kick in the pants

this morning's devotion courtesy of Billy Graham:

The Divine Flame:

"You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses." - Acts 1:8


Simon Peter was so spiritually weak before Pentecost that, in spite of his bragging to the contrary, he swore and denied Christ.  He was cowed by the crowd, shamed by a little maid, and took his place with the enemies of Christ.
But see him after he has been baptized with fire - the fire of the Holy Spirit!  He stands boldly before the same rabble that had crucified Jesus, looks into their faces, and fearlessly proclaims the good news of salvation (see Acts 2:36).  Peter, the weak, was transformed into Peter, the rock.
So it was with the early disciples.  The Holy Spirit changed them from ordinary individuals into firebrands for God.  Their faith and zeal started a conflagration that spread throughout the Roman Empire.
Their secret?  Total submission to Jesus Christ and His will.  What keeps you from being used of God to touch your world for Christ?

Longing for God

My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God- PSALM 84:2

Have you ever been underwater for a period of time that is longer than you expected? You know, as the time ticks away, how desperate you become to reach the surface and breathe the air.  The greater the time you are under water, the more you long for a breath of air until that desire overwhelms you, and you rush to get to the surface as rapidly as possible.  You have no other thoughts but quenching your need for air.

                That is what it means to “long for God,” to feel unfulfilled without Him.  It means we know we desperately need Him, even more than we need air, and we yearn to be filled with His presence.  “My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.”

                God wants us to be satisfied with nothing less than Himself.  And we are never more fulfilled than when we know Him.  Ask God to give you a new hunger for Him, so you may become filled with “the fullness of Christ” (Eph 4:13)

Billy Graham Hope for Each Day,  February 5th

SMILE

it will increase your face value :)

all about me

part of me can't believe i didn't ever blog about christmas - sort of a shame because i had about seven billion written in my head i just couldn't find the time or energy to sit down and actually write them (good news is that the extreme fatigue has disappeared).  so, instead i'm moving on and just giving a quick synopsis of life at the moment:

what i'm doing now: after being being grounded for most of december and january (due to holidays and then client issues), i'm going to start traveling again for almost all of february and march.  it was kind of nice to have a break for a while but i'm ready to hit the road again.  

i'm still loving my job.  i have a supportive manager (seriously, love her - night and day from my former boss), great co-workers (abbreviated side story: had a slight issue with someone senior to me who i work with a lot and was really worried about our relationship but God is amazing and things have done a total 180 and we get along great and work well together now-- the power of prayer and relinquishing a  situation to Him), a wonderful environment in which to work, and i really truly (on most days) enjoy what i'm doing.  i have a sense of autonomy because people trust me, i feel smart/useful because i'm always learning things and then teaching others.  my worst days at athena (usually when i'm tired/run down and making a mountain out of a mole hill) don't even begin to compare to the misery of my former employment.  Another bonus is that i've been able to go back to Texas to see my family on a regular basis (and even got to see Jon, Brooke, Braden a few times in Ohio) which makes the miles of separation more tolerable.  God is good and i am so thankful. 

What I'm eating now:

nothing too much has changed here...my goal with eating right now is to fuel myself so i can have quality runs/workouts (as opposed to losing weight) so i'm more concerned with quality of food.  i did realize that i was eating a whole lot of carbs and not a whole lot of protein so i've been trying to be more conscious of inserting higher protein foods so that i have a good balance.  if you were to go look in my fridge right now you'd find:

1. egg muffins -- super easy (if you're lazy like me and don't want to mess with chopping veggies, for a dozen: 4 eggs, 8 egg whites, 2 boxes frozen spinach, can of rotel, reduced fat mexican cheese) and have high protein but low calorie component to breakfast that you can make in advance and grab n go.  each one has around 50 calories so i take two of them and throw in a tortilla or eat along side oatmeal.  

i've also been eating hard boiled eggs as a snack since they have really good cholesterol

