Team World Vision and the Chicago Marathon

Rick Warren once said, “The purpose of influence is to speak up for those who have no influence.” With that in mind I’m taking a simple step to do something about the AIDS crisis in Africa. I’ll be running the Chicago marathon to raise awareness of AIDS pandemic and to raise sponsorship for children in the countries affected by it. I’m also raising money to provide clean drinking water for a village in Zambia. Through World Vision, over the last five years my wife Janet and I have sponsored several kids in underdeveloped countries. This year I want to invite others in the running and surfing communities to literally take on a child from one of these countries. It costs about $35 a month to sponsor a kid. For most of us, that’s dinner out. For the kids its clothes, an education, and food on the table! It’s an easy way to take our wealth and use it to help someone else.

I’ll run the Chicago marathon as a visual way to give people the opportunity to consider this opportunity. Maybe some of you would like to run it with me? Or maybe others would consider sharing this blog with a friend or perhaps sharing the opportunity with a friend. It won’t take a lot of time or energy and most of all it can make a difference in someone else’s life. Go to the “comment” section on this post and check “open ID” and post me your responses. Or you can click on the “Dave Miles and Team World Vision” link and consider what you might do. Thanks for reading this post.

Beauty--do we recognize it?

Do we really recognize beauty when we see it? I recently read a story about one of the world’s greatest violinist, Joshua Bell who in conjunction with a group of researchers, decided to test our nations capacity to recognize beauty. Bell, a handsome single man, is also one of the world’s best violinists. Gathering his $3 million dollar Stratavarious violin, Bell went to a busy subway station in Washington DC, and for 45 minutes, played some of the worlds best music created for violin. He was dressed like a street musician and opened his violin case to collect money for his performance.

Someone filmed the experiment and upon review, noted that 1097 people passed by Bell as he played. Of that number, only seven people stopped to take in the performance for at least a minute. Another 27 gave money, most of them on the run, for a total of $32 and change. The author of the article concluded that we have lost our appreciation for beauty in the modern world. At the end of the article the author made this intriguing comment: “If we can’t take the time out of our lives to stay a moment and listen to one of the best musicians on earth play some of the best music ever written; if the surge of modern life so overpowers us that we are deaf and blind to something like that—then what else are we missing?” Intriguing right? It made me wonder what I am missing.

Beauty draws us in an invites us to engage, touch, tap our feet, sing along, ponder, and look. I’ve decided to take beauty seriously. I’ve been trying to smell the smells and see the sites a little more intentionally. The ability to run, surf, smell the ocean, see the mountains and trees, read poetry, listen to music, enjoy architecture, food, and people is all part of the experience of beauty that God gives us. It is my opinion that all beauty points to the creator of all beauty; God himself. The Psalmist says, “One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple” (Psa. 27:4). The video is Pipeline in Hawaii. Beautiful!!

What's Driving Dave?

“What is driving you?” I’d said the words before. They sort of slipped thoughtlessly out of my mouth. I’d said those words to my wife, Jan, when she seemed to never take a break. I’d said them to friends whom I self-righteously thought were giving their lives to insane schedules or harried existences or ridiculous endeavors. I’d said them, frankly, to quite a few people. But this time the words, spoken to a friend while running, boomeranged around and hit me back in the head. In my mind the thought came back, “Well, what is driving you, Dave?” I’d slowed down my training for marathons after Boston but remained pretty intense in my regimen. I’d done this on top of an insane travel schedule and a very difficult work and ministry environment. “What’s driving me?”

The flippancy of my comments and the thoughtlessness behind them rattled my cage. “What’s driving me?” Another friend recently admitted that maybe he’d bitten off more than he could chew when it came to training for a half iron man triathlon. My response was muted this time because the thought keeps coming back, “What’s driving me?”

