TiRed

My dear little "r", tell me, please,
Wherefore art thou from?
Did you shyly wriggle from the earth
 Or roll in snazzy on a drum?
You play hard to get on lips and mouths
of both the old and the young,
demanding a certain skillful curve,
you, tiny diva of the tongue.
You give the job it's beating heart
When teach becomes teacher,
Doctor, lawyer, mother, father, 
task and person, double feature.
You arch like a diving board
about to spring and let me fly
upside down hook, stealing fish
from river homes to wonder why.
Your big bRother bullies you
Staking claim to be first and big.
You just hang your sad little head
But stand firm, you one-legged kid.
You are the one who calls us all 
to refresh, restore, renew
But I smile when I see your drooping head
Saying "Sometimes I get tired too."
You're tired but you cannot sleep
Can't fall back or just lay around
They might think you're a lazy L
Who got stomped into the ground.
Perk up, little r, we'll make it thru,
For you can be my cane
Keeping me from falling over too
And hitting my head when I complain.
Ow.



"God doesn’t come and go. God lasts. He’s Creator of all you can see or imagine. He doesn’t get tired out, doesn’t pause to catch his breath. And he knows everything, inside and out. He energizes those who get tired, gives fresh strength to dropouts. For even young people tire and drop out, young folk in their prime stumble and fall. But those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles, They run and don’t get tired, they walk and don’t lag behind."Isaiah 40:27-31

"Why, I feel all thin, sort of stretched, if you know what I mean: like butter that has been scraped over too much bread. That can't be right. I need a change, or something.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

“How small life is hereand how big nothingness.The sky, tired of light,has given everything to the snow.The two trees bowtheir heads to each other.Clouds cross the world’ssilence in a circle dance.” ― Robert Walser, Oppressive Light: Selected Poems by Robert Walser

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”Matthew 11:28-30

Stonewashed

husky jean coonskin cap kid
shuffling through the woods
stone-washed pockets filled with dreams
front right pocket holds a memory
dad pouring out a case of beer and starting over
back left pocket holds a tiny model of the planet Uranus
the name makes him giggle
his buddy Matt's pocketknife clipped to a belt loop
handy, prepared, faithful like his friend
a tattered tag labeled "Made in Frankfort, IN"
hangs by a thick invincible thread
he fiddles with it when he's bored, homesick,
or just hungry for a hot dog
his Levi's smell of campfire and coondogs
backyards and bike rides
licorice and laundromats
They whistle like Andy Griffith
paint like Bobby Ross
and daydream like little Stevie Spielberg.
this little boy I never met
this man I always loved
who softens and stretches
sees beauty when I'm worn out
my rock who keeps me
stonewashed



"Don't marry the person you think you can live with; marry only the individual you think you can't live without."
James C. Dobson 

Marriage is not a place to “stand up for your rights.” Marriage is a decision to serve the other. 1 Cor 7:9 (msg)

"A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person."
Mignon McLaughlin 

Honey, Be

this mind a beehive to behave
eyes dart like anxious wings
thoughts collide like bumble cars
my voice an annoying buzz
like a Saturday morning alarm
this hexa-comb home doesn't close on weekends
they think I work hard to hoard honey
my heart lost its stinger years ago
all I want to do is share You
lip smacking sweet
freedom fly
honey, be
me




“The bee is domesticated but not tamed.” 
― William Longgood

"Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body." 

Proverbs 16:24 ESV

“The bee's life is like a magic well: the more you draw from it, the more it fills with water” 
― Karl Von Frisch, Bees: Their Vision, Chemical Senses and Language

sNOw worries

snow
icy feathers stinging grace
descending slow
sky to Earth incarnation
no sound, no rules, no worries

snowflakes
white blanket covering ugly
beauty bundling up
melting to offer life water growth
like You did, like You do, like You will.

