Friday, April 30, 2010

Race day approaching!

So I have vaguely eluded to the fact that I've taken up a regular exercise regimen here before, but I haven't really gotten into the details, cuz lets face it, if you wanted to read an exercise blog, you probably wouldn't be reading mine with such items as "Brown butter plum tart" and "Spreads"...

However I am planning on completing my first ever half-marathon this Sunday, and I'm really excited... I actually don't feel any of the dread that I should!


I was just telling my mom the other day how amazing it is that I even want to attempt running... I mean, I'm an adult! There's no scary PE teacher screaming at me to get going any more! I have rights now... When I was a kid there was no better way to torture or punish me. I saw kids that voluntarily signed up for cross country and I thought there was something wrong with them! But by some miracle I came to the conclusion that running would be a good idea for me.

(She is amazing! Look how much clearance she has!, does anyone think this is real??)

Then an interesting conversation ensued with my mom about the misconceptions we grow up with and often never get over even as adults, until we're forced to stare them down by circumstances that are unavoidable, ever had one of those?
I had a huge misconception about running. I labeled it as impossible, too hard for my stubby round body, torture.

Then I told my mom about a recent victory I'd had over a long-time misconception of mine...

My whole life I had looked at this one hill near my house (I still live in the house I was born in) and marveled at people running up it. I had thought to myself, "why would anyone do that, that is the hill of death."
Well sometime after I had started running, I needed to get to a location that was really close, but the only way to get there was up the "hill of death!" I put it of for weeks, telling myself it was just too hard for me. Finally, one day I decided to kick myself in the pants, and I gave myself a whole hour to complete "the hill" and amazingly enough I arrived 40 min. early.
It's amazing how crippling our misconceptions are! I've wasted so many years of my life investing in lies! How sad!

( I could be totally wrong, but I think this photo is a lie... how bout you??)

Now, this is no power of positive thinking pep talk, it's a reality check! We are fearfully and wonderfully made, and if we do like David and preach to our souls a little, I think there is a lot we can overcome that sadly has been overcoming us!

Today I got my number for my race bib, and because I'm so spiritual and love to over-spiritualize everything, I googled to see if there was a bible verse with my numbers, and no there isn't, it's too high of a number, so I immediately turned to Strong's... cuz not only am I super spiritual, I try and be super smart... I'm so kidding guys, you know me well enough, right??
Ok so I looked up both the Hebrew for 3681 and the Greek and check it out...

In the Greek it's reproach, that's a fun word! Where is this heading?? But as I read the verse it began to illuminate something for me!

Luke 1:25- "The Lord has done this for me," she said. "In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace (reproach) among the people."

WOW! This one really spoke to me! I feel like God has really used my training in running to be a part of the process of Him removing my reproach or disgrace. Before I learned to beat my body into submission (1st. Cor. 9:27,) there was a huge part of me that has felt like a disgrace, I felt defeated by my lack of discipline and disgusted by my lack of self control! I'm praising God for this verse that He is dealing with me graciously and removing my disgrace by retraining me to be a more disciplined and self-controlled woman...

Next in the Strong's Hebrew is the word "covering" the uses of the word is kinda funny... I think they are talking about using the skins of sea cows to cover parts of the tabernacle... haha, sea cows!

But immediately I felt the Lord encouraging me that He will be my covering in this race, and when I get tired or feel like giving up, I'm gonna encourage my self with this, that He's got me covered!

So wish me.... luck?... blessings... I dunno... Wait I do! Pray for me, I'm gonna need it!

-Your Old Time bestie...

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Hope

As life has been forging on full steam ahead, I have been really impacted by how many of my friends are struggling.
And I don't mean can't find the right pair of shoes to match that dress kind of struggle, I mean a possible terminal illness, a possible terminal marriage and one that's definitely over...

If you have a set of eyes and a heart that's pumping, it won't take much to look around you and see someone who's struggling with something.

Where do you go with this? what's your response, what kind of advice do you give?

In the last couple of months I've been pursuing training for a half marathon and to further inspire myself, I've been watching Biggest Loser. Last night on the show one of the contestants lost his brother to cancer and I couldn't help but squirm as the trainers offered life advice, that to me seemed so hollow and contrived. Maybe I'm biased, but it seems that death makes it so clear that humanistic advice falls flat, because it doesn't solve the problem of eternity! Getting in the gym and giving it all you've got for your brother doesn't really solve that he's gone forever and there's a deep loss and grief that accompanies such losses!

So the question is... how do you deal with catastrophic loss? To what or whom do you turn to, do you hope in?

I think we are such interesting creatures, in the things we turn to convinced that they're gonna solve our problems! Seriously I think there's quite a few of us that have thought ice cream will at least soothe our woes...

But the bottom line is that the power of positive thinking, ice cream or a really intense workout can only temporarily distract us, it doesn't solve the problem of pain and ultimately death!

Hebrews 2:15 says that Jesus came to deliver those who are subject to bondage of the fear of death!
That's encouraging news!

Furthermore, when we put our hope and trust in Him, pain is no longer a useless nuisance that we strive to numb. It's a tool in a Master-Craftsman's hand! This is pain that produces something even more beautiful than gold! The bible says it's endurance, which leads to character, which ends up producing HOPE! (Rom.5:4)

And when it's Jesus that we put our hope in there is a peace, it's not a peace that the world can offer us! The hope the world offers is empty... sorry but it is... It's only something Jesus can give us, He says "don't let your heart be troubled or afraid..." And just before his followers were about to be scattered because of the threat of death, He encourages them to take heart because He has overcome the world! I don't know about you, but when you're facing the threat of death someone chanting "yes you can" isn't gonna cut it!
It has to be someone who has overcome death who can actually offer me some encouragement in that moment! Everything else falls flat!

