The six and a half weeks we spent in Prague were truly eye opening. We learned much, were challenged often, and had a hard time saying goodbye to the friends we made. It’s hard to believe our time in Czech Republic has come and gone. It’s a bit strange being back in the States, but we are quickly finding our way once more. Indianapolis for two nights, then we were into the car and off to Boone, North Carolina, for two more spent with Quinn’s family. From Boone, our next stop was Asheville, North Carolina. We arrived in Asheville on Sunday afternoon, and we’ll be here for the next seven weeks! We are looking forward to exploring the area and seeing what the Lord has for us here.

This summer has been characterized by movement. We’re not sure where our path will end or what obstacles and joys we’ll face along the way, but the trail is here, and we’re journeying upon it.

We spent the past weekend sharing stories and catching up with Quinn’s family, hiking on The Balds of Roan Mountain, enjoying the official start of summer.

The Appalachians are incredible this time of year. We’re renting a house in Asheville for the duration of our stay so please feel free to stop in for a night, weekend, or week. Rent’s on us. Really.

Thanks again for all of your support and prayers as we worked in Prague. We really cannot express how grateful we are. The Lord impacted our hearts in ways we can’t describe with words. Surely, our lives have been changed forever. Thank you for your consistent encouragement and love. 

Whom Do You Applaud?

The stage was set, the audience ready.  8pm and still no sign of commencement.  Nothing elaborate or spectacular on the platform in front of us.  No extreme demonstrations of wealth or entertainment scattered about like something from a political campaign or Hollywood movie set, just a larger than life projection screen waiting to be brought to life.  A large crowd had gathered, somewhere around three thousand.  They filled every available seat, quickly adapting to each other, interacting and sharing life, anticipating an engaging experience, waiting to be brought to life.

The crowd was overwhelmingly composed of middle-class, middle America, white people who all seemed to know a lot about church, each other and Jesus.  No obviously homeless people in the crowd, no outwardly disheveled, hungry, shoeless, or dirty attendees.  You had to have an $18 ticket just to watch.  This was not a show for the economically broke Christian.  There were no easily identifiable affluent folk in attendance either.  As far as I could tell, no one rolled up in a Bentley or left VIP style through a door into a back alley after the show.  People didn’t really attempt to draw attention to themselves like they tend to do at certain other venues, simply showing up to see and be seen.  The crowd knew each other.  I talked to my neighbor for fifteen minutes prior to the opening.  He would occasionally wave to people in the balcony and all across the room as he simultaneously held a conversation with me.  There were pastors and college students, young adults and grandparents, babies and teenagers.  A lot of plain t-shirts, trendy sweaters, jeans, tattoo sleeves and black ear ring studs.  I was surrounded by people, twenty to thirty years of age, a large majority of them constantly pulling out their iPhones, snapping photos of all the other twenty to thirty something’s, snapping photos of them.  I didn’t mind.  I am one of them after all.

The diversity in the crowd was unapparent to say the least.  Welcome to the church.  I promise we’re not all white, popular and well kempt all of the time in all places.  Trust me on this one.  Everyone was settled in, nice and comfy, boxed in and buffered from the winter freeze occurring outside along with the rancid stench hovering in the city air.  The crowd was ready to be entertained, ready to see something spectacular, ready to hear something that would make them feel alive or at least better.  Welcome to the  church.  I promise we’re not all about listening and feelings.  At least not most of the time.  And then, at about twelve minutes past 8pm, without announcement, without a dimming of the house lights, a slightly excited and barely noticeable murmur began to spring up in the back of the theater, slowly and subtly overtaking the small talk and chatter still occurring amongst patrons between the middle and front of the theater.  People’s heads started to turn toward the rear of the room.  Many people even started to point fingers, wave, and laugh in response to their possibly having caught a glimpse of the one whom they had come to see.  The excited murmur grew exponentially as the energy strengthened from a trickle at the rear to a full fledged flood of yelling, hollering and enthusiastic applause throughout the entire theater.  And then, as the wave of applause crested and rolled onto the front of the room, a single man with dark, buzzed hair; thick, black glasses; gray, finely tailored shirt, and skinny, black designer jeans, appeared in the aisle.  At this point even the middle aged portion of the crowd pulled out their Blackberry’s and began videoing and photographing this man dressed in black, ala Johnny Cash, as if they had never before seen or been in the presence of a man just like them except from Michigan, slightly cleaner and a tad bit quirkier.

