A team relay

On the first day of work, a coworker approached me and asked if I could run 5 miles.  After I said yes, things got rolling, and I signed up to joint the corporate team in Ragnar.  Found out later I would be running 3 legs of at least 5 miles over the course of 3 days.

The Ragnar Race Washington, D.C. is a 200 mile relay that starts in Cumberland, MD and ends in National Harbor.  My team of 12 was split into vans of 6 each, and each runner would run 3 legs of differing lengths and intensities.  My legs varied from running through a mountain forest trail in Maryland to a 1AM run on country roads in the pitch black.  With stops at a creamery for burgers, high school for showers and spaghetti, amusement park for hot chocolate, empty grass fields for sleep, etc etc...it was a medley of crappy and amazing moments.

Strangers end up friends, and friends become closer buddies.  You really have to rely on one another and support each other to make it through the race.  My favorite part of the race was running through the dark country roads at 1AM with only my flashlight providing light.  The cool breeze, refreshing air, and farms surrounding me made me realize who lucky I was to be able to run this.  Just 3 years earlier, I was wondering if I'd ever be able to run freely again...and now I was running quickly through Maryland in the wee hours of the morning.

Big picture, we had combined to run 200 miles.  That's amazing.

What's even better are the memories made on those 200 miles.

Yes, we may place 1st in corporate.  But what's best are the sweat and tears that went into finishing this relay.

For my memory: "it's gotta be in the van" "those jelly shots taste amazing"  "big hair spider"  "best 3 hours of sleep I've ever had"  "kill, kill, kill' "1 minute, 23 seconds"

Jason's pitfall

I seem to fall into the same trap continually.  It's one of the most dangerous things that creeps into my life.

Complacency.  

At least for me, it's a combination of comfort, entitlement, indifference, and arrogance.  Not sure what the order is, but the combination is there and silently creeps into my attitude, and eventually my actions.  Others may or may not be aware, but I am definitely aware of it.

Thankfully, God is all-knowing and all-powerful, and finds ways to rebuke me and allow me to see how complacency is seeping into my everyday life.  It's a battle, but one that is already won with God.

In my complacency, I think I am secure with my plans and future outlook when in fact it is as though I have a piece of yarn tied around my waist connecting me to a small flower and I think I am safe from the typhoon.  It is false security.  And is way too dangerous.  

I may have incredible food to eat, a great house to sleep in, cheerful friends around me, rewarding work to do, comforting weather to walk in, even be in a great church community..These are all great blessings, but are MEANINGLESS if my relationship with God is left neglected.  I may hide behind these blessings and know the right things to say, but at the end of the day...it is my pursuit of God's heart that makes everything worth it.  Just as the Preacher in Ecclesiastes found all the joys in life to be meaningless without God, I can confidently say that in my life that the comforts were never the source of peace and joy in my life. 

There is one thing that must be #1 in my life for everything else to have its complete flavor and blessing.

The Fear and Pursuit of my Lord and Savior.

A Time for Everything (Ecclesiastes)

3 For everything there is a season, and la time for every matter under heaven:

2 a time to be born, and a time to mdie;

a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

3 a time to kill, and a time to heal;

a time to break down, and a time to build up;

4 a time to nweep, and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn, and a time to odance;

5 a time to pcast away stones, and a time to qgather stones together;

a time to embrace, and a time to rrefrain from embracing;

6 a time to seek, and a time to slose;

a time to keep, and a time to tcast away;

7 a time to utear, and a time to sew;

a time to vkeep silence, and a time to speak;

8 a time to love, and a time to whate;

a time for war, and a time for peace.

The God-Given Task

9 What xgain has the worker from his toil? 10 I have seen ythe business that zGod has given to the children of man to be busy with.11 He has amade everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot bfind out what God has done from the beginning to the end. 12 I perceived that there is cnothing better for them than to be joyful and to ddo good as long as they live; 13 alsoethat everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is fGod's gift to man.

14 I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; gnothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him. 15 That which is, halready has been; that which is to be, already has been; and God iseeks what has been driven away.1

From Dust to Dust

16 Moreover, jI saw under the sun that in the place of justice, evenkthere was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness. 17 I said in my heart, lGod will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is ma time for every matter and for every work. 18 I said in my heart with regard to the children of man that God is testing them that they may see that they themselves are but nbeasts. 19 oFor what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity.2 20 All go to one place. All are from pthe dust, and to dust all return. 21 Who knows whether qthe spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth? 22 So I saw that there is rnothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for sthat is his lot. Who can bring him to see twhat will be after him?

I need not focus nor fool myself that I have control over my future.  It is in God's hands; thus, keep it simple: being a witness for Christ is the ultimate calling.  And this can be done in whatever you do.

Transitioning

It's been a little over a month here...wow, only a month.  I feel as though I've been here for years.

Over lunch with a coworker we discussed a lot of things, and we ended up coming to this: that it doesn't matter whether you are in the most desolate town or the the largest metropolitan city...what matters are the people in your life.  The people in your life make the city.  They make home, home.