2. quinoa -- most people consider it a grain,but it is technically a seed and a relative to spinach.  not only is it high in protein, it is a complete protein (meaning it includes all nine amino acids). it doesn't really have a taste (which is why meg doesn't like it) so it is very versatile. i either throw it in the rice cooker with brown rice and add spices such as garlic, chili powder, red pepper flakes or in my crock pot with black beans, brown rice, and stewed mexican tomatoes (are you getting the point that these days i'm all about things that are quick, simple, and can be made ahead of time and stored?).  my friend, barbara, has been eating for breakfast with cinnamon, similar to oatmeal.

3. pomodoro sauce -  i'm a creature of habit and so i eat whole wheat pasta with red sauce the night before a long run or a race.  i like homemade sauce much better than jar sauce and since it is super easy i have no excuse not to make it myself: olive oil, garlic, canned italian plum tomatoes, pepper, basil or italian seasoning.  

4. turkey chili -- spicy, delicious, and hearty it is perfect for winter (not that we've had much of a winter).  and since i use a weight watcher recipe it has lots of veggies and isn't loaded with fat or sodium.  

5. wholly guacamole - to say i love avocado is an understatement (until weight watchers taught me portion control, i used to eat an entire one with a spoon in a single setting).  guacamole is a great topper for pretty much anything from sweet potatoes (with salsa and mexican cheese = yum!) to rice and beans to breakfast burritos (refer to eggs above). while the 100 calorie packs may be more expensive, they are totally worth it for me because they provide a single portion, i don't have to worry about my avocados going bad before i can eat them, and they are easy to throw in  my lunch bag.

What I'm running now:

can't remember if i told this story or not so here is a quick recap:  flash back to memorial day... i ran a marathon.  qualified for boston.  then, just a couple weeks later in june i got injured.  spent two months in excruciating pain while the orthopedist went through a series of misdiagnosis.  finally went to an amazing podiatrist who legitimized my pain and i finally found out in august that i had completely ruptured my plantar fascia (words like "bomb exploded in your heel" "never seen anything like this", etc).  spent the next 8 weeks in a boot full time (airport security didn't appreciate it but no surgery and no cast: i am sooo thankful!).  then two weeks or so transitioning back to shoes.  then i was released to do some light jogging for a month (low and slow to test it out as my foot wasn't completely healed yet) before getting released to run again just prior to thanksgiving.  All told, i took five months off.  mid june to mid november.  FIVE MONTHS!! 

My comeback was frightening for a couple reasons.  1. i knew i had lost my cardiovascular fitness but wasn't sure how much i had been set back and wasn't sure i could regain it in time for boston 2. i didn't want to get re-injured by doing too much too soon.

But, as always, God is good.  The road back has been painful at times - literally, i don't think i've ever been so sore after short runs as i was the first few and there were days my legs felt like jello and my lungs were on fire no matter how slow my pace - but I really tried to listen to my body (new concept for me) and not push it too hard.  I started out with short runs and mixed in a lot of cardio cross training (elliptical, stairmaster, spin class) so that I could re-build my fitness and leg strength without killing my foot.  

I'm not quite to where I was pre-injury, but slowly but surely I'm getting there.  My speed is finally picking back up and I'm adding in some longer runs.  

 

This week's workouts: Monday - 4 miles on the treadmill at a constant pace but bumping incline every mile, 30  minutes stairmaster, 30 minutes weights (i would have preferred elliptical but i'm trying to be better about lifting cause i know i need to build my strength); Tuesday - 9 mile tempo; Wednesday - 4 miles outside, weights; Thursday - 10 miles on hilly course; Friday - spin class; Today - 16 miles easy pace.  Tomorrow: REST! 