“Whenever this happens, my heart stops— I’m stunned, I can’t catch my breath. .. His mighty acts staggering our understanding. He orders the snow, ‘Blanket the earth!’...No one can escape the weather—it’s there. And no one can escape from God...Whether for discipline or grace or extravagant love, he makes sure they make their mark."Job 37:1-13

"Snow was falling,
so much like stars
filling the dark trees
that one could easily imagine
its reason for being was nothing more
than prettiness.” 
― Mary Oliver

"Soak me in your laundry and I’ll come out clean, scrub me and I’ll have a snow-white life. Tune me in to foot-tapping songs, set these once-broken bones to dancing. Don’t look too close for blemishes, give me a clean bill of health. God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life. Don’t throw me out with the trash, or fail to breathe holiness in me. Bring me back from gray exile, put a fresh wind in my sails!" Psalm 51:7-15

“I have been talking of the past (your past and mine) only in order that you may turn from it forever. One wrench and the tooth will be out. You can begin as if nothing had ever gone wrong. White as snow.” 
― C.S. Lewis

4 Letter WORDs

There comes a TIME
for a FOUR letter WORD
that doesn't BURN a HOLE
or SNAP at ones you LOVE
but leaves a DOOR OPEN
lets a BELL RING
gives a LAKE its MIST
a TREE its LEAF
a WIND its GUST
a WAVE its TIDE
a SIGH its KISS
a HAND its GRIP
A FIRE its GLOW

but when RAIN turns to SNOW
Every HOUR is RUSH
you're a FISH on a HOOK
your BATH grows COLD
your LACE RIPS
your EYES LEAK
your MIND RUNS

and you want to HOWL at the MOON
JUMP off a ROOF
CLAW your EYES and
BOOK a ROOM where you can
YELL at yourSELF

At the end of your ROPE your BOOK your MILE
At the end of your LIFE your POEM the LINE
You FALL off into the ARMS
of ABBA HOLY
And LAND in
HOPE


“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” Martin Luther King Jr.

"God’s the one who rebuilds.He heals the heartbroken and bandages their wounds...God puts the fallen on their feet again"Psalm 147:2-5

"Choose to be okay with not being okay. God's main purpose for you is not what you do. It's who you become." Pete Wilson #LetHopeIn

"Why are you down in the dumps,dear soul? Why are you crying the blues?Fix my eyes on God—soon I’ll be praising again."Psalm 43:5

"The best life artists practice the discipline of gratitude-which makes their life art.True masterpieces are painted in the dark."AnnVoskamp

That.

that she will grow into a Godly woman and stay my baby all at once
that she will always see snow as a snack and life as an adventure,
that she will grow to cling to You, like she reaches for "pinky" the elephant every night
that she flies out of her selfishness, fluttering empathy to others, and find hers true self
that generous words, deeds and new ideas would flow from her like a steady spring 
that a smile trumps an eye roll, relationship trumps task, and You trump all else
that her "dorky Jesus mom" gets off her nerves and dives deep in her heart
that her gratitude floodgates open until keeping up with the Joneses is washed away
that peace envelopes her mind like a river swim with Samson
that confidence cleans her mirror and imagined judges disappear
that humility invades her soul, usurping pride to set her free
that You help me raise this perfectly imperfect reflection of You and me
that I can shut my mouth and just be
that she will see and choose You over me
That is what I pray.
That.


"As parents, then, instead of concentrating on – and sometimes fretting about – whether and how our kids are living “righteous” lives, we have the opportunity to help them discover, access, and strengthen their trust and faith in Jesus Christ. In so doing, the righteousness they eventually display will be the product of the Holy Spirit. A good faith conversation doesn’t equal convincing your kid that what you believe is best." 
Powell & Clark, Sticky Faith

“Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person's character lies in their own hands.” 
― Anne Frank

"Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." 
Proverbs 22:6 
.