When Salt Loses Its Saltiness

As the man took the stage, the applause continued.  Many people even stood from their seats and whistled at the coming into their presence of this man with dark glasses and a microphone.  I looked around, still seated, unable to understand what was happening.  People were smiling, pointing and laughing with childish glee.  I knew nothing about this man, but it became obvious very quickly that I was alone in my ignorance.  He slowly and methodically ascended the stairs from the aisle of the theater onto the stage with great purpose and an abundance of confidence.  He raised his hands into the air, far above his head, and the applause became even louder.  He beckoned us to clap our hands even harder as his hands, held high above his head, began to flap in a manner reminiscent of a professional athlete urging a stadium to cheer even louder.  Our clapping wasn’t enough; the standing ovation upon his entrance was not yet enough.  He needed more clapping, more yelling, more energy.  The cameras rolled; the spotlight hot and bright upon his face, yet he perspired not.  There was nothing nervous or frightened about his demeanor.  There was nothing convicting about his appearance, and he didn’t look like someone who had come to convict an audience.  He seemed nice, yet strangely so.  The stage was set.  The audience was alive; ready to sit, listen, watch and absorb.  Welcome to the church.  I promise we are not all about sitting and watching all of the time in all different places.  Obviously, from the way the crowd reacted, this man was of great importance.  Something about him–the way he looked, carried himself, walked across the stage, and interacted with his audience–commanded their awe and reverie.  There was no denying his influence, his power, his wide scope of attention.  Now fully acquainted with the stage and somewhat awkwardly comfortable with the onslaught of attention and praise, he continued to seemingly bask in the waves of energy and excitement being cast upon him and his big screen like someone sitting on the beach, absorbing rays of sunlight in hopes of obtaining the perfect tan.  The cameras rolled.  The audience gave off a vibe unlike anything I had ever experienced, as though it was bound and determined to be a part of something meaningful in the presence and captivity of a man who was about to inspire them, help them, encourage them, and leave them longing for more.  They were in the company of someone greater than themselves, and so their applause grew and grew and grew, and I uneasily sank further and further into the back of my squeaky, velvet seat.

“This Too Shall Shape Me”

It is an eerie yet fascinating interactive and social experience when one man can draw such attention and such a crowd to a single place, most all of them gathering in hopes of hearing something inspiring, impactful or even meaningful.  It is a tricky and interesting dilemma when the Jesus follower comes face to face with fame, financial expectations and book sales.  The man spoke eloquently, but the hopeful essence of his message was lost–at the very least blurred–amidst his self-imposed noise, art, and easy to swallow, mind-bending, creative-centered theology.  Art and creativity are some of the most exceptional of undertakings and traits known to man, but throughout the evening they were used as a focus rather than majestic, complimentary pieces meant to guide us toward foundational truth and good news.  The artistic and innovative drive encompassing his performance, accompanied by his eloquent words and smooth, backward stepping choreography, were excellent and colorful, but they left me with a sense of utter incompleteness.  Something was drastically missing.  The severely masterful artistic culture of it all served not as flattering facets of an underlying, foundational truth but instead served as the truth and underlying obligation on their own.  In short, I left longing to hear about Jesus.  O that glorious name…Jesus.  Paint it.  Carve it.  Spell it out.  Put it in a video.  Photograph it and drop it in slow motion, but whatever you do please don’t forget the name…Jesus.

