Prayer request

Dear Friends,

As most of you are aware, I'm in training to run the Miami Half-Marathon on Sunday, January 28. This is my first-ever attempt at any such craziness and in spite of myself, things are going pretty well. The wildest part of it is that I'm actually ENJOYING it; I get kind of cranky if I don't get to run on schedule.

As I move in to the final weeks of training, I know that things are going to get tougher. I've been building up my distance every week but with the holidays coming, I'm a little bit nervous about getting those long runs in on the weekend. I need your help for motivation and I have 2 requests:

1. I've been listening to Praise/Worship music during my runs, trying to have some "God" time while on the road. You know me - always multi-tasking! I've been dealing with some pretty heavy issues in my life in recent months. As I move into the holiday season, I can almost feel myself going on my annual trip down the rabbit hole of self-doubt, loneliness and fear as I face the uncertainties of the New Year. As I run, I feel myself in constant prayer and things always look better.

My request: Send me your favorite Praise/Worship tune. As I listen to it, I will think of you and pray for you, as I hope you will pray for me as well.

2. It seems that God is working in my life as I deal with some childhood memories. As I process some events and share with those closest to me, I am realizing that MANY people that I'm coming in contact with have some similar scars. While I've made great strides in healing, it hurts so much to know that there are others who have just begun their journey or worse, innocent children who will be someday wounded in the same way. Therefore, I've decided to run for them, my own "unofficial" charity. The organization is "Darkness to Light" and it deals with confronting childhood sexual abuse.

My request: I'm running 13.1 miles. Please consider donating $13.10 towards this organization as I run; you can donate directly to them via their website, or you can send me a check and I'll make one large donation. If you donate directly to them please just let me know. I'd like to know if I made any difference. If you want to let me know but wish to remain anonymous, you can post a note here on The Bing Blog. I'll be posting this letter there as well.

Thanks for reading, and wish me luck,

Bing