Welcome to ElleGirls Run!
In the past year, God has led Michelle and Gabrielle into different life directions - although we remain fabulous friends!
Michelle is teaching multiple exercise classes and running the gym at her local church. You can follow Michelle's busy life on Twitter @Michellemyers24
Gabrielle is devoting all her energy to Women's Advocacy development in 3rd World Countries around the world. Follow Gabrielle's international adventures on Twitter @Gabigurl
And who knows if God won't bring this blog back into our path - so check back for updates.
God bless!
~ The Elle Girls
1.7.09
31.8.08
Finish Line Faith
The Olympic Games...two solid weeks of athletic competition and patriotism. The media switched their focus from the presidential election to cover table tennis. Kids were allowed to stay up past their bedtimes to see if Shawn Johnson would win the overall title. Companies like Wheaties, VISA, and Coca Cola developed new logos to capture new comsumers by manipulating the spirit of the games for their products.
You would think anything that would alter life so drastically would have more of a lasting impact. But even though details were fresh on our minds before each competiton began, there is one thing we remember when it's over: the winner.
Think about it. In the 100 meter men's sprint, can you tell me which runner took the first lead? No. How about second place? Probably not. But what can you tell me?
As a runner, you can probably tell me that Jamaica's Usain Bolt broke his own world record in that race to win the gold. He joined the ranks of Carl Lewis in winning gold in both the 100m and 200m. Not to mention, he shattered Michael Johnson's record that no one thought would ever be broken.
Do you see a pattern here? No one remembers how you started unless you finish well.
Let's go through two examples. First, let's talk about Judas Iscariot. He started out pretty well. He was one of the original twelve disciples of Jesus. I'm sure his family and friends thought he was a good man to be that close to Jesus. But what is he remembered for? He was the one who betrayed Jesus Christ. For thirty pieces of silver, he handed his Savior over to be crucified. (See John 18 for the whole story.)Today, if someone betrays you, you may even call them a "Judas." No matter what good he did with his life, even 2,000 years later, he is not remembered for accompanying Jesus for his three years of ministry on this earth. He is remembered as a traitor.
On the other hand, consider the apostle Paul. He got off to a pretty rocky start. First of all, his name was Saul. You know what he did all day? Persecuted Christians. (Check out Acts 8 for the details.) But the Lord had other plans. He blinded Saul with a great light, Saul was converted, and God changed his name from Saul to Paul. God told Ananias, Paul's teacher, that Paul was a "chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel." (Acts 9:15) From that moment on, that's exactly what Paul did. He preached the Gospel to those who had not heard the name of Jesus. He wrote over half of the New Testament. He started more churches that we can even begin to count. When we think about Paul, we don't think about the innocent Christians that he killed in his life before Christ. We think about the amazing relationship he had with the Lord and the amazing testimony of his life, bearing the name of Christ, proclaiming joy in persecution and suffering.
Think about this in your own Christian life. After you make a decision for Christ, things are going pretty well. You pray and read your Bible. You might even tell someone else about Jesus. But what happens? Life starts getting busy. Priorities change. Before you know it, your relationship with God is about as meaningful as your relationship to your sixth cousin twice removed.
In 2 Timothy 4:7, towards the end of his life, Paul wrote, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." Paul may not hsve had the lead at the beginning of his Christian walk. In fact, he wasn't even in the race. Others who got a better start dropped out along the way. Their endurance couldn't take the pressures that are promised to us when we follow Christ.
Jesus didn't teach that we might face hardship. He assured us that it was inevitable. Matthew 10:22-23, Jesus says, "You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved. But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes." Notice that he doesn't say IF they persecute you. It says WHENEVER they persecute you.
Not everyone wins a race. It's the same way in the Christian faith. Jesus said, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few." (Matthew 9:37). Paul had what it took because he understood what it meant to cross the finish line. He practiced the same message He preached. And here's just another amazing fact about our incredible Father God. He doesn't just give gold medals to those who finish first. He gives a gold medal to everyone who finishes BEST.
In I Corinthians 9:24-27, Paul writes, "Don't you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Oherwise, I fear thst after preaching it to others, I myself might be disqualified."
You may be a casual runner like me. I'll never win a gold medal in the Olympics for Track & Field. I'll never know what it feels like to stand up on that top box while the Star-Spangled Banner plays in the background with a gold medal around my neck...until I get to heaven. To hear God say, "Well done, my good and faithful servant," will overshadow any Olympic ceremony.