Blaise Pascal wrote a book many years ago entitled Pensees (or reflections/ponderings). Pascal was a brilliant mathematician but what he’s actually best known for is his writings on Philosophy and Theology. In Pensees he has entire section answering the question, “What’s driving Dave?” or to put it another way, “What is diving us?” The section is entitled, Diversions. Pascal, like Augustine, believed that humankind did what they do because they want to be happy. As a matter of fact, according to Pascal, mankind cannot help but want to be happy! He was created to be happy. But still, when pondering life’s difficulties, humankind becomes unhappy. To overcome this people involve themselves in diversions. These diversions, says Pascal, keep our minds off of the difficulties of our existence and the realities that we face daily. Pascal believed that to be truly happy one has to rest: “They have another secret instinct, left over from the greatness of our original nature, telling them that the only true happiness lies in rest and not in excitement.” (Pensees Section 136) But where does this rest come from? Augustine, speaking of a relationship with God through Christ, put it like this, “Our heart is restless until it rests in you.”(Confessions Chapter 1)

I believe that I get involved in diversions because I still don’t find my rest in Christ—at least not like I should. I still believe, erroneously, that I’ll be happiest when I am active. I don’t want to believe that I believe that, but I think I still do. I am finished with my ministry in Hawaii. I’m tired. I need a break but still I drive myself. Last week my body shut me down for several days. I couldn’t work. Yesterday I ran a half marathon and substantially missed my target time in spite of being in good condition. I need to take a break. I’m going to take a month off and during that time I’m going to extract myself from some of my diversions. I’m going to go to a monastery and be silent and rest. Who knows what I’ll find. I’ll let you know in future posts.

The picture on this post was taken at Volcano National Park near Hilo, Hawaii on the big island. It was a time of rest in a very difficult time of ministry. It is instructive. Life can be very barren, like what is left over from an irruption. But in the middle of that barreness, we need rest.

Let's Celebrate Twenty Eight

I like being married. I like my female friends. They are very dear. My male friends sometimes send me emails like the one I received yesterday with the title, Fairy Tale. It goes like this: "One day, long, long ago.......There lived a woman who did not whine, nag or bitch. But this was a long time ago....... and it was just that one day. The End." Apparently, some people don't like marriage. Maybe some men don't like women! The friend who sent this to me is a nice guy. He thought this was funny. But I get tired of hearing women constantly criticized by men. Perhaps my friend was constantly criticized by women or hurt deeply by a woman. It makes me wonder.

Saturday, Jan and I celebrated our twenty-eighth wedding anniversary. Not a bad accomplishment for a baby boomer. It doesn't even remotely resemble the Fairy Tale I quoted. I don't have as much hair as I used to and I'm not as muscular as I was the day we got married. Jan doesn't have the youthful appeal she did either. Should I expect her too? Beauty and physical strength is fickle and short lived. Even a sunset over the Pacific ocean, though beautiful, can't be completely captured. "The beauty of the natural world," says N.T. Wright, "is at best the echo of a voice, not the voice itself." The same thing could be said of relationships.

Everyone wants to be liked, loved, accepted, and special. Marriage is the deepest completion of that desire. And yet so many marriages end in bankruptcy. I think people were made for relationship, yet making relationships work, let alone flourish, is remarkably difficult. Jan and I have had our moments. Billy Graham's wife was once asked if she had ever considered divorcing her husband. Her answer is profoundly humorous, "Divorce? No. Murder. Yes!" There was a period in our marriage when, outside of divorce, I would have been happy to get out. Surprised? Sorry to disappoint you. I'm sure Jan felt the same way. But God in his grace and mercy invited both of us to take a deep inner look at what was real in us. It was hard. I'd have rather had a root canal. But in the end, it was worth it.

I had dinner last night with a friend in Christian ministry. He acknowledged that there were things in his marriage that were not right. It was eating him up. Just that morning he and his wife had had a terrible fight. I tried to encourage him and let him know that the best thing he could give his congregation was a healthy marriage. As a few of my friends have said, "The best thing you can give your kids, is a healthy marriage." I believe it. Gerry Scazzero recently asked a poignant question that went something like this, "How would it have benefited your marriage if your parents had gotten help for their own." Great thought! I hope my kids can someday look at me and Jan and answer in a positive fashion.

Boston Marathon 2008

I’ve been trying to think of something philosophical to write about the Boston Marathon. But it just ain’t happening! Actually I measured this years Boston by the people I ran into rather than the running itself. So here goes:

On Saturday I met Randy, a homeless guy, in Connecticut. Randy was hanging out at local rest stop pan handling. We started talking story over lunch and he noted that he was an ex-con, that he had no family, and that he had a few more months of living out behind the rest stop before he had a room in a half way house. I was struck by his candor and commitment to make life work. He had the tenacity of a marathoner, that’s for sure. Then there was Keith, the guy I stayed with on the North End of Boston Saturday evening. Keith is Irish—really Irish with the cool accent and everything. Keith’s hospitality and charitable personality embodies much of the spirit I’ve experienced in running marathons. Everyone on the North End seemed to know Keith. He exudes warmth and acceptance. We went to a concert in a church located in a back alley somewhere and heard a band called Ineloquent. That was Saturday.

