#5: Traveling the World and Holiday Stress, from a Pastor's Perspective

This episode is focused on living life to the fullest and how to stay active, calm over the holidays. I start by discussing (3:30 mark) my experiences on mission trips overseas, including Haiti and Africa. (6:30) Then, we turn to an interview with Pastor Chuck Hasty who has led churches for more than 25 years, now at Grace Presbyterian in Columbus GA. He talks about faith, home life, how he got started running and (9:30) how to live out the mantra "Hallelujah, I've got one more day." Pastor Chuck (11:35) has also climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa at 19,341 feet, and Mt. Fuji, the highest volcano in Japan - discussing those and other adventures like hiking the 100+ mile Camino trek, a spiritual pilgrimage in Portugal. (16:40) Traveling can broaden your horizons, deepen your perspective and appreciation, plus helps us learn from other cultures, he tells us. And as we approach Christmas, (19:35) Pastor Chuck discusses finding comfort and strength from God during a stressful and busy holiday season, with things like the "Luke challenge." We also talk about being present in the moment, (27:22) having active hobbies, finding solitude, being grateful, and how to be spiritually disciplined especially in our prayer life. Finally, Pastor Chuck describes how he started running marathons at age 50 and (36:30) is now running with his daughter. I close out the podcast (43:50) with "Food for Thought" - some news tidbits about the growth of wellness tourism and faith-based travel. Thanks for listening! Hope you enjoy the podcast. Share it with your friends using #RunTheRacePodcast. Please write a quick review about it on iTunes or wherever you listen. For more info, go to www.wtvm.com/podcast/.