1st Peter 1 says that we have been grieved by various trials for a little while... I don't know about you, but 80 years plus or minus to be grieved by various trials doesn't seem like a little while, especially when those trials can seem so overwhelmingly huge and painful! But I heard a pastor put it this way recently...
"When we're on year 10billion 800million 465 thousand and 2... 80 years is gonna seem like a recess in 1st grade!"

It's perspective we need! The bottom line friends... God is real, life is short and eternity is long!

I know it's hard, I'm weeping with you, I'm praying for you...

I'm hoping that you place your hope in the only one who is worthy of your trust!
He died for you to rescue you from the most hopeless of situations and He has promised to never leave you or forsake you! Romans 5:5 says that that hope you have in Him will not disappoint you!

Lord help us to fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen! Knowing that through our pain and difficulty you are working out a far greater weight of glory! Help us to surrender to You as You work it out! Help us Lord to suffer well, as we hope in you!

Please let me know how I can pray for you if you're going through a difficult season!
- Your Old Time friend

Monday, April 12, 2010

Distraction from Taxes!

If any of you are irrisponsible like moi... you are probably totally stressing out that you only have 4 more days to finish your mount everest called taxes...

So stop for a moment... and watch this
Your brain will be so confused by what it's seeing it will completely forget all the stress and strain of the last month!




I had no clue karaoke was Korea's national sport...

I think I might be impressed if I just wasn't so weirded out by picturing him reaching out to Kevin Costner...

Sunday, April 4, 2010

He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!

Because it's Easter I have to start by saying... I love Jesus and I'm so thankful that He died for my sins, and I'm so grateful that He conquered death and that I get to spend eternity Him!

And in light of that, I must share with you one song that I love and the rest which are completely ridiculous!

My most favoritist Easter song growing up... Keith just knew how to do it right, and somehow as a teenager my friends and I all that he was sooooo cool! Weird right?! But I'm so glad, cuz he wrote some of the most amazing lyrics of all times!

So here he is doing the Easter Song



This isn't a song, but it's pretty important if you know what my schedule is like and like to laugh at strange men pretending to be church ladies... It's called church slave... please don't be too offended ;)


This one is AMAZING! Ska, ska, ska Jesus! I love how cheesy Christians can be... we're awesome! "Beautiful Sal, Beautiful"


I hope you have a wonderful Easter! And enjoyed a few laughs... I know Jesus wouldn't mind ;)
He is risen!!!!!! He is risen indeed!

Friday, April 2, 2010

It's a good Good Friday!

Well as you can see, my posting marathon didn't last all that long.. I need to get my blogging endurance up! This week has been one of the busier weeks of my life, but all for a good reason.

As you probably know today is Good Friday, the day my Savior died for my sins!

I just got home from leading the music for our church's service, and I had to write to you all... Tonight was so important, so central, so key... In some ways I cringe thinking about this day... but I'm glad in a way, I never want to take His sacrifice lightly.

I spent a large portion of my day reflecting on what my life would have been like, if He hadn't been willing to die, it's unimaginable! I thought about the grief that He had to bear on my account. It was a hard day a sober day...

A lady from my church died today, largely because of a extremely self-destructive sin...

I hate my sin and how it hurts the people I love and how hard it is to free myself from it's grip. It's so costly, so painful!

As I went to post this picture, I definately hesitated, the cross is so grusome, and if I look at it, I'd rather Jesus wasn't still on it... But I think it's really good for us to remember how much it cost Him to buy us back from death!


If you're still reading, I'm praying that you are having a better than good Good Friday, knowing that Sunday's comin'!

And in light of that... I've posted some of my most favorite quotes on the Gospel... I hope you are encouraged!

*The gospel: "God covering his naked enemies, bringing them to the wedding feast & then marrying them rather than crushing them." - Ed Welch

*Religion says "we're the good guys, and they're the bad guys" The Gospel says "We're all the bad guys, and Jesus is the ONLY good guy" - Mark Driscoll



*'If you believe what you like in the gospels, and reject what you don't like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself.” - Saint Augustine

*'God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone, but also on trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars.” -Martin Luther

*“It is true that every day has its own evil, and its good too. But how difficult must life be, especially farther on when the evil of each day increases as far as worldly things go, if it is not strengthened and comforted by faith. And in Christ all worldly things may become better, and, as it were, sanctified. Theo, woe is me if I do not preach the Gospel; if I did not aim at that and possess faith and hope in Christ, it would be bad for me indeed, but no I have some courage.”
-Vincent van Gogh (wow!)

*"Behold the man upon the cross, my sin upon His shoulders, ashamed I hear my mocking voice call out among the scoffers. It was my sin that held Him there, until it was accomplished, His dying breath has brought me life, I know that it is finished!" -Stuart Townsend

*"He was weeping n the garden while we wer sleeping under a tree. His discomfort for our comfort. Oh the shame. Oh the grace! " @jonathan_dodson

*"Either Jesus was who he said he was-the Messiah-or a complete nutcase. I mean nutcase on the level of Charles Manson."-Bono @krafto

*"Golgotha is not a suburb of Jerusalem "- John Piper
*“The debt was so great, that while man alone owed it, God alone could pay it.”- Anselm

*"The Tomb is not an Entrance to Death,but 2 life. The moment we take our last Breath on Earth,we take our first breath in Heaven." @greglaurie
Have a super blessed weekend!