Category Archives: Physical Exercise

Newcomer or Old-Timer?

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Snow shoes and Sauna mix well

This morning I visited my old running group for their annual mid-winter sauna run and brunch at a runner’s home.  It was my first time back since coming to Resurrection.  After our brief Bible study, most went for a six-mile run, while my friend Tim and I tried some snowshoe jogging on a nearby lake.  Gary, the host, loaned me his new shoe shows to try.  Tim and I weren’t fast, but we had a blast staying upright.   When we got back it was time for sauna, brunch and conversation. 

It was great fun seeing old friends, swapping stories and telling some tall tales.  Many of us have run together for more than eight years, so the stories have gained some embellishment over time.  Who amazed me this morning was a newcomer named Joe.   Tim had invited him after working out together at the Y.  Joe had never run with the group, only knew Tim (who did not run this morning) and had only a vague idea what would happen.   I like to think the running club provides great hospitality, but it always takes courage to walk into an established group, especially on such a social occasion.  Joe ran the six miles, enjoyed the sauna and brunch and smiled as we told our stories.  He plans to be back.

 As a new pastor in a young congregation, I sort of feel like Joe each Sunday morning.  I seek to fully participate, to learn names, and to listen to the stories.  People at Resurrection Lutheran Church have warmly welcomed me, that’s for sure.   I am excited to be with them.   Yet I am still the newcomer, without the history, the mileage that comes with time.  I want to race ahead, but right now it’s learning to be patient and consistently present.    

 I sort of wonder how the disciples felt after their first days with Jesus.  They knew exciting days were ahead, but each day held something of a surprise.  What was coming?   

Are you a newcomer, an old-timer, or somewhere-in-between in your faith community?  How does that affect your attitude and actions?

“I am a Runner” video

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Grandma's Marathon with Son

Today a running buddy sent me a hilarious YouTube video that captures some of the zany conversations I have during my preparation to run a marathon.  http://youtu.be/Cw5MHsO-JI8   Some people see addicted runners as simply crazy.   Perhaps it is fortunate that I have been injured this winter, so the members of Resurrection Lutheran, my new congregation, have not been subjected to this conversation.  But come spring?!

On a more serious note,  I also wonder if conversations about spiritual matters can have a similar effect on the non-believer.  Can someone with a passionate faith in Jesus Christ come across as so weird, that it repels rather than attracts?   Especially if the conversation is so one-sided as this one.  On the other hand, it was the vitality and joy that I saw in so many runners that drew me into the fold.  Isn’t that true for the faithful as well?

Questions to ponder

Getting Into It — Part III

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The rain today drove me inside.  My friend Tim and I have been trying to get together all week, so finally I suggested that we meet for a spinning class this morning at the Woodbury YMCA.  I had attended only two previous classes, each time with Tim as my guide.   Naturally I was late getting out of the house, but I still minded the speed-limit as I drove to Woodbury.  I rushed into the locker room expecting to see Tim ready to go.  But there was no Tim, not in the locker room or the hallway or Studio 1.  

Tim's bike during the workout

As people pulled out cycles for the class, I pulled out two, expecting Tim to show any moment.  I tried to remember the instructions Tim gave me on how to set up my cycle for the best workout.  I kept looking at the door, expecting Tim to show.  But as the instructor began to start the class, I shifted my attention from Tim’s absence to my participation.  Soon I was “getting into it,” pushing my heart rate into my aerobic workout zone.  It was a good class.

As I reflected after the class, I think my experience is similar to newcomers at a church or Bible Study or prayer group.   We have an interest or curiosity, but we often need an invitation or guide to help us enter the new experience.   A friend, co-worker or neighbor invites us to worship and we sit with them during our first visit.  We closely watch their behavior, not wanting to do something embarrassing or upsetting.   If we enjoy it, then we are open to going back, perhaps with our guide.   Eventually we go on our own, comfortable in our knowledge that we can fully engage in the workout or the worship without our guide.  

As I walked out from the spinning class, I felt energized and also thankful that I can do the class by myself.  I called Tim to find out what had happened.  He misread the e-mail and thought the class was this afternoon.  We still need to get together for our weekly conversation.

Romans 14:1 Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions.

Have you ever been a guide for someone’s new experience?

Getting into It – Part II

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Yesterday I posted about my decision to get into winter and enjoy cross-country skiing as an alternative to my running.  Yesterday afternoon I drove to a nearby county park, Cottage Grove Ravine Park, anticipating excellent snow and groomed trails.  I was a bit rushed because the sun was low in the sky and I was unfamiliar with the park.   I missed the entrance for the parking lot, so I started a quick turn around.  In my haste I slid off the road and into a snow bank.  

At first I thought I could simply drive out.   The spin of the front tires told me otherwise.  I tried to clear the snow from the front of the car.   It was too compacted and I had no shovel.   Sheepishly I asked a couple of skiers to assist me.   Though we pushed and pulled, the car was stuck.  Finally I had to admit I was truly trapped in the snow and called AAA for assistance. 

A car like mine waiting for help

While I was calling AAA on my cell phone, a second call came through.   I soon discovered I had a pastoral emergency with one of my parishioners!    With some embarrassment, I called the family and explained my predicament.   I would come as soon as the tow truck pulled me out, which was further delayed because the truck driver got lost.

As I sat in the car, waiting for the tow truck, I ruminated about my plans.  I had wanted to “get into it” by doing some skiing.   Instead I literally “got into it” with my car in the snow.  I was frustrated, but also reflective.   My haste had put me in this predicament and I could blame no one but myself.   There will be future opportunities for skiing and exploring.  I was thankful that my slide had cause no damage to car or myself.    Finally I decided once again to practice what I often preach to others,  patience and thanksgiving.    I could “get into it” by seeing the mercy of God in my own foolishness.

