Compassion International tagged posts

Compassion Changes Everything

April 6, 2013 Team Compassion  No comments

This is a repost from my other site DoxA after Ironman St. George in 2011.

 

It’s been nearly two weeks since I found myself having a brutal conversation with myself. It was one of those rambling, self-loathing, silent types you can have while smiling at others as they walk by. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon, it was 95 degrees and I had already swam 2.4 miles, ridden my bike 112 miles and ran 18 miles with another 8.2 to go.

On May 7th I was competing in Ironman St. George, arguably the most difficult Ironman course in the world. I’ve been a competitive Ironman triathlete for years and I was having one of the worst races of my career. At mile 18 of the marathon my legs began to have some very severe pain that I’ve not experienced before. Unable to continue my

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Why I Race

November 9, 2012 Devotion  5 comments

I am a long-distance triathlete. I prefer the longer, moderately paced events with huge crowds and ceremony. Ironman races are the best, filled with super-fit athletes, the best of the best with an “I can do anything” mindset.

When a friend of mine told me she knew an Ironman triathlete who was dying of cancer and asked if I could drop by his house to pray for him, I didn’t hesitate. I called Tom’s house, spoke with his wife, Carol, and dropped by that afternoon. When Carol walked me back to the bedroom I noticed a framed plaque — a photo of Tom on his bike smiling — and, next to it, his Ironman race medal.  But when I walked into the bedroom I found a small, frail, drugged and propped up man in a T-shirt and baseball cap.

We chatted casually, about the weather, the church I

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