Rodney Skyles' Blog

And we're off! Honduras, December 2011

2011-12-10T02:56:00.000-08:00

It is very early in the morning. As I get ready to leave for the airport to go to Honduras and share the Gospel, I wanted to jot down this verse that was going through my mind last night:

"I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen." (1 Timothy 1:12-17)

For someone like me who is so unworthy, to still be blessed to be able to travel, preach and teach about Jesus, the Son of God is hard to comprehend. Paul felt the same way and even explains the purpose for which he was put into service for the King of Kings. To show how patient Jesus is in gathering all of His sheep. Jesus even talks about this in the Gospels (Matthew 18:11-13, John 10:11-16 ).

This week will probably be hard being away from Katrina and Ryder. It looks like rain in Honduras, for a trip that almost didn't happen; however, due to a generous financial donation, it appears that God has a plan for us to be there. It is important for me to remember the verse and purpose above ... God will bring in every, single one of His sheep (John 6:37), and God has chosen the foolishness of preaching the Gospel.(1 Cor. 1:18-21)

I am thankful that He is patient with me, as I clumsily try to follow Him.
Rodney

Are Missions Foreign?

2011-07-10T04:29:00.000-07:00

Reprinted from Extreme Missionary Adventures "The Adventurer" magazine June/July 2011 www.XMAOnline.com

---------------------

When I was younger and heard the word “missionary”, it seemed as if people were referring to some far off, strange type of Christian. They were a special breed. We may have seen a missionary once per year, and then we would raise special funds for them around Christmas, but it really was not a part of the “norm” in my daily life. Should it be that way? If we study the New Testament, should traveling to other nations and sharing the Gospel be something out of the ordinary?

Paul is probably the most famous missionary recorded in the Bible. If you are like me, you may have dealt with some of the questions below. It helped me to consider how Paul addressed these same concerns.

Am I called to go?
But the Missions Board, or my local church, is not willing to send me!
No one is paying me to go!
I am not like Paul!

Am I called to go?

The more I study the Scriptures, it seems more logical to struggle with thinking God is NOT calling us to missionary work. After all, Jesus was speaking to His eleven disciples when He said, “Go ye therefore and teach all nations....”, but did that command end when that group of disciples died (Matthew 28:19)? If so, they had yet to make it to all the world.
Paul affirmed his belief that it was his responsibility to continue what he had formerly been trying to stop (Acts 13:46-48).

But the Missions Board, or my local church, is not willing to send me!

After Jesus called Paul to preach to the Gentiles, he did not seek the approval of other men, before obeying. Nor did he seek the approval of the other Apostles. Just the fact that his LORD had chosen, saved, called and given him a command was enough for him to obey (Galatians 1:15-17). Have you and I been chosen, saved, called and given a command to 'go'?

No one is paying me to go!

There are times when Paul used money from churches to carry out his ministry (2 Cor. 11:8-9), but most of the time, Paul worked to support himself and the others with him, so he would not be a burden to the churches he was trying to help (Acts 18:3; 20:34; 1 Cor. 4:11-12; 1 Thes 2:9). Paul was committed to do whatever it took to obey his Lord and not be a burden to other believers. In addition to spreading the Gospel, we have repeated examples of Paul delivering from one group of believers who had resources, to another group of believers who had nothing (Acts 11:29-30; 1 Cor. 16:1-3; 2 Cor. 9:1-15; Gal. 2:10; 1 Thes 4:10; Rom 12:13). Is that something you and I should also do?

I am not like Paul!

Neither were, Silas, Barnabus, John Mark, etc, yet they each went with him at various times. Unlike Paul, they did not have a grandiose record of their salvation and missionary call. They simply accompanied Paul in obedience to their Savior.

Maybe you and I are never going to be like Paul, but I contend that as believers, we are all called to follow Jesus' command to go and teach all nations about Him. If you cannot actually travel to carry out the mission, do you have the ability to help provide the resources necessary for those who can go?

Rodney Skyles

Heading to Zimbabwe Today!

2011-05-14T06:22:00.000-07:00

While I am excited about this, I am also a little anxious! I hate to admit that, for fear of looking less trusting than I should, while on a mission trip to tell others about the magnificence of God.

⁵Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; ⁶ do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.⁷And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:5-7)

It's just that leaving Katrina is hard enough for a week, but now we have Ryder! I also have duties with my real job and don't want to let anyone down. Okay, I got that out of my system. Now to start my last bible reading and prayer time at home, before heading to the airport. :)

A Painful Welcome

2011-02-10T08:04:00.000-08:00

My son, Henry Ryder, was born 11 days ago. We seem to be settling into a nice routine around the house now, but that was not before spending a week in the hospital (5 days for him) and most of that with him in the NICU. Ryder was born about 3 1/2 weeks early. Katrina suffered from pre-eclampsia, so both of them had a difficult birth. As Ryder was in NICU, my wife was recovering from surgery. I went back and forth, between their rooms about every two hours.

