The parable of the talents

The church sermon I listened to this morning at the New Covenant church in Albuquerque New Mexico hit me hard. It was about Matthew's 25 14-30, the parable of the talents.

I knew in essence what this parable was about, but I learned so much more & would like to share with you what I feel God meant for me to learn & to apply in my triathlon training & racing.

14"Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.

 19"After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.'

 21"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

 22"The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.'

 23"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

 24"Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'

 26"His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

 28" 'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

This is what I learned today & how I believe it was meant to be applied in my life. The majority of what I am writing from here on is by memory of the church sermon this morning & my own interpretation of what I remember and am reading. If there is any biblical misinterpretations please know it is my fault, not that of God, the particular version of bible I am reading, or my pastor.

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-the master who departed in this parable is Jesus. When He departed he left each person (his followers, including you & I) with money (or talents) according to their abilities. No one received more or less than they could handle. If he failed in his assignment they could not claim they had failed because of being overwhelmed. Failure could only come from laziness or hatred to his father. The talents represents any type of resources we are given. We are responsible to use what God has given us. The issue isn't how much we are given, but how well we use what we have.

In verse 19 it says "after a long time He shall return". The verse doesn't say a specific time frame. We should live like He is returning tomorrow, we are to use our time, talents, & treasures diligently in order to serve God in whatever we do.

When the master returned the 1st 2 servants showed they had taken the money (talents) they were given & had invested it well. Verse 21 says "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

If you notice the master rewards each of the 1st 2 servants equally. What matters isn't how much you are given, what counts is what you do with the talent God gave us.

The 3rd servant had a talent, but instead of using his talent for his master he buried it. The 3rd servant was only thinking of himself. He even admitted that he knew his master, "harvested where you have not sown & gather where you did not plant." What, "harvested where you have not sown & gather where you did not plant." means is that Jesus expects us to use the talents He has given us to spread His word.

The last servant was judged because of his self centeredness. We as God's children must not make excuses to avoid doing what God calls us to do. I believe God is truly my master & I must obey Him willingly. My time, money, & abilities are not mine in the 1st pace, they are His! I am a caretaker of my talents, not an owner.

This parable describes the consequences of the attitude of Christ's return. The person who diligently prepares for it by investing his or her talent to serve God will be rewarded. The person who has no heart for the work of the kingdom will be punished. God rewards faithfulness. Those who bear no fruit for Gods kingdom cannot expect to be treated the same as those who are faithful.

My pastor said each & everyone of us are given a talent. It is our responsibility to figure out how God has specifically gifted each of us.

I believe I have a passion for triathlon. When I started training for triathlon I was VERY out of shape & over weight. My only goal was to finish a triathlon. not even to finish with a half way decent time, just to be able to finish. After I finished my first triathlon I became addicted & now I train obsessively. Each season I've become a little faster, & with each improvement I made I became more passionate. As I gained speed & finished faster each year another unexpected thing happened. More people started to come up to me & asked how I was improving so much.

When people ask me how I have become faster or how did I do in the race, that is my opportunity to use the talent & passion God gave me! When people ask me how I became faster I will glorify God! I will say,"God spoiled me today. He deserves all the Glory!". On top of mentioning God any opportunity I get I am going to buy a Christian triathlon bib to race in, I'm going to put something on my bike that says I race for Christ, & I am going to use this blog to glorify God & all the things he does to help me in all things triathlon.

Perhaps God may decide to germinate some of the seeds I am spreading in His name, for in Matthew's it says:

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

And in Mark 16:15 it says: And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

The word "Go" is a verb. These two scriptures are known as the Great Commission, and if I can't get motivated from the words of Jesus...........

The bible has exactly what I need right now.... always

I'm always amazed by the bible. Every time I read it I find something in it that I had missed before, that is comforting to me when I needed comforting, or I find something that I should be doing better with in my life. Last year I had read the parable of the talents, Matthew's 25 14-30. I was so moved by this parable I wrote about that parable in my blog. You could read it by clicking this link: The parable of the talents.

Last year this parable moved me because I realized God gave each of us a talent and it was our responsibility to figure out what our talents are and figure out a way to glorify and serve God with those talents. I had realized in this parable that the master (Jesus) rewarded each of the first 2 servants equally even though the 1st servant was able to do twice as much for God as the 2nd servant. What matters isn't how much talent you are given, what counts is what you do with the talent God gave us.

Last year when I read the parable of the talents I realized God gave me a love for triathlon. So I started trying to glorify God as much as I could through my racing, training, and also through this blog.But recently when I read the parable of the talents I realized something entirely different than I did last year. I realized I was far to similar to the third servant who said, 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.'

