I've made no secret of the fact that I'm not exactly religious. My church is the Church of the Long Run. And I'm okay with that.
I used to be. I grew up as a conservative, Evangelical Christian. Amazing how coming out of the closet throws a monkey wrench in all that.
I'm finding my way back, slowly but surely. Actually, I prefer to think I'm finding my way forward. Because if I just go back to what I was before, what was all the suffering and confusion and questioning and all that for?
At any rate, I still retain some of the edifices of my former belief in my everyday life: a desire to reflect, a sense of fairness that I just can't shake, and Christian songs in my running playlists.
There's one song that keeps coming up, run after run. I mean, of course it comes up; it's on the playlist, it's gonna come up. But it always sticks with me, gives me encouragement to run a little faster, and (dare I say) kind of speaks to me. Don't know what it is about this song; it's sweeping and epic and the lyrics are exactly what I want to hear in the last 2 or 3 miles. Here it is.
He Will Make A Way
Kathy Troccoli
I know that you're discouraged
But you're not alone
There is absolutely no situation
Out of his control
One door may close
Another will open
Jesus is healer of all that is broken
He will make a way where there is no way
He will bring his peace where there is no peace
Watch him put together what's been torn apart
He can soften up the most hardened of hearts
He will make a way where there is no way
Don't you go believing lies
He's not forgotten you
There's gonna be another higher, greater place
He will take you to
Watch him move mountains, ride you through the way
He can deliver in the darkest of days
He will make a way where there is no way
He will bring his peace where there is no peace
There is no war he does not will
When you're at your end he's just beginning
He will make a way where there is no way
Our only hope is in him
No matter what this life can bring
Jesus stands alone
As the god of impossible things
He will make a way where there is no way
He will bring his peace where there is no peace
Watch him move mountains, ride you through the way
He can deliver in the darkest of days
He will make a way where there is no way
He will bring his peace where there is no peace
Hey! I am a new fan and found your blog after searching for some spin workouts. Cool that you are family too :)
ReplyDeleteI have the shape and flexibility of a Lego and haven't been able to touch my toes since before you were born :)
ReplyDelete(This is the athiest and the editor in me speaking, but why aren't "him," "he," and "god" capitalized in a Jesus-lovin' song?) I have to say that I have never, ever met anybody who has Jesus music... excuse me, I mean Christian rock... on their iPod. I'm not knocking it, I think that everyone's entitled to their beliefs, and am happy for ANYONE who finds something that helps them make sense of their lives and get through the tough days, and the good ones. I'm just saying that I have never, ever met someone who could even NAME a single Christian rock song. Unless Creed counts? Anyway, I think it's kind of interesting how your geographical location can affect your religious beliefs (and also playlists) so profoundly. I've probably never met anyone that loves Jesus rock because I've never spent a lot of time in the midwest or the south. I bet there are people in other parts of the country who wouldn't want to move to the places where I've lived because there wouldn't be enough people who had as much of a hard-on for Jesus as they have. I bet the times when you were least faithful were when you were in CA, right? Away from most of that evangelical bible thumping? Not that either is right or wrong... Okay, I'm done now.
ReplyDeleteI THOUGHT i remembered hearing a Switchfoot song in one of your spinning workouts - am i right?
ReplyDeleteKeep on keeping on, Jamie - "he's not forgotten you".
Well yeah, I have some of my best runs on my sansa clip to Petra -- this coming from a girl who use to play bass in an all-girl metal band called the sl*t puppies back in the 80s. We were "all girls, all metal, all the time!"
ReplyDeleteRock on Jamie!!!