You would think anything that would alter life so drastically would have more of a lasting impact. But even though details were fresh on our minds before each competiton began, there is one thing we remember when it's over: the winner.
Think about it. In the 100 meter men's sprint, can you tell me which runner took the first lead? No. How about second place? Probably not. But what can you tell me?
As a runner, you can probably tell me that Jamaica's Usain Bolt broke his own world record in that race to win the gold. He joined the ranks of Carl Lewis in winning gold in both the 100m and 200m. Not to mention, he shattered Michael Johnson's record that no one thought would ever be broken.
Do you see a pattern here? No one remembers how you started unless you finish well.
Let's go through two examples. First, let's talk about Judas Iscariot. He started out pretty well. He was one of the original twelve disciples of Jesus. I'm sure his family and friends thought he was a good man to be that close to Jesus. But what is he remembered for? He was the one who betrayed Jesus Christ. For thirty pieces of silver, he handed his Savior over to be crucified. (See John 18 for the whole story.)Today, if someone betrays you, you may even call them a "Judas." No matter what good he did with his life, even 2,000 years later, he is not remembered for accompanying Jesus for his three years of ministry on this earth. He is remembered as a traitor.
On the other hand, consider the apostle Paul. He got off to a pretty rocky start. First of all, his name was Saul. You know what he did all day? Persecuted Christians. (Check out Acts 8 for the details.) But the Lord had other plans. He blinded Saul with a great light, Saul was converted, and God changed his name from Saul to Paul. God told Ananias, Paul's teacher, that Paul was a "chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel." (Acts 9:15) From that moment on, that's exactly what Paul did. He preached the Gospel to those who had not heard the name of Jesus. He wrote over half of the New Testament. He started more churches that we can even begin to count. When we think about Paul, we don't think about the innocent Christians that he killed in his life before Christ. We think about the amazing relationship he had with the Lord and the amazing testimony of his life, bearing the name of Christ, proclaiming joy in persecution and suffering.
Think about this in your own Christian life. After you make a decision for Christ, things are going pretty well. You pray and read your Bible. You might even tell someone else about Jesus. But what happens? Life starts getting busy. Priorities change. Before you know it, your relationship with God is about as meaningful as your relationship to your sixth cousin twice removed.
In 2 Timothy 4:7, towards the end of his life, Paul wrote, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." Paul may not hsve had the lead at the beginning of his Christian walk. In fact, he wasn't even in the race. Others who got a better start dropped out along the way. Their endurance couldn't take the pressures that are promised to us when we follow Christ.
Jesus didn't teach that we might face hardship. He assured us that it was inevitable. Matthew 10:22-23, Jesus says, "You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved. But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes." Notice that he doesn't say IF they persecute you. It says WHENEVER they persecute you.
Not everyone wins a race. It's the same way in the Christian faith. Jesus said, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few." (Matthew 9:37). Paul had what it took because he understood what it meant to cross the finish line. He practiced the same message He preached. And here's just another amazing fact about our incredible Father God. He doesn't just give gold medals to those who finish first. He gives a gold medal to everyone who finishes BEST.
In I Corinthians 9:24-27, Paul writes, "Don't you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Oherwise, I fear thst after preaching it to others, I myself might be disqualified."
You may be a casual runner like me. I'll never win a gold medal in the Olympics for Track & Field. I'll never know what it feels like to stand up on that top box while the Star-Spangled Banner plays in the background with a gold medal around my neck...until I get to heaven. To hear God say, "Well done, my good and faithful servant," will overshadow any Olympic ceremony.
2.8.08
Changing Your Spiritual Shoes
Changing your shoes as a runner is important. Your shoes are the foundation of your running gear. When your shoes are no longer giving your joints the support they need, you are prone to injury. Plus, it just hurts.
As a general rule of thumb, runners are supposed to change their shoes every 300 to 400 miles. That's annoying. Why? Not only is it expensive, but I get attached to my shoes. I remember my first pair of running shoes...
They were my first pair of the Nike Air Pegasus. (A sidenote...to this day, the only shoe I will run in!) They were my first pair of shoes to purchase as a runner. I was no longer a mid-fielder who ran because I had to do it on the soccer field. I ran because I was training for a race.
They were light pink and white (which at the time matched over half of my running wardrobe.) They had great stability, and they were so light, I felt like I was barefoot when I lifted my foot. The perfect running shoes.
I had so many memories in those shoes - my first long run, my first 5K in under 19 minutes, my first half-marathon. The best by far - taking my new friend and running buddy, Megan, to buy the same pair of shoes. We began running together everyday. Before long, we were inseperable. To this day, she is my best friend.
