Ready to Run

It's Thursday night and I'm ready to run.  I don't like the taper stage.  It's almost more difficult than the training. Just when I felt like my body was adjusting to the high mileage weeks I had to rein it in, and  let the legs rest.  I tried to sleep in this morning which meant no running. I'll run a short 3-4 mile run in the morning just to stay loose.

I think the weather is going to cooperate, and I have put in the training necessary to finish.  My biggest concern now is fueling properly.  I've never run this far, and I am not sure how my body will react during the latter stages of this event.

If you are reading this post,  I trust you will be praying with me for Grace and her family.  Below are some of things I will be lifting up this Saturday as I run.  Please join me on this journey.

This week Grace began the most difficult stage of treatment.  Her treatment schedule will pick up over the next 8 weeks and she needs prayer for strength and endurance.  She will be receiving multiple types of chemo and that will most likely mean new side effects.  Please pray for her to respond well to this intense treatment period.  Pray that she will not have to be hospitalized during this treatment cycle. Pray that her organs will not be affected by the medicines.  Pray, pray, pray for God's healing power and protection on this precious child.

Matt shaved Grace's remaining hair off this past week.  Pray that people's stares and comments will not discourage her or her family.  Pray that God would put encouraging people in their path.

Grace's older brother started first grade this week.  Pray that Parker will have a great school year.  Praise God that he has a teacher who seems to be concerned and sensitive to his needs.  Pray that germs and sickness will stay away from him.

Please pray for Matt and Chrissy.  Pray that their Faith in God grows.  Pray that they will have opportunity to speak of God's Amazing Grace as they battle against this awful disease.  Pray for their marriage to be strong.

Why 40 miles?  I've been wanting to do an ultra marathon for several years now.  Most people who decide to do an ultra begin with a 50K which is somewhere around 31 miles.  There were several 50Ks I could have run this fall. But when I saw this 40 mile ultra I knew I needed to do it.  40 is a good biblical number.  In most of those biblical stories, where the number 40 is involved,  something significant  happens.  My 40 mile run on Saturday cannot begin to be compared to such biblical proportions. But, I do a lot of thinking when I run.  I have a lot of conversations with my Creator on my runs.  I do believe God wants me to run Saturday, and I do know He and I will have a great time talking about my friends and their sweet girl, Grace.

Running for Grace

    Back in May of this year our family found out that our dear friends' little girl, Grace, had been diagnosed with Leukemia.   Julie and I were shocked and in disbelief. Cancer, of course, has affected our lives before with family and friends, but it had never affected me in such a personal way.  This was happening to my close friend and brother in Christ, Matt, and his family.  I've known Grace since she was born.  Our middle children are six days apart.  For the last 6 years, Matt and I have talked about all the joys,  and the struggles,  of being "dad" to our kids.  Matt and his family have always been such a  blessing to me.  They are our family.

How can I help?  What do we do?  How do we love and support our friends?  Those have not been easy questions to answer.  I want to do more.   When Matt told me about Connor's Heroes,  I thought, "Maybe I could raise some money for this charity by running in honor of Grace".  I love a challenge and especially a physical one.  On September 7, 2013 I am running a 40 mile trail marathon in honor of Grace.  Each mile I will be thinking and praying for her.  I want others to think of Grace too.  If you've ever wondered what you can do to help a child and their family as they go through cancer treatment, Connor's Heroes is an amazing organization. See the You Tube clip at the bottom of this post.  Grace and her family are being supported by this great organization.

I would love some motivation for this run.  Would you be willing to make a donation to Connor's Heroes in honor of Grace.  How about pledging a certain amount for each mile I run and then double it or add a bonus if I complete the 40 miles.  This run is going to be tough.  If I know people are giving to support this great cause, it will keep me going.

You can donate to Connor's Heroes at their website.   If you would like, please send me an email at dwmcelduff@gmail.com or FB message me your pledge amount.  I will keep donation amounts private, but it would be a real encouragement to me and Grace's family to know you are supporting the run and this great cause.

2011 Ultra 50K Prayer Run

This Christmas I've decided to run and direct my own ultra marathon. I will be the only participant. December is a special time to focus on international missions and that's the purpose of my run. I am seeking prayer requests from my friends. Many of you are located all over the world. I desire to pray for families, countries, people groups, and ministry needs while out running the 50 kilometers.

I went through my FB friends and over 60% of those relationships were formed from a common bond in The Great Commision. Please leave a comment or email me some specific prayer requests for your people, country, or ministry. I plan to place these prayer requests on 50 index cards and dedicate 1 kilometer to your request. I'll be running on Christmas Eve. I already have the first two kilometers.

K1: Drukpa of Bhutan- I began praying for this people group in the summer of 2010. They were the first people group I prayed for by name. They are located in one of the least evangelized nations in the world. I have prayed for them many times out on my morning runs, and I will dedicate the first kilometer to praying for them.

