Instead, be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you."

If I was running for president, this would be my platform. You want handouts? Stop stealing, lying, and causing havoc in the community. THEN we will be able to help you and make progress!  It's the philosophy that you don't just give a man fish, but instead, teach him how to fish on their own. This is what I love about my boss. He doesn't just give me mindless tasks, but he teaches me why we do certain things that seem like mindless tasks. Who knows? Maybe if those that cheat and steal put their efforts into doing good with their own hands, they wouldn't need welfare support or freebees.

Even if we don't steal or cheat...you want to fight? Hold grudges? Argue just for the sake of arguing? STOP IT. None of this is helpful. It's something I've noticed about people in my generation. We all like to talk about the problem. We like to have a platform and speak in front of thousands about how terrible the problem is. We like the fame that comes with brainstorming how to solve those problems. We love to argue with one another about the BEST way to get it done. We love it when people say we are inspiring. But when it comes time to stand up and actually do what we planned to do, no one seems to have the time to. Or they overcommitted themselves to three Bible Studies instead. Or they have to take their kids to gymnastics, music lessons, soccer practice, art class AND therapy tonight.

I may sound a little harsh, but here's my point. I think deep down people care about things that are important: relationships with God, relationships with other people, leaving the world better than we entered it, etc. They are all things we talk about. But somewhere along the line, Christian or not, we get off track. We mess up our priorities where what we do doesn't back up what our mouth says we value.

God has designed all of us to do something. Some of us, it's working to get the money to fund the things God wants us to do in our churches. Some of us, it's to talk with those in our sphere of influence about what God did for us. Some of us, it's getting dirty in the trenches taking the resources of the church to those God wants to reach. We all have a part and we are all important. We shouldn't all be one part...we would never get anything done!

But what has happened, is we have a Christian culture that is too wrapped up in the things of the church instead of the things of God. We become too busy for God himself, and end up missing out on the life we could have had being used for the kingdom of God. It's sad, but sometimes true.

God loves us. He created us. He wants to use us to glorify Himself to others. In the process, we get to learn more about him and experience miracles that we would never have otherwise seen! It's a scary process sometimes and it requires the leaps of faith we all talk about. But when we actually step up and allow God to use us, it's amazing.

God is always faithful and he's dreams and plans for our lives are so much more than what we could ever dream and imagine for ourselves. I encourage you to never forget that and to trust God with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding!

Pushing Through Fear

Hello everyone! I hope you are all doing great! And I don't just say that. I really want you to be doing great!

So each week I have been using this new cool technology to communicate to my volunteers and hopefully encourage them as we go through ministry together. So I figured if I'm going to go through making these videos, then I could probably use them on here too and hopefully encourage more people! So here's my encouragement for the week. Remember, it is geared toward my volunteers but I hope you can find encouragement too!



Volunteer 10-1-12 from Madelyn on Vimeo.

Running Across America finally came back online! Here's last Saturday and Sunday's runs!

Today was our 30 minute run. No intervals. Only walking if we had to! I only walked once for about a minute! I am so proud of myself! This is the run I've been training for! Now all I gotta do is get my 5K under 30 minutes in 3 weeks. I think I can do it!

Here's today's run!

New Directions

Gorgeous sunshine at the park!

Hi everyone! Last post I was pretty down. Struggling with post marathon blues and the eternal winter going on. But recently, the sun has come out! The air is warmer and as I've been getting my usual doses of Vitamin D now, my mood has warmed up considerably as well! There is nothing like the hope of spring and great weather to lift anyone's spirits!

What has also helped, is that I am also realizing where and what I am supposed to be doing next. The last two years have been marked by my steady pursuit of my first marathon. From not being able to run for more than 30 seconds, I conquered health problems and mental blocks to overcome my fear of pain from running. In the meantime, I overcame many other fears, literally anything from guns to gardening. So as I am sitting here post marathon, I don't think I'm done overcoming fears yet. However, a new idea has been forming in my head, and let's just say I have a ton of growing up to do.

Ever since I can remember, I haven't given a whole ton of thought to other people's perception of me. All I knew, was I wanted to be different from everyone else. I recognized a culture deficit going on and I didn't want to have anything to do with it. I liked doing my own thing, regardless of what people thought of me.

Now that I'm older and I have great people speaking into my life, I'm recognizing that sometimes, this desire to be different comes off different than I intend. People have said to me that sometimes I seem stand-off-ish, and until they got to know me, they thought I didn't like them. While I brushed off these comments a few years ago, they are coming back up in my head.

I've always said that I'm basically 8 years old at heart (Jared is 5 haha). I say that because I remember that age where everything seemed wonderful and enjoyable and new, and I want that spirit to be with me as an adult. But I recently heard someone say that you need to be 2/3 adult and 1/3 kid, and you have to be careful not to flip it around. So I'm realizing, that my 8 year old self that just wants to be different and satisfy my craving to explore the world is getting in the way of my authentic relationships. And while I won't get to know everyone that I meet "deeply," I never want them to look at me and say, "She doesn't like me." The old me would say, "Well, they should just stick around and find out the truth." But the newer, questioning me says, "But why would they if someone else seems so much more inviting?"

So to sum up what I've been learning, is that maturity is knowing the fine line of being aware of how people perceive you, without letting everyone's opinions determine your personality. If I look at someone and judge whether or not I want to try to be friends with them, I would be naive to think that they don't do the same to me. The truth is, I love making new friends. But the other truth is, I tend to not show that on the outside. The truth is, I want people to know Jesus. But how can they get to know that if I seem selfish or self absorbed?

So I'm going to work on maturing myself, making sure the way people perceive me matches what is actually going on inside. I have no idea how to do this yet, but thank goodness I have a ton of training miles to sort it all out!