Hey, welcome! I want to start this new series by telling you a little about me and giving you a challenge. Thomas asked me to say a few words to get this all started.
In 2012, Suanne and I were planting a church, she was an HR Director, I was nearly a full-time student, and we had kids in JH, HS, and College. I was studying on a card table in our room, and my youngest, wanting to do something with me, looked at my books and said, Dad, really, Hebrew? It made me pause, I was struggling, feeling outta shape, looking at my belly, and remembering Paul’s verse, “Run the race to win.” How can I know what he’s talking about unless I run? That’s when I started training for the LA Marathon.
The lessons I learned in that training process are the roots of this material because…
You are a spiritual athlete.
Don’t worry—I’m not saying you need to be a marathon runner or wake up at 5 am doing burpees in the name of Jesus. I mean this: just like athletes train their bodies, we train our spirits. And the good news? You’re not doing this alone.
Following Jesus—living a life of faith—it’s not just something that happens to us. It’s something we practice. It’s something we grow into with time, intention, and a little bit of sweat.
That’s what the 8 Moves are all about. They are a spiritual training plan that helps you build your mind, strength, heart, and soul and show up in your life with purpose and clarity.
It’s built around eight themes—Light, Water, Land, Time, Life, Work, Rest, and Rebirth—inspired by the story of Creation and the rhythms God built into our world. And since we’re talking about running, it’s the story of how God created you and what lessons you can learn from your body.
Each Move teaches us something we need for the spiritual life:
- Light helps you see clearly—what matters, what’s real, what to focus on.
- Water refreshes you, especially when you’re feeling worn down.
- Land gives you stability—a strong place to stand when everything feels shaky.
- Time helps you slow down, find your rhythm, and trust the process.
- Life is about connection—to people, to purpose, to God.
- Work shapes your mission. It’s about doing what you were made to do.
- Rest reminds you to breathe, trust in grace; you don’t have to hustle for your worth.
- Rebirth is your reset. It’s your reminder that new life is always possible.
Now let’s be clear—this isn’t about being perfect. No one’s handing out gold medals for best spiritual performance. This is about showing up. Training, even when it’s tough. Trusting that something deeper is happening in you as you go.
Paul once wrote: “Don’t you know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize” (1 Corinthians 9:24 ESV).
In other words: live like it matters because it does.
So that’s what we’re doing here, training together, encouraging each other, and growing stronger.
You were made for this. You were made to move forward with endurance, purpose, and with people beside you.
Let’s get into it. Let’s move forward—together.