2014 IRONMAN Louisville Race Report

 Finish Line: 4th Street Live! 11:28 pm

5,375 feet of elevation gain on the bike.

That is what I anticipated all summer. My previous IRONMAN finish in Florida last November had only 991 feet of elevation gain by comparison. A flat bike. That would not be the case on August 24, 2014 in Louisville, KY. Thankfully, the bike leg turned out to be the most enjoyable part, though I had feared it the most. 

I had a compact crank installed on my bike the week of the race. I had not tested it on a long ride, but it turned out to be the key to an enjoyable 112 mile bike ride. On one of the most difficult climbs of the race, I overheard a fellow triathlete I was (slowly) passing say to himself (so I could hear): "What?" How are you passing me? Oh. You have a compact crank." He was grinding out the hill with a standard crank. I felt so lucky! That, however, would not be the case at the start of the swim.

There's nothing quite like the moment you begin a 140.6 mile triathlon, because the moment you jump off the dock into the water, you realize that you will not stop for the next 16+ hours. Living in the moment is a necessity, and there's plenty to do, so the feeling doesn't last long, and usually I just say: "Here we go!"

SWIM 2.4 MILES

It always takes me about 20 minutes to settle down into a comfortable breathing rhythm when I start swimming, but there were a couple of instances when I feared not finishing at the very start. The current of the river stunned me and the swinging arms and kicking legs of faster swimmers didn't help! It felt like there was no escape, and that was pretty much the case for about the first 1/2 mile of the swim. The beginning of the Ohio River swim, unlike the Gulf of Mexico, is very narrow because Towhead Island is only a 100 or so feet from the shoreline where 2300 athletes were previously lined up on a concrete river walk.

Upstream Swim for .7 miles

Till you get to the end of the island the swim was a test of survival symbolized by one kayak pilot asking me if I was okay when I thought I was swimming well. Great! I'm still not calmed down, I'm fighting this current, and now a kayak pilot tells the next pilot upstream standing on his vessel to watch out for me! Not encouraging.

The second symbol of my survival 14 minutes into this suffer fest occurred when I saw Laura on the shoreline looking for me. I was next to the island so there was virtually no chance. I raised my right arm waving at her and calling out her name. Guess what the swimmer behind me thought? Yep. This guy is calling for help.

Exiting the Ohio River

So, she called to the nearest pilot, "Hey, this guy needs help!" Paranoia has officially set in at this point. Time to swim-or fight-which was pretty much the same thing at that point. Thankfully, by now, the end of the island was at hand, and the twenty minutes I need to calm down have passed and my main problem is how slow I'm swimming compared to a great practice swim I had only a week earlier. Not a good time to realize I needed lower expectations.

It took me an hour to swim the 7/10 of a mile to the red turnaround buoy. That's only 1/3 of the swim, but thankfully the last 2/3 were downstream. That was definitely a plus, but didn't seem to help me as much as it did others. In fact, a difficult aspect of swimming downstream was that it carried me to the wrong side of the yellow buoys. After 2 or 3 course corrections I foolishly asked one pilot, "Are these things moving?" To which he replied, of course, "No." I knew that, but what would this swim be without another negative feeling? Swallowing my pride, I finish the swim in 1:53:39. 29 minutes slower than my 2.4 mile practice swim in the Tennessee River a week earlier of 1:24:42. Oh, well, on to the bike!

Fulfilling the Law: Acts 2:44-47 & Acts 4:32-36 Are Not Temporary

Illustration by Judith Clingan

"When Jesus said, 'The poor you will have with you always,' He was quoting Deuteronomy 15:11, but he expected his disciples and us to think about the whole passage."

Ben Irwin continues his insight into interpreting Jesus' quote of Deu. 15:11:

"When Jesus said that there would always be poor people in the land, it was a concession to Israel's likely failure to obey the law requiring them to protect its most vulnerable citizens. Sure enough, that's pretty much how the story plays out in the rest of the Old Testament."