During the first two days, Ryder was lethargic from a Magnesium Sulfate IV that Katrina received for her safety during and after the delivery. He also had low blood sugar and high bilirubin levels. The only time Ryder woke, was when he was being poked with needles.

Besides the not knowing the status of my wife after surgery, one of the most difficult times I had was when Ryder was having his blood drawn for many lab tests. During this test, they pricked his heal (one of many times) with one of those diabetes tools and then squeezed his heal to drain the blood. This time seemed to take much longer than the previous tests. He cried and cried. The longer it took, I started to feel sick. It was getting hot in the room and I just wanted it to stop. I did not say anything, because I knew the tests were for the best, but I just wanted to hear the nurse say the words, "I am finished", or "That is all", or "All done". Ryder would not know what that meant, but I would. He is my only son. I love him and just wanted the pain and suffering to stop.

Later, I started thinking about those words and why they sounded so familiar. Then I thought about God the Father and His Only Son (John 1:18, 3:16, 3:18, 1 John 4:9) and the love He has for Him. Our heavenly Father is a Father who is proud of His Son (Matthew 17:5, John 8:29). Then I thought of Jesus. He existed with God the Father in eternity. He had the majesty of God in eternity, but then willingly set that aside and became like us.

⁵Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
⁶Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
⁷But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
⁸And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:5-8)

Then I thought of the suffering described in Isaiah 53 and how God the Father would be "satisfied" by the anguish of His Son's soul. Not satisfied as in taking pleasure, but satisfied as in meeting the requirement of ransoming a people to Himself.

Finally, I thought about when Jesus was actually on the cross, after suffering brutal punishment. So much torture that He did not even look like a man (Isaiah 52:14). I can, to some small degree, imagine how relieved God the Father was to finally hear His Beloved Son, Whom He had with Him in eternity, utter those words "It is finished" (John 19:30). The suffering was over, the exact price was paid to accomplish His plan and His Son was coming home (John 8:14).

I am so thankful for my son and already love him so much. I cannot imagine giving my son to be punished and killed for what someone else had done, but then again, I am not God. I am just called to be a believer in Him and His plan. I am just called to follow the most humble and giving example I have ever seen.

Ouch! Harsh words from Jesus!

2010-12-30T12:31:00.000-08:00

One of the projects I hope to complete in 2011 is to publish a doctrinally correct Gospel tract. Just a simple little document that provides a glimpse of Who God really is and how man fits into God's plan of salvation. Most people may not think there is a need, since there are so many "tracts" out there, but it is sad that true Grace is so often neglected.

Without getting into too much detail, try to reconcile the following words of Jesus with the Gospel that is so often presented to those who do not believe Jesus is the Christ:

15 As the Father knows me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.....

26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you....

27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; (John 10:15 & 26, 27, 29)

---------------

For whom did Jesus say He died? _____ (v. 15)
Does everyone fit into that category? _____ (v. 26)
Jesus gave a reason for His audiences unbelief. What was it? ____ (v. 26-7)
To Whom did the believers belong, before being given to Jesus? ____ (v. 29)

When I was growing up, I was taught that God loved everybody and Jesus was trying to save everyone, if we would just let Him. These words from Jesus, seem to contradict that thought.

Jesus, Himself, limits those for whom He said He was going to die. He then tells His audience, in effect, that He is NOT laying down His life for them. In that same verse, He begins to explain that the only reason someone does believe in Him as the Messiah, does not even stem from their own great idea, but stems from their identity. Their identity is the direct result of to Whom they belong, even BEFORE they believe in Jesus as the Son of God.

Two things to consider here: 1) It sounds like Salvation begins and ends with God, and 2) It sounds like there is absolutely no guess work with God for whom He will give to Jesus and for whom Jesus will give His life.

Given the Scripture above and many others, I see a great need for the actual teachings of the Bible to be provided to both believers and non-believers.

Once believers understand the Amazing Grace provided by God the Father, through His Son, they will respond with humility and love for God and their brothers and sisters in Christ. After all, it wasn't that you made a great decision one day, so God decided to reward your brilliant choice! Instead, salvation was and is completely God's work from beginning to end. Believers are mere beneficiaries of His Great Grace.

⁴But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), ⁶and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; ⁹not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. (Ephesians 2:4-10)

Once non-believers understand that salvation is not all about them and in their control, they will understand their position in light of an Almighty God. A person is closer to repentance, when they understand that the answers do not lie with them (Matthew 11:20-24) and what it means for Jesus to be God the Father's Christ.

So, how should we do evangelism, post-message "invitations", etc. in light of Scriptures like these? God willing, that's for a future blog :)

In Christ,
Rodney

Is Jesus Bad for Business?

