Francis Chan

Francis Chan has been such a blessing to my life lately. I have listened to some of his podcasts as I run, and he has added tears and laughter (yes, out loud, yes, I have gotten some funny looks) to my running. Here is a link to his website, which also has links to some of his podcasts. Or you can search "Francis Chan" in iTunes. My next move will be to purchase his books. Be blessed.

Libraries

Picture taken from: http://www.artsjournal.com/realcleararts/2010/12/listris-libraries.html

I love my library. It is seriously my favorite place to go, and I try to get there at least once a week if not once a day. Free books of any genre. Free movies. Free CDs. Books on CD? Yup. Magazines? Yup. And if they don't have something I want, they order it or tell me where I can go to get it...still for free.

I have a craving, an ever present hunger for books and movies, for plot twists, intriguing story lines, personal narratives of life's journeys, various art forms, non-fiction knowledge, new music, television series, the list goes on and on.

The money I am able to budget for these things amounts to $0.00. What little income I have right now isn't even doing the best job of covering the basics. Yet at the library, I am a rich woman. I go in, get whatever I want. I can leave with one book or 50. I can leave with one movie or five. I can put in my requests online and the nice people at the library will email me when they come in.

And since we are talking about librarians, I have the best librarians ever. Everyone at the library is so nice, so polite, so helpful.

I support any tax programs for the libraries, because a good library is one of the best resources a community can have. I'm serious. So go to the library. Ask your librarian his or her name. Browse for awhile. Take home some goodies and enjoy.

Bathtubs

Ice baths after long runs. Hot baths after a long day. I am so thankful for the luxury of bathtubs, clean water, and temperature control. We are so blessed.

Picture taken from: http://gbi.photoshelter.com/gallery/Ideals-Gardens-Trees-Churches/G0000P7KsYjqKvDw/P0000BXEbG5JyOtQ

Spring has come to Mooresville, North Carolina, and I was happy to be there to see flowering trees and green grass. It was even warmish one day for us before spring rains hit. I can't wait until we see trees in bloom across the Midwest!


* I did not take this picture, nor do I know if it was taken anywhere near North Carolina.

How He Loves

John Mark McMillan is one of my favorite artists. I think his lyrics are full of meaning and depth and can really help you focus on God's mercy and love and sacrifice for us. I also love his voice. His album, The Medicine, is one I couldn't wait to buy.

The song, "How He Loves" has been done by numerous artists, but it was written and originally done by John Mark McMillan. It was written during a rough time in John's life and it is a beautiful conversation with God.

Watch the story behind the song (which also fills you in about the last verse):



Then watch the video and meditate on these beautiful lyrics.



He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

Pre-Chorus:
Oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us so.

Chorus 1:
Yeah, He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.

Verse 2:
We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
So Heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way…

Chorus 2:
He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves.

Verse 3:
Well, I thought about You the day Steven died,
And You met me between my breaking.
I know that I still love You, God, despite the agony.
...They want to tell me You're cruel,
But if Stephen could sing, he'd say it's not true, cause...

Chorus 3:
Cause He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us.
Whoa! how He loves us.
Whoa! how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves.

Willing Servants

Blessed to be in their company today...

Andrew. A 9th grader who served eagerly all day. He became a leader for three 6th grade boys. He did any job I asked him to do. He helped me set up the merchandise and ran around in our warehouse for hours. Most notable to me was that when he saw something that needed to be done, he did it himself. A real servant. An eager and happy servant, on his feet all day long.

Jerry. A man who came and helped all morning. At a lull in the morning, he took drink orders for Duncan Donuts. Anything you want, just name it. Such a cheerful giver. Went out of his way to bless us. And he wore a hairnet all the way there and back!

Julie. Ready for college, her gifts are evident already. Detail-oriented. A planner. Sees how the little things contribute to the overall success of an event. I could see her strengths before I even knew her name. The best part: she played a major part in getting this event going. She pushed for things to get done. And because of that, she thought it was only right that she be at the event the entire time to serve. Leading by example. Her glamorous jobs of the day: scooping supplies out of a large, dusty bin and taking out the trash. All ... day... long...

Carolyn: A mother of two whose focus has shifted from the business world to the mission world. She focuses on her daughters and on serving the Lord. Another one who was there all day, doing whatever I asked. She eagerly took lunch orders, offering to stop at as many places as we wanted. She was a smiling face making sure that all was well, all was taken care of, all were enjoying themselves. A real pleasure to work with.

The Group on the Train

A short man in a long black coat, thick black glasses, balding head passes me. As he gets on the train, the usual riders greet him. He sits down, takes out a cigar, sticks it in his mouth without lighting it. He comes back to borrow a newspaper for the duration of the ride, cigar still hanging out of his mouth. The usuals who sit by me in the back of the train car, talk back and forth to him. They laugh, they joke, they share their lives on the train. One is dressed in a warm outfit looking like he will work all day outside. One is dressed in business attire already working on his computer at 6am. One can't figure out how to see who has texted him about a friend's death. One jokes around and then pulls his ski cap over his eyes and tries to sleep. The texter starts using his phone as a walkie talkie, and he talks to his friend the train conductor who keeps walking through to take care of tickets. It seems like almost everyone on this train car know each other. They must ride together most days. First train of the day. Second car back. They group, they talk back and forth between groups, they catch up on life and the latest gossip, including last night's American Idol episode. I want to be a part of a group like this. They happen to pass in and out of each others' lives. The get on and off at different stops, they have completely different lines of work, they come from all sorts of backgrounds, but for a few minutes on the train each morning, their lives intersect. It was really cool to join this group today.

