Yesterdays EPR was pretty good.  I think I’m faltering a bit on remaining disciplined in each of the 3 areas.  It seems that one day I eat well, next day not so much.  And then I’ll flup flop with running or prayer too.  Ack!  Oh well – I guess I’ll keep trying!

Eat

Breakfast – Fiber One Shredded Wheat and 1% milk

Snack – two trefoil girl scout cookies

Lunch – leftover mac ‘n cheese corn casserole, sauted mushrooms, juice

snack – 2 Graham crackers

Dinner – CSA cucumber salad, CSA corn on the cob with herbed beni sauce, lemon peanut grilled beef

Dinner was a bit European style last night – long and drawn out!  We had a tough time getting the grill up to temp since we’re running low on charcoal, so it took about 2 hours just to do that.  In the mean time, we had our veggies in “stages”.  Perhaps the one advantage is that we ate slow and enjoyed our evening!

Pray

Continuing to read through John – slowly, but surely.  I’ll make it to the end someday – I have to!  ;-)

Run

It was an “rest” day after my long run.  I spent some time stretching and doing weights – and boy, am I sore!  Squats, lunges, and stair step-ups is like the equivalent of buns of steel!  I also did arms and abs, using weights and stretchy bands at home with my ball.

Today is gross and hot and I’m really not in the mood for a run – at all.  We’ll see what happens…

Day 2!  It’s been a hot week, and then today, I woke up to cloudy threatening skies.  Unfortunately, the heat has yet to break.  *sigh*  I’m looking forward to September, what can I say!

Eat

Breakfast:  Bowl of Fiber One Frosted Wheats, small glass of 1% milk

Lunch: White bread sandwich with spinach, sundried tomatoes, feta, pesto, and smoked pepper turkey.  Carrot sticks and apple, plus a glass of ice water

Dinner: We’re planning on some German CSA cabbage, bratwurst, and perhaps some leftover CSA potatoes.  Definitely not the healthiest of meals, but we have a lot of CSA stuff to get used up, and I wanted to try something different

Pray

Reading through the Psalms – today was Psalm 10.  I also read some of Jeremiah.  Jeremiah is one sad and depressing man!  Seriously, it’s sometimes a bit of a downer, though very convicting.  I also finished up John 4.  On my mind for prayers – receiving peace about various blessing God has given me, being thankful, praying for my husband, and…for patience, as always.  Oh, to be more patient

Run

Because of the crummy weather, I ran at the gym today.  And unfortunately, my ipod died halfway through.  Gr!  I’m guessing it was about 2.5 miles total.  Cooled down with a little bit of recumbent bike, and then some seated rows on the weights, and squats.  Tomorrow, I have to work up the motivation to do my 9.2 mile run.  Honestly, I’m dreading it.  With the humidity and heat, running is fast becoming NOT fun.  Plus, as the distances get longer and longer each week, even though my body is adjusting and my endurance is increasing, I can also feel the toll it’s taking on my joints.  I think after this half marathon in August, I’ll be scaling back my mileage a bit, and focus my long runs more on a 10K distance.  But we’ll see.  I get my GU packs in the mail soon, and I’m curious to see how that will impact my stamina and energy when I start to get tired around 75 mins.

One thing that’s always been a bit difficult for me is staying disciplined.  For some reason, I manage to re-think the way my life and stuff is organized about every 6 months.  I think it’s because I can’t handle clutter and excess.  And I have trouble sticking with patterns, so I need new ones every once in a while.

About 6 months ago, I started a weekly chore pattern, and succeeded about 80% of the time.  Some chores, and I’m gonna be VERY honest here, I just don’t care about.  To me, if you can’t see the dirt, it’s not there.  Hence why I sometimes skipped vacuuming our rugs or mopping the kitchen floor.  (Cleaning floors is probably my LEAST favorite chore!)  I also began to realize there are some chores I DO care about a lot – reducing clutter, having clean counters and tables, a well made bed, and clean bathrooms. After realizing this, I reevaluated my weekly chore list, flipped some things to different days since my summer schedule is very different from my academic year schedule, and have a new and improved weekly chore plan.  WOOT!  Aim for success by planning for it, that’s my thinking at least  Or, you could say I’m lowering my expectations and making it easier to succeed.  Either way, I’ll feel better about it, and that’s really all that matters, right?  Ha.  Sure.

The other thing I’ve revisited recently are daily disciplines that have become FAR LESS than daily.  As a Christian, I desire to grow in faith and my walk with the Lord daily, and frankly, I’ve become rather lazy at it.  My time spent reading scripture was decreasing more and more, and prayer was almost non-existent, except within the context of my job.  Working in full-time ministry is a blessing, but also a challenge.  When your job is so closely tied to your faith, it’s very easy for your faith walk to feel and become like a job, something you just do, not something that is woven into who you are, which is the way it’s supposed to be.

