Be Careful What You Ask For

I started my run yesterday at 6:45am.  It was 73 degrees and the dewpoint was 69...that meant very humid!  I didn't think so early in the morning the humidity would make a quick 2 hour run miserable but a few miles in, I was soaked in sweat and breathing was less than desirable.  I was praying for this person and that person but really not feeling the excitement that I normally get when running a long distance (which, by the way, goas was 14 miles that day) because it was so humid.  I decided to ask God to help me out.  I mean, why not, he's clearly come through for me in the past...why wouldn't he come through for me now?!  I said, "God, I'm out here doing this for you..only because you told me to..could I please have just a few tiny sprinkles to cool me off and cut the humidity for a minute?"  Wellllllll, you've read previous posts about how God REALLY does answer prayer?  Again, I called and He answered!!  Not exactly how I had imagined it though.  I kid you not, within 1 minute of that prayer, it rained!  However....instead of just a nice little 5 min sprinkle, it POURED on me for the next 5 miles!!!  I almost quit early sooo many times but I kept thinking how important these runs are towards the final goal so I continued to run, finally deciding to quit only 4 miles early.  Well, God had a different plan.  At 4 miles early, it quit raining and I was nowhere near my car...so on I went.  I ended up finishing all 14 miles in the most water-logged state of my life.

Lesson #1- Be careful what you ask God for...He does answer prayer...but in the way He sees fit :)
Lesson #2- When doing something for God, He WILL see you through to the end.  Whether it be something huge like traveling abroad or adopting a child or something small like running 14 miles in the rain, HE REIGNS YESTERDAY, TODAY AND FOREVER and He will make it happen!

*And, that was just pure coincidence that that phrase is what came to me while writing about rain =)

Teaming Up For Missions

Back when I first was deciding to or not to do this, I spent some time talking with a good friend, Nicole.  She has been running for years and has also run a couple marathons so I was turning to her looking for any advice and to get a feel for if she thought I had what it would take to complete 26 miles.  I'll never forget the night she called me (late June)..she was sooo excited to hear about how God was wanting to use me and running!  She said, "I'll run it with you!"  Knowing she had a leg that was giving her trouble and was coming into a busy summer, I was shocked.  I never expected that level of support but wow, was I excited!  She was willing to give up a lot of time in her summer to train for this race and be there to support me not only during training but in the race as well.  We are teaming up and trampling the ground for missions this summer and I couldn't be enjoying it more!  God has shown me a lot through the ups and downs of training but most of all, I've learned to have more faith and leave the details to Him.

Matthew 19:26 
Jesus said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

With all of that said....my toe is in question and Nicole has had off and on trouble with her leg.  Please keep both of us in your prayers that our master physician would keep us both in pristine physical health and able to complete the race to which God has called us.  Thank You!

We Have A Problem

Training has been going very very well.  Really, almost to well for someone who has only been running for a year.  Last weekend I hit the distance goal needed in order to be fully confident I can complete this race.  I ran 22 miles and shockingly, felt as if I had not run at all the next day.  God has been sooo on my side throughout all of this.  Then Monday night came...Meredith, completely by accident, stepped on my toe.  At the time it did not register any pain and we both went about business.  Later that night it was a little sore.  The next day I worked all day.  It was a little sore but did not limit me in any way for 12 hours on my feet.  At that time, the only thing that caused trouble was bending it.  I actually could not bend it at all.  That night I was awoken from my sleep with INTENSE toe pain.  I couldn't step on the foot at all.  I tried to hobble my way to the bathroom to get pain meds but the intensity of the pain caused me to be lightheaded and have to sit down.  Finally, I managed to get some Ibuprofen and make my way back to bed though little sleep followed.  I was sure it was broken.  Laying in bed, I accessed internet on my phone (can you even believe we live in a world where that is possible) and read that I would be looking at at least 4 weeks off from running if it was broken.  I started praying.  The race is only 6 weeks away and even though I am ready now, that would really set me back.  The next day, which is today, I spoke with my doctor and had xrays taken.  I am now just waiting for the results.  I have a lot of faith and believe that it cannot possibly be broken but I also know that the devil is real and would love nothing more than to sabotage this mission.  It is killing me to not be running right now but I also know that it is very important to let this heal.  I know that God is bigger than any obstacles I may run into so while I'm waiting for answers, I will just continue to lean on Him and pray for no broken bones and a very quick recovery.

My. Answered. Prayers.

This post is to give God the praise and glory he deserves.  If you follow this blog, you know that I do a lot of praying while running.  I wanted to take a minute and share with you some of my answered prayers!

