Pink Lemonade

A few days ago I received a blogging award, the Lemonade award, from my friend Angie. (Thanks Angie. You know that you inspired me to start my own blog.) The award is for "making life a little sweeter" (it's the whole "if life gives you lemons, make lemonade" thing).

I've been pondering who to pass the award onto and then I decided that my friend Steve deserves it. For his blog, definitely. But also for who he is as a person. Steve is a Bible Study leader and is very involved in outreach for the church we both attend. He has a special way about encouraging those around him and leading us toward the Truth of Scripture. So here you go Steve. Thanks for the ways you always encourage me as my brother in Christ.

Oh and by the way, does anyone else think pink lemonade tastes better than regular lemonade? Aren't they the same thing? Is a psychological thing, like with M&M's? oh well...

Keep Pedaling: Place Hands on Sensors

This morning I was working out at the gym. I was in a cardio mood, so I split up my time between the track and the bike. I had left my iPod at home thinking that I would fine without it today. Usually, music is my saving grace during workouts. It keeps my mind from constantly thinking: only 10 minutes more, only 9 more minutes...But even without my iPod, I had a song stuck in my head. Unfortunately, I only remembered the chorus of the song because it was a new song at church last Sunday. Actually, I only remembered a few words. Still, some music was better than no music. Round and round the track I jogged, and over and over in my head I recited these words:

You are Stronger, You are Stronger
it is written, Christ is risen. ("Stronger"lyrics by Hillsong)
(note: You = God)

Finally, after being lapped multiple times by a gentleman twice my age (talk about embarrassing), I headed downstairs to the bike. All the while repeating you are stronger, you are stronger... It was soothing and humbling to remember that God was stronger than my aching legs.

I jumped on the bike and chose the cardio program. After all, it WAS a cardio day. I was soon reminded that the cardio program is based upon reaching your target heart rate. But in order to find your heart rate, the machine constantly asks you to Keep Pedaling. Place Hands on Sensors. Need Heart Rate. The one caveat to this is that anytime you sweat, the sensors can't accurately pick up your heart rate. So over and over the machine read Keep Pedaling. Place Hands on Sensors.

Soon enough, I became annoyed. I just wanted to finish my 15 minutes and be done with it. But the machine kept shouting at me and I had no choice but to respond by shouting back (not literally of course) I am pedaling. I'm pedaling as fast as I can!!! Give me a break. Even though YOU (the machine) can't find my heart rate, I certainly can tell that my heart is pumping. And I believe everyone around me can tell from my sweaty shirt that my heart is pumping.

Still, the machine was relentless: keep pedaling. place hands on sensors.

7 minutes completed. I was halfway there. I decided to try something new. I told myself, okay, stop looking at the clock. Instead, look at the snow! Oh yea! It was beginning to snow. Woo Hoo! I was soon thoroughly distracted . Well, sort of. My machine was still yelling at me because it needed my heart rate. But at least I was caring as much anymore. And then I had a huge epiphany (slight exaggeration, but only slight). The machine wasn't yelling at me. It was simply reminding me that I WAS ALIVE!! Yes, that was it. There I was, watching the beautiful snow falling down outside, and it was all of the sudden perfectly clear: This is what it means to be fully alive. My heart was beating. My legs were moving. My adrenaline was going. What else could I ask for? Suddenly I was overwhelmed with gratitude. Gratitude for my health. Gratitude for the beautiful snow. Gratitude for the funny ways God talks to his people and reminds them to Keep Pedaling.

It goes without saying that I was pumped for the rest of my workout. I kept pedaling. The snow continued to fall. And I thanked God for reminding me that being alive is a blessing and a gift.

What if God's message to all of us is simply this: "Keep Pedaling. Place Hands on Sensors." Or to put it another way, what if God wants us all to just keep going? Times might be tough. But just keep pedaling. Becausee it'll get better. You might be having a bad day or month or year. But just keep pedaling. You'll get past it! And all the while, listen to your heartremembering that life is a gift. Being alive is a gift.

My workout was winding down but then I realized that those lyrics were still playing through my mind. It was like my iPod was on repeat.

You are stronger. You are stronger....

And then, I had another epipheny. Maybe not as big this time. Ok, yes, God is stronger. He is stronger than I will ever be. And that is a good thing. But what if "I" was stronger than I thought as well. What if "you," yes, you, are stronger than you give yourself credit for. I am not discounting God's strength and power, but if God lives in you and I, are we not strong as well? Yes, I believe this. You and I are stronger! Because God is with us. And because God is with us, we can keep pedaling.

Keep Pedaling. Place Hands On Sensor. This is what it means to be alive.

Not your typical 5 o'clock shadow...

The Best Christmas Gifts I Received this Year

31. Celebrating the New Year at my sister's new apartment. my sister's hospitality is always so humbling.

32. Playing games with the family on New Year's day. IQ is not a playable Scrabble word. On the other hand, Qi is a plable word.

33. Eating sushi. I'm always thankful for this.

34. Honestly expressed intentions. Not having to guess ho others are feeling.

35. A wedding engagement!!! Two people certain of their love, ready to commit their lives to one another.

36. Rockin' and dancing to my iPod. Sharing earphone with mom while trying to move about the living room. We didn't get too far.

37. First ski of the season. When the fog finally lifted, the view from the top of the mountain (and bottom) was as gorgeous as always.