What I'm reading now:

Allison once jokingly made the comment that on days I'm not a type A personality i'm type double A.  haha.  needless to say, sometimes i struggle with being a little too strict with myself.  Over Christmas I bought the book "Eat the Cookie Buy the Shoes: Giving Yourself Permission to Lighten Up" by Joyce Meyer.  It's an easy read (I read the entire thing on my plane flight back to Boston) and one I highly recommend.  It was really good at talking about it being okay to lighten up a bit (every so often we need to treat ourselves), finding joy in the little things, and not letting others steal our joy.

I also got Beth Moore's "Praying God's Word" devotional journal and love it (thanks nate and ry for the giftcard!!).  It gives a verse, some commentary, a place for you to write your thoughts and then it starts a prayer based on the given scripture with space for you to complete it.  Since it doesn't have structured days I can pick it up and set it down without feeling pressured by time lines and use it as a supplement to my Bible study.  

I just started a Bible study based on "Lies Women Believe" by Nancy Leigh DeMoss with my friend, Amber.  We are doing it through Bible Cafe for Women - an online Bible study forum since we both have work schedules that don't allow us to attend a class on a regular basis.  

I'm only on chapter 2 so I can't give a yay or nay yet but I'll keep you updated (at least I intend to).

I am so thankful that I have great Christian friends like Allison and Amber who provide accountability and support.  We are able to trade Bible verses, talk candidly about life, and pray for one another.  I am truly blessed. 

"As we grow up we realize it is less important to have lots of friends and more important to have real ones."

sometimes you've got it

sometimes you don't... 

complacency

Pardon me while I get out my soapbox and preach to myself for a minute….

When we’re on the mountain top it is easy to turn to God.  We see an answer to prayer, we experience a miracle, we can feel His love around us so we praise Him.  We sing songs, we tell others about it, we’re giddy and bubbly.

When we’re in the pit of despair it is easy to turn to God.  We’ve got nowhere else to go, we’re at the end of ourselves, so we reach out to Him.  Cry out for healing, for answers, for comfort.  We rely on Him to get us through because that is what He does. 

But what about the day to day?  When things aren’t good and things aren’t bad, things are just things and we’re slogging through this daily journey called life.  That’s when we get complacent.  We let busyness choke out our quiet time.  We get so caught up in prioritizing work, family, ancillary activities that God gets overlooked.  We don’t really need Him.  For the moment, our needs are met.  We know He will always be there and that He will provide.  We know He will never leave us or forsake us so He gets put on a back burner for when there’s time.  But then there’s never enough time.  I want my quiet time in the morning before work, but have to get up at 5:00 to get in a workout (or at 3:30 to catch a flight) and I’m not willing to give up my sleep to get up earlier to read my Bible cause I’m tired enough as it is.  So I say I’ll do it when I get home from work and the distractions from the day are gone.  But then I end up working later than I thought and after I’ve completed my nightly tasks I’m tired and unfocused and not in the right mindset to study the Bible so it is put off until tomorrow.  But then tomorrow comes and goes and it is the same story over again.  It saddens me that I can so easily get distracted and forget God. 

Being complacent and indifferent not only doesn’t honor God, it angers Him. 

Revelation 3:14-22          

“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation. “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. ...

Apart from the gardener I cannot bear fruit.  My ministry will suffer, my testimony will suffer, I will suffer.  I cannot live life to the fullest.  Whether it is readily apparent to others or not my life is incomplete apart from Him.  And I am not good for anything, but instead am wasted and useless.

John 15:5

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

Matthew 5:13     

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.

In order for a relationship to grow and mature, quality time spent together is a must.  If I want to be like Jesus then I must spend time with Jesus.  I must take the time to study the Bible and get to know him.  Studying the Bible is different from reading the Bible.  Words alone are just words.  We can choose to read them for what they are, merely literature and not allow them to change our lives.  That won’t draw us into a closer communion with God.  We must take the words, think on them, internalize them and let them transform us.  It takes time and effort.  Time in a quiet stillness meditating and listening, not allowing the sounds of the world to encroach and drown out the whispered uttering of the Holy Spirit.    