~ A family member has been told treatment worked and the cancer is gone.
~ A friend got finite clarity on a job situation.
~ A child has been eating with increased appetite and less problems (not mine).
~ Two husbands of friends got jobs.
~ Two beautiful Christ centered marriages happened.
~ A co worker's house sold.
~ I have remained healthy and injury free during training.
~ My Incline youth traveled safely to and from Mexico and saw God work wonders and change lives.
~ One of my best friends let another group of Incline youth to Michigan safely and experience God's awesomeness.
~ One of my Incline girls traveled safely and in good health to and from Haiti doing God's work...and now has been accepted into a program to do missions in Africa this fall.
God never ceases to amaze me! 

Romans 12:12  "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."
Psalm 12:6 "I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer."
Colossians 4:2 "Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful."

Opportunity Knocks on the Allegheny Passage

Up to this point, I have done most of my running at Boyce Park.  This past Saturday, I was scheduled for a long run and really wanted some different scenery.  Let's face it, there are only so many roads and trails at Boyce so I end up repeating the same loops many times to log my necessary distance.  Matt's birthday was last weekend and I also wanted to do something he would enjoy.  So, our family took a trip to Little Boston and boarded the Allegheny Passage trail.  We didn't know exactly what to expect but it turned out to be GREAT!  I ran (20miles) of new scenery on a flat ground dirt/stone path while Matt biked, pulling the girls in a trailer.  There was even a fantastic playground for the kids to entertain them before and after their bike ride.  Afterwards, we sat on a little grass ledge overlooking the river and had a picnic together.  It was a great family day...and the town of Little Boston was having their annual town yard sales so we even left with a few new treasures!  We will be going back in two weeks when I run long again...can't wait!

I was in the minority there...most everyone was biking the trail.  Somehow I came into conversation with an older man biking.  He asked how far I was running (I was wearing a camelbak water supply which meant I was in for some distance).  When I told him, he thought I was crazy.  OPPORTUNITY?  I think so!  He biked my pace for the next 15 min while I got to share my entire story.  I'll never know what he thought or if hearing it impacted him in any way but I like to think it did.  After all, God works in mysterious ways and I am confident that He has bigger things to come out of this than just running and raising money but also touching souls and inspiring people to take action towards bettering their own physical and spiritual well-being.

"...that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ..."  Colossians 4:3     ~That is exactly what He did on July 16, 2011!

Completion Takes Commitment

I want to send a sincere THANK YOU to all of you that have chosen to support this mission thus far.  I have received sponsorship from a good number of people and have raised a decent amount of money for Speed the Light to purchase a vehicle for Bettina Weaver.  I do, however, still have many miles that are open and waiting for someone to lay claim to them :)  I KNOW I am supposed to be doing this but when my body is aching and I have no time for life, frustrations set in. 

Pastor Nick Poole came to preach at Incline this past Wednesday.  "Completion takes Commitment" was his message (that wasn't the actual title but that's what I got out of it).  He caught my attention when he used running as an analogy.  He said, "you cannot run a marathon without being totally committed.  If you aren't, you will not succeed."  I knew going into this I was looking at a big commitment and this just reminded me.  I am committed!  No matter how how frustrated I may get, I will complete this because I have made the commitment to not only God but also all of the people that have sponsored me.
Pastor Nick had so many good points Wednesday night.  If you want to be complete in life do not look for happiness in things and people.  You will never find it.  Only through Christ will you find complete fullness of life.  Pursuing that life with Christ takes commitment..just like any human relationship.  For it to be successful, you must be fully committed on all levels. 

The Bible says, "For I know the plans I have for you...plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  Jeremiah 29:11  Pastor Nick said, "all of your life pursuits will be empty if not completed with Christ."  Basically, this is all saying that it is only through life with Christ that we will find true happiness and feelings of completion in life and see God's great plans for our life unfold.  God wants good things for all of us..joy and hope are among those things.  Well, I don't know about you but that is something I do not want to miss out on!!!!  Therefore, I will continue to train for this race, despite any frustration that may rise and complete the task that has been set before me.

Philippians 3:13B-14  "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has call me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
"Forgetting what is behind"- my pained body and frustrations
"Straining toward what is ahead"- 2 more months of training
"I press on toward the goal for which God has called me"- running a marathon to benefit Bettina Weaver
"Heavenward in Christ Jesus"- through Him this WILL be completed and in the process I will be drawn in deeper relationship with my savior and will hopefully draw others to Him as well!