I've realized I am all too similar to the third servant because I haven't been sharing 'the good news' with my co-workers, with inmates, with my friends, and with my family. I was trying to live as God wanted me to live, by being an example to others, but I wasn't trying to bring others to Christ. The bible teaches that sharing 'the good news' is the most important job a christian will EVER do, and I didn't feel confident in myself or my knowledge to do such important work. I've realized God wants me to go out and try even if I don't feel like I'm capable of fulfilling Gods request. I realized recently that in Exodus 4 Moses told God ...."I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” I realized that even Moses felt overwhelmed, yet with Gods power Moses did amazing things! And eventually I realized I need to trust in God. If He wants me to spread Gods word I should. My responsibility is to try and plant the seed, it's Gods to make it grow. I had never understood what Mark 4:26-29 meant until I decided to spread Gods word and try to bring others to Christ. Mark 4:26-29 reads "....A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.” Now I know it means I need to try to bring others to Christ and share the good word. If the seeds (the good news) I'm spreading take root or not isn't my concern, it's Gods business. How it works when the seed germinates (if the people I shared the good news with turn to Christ) isn't my business, it's Gods. My only concern is to try and share Gods word with everyone I can every opportunity I can. It's not by mistake that I work in a maximum security prison, there are a lot of people, both staff and inmates alike who need to turn to Christ. God placed me there to be an example and to try to bring others to Christ, I'm going to do my best to accomplish that.

Another verse I've found that comforts me when I feel like I'm not capable of doing as well as God deserves is 1 Corinthians 3:6-9 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building.

In the last 10 days I've shared the good news with 3 staff and 6 inmates. Each time I do it I get a little better at it and feel a little more confident. I'm so grateful to be trusted with such an amazing job by God. I'm humbled and excited to continue doing it as frequently as I can.

a great Olympic weightlifting coach

My middle child has significantly less confidence than my other children. His lack of self-esteem has caused him to learn more slowly in school, causes him to give up at things very quickly, have emotional outbursts, he's incredibly hard on himself,  etc. A few months ago I started having him trained in olympic style weightlifting by coach Shane Miller. My son has a real talent for weightlifting. He stays intensely focused at every training session, which he usually isn't willing to do with anything else. This new found talent of his has totally changed him in the last few months. He always leaves in a better mood than when he started, which has has taught him to stay focused and positive when attempting other things. Since he's becoming so good at weightlifting so quickly its made him feel significantly better about himself. He's more patient, focused, confident, and much happier. Only a few months weightlifting has had a profound and positive effect on my sons life.

Awhile back there were 5 men at The Miller gym who were competing to successfully lift a 91k  (200lb) snatch. i was the first one. One of the guys at the gym, I'll call him Jack Ass, was a sore loser and told me the only reason i was the  one who lifted a 91k first was because of how overweight i was. Earlier this week a 2nd athlete successfully lifted a 91k snatch. As soon as Jack Ass heard he immediately said loudly,  "yeah, but your a 105k+ and-" before Jack Ass could finish his statement coach Shane Miller shut him up and pulled him aside. Apparently Coach Miller had a come to Jesus moment with Jack Ass because Jack Ass came back to me and apologized. I love my gym.  I love the other members of my gym- most of the time. And i love my coach. He's a great teacher,  a great person, a great motivator, he does an amazing job at stopping or minimizing gym gossip or politics, and I'm mostly grateful because he's making a huge difference in my son's  life.

2011 South West Challenge Series standings & points

I've competed in the South West challenge series every year since 2006. I love the series. It's an amazing challenge that an athlete has to work hard at and be dedicated to for an entire season. Since 2006 this will be the 1st year I wasn't able to compete at least 11 of the races in the SW series.

This year has been an amazing season! 2 incredibly fast athletes, Marty Moriarty and Brooks Vandivort started beating me early in the season which is unusual. I usually train hard on the indoor trainer throughout the winter and have my best races early when the other triathletes are just starting to build their base cycling fitness.

Cory Adair is currently in 4th place in the series. Cory is a solid and consistent athlete who is always in contention for the top 3 in the SW series. He has 8 races & 39.25 points. If he finishes in 1st place in the 35-39 AG the next 2 races he'll have a season total of 55.25 points which as of right now would place him in 3rd place.

Marty Moriarty who is a pure cyclist & bike time trial phenom is in 3rd place in the South West. He has 6 races and 53 points. If he finishes the Elephant man triathlon in 4th place or better he'll jump ahead of me & secure 2nd place in the series. There are only 2 SW Challenge series races left for the year. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll be able to hold onto 2nd place!