2010-11-20T10:01:00.000-08:00

I actually thought of this while having my quite time and reading the Bible, but I want to start with something I saw on Facebook.

SAY IT, OR ELSE!

The American Family Association (http://www.afa.net/) has published a "Naughty or Nice" list of retailers that will, or will not acknowledge "Christmas", instead of Holidays, Seasons Greetings, etc. I am not against boycotts, per se. If a retailer openly mocked Christians, or God, etc., by all means I would avoid spending money to support their retail efforts; however, I have a number of concerns about this type of boycott.

What do we accomplish by holding secular companies hostage financially, because they refuse to use the word "Christmas"? Do they all of a sudden repent of their sins and believe in the Christ, because they were forced to say certain words? I do not want to be overly dramatic, but how does this differ from what the Catholic church has done throughout history? When people who read the Gospels for themselves, understood who Jesus is differently that what the Catholics taught, they were subject to physical torture, until they recanted or died. "Confess! Confess!". Many people have "confessed" what the torturer required of them, just to make the torture stop. Rather than a true confession, coming from the heart, people may, and do say whatever the torturer requires to relent.
Does forcing a company to say "Merry Christmas" convey that they now how some sort of peace with God? I mean, the Christians are now happy with what I'm doing, so I must be okay! Is that all that is required for peace with God?
Does it help Christians in any real way, when a retailer uses the word "Christmas", in order to sell you more stuff?

What is wrong with a lost world acting like a lost world (1 Cor. 5:12 )? Why do we expect anything different? Is forcing a secular retailer to say "Merry Christmas" a form or function of the Great Commission? I think by forcing retailers to acknowledge Christmas, we force them to be false prophets, because it makes us feel better about commercializing Jesus. As the Apostle Peter warns us that false prophets will tell people what they want to hear, so they can "make merchandise" of them, as the KJV says.

^{(2 Peter 2:2-3 NASB)}Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; ....

"Merry Christmas" Christians are saying "Lie to us! Lie to us!", so they feel better about what they are doing. In this situation, Jesus is "Good for business", because it externally placates Christians to spend their money.

This battle becomes more about us and less about Jesus. Saying "Merry Christmas" makes us feel better, but it does little to exalt the King of Kings.

JESUS IS HURTING MY BUSINESS!

There are examples in the Bible, where the real Jesus and business' have come in contact. These have resulted in a detriment to the business.

When Jesus heals the man who was possessed by many demons near the tombs at Gadarenes, He made them go into swine. The swine ran down off a cliff and drowned. ( Mark 5:1-17 ). The people who were responsible to feed those swine ran to tell people in the city and country what Jesus had done (v.14). After they came and saw the result of His miracle, they did not ask Jesus how He did it. They did not stop to consider His Creative power to perform this act that revealed His Sovereignty. Instead, they asked Him to leave (v.15). Why? He was bad for business. Who's pigs are they going to feed now??!? They're out of a job!

Another example is in Acts 19:23-41 Demetrius was a silversmith who made silver shrines for a goddess they worshiped in Ephesus. He gathered other craftsmen together and began to plot against the Apostle Paul. Why? Because Paul's preaching was hurting their business (vv.24-25, 27). Paul was preaching that there was no such thing as a god made with man's hands. You can see how that would be bad business who made a great deal of money by making statues and shrines for such a god.

CONCLUSION:

We cannot accomplish a spiritual renewal, by forcing a person to say something, whether that is "Merry Christmas", or repeating a "sinner's prayer". This can only be accomplished by God renewing a heart. Only God can save. It is not our responsibility to dress up this world, so it is more in line with what we think it should be. It is our responsibility to teach who Jesus is and to humbly follow Him. By that, others will gain a better understanding and see the effect of what it means that Jesus was born in the flesh.

Second, we (self-included) must be mindful of how we use our faith in business. We must examine our motives for saying "I'm a Christian!". Even in telling some of my customers I will be out of town for a week, because I'm going on a mission trip. What is my motive for that? What about thanking God for the weather, before a race that we put on? What is my motive for that? Am I seeking to "make merchandise" of my customers? Every thought and motive must be held captive to His Lordship. He should be exalted by everything we claim to do in His name (2 Cor. 10:5 ).

Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God: Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved. (1 Cor. 10:31-33)

When is "anti" a good thing?

2010-11-17T13:28:00.000-08:00

In English the word “anti” used as a preposition, means “against”, or “opposed to”. This is the way the Merriam-Webster dictionary actually lists the definition. For example, if someone said they were anti-running, you would think they were against, or opposed to running.

There actually is a Greek preposition used in the New Testament writings that is pronounced and looks like our word “anti”. (If this blog shows Greek font, here is what it looks like avvvvvnti, )

What does “anti” mean in the Bible?