Noxious Stimuli

Skunks...and more skunks...
Last Friday when I was out trying to enjoy some fresh air in the park I came across nothing but that oh so familiar and unpleasant smell of the skunk.  I tried to be tough and pretend like I could not smell them but their stench was overwhelming and I found myself focusing on that instead of what my real purpose was that morning.  They were everywhere...dead and alive...seen and unseen.  First was the roadkill skunk...who's odor will be ground into the road for the next couple of weeks, and of course the heat and humidity just make his unpleasantness linger longer.  I don't know why in the world the park people have not removed his carcass, causing me to suffer every time I'm there.  Then there was the unseen but so very potent, nose-hair-singeing skunk.  His eye watering smell spread a great distance.  Hoping the smell would have vanished on my next pass through that area, I was sadly disappointed it had not as I was forced to endure it yet again.  Torture.  Then there was the alive-right-there-in-front-of-me-skunk!  He did not smell.  He was just happily poking around some weeds.  I tried to find beauty in this little guy as he was not causing my sense of smell great distress but I just could not...given this was my third encounter that morning.  In this case, I just felt lucky that I saw him on the side of trail BEFORE I became his stink target!  Let me tell you, I turned around faster than you can blink and doubled my pace to escape..thinking what a close call that was!
Once I settled myself and came back into focus I began to think about how a skunk is such noxious (toxic, corrupting, harmful, deadly) stimuli to our nose.  I takes all focus away, causing you to think only about how bad the smell is and how quickly you can get away.  Just as a skunk is noxious to us, our sins are even more noxious to our soul and to God.  Lucky for us skunk smell is only temporary and we really don't have to do much to escape it except wait it out.  Unfortunately, we are not so lucky with sin.  Sin is stuck inside of us, eating away at our heart and soul, slowly destroying our lives and our relationships with those around us and even worse, destroying our relationship with Jesus.  Sin will not just go away with time.  I cannot assume, "that was a long time ago and I'm sure God has forgiven me, I'm different now."  No-sir..It is not that easy!  We must confess to Jesus that wrong-doing, that sin, no matter how deeply and for how long we have filed it away.  Jesus wants to have a beautiful, open, pleasantly fragrant relationship with us.  So..face the sin in your life head-on, confess to your Lord and Savior, and be forgiven.  You will feel an amazing weight lifted off your shoulders.  You will no longer be causing noxious spiritual odor to cloud your heart and relationship your with Jesus.

1 John 3:4-5 (NIV)
"Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.  But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins."

Romans 6:20-23 (NLT)
^"When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right.  And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom.  But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life.  For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord."

First sponsor..first mile!!

Yesterday was exciting!  I received my first sponsor donation in the mail.  I love how God used the first response to remind me He is in charge of this.  It came from someone that I really did not expect to participate financially.  I knew this person would be a fantastic prayer warrior for me during this process but I also know times are tough and they do not have any extra income.  Not only was it the first response but they requested to sponsor the first mile!  Yesterday's run was only 8 miles but for some reason it was mentally hard to complete.  I now have a refreshed motivation and am really excited to get out there and complete the deed the Lord has placed in front of me.  I know there will still be tough days but knowing my friends and family are behind me, supporting me means a lot and makes me want to work harder to not only complete the race but finish strong!

James 2:17
"...faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."

James 2:24
"You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone."

So THANK YOU to everyone that chooses to financially support this mission.  For many giving financially is taking a step of faith in their own finances.  Taking that step of faith is an action/deed that will not go unnoticed by our heavenly father.

Sponsor Letter Is Done!!

I am so happy to share with all of you that I have finished my sponsor letter and started handing it out! I'm not really much of a writer...but it seems I've been doing a lot of it since the start of this. I have attached a copy of it for all of you to read. If you are reading this and do not receive a letter but would like to donate, please contact me and do so! I'm very excited to see where God is going to take this...after all, it was HIS idea!!

Dear family and friends,

Greetings! This letter is to inform you of and ask for your support in a challenge I have committed to.

I belong to Monroeville Assembly of God church and am a youth leader there for Incline Student Ministries, the church’s youth group. Our church, specifically Incline, supports an organization called “Speed the Light”(STL). STL supports missionaries around the world by providing them vehicles and sound equipment, enabling them to more effectively spread the good news of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our youth were challenged to raise $35,000 this year to purchase a vehicle for Bettina Weaver, a missionary in Myanmar, Africa.

As a leader, I felt compelled to be an example and work“outside of the box” to contribute towards this seemingly insane monetary goal. Four months after we were initially presented with this goal, God spoke to me. He told me to run a marathon to benefit Bettina Weaver through Speed the Light. I was pretty sure, on many levels, that this was not possible. I spent the next 5 weeks in denial, actively ignoring all the signs of confirmation from God that I really was supposed to do this (and I was flooded with signs). You see, I really did not want to run a marathon. There was just nothing attractive to me about the thought of running over 26 miles. I learned over those 5 weeks that what was lacking was faith. I did not have enough faith to:
1) believe this was really something that came from God…because God doesn’t just talk to me like that.
2) believe this was actually something I could physically do…and live through.
3) believe that I could put in enough training hours and not lose too much time with Matt and my girls.
4) believe that I could find enough (very inexpensive) childcare all summer while I trained.

