Jesus + Purpose

My mind has been messy this week. I keep thinking about how, when I was training for the marathons, everything was so hard and yet it made me deeply prayerful every single day. The mission to help my friends was real. Then the event comes and goes. You do the work, and afterward life becomes comfortable again. Less stress on the body, less pressure on the mind, no more worries about raising money or finishing the race. But with that comfort comes something else, a lack of focus and purpose. And I find myself missing God, missing the consistency of serving others, and missing the beautiful community I was doing it all with.

But I’m also beginning to see something clearly, those marathons taught me that the real race I’m running is this one called life. And to run it well means keeping my eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith, and choosing to spend my time, energy, and resources loving and serving others in different ways.

I share this with you today in case your mind ever gets messy too. If so, I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

May we remember that comfort is nice, but it isn’t where joy is found. Joy is found in living out the principle Jesus taught us, to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves.

And even though I won’t do this perfectly, I’m learning to redirect my thoughts and see this life as my new marathon. There are people today who have real needs, and if I can use my time, energy, or resources to help meet even one of those needs, my heart will be fuller and my mind will have greater peace, just as it was during those months of training, when I was living out these principles with purpose.

With love and hope,

Shawn

Happy Veterans Day!

Happy Veterans Day to my favorite Veteran and to all who have served🇺🇸 Thank you for your service and willingness to put your life on the line for the rest of us🙏

With gratitude and respect,
Shawn

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends
- John 15:13

To Love God and One Another Above All Else

Yesterday I witnessed something beautiful. I got together with old childhood friends to support one of our friends who is battling cancer.

During one of the conversations early in the day, one friend said to another, “I know we may not agree on things, but we don’t need to be political today.” The other friend agreed and not a word of politics was spoken the entire day.

Coming together to support our friend was the heart of the day. And the day was filled with laughter, joy, compassion and service.

I walked away from the day with my heart full of joy, sadness, and wonder.

Joy for this time together with old friends laughing and telling stories.

Sadness for our friend and his battle.

And in wonder at how yesterday, taking care of our friend was the first thought on all our minds, and everything else came second.

God calls us to love our neighbor as ourselves, and yesterday that is what I witnessed.

Loving one another above all else.

I share this today because I believe there is truth and beauty in what I witnessed yesterday.

I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

May the workings of man come second to the ways of God. And may we each do our part to live out this truth, as I witnessed my childhood friends doing yesterday.

With love and hope,
Shawn

Try this one things today...

Look at something from a new angle🍁

Last week, in the kids Bible study class I teach, my co-teacher and I were discussing the beauty of God’s creation with the kids. During our class, we went outside for a scavenger hunt. After the kids were done searching for the items on their list, my co-teacher gathered the entire class by a tree that had red leaves. We stood by the tree, and she asked if anyone was able to check off “red leaf” on their paper. All the kids raised their hands.

Then she asked if anyone saw a bird’s nest. The kids looked confused because a bird’s nest wasn’t on the list we gave them. She knew that, but asked anyway. All the kids said no. 

She asked the group to take about five steps to the left. When we did, she asked the kids to look at the tree again and notice if they saw anything new.

And there, in the tree, was a bird’s nest.

She then told the kids that she is a photographer and that an important part of photography is to take pictures from various angles so that you capture a broader view. As she shared this with the kids, her words and wisdom caused me to pause.

I thought about how often I enter my day with a list - like the kids with their lists - and that can narrow my view for the day. I wondered what I may be missing by not intentionally seeking to view my day from different angles.

Also, her words reminded me that my point of view isn’t the only one, or necessarily the right one. It is important to listen to others to see things from different angles to gain a broader understanding.



If you too would like a broader view, I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.



May we go through our days seeking to see life from various angles so that we can gain a broader perspective, like God sees. May we pray for God to help us see from new angles so that we can grow and deepen our understanding of God, ourselves, one another, and the world around us. And as we do this, maybe we’ll discover an unexpected treasure in our day, just like our class did when my co-teacher helped us see that bird’s nest.

With love and hope,
Shawn

Need Inspiration? Here she is...

