No One But You

Well, today I discovered that as a marathoner I'm a rich snob who shops only at Harris Teeter and hates fast food chains. Actually, I'm just a normal guy who'd like to be able to see his grandkids graduate from high school before he goes home to be with the Lord. One area that I do follow through on is training. Today I did a 10K run at the High Bridge Trail. 

I got in my steps for the day. 

Before that I did a workout at the Y that included close grip lat pulldowns. 

I understand why runners get such a bad rap. The thing people don't take into account is that you don't have to be wealthy to run. Anyone can do it. My belief is that running gives an extra mental health boost. It can also lead to lower obesity rates, and we all know that obesity leads to many chronic and life-threatening health conditions. To be sure, I don't run only for health benefits. In fact, even if there were no health benefits to running I would still do it because it makes me feel on top of the world. Friend, you already have all it takes to be a runner. It's a mindset -- not miles -- that separates those who do from those who don't. 

Enthusiasm is your biggest asset. It doesn't matter how terrible your running skills are. It doesn't matter how slow you run. You can and will become a runner. I promise. I've seen it happen over and over again. I've seen people of every size and shape, of every fitness background, of every sort of lifestyle waddling across the finish line. 

But no one can run a single step for you. No one can jump in and help you. No one but you can make the decision about what you are going to do to stay healthy. 

It's all up to you. 

Photo taken today. Still chasing down my dream physique. 

McClellan and Risk Taking at Antietam

After the Battle of Antietam, McClellan informed Washington that it had been a decisive victory for the Union. Not true, though it might have been had he ...

• moved more aggressively after finding the lost order
• attacked one day earlier
• better coordinated his attacks
• instead of holding thousands of troops in reserve committed one more corps after Lee's center had been breached
• used his personal charisma to instill a fighting spirit in his men

Instead, George McClellan was so fearful of losing the battle that he refused to risk winning. 

Successful people take risks. If you don't take risks, you will likely work for someone who did. 

Of course, not all risks are equal. Successful people take calculated risks. What you have to do is weight the potential benefits against the potential downsides. I did this a month ago when I climbed the Riffelhorn. It was hardly a reckless gamble. It was an informed decision, made after consulting with my mountain guide (who charges $800.00 per day and is worth every penny). Risks are risks because sometimes they don't work out in your favor. Taking a risk is nothing to brag about. It's something you do because you've done enough research to understand that the reward is worth it. You can only regret things you never did. The rest you learn from. 

If you want to be on the edge, go for it, but make sure it's very well calculated. And make sure you don't have anything extreme to lose by doing it. It's not about being blindly optimistic. It's about trusting that no matter what happens, you'll be okay.

The difference between being alive and really living is subtle but oh so real. 

163 Years Ago Today (Antietam/Sharpsburg Battlefield)

It's obvious I've been on a bit of a Sharpsburg kick right now. And why not? 23,000 men from both sides were killed, wounded, or missing, making this day in 1862 the single bloodiest day in American military history. Besides, I'm one of about a billion Civil War descendants. 

The Antietam battlefield is criminally under-visited. I've been to the Antietam National Battlefield about 10 times. Never has there been more than maybe 50 tourists milling about. It's a small battlefield compared to Gettysburg. The area looks much as it would have that day. Whether you stand at the Cornfield, the Sunken Road, the Dunker Church, or the Burnside Bridge, it's easy to imagine the thousands of men who met their Maker that day. This is hallowed ground indeed.

Located in Western Maryland, Sharpsburg is only a mile from Confederate Virginia. My great great grandfather lived right next to the battlefield. As civilians emerged from hiding, they returned to trampled fields, burned outbuildings, destroyed fences, and looted homes. Vandalism by both armies had been rampant. Buildings were filled with wounded. Only 5 structures in Sharpsburg were spared damage. Dead horses were everywhere. Flies filled the air. There were outbreaks of dysentery and typhoid. Otherwise tillable soils were compacted due to the occupying armies. Any horses left in the area were confiscated by either Confederate or Union officers as cavalry mounts or draft animals. The Army of the Potomac would remain in the area for another 5 weeks. A Union army surgeon reported, "Days after the battle are a thousand times worse than the day of battle." Another Federal surgeon observed:

The farms between here and there are completely desolated -- fences and trees destroyed and everything moveable and of value stolen. What the Rebels left the Unionists finished. You have no idea of the damage done just by the passage of an army through their own land even when all is done possible to save property. The man with whom I stop has not an apple, peach, sweet or Irish potato left. He would have had great quantity of each had no army passed this way. 

