It was the perfect day, the perfect setting, to run a half marathon.

The sun was out. The sky was blue. The air was dry. The breeze was cool. The bands were…loud. And the crowd enthusiastically cheered us on, right to the finish line.

And we did it. All 14 of us. We finished our race.

I don’t cling to my life for my own sake. The only value I place on my life is that I may finish my race, that I may fulfill the ministry that Jesus, our King, has given me, that I may gladly tell the good news of God’s Grace.

Acts 20:24 (The Voice)

Congratulations Jennifer, Tim, Marijke, Milyn, LV, Chad, Sarah, Cassidy, Christine, Jessica, Melissa, Lauren, and Scott! I loved finishing this race with you.

And a big “thank you” to everyone here who supported us with prayers, words of encouragement, and donations. We couldn’t have done it without your love and support.

What did you get into this weekend?

So far we have raised over $8,450 dollars. $8,450 to free children from poverty in Jesus’ name. Yeah, I know that we are still way short of our original big hairy audacious goal of $20,000. But I also know that we still have time. Okay, we have 5 days. And I believe we can do it. Or we can get close. Or the very least, we can get closer.

So I thought I’d introduce you to the team and make one more plea for your help. This is Team San Diego. Go meet everyone, say hi, and give them some money and/or encouragement.

Jennifer Bryant

My name is Jennifer Bryant. I’m twenty-five years old and I just moved back to my hometown of Ada, Oklahoma. I worked as a tax accountant in Dallas for the past two years. I never thought I would be running a 5k, let alone a half marathon. But Compassion is such a great organization that truly changes lives. I’m thankful I’m getting a chance to support them!

Tim Farmer

My name is Tim Farmer and I heard about Team San Diego through Jessica and Melissa Sesma. I was born and raised in San Diego and I work for the City of Chula Vista running adult sports leagues. My brother tried to convince me to run the full marathon but when I labored through every step of my first training session of 1.7 miles, I decided the half would work just fine. I just began sponsoring a child through Compassion and thought it would be great to help raise money for a great organization. I’m looking forward to running next week!

Marijke Groat

My name is Marijke Groat. It’s pronounced Ma-rye-ka.    I currently live in Southern California, but moved here from Minnesota, Texas, and Alaska (in that order).  I sponsor two children through Compassion: Céline from Burkina Faso, and Hana from Ethiopia. I love music and songwriting, and I’m surprised at how much I’ve enjoyed training for this half marathon! Can’t wait for race day and I’m looking forward to meeting everybody.

Milyn Groat

My name is Milyn Groat. I live in San Clemente and just went back to work after 10 years as a stay home mom. I am currently working as a project coordinator.

LV Hanson

My name really is LV, with no periods. It¹s not an abbreviation - My name is LV, and I have a brother named DR. I have lived and traveled all over the world and has spent the last 4 years traveling extensively throughout the United States serving as the national ambassador for Catalyst, a movement of next generation leaders in the church.  In 2008 I made the move from Atlanta, GA to Orange County, CA to help launch Catalyst West Coast and quickly added the role of directing Catalyst Connect – a relational initiative focusing on smaller, more strategic learning environments for influencers who want to continue their leadership development journey. I am in the process of transitioning from Catalyst to join the staff team at Mariners Church as Pastor of Care and Recovery and am thankful to call southern California home.  A University of Colorado Alum, I played professional volleyball in Slovenia where I learned my 6’5″ frame was average in the land of Eastern European Giants.

Chad Markley

My name is Chad Markley and I’m married to Sarah. To pay the bills I own a IT consulting company, but my real passion is music and worship leading. Sarah and I and our two girls attend Newsong Church in Irvine where we’ve all been blessed to become a part of the community there over the past year. I walk our golden retriever, Flower, every morning and make it home for dinner (most of the time) every evening. I’m happy to be a part of the Compassion team and I am looking forward to the race on Sunday.

Sarah Markley

I’m Sarah Markley and I’ve had the privilege of co-captaining this team with Lindsey. I haven’t been able to train this spring as much as I would like but even so, I’m looking forward to Sunday. I’m a stay at home mother who spends most of her free time writing in some way or another either for my own blog or for other collaborative blogs around the web. I’m married to Chad, who will also be running on Sunday, and we have two daughters ages 9 and 5. When I’m not writing I love to hike in the canyons near my house in Orange County or take my girls to the park or beach.

Be sure to go meet the rest of team Team over on Sarah’s blog!

And if you’d still like to give toward my personal fundraising goal, click here.

A BIG THANK YOU to those of you who have already supported us. We appreciate every prayer and every dollar.

Yesterday I completed the Country Music Half Marathon. To be perfectly honest, I have been ACTIVELY DREADING the race for a couple of weeks. Mostly because I over-committed myself and I was straight-up freaked out about how I was going to feel as I tried to conquer the mountainous (okay, that might be a slight exaggeration) race course. But also because I really didn’t want to leave all the fabulous friends I made in California.