Seasonal Slush

The slump hits like a flu in January
the postpartum of Baby Jesus beauty born
White Christmas melted down to grey slush
after party mess of mud-puddle potholes
peppered with concrete crumbs and dead bug floaters
Head drooping as if looking for a hole to hibernate in
As I look down in the sooty soup bowls
reflections force me to look up in this inverted world
a brown blurred drowning to be born again
to "Die Empty" "Steal Like an Artist" and live "Hands Free"
to get out of bed with the "how" and "what"
to walk out the front door into the negative degree sting of the "why"
nose buried in books to soar to new heights in the new year
like the shivering birds who fly overhead
who choose to stay even though they could go to Florida
without having to call in sick or pay for a hotel.
Stupid birds…or are they on to something?
This icy sickness that slows, clips the wings
forcing me to rest in the shouting silence of the slump
eyes darting around, searching for bootstraps
to pull me up out of this muddy pothole funk
to close my eyes, end the search
to open my ears, begin to listen
for that slow steady icicle drip whisper
of You repeating…
"I got this.
I got this.
I
got
this."
Whether it's months away
or as close as my next step
You will always bring back the Spring.

God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out,
    his merciful love couldn’t have dried up.
They’re created new every morning.
    How great your faithfulness!
I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over).
    He’s all I’ve got left. 

Lamentations 3:22-24 (msg)

"Embrace the importance of now and refuse to allow the lull of comfort, fear, familiarity, and ego to prevent you from taking action on your ambitions...The cost of inaction is vast. Don't go to your grave with your best work inside of you. Choose to die empty."
 Todd Henry, Die Empty

“People will misinterpret you and what you do.
They might even call you names.
So get comfortable with being misunderstood, disparaged, or ignored—
the trick is to be too busy doing your work to care...
Today isn't just another day. Today I'll create something beautiful.”
― Austin Kleon, Steal Like an Artist

"There's more to life than the inconvenience you first see.
By adjusting your perspective, there just night be an opportunity,
a blessing or a gift disguised in that 'problem'...
I chose to 'Love all I do' rather than "Do it all"…
there is breathing room.
There is room for laughing, playing,
memory making, and (gasp)
maybe even a little relaxing with the people I love the most.
There is room for what really matters. There is room to live." 

Rachel Macy Stafford, Hands Free Mama

Singers and dancers give credit...“All my springs are in you!”

Psalm 87:7

Catharsis

The open field yawns into the line of the sunset horizon
I run through the stabbing muscle cramps,
sprinting to exhaustion,
Reaching, chasing, and collapsing in the end
From the weighty rock growing in my chest.
It's beautiful and my phone died
Landing in the truth that I may never possess it,
never hold it in my hands
never taste it on my tongue
Lemonade from mud
bubble gum music soundtrack to a bloodstained war movie
smiling at the funeral of ideals
today I just sit down in it
filthy hands reaching up to You
covered in gloopy soot and sharp twigs
and dreaming of summer lemons
while ice envelopes winter branches.
The storm clouds hover and bares trees loom,
Tearing off band-aids from broken limbs
The sun still caresses the horizon with Your promises,
Like when I push Lauren's hair from her eyes as she sleeps,
Full of lemonade wishes, love, and a whisper
the whisper of a muddy hope.

Relax, everything's going to be all right; rest, everything's coming together; open your hearts, love is on the way! Jude 1: 2

"When I said 'My foot is slipping,'
Your love, O Lord, supported me.
When anxiety was great within me
Your consolation brings joy to my soul."
Psalm 94:18-19

Mirror

This beautiful problem
square hole of a story
an army of round pegs
and an answered prayer.
But when the applause dies
the curtain call ends
and they head back to school
remind them of Your applause
in every second of every day
regardless of nailing performance
Your standing ovation
 for who You made them to be…