I can only imagine the horror my ancestors -- all German Baptist pacifists -- must have felt to find thousands of soldiers on their doorstep. The battle gave Lincoln the much needed opening to change the character of the war. The thousands of Union soldiers who struggled there had no idea that where they fought that day would have such great consequences. 

The events that occurred on a Wednesday in western Maryland in September of 1862 would lead to emancipation and to the America we know today. 

The John Miller Farm

In case you haven't already seen it, here's a picture of the John Miller farmhouse on the Antietam Creek. 

And here's an aerial view. I cannot wait to actually see it in person! 

Getting Ready for the North Shore

To say I'm a little nervous about my trip to Hawaii this December would be an understatement. In addition to the marathon, I plan to surf the North Shore. As you know, this is when the waves are the biggest. In case you didn't know, surfing is about 30 percent paddling, 60 percent just sitting there waiting for a wave, and then only 10 percent (at most) actually surfing waves. That's one reason why I've been working so hard on my upper body strength these days. This includes dumbbell curls. 

It also calls for pull ups. 

I also do a decent amount of cardio each day (today I got in 12,000 steps). Daily stretching and mobility work has also been important. 

Really, surfing is a bunch of cardio (paddling) punctuated by little HIIT cardio workouts when you catch the wave. You've got to be fairly fit and flexible to be able to do it well. 

Will be ready? I hope so!

Canoeing Down the Antietam with the American Battlefield Trust

The American Battlefield Trust -- I am honored to be a member -- has done it again. Check out this informative and fun video of their canoe trip today down Antietam Creek on this, the day before the anniversary of the Battle of Antietam. 

On this map, you can see the Upper Bridge where, exactly 163 years ago today, Union General George McClellan sent Hooker's X Corps of tens of thousands of men across the Antietam. 

The next day the great battle would begin in the 24-acre cornfield of David Miller. 

David Miller's brother John was my great-great-grandfather. The John Miller farm is clearly shown on the above map, just above the Upper Bridge. I hope to visit his farmhouse soon. It was recently sold and I have the contact information of the new owners. 

Does anyone else have a similar interest in their genealogy and heritage? It's been said that a person dies twice -- once when they actually pass away, and once when their name is said for the last time. I love the idea of keeping my ancestors alive, even if it's just a thought!

Pat on the Back

Today's workout was phenomenal. 

Got a pat on the back from the trainer, who took this vid.

Know someone who could use a word of encouragement today? Offer it. It will make their day.

Eutychus (Acts 20:9)

You'd a cuss too had you fallen from a third story window. 

Two Best Latin Primers

Buy them. Read them. Master them. You will be glad you did. 

Great Win in the Jungle!

What a thriller in Cincy! My Bengals did it again! There are 2-0 for the first time since 2018. Hope Burrow is okay, but what a game and what a win. Browning is one of the best backup quarterbacks in the NFL. 

If you're curious as to why I'm such a Bengals fan it's because I've run the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati 3 times. It was my first and most enjoyable marathon of the 20 I've done so far. I love the river city and I love everything about the course. 

Let's GO Bengals! 

It Never Gets Old

We just finished our work for the day. 

Been doing this for over 2 decades. I love it as much today as when we first started farming. 

I love my life, be it outdoors in the fields or indoors in the classroom. I thank God with all my heart. After all, I owe him my life! He would not give us abilities, gifts, and skills unless he intended to use them for his glory. As long as I am able, and while I'm waiting for his coming, I will praise him. I am too blessed to do otherwise! 