That being said, D.C. is slowly transitioning from city of pure adventure to city of comforts and adventure.  For my own memory's sake, I'll be listing a few of my favorite things over the past month here:

1) Running to the Lincoln Memorial and standing in awe before the reflecting pool and the World War 2 Memorial...and asking myself, am I really here?
2) Biking to work in the morning and passing by The Hill
3) Boxing sessions in a run-down garage (injured my hand last week so I'll be off for a few weeks)
4) Finding a Texas BBQ grill 1/2 mile from my place, and bonding with a young couple from my church community group
5) Finding a church to call home and a community group I connect with on a weekly basis in the Dupont Circle Area
6) Washington Nationals ballpark
7) 4th of July fireworks in D.C>
8) Running along the Ptomic River on Saturday morning
9) Happy hours and enjoying burger+beers with coworkers
10) Dinner + lecture from a think tank
11) Jazz every Friday in the sculpture garden
12) the atrium in the National Portrait Gallery (my favorite place in D.C.)
13) Eating crabs from Maryland at a friend's house
14) and of course the hurricane of work that awaits me every day


Well, D.C. is quite the town, and it's been great.

But I do miss family, friends, and everyone who knows me before I became Jason Lee, United States Navy.

And I miss my other half, Ms. Kim.

Going to a beach camping trip tomorrow morning, so time to get some rest.

Just as we went over last week in community group, Philippians 4: 2-13.

New Home

So, life continues and I'm now a resident of Washington, D.C.

This place is quite surreal as I am minutes away from a street lined with embassies, the gathering place for congressional representatives, the home of the president, and countless breathtaking memorials.  The city is being developed quickly as you cannot walk one block without seeing a new luxury apartment/condo building being built.  And talk about culture!  People from around the world are gathered here and work at headquarters ranging from National Geographic to the Teamsters.  In the middle of it all are residents scraping by a living and many depending on welfare.  I guess it's a given in big cities.  But it makes you ponder possible solutions or circumstances that could improve the situations of the despondent.

I can see myself falling in love with this city, with the Metro system connected to almost every part of the city and the city wide programs of sharing bicycles and cars (just signed up for both programs).

On a tangent, my girlfriend recently made me think about the people in my life and how I've met my friends.  Sarah seeks deep relationships, and I later reflected on the relationships in my life and how most of them were not planned at all.  Of those I am closest to, none of them were people I met on the first day and said to myself...I will be good friends with them.  By God's providence, he's placed people in my life who I hold dear...and not by my own planning.

It comes down to holding firmly to your integrity.

Bring it on D.C.!

My time in Newport coming to an end.

Well, one month to go until I move on from Newport.

I've called this place home for the past 9 months, and have been molded and refined out here.  Newport will always hold a special place in my heart as it saw me through a transformation from civilian to officer, as well as meeting the love of my life.

This entry is for myself to recall the various memories I've had while here:

-Officer Candidate School...Marine Corps trained, Navy owned.
-Boston Thanksgiving trip
-Living in downtown Newport
-New York City New Years trip
-First Christmas by myself
-USS Constitution
-Sam Adam Brewery
-D.C. interviews, exploration
-Empire Tea
-The Deli #3 pastrami
-Pour Judgement
-Fastnet Pub Fish & Chips to-go window
-Corner Cafe
-International Pocket Cafe after every test
-Orange Leaf
-Perro Salado
-Mizu
-Newport Tokyo House
-Anthony's Seafood
-running to the Cliff
-Two Swords jiu-jitsu
-Evangelical Friends Church
-Officer's Club
-Sewall Inn
-Nemo Blizzard
-Shoveling snow
-Negative temperatures
-Smartphone
-Kios Chinese food
-Tattoo
-Supply Ball at Ocean Cliff
-Deer burgers
-IM basketball
-Coffee Mess duties

Beautiful Progression

 Stopping before I began the cliff walk...

  Beautiful...

  Thought it would be cool to run on the train tracks since the train is shut down for a week.

  Stopping by my favorite eatery in Newport..the Deli and the #3 pastrami

Well, Happy New Year Jason and whoever else reads this!

During church service today my mind started to wander (yes, that happens a lot), and I began to reflect on my progression and how grateful I am to God.

Immediately after college, I was a scared young man not knowing what was ahead and with others telling me that I had great potential and are not worried about me.  Little did they know that I worried every day...for my future family, job satisfaction, my happiness and satisfaction.

From immediately after to college to now, God has been gracious in his work in me.  And it's not because of any skill or intellect I have, but his providence and grace.

"Commit your work to The Lord and your plans will be established." Proverbs 16

I remember going through the  book  of Phillipians for sermon training with brothers at Community Christian Alliance Church (in Northridge), and two things really stuck with me.  First, in chapter 2 regarding not grumbling or complaining.  Secondly, in chapter 4 regarding Paul learning to be satisfied in Christ and knowing how to abound or have little.  Imagine, being satisfied in Christ in abundance or with little...more so on abundance since that is when I begin to have thoughts of being self-sustainable.

Well, fast forward to today, I am very thankful to be in a profession in my youth that trains me to serve my country as well as for future work in God's kingdom here on earth.  Thankful for great friends, family, and church.  Also for meeting an amazing girl who I might be able to partner with in life and ministry.

Something I was also reminded of today and was rebuked by.  Looking back, I could have been a much better religious body for my company at OCS, as I was put in a position of leadership for a reason.  I am sorry for not hosting additional bible studies or even prayer in the evenings with my shipmates, especially in a time of extreme stress.  Regardless, God is the one who changes and impacts hearts...I am a mere servant.  I will be the first to admit that I am a sinful being and have many faults.  To God be the glory forever and ever.

Psalms 23.