To our Scrooge kids:
If I could clean your looking glass 
To reveal the lie of what you see
A lead-footed figure stands before you 
Like a steel cup of cold coffee. 
Your dark eyes pound the glass
To record another failure 
An endless search for imperfection 
Like a ship without a sailor. 
A crooked mouth turns with a sigh 
To set free any lingering ambition 
For dreams only lead to suicide 
And hope—your ammunition. 
Legs not thin enough to swim at the pool 
Not strong or fast enough to win the next race
A mind filled with only choices 
Between not trying and last place. 
Ears made deaf to the words of truth 
A nose too pudgy, arms that sag, 
A fistful of borrowed anger 
But it’s only your cleaning rag. 
I know because I saw what you see 
When I was just your age 
Filled with thoughts of jealousy, failure, 
Loneliness and rage. 
If I knew the truth and had cleaned my glass 
Oh, the things I could have done 
The places I could have gone 
And great battles I could have won. 
If I could clean your looking glass
To reveal the truth of what We see
A majestic winged figure stands
Like regal royalty.
Your bright eyes look away 
To the opportunities in the distance
Though your blindness hides them
I know you can reach them with persistence.
Your mouth holds the words prisoner
That I know could change the world
If I could only make you clean your glass
Your inhibitions would be unfurled
Legs that could take you anywhere
To glorious lands and adventures rare
A mind painted with dreams
And inventions no one would dare.
Ears that could open finally
To feed that ravenous mind
And that tightened fist full of cloth
With the power to seek and find.
Yet you stand by your glass
Haunted by those lead feet
When your wings are eager to soar
As they stretch and yearn to beat.
Oh, please lift your hand.
Oh, please see the truth.
For life is fleeting
And so is your youth.
I cannot clean your looking glass.
Though how I wish I could.
For only you can wipe away
The bad and see the good.
So fold your rag. Wipe the glass.
See your wings today.
So I can watch you find your dreams
And finally fly away.


"The journey in between what you once were and who you are now becoming is where the dance of life really takes place." ~Barabra DeAngelis

"For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be." Psalm 139:13-16

Ideas Like Flowers

some pray for rain
for healing
for justice
for money
but I run in the fall rain
and pretend it's spring
dreaming of an epitaph that reads
"All around her things bloom nonstop"
listening for ideas whispered
and falling in drops like clues
like seeds that could grow
in the dry ground of a heart
and make it fertile again
blossoming into a tall sunflower
swaying in this cracked, earthen field
to the song of peace joy purpose
bending in the breeze to worship You
and let it all begin
with the seed of a story


"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you."
Maya Angelou

"Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see."
C. S. Lewis

"The idea is to write it so that people hear it and it slides through the brain and goes straight to the heart." Maya Angelou


"Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story—" Psalm 107:2a

"...let the wise listen and add to their learning,
and let the discerning get guidance—
for understanding proverbs and parables,
the sayings and riddles of the wise.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge..." Proverbs 1:5-7

"With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand." Mark 4:33

Silver Lining

Sometime I wish I lived in a Norman Rockwell painting
Settled down in that vivid warmth and silliness
Uneven socks in their breathtaking imperfection
impish winks above cherry cheeks
Soda shop counters on a first name basis
That left corner of the mouth turned up into life
George Bailey lassoing the moon in baggie pants
Bubble gum apple pie simplicity
A dance of playful rest
Wrinkled wisdom of the ages beckoning us to listen
Reminding me of Park Place Church of God
That white steepled stained glass gift box
Where my all my aunts and uncles tied the not
Where Dad gaped at Mom coming down the aisle
And 25 years later I walked out a breathless bride
Now Sunday mornings spark littered pews of mostly silver hair
Some would lament the aging of a church
But I can’t help but think of old Norman Rockwell
And how every wrinkle tells a story
Every baggy eye hiding some impish wisdom,
every note in the worn hymnals floating up in classic praise
like the perfume of home cooked meals
wafting in snug homes blocks away from any Golden arches
where old seems new and nostalgia is the new modern
and where I breathe a little easier
I wonder what I could learn from the minds and hearts
of these silver crowned sages
what epic stories of faith
what buried treasures
lie in wait
what if the young looked up from our smartphones
to bow with respect to the aged
and listened
They don’t have an app for that.