“God Is Screaming With Me,” But I’m Not Sure I Understand What He’s Saying

Of course, maybe this was the point.  Maybe I was supposed to leave feeling incomplete, slightly lost in a room full of people seemingly content with suffering for refinements sake, not knowing where to turn next or even who to turn to.  I won’t speak for the entire room, however.  These thoughts may be mine and mine alone.  Regardless of our similarities and differences, I don’t pretend that all or even most people think the same way as I .  Maybe I wasn’t supposed to leave knowing where to turn, where to go, whom to run to, or what questions to ask next.  Maybe, as the man with dark glasses and a microphone stated at the start of his presentation, the Bible and life itself is like a movie that ends abruptly with an audience hoping the credits are not yet ready to roll.  “Who would follow such a movement as that,” he asked.  And maybe that’s exactly what he was attempting to get us to gaze upon, to reach for.  He was, I assume, attempting to leave his audience longing for something more, something which he decidedly did not want to provide.  He, for whatever reason, did not want to substantially incorporate the gospel, did not want to overwhelm us with Jesus, and did not want to go too deeply into where we go with our suffering, why we suffer, for whom we suffer, or what we do when we suffer.

He chose to stay on the fanciful yet almost too comfortable fringes of love, grace, gospel and Jesus rather than diving into the depths of mercy, compassion and good news.  His goal, seemingly, was not to challenge or change his audience.  Rather, he seemed to want to let us know that, “It’s all going to be okay.  Suffering on your Friday?  Well, your Sunday is coming soon.”  His attempt was to inspire people, when in suffering, to create something from that suffering which  is better and more beautiful than they could have ever imagined.  “With imagined being the key word.”  Yet to me, imagined was not the key word; rather, his key word seemed to be “me”.  His whole message seemed to be based upon what I can do or accomplish.  I can create something beautiful.  I can pull myself from suffering.  I can make an incredible sculpture, even a rabbit figure, out of a bar of soap.  I can pull myself out of this misery and laugh in the face of “cocaine addiction” or the terrors of “cancer.”  I can laugh, tilt my head back and roar, in the remembrance of drug addiction, the perils of a loved one trapped and tortured by it’s binding and all consuming grasp.  I can laugh hilariously in remembrance of losing loved ones to cancer.  I can laugh!  I can do it because I am not alone in my suffering.  Right?  There are thousands of others going through it as well.  Right?  And they are there for me.  Right?  The church is there for the broken and hurting and addicted.  Right?  The church cares about the disfigured and flawed.  Right?…Right?

Welcome to the church.  May I take your order please.

Throughout the man in black’s conversation, I found myself longing for him to simply say:  Jesus.  Jesus is the greatest source of imagination and creativity and strength in the entire universe, and there is nothing we alone can do to pull ourselves out of our suffering or heal our broken hearts.  It is only through him and his love and grace by which we can be saved and relieved from the pain afflicting our broken, shattered hearts.  We are not guaranteed a life of comfort.  Jesus is the only way to a truly fulfilling, peaceful and joyous life, regardless of suffering or comfort, pain or ease of living.  Trust in him; not in people or yourself alone, but fully in Jesus.  Pursue Jesus.  If you suffer, do so for him.  If you don’t suffer, do so for him.  Either way, whether you suffer or not, live for him. It’s as if he, this man with dark glasses and a microphone, understood suffering but forgot to integrate the most articulate and thoughtful and creative artist of all time, Jesus, into the story.

I had hoped for an ending completely consumed with following Jesus.  I didn’t get it.  The speaker chose not to lead us there, and for whatever reason, I will probably never know.  Despite my qualms about his efforts and his lack of Jesus throughout, he did inspire conversation, and he did inspire my heart to dive more deeply into what I hold most dearly to, and he allowed me to see suffering in its most present, middle class, American form.  I love the man in black for that.  There is no doubt about it.  I know that our conversations would be full of hope, peace and innovation.  I think we would probably be good friends.  I don’t accept everything I hear just because everyone stands and applauds, however.  It’s just not who I am.  On the other hand, the man with dark glasses and a microphone is captivating people, and I hope that he uses that attention to urge people toward Jesus.  It’s difficult to do with a growing population of followers, but it is what we are all called to attempt no matter how much suffering or pain is involved.