After realizing this, for probably the bazillionth time in my life, I recommitted myself to daily discipline and time with the Lord.  And I made a plan, which is really the key.  Without a plan set out, it’s easy for me to just skip out on it.  For now, I’ve decided to read one Psalm each day, and I’m doing a short daily scripture reflection from a book I own.  I’ve also added in some journaling and prayer time as well.  It has become a breath of fresh air, a blessing during my day.

I encourage you – take the time to evaluate your habits.  If the way your life is organized and the disciplines you’ve committed to aren’t working for you or aren’t satisfying, ask the tough questions – why?  Why isn’t it working?  For me, I was trying to fit into someone else’s patterns when it came to my housekeeping and chores, and I just needed to do a bit of tweaking.

Be blessed today!

I know I don’t talk too frequently about my job on here (I’m involved in this), but last night was such a crazy evening that I just HAVE to share.

_______________________

Last night was probably one of the most memorable nights of ministry at this school that I’ve ever had.  It all started with a hail storm at about 5:50 PM

This continued for quite a while, combined with 70 mph wind and lots of rain.

A student captured these photos on campus during the storm.  I was still at home trying to finish cooking dinner before heading over to campus for our weekly fellowship gathering, CW, when we lost power at about 6 pm.  Exciting!

Students started calling me, trying to figure out how to problem solve for the evening.  Plus, there were inconsistent reports of a tornado warning.  People couldn’t figure out what we should do:  Should we still meet?  How will we do worship without powerpoint? And sound?  Quick on our toes, some students ran over to the chapel and grabbed a bunch of hymnals, and I collected as many flashlights and candles (shhhh, don’t tell anyone!) as I could and headed over to campus.

On my way over, I saw lots of this:

There were many downed trees, and it was still quite stormy outside.  And still, no power.  As I walked towards the building where we meet, there was an exodus from the library because the building had closed for the day.  They were discussing what they should do now that they were “powerless” – I had to laugh a little bit inside.  My first thought was, “Come join us for CW!  You can’t really do much else in the dark, but you can pray and worship!”

Upon arriving early for CW, several students had gathered with flashlights and were arranging chairs into a circle.  We pushed a piano closer to the circle, and Kendall was practicing a few hymns for us to sing.  Nothing, not even a power outage, could keep us from gathering to fellowship and worship together!

I sent several students back to the JRC (the student center) and to their dorms to invite people to join.  Everything on campus was canceled, there was no power except for a weak generator providing power to the dining services facilities in the JRC, and students only had so much battery power left in the laptops and cell phones to keep them occupied.  So, Wadzi, Lauren, and Phyllis called friends and went around campus inviting people to come spend time with Jesus and join us for CW.  I figured that if Jesus can minister to the disciples in a storm at sea, we can go out into a rain storm and gather some friends for worship 

Around 8 pm, people started returning to begin CW.  But it was at this time that we got a text message saying that there was a tornado warning in effect, that one had been spotted close by, and that we should seek shelter immediately.  This is where things got interesting!

We gathered some hymnals, flashlights, and a djembe drum and all 20 of us scurried downstairs to the ladies bathroom, which is the lowest point in the forum.  And here, we had worship together!

We sang songs, prayed, and met with the Lord.  It was beautiful.

We were interrupted briefly by a few cockroaches – yuck! – but continued our time together, and eventually went back upstairs to finish CW together with a time of prayer and testimony sharing.  The Lord was powerfully at work during this time.  Students were confronted with their own inability to control circumstances and many of them were concerned about assignments or readings they wouldn’t be able to finish by morning.  But several student testimonies about God’s powerful work in them over spring break challenged us to pray and give over our burdens to the Lord.  I’ve never heard students confess and pray in such a way before!  It was amazing.

I’m so grateful for this night.  Even though it was a bit stressful and scary, the Lord was powerfully at work to meet students at this school in the middle of a near-tornado.  He may thwart our own plans, but God is good and knows exactly what we need.

gracious |ˈgrā sh əs|adjective1 courteous, kind, and pleasant : smiling and gracious in defeat.• pleasantly indulgent, esp. toward an inferior.• elegant and tasteful, esp. as exhibiting wealth or high social status : the British painter specialized in gracious Victorian interiors | gracious living.2 (in Christian belief) showing divine grace :I am saved by God’s gracious intervention on my behalf.3 Brit. a polite epithet used of royalty or their acts : the accession of Her present gracious Majesty.exclamationexpressing polite surprise.DERIVATIVESgraciously adverbgraciousness nounORIGIN Middle English : via Old Frenchfrom Latin gratiosus, from gratia ‘esteem, favor’ (see grace ).

