Running...

While running on the treadmill at my local YMCA this morning I was bemoaning the fact that I had to run inside on a beautiful day. They provide childcare at the Y while you workout, so now I find myself on a treadmill running inside in SoCal. Sound crazy? Feels crazy. A runners gotta do what a runners gotta do. I began to think what running has meant to me. I joke with my friends that I run because I like to eat. While that's true, I mostly enjoy running for the emotional, mental and spiritual experience. It is difficult to explain but you fellow joggers understand. As I was praying and thanking God for the ability to run, I began to think about all the cities I have run in. Bangkok, Kabul, Tunis, Frankfurt, Delhi, Beirut, Dubai, Tashkent, Moscow, London, Brussels, Madrid, Amman, Damascus, Khartoum, Singapore... I have spent hundreds of hours running in cities all over the world, praying for God's move in these places. As I put on my running shoes wherever I am in the world memories come flying back. As much as I imprint the ground of the world with my feet, the world has imprinted my life with its people.