As I was researching another topic this morning, I was led to read John 1:16. In very short verse that follows a lot of deep Theology, it simply says,

And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.

The last three words in the sentence are “grace for grace” in the King James Version. In the New American Standard Version, those words are interpreted as “grace upon grace”. I am not a brilliant Greek Scholar, but from what I have learned, both of these interpretations are legitimate; however, in today's use of the English language, to me, they do not seem to convey what is really being said.

In the Greek language, this phrase is

ca,rin avvvvvv,nti. ca,ritoj (Visible, if the blog, or your browser, allows)

The first and last words in this phrase are pronounced “charin” and “charitos”. Both of these words mean “Grace”. In short, we all have heard the definition of Grace many times as “unmerited favor”, so I will not dwell on that.

The difference in the spelling of the word ( ca,rij ) is due to the use, or function in the sentence. The first “grace” is used in the accusative case. The second use of the “grace” is in the genitive case. Both have the same meaning, “Grace”.

Example of “anti” in the negative sense

The word “anti” in Greek is a preposition that means “instead of”, or “in the place of”. There is a compound word, with which we are familiar, that uses this preposition -- “antichrist”, or in Greek, a'nti,cristoj.. We usually think of this as being “against Christ”; however, that word is actually best translated as “instead of Christ”, or “in the place of Christ”.

The Apostle John is the only one who uses that word and in the context, he is warning his readers about the “deceivers” . There is a subtlety when you think about “in the place of Christ”, instead of the way we might think of it in our language “against Christ”. It is much easier to spot something, or someone that is opposed to the truth; however, it is much more difficult when that thing is “in the place of” the truth. This is why John was telling his readers to test the spirits, whether they be of God. He also explains to measure the antichrist(s) against the doctrine, or teachings of Christ (2 John 1:7). If the person is teaching ideas that are contrary to the doctrine of Jesus, then that person is described as a “deceiver” and an “antichrist”. Another way to think of it is he is deceiving people, by putting his teachings in the place of Christ's teachings. They might sound good and truthful, but they are not Christ's teachings. See the subtlety?

This opens up a whole different topic, so I'll digress and try to stay focused on the reason for bringing this up. In Greek, the preposition “anti” means “instead of”, or “in the place of”.

But when is “anti” good?

So, back to our original phrase. ca,rin avvvvvv,nti. ca,ritoj Given what we now know, this phrase is best translated as “grace in the place of grace”. The idea is that we have been given grace by God in a constant flow. Let's look at something Paul said, that is often taken out of context, or at least in partial context.

Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:11-13)

Verse 13 is often quoted when someone feels like they need a boost to accomplish something; however, notice the context of this statement. Paul just described his contentment in a variety of circumstances: humble means and prosperity, full and hungry, abundance and suffering. It is in all of these different circumstances, good and bad, that Paul says he has learned to be content. Why? Because he can go through all of those things, because of the strength provided by Christ. I believe this is the idea of Grace. Before you shut me down as having a baseless opinion, hear me out!

Remember when he wrote that he prayed to God three times to remove a “thorn in his flesh”? We're not going to speculate on what that was, at this point, but God did not remove the problem that Paul was asking about. Instead, look at what Paul said was God's reply:

And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness " Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

(2 Cor. 12:9)

[BRIEF ASIDE: I contend that this is still grace, but it is a different grace than Paul mentioned in Galatians 1:15, regarding his salvation.
A second point, you might ask, “Why would we need grace, if times are good?”
My original topic that spawned this “brief” blog is “What Does Grace Do?” I'm still working on that, but it rounds out, or provides a framework for this blog.]

I'll stop there, but take a look at this video:

Notice how the water in the river keeps flowing? All analogies are flawed, but bear with me. Think of the water as God's grace. If you were standing in the middle of the water, you will be wet. At different times, various objects might float by you. If you had a friend with you, he or she could be upstream and float items you needed as the day went on. What if you got hungry? How about having your friend float a sandwich by? What if your head started to sunburn? How about having you friend float a cap to you?

The idea behind the “grace in the place of grace” is that a believer, standing in the middle of God's grace, will always be “wet”, if you will. This is evidence of God's saving grace. We are always bathed in His grace; however, at different times during our journey on this earth, we have different needs. Just as Paul had times of being filled and being hungry, we will go through times like that. During both good and bad times, God provides His grace, for our needs. As we are in the river of His Grace, in addition to salvation, He provides what we need, in a constant flow from Him to His followers. His grace is the source of our spiritual (and physical) life in Him. His grace is constantly flowing to we who believe that He is the Christ.

Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, (Revelation 22:1)

Thank God for His constant-flowing Grace!