living |ˈlivi ng |noun1 [usu. in sing. ] an income sufficient to live on or the means of earning it : she was struggling to make a living as a dancer |what does he do for a living ?• Brit. (in church use) a position as a vicar or rector with an income or property.2 [with adj. ] the pursuit of a lifestyle of the specified type : the benefits of country living.adjectivealive : living creatures | [as plural n. ] ( the living) flowers were for the living. See note at alive .• (of a place) used for living rather than working in : the living quarters of the ship.• (of a language) still spoken and used.• poetic/literary (of water) perennially flowing : streams of living water.PHRASESbe ( the) living proof that (or of) show by one’s existence and qualities that something is the case : she is living proof that hard work need not be aging.in (or within) living memory within or during a time that is remembered by people still alive : the worst recession in living memory.the living image of an exact copy or likeness of.live 1 |liv|verb1 [ intrans. ] remain alive : the doctors said she had only six months to live | both cats lived to a ripe age.• be alive at a specified time : he lived four centuries ago.• spend one’s life in a particular way or under particular circumstances : people are living in fear in the wake of the shootings.• [ trans. ] lead (one’s life) in a particular way : he was living a life of luxury in Australia.• supply oneself with the means of subsistence : they live by hunting and fishing.• survive in someone’s mind; be remembered : only the name lived on.• have an exciting or fulfilling life : he couldn’t wait to get out of school and really start living.2 [ intrans. ] make one’s home in a particular place or with a particular person : I’ve lived in New England all my life | they lived with his grandparents.PHRASESas I live and breathe used, esp. in spoken English, to express one’s surprise at coming across someone or something : good Lord, Jack Stone, as I live and breathe!be living on borrowed time see borrow .live and breathe something be extremely interested in or enthusiastic about a particular subject or activity and so devote a great deal of one’s time to it : they live and breathe Italy and all things Italian.live and let live proverb you should tolerate the opinions and behavior of others so that they will similarly tolerate your own.live by one’s wits see wit 1 .live dangerously do something risky, esp. on a habitual basis.live for the moment see moment .live in hope be or remain optimistic about something.live in the past have old-fashioned or outdated ideas and attitudes. • dwell on or reminisce at length about past events.live it up informal spend one’s time in an extremely enjoyable way, typically by spending a great deal of money or engaging in an exciting social life.live off (or on) the fat of the land see fat .live off the land see land .live out of a suitcase live or stay somewhere on a temporary basis and with only a limited selection of one’s belongings, typically because one’s occupation requires a great deal of traveling.live one’s own life follow one’s own plans and principles independent of others.live rough live and sleep outdoors as a consequence of having no proper home.live to fight another day survive a particular experience or ordeal.live to regret something come to wish that one had not done something : those who put work before their family life often live to regret it.live to tell the tale survive a dangerous experience and be able to tell others about it.live with oneself be able to retain one’s self-respect as a consequence of one’s actions :taking money from children—how can you live with yourself?long live ——! said to express loyalty or support for a specified person or thing : long live the Queen!where one lives informal at, to, or in the right, vital, or most vulnerable spot : it gets me where I live.you haven’t lived used, esp. in spoken English, as a way of enthusiastically recommending something to someone who has not experienced it: : you haven’t lived until you’ve tasted their lobster ravioli.you (or we) live and learn used, esp. in spoken English, to acknowledge that a fact is new to one.

Good grief, that is a long definition!  This phrase, gracious living, has been on my mind a lot lately.  Mostly because it describes what I aspire towards – living graciously.  I want to be frugal, resourceful, kind, pleasant, and generous.  But I also want to live with gusto!  I want to extend grace to others, and receive it as well.  It reminds me of the Proverbs 31 passage that describes the wife of noble character.  The description is quite detailed, and honestly, a lot to live up to!  I feel the same way about gracious living.

To me, the phrase just really embodies what I want our marriage, our house, our lives to be like – full of gracious living.  Perhaps this might become a new blog name for me

I finished decorating our dining room this weekend.  I only have 5 days left to enjoy it, but it will likely stay up until well past the New Year.  And I’m perfectly fine with that!

Here’s what it used to look like:

Perfectly wonderful and festive, but I wanted a little more.  So, I rummaged through a box of framed pictures that have been waiting to be hung since June *ahem* and wrapped a few in pretty paper, hung a few ornaments, and displayed them all with everything that was already there.

Cute, yes?  I especially love that we have wedding pictures of me and DH, but also from DHs parents wedding, way back in the 70s.  Now I just need a copy of my parents wedding picture, and we’d be all set.

I also printed and framed a little home-made DIY “artwork” – it says, “Jesus is the gift”.  DH and I both are Christian an believe that Christmas is truly about celebrating the birth of Jesus, the greatest gift that God ever gave.  It’s so easy to forget what Christmas is about and think it’s just about presents, or food, or family, or decorating or whatever else.  And sure, each of those things are important and wonderful things to focus on or celebrate.

But the first “Christmas” was simple and poor – a young woman and her husband traveling home with no place to stay, no decorations, no family, just faith that God would provide and be faithful to them.  And God was just that – he provided us (and them) with the gift of Jesus, and there was much rejoicing in heaven over him!

Let’s celebrate Jesus this Christmas, the greatest gift I ever received.