38. Skiing in 50 degree weather. If you're a skier, you know how great this is.

39. Midnight Mass. Singing Christmas Carols in the church I grew up in.

40. Being challenged by the priest's Homily; "Sometimes, like Mary, we are called to follow a star although we would rather stay where it's safe. Like the wise men, we have to trust that the star we are following will not lead us astray.

41. Chris Tomlin's "Everlasting God" being sung by the Youth Choir to remind us of the true mean of Christmas.

42. Spending Christmas with Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents, Cousins and friends. Realizing that my cousins have grown up and have their own personalities.

43. Giving and Receiving smiles at work. Thankful the job that I have-a job where I can talk and laugh with many people of many different nationalities.

44. Re-reading the Creation story. "God looked around Him and knew it was good." Every animal. Every tree. Every river. Man. Woman. He created them all to reflect His beauty.

A friendly game of dominoes

Do you ever feel like you are feeling things more strongly than usual? Things just seem to impact you more. I felt that way for the past couple of days. For example, today, while I was waiting for the crossing guard, aka, the little flashing man/sign, I found myself staring off into space. The rain was coming down, more than a drizzle, but it didn't really matter b/c it was warm outside (is this what they mean by "global warming?"). So, there I was, staring off into space. Watching the cars pass by, their tires whipping through the puddles. I wasn't thinking of much of anything, but I was at peace. Peace with myself and the world around me. And I was thankful-for the simple pleasure of walking to school, in the rain.

Over the weekend I was sitting in a coffee-house trying to work on a project for class. Across the room sat three men , a father and his two grown sons maybe? They were enjoying a friendly game of dominoes on a Sunday afternoon. The men spoke in Spanish so I'm not sure what exactly they were saying (nor did I understand their game having never played dominoes), but I could read their body language pretty easily: they were just enjoying life. Enjoying being in each others company. They were thankful that they had the day off of work. In fact, work was the last thing on their minds. One of the sons would make a joke. The other two would laugh. This is why God gave us the Sabbath: I thought to myself. It's a time when we can catch up with friends and family, laugh, go to church...and play dominoes. Sigh. I didn't have much motivation to finish my project after that.

Last night my co-workers and I were outside for our break. As we were making small talk about the gorgeous and warm weather, the wind blew. It wasn't a big gust of wind. Just a soft breeze. And it just felt "right." Once again, I was at peace. Peace with myself and at peace with the night sky. Work was a blur after that, but that feeling of peace and wholeness stayed with throughout the night. Sometimes, I wish I felt this deeply all the time. Would I have a different perspective on life? Would I be more sympathetic toward others? What about love? gratitude? Would I love others with a more gracious heart ? Last post I wrote that I was thankful for love- for being loved and for loving others. Tonight, I will go to bed with a heavy heart. A heart that is full of awe, wonder, love and hope. Hope that tomorrow will bring new blessings. Do you ever feel like you are feeling things more strongly than usual? As we were praying in Bible Study night, I realized, once again: tonight is one of those nights.

Gratitude..

24. I am grateful for all the love in my life. I know that I loved by others and that means everything. I am thankful that I am able to show others that I love them.

25. I am thankful for good conversations. For the chance to speak my heart and listen to the hearts of others - for conversations both in person and over the phone. For laughter. For tears. For love.

26.It's probably the PT in me, but I am amazed by a guy's physical strength. His strength to carry a heavy box without wincing. Like it were as light as a feather.

27. I am thankful for a voice to sing and ears to hear the sounds of the Christmas season!

28. I am proud to be a JMU Alumni. The Dukes are heading to the FCS Football Semifinals this weekend.

29. Once again I'm thankful for men. For their ability to problem solve , understand spatial things, and even diagnose my car problems! So grateful for that last one!

30. I am blessed by the hospitality of others. That they would open up their homes and welcome me with warm hearts.

I'm a guest blogger...

This is my post for tonight (or visit Angie's blog at www.springofjoy.org).

What is prayer? Why do we pray? Often we think that prayer is when we ask God for things that we need. And I know how superficial that sounds. But sometimes we ask God to watch over our families, to keep us and those around us safe and healthy, or we even ask if God if He will reveal himself to us. But I think prayer can be so much more.

Prayer can be asking God for things...I think this is okay as long as do not have our own expectations about how God will answer our prayers. But prayer can also just be a time of sitting and reflecting in the presence of God. Really desiring to feel His presence. Prayer can also be a time when we are talking to God and then we start listening to ourselves. I often find myself praying, "God, I am tired. and I am lonely. I know you are good, but I still feel alone..where are you?" If we listen to ourselves as we pray, we might just realize that we've got it all wrong! Prayer is not about ME. Rather it is all about GOD! It is all about our AWESOME and WONDERFUL FATHER.

And so, maybe the best kinds of prayers are when we acknowledge say just that: "God, you are amazing, You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples. (Psalm 77:14) How awesome! Yes there is power in prayer. Sometimes praying is about talking to God. Yet sometimes, the best times, are when we pray and remember that our GOD IS GOOD.

This is my prayer for tonight: Dear Father, You are more awesome than I can ever know. It is because of your great love that I can ever love others in return. Tonight, I pray Father that I would trust in Your love for your people, especially your daughter Angie. I love you Father. You are so good and so strong. Be our strength tonight and always.