On Sunday morning Keith and I went to watch the women’s Olympic marathon trials. Watching Dena Kastor, the winner was amazing. She came from behind and took the lead at about mile 23—talk about negative splits!! Check out Keith's YouTube video of the trials. Its terrific. That evening we ate with the Quantum Feet Road Runners Club in the North End. Eating with Jim, Ken, Chris, Lisa, Jose, Andrew, Jaime, Karen, Karen’s daughter, Sue, and Darlene was lots of fun (did I forget anyone?). Vince, my surprise roommate for the evening, was icing on the cake for Sunday. Vince has an opinion about everything! Ask him, he’ll tell you. He’s been fun to get to know. I've learned a lot about running from Vince and I've learned to text message at his expense.

On marathon Monday I got up early and took a cab with Charlie (a guy from Michigan) to the race. He’d been a hell raiser early in life and found Jesus. The cab driver was a Haitian guy named Francis. He sold “food” supplements on the side. Was food supplement spelled s.t.e.r.o.i.d? I didn’t ask. He didn’t drive like a New York cabby and he spoke English--no turban either. On the bus to Hopkinton I sat next to Eric, a guy who told me he was sick (as I shook his hand and sat down about 5 inches from his face). He was from Portland, was in his mid-30’s, and he got this, “Oh No!!!” look on his face when I was honest with him about being a pastor. I worked hard to quell his fears and soon he was opening up with me about breaking up after being engaged to be married, his family, his job, and his dreams for the race. He was a fun guy. I just wish he’d have stopped saying, “Gee, my throat feels awful.” It freaked me out.

I was alone at the athletes village for a while until my buddy Sue and Darlene got in. Sue is a blast, always fun to talk with, and she has a great son. Darlene is intense. She brought papers to grade. Can you believe it? She was going to grade papers while we sat there trying to talk with her. I ran into my "friend" Lance again while running. Lance Armstrong (the Lance Armstrong who won the Tour de France over and over again) and I have run marathons together twice--we don't talk. He always passes me at mile 16 and finishes about five minutes faster (he's also 15 years younger). But this time he didn’t have a television motorcycle driving in front of him spewing exhaust in my face or honking its horn. As we ran it was like watching the crowd do the wave with arms raising in the air people would yell "Lance, Lance." I kept saying, “No it’s Dave, Dave.” But they didn’t pay any attention.

Other notables include the screaming girls at Wellesley college (mile 13). They had all sorts of signs that read, “Kiss me I’m a Vegan” or “Kiss me I’m a Mormon” or “Kiss me I’m Single.” I kept thinking, “What would your dad say?” I don't think they cared! One of the workers at a water stop wasn't paying attention and dumped an entire cup of Gatorade down the front of my shirt around mile 10. It was real cold!! Towards the end of the race a guy pulled up next to me and waved his arms beckoning the crowd to cheer. I think he'd been doing this for several miles. They cooperated and he did this until we crossed the finish line. Where did he get the energy??!! And then there was the finish line male race volunteer who proudly informed me that it was he alone who was responsible for getting us coed post race changing tents! He apparently thought I'd appreciate that. "Great," I thought, "I can hardly walk and I have to go change my clothes in front of some woman." I don't think he'd ever run a marathon in his life. And of course there was the usual displays of earthiness--people putting Vaseline on their private parts in front of everyone, people urinating out in the open, etc. I don't think I'll ever get totally used to that stuff--but it is funny to see!

Monday evening was punctuated by dinner with my Alley Pond Road Runner Club friends--Nella, Fran, and Andrea and a few others. It was enjoyable, though I wasn't walking too well. And finally, the day after the race there was Margarite from the Corrib Irish Pub. She was from Ireland and we had a great conversation about life.

My right leg cramped up at mile 19 but I never really hit the wall. I had to slow down, but nothing else. I ran a personal best of 2:55:49 in spite of having a migraine headache for the entire race. Everything else hurt, why not my head too?! I think I can break 2:50 but we’ll see. At this marathon, the people were as much fun as the race!