Selling Because You Have Our Attention—Is This Creativity?

The man left the stage to a standing ovation.  It was loud.  People cheered and reached for him, to touch him as he passed, exiting the theater the same way he had entered hours earlier.  He was completely cool and unnerved, and I think he was alright with that.  He shook a babies hand, hugged a woman’s fiance, and took picture after picture with little kids and old adults alike.  He signed autograph after autograph after autograph, and I stood and watched.  I absorbed how he interacted and spoke and smiled and the way in which he signed those autographs.  There was something almost rhythmically pseudo-artistic yet deeply saddening about the whole scene, sublime yet not satisfying, cool yet too comfortable, smoothly open-ended yet disconcertingly uncommitted.  I don’t think he noticed me standing there watching him.  I’m glad that he did not.  He had far too many books to autograph.

There is Hope for those who suffer, and His name is Jesus.

Parke: There are a lot of us wrestling with what normal Christianity genuinely looks like.  In terms of generosity and the gospel, how should we respond?  What does normal Christianity look like?

Aaron: Well, what does it look like to contextualize the gospel in our environment and not simply try to reproduce what occurred in the early church as found in Acts 2: 42-47?  While there are principles from the early church which apply heavily to the church today, it’s not as if the early church in Acts is inviting us to do exactly as they did.  Occasionally, what we see in portions of the church is idolization of the text itself, worshiping the text and what was done in attempt to reenact the acts of the early church instead of simply responding to the mercy of the gospel in our current environment and letting the fruit of our respons–love, joy, peace–spill out into the world around us.  In terms of generosity, what does this look like to a professional who is making a quarter million dollars a year?  Does he have to sell everything he has, move into the ghetto with 4 of his other wealthy friends, and start telling the homeless poor about Jesus?  Well, no of course not.  Not unless he personally catches that burden.  On the other hand we have couples who are dedicated to doing just what I described, to serving the poorest of the poor right here on Indy’s East side.  Two different groups of people, wrestling with the gospel, attempting to honor the gospel, and yet it looks totally different.  Neither is more holy than the other.  The two mission fields or communities are completely different, but neither one is in more need of the gospel or Jesus’ love than the other.  The Lord’s heart breaks for all people that are separated from him.  Those living and working in one community don’t have the opportunity to impact those living in the other.  That’s just the reality of their situations.

Parke: Jesus spent a lot of time with the poor.  Why not imitate him in that way?

Aaron: Jesus spent a ton of time with the poor, as should we.  However, Jesus cared for and deeply loved all people regardless of their economic situation.  We, unlike Jesus, end up making an idol out of serving the poor.  In America, the upper-lower class is considered very rich based on the global economic scale.  The danger is that we fall into a trap that says, “Well, Jesus spent all of his time with the poor so we should dedicate all of our time, money and resources to them as well.”  When the reality is that Jesus cared for and deeply loved all people regardless of their economic situation.  Does the Lord not want to see all people come to Him?  On the other hand, does this mean that the rich don’t have an obligation to give or be generous with what they’ve been given?  Of course not, but the rich persons primary influence is in a different realm based on where he has been planted as compared to the poor.  The rich and broke person’s conviction should be:  What am I doing to bring the love of the gospel to the people whom I am currently surrounded by.  Not should I leave the people I’m currently surrounded by and go be a part of another group simply because they are poor (or rich).  Use your influence for the gospel where you are.

Parke: Essentially what you’re saying is that each person’s response to the gospel is unique in accordance to their walk with Christ.  While it will be fundamentally founded upon the same truths and passions, the response will look different in accordance to what the Lord is calling them to and who the Lord places them amongst.

Aaron: Right, the response will look different and it should look different.

