"Easier Said Then Done"

“Easier said then done,” those were the thoughts that rolled around in my head as I hit enter on the key pad of my computer. Live in the moment! Pressing into the pause! Embrace the now! Carefully chosen words were posted on my page to encourage others who came by to peak at and possibly pick up a few tools. As I encouraged those who have chosen life to now start living life, I realized that as I stepped away from my computer and back into my moment, that these words could stir up a little anxiousness in this battle cry when one is dealing with pain.

I use to live somewhere between yesterday and tomorrow before I learned how to live in the now. The problem with that was that yesterday was gone and tomorrow had not yet happened. Neither place was a reality, the past represented a prison of deception and tomorrow represented something I never thought I could actually reach.

I decided to step away from this post for the day and really chew on what living in the moment looks like for those who are suffering any form of pain. Low and behold and not surprisingly, I found the answer through my own experience. I have to say, even though it makes me tough as nails, I just love it when God shows up and gives me the answers I am looking for.

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Journal entry:

Monday June 28, 2010

Last night felt like I had arrived in hell, my foot if not broken sure felt like it, the pain was so intense I could feel my heart beat running through every toe. On top of that, I ended the evening with one of the worst migraines I have ever experienced in over a year. I felt like I was going to die. Between icing my foot and icing my head, I could not find any relief. How to choose to live in the moment and why to choose to live in the moment was something that rang through my head as I was dealing with the pain.

As I sat on the top of my staircase. Tony and Sami fast asleep, Vito praying over me, all I could think was “why stay in the moment, it hurts so much God?” A few things came to my mind. First if I went to my past, I would blame myself and I would be filled with guilt and shame as if I had intentionally brought this kind of pain on to myself because that is what I did in my past. The ugly head of deception would try to overtake my moment if I was not very careful and intentional.

Then I thought about the future and what that would look like if I went there. If I focused on the future in my pain, I would go to a place of complete defeat and the feeling of worthlessness would take over. My future tells me my value comes from doing and how can I do anything when I am incapacitated, there appeared to be no purpose for me in my future with this pain? As I sat there cradling my head in my hands, feeling the pain and pondering my choices I decided to just be in the now, to live in the moment, swollen aching foot and a migraine to boot.

In that moment, I decided to praise God. I spoke out loud “I can do all things” “Be strong and Brave”, I thanked God for my healing and I chose to praise Him in the storm. As I sat on my stairs there was my son wearing Jesus well. He rubbed my back and commanded the pain to go away. He stood by my side, got me more ice for my pack and followed me around the house as I tried to find a comfortable place to lay my head and raise my foot. My 13-year-old boy was acting like a man, he reminded of his earthly father as well as his heavenly one.

Choosing to stay in the moment allowed me to experience the blessing of receiving from my child compassion, mercy and grace. Right smack in the middle of my pain came the most incredible vision of the man my boy is becoming. This morning the migraine is gone and I have committed to my family to keep off my foot. Living in the moment, living in the now, is where living life truly happens.

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I celebrate the fact that many years ago I was encouraged and taught to write down my thoughts. I celebrate the fact that through the tools of journal writing and intentional thinking I am able to learn what living in the moment actually looks like. Writing down my thoughts, my experiences, my fears, failures and victories allows me to look back and remember where I have traveled, where I am now and where I am headed to.


Cris Nole
“Living In The Moment”


Choosing Life
Living Life
Celebrating Life

Welcome To The Change!

As I step out of one season and into another, I decided to let the season flow over into my blog as well. I love how God comes along and gently allows certain doors to shut and giant chapters to come to an end. I have spent the last several years drawing closer to my creator through the wonderful world of running and all of a sudden, that running has come to a stop. Once again, I have to stand back and revaluate my life, my race and my purpose. For the longest time I thought it was all about the race but most recently I have come to realize that it is more about the journey and in the training of the race.

I learned to live in the moment and trust God with my future. I had a hunger and a desire to be like the turtle, living my life at a slow and study pace. My motto for years now has been just that, "be the turtle", until recently when I was visiting my favorite little town in the world, Auburn, with a good friend of mine. I usually am just a window shopper on my Friday jaunts up the hill but not this day, there was a piece of artwork that had been made just for me. Sitting on the shelf in one of the corner shops was the most amazing little porcelain statue of a turtle working its way out of its shell. It was as if I could hear the thing come to life, saying, "Becoming the turtle", what a defining moment of my race. All these years I thought it was just "be the turtle" how wrong was I; it was about becoming the turtle. I had to chuckle as I picked the little piece up and made my way to the front counter to purchase myself a gift.

It was that moment and that day that solidified the direction of my race, from being to becoming, from the race to the journey. What had brought me up to Auburn that day had been the process of years in the making of becoming the turtle, a time of pulling away and a time of just resting as the week comes to an end. It has been in the journey of finding my Auburn that I have learned to live in the moment, taking in every wonderful breath that God has given me and in so have found a heart to help others do the same.


I have a passion for helping teach, train and provide tools for those who have chosen to live life intentionally, for those who want to press into the pause and celebrate the very moment they decided to embrace, which I like to call, “living in the now”. Those of us who have been called to follow Christ, know that we have also been told to choose life, don’t worry about tomorrow and rejoice in the Lord always. These three actions take practice, they take perseverance and they take endurance, which is why I think for so many years I could relate to the physical part of running my race to the spiritual side of my life.

Wow, can you imagine what your life would like if you decided that today would be the day, not someday, but today would be the day that you chose to live the life that God has called you to live. Imagine you opening your calendar and placing the words “choose life” on Thursday June 26, 2010. This would be a day to celebrate!

How do you live the life you have now just chosen? You make an active decision to be involved in the ministry of the moment, which is where living life really happens. It is focusing on what is going on in your own life as well as the life of others around you and allowing God to take care of the rest. It is about actively sitting still and becoming aware of who you are and what you are in the very moment you have been given.

Under Construction!!!!!!!!!!


Friends, as you can see, my blog is undergoing a few changes. Please be patient with me as I focus on His Face and try to become as purposeful and intentional about my posts.

Thank you all for your love and support over the last several years, cheering me on as I ran my race.