“You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear, as young as your hope, as old as your despair. “ Douglas MacArthur

“The years teach much the days never knew.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life.” Proverbs 16:31

“Wisdom is with aged men; with long life is understanding.” Job 12:12

“Lift high your praises when the people assemble,
shout Hallelujah when the elders meet!” Psalm 107:32

Roots

This hand-me-down quilted kaleidoscope
this legacy of unorthodox saints all marching in
with the spirits of Joe and Dorothy on their knees
bed-side offerings knelt down and lifted up to you
like the sweet aroma of Grandma's roast
Great is Thy Faithfulness to us all
and I am humbled to be planted in such rich soil.
We are dog-eared hymnals and underlined bibles
"Oh Forevermore's" and pink shirt embroidery parades
echoing laughter floating out from above prominent chins
Thursday letters and detailed vacation photo captions
doxology melodies that link our hands, hearts and voices to You
we are quirky barber-shop-quartet-loving, piano-playin',
puppeteering, RV missionaries on the move,
We are teachers, preachers, counselors, soldiers,
truck-drivers, nurses, social workers, speakers, listeners
and forever students of life
We come to You from Germany and Kansas, Korea and Ohio
Puerto Rico and Florida, Indiana and Abu Dhabi,
From Tennessee, Illinois, Alabama, Connecticut
and wherever You call us from or send us to.
Our gestures are animated. Our voices are loud.
We have weird jokes, loud whistles, and wide grins.
We love puzzles, planning, and playing instruments,
We jump into silly card, token, dice, domino board games
only to be together and not keep score
All three sons now married 50 plus years
hand me down legacy of marriage the way You meant it to be
Slide shows and talent shows
5 minute skits that make us giggle and sniff
Tiny dogs that fit in bags and red trucks as big as Texas
And from test results for both young and old
that make us hold each other
a little longer and a little tighter
An expanding faith enclosed in our embraces
and choosing to trust Your love in our worry
with that misty picture of Joe and Dorothy
on their knees and in our hearts.
And we choose to offer this gift of family
back up to You
the root of our ever-growing family tree.



"What greater thing is there for human souls than to feel that they are joined for life - to be with each other in silent unspeakable memories. " ~George Eliot

"He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly." Acts 10:2

"You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them." ~Desmond Tutu

"But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."Joshua 24:15

"The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together."
~Erma Bombeck

"Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching.
They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck." Proverbs 1:8

“A happy family is but an earlier heaven.” George Bernard Shaw

Knock, Knock...

Mecca of improv and comedy
sequel revenge of the soccer moms
two overworked and underpaid
overextended and underwired moms
 ready to be little girls again
trading in our messy buns for pigtails
traveling back in time when silliness was like breathing
and we made up stories on the spot.
Back to innocence but carrying the moxie of motherhood
packed in the backpacks we stole from our kids' rooms
ready to dive back in the pool of our own gifts
swim some laps toward our dreams
and let our kids be the ones cheering from the stands
this time.
This time.
Our time.
A delicious rarity 
5 day buffet week to fill our plates first
Time to laugh, write, imagine, 
and rediscover who we really are in You.

Let the crazy frizzy mom hair flow

like the pens on blue lines 

with clusters and lists of 10.

Heavy totem pole of hats we wear lifted off our minds
one by one
so our hearts, filled with You, can breath deeper
and exhale you into others
who think Polyanna church ladies are outdated, out of touch, outwitted
May Your glory outshine all these stardom seekers,
May Your laughter drown their fears,
May Your story make us all kids again,
trusting in a daddy who tells the best jokes.
Knock. Knock.
Who's there?....

“Look at me. I stand at the door. I knock. If you hear me call and open the door, I’ll come right in and sit down to supper with you." Revelation 3:20(msg)

“Life is worth living as long as there's a laugh in it.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

God’s Message: “‘I’ll turn things around...I’ll compassionately come in and rebuild...Thanksgivings will pour out of the windows; laughter will spill through the doors. Things will get better and better. Depression days are over. They’ll thrive, they’ll flourish...to being a community in which I take pride." 

