Sunday, May 25, 2008

TRAVEL

Just a quick update on Michael and I. 2008 has been a huge traveling year. It seems like we are on the road or in a plane. Here's where we've been thus far:
  1. Flying to Denver, CO, then driving to Telluride back in January.
  2. I drove with the Kennedy's to Indianapolis, IN in March.
  3. We flew to London, then road the train to Paris....then back again in April.
  4. We went to visit Michael's mom and boyfriend in Missouri over Mother's Day weekend.
  5. I drove to Quartz Mountain for a Conference last week.
  6. Drove to Kansas City, KS this weekend and leave for home late tonight or tomorrow early morning.

So this doesn't count the times we've been to Cushing or our of town for work. We haven't had that much time at home, so that's a little adjust we have to make. It's just been one of those year's where things fall at the same time.

I just PRAISE GOD for giving us safe travel. How's your 2008 towards traveling?

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Pilates

I used to teach Pilates about 1 1/2 years ago. I finally decided I'm ready to get back into the swing of things...kick my butt in gear...eventually get certified again...and possibly teach a class or two this Fall or next Spring.

I found a wonderful place filled with really happy people. I got to try a free class last Wednesday (TOWER PILATES) and loved it! Afterwards, I felt refreshed and energized, so I took the plunge and bought a package. The catch...I have to take 4 tower or reformer classes and 8 mat classes for a month. If I don't use it....I lose it.

Talk about a motivator, especially with a higher cost....since it was free for me when I taught. :) Now, my schedule gets crazy...as I'm sure the rest of you can relate. I had buyers remorse, then thought about it a little...and realized this would force me into making time for something I want to do...and no one is telling me I have to...or I need to...or I should! It's really nice making new boundaries for myself. I'm still a long ways from where I need to be, but small achievements add up to big ones at some point.

Any ways, I took my first class since buying a package this past Saturday. It was a progressive pilates mat class. I could feel Wednesdays class, which I absolutely enjoyed....because it meant that I had kicked my butt. :) Hooray! It made for a better weekend...since I volunteered with some of my 4-Hers and parents with the Stamp Out Hunger at the Post Office (new love), then went to see my mother-in-laws new living quarters...gorgeous! She seems so happy, which she deserves! :)

Monday, I took my 2nd class. This was a progressive mat with apparatus...with the creator and owner of the progressive pilates...pretty cool....and pretty tough...we used the pilates ring and blocks. I felt all of the previous two classes. It doesn't end there though. The owner plopped down next to me on a couch at the studio...and asked if I'd be interested in getting certified by her and teaching there. COOL BEANS & PRAISE GOD! I told her I needed to get back into better form, but I'd think about it after my Masters program is completed this summer! :)

After our conversation, I had a consultation with one of the trainers. She showed me the reformer and Cadillac machines...mind you I had just taken a class before this...both were amazing and hard.

So, today was my 3rd class...this time I got a full 45 minutes of emotional, cardio and pain from the reformer class (pilates machines)...ouch....double ouch...sweat...excitement...prayer...pain...then it's time to go...PRAISE GOD. I was glad I did it...and it's actually going to end up being my favorite. I love trying new things. I'm glad I'm at a place in my life (thanks to God) that I am content...and have decided to live life...instead of pouting about it!

Any ways, I still need to do a full session on the Cadillac machine, but I'll save that for when I feel like crying...or my body feels like it's ready! :)

Keep trying new things! You'll meet new people and learn some things you never thought you'd ever learn....even from things you think you already now! Lots of love and prayers!

Friday, May 9, 2008

Be Still and Know that I Am God by Jason Jackson

Be Still and Know that I Am God
February 27, 2006
by Jason Jackson
The admonition, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10), is often misunderstood. In this brief article, Jason Jackson explores the meaning of the sacred text. Study this devotional with us.

“Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). God’s people are commanded to “be still” in this verse. The imperative gives a solemn duty to those in a covenant relationship with God—Israel in the Old Testament, but today, it is given to Christians (cf. Galatians 3:26-29).

What does it mean when God’s own are commanded to “be still”? The injunction is not given to restrict the mobility of God’s people. The duty represents a spiritual disposition that ought to characterize those to whom God’s unfailing promises have been given.

The word translated “be still” comes from the Hebrew term raphah. This word is found in various forms in the Old Testament, with different shades of meaning. It refers to that which is slack, or to let drop, or in some instances, to be disheartened or weak. When used of a person (as opposed to some inanimate object) it often has a negative connotation.

Interestingly, “be weak” is here commanded. In other contexts, those who let their hands “drop” from work are condemned. Those who are disheartened are commanded to take courage. In contexts where “being still” is condemned, we find that certain obligations were being neglected, and God’s people were admonished to take initiative to fulfill their duties.

Sadly, there are those who are far from “still”; they “do all the work” and give God none of the credit. They believe that by “lifting up their hands” and by “taking courage,” they can survive and thrive by the sweat of their own brow. They can do it all on their own, without any divine dependence.

Here is the irony in this term “be still.” While we must take the initiative to fulfill our responsibilities and live our lives, the uncertainties of living in a world of sin and woe will continually challenge us.
Personal initiative is no substitute for reliance upon God (cf. James 4:13-17).

This command—“be still”—forces us to think on two things: that we are finite, and that God is infinite. That being the case, we need to drop our hands, go limp, relax, and “chill out.” Christian people ought to “come, behold the works of Jehovah,” (v. 8) that we may enjoy a calm confidence in him who gave us his Son.

“Shall he not also with him freely give us all things?” Paul reasoned (Romans 8:32). Psalm 46:10 encourages us to reflect on what God can do in the face of what we are unable to do.
Spiritual serenity, the psalmist admits, ought to be cultivated in spite of the shaking mountains and agitated waters (vv. 2-3; i.e., figures for the difficulties we face in life). This spiritual calm, that God commands, does not come from a lack of troubles; it derives from a steady, deep reflection on the ways God has intervened in history on behalf of his people (cf. Romans 15:4).

So as your world crumbles around you, the call from Scripture is: don’t flinch in faith in God. Stand still—not because of a self-made confidence, not because you are the most composed person in the face of disaster, not because “you’ve seen it all.” Be still because of what you know about God.

It is “God’s past” that provides calm for “our future.” Know that he is God! Know it, not merely intellectually, but practically, spiritually, and emotionally. He is your God. He is the ruler of kingdoms of this earth and the all-powerful Creator of the Universe.

If you are the last man or woman standing, be still. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth do change” (Psalm 46:1-2a). Hallelujah!