"There would always be poor people because Israel would not prove as generous as they were meant to be. There would always be poor people because Israel would not cancel everyone's debts like they were supposed to."

"Deuteronomy 15 commanded ancient Israel to cancel each others debt every seven years. Interesting to note that no distinction was made between responsible and irresponsible debt; no matter how people fell into financial distress, they were to be given a clean slate every seven years."

"The passage ends with the statement quoted by Jesus centuries later: there will always be poor people among you. Which is precisely why laws protecting the poor were needed in the first place: 'There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.'"

"What's more, to the writer of Deuteronomy 15, persistent poverty was anything but acceptable. Back up a few verses, to Deuteronomy 15:4-5:

There need be no poor people among you, for in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, if only you fully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow all these commands...."

An Introduction to the Tour De France: Review of the 2014 Official Guide

Photo by Tim De Waele

The Tour De France begins this Saturday and lasts for three weeks (July 5th--27th). The 2014 Official Guide is on shelves now, and gives an overview of cycling's most anticipated annual event. Reading the guide will give anyone an appreciation for how grueling an event Le Tour De France really is.

I was surprised to learn that the Tour actually begins its first three stages in England. And while most stages stop and start from the same cities, there are two flights: one from England to France and another to the final stage in Paris, as well as, two rest days.

Most of the daily rides are a minimum of 100 miles, and of the 21 stages overall, 9 are considered flat, 5 hilly, and 6 mountain stages that include 5 summit finishes. There is only one time-trial stage near the end of the race. 

The degree of difficulty in addition to the 100 miles of distance each day comes from climbs, or elevation gain. Being a novice cyclist for only two years, myself, and even having completed an IRONMAN, the endurance needed to complete, much less compete in, the Tour is quite impressive.

Misinterpreting Prophets in 1 Cor. 14:29-40

Illustration by Judith Clingan

Paul says:

"Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged."

"The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the assemblies of the Lord’s people."

"Wives should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a wife to speak in the church..."

"If anyone thinks they are a prophet or otherwise gifted by the Spirit, let them acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord’s command. But if anyone ignores this, they will themselves be ignored. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way." 

If we limit the definition of a prophet to miraculous situations or only to those who foretold the future then we are leaving out vital information.

Paul says:

"Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged."

So, we have here a "revelation" comes to someone who is sitting at the Lord's Table. There is no need to insist this must be miraculous anymore than "instruction" and "encouragement" must be miraculous. All three can be non-miraculous and for the purpose of edifying the church (1 Cor. 14:1-40). Prophets were more "forth-tellers" than future "fore-tellers" anyway.

Also, why would anyone need to "weigh carefully what is said" God's "plain truth?" The way we do things, they should just "submit" to the "authority" of what is said. The way Paul says do it, there is equal function among all.

I've always liked this quote from John Mark Hicks:

"While the prophets of Israel peeked behind the scenes and saw the future in some cases, their main function was to prosecute, rebuke, and confront the people of God. They called Israel to renewal and recommitment; they called them out of their injustices and idolatries."

Historically, our people have been conditioned to define "Bible words in Bible ways," but we really don't do this in action when it comes to prophesying in the assembly. We have created the position of "gospel preacher" in churches of Christ which is a synonym for Protestant pastor, and have relegated the role of prophets in our assemblies down to one man.

He has become the "spokesman" (only prophet) for the local congregation and/or elders and they (GPs) themselves have evolved into a class of people since we made that position an employee of the church. In our model, "truth" is viewed as a settled package to be repeated weekly, and "elder expediency" reduced it to one man.

What we do is not what Paul wrote. Not even close. And that ain't good for those who make as bold a claims as some coCs make! In fact, it's a solid step in the direction of cultish behavior among congregations.

The kingdom of God is about power:

"But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I shall find out, not the words of those who are arrogant but their power. For the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power." (1 Cor. 4:19f)

And we need to continue challenging (weighing carefully) the powers that be for everyone's good.