Parke: So what do we do with all of our stuff?  We’ve been given so much while so many others have so little.

Aaron: Well, regardless of how much stuff you have, at the end of the day, it’s all God’s anyway.  It’s not yours.  If the Lord convicts you to give it away, you’d better give it away.  You should serve your neighbors no matter who they are or how the Lord calls you to do so.  Be generous with all of your possessions, not just a percentage.  Whether you have a calling on your life to live amongst the poor of Indy or you have been put in a position of extreme wealth, you should serve, love and reach out to your neighbors with the gospel no matter what.

Parke: What’s up with church media and this whole movement toward relevancy?  Where are church leaders going with this and why?

Aaron: The gospel is the most relevant thing we have.  It is relevant to all people.  Everyone, in some form or another, has sin in their life.  We are all imperfect.  However, every sin looks a little different.  Some sins look culturally acceptable: gluttony, over shopping, over eating, over working.  On the other hand, the person selling crack or prostituting on the corner gets labeled as the terrible sinner.  So while these sins are different, they still equally equate to idolatry or anything that takes the place of the Lord at the center of our life.  Whether you get culturally condemned for your sin or not is not of importance.  What’s important is that it is sin, regardless of what society says, and therefore we are all in need of the gospel.  Thus, it is the most relevant thing we know.  It applies to all people because all people are imperfect and in need of Jesus.

Parke: In light of that relevancy, Indy Metro Church states that it is a multi-generational, multi-ethnic, socioeconomically diverse, church.  If so, how do you relate to so many different types of people with unique backgrounds and cultures coming from all sorts of different angles here in downtown Indianapolis?

Aaron: We can’t all be the same.  We are simply too diverse.  This isn’t the suburbs!  The message of sameness doesn’t apply to the church.  The people of Indy Metro Church aren’t all going through the same struggles or joys, and most of them are in completely different stages of life all together.  In fact, it’s difficult because the experience of the person sitting directly next to you is probably very different compared to yours.

Parke: Can you give me an example of what you’re talking about?

Aaron: Let’s talk about money.  How do I talk about money when at least 20% of our church is marginalized, living in poverty, while another 20% is living in great financial comfort, monetarily stable and well off.  The other 60% are all scattered somewhere in between.  Or how about generosity?  Are the poor not called to lives of generosity as well as the rich?  Of course they are, but it looks different to both groups of people.  Generosity looks different dependent upon the individual’s personal circumstances, but it is still generosity none the less.  Whether you live richly or poorly on this earth, generosity cannot be ignored.  A mark of someone pursuing the gospel–loving Jesus and loving others–is a generous lifestyle.  One characteristic of normal Christianity is generosity.

Parke: What I’ve come to realize is that the reason I don’t know to what extent the Lord is calling me to be generous is that I don’t spend enough time with Jesus, actively and intimately pursuing his will for my life.  The personal relationship is in dire need of attention in my opinion.  Would you agree?

Aaron: Yeah, that’s fair.  In all things.  Even last night I was to the point of just deleting every “Christian culture” feed in my Twitter account and other contacts I have elsewhere.  I’m not talking about real friends or church leaders; I’m talking about all of these other helpful yet time consuming ministry tools and resources.  I’m deleting them because they’re just so crappy.  Mediocre.  There is so much duplication out there that is just rehashed information repackaged and labeled as creative which is very effective at stymieing my own God-given creativity.  I can pull from so many different sources.  I wonder how many times the Lord would say, “Aaron, stop watching and listening to that crap and just come fall on your face before me and spend some time with me!  Pray. Read. I will give you what you need to sustain this church and this movement.  I will provide.  Simply come to me.”  I’m not dogging people at all, but I have so much influence from so many mediocre influences in my life that I settle for scraps from the table instead of taking the keys to the Kingdom.  You know what I mean?  All the stuff may be good stuff, but I confess that it is so easy to let other “good” resources take away from my personal time with the Lord, engaging him in a heart to heart manner which cannot be replicated through spending time with anyone else or reading any other thing or following any other feed.  What is God saying to me?  How can I know without spending time with him, every day, on my knees, passionately pursuing his path for my life?  While God can speak through special conferences or powerful books, there is a difference between doing those things and making those things an idol where they take the place of God at the center of my life.  In a sense they become my source for God instead of going to God himself.