Getting Into It

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Getting Into Winter

This fall and winter has been frustrating for me as a runner.  I continue to deal with various muscle spasms that primarily stem from an SI joint problem in my pelvis.  In summary my pelvis is twisted and needs special manipulation to become untwisted.  I have been to my physical therapist several times for this manipulation, but I cannot seem to hold the proper alignment for very long. I try to run a couple of miles and my muscle spasms are back. 

So I am going to try a different route.   Instead of whining about “not running,”  I will try to embrace winter and the sport of cross-country skiing.   I remember a quote from Parker Palmer’s Let Your Life Speak.   He was participating in an Outward Bound adventure course when he found himself paralyzed with fear during a rope-rappel down a cliff face.  He was certain that he was going to die.  The instructor asked if anything was wrong. 

 He responded, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Then,” said the instructor, “it’s time you learned the Outward Bound motto.”

“Oh keen,” Parker thought.  “I’m about to die, and she’s going to give me a motto.”

But then she shouted ten words that reshaped Parker’s life, words whose impact and meaning he can still feel. “If you can’t get out of it, get into it!”

Parker wrote, “I had long believed in the concept of ‘the word made flesh,’ but until that moment, I had not experienced it.  My teacher spoke words so compelling that they bypassed my mind, went into my flesh, and animated my legs and feet. No helicopter would come to rescue me; there was no parachute in my backpack to float me to the ground.  There was no way out of my dilemma except to get into it — so my feet started to move, and in a few minutes I made it safely down.”

I plan to “get into it” with cross-country skiing and see what happens.  I will keep you posted.

Have you ever experienced a time when you had to “get into it?”

Graceful Dancing

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Yesterday afternoon I took a walk with my mom from her apartment through the skyways to Woodbury’s YMCA.  We stopped for a few moments to watch an aerobic’s class in session.  After a couple of minutes I discovered that it was a Zumba fitness class that utilizes Latin dance steps and movements for fitness.  The Zumba fitness motto is, “Ditch the work out, join the party!”   I quickly noted that there were no males participating and that I would have trouble doing even the simple moves.  Still I am intrigued.

One reason for my interest is that I have often used the image of dance to express how our life with Jesus flows.   Dance is more complicated, more nuanced, than simply walking or running.  It has rhythm and expression that expresses a wide range of emotions and ideas.  I believe our life with Jesus is more often a joyous dance with others moving in and out of the circle, than a somber march of following certain rules and regulations.  Like dance, life in Jesus involves practice and spontaneity, community and solitude.

I doubt that I will be joining a Zumba class soon; I continue to have trouble discerning my left foot from my right.  Recently at my mother’s apartment they had a dance and after some hesitation, I escorted my mom on to the dance floor.  As we “danced” she said to me, “we’re not really dancing, we’re just moving our feet.” I laughed.  

As we live with Jesus,  sometimes we dance, sometimes we simple move our feet.  But it is all graceful with his presence.

Jeremiah 31:13  Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.

Spin Class or Worship Newbie

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Spin Class Bike

 A couple of weeks ago, my friend Tim invited me to a spinning class.  Usually when I go to a fitness gym, I work out by myself.  I use a treadmill or an elliptical machine for my cardio workout and then some weight machines for the strength portion. I like having my own routine and control as I work out.  A fitness class always seemed a bit too structured and I did not want to look foolish to the other participants as I learned the routine.

Tim encouraged me to come anyway. He assured me that it would be a fun and a new challenge.  He told me to bring a sweat towel, water bottle, and my bike shoes; he showed me how to adjust the bike to my body; and he introduced me to some of the regulars in the class.  He and the instructor told me that I could adjust the workout to my abilities and not to expect perfection immediately.  As the class progressed, I discovered that I needed to relax and simply “flow” with the others, taking breaks as I needed them.  By the end I was enjoying myself.  Last night I went back for my second class with Tim.   Now I feel ready to go to a class on my own, though I still plan to “spin” with Tim.

I think many people approach their first visit to a congregation for worship in a similar way.  They wonder if they will do or say something wrong.  They fear that they will not be welcomed nor helped if needed.   It was the encouragement and assistance of my friend Tim that made my first class a positive experience.   In the same way, it is the job or call of each regular worship attendee to welcome and assist the newbies at worship.   What I especially appreciated about Tim was not only the invitation to the class, but the willingness to assist me in my first class.    I pray that I can be as hospitable when I invite someone to worship at Resurrection. 

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.  Hebrews 13:2

Have you had a memorable first time worship experience?

Cross-Training

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Shoveling Snow Inspiration

This morning I shoveled out the driveway after a six inches snowfall.  In the past, Saturday morning was my time for the running group and we would put in anywhere from 4-12 miles on a morning run.  But now I am in a different routine.   With a new church and with my recent running injuries, I have not been running on Saturday mornings.  I confess I miss the group camaraderie and exercise, but I am confident that I will be running again soon.

I remember reading about elite marathoner Dick Beardsley’s experience when he was injured.  He lived on a farm here in Minnesota and he spent time cross-training by shoveling snow between his house and barn so as to stay in shape.  He eventually recovered and got back on the road running.  As I shoveled this morning, I thought to myself, “Yes, you will get back on the road, be patient, stay confident.”  Then I looked up to see the sun shining through the neighbors’ trees.  Hope anew!

In one’s walk with Jesus, there will be times of challenges and frustrations.  The old patterns and ideas do not work as they once did.   At those times, we need to do some cross-training, seeking other forms of spiritual life: conversing/praying with a friend, reading a good devotional book, worshipping at a new church, going on a short mission trip, joining a new Bible Study.  Our life in Christ is not to be a rut, but a path to life. 

Psalm 16:11 You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.