Upcoming: The Milwaukee Lakeshore Half Marathon

10 years ago I decided that running was fun. Then I decided that I really liked half marathons. This has meant that I've dragged myself to the finish line of 44 halfs since I started running back in 2015. Consequently, my kids know that dad may end up anywhere running his next half. 

You may be wondering why I'm telling you this. Well, it's because I just signed up for the Milwaukee Lakefront Half Marathon next month. 

It will be a training run for the Honolulu Marathon in December. Side note: The half marathon is my distance of choice. It's twice the fun in half the time of the full marathon. Did you know that there are over 2,700 halfs offered every year in the good old U.S. of A.? I've never considered the half marathon as the half of anything. It's a brutally difficult distance in its own right. Yes, it is a half of a marathon, but it is also a distance worth training for in its own right. If you've ever completed a half marathon, that's a HUGE accomplishment in its own right. Runners need to conquer the half before even thinking about attempting a full. When you succeed at a half, then you can consider moving on to the 26.2 mile distance. The 13.1 mile distance is a very good predictor of how well you might do in a marathon. I think I finished 8 halfs before I did my first marathon. The half is the perfect entree into long distance running -- not too time-consuming and posing less risk of injury than the full. 

If you've already been running for a few months, it will take you about 3 months to get ready for your first half. Make sure you've built up to running at least 3 times per week and can comfortably cover 30 miles in a 7-day period.                                                                                                        

Fun with Puns

This just came from Baker Academic:

Wow, what a surprise! Who would have imagined it? I'm pinching myself. I've never had one of my books translated into Arabic before, and certainly not one of my Greek textbooks. How in the world do you translate puns like these into a foreign language?

• Up the Greek without a Paddle
• There's No Place like Rome
• Rho, Rho, Rho Your Boat
• Woe Is I
• Tense Times with Verbs
• To Koine Phrase

And then there's the title itself:

I suppose such jokes are simply lost in translation. I've read that sometimes the translator will change a few words so that the pun will work in the target language. This is one of those things that makes translating so exciting and challenging. Not only do you need to know both languages. You need to be a wordsmith in the target language. 

I suppose the first question to ask is: "Is the humor essential to the meaning of the passage?" For the puns I've listed above, the answer is clearly no. So I imagine that the translators will simply gloss over them and convey the meaning in a straightforward fashion. Or maybe they can find a completely different pun that can still be humorous in Arabic. Of course, what's funny in one culture may not be funny in another. I suppose this is one reason we can't understand horses. Their translation is well *neigh* impossible. 

You: "Ok, Dave, you need to reign in those puns of yours."

Me: "Hold your horses! They're good puns!"

You: "But I'm sick of your unbridled jokes!" 

Me: "Ok, I'll stop horsing around." 

By the way, my favorite pun in German is: "No matter how kind you are, German children are Kinder." 

Have a wonderful week! 

Five Things That Make Me Happy

Today was filled with happiness. Here were my "happy" events, in order of occurrence:

1. A happy dive into God's word. This morning it was Galatians chapter 5. 

Of course, this hour of happiness is shared by Bojangle's delicious brew. Oh my, that first sip of coffee in the morning -- and the 2,962 sips that follow. Exquisite.

2. A happy time at the gym. I am not sure what is so happy about doing pull ups. Maybe I'm just delirious. 

3. A happy 10 mile run at the You-Know-What-Trail in Farmville. (If you find out where this happy place is, it might ruin it for me.) 

4. A happy meal at McDonalds the Mexican restaurant in Farmville. (Yes, there will be chori pollo in heaven.)

5. Getting up hay way past dark. 

Indulge in the small things that make you happy. Linger in bed 15 minutes longer than you should. Watch a stupid movie on Youtube. Share a selfie with your grown kids. Stop whining and count all your blessings. You'll be glad you did. 