K2: Jula of Burkina Faso- The people group I lived among for only a brief time, but changed my life in so many ways. I have faces and places etched in my mind forever.

Please share or re-post this request. I plan on praying through-out as much of this run as possible. The more specific requests I get the better. Many of you are involved with international missions here in the US like me. Please send me your requests too.

I plan to blog some more about the details of the run later.

Thanks,

Dustin

Resources for Fathers and Families

I've been reading some good blog posts over at Family Ministry Today about family ministry. They have been helpful in my thinking about being the spiritual leader of my household. In the most recent post, Every House a Household of Faith: Family Worship Among the Puritans, the author mentions that with the rise of Bible translations in the common language and other mass produced resources the Puritans took advantage of these resources to lead their homes in Family Worship. I got to thinking about all the resources available to us today. There are so many that it can be overwhelming. I wanted to share some of the resources I've found helpful in my journey to be the "Priest" of my family. Please leave a comment or email me any resources you've found helpful. I am always looking for resources that will draw me and my family closer to God.

I love the Jesus Story Book Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones. I love the fact that each story points to Jesus. I think it also helps children understand that the Bible is one Story. I haven't been reading it much lately with the boys, but I've read it through several times with Nate. I plan to do the same with Cole. There's a version with a CD and I think that would be helpful with pre-readers. I've been wanting to find a way to help Nate develop a quiet time with God's Word. This might work, but I have yet to purchase a version with the CD.

Truth and Grace Memory books(TAG)- This is a book that has memory verses, hymns, and a catechism for children. It's divided up by ages and this one begins with 2-3 year olds. I started this with Nate at age 3. I amazed how much he has learned through this book. He has memorized many verses including the Lord's Prayer. You may be thinking that it is crazy to have a 4 year old memorize a catechism, but we talk about the questions and he understands more than you think. It is laying a foundation for his spiritual future.

Long Story Short: Ten-Minute Devotions to Draw Your Family to God- I like this book a lot and I have been using it in our family worship times. It takes a chronological approach through key OT stories. I also use it as a resource when I am preparing for my Sunday school lesson. My church uses a chronological and unified curriculum for pre-k through 6th grade students, so this resource allows me to connect church and home. I have to adapt some stuff due to the ages of my boys. They have not released the NT version, but I will purchase a copy when they do. If you go to the link, there's a video and a good description of the resource.

These are just a few of the resources I am using to lead my family in worshiping God. Resources are never perfect and shouldn't replace the Bible. The most important thing I can say about these resources is they have helped me spend valuable time with my children talking about the most important things in life.

Family Meals

Tim Challies blogged about Families Eating Together today. It's a topic Julie and I discuss often. We bought a kid's table around Easter to make more room for guests at our Easter lunch. It was funny because the boys ended up in our laps and crowded around the table. But, in the days and weeks following the boys really took to eating at the table. It wasn't long before I was uncomfortable with them eating at this table separate from me and Julie. There was something missing. I spoke with Julie and she agreed and we moved them back to the table with us. Meal times can be tough and frustrating sometimes with a 2 and 4 year old, but I love the closeness of us all being together and sharing our daily bread.

We eat at home almost every night, and we seldom eat out due to our budget. We love to have friends over and I wish we did it more. Tim's right about the intimacy and fellowship shared over a meal. My family needs to do it more and hopefully more Biblical fellowship will be the result. If you are reading this I hope you will think about it too. By the way I like about anything, but the boys really love Pizza.

She's a Runner!

I ran the Henrico 5K today, but it was unlike any other race I've done in the past. Today I ran with my best friend and better half, Julie. I've run a lot of races and Julie has always supported my efforts. It was exciting to run beside her and encourage her towards her goal. She's been wanting to run a race for sometime, but raising boys and spending much of her time helping others achieve fitness goals has made it difficult. I think she had several goals today. One, she wanted to finish. She did. Two, she wanted to run the entire race. She did. Three, which was probably more my goal than hers, was to finish under 30 minutes. Well, she finished in 31:01. A great time for a first 5k. I am sure she will improve if she keeps at it. Almost all runners will do their next race faster than their first. I am very proud of her. She's now earned the right to wear the T-shirt around the house and the title runner.

Despicable Deeds

I wasn't too shocked or surprised to hear that it was teenagers who started the brush fires in Chesterfield this past week. I found it disgusting that a 62 year old man would poison the oaks on Toomer's corner. An attempt to destroy a tradition only leads me to believe that the individual must have some serious mental problems. But what really troubles me is the news report I saw last night on the CBS evening news. Doctors were handing out excuses to teachers who decided to call in sick. This would allow them to get paid for the days they missed while out protesting. These are the teachers who "deserve better treatment". Who's more despicable? The doctors or the teachers. I don't have enough information to know who's right in the whole Wisconsin matter. I know I can't trust what I've heard in the liberal or conservative media. This I do know, lying and dishonesty are not what children need modeled for them. Those traits come natural.