Parke: Sin of omission, right?

Aaron: Yeah, sin of omission.  Not doing what we are supposed to do.  It’s not simply that I am going out and blatantly doing something wrong, it’s that I am not doing something which I know I should do.  Not spending time with the Lord would be a sin of omission, correct.

Parke: There are so many other sources to run to.  So many other books, blogs and people to listen too, have we forgotten our first love?

Aaron: I love what a lot of authors are doing.  It was never their intention for me to idolize them.  It’s our issue.  They put out good stuff, and I put it on too high of a platform and allow it to take the place of personal time with Jesus.  It’s the challenge of not replacing Christ with culturally acceptable idols, no matter how useful or good they may be.

Parke: IndyMetroChurch has been around for 3 years now.  What’s been the response to what some might call just another church in downtown Indianapolis?  What’s changed?  Has there been an impact?

Aaron: It’s evolving.  3 years is a long time, and we are so different today than we were 3 years ago.  If you choose to join us at IMC, you’ve got to be prepared to grow and move and learn quickly.  The pace of learning here is substantial.  We are constantly morphing our approach as to how we go about reaching people and most effectively loving them.  We have learned so much the past few years, and we don’t even know what to do with all the info.  People looking in from the outside may not see much, but the Lord is doing some inspiring things here in Indy.  When I look around and see the people from all sorts of unique backgrounds, it just stirs my soul.  I look around and we have single men and women from marginalized backgrounds, living in poverty, yet still worshiping and grateful for every breath they have.  We have urban professionals meeting with and sharing life with impoverished, young couples and homeless men and women walking off the street for a coffee and a bite to eat.  We have newly married couples and couples who have been married for 40 years.  We have college students, high school students, and babies who don’t even know what a student is.  All these different backgrounds, coming together as one, crying out praises to the Lord, coming to know who he is…just hits me in a way that I cannot describe.  It’s his church.  He is at work here in Indy, and it has nothing to do with our own personal effort.  We couldn’t have done this as leaders on our own.  We talked about it, but the Lord is doing it. I Corinthians. 3. We planted, and God is making it grow!  The lives that are being changed are all so different.  There are new folks from all sorts of different environments joining the church every week.

Parke: How do you measure success?

Aaron: There are some tangible steps, but we don’t measure success based on the regular ones such as: How many baptisms, how many people walk through our doors on Sunday, how many new people come to an event.  No, it’s about journeying with people as they take steps toward developing their relationship with the Lord.  We want to teach the scriptures and allow people the opportunity to reach out to us as they attempt to figure out this Jesus guy and what it really means to be a Christian.  God is bringing us people to serve and love and that’s what we are committed to doing.

Parke: A lot of people think the church is fake.  Whether they got the impression that church was all about taking care of its own, no outsiders allowed, or that it was all about dressing up and going to a fancy building where more money was spent on sanctuaries than helping the poor, they grew up with the picture of the church being something that it apparently was never meant to be.  How would you address this?

Aaron: If we would have bought or built a building we never would have been able to do some of the things we are planning on doing currently.  We would have been locked into a situation where we would have to be attempting to draw as many people to a central gathering as possible.  Our conviction isn’t to draw people to a central space as often as possible or once a week on Sunday morning.  Buildings affect what kind of church we can be.  They affect our DNA as a church.  Our philosophy as property owners would have been completely different than it is now without.  Our philosophy is to reach the entire city of Indianapolis.  We want to be able to reach out to everyone and anyone without the constrictions that come, many times, with the burden of a building and all the costs associated with it.  It’s very difficult to change when you have a building, when you are settled.  Let’s face it.  It’s not really about the building.  It’s about the philosophy behind the building.  If the building or programs become idols for the church than your philosophy will be drastically altered away from what the Lord originally intended.  Can space be used to love and effectively reach people?  Of course!  There is value in having space.  If space allows us to serve more people, than we should have space.  Should we own it?  Philosophically I have my doubts, but as long as we are attempting to build and do everything to reach people, we are headed in the right direction.

