CircumTHANKses

I'm watching my 7 year old shoot hoops in the pouring rain, with his grandpa right now. They are playing H-O-R-S-E in the driveway. It is 45 degrees outside and it is pouring rain, but they are having fun. I am thankful that I can observe and even join in the fun in a few moments. I was reminded this morning at 6am how blessed I am, when two little girls burst through the door to wake me up. I read this passage of scripture today. "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." I Thes. 5:18. As I reflected on this verse today, I am reminded that it is God through Jesus, that guides, provides, and multiplies when I am walking in His will. Walking in His will can be a challenge and confusing at times, but I will say that the benefits far outweigh the struggles and circumstances that come and are not always fun. I have found that when I praise and thank God for the circumstances in my life, I find myself on a path of growth. So today, I choose to THANK God for the circumstances that come my way and opportunities to grow from them. Looking forward to today, I will find myself in conversations with people that I will benefit from, and situations that I will grow from. CircumTHANKses are these everyday circumstances that I am thankful for and will grow from. Yesterday, I was taught patience...again...this time driving in traffic...again. Today, I embark on what circumstances that come my way that I am THANKful for. How about you? What circumstances can you grow from today, be stretched by, or challenged with? The important thing is to GIVE THANKS...because from this point it will be a conscious choice to understand God's will for your life...and I'm sure when you recognize this, you will be thankful.

CREATIVITY-YA GOT, NOW USE IT

This morning I drove two 2nd graders to school. On the way to school they were talking about the books they were writing. As they spoke I heard this amazing creativity flowing from their minds. The twists & plots to their stories were comical, genius, and super creative. As I listened, I thought to myself about how each of us were created with creativity in our being. In the Bible, the 5th word gives us one of the very natures of God. In Genesis 1:1 God invented it...Jesus modeled it with parables and life lessons...and in II Corithians 3:17 the Holy Spirit empowers it. The beauty is that we can each create. It is in each of our DNA. I find that for creativity to flow in me, I have to get into a different environment than I normally am in, and I too need a blank canvas to work from. I have friends around me that I think are creative geniuses. As I listened to these 2nd graders this morning it reminded me that creativity should flow in all of us. There are times were it sits bottled up inside me, and times I fail to pull the level on my God-given creativity. But what I have found is that when creativity is unleashed it inspires others and as it did to me today, challenged me to think creatively. CREATIVITY...you don't have to be a 2nd grader talking about the adventures of the missing restaurant or the new invention that will make school go by faster, you just need to be you-the creative being you are.

I did what less than 1% of the world has done.

I ran the NYC Marathon. As I finished, I was awarded a medal for finishing. Less than 1% of the human race will actually ever finish a marathon. I am now one of thosee stats. I am stoked to be in that stat. Coolness friends, major coolness. I was hurting as I stopped running. After I crossed the line I was whisked away into a foil suit to keep me warm, I was given a gatorade, bagel, and an apple. My legs hurt real bad. I walked through Central Park and was greeted by the fam. I was ready to chill for the night and chill I did. I had some time to reflect on what the feeling was like to actually runa a marathon. I must say, I knew then I had accomplished a dream and I could say only a few things, but one of them was "Phil, You are the man." Yes I am. As I reflected, I realized that New Yorkers are cool peeps, and I think the church should take the example of the support that was given to complete strangers and do the same when we see people hurting. How many times have I seen people walk into church with their head down, wincing, and maybe even in some pain that is being hidden by a smile that looks like it was painted on, the moment the door to their car shut. All that to say, is walking away there are many life lessons that can be applied to the training, the pace, the folks, and the finale. I took away a memory that will last a life time, and maybe the desire to run one more in my lifetime. We'll see how that dream turns out. I would run it with fans and friends for sure. But hey, I have bragging rights and I'll soak it in for a few more days.

A MARATHON IS NOT A RACE

During my marathon, I started strong. I ran 9:50 minute miles for the first 10k. I was stride for stride with my sis. My goal of finishing was within reach. About Mile 9, though, my back of my knee started hurting. I knew it may flare up, but it actually hurt bad. So, there I was running and starting to get some pain. I ran the first half of the marathon in 2:16-right on target. I ran until mile 16 with my sis. I knew she had desires to shatter 4:30 in the marathon, and wihle we started that pace, I couldn't keep it up. So, I told her to fly ahead, leave me a gel pack and go for it. I called her babe, which she didn;t care for, but hey she is my sis-and i was proud of her too. She took off and would have made her record if it wasn't for me in the miles from 9-16. those 7 miles she ran with me, made her miss her mark, but I knew she cared to make sure I was good. I had no question about finishing, I didn't train all those months, fly out to NY, to fail. Plus determination is something that I carry as a value. I ran in so much pain, there was one point where I was almost crying. Plus the emotion of running 10 years and 7 days to the date of my brain surgery made this event so surreal. I soaked it in, every mile. I ran with a guy who ended up living 7 miles away from me. I will say I was not winded, but I was in pain. Gatorade, a gel, a banana, and water kept me hydrated. I did find a wall of somesort between mile 18-23. Those were some long miles. Quieter crowds and a cute Jewish community who was there but not vocal at all-duh, it was their Sabbath. I guess I run better when people were cheering me on. My time eventaully fluctuated down to 12:47 minute miles. I didn't know it at the time, but I knew I was slowing down. I made it into Manhattan with people yelling my name like crazy. They could see i was in pain. They must have, because I was wincing in pain. I made it down 5th Avenue headed toward Central Park. I found my dad in the crowd and stopped to take a pic and hang out. Then I proceeded to the last mile. One more and I was done. The pain was still there and I pushed through. I realized that in life, people run like life is a race. Sorry, but I prefer to run like a marathon. Slow down enjoy life and soak in the scenery and people around you. If you try to run the marathon like a sprint, you are either crazy or dead quicker than you want to be. The bands kept me going, the New Yorkers from all the burroughs, the cheers, and the realization that crossing the finish line was the desired goal and eventual outcome. The finish line is the goal, one that I knew I would cross, and cross it I did. In 5:34 minutes. It was amazing.