Rodney Skyles

Kicking Against the Goads

2010-11-13T05:18:00.000-08:00

This week, Katrina and I went to her OB appointment to make sure everything is progressing as it should with our soon-to-be born child. Something kind of shocking to me was how the doctor mashed around on Katrina's stomach. The doctor was mashing around to feel the baby and I'm sure other doctor stuff. The sonogram tech did a similar thing a few weeks ago to get the baby to turn, so she could get a good picture. They kind of push and prod little Henry Ryder to get him to go where they want. This week, Katrina said after the doctor finished pushing around, Ryder kicked very hard. Apparently, he had had enough of all that!

As I was reading in Acts 26 this morning, Paul was telling King Agrippa the story of his conversion as a believer in Jesus as the Christ. Paul quoted Jesus,

Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.

(Acts 26:14)

I started thinking about this in a different way than I had before. What is a "goad"?

According to Merriam-Webster:

1 a : something that pains as if by pricking : thorn

b : something that urges or stimulates into action : spur

2 : a pointed rod used to urge on an animal

Think about that. Before Jesus appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus, Jesus indicates that Paul was being "goaded". I mean, you can't kick against the goads, if there are no goads. So, by Whom was Paul being Goaded and for what purpose? Jesus gave the purpose. It was to be a light to the Gentiles. Who was doing the goading? According to Paul, it was God Himself who had been goading him (Ephesians 1:14-16).

I tend to focus on the miraculous salvation example we have in Paul's conversion. Jesus appeared to him and his total direction, physical, spiritual and mental changed. We know from his own testimony in Ephesians, that he did not think this happened out of the blue. He said God "set him apart in his mother's womb". NOW, we also know from Acts, that this was not just an "all of a sudden" appearance by Jesus to Paul. God had been "goading" Paul, prior to the road to Damascus. Does it appear that way to us? No way! Look at how many Christians Paul was persecuting and killing! If you were a Christian back then, you would be caught way off guard by Paul's salvation. No one saw that coming.

This is a reminder to me that even though it might not appear so, God "goads" whom He will, for His purpose. Many of us can see how God goaded us, before he saved us, but we rarely see how He goads others. We are called to share our faith with everyone. Not just people we THINK God might be "goading". We must remember that God will save all of His sheep. To get them where He wants them, he often must "goad" them (John 6:37)

Honduras and Honesty

2010-11-07T14:59:00.000-08:00

Recently I was made aware of a need to help with some mission work in Honduras this December. In theory, I already wanted to go on more mission trips, so I told XMA that I would talk with Katrina and pray about it. I don't mean to "spiritualize" it, but seriously! I thought, if God wants me to go, He will open the doors that need to be opened and show us where and how I could be used for that trip.

Well, Katrina and I did pray about the trip. The trip costs $1,500. I do not have $1,500. I am sure God does have it, but He had not given it to me at this point, so that was one of the doors that we were looking for God to open.

MY FINANCIAL PLAN!

Around the same time, I was in class and had a thought. Maybe I could get course credit for some class I'm going to have to take by going on this mission trip. I emailed the Dean and sure enough, he said it may be possible, so we need to meet. Well, this seems to be falling into place. Each class costs about $350 + book expenses, so that would save me around $400 in earning course credit. Apply that toward the mission trip and BOOM!, I would really only have to pay $1,100. See?! This is all making financial sense.

GOD'S PROVISION

After three days of trying to get in touch with the Dean again to discuss course credit, it was looking like I was not going to make the deadline for purchasing plane tickets. Randy with XMA called, so I told him not to hold the group up for me. He said, "So, is money the only thing holding you back?"

I said, "Well, yes...."

He said, "The trip won't interfere with school, or anything?"

I said, "No sir, I'm in between semesters at that time."

Randy asked "How much money do you have saved for the trip, so far?"

I told him only about $60 and whatever I can allocate from our SteelSports event we have this weekend. I even told him about my financial plan for possibly getting course credit and applying some of my money toward the trip.

Randy then said that a lady called him that morning and wanted to donate to someone's mission trip for Christmas. She asked if anyone had an unfunded trip. He told me he did not know what she was going to donate, but we could use it for my trip, so he was going to call her back and ask how much she was offering.

A few minutes later, I received a text from Randy that my entire Honduras trip was paid in full! My first thought was "Wow!", then it was "Uh oh!"

MY RELUCTANCE

Okay, here is where the rubber meets the road. I have been saying I will be obedient to whatever God has for me; however, I have a real, full-time job. I've been swamped every weekend with event production from my "fake" job. I have tons of school work to complete and it sure would be nice to just relax and enjoy time off between semesters. Oh, and don't forget we are expecting a baby in February! Where we are going in Honduras does not have mobile phone service. I'll be gone a whole week with no contact with my wife! ZOIKS!