Suprisingly, the race was good. Really good. About mile 3, I lost my running buddies and was aptly reminded that this race was not about distractions, not about who I was running with, not about who was cheering me on…but about me and Him.

“But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31

I didn’t push myself because I was operating on little-to-no sleep, but still I finished the race in under 3 hours (2:56 with a bathroom break to be exact). More importantly, I raised over $1,000 for New Hope Academy. (A special thanks to each of you who contributed.)

Mission Accomplished. Today I will celebrate in those victories. Tomorrow I will start packing for Chicago…

What victories have you celebrated lately?

On Saturday, April 24, I will be running (actually it will be more of a jog/walk combo per the Galloway method but who cares about the specifics) the Country Music Half Marathon.

This is not my first half marathon and hopefully it will not be my last, but it is important nonetheless. This year I am running with “Powered by Hope” on behalf of New Hope Academy.

If you have never heard of New Hope Academy, let me take this opportunity to introduce to this incredible place.

New Hope Academy is like NO OTHER school I have stepped inside.

New Hope Academy exudes hope. (I know…it hard to picture an elementary school exuding anything but the smelly funk that comes with young boys, but New Hope does.)

New Hope Academy is a window into a world where racial and financial divisions do not exist. (And what a beautiful world that is!)

New Hope Academy fosters an environment where students can dream BIG DREAMS.

And most importantly, the faculty at New Hope Academy makes sure each student knows that they are loved completely and fully by God. (Can you imagine having this drilled into you at an early age? How it would have altered your adolescence?)

All this to say…Would you please consider supporting me as I run jog/walk 13.1 miles on behalf of  the children of New Hope so they can continue hoping and dreaming?

If so, venture over to my Firstgiving page to make a donation. Anything you can give is appreciated.

In the first post, I admitted I want to get married. So today I thought I’d tackle something a little less, how do I say it, well a little less humiliating. (Kidding. Kidding. In all honesty putting the whole marriage thing out there was so worth it. You guys were incredibly supportive and encouraging.)

I want to get fit.

I don’t know that I’ve ever actually been “fit.” I have been skinny. I have been fat. I have been an obsessive exerciser. I have been an award-winning couch potato. But I don’t think I’ve ever had the balance that would truly make me fit.

So that is what I am after, fit-ness.

I know that there is going to be some pain involved in this goal. And candidly I’m not a huge fan of pain. (I hate pain. Avoid it at all costs.) But hopefully it will be worth it.

I actually have a plan for how I am going to begin chipping away at this daunting goal, desire, dream. (Yay me!)

I am going to train for and participate in the Country Music Half Marathon with the Powered by Hope Team. Yes, I’ve finished two halves before.

But this time I will be different. This time I am going to stick with a training schedule. This time I am going to push myself past the pain. This time I am going to also be conscious of what I using as fuel. This time I will cross the finish line proud of the race that I have run. This time I won’t just be thinking about finishing the race. This time I will have a goal in mind, getting fit.

If you want to join me as I get fit and raise some money for an incredible and inspiring organization, visit http://whatpowersyou.org.

PS – I am hoping a by product of getting fit, is getting “sporty.” Because well…it is my favorite adjective. No lie…my favorite adjective.

Would you consider yourself fit? What does fit-ness look like in your life?

I ran (for lack of a better verb) with the Powered by Hope Team to raise scholarship money for kids to attend New Hope Academy. I can personally attest that this is a great cause. New Hope Academy is an incredible school with an audacious vision, to transform culture by creating a new generation of Christ-like leaders. I raised $670 dollars, of my $1,000 goal, and money is still trickling in. (You can donate here, by the way.)

Although I would have liked to have run faster and raised more, finishing 13.1 miles in the 75+ degree heat with the Nashville sun beating down on you and collecting over $500 is an accomplishment any way you slice it. But for some reason, I did not properly celebrate.

From the moment I crossed the finish line, even as I was running the race, I was thinking about how I was going to do it better next time. I was strategizing about my training. I was scheming about my fund raising. Last night, I realized that I truly never celebrated my completion. So today, I am taking a moment, to say “Yay Lindsey, you finished the race, a job well done.”

So tell me…how about you, do you take time to celebrate your achievements? Or do you find yourself always moving straight ahead to what is next?

Candidly there have been times when I resented those that exuded discipline. Yes, I said it – early risers, Weight Watchers success stories, check book balancers, and Iron Men – I have resented you for having motivation and follow-through that I could not muster.

Lindsey, Whitney, and Joe - 2008 Country Music Half Marathon in Nashville, TN

In January, I began training for the Country Music Half Marathon. I participated in the race last year, but my training was pitiful. This year I am training with  Powered by Hope and the Galloway Group. Our training runs are at 7 AM every Saturday morning, rain or shine. And get this, I actually look forward to it! Once I embraced this discipline, I felt happier and more accomplished.

I am hoping my discipline streak continues…we’ll see.

How do you really feel about discipline?

By the way, as I run the half marathon I am raising money for New Hope Academy. Visit here if you’d like to donate. It is a great cause!