Some of the memories in the shoes weren't as great. My first hill-training runs where I thought I was going to die instantly. Forgetting my water bottle on a long run in the summer...outside. Neatly collapsing on the treadmill because I hadn't eaten enough that day, and I still pushed too hard.
But I will never forget the day when I put on my favorite shoes, took off on my run, and realized the pounding on the pavement hurt more than usual. My joints didn't feel protected. I had no support. It was putting too much stress on my foot. Shoes are supposed to take some of the stress off of you as a runner. But I was now relying on myself.
Do you ever do that in your Christian life? God tells you to serve somewhere. Somewhat reluctantly, you respond with obedience. You're unsure of what you're doing at first - maybe even scared. Eventually, though, you fall into a groove. You get comfortable in your leadership role. Eventually, you don't really even think about what you're doing. You can do this on auto-pilot.
But then...all of the sudden...God asks you to do something else. He asks you to change out of your comfortable, broken-in shoes and wear a new pair.
That was how music was for me.
My dad is a Minister of Music. My mom is an elementary music teacher. I was destined to be a musician before I was born.
My mom started teaching me on the xylophone when I was 2. At 4, I began piano lessons. When I turned 5, violin was added to the mix. Flute lessons started at age 7. At age 10, I finally found my niche - voice lessons.
Naturally, when God called me into the ministry in the 8th grade, I assumed He meant music. What else could He have possively meant?
So I went throughout high school assuming that I would go into some kind of music ministry - like my dad. I sang in his choir at church. I helped lead worship in the youth group. I sang solos. I even co-directed children's choir throughout college.
The time came to choose a college. I auditioned for a vocal performance scholarship to Belmont University in Nashville - and GOT IT! I visited the campus, got excited on my journey "for the Lord," and went about making my plans.
One month shy of graduation, I heard God's voice:
Michelle, were you going to clue Me in on any of this before you starting planning? Maybe ask My opinion?
But, God. All I've done to serve You my whole life is music. Everything I've done to prepare is musically. What else could you possibly want to do with me? I'm ready!
Write.
Write? But that's like...my secret passion. I know I finished my first book in the 1st grade. I know I have two desks on my room - one faced the wall so I wouldn't get distracted while doing homework. The other faced the window, so I could people-watch and get ideas for the characters in my stories. But I never let anyone read my thoughts. That's pretty personal, God. I don't know if I'm comfortable with that.
Michelle, write.
But what about my scholarship?
Write.
With that, I walked away from a full ride to Belmont, and walked into The University of Tennessee where I could pursue a degree in communications with an emphasis in journalism. I was so scared, and I felt completely out of my comfort zone - like in new shoes that I'm trying to figure out.
While I had been writing my whole life, there was something intimidating about walking into a classroom full of former high school newspaper editor-in-chiefs. I felt like the new kid. Just like I want the comfort of my broken-in shoes, I longed to walk into the UT Chorale and sight-sing my way to an A.
Eventually, I got into a groove. Once I let my classmates read my academic writing, I started letting friends read my personal writing. They told me God was using my devotions to help them grow spiritually. With that, I was hooked.
Now, I'm a seminary student, and I work as a writer in my school's office of communications.
I still sing in the praise team at church - except now, that feels like the new shoes. I am more nervous leading worship now that I ever was as a kid. I spend more time writing than singing, so now, I really rely on God when I am up there, instead of relying on my own ability.
The point is - God won't let you stay in your old shoes. If you are not relying on Him, be prepared for him to remove you from your comfort zone and put you somewhere where He is the one to recieve glory.
Galations 2:20 says:
New shoes are scary. I react the same way each time I get a new pair of running shoes. I wear my shoes loyally until the first last possible mile. Reluctantly, I head to the store to get a new pair, convinced that no shoe will ever be like the old ones I just gave up.
But I step in a pair, feel the increased support from the worn out pair I just had on, and I sigh a sigh of relief. They feel good.
God is the support that's missing in your old shoes. If you ask Him to put you out of your comfort zone and in line with His will...just get ready. But He will be there every step of the way.
As a general rule of thumb, runners are supposed to change their shoes every 300 to 400 miles. That's annoying. Why? Not only is it expensive, but I get attached to my shoes. I remember my first pair of running shoes...
They were my first pair of the Nike Air Pegasus. (A sidenote...to this day, the only shoe I will run in!) They were my first pair of shoes to purchase as a runner. I was no longer a mid-fielder who ran because I had to do it on the soccer field. I ran because I was training for a race.