Jeremiah 30:18+ 

“The human race has only one really effective weapon and that is laughter.”
― Mark Twain

"On your feet now. Bring a gift of laughter, sing yourselves into his presence." 

Psalm 100:1-2

“I love people who make me laugh. I honestly think it's the thing I like most, to laugh. It cures a multitude of ills. It's probably the most important thing in a person.” 
― Audrey Hepburn

The Wall

I rush to move forward in the story
pencil sprinting across the page
fingertips clicking to race the raindrop rhythm outside
and the storm grows nearer
and
Bam.
the wall towers.
the breeze, the rush, the thrill is gone
I stand still and look up, dreaming of leaping over in a single bound
Begging for the quick fix thought, sentence, word that will bypass the climb
But it's a barefoot grip with shaking toes and fingers
it's slips and falls, its grunts and lip bites
sweat and quivering aching muscles crawling inch by inch.
Sometimes no matter how many times you march around the city,
no matter how loud you blow the trumpets,
the walls remain.
Calling us to claw our way inch by inch
because Your whispers are in the work.
Your holiness in the harness
Your voice in the vigor.
The blank page stares
The blank screen dares
from the God who cares.

"Inspiration usually comes during work rather than before it." Madeleine L'Engle 

"Clean the slate so we can start the day fresh !Keep me from from thinking I can take over-so I can start this day sun-washed clean." Psalm 19:12

"Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay first the foundation of humility." Saint Augustine

Marathon

Everyone is running their own silent marathon
test results, job losses, divorce papers,
their past pounding like a headache,
yelling mirrors screaming comparison lies,
slamming doors behind picket fence dreams,
promises broken like skin around knives in their backs,
fears of unseen monsters lurking in a ticking clock,
us vs. them rage that scratches that itch to belong,
that dark cloud that weighs them down in bed each morning,
Their starting line one eyelid raised,
a move of the covers
or just a foot on the floor,
the finish line that same position
that same night, that same day,
a circle track that leaves them dizzy
I used to run away too.
I used to trudge through the day
one
step
at
a
time
I used to run away from home
until I found I was chasing You in the horizon,
stretched wide like the prodigal Father's arms
always waiting, watching, ready with a party,
my running steps, a lullaby rhythm
rocking my beehive brain to sleep
just enough to hear You whisper... I'm here.
Knees and hips stab bee stings from the hive
Nothing compared to nails through your hands and a spear in Your side
All so we could here you say...I'm here.
Then a community vision of marathon proportions
a finish line in 2016
a transformed community that knows You are here.
So...You whispered a calling
this not-soProverbs 31 woman will run 31 miles
for them, for a broken tired humanity,
that hits the Michiana pavement every morning
looking down in a concrete city that blocks their view
I will run by them, for them,
hoping they might look up long enough
to see You waiting on the Horizon
and start their run alongside me
straight into Your arms.


“The reason we race isn't so much to beat each other,... but to be with each other.”
― Christopher McDougall, Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,  fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross,scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." Hebrews 12:1-3

“I run because long after my footprints fade away, maybe I will have inspired a few to reject the easy path, hit the trails, put one foot in front of the other, and come to the same conclusion I did: I run because it always takes me where I want to go.”
― Dean Karnazes, Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner

“Running! If there's any activity happier, more exhilarating, more nourishing to the imagination, I can't think of what it might be. In running the mind flees with the body, the mysterious efflorescence of language seems to pulse in the brain, in rhythm with our feet and the swinging of our arms.” 
― Joyce Carol Oates

"I listed all the reasons I was afraid that I could not finish the race. Then I said, "But Lord, if Your spirit runs through me, I will finish this race. With every breath in my lungs and all the strength in my muscles, I will keep going, only I can't do it without you. There's only one way to find out if I can finish this race, and thats to put my body out there and my unwavering faith in You. Lord, show me that You are with me." Scott Rigsby Unthinkable

"Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified." 1 Corinthians 9:25-27