I have said all of that to say this. Uprooting my life to go serve in Honduras for a week DOES kind of scare me. I have a tendency to be a control freak. I know that is contrary to being a follower, but I am just being honest. Even in my half-hearted attempt to work out my own financial ability, there was still an "out" for me to avoid going to Honduras. It seems to me that God has called my bluff!

HIS GRACE

As God moves people to carry out His will, whether it be in donating money, or time, I believe it is my responsibility to be obedient to follow where He leads.

The primary purpose of this trip is not my comfort and not because it is convenient for me and Katrina. As the Apostle Paul said,

Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. (2 Timothy 2:10)

God has given grace to me that I did not deserve. Because of His Holiness, He would be just (or correct) in condemning me for my disobedience and pride. In spite of my sinfulness, He chose to forgive me. That makes absolutely no sense, other than to reveal His Graciousness. As I go on this mission trip, may this action say nothing about me and everything about Him. He, Who works contrary to human wisdom. I hope it causes people to say, "Why in the world would Rodney do that?!?" It is because HE is worthy.

In Honduras, we will be giving food and shoes to the local population. In addition to that, we will have solar powered voice recorders with the gospel message. We will also have interpreters with us, as we work with the local missionary to share the Gospel. Please pray for our safety and usefulness.

Extreme Missionary Adventures Slovenia Mission Trip

2010-05-12T12:28:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have done a number of races, since my last post and may add a race review later (like the Epic Rustman Duathlon on May 1, 2010 ... OUCH!).

This post, however, is a request for prayer! Katrina and I are going on a mission trip on June 5-13, 2010. We're headed to Slovenia and received a "detailed summary" of what to expect and what is expected from us. The physical part of the trip will be more demanding than we thought, but more than that, the spiritual parts may be even more difficult. There are a number of reasons for this, but the excerpt from the letter says it best:

Spiritually speaking, it is difficult to impossible to generalize about any nationality, even one as small as the Slovenes. But my best assessment is that generally Slovenes are post-modern atheistic/agnostics who, if they have religious beliefs beyond evolutionism, blend legalistic/ritualistic Catholicism with eastern mysticism and residual European paganism. ~Joe & Kim Kelley, IMB Missionary

Since I believe in a Sovereign God, Who will accomplish exactly what He intends, which includes Salvation, I am not concerned with my ability to have the "best argument". I would like your prayer support for this trip and have listed some items for which I would like prayer.

Pray for ... :

Our relationship to be close to the Father (2 Tim. 2:15);
Those whom God has chosen for us to meet, that we can bring them into the fold (John 6:37-39; 10:26-29);
Humility and patience while teaching (2 Tim. 2:24-25)
No barriers to the message we share: a) Language, b) Physical/appearance, c) Distractions. (1 Cor. 9:19-22)
Boldness to share about Christ and trust that He is responsible to provide the words to say (Matt. 10:19);
Safe travels to and from;

If you are interested, I hope to have my SPOT Tracker on when we are doing our activities, so if you think about it, check our location on the map and mention us in your prayers at the same time!

Extreme Missionary Adventures

Map of Area

1st Overall at the Gator Terra Duathlon on May 2, 2009

2009-05-09T06:34:00.000-07:00

The Saturday before this race, Katrina and I were in the mountains getting married. We had a great time! The only problem is that a week off of a training routine is tough. I did run and lift weights in the mountains for most of the 7 days, but I think the 13 hour trip back in the truck probably hurt my legs a bit. We got back around midnight Tuesday night. Wednesday I ran and lifted weights and then Thursday, I ran and biked at Tyler State Park. My time was SLOW and I could barely finish. I even skipped my second run.

Friday, we drove to Lincoln Parish Park in Ruston, LA for the race weekend. After we set up and after a little rain storm, Tom E. and I slowly rode the trails to kind of get a feel for it. I actually felt really good and strong, but maybe that's because I was going so slow.

On Saturday, the triathletes all started and then about 3 minutes later, the director started the duathletes. We ran about 1.1 miles up

the "bat cave" hill and around to the lake trail and back. Somehow, I started and finished the run first. As I was coming back, I was second overall, behind one of the triathletes. I had a quick transition and headed out on the bike. IMMEDIATELY, I knew my legs were SHOT.

The guy in the blue shirt passed me on the trail, almost immediately. Other triathletes also began to pass. About 2 miles into the bike, I passed the guy in the blue shirt again, but he stayed behind me relatively close.

We came to the "bunny hop" hills about 2.5 miles into the trails and I saw Jana snapping pictures. I didn't realize I got that much air, since I wasn't feeling too strong, but I guess I did :)

I kept pedaling, though not fast. I had no climb left in me, but we did finally come to the Tomac hill. Chris Clemmons said I was about 4th or 5th overall (counting triathletes too), but I don't remember. Then we came to the switchbacks. Right before then, I let a number of triathletes pass me. As we hit the switchbacks, Katrina, Jana, Justin, Diana, Beverly and Chris were there. Chris was yelling at me for encouragement, "HIGH ON THE OUTSIDE, LOW ON THE INSIDE, HIGH ON THE OUTSIDE, LOW IN THE INSIDE!". That actually helped, because I climbed the switchbacks pretty strongly; however, when I hit the road on top, I HAD to recover. Why couldn't Chris just follow me for the rest of the course??!??