Parke: When it comes to authentic Christianity, the Lord doesn’t ask for half of anything.  He asks us to seek him with all of our heart, to serve him with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength.  Is following Jesus an all or nothing thing?

Aaron: Are we far from what normal Christianity originally looked like?  Probably.  I mean, it’s not hard to see the example of the early Christian church and then ponder what happened along the way. If Jesus came back today and saw us for who we are he might not be thrilled, but he is so gracious!  Right relationship with the Lord is the goal.  Regardless of what you have–abilities, gifts, talents, jobs, voice–use it for Jesus.  Don’t get consumed with legalism or guilt.  Your wealth, what you’ve been given, the voice that you have, they’re all tools for the Lord.  The goal is to remove anything that comes between you and God, and that is accomplished through not idolizing anything.  Listen to the calling the Lord has for you.  Follow him where he leads.  One person’s “all” is going to look different from another persons “all”, but at the center they are both going to be in complete pursuit of God, with no hindrances from things, regardless of how many they may own.  We create idols.  Whether you have a lot or you have nothing, things can still be an idol.  Regardless of how much stuff you have, the same struggles exist, and the same cure exists, and that is the gospel.  Authentic Christianity is all or nothing.   Meditate on the gospel, respond wholly to it, and go where he leads you.  Nothing we gain is for ourselves.  It is all for the Lord.  We simply transfer through what the Lord gives us to whom he leads us to give it to when he leads us to give it!  If there is anything that gets between us and the Lord, we’ve got to let it go.  However, letting things go and serving the poor is not the goal.  Right relationship with the Lord is.  Out of our pursuit of right relationship with the Lord will our giving and letting go be properly and adequately defined and accomplished.

You can follow Aaron here: @aaronstory or through IndyMetro.org

Running the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon was absolutely the most difficult thing I have ever done.  I expected to be challenged by the grueling 26.2 miles, but I had no idea that it was going to be so physically and mentally demanding.  Never in my life have I attempted or completed so exhausting a feat, and, after 14 long weeks of training and 1 crazy Saturday, I have never been happier to have a goal completed and behind me.  Thank you for all of your well wishes and support throughout the past 3 months.  Thank you to my wife, Quinn, for being a great running partner.  She is the strongest runner I know, and she proved it throughout her race.  It was pure joy training with her over the past 3 months, and I look forward to future races with her by my side.  Here are some photos to share our day with you!

A map stating the start of the race.  Trying to figure out how to get from here to…

…here.  The finish line.

Packet pick-up at the convention center.

Running bibs…

Quinn’s running bib…

My running bib…

Plenty of fuel for the road.  I would recommend Power Bar gels, just not the chocolate.  Consistency was way too thick.

Pre-race jitters…literally jitters due to the briskness of the morning!

More pre-race jittering.  Lost some of our layers as we get warm and get ready.

Last minute strategy session.

Visualizing the finish.

Somewhere between 9 and 10 miles.  This is on 38th street before heading north to Broadripple.

We’re pretty happy at this point.  Water break.

Quinn losing some layers.  It got up into the 70′s! about 35 degrees warmer than what we had trained at.

Michael jumped in and ran a quick 6 miles with us.  Great help.  Nice to have someone new to talk to!

Another water break.  Still happy.

Quinn with her parents after finishing her race.  She finished 8th in her age division!

Getting ready to cross the finish line.  Turn off of West Street was the last.  So close!  Quinn’s mom and her dog helped me get there!

Quinn and I closing it out.  I was in pain.  Dehydrated and cramping since mile 18.  Ouch!