A one-sentence summary of why I love running.

Running has the uncanny ability to mellow the soul, to take the edge off hard feelings, and put things back into healthy perspective. -Dean Karnazes

I run for a lot of reasons, but Dean really captured one of the most important aspects of running. Running looks like a physical activity, but it is really mostly mental. And as you train your brain to overcome adversity during a run, you are also training your brain to overcome adversity in life in general.

Is THAT who I think it is?

I joined the 2nd graders today by walking up behind them while they were waiting in line in the hall. A girl at the end of the line turned and saw me. Her eyes opened wide and she said, "Is THAT who I think it is?!?!?!"

What a great way to start the day.

Life is Beautiful

I have been learning about how much your thoughts define you. I love this incredible example of a beautiful life, a rose among the thorns.

Watching a Movie

I stole this adorable picture from http://imjustthisgirl.blogspot.com/2010/04/bug-day-one-part-one.html

Today my beautiful thing is having the luxury to get in bed and watch a movie. I hope my cat will join me, but I don't have a cute dog like the one in this picture.

Love affair with fruits and veggies

Picture taken from: http://newmexicodietitian.wordpress.com/2010/09/07/fruit-and-veggies-month/

I used to think that in all of weight loss, exercise, and living healthy, diet was the biggest sacrifice. That was my own opinion since food has always been my weakness. Chocolate chip cookies, brownies, Dairy Queen, cheese, anything with lots of butter, etc. I can commit to exercise, do a regimen, stick to my goals. But a healthy diet has always been fleeting. I just couldn't break the habits, and I think that is due to a number of factors.

I didn't have anything to replace the bad foods. Now I am learning about cooking differently, replacement ingredients that can lessen sugar or fat content. But the most life-changing replacement has been my new love affair with veggies. Cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes, carrots, peas, corn, asparagus, broccoli, green beans... I never knew they were so good. Plain. Not cooked, not fried, not dipped, just plain. Amazing. I never knew. But now that I do, I sometimes replace sweets with veggies. Not always, but sometimes.

And then there are fruits. Apples-skinned. My stomach never agreed with apples until I started skinning them. Though much nutrition may be found in the peel, I think it is better to eat a peel-less apple than no apple at all. Bananas. Grapes. Oranges. Strawberries. Pineapples. Pears. Peaches. Mmmmmmmmmm. Just naming them makes me want to go have a bite. Fresh. Not canned, not in juice, just fresh.

I can't wait until summer when I can go outside and pick some of these fruits and vegetables off of my own plants. I can't wait to go down to the farmer's market in my town, which should open in a few weeks.

Thoughts

Wisdom begins in wonder. - Socrates

Your life is what your thoughts make it. Marcus Aurelius

These two quotes were on my Quote of the Day widget this week. I love them because they directly relate to my purpose in writing this blog. I do long for wisdom, and this blog is an exercise in looking for the beauty in each day and trying to recognize things that are special, unique, or beautiful in each day. Thinking about these things will create a heart that meditates on the beauty in life, which leads to wisdom.

Also, I think a lot of life is defined by what our thoughts make it. One person may live in a lonely world while another lives in a very full world. I have experienced both, and I recognize the power my thoughts have in determining my actions, which help determine my community, which helps determine my support system and interactions.

A beautiful day in Chicago

Taken from: http://www.howaboutchicago.com/2009/06/28/chicago-skyline/

More thoughts on fear and death

As I continue to think about my classmate's death, these are some things I wrote in my journal.

A classmate of mine felt strongly about not going to teach in the Chicago Public School system. Afraid for her life, she wouldn't go. Within two weeks of expressing this fear, she was dead, killed in her own bed by her own heart.

Her fear isn't lost on me. I, too, am fearful. I am fearful of the unknown, fearful of the rough inner city neighborhoods. I don't have street smarts. I don't know if I could bridge the gap between my own experiences and theirs. I don't know if I could be successful in any classroom, much less one so under funded, under supported, so set up for failure by outside influences.

But we never know what will happen. We never know what is around the corner or in store for tomorrow. You can die from poor choices, unforeseen circumstances, or just being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I don't want to live in fear, and I don't want fear to stop me if I have something to offer. It's easy for me to dream about what it could be like, how successful it could be. I could be the next Erin Gruwell, Jaime Escalante, or Geoffrey Canada. It's also easy for me to exaggerate the danger, thinking people are waiting to shoot me at each corner. But the truth is, I haven't experienced Chicago Public Schools, inner city life, or life in the projects. I don't know where I'll end up. It could be inner city, a town, in a corn field, or a mission school in some other country.

My classmate's death has me thinking, though. I don't want to be driven to something or away from something because of fear. Whether naive or not, I want to be driven by passion, purpose, a sense of calling. I don't want me fears to imprison me. Today has reminded me that I truly don't know what is around the corner, but I want to turn the corner with my head held high, confident in life or death.