Last weekend, our @bravelikegabe teammate and friend Sue was texting with us from the starting line of the Chicago marathon. I’ve mentioned her before, but in case you missed that post, she has ACC. Initially, the cancer was in her tongue, which thankfully is healed. But she has a metastasis in her lungs that she’s been fighting for five years now.

Sue had planned to run Berlin with us, but a new trial she had been on made her really sick, and staying state-side was the wisest choice. Once the doctors got the dosing fixed, Sue did what she loves - she continued to run. But not just for herself. She was running for a loved one newly diagnosed with diabetes and was able to sign up for the Chicago marathon in their honor.

Sue is one of the most beautiful, kind, and selfless souls you’ll ever meet.

Jen and I were able to connect with Sue before Berlin for a run. She hadn’t been feeling as strong on her runs, yet she kept moving forward, honoring where she was.

Sue completed the Chicago marathon last week! Our Brave Like Gabe team celebrated how she crushed it!

Sue is a powerful example of how to be a warrior. Not one that harms others, but one who is willing to live fully. She meets fear in the face, steps into the fire, trusting the refinement of the fire will be greater than the burn. And she is out there fighting not just for herself, but for others as well.

I invite you to join me today to…

pause. breathe. pray.

May we learn from Sue that life will have its trials, yet they don’t have to define us or stop us from living. Instead, we can use our trials to refine us and live fully, as the person we were made to be, and richly, by serving others along the way. As Sue shows us, not just last weekend, but everyday.

With love and hope,
Shawn

What Invisible Weight are We Carrying?

This morning on the trails there were a couple soldiers rucking with their packs. I know they are doing it for training but it made me pause and think about how every one of us is carrying around a weight on us everyday. It may be light, it may be heavy, and unlike these soldiers packs, ours are invisible.

What if when we passed each person, on the trails, in our cars, at the stores, at work, etc., instead of looking at what we see on the surface, we think about the invisible weight they are carrying around with them every day.

And instead of passing by them, we offer a smile and a silent pray in our hearts over them?

We don’t need to know what they are carrying, God knows. And we can pray for God to lift the weight off of them.

I share this today to invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

May we open our eyes to the people we pass each day. Although we may never know their names, or their stories, it doesn’t mean we can’t pray for them and wish them well, as I did for these soldiers the morning.

With love and hope,
Shawn

Recovering Perfectionist

Do you have perfectionist tendencies? Me too.

I am a recovering perfectionist. I am not a perfectionist in that my spaces are neat and tidy. I actually always have piles everywhere, and my family can vouch for that.

I am a personality perfectionist. I have high standards for myself. Some may say having high expectations and goals is good, yet it becomes unhealthy when you don’t give yourself the mercy you give others.

When you are never enough for yourself. When there is always a higher bar you are trying to reach. It can lead to a lack of contentment and rest within.

Running the past eighteen months has been helping me refine myself within, including ridding myself of many of my perfectionist tendencies.

One thing running has taught me is that there isn’t a perfect run or race, there is the best you did in the moment that day.

And this is like life.

Rather than aiming for perfection, what if we simply do our best in the moment each day? Knowing what our best looks like will vary day by day, just like the runs.

I share this today in case you are a recovering perfectionist as well.

I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

May we be honest with ourselves about perfectionist tendencies. May we reflect on the mercy we offer others and extend that same mercy to ourselves as well. May we throw away the unrealistic expectations and lies we tell ourselves. And instead, meet ourselves with humility and kindness we would offer others. May God’s truth remind us He doesn’t expect perfection from us, that’s why there is mercy. May we allow God’s truth and love to transform our hearts and minds so that we let go of perfection and experience a deeper contentment and rest within.

With love and hope,
Shawn

And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. - Micah 6:8

Speak Life

I don’t know that I’ve ever shared that during my undergrad years, I coached at my old high school for three years. I coached freshman basketball, freshman soccer and track.

One of the girls on my track team was a sweetheart and I could see that she needed encouragement throughout the season. I wasn’t a runner and couldn’t lead by example but only with words.

She consistently put forth the effort and I just wanted her to believe in herself. She has always held a special place in my heart. At the end of the season, I received a note from her mom (that I still have). What her mom didn’t know is that I was like her daughter, a young woman myself who needed encouragement and her note did just that, lifted me up to believe I had value.

I learned this morning that the mom has passed way. Although I haven’t seen her in a long time, her words of encouragement always remained with me.