Hand in hand, crossing the finish line.

Attempting to stave off the shivers and stay warm!  The foil looks weird, but they actually work.

Quinn’s parents, Diddles the dog, and us. Indiana state capitol in the background.  Trying to re-hydrate!

Dr. Steven Airey, Quinn, Michael Ladd, and I.

Our good friend Ryan Sawrie, who also completed the marathon, with us and family.  His wife, Katie, (not pictured) completed the 1/2.  They rock!

The day after, Quinn in her Marathon gear and medal.

Bling…runners style.

The day after, fully re-hydrated and feeling great again.  I owe a big thanks to the St. Francis Hospital & Health Center staff for providing me with 2 free liters of saline solution right after the race.  They cured my dehydration with a nice IV and some great service.  I know a lot of us were extremely grateful to have them there!

Since I started running consistently, nearly two years ago, it has been my hope to eventually run a marathon, and, as of this past August, my wife Quinn and I have been in training for the upcoming, second annual, Monumental Marathon held here in downtown Indianapolis. We have 30 some days till race day so I thought I would take this unique opportunity to share some of our personal training tips and attempt to debunk some of the myths and misconceptions we started training with. However, what I truly find intriguing is the last paragraph.

• Myth #1: You have to run hard every day. As with training or preparing for nearly anything, it is unwise to over-work to a point of exhaustion every time out. Consistently taking your body to fatigue almost always ends in injury, and injury is bad.
• Tip #1: Train Early. Get your day moving early in the morning–pre-work and pre-breakfast. The sooner you get it done and over with, the better and longer lasting the positive side effects will be. The longer you have to contemplate training, the more opportunity you have to think about not doing it.
• Myth #2: Running is all mental. The physical wear and tear is real.
• Tip #2: Running is mostly mental. Once you start pushing the 16-19 mile mark, mental barriers arise. You must develop your mind and attitude above all else. Your mindset is the single most important element to your marathon training, and it must be built and challenged appropriately throughout the course of your training.
• Myth #3: You want to train for a marathon, but you just don’t have the time right now. If you think you don’t have the time now, you never will. See Tip #1 for help with this myth.
• Tip #3: Train with others. After your first hour or two of running, you may begin to wish you had someone to talk to.
• Myth #4: 26.2 miles is a long distance. As with anything in life, it’s all about perspective. Don’t let the distance hinder you from starting.
• Tip #4: Eat well. You’re training for a marathon, the less weight you have to carry over 26.2 miles, the better.
• Myth #5: You have to run the entire race without stopping in order for it to count. Absolutely not true. Some of the smartest long distances runners in the world take time–a few seconds here and there–to walk. It’s all about keeping your mind in check and in tune with what your body is experiencing.
• Tip #5: Plan Ahead. If you wait until you’re thirsty to take a drink, you’re already dehydrated. If you wait until you’re out of energy to take a gel pack, you’re already crashing. If you wait until your feet hurt before buying new shoes, injury is looming. If you wait until you pass out before you walk, you may not finish well. Make a plan. Be willing to be flexible. Adjust as you go.

Running a marathon is mainly about changing your perspective. What you think impossible today can become the possible tomorrow. The only way to gain ground and change your perspective is to act. The only reason we believe a task to be difficult or even unimaginable is because we have never attempted anything beyond what we have currently already achieved. We get stuck assuming that we could never do anything more or better than what we are currently doing–that there is no obtainable, higher level for us. Don’t believe the lie. Push beyond what you think you are capable of. Extend your boundaries. Ask yourself to do more with what you have been given. Challenge your perspective, and run freely beyond your pre-conceived status quo.

1. Parke is now the family chef, cleaner and laundry man.
2. Our 6:30am marathon training now happens at 5:00am due to earlier classes.
3. Quinn has begun using really big words…already.
4. Our time schedules have become even tighter, which, as it turns out, is not such a bad thing.

Other than that, not much else has changed!  Thanks again for all of your support.