I don’t open up much on my blog about what things tend to stress me out. So is the problem of every man. The pride that keeps us from opening up, hiding behind a mask of confidence, is how we display strength. Well, let me just go ahead and confess and list out what’s up with me right now.
What is troubling me?
Work politics
Project Deadlines
Family Obligations
Work Deliverables
Home Additions
College savings
All that other dad stuff
You may have noticed that this is just a list of what stresses everybody out. These are all old foes and known adversaries. And experience I’ve gained from past battles will guide me through.
What keeps me going?
Prayer
Faith
Love
God’s Word
Friends
and now Exercise, seriously, run your stress away
It’s amazing how you can melt your stress away with a long run or a good weight training session. But it’s a temporary relief.
What really helps is the knowledge that God loves me and will never forsake me.
Even if I mess up everything on my list. I know I’ll achieve everything on His list and the purpose He has for me.
Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch forth Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me. The Lord will accomplish what concerns me; Your lovingkindness, O Lord, is everlasting; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.
Psalm 138:7-8
For David to write this Psalm, it could have been any number of issues that he faced in his life. But even if my issues are much smaller in comparison, You will revive me, O Lord, with Your lovingkindness.
I will be bold with strength in my soul.
On the day I called, You answered me; You made me bold with strength in my soul.
Since it is Valentine’s Day week, we should take a second and review some instructions from Paul on how husbands are to love your wives.
Please add to this discussion in the comments and help your brothers out.
There is no “if your wife” qualification in these statements from Paul (quoted below).
Husbands, we are called to love our wives the same way Christ loved the church. That’s a big deal. Christ gave His life for the church. He didn’t just die on the cross for the church, He gave His life to and for the church.
What does that mean? It means that in life Christ nurtured the church through the Word and deeds with grace, truth and love. Even when He was rejected by His own (John 1).
If your wife doesn’t do her part, that is no reason not to do your part.
Men,
Love your wife even when you don’t feel loved
Love your wife when you are stressed at work
Love your wife when neither of you have time to clean the house
Love your wife when you get home from work and still need to mow the grass
Love your wife when Ramen noodles or Totino’s pizza is what’s for dinner
Love your wife when the finances are not in order
Love does not mean you always give in to her every request. It just means that you are kind and understanding and explain your reasoning when you sometimes don’t agree. And you do apologize or change your mind when she points out a flaw or an error in your reasoning. Even is she doesn’t reciprocate, you lead by example.
Your wife wants your attention when she speaks. Practice active communication techniques. Just as you do at work, show respect in your communications. I am not perfect on this either, so don’t think I’m pretending like I’ve achieved perfection on this. I fail at it.
Here is the main point, you lead by example. Be an example to your wife, to your sons and to your daughters. Show them what it means to be a husband living on Biblical principles.
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body. Ephesians 5:25, 28-30 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/eph.5.25-30.NASB
If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13:1-7 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/1co.13.1-7.NASB
After researching different Bible translations and the guiding principles behind the methods used to translate the leading versions, I’ve decided to use the New American Standard Bible (NASB) as my daily reading version.
This translation sticks with the literal meaning of the words for translation and does not rewrite the text based on a committee interpretation of the original author’s theology.
This was important to me. I wanted a version that was in modern English but also literally translated from the original texts.
There are versions in circulation that do not literally translate the words from the original texts, and they often rewrite whole sections based from the translators’ opinion of what they believe the original author’s theological idea was (Dynamic Equivalent translation). This translation method is not acceptable to me and should not be called a Bible translation. It is misleading to call a non-literal translation a “Bible”. These non-literal translations should be called “commentaries”, not Bibles.
If you use my affiliate link below to purchase a new NASB version of the Bible you can find many options to choose from; Study Bibles, Note taking Bibles, Text and Reference Bibles, etc..
I choose a smaller zip up Bible to make it more portable.
In the 1880s the King James Version became the basis for the English Revised Version. The American counterpart was published in 1901 as the American Standard Version. A product of both British and American scholarship, the ASV has been highly regarded for its scholarship and accuracy.
By the middle of the twentieth century, The Lockman Foundation, a non-profit Christian corporation of La Habra, California, felt an urgency to preserve these and other lasting values of the ASV by incorporating recent discoveries of Hebrew and Greek textual sources and by rendering them into more current English.
The Lockman Foundation published the Gospel of John in 1960, all four Gospels as a unit in 1962, the New Testament in 1963, and the entire Bible in 1971. Sixteen translators worked on each Testament. More than 50 scholars in various capacities devoted more than 25,000 hours of research to the New Testament alone.
The NASB represented a conservative, literal approach to translation. While this translation followed the principles used in the ASV, the NASB should be viewed as a new translation rather than merely an update of the ASV.
The Lockman Foundation completed an update of the NASB in 1995. More than 20 translators (conservative Bible scholars representing a variety of denominational backgrounds) spent nearly three years completing the project. The team carefully adhered to the principles of literal translation and made no attempt to interpret Scripture through translation. This method of translation stands in contrast to the thought-for-thought method known as dynamic equivalence. The result was a word-for-word translation that is both accurate and readable.
