I wince every time I say the word...

These last few weeks running has been very hard for me.  My schedule has really kind of run amok and Greg and I were on our dream vacation for a week (Paris and Rome!  Hopefully soon I will write about the awesome things European living taught me) with practically no time for sleep, let alone running.  When we got home I decided until the marathon I'm going to make no evening commitments and dedicate my time to running, lifting, and cross training.  I want to give myself the best shot at the half that I can and although its a bummer to miss so much over the next few weeks, I think it really is the right decision.  I made the commitment to run and slowly over time my other commitments have beat it out.  Not these last few weeks.

So tonight I knew I needed to go to Oakland (just about 2 miles from where I live) to do some work at the church.  I decided to run there, do my work, and run home totaling just under 4 miles.  When I was just about home Audio Adrenaline's Underdog came on the iPod and I am hard pressed, even now, to describe the awesome feeling that came with it.

When I was in high school I loved Audio A.  The summer after 8th grade I went to Creation Festival with my youth group for the second year and during their concert something just kind of fit together for me.  These guys were strongly proclaiming Christ but they weren't lame and they made good music.  I had this  realization that you can be a Christian and not be some weird entity distinct from the rest of the world.  You can be make good things and be interesting and engage people.  In college I would learn this is really one of the main reasons for Christianity: to honor God through your life no matter what you do and to redeem the culture we live in (CCO what up!) but at the time I just knew it meant I didn't have to be a weirdo to be a Christian.  Audio Adrenaline became a huge part of my salvation story.

I played their CDs out! I mean I would listen to them on repeat for literally hours.  And although I loved a lot of their songs, the one that really became my favorite and truthfully still is to this day is Underdog.  It's a song about being beat up and broken down and having no where to turn. You're in last place if you place at all but there's hope (for this underdog) because of the work of Christ.  When we are just plain out of answers and ideas, we turn to Jesus.  We let him get into our business to work in the areas of life that are making us feel like we are one inch tall and Jesus, not us, Jesus makes a way out.

The whole song is good, I've probably listened to it 150 times in my life, maybe more.  But there is this line in the bridge that is one of the best summaries of the Gospel I have ever heard:

"Yet as I read the birth story about Jesus, I cannot help but conclude that although the world has been tilted toward the rich and powerful, God, hallelujah, in His mercy, has tilted it toward the underdog!"

Today I heard these words as I was less than 2 blocks from home.  I was feeling a little down about how much less I have accomplished in my training than I had hoped to, but when I heard these words  I shouted them out loud.  Maybe someone was behind me and they thought I was weird, who knows and really who cares.  Because tonight as I ran home I met Jesus right on the corner of 5th and Ivy.  In His great mercy  Jesus has taken this world and switched it to favor me, to favor my friends at Wellspring and Miryam's.  To favor you.

There are so many things in this world that beat us down: money, time, high expectations, the successes of others, homelessness, singleness, health issues, I really could just go on for a long time: we just will always face trouble.  But through his death Christ overcame this broken, sinful, impossible to beat world. (I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. John 16:33) And all it takes to not have to fight this world on our own is a simple admission that we need his help.  Being reminded of this tonight brought me such peace and joy, and an hour later as I sit and write I'm still feeling encouraged by it!

As I train to run I am raising money for LIVING Ministry.  Here we are blessed to share this hope with the homeless daily.  My homeless friends don't have much.  This morning we spent a few hours with men and women literally living in tents in homeless camps around Pittsburgh.  They are not rich or powerful but although the world has been tilted toward the rich and powerful, God, hallelujah, in his mercy, has tilted it toward the underdog.

If you would like to support me as I run for LIVING Ministry you can give in one of three ways!

1. (Best way!) Send a check to LIVING Ministry at 2536 Maple Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15214 marking "Jenna Marathon" in the memo line.  There is no processing fee for giving this way so 100% of your donation goes directly to LIVING Ministry immediately!  Your gift will appear on my fundraising page in about one week.

2. (Next best way, and super easy!) Visit LIVING Ministry's website to give online.  Make sure to mention me in the comment section!  There is a 2-3% processing fee here and it takes two weeks for your donation to arrive at the Ministry but this is a great way to give online if that is the best way for you! Your gift will appear on my fundraising page in about one week.

3. (The easiest way).  Visit my page on Crowdrise.  Here you can see your donation show up on my fundraising page immediately and you don't have to remember to mention me in your donation. There is a 10% processing fee and it takes 4 weeks for the donation to arrive.


Thank you all for your help and support!  I can't wait to get back out and run tomorrow!  And hey, listen to Underdog here!