Lord, Save us from your Followers

I recently watched a film called, “Lord save us from your followers.” (http://lordsaveusthemovie.com) Since I am a follower of Jesus I thought it would be interesting to see why some felt they needed to be saved from the likes of me. It was a stunning look at the negative side of religion, particularly conservative evangelical religion, in America. What was most disturbing was that the message of Jesus has been lost in all the verbal cannon fire coming from the right and the left. It reminded me of a book I recently read called unChristian by David Kinnamon. The book, and frankly this movie, have put words to my feelings. For the last three or four years my frustration with evangelical religion has been on the increase. And frankly, I’m frustrated with myself! Have I loved the poor, the hurting, the wounded, the gay and straight, the atheist and the religious fanatics the same? No way. I’ve walked away and smirked like many others when two guys have passed by holding hands. I’ve felt superior to the fundamentalist religious fanatics I’ve encountered on various occasions. I’ve ignored some painful aspects of our world community like AIDS in Africa or immigration here in the United States. I need to change.

I am not ashamed of what Jesus said. He spoke as much about hell as he did heaven. I’m definitely not ashamed of what Jesus did or his claims to be God. I’m not ashamed of the cross or the belief in the literal resurrection or the virgin birth. If people want to hate me for those beliefs, then fine. What I am ashamed of is the way we as his followers have portrayed ourselves. We are anti-everything. I can’t live like that. I won’t give up Jesus, faith in Jesus, his church, or what the New Testament calls the gospel. What I want to give up—and what I’ll encourage the churches I work with to give up—is this “head in the sand” mentality that has separated so many of us who are Christians from reality, and from others in society. What I hope I embrace is a greater willingness to love people by my actions and with my ears. I’ll to listen more and talk less. And then maybe when I’m more like Jesus, others will be more willing to consider Jesus. The movie is only available on line. It costs $6.99. But beware. If you are an evangelical, you probably won’t like it.

Beauty and the Soul of a Woman

I’m not a cross dresser. But I’ll admit that this winter, when I couldn’t find a pair of men’s running pants that fit, I tried a medium from the women’s rack—at the suggestion of the store attendant—and they fit perfectly. I have no idea why, but they do! I swore her to secrecy and now I’m coming out of the closet, so to speak, and can craft this post with a measure of integrity. I am going to write about women’s clothing and beauty. Here goes:

A couple of weekends ago I took my middle daughter Katie (see the picture) out to a woman’s clothing store to finalize her fitting for a bridesmaid dress. Walking into the basement I was astonished to see scores of dresses hanging along the walls, all big dresses for big women. And then to my amazement, when I looked into the mirror on the side of wall, I saw but a caricature of myself. I was smaller than usual or at least smaller than I thought I actually was. This was disturbing since I’m not so big to begin with! “All that weight lifting recently has done me no good,” I thought. But then my daughter stepped into the mirror and she looked smaller than she actually was and she’s anything but big. That’s when it struck me: the mirror created the illusion that the person reflected back was actually smaller than they were in real life. I have no idea whether this should be perceived as a really bad mirror or a really good business mind. Had the mirror intentionally been created to be that way? I don’t know. Any way you cut it, it disturbed me.

Being married to the same woman for 27 years, being the father to three daughters, one grand daughter, and having many fine women friends I have been privileged to learn a lot about women. I also have a mother (couldn’t leave her out even though she’ll never read this post). I am more than aware that our society imposes clear standards on what physical features are considered beautiful and which are not for women. Being slender and petite is one of the standards our society values. These standards are not typically applied in the same way towards men. I have recently been reading a book called Sex and the Soul of a Woman by Paula Rinehart. It’s an excellent read. (The last chapter is written about men and is worth the price of the whole book.) In reference to physical beauty, the author notes, “…there is no concept in our culture these days more conflicted than that of female beauty…I’m writing about something deeper, more intrinsic, than a lovely face or body. That kind of beauty a confident woman possesses is an odd mixture of mystery and warm allure that invites you always a little deeper into the essence of really knowing her.” (pg. 49) I think that this is true.

When you read the pages of the New Testament, you'll find that Jesus had a radically different view of women than the prevailing society. He valued women, respected women, and honored women. The same was true of the early church. Women were treated with more dignity than they were in everyday culture. (See The Rise of Christianity by Rodney Stark, Chapter 5). I know that, as a man, I swim in this culture like a fish swims in water, and its values and mores will affect me. But I hope that I value women not for how they look or how big or small they are but for who they are.