The 1995 update makes several important refinements with regard to the original NASB:
It no longer uses “Thee” and “Thou” in reference to Deity
Phrases have been smoothed out
Words that have changed meaning have been updated
Verbs that have a wide range of meaning have been updated to better account for their use in the context
Punctuation and paragraphing have been formatted to fit today’s standards
Notes about the ancient manuscripts have been revised to include more new and interesting facts
Discussing third-trimester and healthcare assisted postpartum infanticide seems to be the current (although not new) topic that makes you a controversial figure. Who would have guessed it?
Infanticide is not new in human history and still occurs today is some cultures. It is Satan’s same old tactic just repackaged and kicked further down the timeline.
Anybody else remember when Satan used leaders in certain nations to kill babies in an attempt to thwart God’s plans? I seem to remember a couple of instances (see Moses and Jesus).
How could those leaders (Pharaoh, Herod) be blinded by power to the point of calling for the sanctioned murder of babies? Well, there they are the pieces just came together. It’s the same blinding desire for power and wealth that drives our “leaders” to cheer for the legalized murder of a baby that is within a few weeks of birth and even nearly born. (See New York and Gov. Cuomo)
These leaders are looking for votes and fame to keep them in power.
Sear your conscience for a vote you whitewashed tombs! This is to our whole country’s detriment.
To allow this in a law with no requirement other than for the mental well-being of the mother, who can easily give that baby up for adoption, is absolutely immoral. (Insert opposing view from manic choice-bater emotional breakdown theater skit right here. )
“Why Ike, whatever do you mean?” (using Doc Holliday voice: Tombstone movie)
And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them. Romans 1:28-32 NASB
When you first start running there are a few things that you will learn fairly quickly. Like, if your hamstring and calf muscles hurt after only a short distance you probably need to actually warm up and do a stretch before you start.
But there are some things that only experience can teach you. I hope this list will help each of you as you start running. Learn from my experience so you don’t have to learn the hard way.
Pace yourself
One of the biggest issues I had when I first started running was that I would start out too fast and tired myself out. My muscles and my lungs were not prepared for the fast pace. After I purchased a smart watch that allowed me to track my pace I was able to focus on running a longer duration.
The key starting out is to set a slow pace and just focus on how long you can run. Then build on that over a few weeks.
Once you start hitting a mile without walking, start adding about 10% distance per week. Focus on duration over distance and speed when starting out. A good couch to 5k plan will help.
Then after you reach the ability to Run 3 miles at a slow pace, then start running a little faster pace. If you were running a 12 minute mile speed to Pace up to about an 11.5 minute mile.
Once you can run a 5k at an average pace of under 10 minutes per mile. Then you can start thinking about your goals of increasing your distance or your speed. You will train differently based on your goal.
Be consistent
Pick certain days of the week when you’re going to do your runs then plan your diet based on the days you’re going to run.
Your body will get into a routine of replenishing and rebuilding your muscles if you stay consistent.
I try to run on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Tuesday and Thursday are for my short runs where I work on speed. And then Sunday is my long run. I eat my big carb meal on Friday night (which is also date night).
Dress Appropriately
A headband is required if you are running over 2 miles and in temperatures over 60 degrees. Sweat will burn your eyes if you don’t.
Make sure you are wearing atletic socks, otherwise you will get blisters. I still get them occasionally. Don’t be cheap on the socks. Seriously.
Never wear long pants when the temperature is over 50 degrees farenheit if you plan to run more than 2 miles.
Never wear long sleeves over 60 degrees.
If you are running in temperatures under 50, wear long pants but thin. And wear two thin layers on top, not one thick layer. One layer should have long sleeves.
If you are running in temperatures under 45 degrees wear gloves and a heatgear type pants. And wear a head band and some around your neck for warmth and to protect your skin.
If you are running in temperatures under 40 degrees, you’ll want to add a third thin layer long sleeve shirt. And add some shorts or leggings to your pants. Put on chap stick and rub Aquaphor or similar product on your cheeks.
I ran my first half-marathon at 27 degrees farenheit and I dressed appropriately. But I saw others stripping off heavy sweatshirts. And some holding their non-gloved hands under their arms. At this temperature, wear a second headband over your nose and ears.
Get the Proper Footwear
Running is not the same as walking around the office. Once you start running, you are putting considerably more weight on your feet because of your momentum on foot plant and probably more steps than you usually walk in a day.
If you are going to be serious about running, go to a shoes store that can check your gate and arch for the proper supporting footwear. Preferably a shoe store that has a treadmill and camera set up to do slow motion analysis on your feet as you run. This is usually a free service at top notch running stores.
If you get the correct shoe it can eliminate the foot and shin pain that some people mistake as shin-splints. I can attest to this as can my wife. Don’t be cheap on shoes.
Hydration
Being hydrated does not happen only on run day. Proper hydration is an every day focus. However hydration for your long run should start two days prior with electrolytes and up to about two hours before your run.
Don’t drink large amounts of liquid within a couple hours before your long runs. If you do, you will have to urinate and that will break your pace and possibly destroy your chance at a Personal Record (PR) time. Believe me. Sips of water are fine, but no gulps.
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