Why We Run Marathons

Warning: Christian Gnosticism Is Alive and Well

All of us are familiar with the Surgeon General's warning on cigarette packs: 

I wish the following statement could appear at the bottom of the diploma of everyone who graduates from seminary or a university with a degree in Biblical Studies:

The God of all wisdom and knowledge has determined that the pursuit of knowledge can destroy your church and be lethal to your walk with God.

The word of God does us no good unless it is mixed with faith (Heb. 4:2). A critical attitude that is ready to find fault with God's word can get no profit from the Bible. There must be obedience: "Be doers of the word and not hearers only" (James 1:22). 

Hearing the word always implies the responsibility of heeding it. If we do not obey it, we are self-deceived. 

My Farm, My Refuge

25 years ago Becky and I bought a farm in Virginia. Caught in an ascending spiral of activity -- requests for more talks, articles, books -- I rediscovered the importance of solitude, stillness, and isolation. I found the farm to be a perfect place to retreat and restore myself. The only demands on me are those I make on myself. 

Of course, farm life isn't perfect. It is not a place to avoid problems but to praise the Lord in the midst of them. The work sometimes chafes. Repairs are incessant. At times you're locked in unceasing activity. Farmers aren't more spiritual or more virtuous or more joyful than anyone else. But everyone needs a lull in the battle, and the farm provides that for me. My return each day refreshes. In its stillness I see the real meaning of things, the solutions to my problems. The farm provides a meditative setting like no other. It opens up areas in my mind. Occasionally I see things for the first time. Here I discover how much effort I can put out, what I can endure, if I measure up.

There are as many reasons for farming as there are farmers. But mostly I farm because I am a person who craves daily renewal. So, too, are you. Find your own refuge, your own self-renewing space, and you will become the person you are meant to be. 

Today's Steps

Grateful for each and every one of them! 

The Beauty of Marriage

Is there anything that can match the rapture of seeing your bride walk down the aisle to be yours forever? 

My "TCK" Wife

On days like today I feel the sorrow and emptiness that comes after losing someone who is close to you. So I do what I always do. I stay active. I do pull ups. 

I do lat pulls. 

I get in 12,000 steps. 

As long as I exist, I want to live as Becky would have wanted -- hopefully, serenely, and as productive as possible. 

Today, as I ran, I thought about how Becky had been raised in Ethiopia. This makes her a TCK -- a third culture kid. 

This term refers to children raised in a culture different from the one their parents were raised in. A TCK has 3 cultures -- the culture of their parents' home country, the culture of the country they were raised in, and a third distinct identity that arises from the interactions between cultures. 

Becky always believed that being raised as a TCK brought her certain advantages. TCKs have a tendency to have a high level of multiculturalism -- a global perspective if you will. This tends to make them more internationalized than other kids. Becky had qualities of both cultures that she adopted. She was always quick to point out how privileged she felt to have grown up cross-culturally and internationally. I believe that experience made it easier for her to find familiarity in most corners of the world. Psychologists call this "cross-cultural competence," or the capacity to function effectively across national and ethnic lines. Certainly this was true of our years in Basel as well as the many visits we made to Ethiopia (14 trips for her, 17 for me). Moreover, TCKs are highly linguistically adept. Indeed, Becky was speaking German within a few months of our arrival in Basel. Moreover, the most common professions for TCKs are medicine, business, and self-employment. Becky was a highly successful ICU nurse as well as an award-winning financial planner with Waddell and Reed. 

Of course, as with everything in life, there are benefits and deficits. But in the end, I believe being raised in Ethiopia made Becky's life more enjoyable and a lot more effective for the kingdom. In my mind, she will always remain a global citizen with a colorful existence. 

My 49th Wedding Anniversary

49 years ago tomorrow in Dallas, Texas, I married the love of my life. 

God gave us 37 wonderful years together. 

I do not pretend that I will ever be able to comprehend the sovereignty of God. But I have made peace with it. I remind myself that suffering and loss is not unique to me. It's the destiny of every human being who has walked this earth. 

I find courage to keep going because of Jesus. It takes tremendous courage to love when we are broken by life. But love becomes more authentic when it grows out of brokenness. 