Church People Should Be Like New Yorkers

I'm running the NYC marathon and someone suggested that I write my name on my shirt. So, I did. At mile 1, people started cheering for us by name. I was on stride with my sis. It was a totally cool thing to run with my sis. I ran steady for miles. We left Staten Island and the Verranzo-Narows bridge and headed toward Brooklyn. I couldn't help but engage the crowd as I ran. They were cheering my name and little kids were hi-fiving the runners. So, I soaked the crowd in. We hit Brooklyn and I was yelling "big ups Brooklyn." I think the crowd loved me because they all kept yelling my name and at times were chanting it. Phil...Phil...Phil...come on Phil you're doing awesome. We passed a few bands along the way and life was great. I was so encouraged. I thought what if the church, responded to those they didn't even know with the love that New Yorkers were showing the runners? Church would be a place where everyone was excepted, no one was judging you, and people genuinely had the best interest for you...to complete the race. As we headed through and my place slowed, I was met with cheers and encouragement like I have never received from people I had never met. I got hugs, people gave me nutrition, water, kids cheered, teens cheered, adults yelled, and every ethnicity was rooting me and 40,000+ runners on. It was as if we were family. As a matter of fact, I felt closer to some complete strangers than I do some people in my own church. It is a weird feeling but one I think the church could learn from. People really wanted me to succeed, to dream, to finish the race strong. It was an amazing expereince, and I may be crazy but I would do it again...in a second.

A 26.2 Dream

Sunday, I was up bright and early and ready to roll off to Staten Island. I caught a cab with my sis and took off to meet the Sanctuary for Families marathon team. We arrived at Staten Island and I must admit it was like a concentration camp. There were 40,000+ people being directed by speakers that spoke in every language except English, until i had been there for about 20 minutes. My bib # was in the 57,000+ range and I was there to hang for 3 hours before I even left. Eventually the DREAM I had set two years ago was about to become a reality. It was a surreal expereince. I had carbed up the night before on a huge PASTA meal. That morning I had plenty of carbs and sugars. I was ready. I made my way to the corral where I was one of thousands. I was ready, I threw off my pink Dunkin Donuts beanie, my Goodwill Nike sweats and a grey sweatshirt that I was cool with losing. I stretched and was ready to run. We made our way to the starting line and then we were off. A dream was about to come true. The gun shot off and I started and it was about 50 degrees, but the adrenaline was pumping and I was ready to run. I had taped my name on my shirt, and I would later be so glad I did.

OCT 25, 1999

Day of the surgery was jsut like any other day, except I was up early. The only thing I really remember about the morning was the doctor giving me a dose of medication to knock me out, and that is the last thing i remember until after surgery. I woke up in some room, and asked the nurse if I could have some water. He replied, "what did you say?" I was like my mouth is cotton, I need some water. Then I asked to see my family, and wanted a controller as there was a Blazer game on that night. Surgery was a blast, as I remember nothing. So, that means it was good, right? I guess medicine does some pretty wacky stuff to you, because I was a kick on the meds. I had a talk with my grandparents about Viagra, flashed my man parts to go to the bathroom while members of the fam were present. Hey, what can I say? I do remember a few things...I haven't had a surgery since. I did have a cool wrap on my head that would have made any Muslim jealous. I also have a backward question mark scar that is still evident and a cliff on the side of my head that is sweetness. The doctor upon review asked if I wanted it fixed, but I passed. They did pull a tumor from my right temporal lobe that was the size of an egg. It was pretty remarkable. All in all, my brain surgery was a success and some 10 YEARS LATER I AM STILL SEIZURE FREE. When I woke up in my recovery room, there was a scripture that was on my white board. It read, "I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, ag you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." That verse has been my life verse since. A day that will be celebrated for the rest of my life, is the last day I ever had a seizure. OCTOBER 25, 1999.

THE DAY BEFORE BRAIN SURGERY

The day before brain surgery was a Sunday. I remember it well, as I was a junior high pastor and we had church that day. We met in the gym in that day and we we did a little head shaving ceremony to get everyone ready for the surgery. I had one of my great friends, Mark, come in and cut the hair off. A few boys in the youth group decided they would cut their hair off too. It was a cool moment despite the day that was to follow. I was in a mood to celebrate but in no mood to celebrate. I know an oxymoron, but really my emotions were mixed. I didn't want pictures or anything, something I would later regret. I had plenty of tests to prepare for this major brain surgery. They cut my speech off while I was fully able to function. they ran a test that tested my short term memory, which they took away and I couldn't remember anything after 90 seconds. It was crazy stuff. But I was ready for surgery and wanted to be over with. If I needed to be rehabilitated, then lets get it on. My life would go on, and I was ready to stop having seizures forever. I just wanted sure how this was going to go. I wasn't really scared I was just wondering how I would recover.