It all came down to one Sunday morning sermon. The congregation was handed an outline, on it was the word “marathon”, with a star beside it. I knew that was meant for me. It was the big flashing “this IS God talking sign” that I needed. Still deficient in faith, I would not commit…until the following day when I opened up a Runner’s World magazine to see the headline “Running on Faith.” At that point, I finally submitted to God’s will and registered for a marathon. Though I still struggle in confidence about the running part, I do get more and more excited every time my feet hit the pavement in training. I will be running the 26.2 miles on Sunday, September 18^th at Presque Isle State Park in Erie, Pa!

There is a lot more to this story and if you would like to read it, I have started a blog to share with you this entire endeavor, from beginning to end. Please visit: http://runningonfaith-stl.blogspot.com

I am asking for you to prayerfully consider partnering with me in this challenge to benefit Bettina Weaver and her ability to spread God’s word to lost souls. My goal is to raise a minimum of $2600. That seems like a lot of money but it’s really only $100 per mile. I am not necessarily asking for that much from each of you. I am asking for you to give what you can, be it more or less. I want to show my Incline students that God can use ordinary people to do extraordinary things when done for Him.

I also ask for your prayer as I train for the big day and for Bettina Weaver and her mission in Myanmar. I would like to have every mile I run sponsored by someone, that’s 26 people. I want you to choose the specific mile you want to sponsor. I will have a list of all my sponsors and their mile with me on race day. In return, I commit to give you my prayers during that mile of the race. Prayer and running have come together as one for me and I can’t think of any better way to spend 26 miles on the road than to lift all of you up!

Thank You for your support!! 
Lisa Benton

“Running on Faith”

Marathon Sponsorship for Bettina Weaver through Speed the Light
*This is considered a tax deductible donation.
*Please make checks payable to: Monroeville Assembly of God
*Write in the memo: Speed the Light
Please indicate your first and second choice for which mile you prefer to sponsor, if you have a preference. I cannot guarantee you’ll get your preference, unless you return this quickly. J If I am, by some chance, fortunate enough to have more than 26 sponsors, I’ll double up sponsors on that mile. I’m really looking forward to taking you all to the Lord that day, so please send me your prayer requests! I run at least 30 miles/wk in training now so I’m even happy to lift up your requests now..send them my way..I have lots of time out there on the road!
Please feel free to contact me regarding any of this at any time! This is a family commitment in the Benton home and I want you to be completely comfortable with any commitments you make in support as well. Even if your prayer requests change over the course of the next couple months, please let me know!
Lisa Benton: lmding@msn.com

Power of Prayer

I don't even know how to start this post except to say...I serve an amazing God who has delivered me amazing friends and PRAYER WORKS!  I belong to a group of young women at church and we call ourselves "MITS".  I started attending MITS (moms in touch...at least I think that’s what it stands for...though I have no idea what the "S" means) five years ago.  It has been through this church group that I have developed the closest friendships I could imagine.  We joke because we are all VERY different in personality, only having in common that we are moms who all LOVE good food and God.  We meet twice a month for breakfast, fellowship and devotion and this was a MITS day.  We spent a lot of time talking about prayer today.  Some of our group has laid some big prayer requests before God in the last several weeks and months.  God has answered some prayers while others are still waiting to hear God speak to them.  But, let me tell you.. there's just nothing better than receiving praise reports of answered prayers!!

Why am I writing about this you may wonder?  Running and prayer have come to be something that go together like peanut butter and jelly for me (which, by the way, is one of my favorites).  I spend a lot of time on the road and I'm out there because God has called me to run a marathon to benefit someone else. Running for Him is just that much better when I’m running with Him!  Last weekend I was at Boyce Park running what was going to be a record distance and half way through my knees both started to hurt...and not just a little.  I felt that I was going to have to cut my run down by about 6 miles.  At the time, I was praying for some of my Incline students that were facing various issues and it hit me…”I’m spending a lot of time praying for everyone else, perhaps I should try praying for myself.”  So, I did.  I prayed for the Lord to take away the pain so that I could just get in a few more miles.  Within the next mile, I was running pain free and completed that day’s training goal (16 miles)!!  Was I amazed?  Yes!  You bet I was!  I don’t know why but I am still in great awe every time I see prayers answered and miracles happen right before my eyes.  God is so good and so faithful and so obviously real.  He wants to hear our prayers and He wants to bless us by answering them…all He asks is that we are faithful to Him in loving and serving. 

As I begin to collect sponsorship and donations for Bettina Weaver (through Speed the Light), I also begin to open up my email and phone to take prayer requests from all of you.  I will be praying for all of my sponsors on marathon day but I don’t want it to be just a one day deal.  I am spending hours out there every week and I want to take all of your prayer requests to the God that I KNOW still lives and works miracles today!

I do not want to post my phone number here since this is public but please email me at any time your needs!   lmding@msn.com

Colossians 4:2   "Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful."

Psalm 17:6   "I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer."