Do-gooders and encouragement

I was debating doing something.


It was a something where I had seen a need and I had the option to fill it.  So, it was a nice something.
Then I started to feel convicted to do this something.  But I knew it wouldn't have been "a bad thing" for me not to do it.
I had an inner conflict, because I was oh-so-comfortable in my "do nothing about it" bubble, aka apathy.

Guess what happened?
Conflict resolved. A Bible verse popped into my mind.

It was cool, but convicting.

When it came to mind, I knew it was the Holy Spirit. The verse came out of left field and was counter to my laziness.


"Anyone, then, who knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, sins." ~James 4:17

Pretty point-blank, eh?

[I knew it was from the book of James, but I'm not so great as to remember the exact reference. Thank goodness for biblegateway.com]


So I did the right thing, and guess what?
I felt joyful and like I was following God's will.
It wasn't some huge thing I did, but it was something I knew was right to do.
Every little bit helps me to be a better follower of Jesus.

And as a result, reinforcing verses and blessing has followed.

In Ephesians 2, it says I was created to do good works. I am equipped to do them, too.

Then in Galatians, it says, "let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." [Galatians 6:9]

To top it off, 1 John 5 says:
In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.


Anyways, the moral for me today is: God is real and relevant, and He is working on me. He also speaks to me through the Bible, and it blows my mind.

Have you had any crazy-awesome encouraging moments? I'd love to hear them! 

Thoughts from the roadrunner part two

So, there's too much on my mind.  I want to document how my race went, before it becomes a fuzzy memory.
Bear with me. Since I'll be taking frequent blogging breaks to solve homework problems, the continuity might not be at its finest. If I start writing about magnetics and induction...this won't be pretty. 


So we went and got our race packets. They were in BRIGHT RED BAGS. I think this was to let people know that you must be an intense runner person, just because of the bag.

As I think back on it, I was mostly giddy for most of the day. If you had been around me, you might have told me to take a chill pill and a nap.

I tried to rest as much as possible on Friday, I didn't say this before, but I took long naps in the car (when I wasn't picking out music or making commentary on the scenery).

The rest of the evening was relatively uneventful. We ate dinner, went back to the motel, and while our supporters were in the next room watching telly, we got ready for the next morning.
So, I nervously laid out my clothes, pinned my race number on my shirt, drank water, stretched, and focused on relaxing.

Also, I ate a bowl of peanut butter cap'n crunch!
YUM.
(I had a salad for dinner, ok?)

Thoughts from the roadrunner, Interrupted

Okay, so I stopped at the picking up of the packets... (in the post below, or you can just click the link...)

I would have continued, but, well, I had some "things come up"
I have to be in a certain mood to blog, ya'know?
I was going to post last night, but I made a mistake or two:

Thoughts from the roadrunner part one

I'm not really sure how to start this post.
How should I write it for easy readability/maximum entertainment?
I could give you a play-by-play, or I could talk about the highlights, hmm.
I've also been trying to recover from not only the milage, but the shock to my body, the hype, the overall event.
I didn't know it would take me so long to feel "normal".

I'll post the precursor. Here goes:

less than 24 hours...

I'm not a super-runner, okay?
I never meant to be one of those running nerds.
...Way back in 8th grade, for volleyball conditioning, I was supposed to run 30 whole minutes.
I. thought. I. would. die.
(I didn't, but it was tough)
Thirty minutes feel like an eternity when you're first running.
After volleyball season ended, I kinda gave up on the whole running thing. I liked other activities, so I was fine.
Three years ago, something happened. My mom signed up for a half marathon. She got into training, and this urged me to try running out seriously.
I wasn't horribly out-of-shape, I just wasn't conditioned to endurance run.
It took forever a very long time (I exaggerate, sorry) for me to build up to being able to go many miles without stopping.
But I was still a "newbie".

I now have something in my possession that no longer makes me a n00b.
Some of my past posts may make you think that I'm some running nut, maybe that I'm obsessed.
Maybe I go a bit too far with running. This is a lie. I have a love/hate relationship with running.
Now, well, running and I have made it official.

How? Expensive running shoes?

Yup, these are $$$ shoes. They're really wonderful and orange....very orange.

While that IS a sign of commitment, that doesn't make me one of those runners.

Fine, I'll just say it!

...I now have a water bottle belt.
Oh. Yes.
Your estimation of my coolness must have dropped by about 20 points.

This bit of equipment says, "hey, I am committed to this sport. I really don't mind looking like a dweeb for the sake of staying hydrated."


And guess what? It's totally true.
I love this belt.
While others may snicker at first, I'll be the one laughing as I pull out a fun-size snicker's bar and devour it for energy, thanks to the handy-dandy pocket on the belt.

(I tell myself that it's a stepping stone to the batman utility belt...)
...
I do think I've learned things from running that have spilled over  to other parts of my life...but I don't feel like turning into a motivational speaker right now. Maybe later I'll do an inspiring running post.
...
The half-marathon is tomorrow (!!!) and hopefully, I'll have a lovely experience.
I have a tiny voice whispering to me that I might die.
Or that I might pass out, and then die from embarrassment.
I doubt that will happen...it's not probable...
Either way, I'll let you know how it goes.

Here's one of my favorite passages right now; it gives me an excited thrill to think that God is so amazing, gracious, and loving. He's also the ultimate energy source.
Especially as I'm in that "figure out where I'm going" part of my life (Isaiah 40:27-31):

27 Why do you complain, Jacob?    Why do you say, Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD;    my cause is disregarded by my God”? 28  Do you not know?    Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God,    the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary,    and his understanding no one can fathom. ²⁹ He gives strength to the weary    and increases the power of the weak. ³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary,    and young men stumble and fall; ³¹ but those who hope in the LORD    will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles;    they will run and not grow weary,    they will walk and not be faint.

Johnny Depp is dating who?

If you're friends with me on facebook, well, ...you know it was a tumultuous affair.
Johnny Depp and I couldn't last 12 hours together.
He's gorgeous, but much too old. Too famous for my liking.

And that's all I'm going to say about that.

Thoughts of a loon

My forefoot strikes the pavement in an efficient movement.
I breathe steadily.
My hair swooshes through the air, streaming behind me. I love the silky sound it makes as I run. I am loathe to put it in a ponytail, though I'm not sure why.
Birds are singing.
I exhale.
Again, I propel forward a few feet, but I feel as if I'm going nowhere. The end of this trek is so far away,

recharged

I'm going to be real. It's not that I'm usually fake...but this isn't the easiest thing to admit.

Ok, this is just what happened to me, and I'm excited.

Honesty, here we go:

Sometimes, I don't really feel like having a quiet time with God. Sometimes, I feel like my life is just rolling along smoothly enough, and I'll forget that I need some time with God, since He's the one who has blessed me with so much. I buy into the lie that I'm smart enough to figure things out and that everything is "ok".

This is wrong thinking.

Today, I half-heartedly got out my journal and Bible, unsure of where to start my reading.
I flipped to Psalms, skimming through, until I hit Proverbs 2 and 3.
Then I was hit by the relevancy of the words. They were jumping (not literally) off of the page and screaming, "Hey!! OVER HERE!!". It was like reading a letter written to me.
It fit exactly what I've been thinking and worrying about lately.  It answered all my questions and worries.

dance...and "events"

This weekend I went contra-dancing.
It was majorly fun.

Here's what happened on the ride home (we'll call my friend L)

Me: I noticed there were at least five guys wearing skirts tonight. That was just a bit awkward, huh? 

L: Oh yeah, haha, I guess they like twirling too!  Did you see the transvestite? 

Me: *feeling naive* Ohh, really? I thought that was just a really looks-challenged individual... I danced with it! ...I think I'm going to be sick. 

L: haha, well, we can change the subject. 

Me: No really, I'm going to be sick.
...and the contents of my stomach were in my lap. Luckily it was just water and banana, but still. Gross! I got myself cleaned up, and the conversation continued... 

L: I'm so sorry! I didn't know it would actually make you sick to talk about transvestites! I won't ever bring that up again.

...

Contra attracts a VARIETY of people, a real variety. It's not a bad thing -- they're all nice folks, but, um, they just have a different way of doing things.

Ok, ok, ok. I'll just say it. There was a person there who looked like neither a man nor a woman.

And I danced with him/her (let's just say it). Not as a partner, but when you're going through the line, you get a turn dancing with everyone. 

I danced for three hours Saturday night. Every dance (except for the 10-minute-intermission when they played polka music. I know it's shocking, but I don't know how to polka) was danced. Because your brain is thinking about the dance moves and what you're supposed to be doing next, it ignores your body telling you to take a rest.

I woke up this morning and totally forgot that it was april fool's day.
How. On. Earth.

Ugh! Well, the post I previously posted was for real, but it isn't very funny since people are EXPECTING humor in everything today.

A conversation overheard

(At the DMV, waiting for a picture to be taken.)

DMV lady: "Sir, you're going to need to take those glasses off, please. We need a picture of your face."

(sitting in front of the camera is an obvious hipster.  He's a guy with an afro. He's wearing gray skinny jeans, ankle boots, and a black jacket -- embellished with sequins. The look is pulled together by his hipster glasses. You know, the glasses that look like Buddy Holly's: 

The glasses supposedly say, "I'm cool, without even meaning to be. I'm comfortable wearing these semi-ugly glasses. I have confidence." But since it's a trend, there are many people doing this...so it ruins the cool factor. Back to my story:)

Guy: "What? But these are prescription!"


Lady: "Sir, you didn't need them to pass the vision test, and you also didn't use them for the driving portion of your examination. They're not necessary to driving for you. So, please remove them."

"But they're my prescription glasses! I need to wear them."


"Sir, like I said, they're unnecessary for driving and they're obscuring your face."


"Why you gotta have an attitude with me? These are my glasses, and I have a prescription for them!"


"Take off the glasses so I can take your picture.
*he complies*
Very good, now will you review the information listed here and make sure that it is all correct?"

"Yeah, yeah it's fine. But these glasses are prescription, I'm telling you..."