I was recently invited a week ago to attend a prayer walk in downtown Detroit. I was excited about sharing in this opportunity with my friends. But then the report of rain all day came. Not just that, but cold too. I'm not gonna lie, my first thoughts then were, "I think we should stay home." But I glad that we didn't. It was hands down the highlight of my year so far! Why? For one God was present. Do I need to go on? It was just amazing to come together with other Christians (about 20,000 that is!!) and pause in the middle of our busy lives to praise the name of God. But it didn't end there. We then walked almost 2 miles Adoring God, Confessing our sins, speaking our Thanks towards Him, and sending our Supplications (petitions) to Him (ACTS). It was powerful to see many people from so many different walks of life come to this event. Different races, cultures, and ages. Some stopped along the walk route to pray. My heart was filled with joy as I observed parents and their children praying on the side of the road. Another time of joy was when I was singing "Shout to the Lord" by myself. A random girl who was walking beside me joined in with. One other highlight was hearing an older woman praying out loud, continually praising God, asking Him to rebuild this city. Wow! My thought was, "Why doesn't this stuff happen all the time?" When else in downtown Detroit are a mob of people so kind toward one another?? I included a video just below that gives a glimpse of the day.
At the closing of the event, the pastor leading said this: "Let this not end here. Let this work that began here continue through us as we actively serve the community." I felt challenged. Challenged to step up and put my faith in action. Not just singing some songs and talking about how awesome God is, but to share the love of Christ to others. Allowing God to work IN and THROUGH me. I don't know what this looks like right now, but I desire to look for every opportunity that God might use me in to show His love to others. How about you? Are you allowing God to affect your life in this way?
"He [God] says: "It is too light a thing that you should be my servant ... I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth." Isaiah 49:6
I am encouraged and I hope that you are too. My prayer is that we would stop acting as Christians and actually BE Christ followers! Are you up to the challenge? If so, let's move!!!
I had to include the video below. It was during this song that the clouds began to part (picture on right). I remember thanking God for being present there with all of us and allowing the sun to shine on us as we sung how great He is! It wouldn't have mattered if the rain was falling, because God was there. Enjoy!
After a crazy busy 2 months of indoor track, spring break '11 dropped down on us. Prefect timing too! I tool most of the time to rest and catch up on random tasks. Very much needed. I also got to snowboard a little with an old friend. But I would say the highlight would be my trip to Ann Arbor (or A2). They hosted a tournament from the east coast. The east coast is not too famous for its water polo. The caliber of play/competition is a bit inferior to the west. This most likely is due to more opportunities that are presented in along the west coast. And with our snow and cold, not too many people desire to come play a water sport here. But the University of Michigan water polo team is setting the bar high by shooting for their 4th consecutive Eastern Championship this year. This is their ticket to the national championships!
For those not familiar with water polo, the best way to describe it would be soccer in water. But, you use your hands. It is pretty intense under the water. An occasional elbow or kick into the body. Very hands on. Constant swimming and treading water for long periods of time. Playing takes place indoors or out. If outside, it could be blazing hot or raining. I love basketball, but you never have these kind of conditions.
I think why I feel in love with the sport, other than working with a great team and staff, is that it is a tough sport to play that gets little attention. And there is great respect between teams and coaches although the competition is intense. This obsession lead to working with the USA Jr. National team last August. I am hoping to go on another trip with USA water polo again soon. I'll keep you in the know. If you want to catch some polo action, U of M will be playing Indiana on March 26th on Big Ten Network, 2pm. Hail to the Victors!!
Getting ready to start
Ryan the media guy and friend doing his thang
With the seniors. Love these ladies!
The officials wear all white in games. Interesting...
With the USA Jr. National Team at the UANA Games in Miami
Our track team traveled to Bowling Green, OH for indoor track champs. It was nice to head back to one of my many homes in the last decade. It for sure brought back many memories from my graduate school days. Since I worked with the track team at BG, I got a chance to see some of my previous athletes compete as well. Not to mention, it was nice to chat and work along side one of my past supervisors. Kind of weird that we are now peers. How time moves.
The team did not win, but many performed very well. A couple of them are now MAC champs! The goal they been striving for since they were freshmen. It's awesome for me to watch them overcome injures and perform the best in their event.
I noticed more during this trip how much I actually eat. A LOT! I have favorite restaurants in every city I have lived in. So it is a must to hit those places as well as check out the spread at the track meets and after. I almost thought about tracking my weight by taking a before and after track season picture, but thought that might be depressing to others, not me :o) Here are some pictures of the event!
My track team traveled to South bend, IN this past weekend. I have only been on the campus of Notre Dame once before for a soccer game, so it was nice to visit for more than a couple hours. This weekend also began my year for hotel visits. Thinking I'll try to keep a tally this year. Not sure how many hotels I actually stay in during the year. I'm sure it's somewhere around 20-30. No wonder I don't go to the grocery store ever.
It was a long weekend, but well worth getting to see my athletes improve in their events. Some of the best athletes in the country were also present. It's not everyday you get to see someone run a mile in less than 4 minutes or high jump over 7 feet. Who knew that track could be so exciting??! The video below is the men's Meyo mile. Thank you Flotrack. The guy who won ran just under 4 minutes. That for sure doesn't happen everyday. It almost inspires me to get back into running. But, not really ;o) Maybe someday. I'll stick with snowboarding for now.