They were light pink and white (which at the time matched over half of my running wardrobe.) They had great stability, and they were so light, I felt like I was barefoot when I lifted my foot. The perfect running shoes.
I had so many memories in those shoes - my first long run, my first 5K in under 19 minutes, my first half-marathon. The best by far - taking my new friend and running buddy, Megan, to buy the same pair of shoes. We began running together everyday. Before long, we were inseperable. To this day, she is my best friend.
Some of the memories in the shoes weren't as great. My first hill-training runs where I thought I was going to die instantly. Forgetting my water bottle on a long run in the summer...outside. Neatly collapsing on the treadmill because I hadn't eaten enough that day, and I still pushed too hard.
But I will never forget the day when I put on my favorite shoes, took off on my run, and realized the pounding on the pavement hurt more than usual. My joints didn't feel protected. I had no support. It was putting too much stress on my foot. Shoes are supposed to take some of the stress off of you as a runner. But I was now relying on myself.
Do you ever do that in your Christian life? God tells you to serve somewhere. Somewhat reluctantly, you respond with obedience. You're unsure of what you're doing at first - maybe even scared. Eventually, though, you fall into a groove. You get comfortable in your leadership role. Eventually, you don't really even think about what you're doing. You can do this on auto-pilot.
But then...all of the sudden...God asks you to do something else. He asks you to change out of your comfortable, broken-in shoes and wear a new pair.
That was how music was for me.
My dad is a Minister of Music. My mom is an elementary music teacher. I was destined to be a musician before I was born.
My mom started teaching me on the xylophone when I was 2. At 4, I began piano lessons. When I turned 5, violin was added to the mix. Flute lessons started at age 7. At age 10, I finally found my niche - voice lessons.
Naturally, when God called me into the ministry in the 8th grade, I assumed He meant music. What else could He have possively meant?
So I went throughout high school assuming that I would go into some kind of music ministry - like my dad. I sang in his choir at church. I helped lead worship in the youth group. I sang solos. I even co-directed children's choir throughout college.
The time came to choose a college. I auditioned for a vocal performance scholarship to Belmont University in Nashville - and GOT IT! I visited the campus, got excited on my journey "for the Lord," and went about making my plans.
One month shy of graduation, I heard God's voice:
Michelle, were you going to clue Me in on any of this before you starting planning? Maybe ask My opinion?
But, God. All I've done to serve You my whole life is music. Everything I've done to prepare is musically. What else could you possibly want to do with me? I'm ready!
Write.
Write? But that's like...my secret passion. I know I finished my first book in the 1st grade. I know I have two desks on my room - one faced the wall so I wouldn't get distracted while doing homework. The other faced the window, so I could people-watch and get ideas for the characters in my stories. But I never let anyone read my thoughts. That's pretty personal, God. I don't know if I'm comfortable with that.
Michelle, write.
But what about my scholarship?
Write.
With that, I walked away from a full ride to Belmont, and walked into The University of Tennessee where I could pursue a degree in communications with an emphasis in journalism. I was so scared, and I felt completely out of my comfort zone - like in new shoes that I'm trying to figure out.
While I had been writing my whole life, there was something intimidating about walking into a classroom full of former high school newspaper editor-in-chiefs. I felt like the new kid. Just like I want the comfort of my broken-in shoes, I longed to walk into the UT Chorale and sight-sing my way to an A.
Eventually, I got into a groove. Once I let my classmates read my academic writing, I started letting friends read my personal writing. They told me God was using my devotions to help them grow spiritually. With that, I was hooked.
Now, I'm a seminary student, and I work as a writer in my school's office of communications.
I still sing in the praise team at church - except now, that feels like the new shoes. I am more nervous leading worship now that I ever was as a kid. I spend more time writing than singing, so now, I really rely on God when I am up there, instead of relying on my own ability.
The point is - God won't let you stay in your old shoes. If you are not relying on Him, be prepared for him to remove you from your comfort zone and put you somewhere where He is the one to recieve glory.
Galations 2:20 says:
My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
New shoes are scary. I react the same way each time I get a new pair of running shoes. I wear my shoes loyally until the first last possible mile. Reluctantly, I head to the store to get a new pair, convinced that no shoe will ever be like the old ones I just gave up.
But I step in a pair, feel the increased support from the worn out pair I just had on, and I sigh a sigh of relief. They feel good.
God is the support that's missing in your old shoes. If you ask Him to put you out of your comfort zone and in line with His will...just get ready. But He will be there every step of the way.
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