Psalm 139

I was reading Psalm 139 with students in my Young Entrepreneur Project summer program yesterday, and was encouraged by God's heart for us struggling humans here on earth. So I thought I'd share a few verses. It's from the New Living Translation (read it out loud with a friend so you can listen to the words too. The NLT was translated specifically for hearing the Word.)

(and by the way, the students loved these verses. I've never seen them take God's word to heart more powerfully than these verses.)


O Lord, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.

You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my every thought when far away.

You chart the path ahead of me
and tell me where to stop and rest.
Every moment you know where I am.

You know what I am going to say
even before I say it, Lord.

You both precede and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too great for me to know!

I can never escape from your spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!

If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the place of the dead, you are there.

If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,

even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.

I could ask the darkness to hide me
and the light around me to become night-

but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
Darkness and light are both alike to you.

Swim, Run, Bike

This past weekend was a special one. I accomplished a goal that I'd been thinking about, worrying about, planning for, and anticipating this past year. The XTerra triathlon in the New River Gorge. 1.5 mile swim. 8 mile run. 12 mile bike.

I'm glad I finished it. It was an incredible experience.

I'm not exactly sure where I am in this photo, but I'm definitely not in front. This is the start of the race. We were heading towards a class I rapid. My goal was to stay alive, keep breathing, and get to the end of the swim. The current kept me moving quickly. I finished the swim in 35 minutes or so.

Glad to be back on land! (A note to anyone who wants to do a triathlon: wear a wetsuit. It provides extra flotation, abrasion resistance from rocks, and...you just feel cool in one.

Starting the long run.

Ryan is the guy next to me. He works for the same ministry as me, and wanted to do the triathlon too. It was fun to see him at various points in the race.

Also, this picture doesn't do the run justice. We ran on a single track trail that meandered through the woods, up rocks, over creeks, and up to the top of a mountain that was 1000 feet above the river we swam in. It was by far my favorite part of the race.

Heading into the last leg of the race - the bike

It took me over 2 hours to complete the bike portion, but I was just glad to get through it. I felt very unsteady and tired, and took a tumble that landed me over my handlebars and on the ground once. But there was no way I was going to stop. Finish Line, here I come.

My parents, my brother and his wife and son, and my friend Emily all came to watch me compete. I feel like I lived out this dream of mine that at various points in my training, I wasn't even sure I could attain.

A couple years back, my friend Leslie sent me a postcard after she hiked the entire Appalachian Trail. On it she wrote, "Live Your Dreams." I did it. I lived out one of my dreams. And I can't wait for what dream gets planted in my heart next.