I share this today because words are powerful and stick with people. The good and the bad.

I invite you to join me today to…

pause. breathe. pray.

May we ask God to release us from any of the negative words that have stuck to us. May we be sure to give thanks to the people who spoke life into us. And may we be the ones who choose to speak life and truth into others. There is a lot out of our control, yet our words are something we can control. May we use them wisely and purposefully as they may stick with people for life, like this mom’s encouraging words have stuck with me.

With care and hope,
Shawn

Inspiring Cancer Warrior - Jen

This is Jen. She amazes and inspires me.

Jen ran the Berlin Marathon with cancerous tumors in three different areas of her body.

Running is Jen’s therapy, and getting to know her the past year has been a blessing.

She is one of the kindest, selfless, caring people I have ever met who, in the same breath, has the strength of a lion at heart.

At the marathon, I watched Jen make sure a friend we made that morning was with us at the starting line.

As we started the marathon, Jen ran ahead with another friend we were there with who was struggling. Jen ran beside her to help her get settled into her pace.

We went back and forth being with them along the course. Towards the end, we reconnected with Jen briefly but somehow lost her.

After we got to the finish line, we couldn’t find Jen, and it turns out Jen literally stopped on the course to wait for us to cross the finish line together - and sadly, we didn’t know and somehow missed her

And this is Jen, a beautiful soul who is aware of the people around her, and she does what she can to show up and love on others.

Jen’s kind, caring, selfless heart reflects the love of God. She was more concerned about others around her getting to the finish line rather than herself.

This isn’t how she always has been. She used to run for time, and she has shared that a few years ago, her perspective about racing shifted for her, as did the purpose of running for her.

And to me, her perspective on the course that day represents how we are meant to live our lives every day, doing what we need to do to fuel ourselves in mind, body, and soul, so that we can be outward-facing, showing up, and loving on others along the way.

I share this with you today with the hope that Jen’s loving heart and strong soul will inspire you to.

I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

May we learn from Jen’s example that we can’t always control our circumstances, but we can control how we choose to love others through them. May we be inspired by her beautiful example to keep our eyes and ears open to ways we can love others along the way, even if that means we need to speed up, slow down, be present or wait, like Jen for each of us on the course that day.

With love and hope,

Shawn

God's Way Is Better

This is Jess. Kylee and I met her somewhere before the halfway mark.

It was a hot day, and I was trying not to allow myself to ruminate on how hot it was. I remember when the first clouds covered us, I was overcome with gratitude. I shouted out loud, “Thank you, God, for the clouds! Woohoo!”

And the next thing I knew, someone else was celebrating the clouds with me!

It was Jess.

She came beside Kylee and me and said she needed that energy as she was feeling done already. She had gotten sick a little while back and was trying to push through.

Jess joined Kylee and me.

The three of us ran beside each other, going the pace the one struggling the most in the moment needed to go.

It was beautiful.

When we met Jess, Jess was the one who needed the encouragement.

By the end, I was the one who was in my head after having a dizzy episode.

Jess and Kylee were the hype girls, and I was in full prayer mode to get to the finish line.

Running beside Kylee and Jess was a reminder to me about some of the principles God calls us to live out in life; to carry one another’s burdens, encourage one another and to love our neighbor as ourselves.

Kylee and I knew nothing about Jess except that she was struggling in her mind to keep going. And by the end, Jess was in her zone and could have run ahead, but instead, she chose to be sure I got to the finish line.

And this, my friends, is life in God’s eyes.

It’s not about getting ahead but about carrying each others burdens with one another and encouraging one another. It’s about treating one another the way we want to be treated and being willing to slow down from where we are heading to help those who need it. And by doing so, we may find in our time of need, when we show up for others, they also show up for us, like Jess and Kylee did for me.

And the circle of love flows around and around.

I share this today to invite you to join me in…

pause. breathe. pray.

May we not be so focused on where we are heading today, this week, or in life, that we forget to hear the voices of others who have needs. May we be willing to slow down our pace and come beside them to help them. Because in God’s eyes where we are heading is less important than how we live on our way there. And this experience with Kylee and Jess will forever remind me of this truth.

With love and hope,

Shawn

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. - Galatians 6:2