Volkslauf Theology

If you don't know what Volksauf (People's Run) is, the following quote from the Bakersfield Californian will help you.

The twelfth annual Volkslauf Mud Run was held Saturday October 11th near the Kern County Sheriff’s Facility off of Lerdo Highway. This is the tenth year this location hosted the race, with its miles of trails, obstacles, millions of gallons of water, and mud. Over 3,000 runners and an estimated 6,000 spectators swarmed over the grounds on a morning where low temperatures hovered in the mid 40s at daybreak. High temps for the day rose to a cool 65 degrees with clear skies & a light breeze. Those are generally great conditions for running, but when you add the fact that these runners were soaking wet, the physical and mental challenges are magnified by the cold to the point where your brain is trying to convince you to give up.

I was one of the three representatives from First Pentecostal Church (Josh Scott and CJ Casey)running in the 10K (six miles) run. I wanted a challenge. It was a blast, I did quite well for the first time, thank you, and the whole experience pushed me to the limit physically, as well as trigger a spiritual meditation that will no doubt last a long time. Let me articulate.

I was fully prepared for the obstacles. I was not prepared for six miles of running. My lower body began screaming at me about 1 1/2 miles into the race... stuff like "your stupid" "can't we just stop and walk" "I thought this was just a fun thing to do and not a race against time" "what are you trying to prove anyway" and many other negative "I hate pain" comments. There were times I almost took a break...and then I passed Cpl. Evan Morgan, whose picture you see at the top. Evan lost both legs in Iraq and was the guest of honor at the event. They only asked him to speak, but he felt speaking would not be enough, and so he ran the race with two different types of prosthetic devices on his legs. Unbelievable. So, as I passed him, I quickly silenced the "poor me" stuff, and pummelled the legs I do have. However, I must admit...at the end I wanted to stop and walk. Until I passed the guy below on the far right.

He lost one prosthetic leg in the mud, quickly put it back on, and was off again. Again, I silenced the noise, and cannon bombed "Happy Valley" on the way to a satisfying finish. It was inspirational to see several Iraq vets run the race, despite odds against them.
The heroes of the faith in Hebrews chapter 11 were tortured, mocked, stoned, cut in two, tempted, tormented, destitute in food and clothing, wandered from cave to cave, and imprisoned. AND in verse 39 of Hebrews chapter 11 "And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect." Furthermore, "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth(11:13). They received not the promise! They were without the power of the Holy Ghost (Acts 1:9; 2:38-39). Yet, they were overcomers.

Makes one ponder how insignificant our difficulties are when matched against the treatment they faced. They had nothing but gut level faith...and I have the power of the Spirit, yet so little faith? ...makes me want to hush the negativity of my "small" spiritual aches and pains, and keep running. Happy Valley can't be too far away! KB