I finally finished the bike and then headed out for the 3.5 mile trail run. I ran for the first three miles, but had to walk about 100 yards, because my legs were just DEAD. I was passed by a few people here.

At the finish line, I did not recall being passed by another duathlon participant, which turned out to be accurate, as I received the "1st Overall" medal. While I am happy that I won 1st, I was VERY dissappointed with how my body felt during most of the race. I hope it was due to all of the travel, poor eating and sleep deprivation, but I'm not sure. I have felt drained all this week too.

I'm heading to Tyler State Park in a few minutes to train, so I'll let you know if that goes any better. I have the Spread Your Wings 24-hour Adventure Race coming up in two weeks, so I hope things improve!

Results by age group

Heartbreak Duathlon was Great!

2009-03-02T04:47:00.000-08:00

Saturday, February 21, 2009 was the 3rd annual Heartbreak Duathlon at Tyler State Park (put on by my company, SteelSports.net, LLC). We had the largest turnout ever, with 65 racers. The two previous years each had 56 racers.

Before the race, Katrina and I had to quickly set up the TA. I raked the TA, since it had tons of pine straw, rocks and pine cones. Katrina set up for check-in and started checking in the racers. She worked her tail off and did a great job. There were tons of people to check in for one person. I helped a little and then her mom showed up and helped a lot.

It was about 9:57 and I had barely prepared myself to race. The rain showers had started to taper off, though, so things were looking up. Finally, to start on time, I told Chris Clemmons to start the race whenever he was ready.

Run 1:

At the race start, all 65 racers took off and headed to Loop A. It was a bit congested at first, so I ran on the side of the trail to pass a couple of people. There were about 6 people ahead of me for most of the trail, but I planned to just stay relaxed and run at a comfortable pace for me. I finished the first run in 6th place, after passing two people and getting passed by one at the end. I finished the run in 19:59, which was a faster time than my training runs.

MBike:

I had a quick transition to the bike and took off. My TA was so fast, I passed a couple of people. Two more passed me on the bike, but I actually felt really good and strong on the bike. I was trying to save a little bit for the last run, but I had a pretty fast ride time. The pre-race rain had packed the trails VERY nicely, which made them fast.

The park had done a controlled burn a couple of days before, so it looked like we were riding around Hawaii's smoking volcanoes. This did not pose a problem, except on D-loop. There were about 4 trees down on the trails. This caused me to dismount and go over or under. One wasn't really on the trail, but right beside it. I could not see where the trail was, so I stopped and looked around. I finally found it, so dragged by back tire to help other racers behind me see the route more easily.

I did not use my brakes much, since the trails were so packed, it was pretty easy to corner without slowing. Plus, I wasn't trying to go fast. I was just trying to stay steady. I knew I would finish the ride in less than an hour, so I didn't figure too many people would pass me.

I finished the mountain bike at 59:30, which included my transition time from run to bike. I was pretty impressed with how fast I did that, since it was less than an hour for the ride + TA. My legs still felt very strong, so I quickly transitioned to the run.

Run 2:

As I was running out of the TA past the TA Tent, Katrina said, "Good job, baby". I could tell she was as surprised as I was by how fast I was going ;-P . I saw both of the guys who passed me on the mountain bike while on the run. One guy was 2 minutes 6 seconds ahead and the other was about 44 seconds ahead.

About that time, Chris' family was volunteering at the intersection of loops A & B. His daughter said, "You're in like 5th place!" I was kind of surprised and said, "Wow!".

I passed the closest guy to me at the start of A loop, just past the volunteers. I didn't know if he would be strong enough to pass me later, since I have NEVER previously run the whole loop without walking up a hill or two. I felt strong, so decided to push myself to a faster pace and just see what happened.

I kept seeing the other guy ahead of me that was over 2 minutes ahead. I finished the first run just ahead of that guy, so I was thinking I could beat him on the run, especially, if he pushed real hard on the bike and had drained his legs.

I ended up running the whole trail on BOTH running legs, which was a first for me. I closed the gap on the guy ahead, but finished 10 seconds behind him. I was pretty happy that I was able to close 2 minutes, but wished I had another 200 meters :)

My second run was 21:52, for a total race time of 1:41:21. I finished in 5th place overall and 3rd place in my division.

I was very happy with this time. This was almost seven minutes faster than any of my training times.

