Lori Bumgarner - SUP: Spiritual Understanding & Prayer on a Stand Up Paddleboard

My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Tracy Larkin, Ryan and Cristy Mayes, Sarah Perrotto, Katie Gooch, Neil Newton, Cindy Sorci, Jessa R. Sexton, K. Mark Hilliard, Rosemary J. Hilliard, Whitnee Clinard, Veronica Franks, Candice Appleby, and members of the Nashville and Brentwood chapters of Fellowship of Companies for Christ International

Im so excited and honored to introduce to you a devotional that hits very close to home, but first I want to share a bit about the author. Lori Bumgarner is a woman of passion. Shes an outdoor lover and avid stand up paddler who encourages others as a certified life and transformational coach. With a degree in psychology and education, Lori is the owner of paNASH, a passion and career coaching service.

Above all, Loris greatest passion is her love for Christ and dedication to sharing His Word. In the pages of this devotional, Lori shares stories of courage, strength, hope, and much more through her adventures in stand up paddling from the beginning stages as a first timer, to being the instructor, and everything in between.

Gods word tells us in 1 Peter 3:15, But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect (NIV).

Through her adventures on a SUP board, Lori does just that. With beautifully apt biblical comparisons and real encounters of grace, SUP: Spiritual Understanding and Prayer on a Stand Up Paddleboard is a great source of encouragement for those who are trying something new, who are reaching for a goal, or who simply desire to learn more about Gods goodness and the power of prayer.

As a follower of Jesus and a professional stand up paddler, I find this book to be a great resource of daily inspiration and hope. The first chapter takes me right back to my early days as a beginner, and also reminds me of how quickly things can change when I take my eyes off Jesus. There was a time in my SUP racing career where my spiritual vision grew blurry, and although I knew God gifted me for His glory, I was finding my worth in worldly victories that couldnt last. It took a season of growth, and ultimately injury, to help me realize that I couldnt put my identity in something that could be taken from me.

Dont you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified. (1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NLT)

In that season of injury, I was met evermore by Gods goodness and His ability to work all things together for good, for those who love Him and who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). I now know that SUP is the lampstand God has gifted me with to shine His light for His Glory, and that my identity is secure when it is in Him. Lori knows this truth, and she shares it beautifully in the coming pages.

It is my prayer for all of you who read this book that the truth of Gods goodness penetrates your heart and that, through Loris adventures in SUP and Gods Word, you find strength to run the race that God has marked for you with more hope and assurance than ever before.

Candice Appleby champion SUP racer and pro surfer

I began stand up paddling (SUP) in the early summer of 2014 at a time when I was questioning where my business and my career were headed. Though feeling a little burned out on my work as an image consultant in the music industry, I was afraid to let go of the business Id spent nearly seven years building. I was constantly trying to figure out what God wanted me to do next.

Since I wasnt getting an answer right away like I had hoped, I just kept praying and kept plugging along in my business while also taking some classes on things that interested me and learning some new hobbies: like SUP. Out of all the new things I was trying recreationally, SUP was my favorite and soon became a passion.

Unlike my regular morning prayer and devotion time, paddling provided a quiet place away from my day-to-day environment to truly hear from God. The serenity out on the water and away from everything else was just what I needed. While I didnt get an immediate answer to my prayers regarding my career, I was constantly reminded of Gods Word each time I was out on the water.

As soon as I recognized the parallels between Gods Word and what I was learning as a beginning paddler, I felt an urge to write. So, I started a blog called SUP: Spiritual Understanding & Prayer on a SUP. The blog wasnt something I heavily promoted; I shared it with only a few friends and trusted God that it would reach whomever He wanted it to reach.

One of those friends I shared my blog with was another woman my age Id met that summer. She had started paddling around the same time I did. Some days wed paddle together and talk about our walk with God. It turned out she was having some similar struggles regarding her own career. We promised to stay in prayer for each other.

That first year I paddled every month of the year, even in the dead of the Tennessee winter. The days when there were reasonable temperatures and sunny skies in January and February were rare, but I took advantage and got out on my board when I could. Doing so gave me more to write about in my blog.

When summer 2015 rolled around, I was still feeling restless in my career, and I was having the worst year of my business Id had since I first started it after leaving my previous job as a career adviser. I know what youre thinking, How could someone who used to be a career adviser not know what she wants to be when she grows up? Well, I did know, and I had pursued it, and now I didnt know what was next. But I kept praying and kept trusting that, in His time, God would reveal His purpose for me in this season of my life.

Id become so passionate about stand up paddling that I considered how I could possibly do some type of work in that field: something besides opening my own shop. I spent the summer of 2015 kicking around the idea of doing some kind of group or corporate training using SUP. After all, I did have past experience of teaching and training, and teaching is one of my spiritual gifts. Also at that point I already had experience teaching the SUP 101 class at my local shop. But my idea never seemed to formulate into a deliverable. That is, not until the week of my birthday.