I'm currently in 2nd place having completed 9 races and have 56.25 points. If I hadn't been injured from a cycling crash I'd be competing in as many late season SW series races as possible to attempt to hold onto 2nd place.

Brooks Vandivort has absolute control of 1st place in the 35-39 SW series age group. He has completed 8 races and has 76 points! Brooks is in his 1st full season of triathlon training and racing but has already proven he's one of the fastest athletes in the entire region. He has the perfect combination of natural talent, dedication, and grit which allowed him put on more speed in less than a year than any other triathlete I've ever seen!

The 2 remaining races for the series is the Elephantman this weekend & the Raptor triathlon on Columbus weekend. I wont know until then if my 56.25 points will be enough to keep me in the top 3 of the South West challenge series this year. I'll let you know if there are any changes in the 35-39 AG.

Thanks for tuning in and please keep me in your prayers for quick healing from my injuries.

if ya spot it ya got it

I watched a documentary on Netflix called "Last chance U". It was an awesome flick. It's about division 1 talent who has to play college football at a comunity college because of poor grades or getting in trouble. There's one kid on that show who's a bad ass defensive lineman, Ronald Ollie. He was amazing. The only reason he wasn't playing for an SEC team was he was an idiot. Anytime things didn't go his way he disappeared. I told my wife about how bad that kid pissed me off. That he was a waste of tallent. I told my kids that it takes 2 things to be successful, good attitude and good effort. And that kid lacked the right attitude. 3 weeks later, and that kid Ronald Ollie is still on my mind. One of my old 12 step buddies once told me,"If ya spot it, ya got it". It dawned on me that the reason that kid on Last Chance U got under my skin is I'm the exact same way. I'm the "go to guy", until I think someone close to me is going to give up on me or I'm going to be unable to meet thier expectations. And then I disappear just like him. Ronald Ollie's guidance counselor said he has trust issues. I think a better explanation is he has abandonment issues. He feels its better to disappear on someone than to have them give up on him or hurt him. He and I are exactly alike.

If there's something about someone that annoys or infuriates you, that means there's something in you that is just like that. "If you spot it, you got it."

I was a blue chip high school football player. I gave a verbal commitment to go play for the University of Wyoming. Before I could go play football I became a homeless teenager. I lost my scholarship. And because I had to provide proof of my parents taxes to get student loans and I wasn't in contact with them, I wasn't able to go to any college at all, much less play collegiate football. I always wondered what my life would have been like if I'd have been able to play football and get a degree. But after watching that show I found closure. I probably would have ran away half way through a season. And then my heart would have been overflowing with regret amd guilt. I'm exactly where I should be. My life couldn't have ended up any better than it did.

My next A race

I'm getting pretty excited, my A race is coming up in a month. It's the Patriot triathlon in Rio Rancho on September 12th. I chose this race to be my late season A race because it is a hilly course & I'm REALLY HORRIBLE at hill climbing. I don't expect to have a high placing overall, perhaps not even in my AG because it is a hilly course, & like I've said, I struggle badly with anything larger than a speed bump. But I do think this race will be my best performance ever as far as hilly races go.

I think taking this time to become better at hills will make me a better triathlete next year, which is important because there are a few 30-34 AG's that are aging up to my division next season. One guy in particular I've been watching who will be aging up into my division is a fellow NM Outlaw named David Liotta. He & I first raced against each other at the Jingle Bell triathlon. He ran like a gazelle! I almost ruined my entire race trying to keep up with him on the run. I ended up able to pass him on the bike, & hold him off on the swim to finish slightly in front of him. Since the Jingle Bell we've showed up & raced at the same race 3-4 times & he's beaten me soundly at each one. He will be a huge challenge for me to compete with. I'm very excited to have someone of his ability & talent to race against. Him being in my division will be a huge motivator!

Now that I'm a month away from my A race I've switched to a maintenance diet. I had been attempting to lose half a pound to 1 pound a week. I'm now going to try & just maintain my weight so that I can show up fully recovered & fueled at the Patriot & throw a smack down for the 1st time on a hilly course!

Weight maintenance. That is the one area of endurance athletics I've failed at time after time after time! I've lost weight before & done great in a race or two because of it, but after the race I always ended up gaining the weight back. This January was the 3rd time I had dropped below 200 pounds, but this year is the 1st time I've ever been able to keep below 200 for longer than a month. Since January I've been gradually losing more weight, I'm now down to 187. Although this year I've been successful at staying below 200, I wasn't trying to maintain, I've been trying to lose more. I'm hoping the knowledge I've learned & applied to slowly drop the weight this year & not gain it back can now also be used to maintain. I'll keep my fingers crossed & I'll keep you informed. If there is any changes, or no changes at all I'll let you peeps know.