The book of Revelation says it plainly: God will wipe away our tears and heal our brokenness. Becky's homegoing reminds me that heaven is my true destiny, however wonderful life on earth may seem to be. Hence we meet the challenge of the loss of a loved one with hope and faith. We are even enlarged by that loss, and our knowledge of God increases intimately. 

Yes, our loss has diminished us. But it has also expanded us. Loss can even transform us if we let it. I have a sense that the story that God is writing in my life, he will finish. And the story will be good. 

Becky's death from cancer remains, as always, a horrible experience. But it was, and will remain, the means by which I gained a deeper awareness of God's amazing grace. 

Christians and the Obesity Epidemic

I got in a nice 5-mile run today at the High Bridge Trail. 

Before that I got in some chin ups at the local park. 

As is ALWAYS the case, I feel invigorated. 

While I was running, I reflected on the fact that 30 percent of adults in the U.S. are obese, and another 34 percent are overweight. Men of Protestant denominations were more likely to be overweight than men in other religious affiliations. Gluttony doesn't seem to receive the same level of pastoral concern in many conservative denominations. Some evangelicals have even referred to gluttony as an "acceptable vice." Many of us use food in celebratory functions rather than alcohol. Where I live (in the rural, "Christian" South), high fat foods are the norm.  Apparently the emphasis on abstaining from alcohol and tobacco hasn't translated very well into the need for moderation in terms of food choices and consumption. Sadly, the flock tends to over-graze.

Interestingly, Type A personalities (like me!) tend to have a low level of self-awareness. We are often characterized by traits such as ambition, competitiveness, and urgency, which can lead to high achievement in some areas of life but neglect in other areas. When someone lacks self-awareness, they have a hard time recognizing the limits of their abilities as well as their weaknesses. This causes them to chase short-term gains and go through life without a clear sense of what they want. They are unwilling and unable to see how abusing their health can lead to unwanted long-term consequences. They can become too caught up in other obligations to stop and really think about what's going on. 

There is no question that personality traits contribute to health outcomes. Major controllable risk factors, such as obesity, reflect our behavior and lifestyles. People who score in the top 10 percent of impulsivity weigh on average 25 pounds more than those in the bottom 10 percent. Difficulty with weight management is the result.

The problem isn't a lack of knowledge about sports physiology. Where we are deficient is exercise psychology. We know more than ever about exercise physiology. We just don't know how to motivate people to exercise. We forget that weight is more important than age. I support, therefore, any call for exercise. It means adhering to a schedule that makes for the best possible you. Exercise fine-tunes the body, mind, and spirit. What you need to know is not whether you are overweight but whether you are overfat. It's an abundance of fat that puts us at risk for unnecessary illness and death. 

"The glory of man," wrote Irenaeus, "is man fully functioning." Find the place to do that in your life, and you will find the peace that passes all understanding. 

The Gift of Running (9 Miles Today)

My body has been through so much these past 3 months. First, there was a week of surfing on Oahu. Then two months ago my mountain guide led me up one of the most challenging mountains I've ever been on. Then there was my cancer surgery two weeks ago. You'd think the last thing I'd want to be is active. But that's the irony of exercise. Workouts are invigorating, not enervating. Running is restorative! 

That includes today's 9-mile at the High Bridge Trail. 

I am always glad when I run this trail. For me, running is meditative. I run within my own head space. When I'm finished, the world seems like a better place. Even the run itself gives me a great deal of joy. I started running after Becky passed away. I decided to become a runner and have never looked back. It's amazing how something as simple as this can restore and empower you. When I'm lonely, or stressed, or frustrated, running makes me feel better. Your focus shifts to your senses when you run. You feel your breathing and the wind. You smell the grass. It gives you that endorphin rush everyone talks about. 

I can truthfully say that running is one of the best things I know of. It started as a way as to get over grief, but it's become so much more. It feels great while I'm doing it, and I have developed an incredible drive and enthusiasm that permeates my entire life. I love the hot, sticky, exhausted feeling afterwards. It's literally the only thing I can do where other people's input doesn't matter. It's the ultimate freedom -- not an escape from life, but the recalibration of life. It keeps me fit and burns the calories I consume. Also, the scenery can be beautiful rewards for every passing mile. 

