I ventured back into running tonite. Did a mile at the Y. In July, I had worked myself up to four miles, but the stubborn stress fracture above my right ankle reminded me that it had not yet gone away, despite periods of respite from pain. So, I gave up my new-found interest in running, determining not to run until the beginning of November. At the least. Longer, if I still felt a hint of anything lingering.

So I did just a mile tonite, and I’m pooped out. But I’m sure I can work back up to a few miles fairly quickly. Hopefully I won’t wake up in the morning with pain in my ankle and the realization I should have abstained longer.

While stretching, doing crunches, running, then lifting some weights, I listened to a sermon by Francis Chan. I love listening to his messages. Chan speaks with humor, authenticity, and insights I’ve not heard before. And “Living Courageously” was the best I’ve heard so far.

Chan told about the 23 Korean church workers kidnapped by the Taliban several years ago. Two of them were executed before the group was released. Chan was able to spend a couple hours with one of those Koreans. The man told how the Taliban took everything they had with them…except for one Bible, which one of the men carried in his back pocket. That Christian man tore the Bible into 23 pieces and distributed a piece to each Korean, so that everyone had part of God’s Word. The Taliban then divided the Koreans into groups of three and took them to different locations, where they remained until their eventual release.

The man told Chan what had happened since the group’s return to Seoul. He said occasionally, a member of that group would come up to him and say, “Don’t you wish we were back in Afghanistan?” Why? Because never before, and never since, had they felt so close to God. In that desperate situation, they were sharing in the sufferings of Jesus, and doing exactly what the Lord required of them.

As I chugged along the track, I had goosebumps.