Relationships cannot exist without communication.  I email my boss, text my friends, call my family.  But, I don’t take time to sit down and have an uninterrupted conversation with the one whose relationship should be the most important top priority of my life.  Prayer should be more than “thank you Lord for this food” (and how often I neglect even the simplicity of mealtime thankfulness for His abundant provision but instead take it all for granted).  It is an open dialogue.  A two way give and take (I tend to take and take).  It should not be relegated to only asking for this or asking for that.  It should include worship and honesty and seeking his ways. 

But, the good news is, when I finally wake up from my slumber God will still be there.  Right where He was and where He will always be. Waiting patiently for me to come back.  Again.  For the 101th time.  To make time for Him, worship Him, love Him.  And when I do I will reap the benefits of a life spent in Him.  A fullness unimaginable.  

So, praise God in the good times, cry out to God in the hard times, but don’t forget about God in your daily life.

Things that I’ve found help with daily devotional time:

1.       Accountability – while we all have to have our own personal relationships with Christ, when it comes to reading the Bible, whether it is a structured  study or a good friend, knowing someone is relying on you can be a good motivator.  Both is even better.   Especially when they allow for honest and open dialogue and discussion.  As iron sharpens iron…

2.       Journaling – makes you really think about what you’re saying and put thoughts behind your words.  I can look back at the times where my journal is full of feelings, prayers, and meditations and also see the times where it is blank or only a regurgitation of the scriptures cause I was in a hurry and didn’t want to take the time to put in the proper effort. 

am i doing my part?

Seek me and you will find me.
Ask and you will receive.

I say I want to get married.  To have a husband and a family.
But am I praying for that situation everyday?  Do I diligently ask God to right now be working in that man's life to mold him and make him into a strong christian leader for our family?  Am I daily reading my Bible, growing my faith, and learning how to become a godly wife and mother?

It's okay to ask God for things.  But, at the same time, we have to do our part.  Action is required.

p.s. in regards to the whole marriage situation I know God's timing is perfect and He's got someone out there for me so either he's not ready or I'm not ready.  More than likely it's the latter.  So, for now, I'm okay with my singleness.


A while back I was going to do a couple of posts,  one on happiness and one on obedience, but never got around to it.  Instead, I'll just post the following four quotes that I was going to use as the basis for my commentary.  If you really want my opinions (cause you know I got them) then let's have some coffee and discuss.

I may not understand what Jesus Christ says, but it is dangerous to say that therefore He was mistaken in what He said.  It is never right to think that my obedience to a word of God will bring dishonor to Jesus.  The only thing that will bring dishonor is not obeying Him.  To put my view of His honour in place of what He is plainly impelling me to do is never right, although it may arise from a real desire to prevent Him being put to open shame.  I know when the proposition comes from God because of its quiet persistence: When I have to weigh the pros and cons, and doubt and debate come in, I am bringing in an element that is not of God, and I come to the conclusion that the suggestions was not a right one.   Many of us are loyal to our notions of Jesus Christ, but how many of us are loyal to Him?  Loyalty to Jesus means I have to step out where I do not see anything (cf. Matt. 14:29); loyalty to my notions means that I clear the ground first by my intelligence.  Faith is not intelligent understanding, faith is deliberate commitment to a Person where I see no way.

Are you debating whether to take a step in faith in Jesus or to wait until you can see how to do the thing yourself?  Obey Him with glad reckless joy.  When He says something and you begin to debate, it is because you have a conception of His honour which is not His honour.  Are you loyal to Jesus or loyal to your notion of Him?  Are you loyal to what He says, or are you trying to compromise with conceptions which never came from Him?  “Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it.” – My Utmost for His Highest, March 28^th

Being happy doesn't mean everything is perfect. It means that you've decided to look beyond the imperfections.

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity.... It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.  – Melodie Beattie