I've never been one to sit. My body loves to move. Running keeps me moving. It's my natural state. The feeling of floating found beneath my feet is what I love.

Thank you, Lord, for the gift of running! 

Dash and Dine

Just back from a run and then having lunch with a student at my favorite Mexican place in Wake Forest, Don Julio's. It was great to get back to the Neuse River Trail for an easy 5 miles. 

This trail is one of Wake Forest's best kept secrets. You can also bike it. 

Hope your day is going well! 

Can the Author of an Anonymous Writing Be Known?

The book of Hebrews is formally anonymous. That much is obvious. However, some have taken that fact and run with it in a direction I'm not comfortable with. They argue, "Since God did not inspire the author to identify himself, we do not need him identified for exegesis." Instead, as one author puts it, "we must embrace the mystery." But what if the "mystery" is not all that mysterious? Moreover, typically we want to identify the author because normally such an identification is necessary for a proper understanding of a New Testament book. Thus, for example, it's not irrelevant that we call the first book in our New Testament "Matthew." By that term we mean an actual eye and ear witness of all that he testifying to in his gospel. Likewise, the books we now call "Mark," "Luke," and "John" are all formally anonymous. Yet surely when we study these documents we will want to know something about these authors. The same is true, of course, for the epistle we call "First John." 

In short, I repeat: Just because a book is formally anonymous doesn't mean that the author is unknown. So we must ask why the author chose not to include his name. This is true whether you espouse Paul, Apollos, or Luke as author of Hebrews.

Three Cheers for Interlinears! (Well, Maybe Two and a Half)

I'm here in my Wake Forest office reading me some lovely Latin. 

I know some profs have a very negative view of interlinears. 

I don't. I've used them to teach myself German, French, Spanish, and, yes, Latin. The interlinear might not be the ideal method of studying a foreign language. But it's a very helpful supplement. As the old saying puts it: "Halitosis is better than no breath at all."

Have a marvelous week! 

41 and Still Going Strong

Aaron Rodgers gets his first win as a Pittsburgh Steeler. What a game the old man played. Respect! 

Missing Me Some Swiss Alps

I was doing this exactly one month ago. Boy do I miss Switzerland. 

If You're 70+

Today's blog post is for men everywhere who realize that, at 70+, the best years are yet to come -- and that we can be stronger, smarter, and better than men half our age. 

If you're in your 70s, welcome to the most critical decade of your life. It's a unique opportunity to reassess, take charge, repair neglect, and remake the rest of your life. Even in your 70s you can remake your body into a sleeker, fitter, and stronger version of your younger self. 

Think it's too late? Think again. Don't worry if you're new to the game. Once you experience the difference exercise can make in your life, you'll find plenty of motivation to keep it up for the rest of your life. 

The best news of all? Research has shown that almost anything that declines physically as we age improves with exercise and proper nutrition. 

Friend, you have the opportunity to change your life right now. Just take that first step! 

Today's workout: 

When You Fail

I grew up in Hawaii, where there is an abundance of beaches. I've always loved the ocean. I'd often skip class to go surfing.

When, at the age of 19, I went to Biola as a Bible major, I knew Greek would be tough for a guy who barely graduated from high school. But I wasn't prepared for the kind of endurance my Greek prof expected. I dropped the class after only 3 weeks. I accepted failure and was ready to move on to another major. At the urging of an administrator, I decided to try out Moody Bible Institute's correspondence course in beginning Greek. Guess what? I miraculously discovered I was good at it. I was even hired to teach Greek at Biola one year later. Which taught me a very important lesson about faith.

If I hadn't tried  -- then risked failure a second time -- I'd never have discovered my gifts and capabilities. I gave Greek another chance -- better, God gave me another chance -- and I discovered what I could do.

When you fail, it may be an indication that you're not gifted in that particular area. But it could also be an encouragement to try it again.