As a joke before the race, I told Justin I was going to try to beat his time from last year. I didn't really think I could, but I was ribbing him for not being able to come :). Turns out, I did beat his time by over a minute, which amazed me too. Justin's FAST!

Finally back below one hour!

2009-02-18T13:54:00.001-08:00

Afer spending a few hours at work today, I sneaked off to Tyler State Park to get in a quick ride. This was my 6th time to ride out there this month and my 6th time to ride out there, since March 2008?!?!?! Wow! Before the two rides in March of '08, the only other time I rode out there was September of 2007. My times were much worse.

So anyway, I finally rode loops A, B, C and D in less than an hour! I turned 59:15. I know that's not as fast as some, but it's a milestone in my mountain bike training (Remember I promised to get faster and stronger on the bike, after our Big Chill Adventure Race???).

I didn't feel all that energetic today and my legs felt a little dead, but I could tell that I still had some pretty good strength left. I did work out with weights and run this morning, so I'm sure that had a little to do with feeling a little drained.

I'm very excited about not having a significant injury going into this year! My back injury in February 2007 REALLY slammed me. Knock on wood, I feel GREAT!

The duathlon is in two days, so my plan is to work out pretty hard tomorrow, take off Friday, while setting up the course and then have a good dinner. Hopefully, I can have a good, strong race on Saturday. I plan to push myself pretty hard. GOTTA MAKE IT HURT!

Mock Duathlon Training

2009-02-08T17:14:00.000-08:00

Katrina, Tom, Lesley and Susan met at TSP today to do some duathlon training, since the race is coming in two weeks. It was a BEAUTIFUL day, so I'm glad we did it.

My first 2.5 mile trail run took 21:10, which was okay for me, but not fast enough to win :)

I felt pretty good on the run and had a relatively fast TA to the Bike. My total 9.7 mile mountain bike ride took 1:04:05 with the transition time. This was my third day in a row to mountain bike at TSP. My legs were a little tired, but overall, I felt pretty good.

On a side note, I converted my tires to Stan's No Tubes yesterday. I have to say, I'm a fan! I had about 30 psi in my tires on the ride and it was pretty smooth. I think it made me a little faster too, because, even after running 2.5 miles, my actual ride time was 15 seconds faster than yesterday!

On the last run, let's just say, I should not have had a HUGE Mexican lunch yesterday. My stomach was giving me fits, so I walked a few times to "maintain". My last 2.5 mile trail run took 26:02, including my transition from the bike.

This was a good training day for me. I have run in the Heartbreak Duathlon for the past two years and this was my fastest time, by over two minutes.

2007 Heartbreak Duathlon Results My time, 01:53:26

2008 Heartbreak Duathlon Results My time, 2:09:51

Today's time, 1:51:17

I hurt my back pretty bad September 2007, which affected my 2007 and 2008 races, so I'm looking forward to racing injury free this year *fingers crossed*.

With that time, 2007 would have gotten me a 4th place age division finish. In 2008, it would have been good enough for 3rd, in my division. We'll see what this year brings!

Thanks for reading!

Rodney

Bike Training

2009-02-02T08:22:00.001-08:00

We had a good time at Big Chill Adventure Race 2009, but you can read Katrina's and Justin's blogs on the team site for details. For me, I felt good for the race, except I had NO power in my legs on the mountain bike on the way back from Rocky Hill Ranch. This could have been due to slight dehydration, but I think the main reason was not enough bike miles in training.

To remedy that, I have committed to put in many more miles, before the next race. I have also added some tough hillls on my normal route. Here is the elevation profile for my new route:

You can click on it for the bigger picture. It actually has similar climbs to those we encountered in Bastrop, with the exception that Bastrop's hills are longer, steady climbs.

I spoke with a friend of mine yesterday (Tom E.) and he was just coming back from running and biking at Tyler State Park. I plan to train with him next weekend at the park, so that should help my mountain biking legs too :)

Dustbuster Duathlon

2009-01-04T08:43:00.001-08:00

Race: Dustbuster Duathlon

Date: January 3, 2009

Location: Shreveport, LA

Justin told me about the Dustbuster Duathlon he was putting on Wednesday, before the race. I decided to punish myself for all of the food and snacks I had been eating during the holiday season, so I signed up.

It was a "short" road race with 1.5 mile run, 11.9 mile bike, 1.5 mile run. I looked at the finish times from previous years and decided that my goal would be to finish in less than one hour, but I would prefer to finish as close to 50 minutes as possible.

I finished in 59:20, but was still disappointed that my legs were not stronger on the bike. I did do some hill work Friday evening, before the race, but I think it had more to do with not biking enough during the past month. You know, cold weather, and all.

Anyway, it was a fun race and I'm glad I was able to play outside on a nice, warm day.

Teresa White snapped this photo while she was racing.

Thanks, Justin, for a fun, well-run race!

Results: