Can You Tell It's Monday?

Pictures!

One day, while searching Craigs List for antique blue Ball Mason jars, Brian happened to mention that we had several out in our old building that were apparently left behind by the former owners. Cha-Chang! I cut this hydrangea a little late -- but I think the colors are still quite nice.

More blue Ball Mason jars! This hydrangea was cut from the shrub I dug up at my grandmother's home several years ago. It blooms beautifully every year. She always enjoyed telling her friends at the assisted living center that they were from "her garden". I picked up the glass candle holders from a church rummage sale this past Saturday, moved the enamel tray from the kitchen, and added the hydrangeas... all to our "new" farm table (made from old barn wood!)

What can I say? I can't get enough of the blues!

A Sunday Snapshot

Two reasons I couldn't help but smile (& thank God simultaneously) this morning:

• While making my way to the water fountain, I overheard two senior citizen teachers teaching their groups. So, why the smile? First off, I can't tell you how much I enjoy being back in a church with senior citizens, but the main reason was their fervor in teaching. There's no such thing as divine "retirement" on this side of heaven. I saw that exemplified in my grandmother who recently passed away. She was still reading her Bible every day and seeking out opportunities to show those around her the love of Christ in the days leading to her homecoming.
  

• In group time, we had two families who recently went on a missions trip to the Appalachian Mountains share their experiences with us. So, why the smile? Their children shared how they helped the adults build an outhouse for a 82 year-old woman with terminal cancer living on the side of a mountain... literally (they wanted to build her a new house but she didn't feel it was a good use of God's money). This group (consisting of ages 9 mos old - 75 years old) also visited assisted living facilities in the area and conducted VBS every night for a week. Seeing these kids "get it" at their age was an amazing blessing.

Multi-generational-missions-minded people. How could one not smile (and thank God simultaneously!)?

The Beauty of a Serendipitous Moment

Remember my serendipitous moment while watching the show "Hoarders" back in January? The counselor told the hoarder, who was insisting on keeping furniture simply because it had been passed down through the generations (to the chagrin of his family), that he was allowing his "past" family to negatively influence his current family. Immediately, I thought of our dining table, which I remember sitting at as a little girl, with my great-grandmother. It's beautiful, and holds wonderful memories, but with such limited dining space in our home, it was practically neglected due to its formality.

Three "opportunities" came about this week as a result of that serendipitous moment months ago:

1. A dear friend of mine purchased the table. Within her own family, she was sadly passed over when it came to sharing her grandparents furniture. As a matter of fact, she didn't inherit one piece of furniture from her family. Now she feels she has inherited something special and is totally delighted. She has also offered to sell it back to us if we (or the boys) ever decide we want it again.

2. Another friend shared with me last week how she couldn't bear to sell her parent's home (which has been sitting empty for years since their passing) because it was "their legacy" left behind for her. Thankfully, due to my own journey since January, I was able to share with full confidence that "stuff" is not a legacy we leave behind for our children. If our loved ones were able to speak to us from heaven they would urge us not to give "stuff" another thought. They could care less where their furniture ends up!

3. We now have a "new" 7' farmhouse table for our family to enjoy! We're hoping to find a bench or pew for one side and chairs for the other. It seats 8+ and will be perfect for games and lots of future family meals together. We'll also be painting the room so lots of exciting things are going on in the Baker house these days. (Poor Brian)

Who would have thought so much could be learned from one sentence shared on a show called "Hoarders"?

Back Where They Belong!

Imagine my surprise when I came home from a prayer journaling night with the girls to find the original french doors to this circa 1911 home... back where they belong. They had been stored away in our attic ever since we moved in over five years ago because much of its glass was missing after the fire damage.

Every time Brian and I've gone in the attic we've commented how nice it would be to one day return the doors back to their original glory. As you can see, while they are far from it at this point, better days are coming! We had no idea just how cool the glass pattern would be until now -- we love it!

No doubt about it -- I've got the best hubster around! Who else would brave the 90+ degree temps in our dusty attic to pull these out, dust them off, and hang them up -- all to surprise me. :) (While his soccer games were awaiting!)

With some "new" glass (actually, old bubble glass) and a couple of coats of white paint, these doors will look right at home. Welcome back!

It's Just You and Me

My favorite and final "cool down" song is "Only You" by David Crowder. The closing lyrics of this song solidify my purpose in taking better care of myself. They go something like this:

Take my heart, I lay it down
At the feet of you whose crowned
Take my life, I’m letting go
I lift it up to You who’s throned

And I will worship You, Lord
Only You, Lord
And I will bow down before You
Only You Lord

Take my fret, take my fear
All I have, I’m leaving here
Be all my hopes, be all my dreams
You're my delights, be my everything

And it’s just you and me here now
Only you and me here now

You should see the view
When it’s only You


When all is said and done, no matter the situation, it always comes down to the fact that it's truly just the two of us. The personal relationship. One on one. My first love.

Back on February 2nd of this year, He and I began a new journey. I prayed for something I desperately lacked... motivation. I had no desire to eat right, to move my body, or to even care if the pounds continued to add up. That afternoon, I found myself popping in a Leslie Sansone DVD I'd had for awhile (hoping the very presence of an exercise DVD would inspire me!). I remember thinking that if I could walk even one mile it would be a start. And it was. Albeit a tiny step, God's hands (or should I say feet?) were all over it.

Today, Brian and I are registering to walk/run in the Greenville Spinx 5K race in October.

So what made all these memories come flooding back? I was pouring over some old journals of mine from the early 90's when a particular recording caught my eye where I'd written how I was sensing the Lord wanting me to take better care of the body He has given me.

Maybe the journey has been longer than I ever realized. Maybe He was waiting for me to take the first step. Not with the DVD, but in prayer.

"And it's just You and me."

If I Wasn't in this for the Long Haul...

I would quickly become discouraged. But I am, so I will continue plugging away! Or should I say running away?

I started out trying to follow the Couch to 5K plan. As it turns out, there are many walk-to-run programs that offer more of an ease-in-to-running plan, which seems more suitable with my knee issues. I realized early on that my progress would be slower than most -- but as long as I'm making progress, I'm encouraged.

Although my running time hasn't increased as much as I'd like it to, my actual run feels better - less awkward - and that's an awesome feeling! My running friend at church told me the Elliptical machine would help build endurance and I think she's right (thanks Val!) I'm now a big fan of the Ellip machine. When asked how long I should use it, the trainer said to see how far I could go. I went 50 minutes and loved every minute of it (OK, maybe not the first 10 - but then Crowder's song "Make a Joyful Noise" came on and that was the catalyst for the final 30.)

The thoughts shared above kept flooding my mind while running this morning. I couldn't help but consider how much my slow, but methodical, improvements reminded me of my spiritual walk as well.

I'm thankful that my journey with the Lord is more like a marathon and less like a sprint. Sure, there have been times when God has provided great spurts of spiritual energy to grow leaps and bounds in Him through His Word, but there are also times when the growth is slower, and more methodical. And that's okay too. It's all a part of the training -- and whether that training pertains to our spiritual growth or to our physical/mental growth, the key word is perseverance.

"...and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."
Hebrews 12:1

Rewind!

Friday: I enjoyed breakfast with my best buddy -- and anyone who knows me knows it's Teresa. :) It's a friendship that has remained strong for 18 years +. We're both "low maintenance" in the sense that we don't have to be joined at the hip, or stay in close contact with one another every day in order to enjoy the fact that we're still as good as friends as ever. We always pick up right where we left off... and that's usually with laughter. :)

Saturday: Thanks to Teresa's advice, instead of my getting a single membership to the Y, we were able to get a couple's membership, via Michelin, for 19.00 a month at the Sports Club! I had to ask the Membership Coordinator twice to make sure I hadn't misunderstood the quote. We joined on Saturday, and although we'll use the S'ville location the most, I look forward to visiting the 5 Forks location to swim or enjoy a smoothie with Teresa and the girls from time to time. :)

On Saturday night, our Sunday C4 Group got together for a cookout. It was hot, the grill was fired up, and we were inside. Now that's my idea of a successful cookout. Food is hot, I am not. :) We had about 25 people overflowing into various sitting areas throughout their home. It was fun visiting each "area" -- different conversations but one important similarity: laughter. Community at its best.

Sunday: We began a new study in the book of 1 Corinthians. I had wondered if the husband I shared about last week would attend now that we had completed the study he was initially interested in (Tabernacle). He did! Afterwards, the Lord provided a wonderful opportunity for us to talk about various aspects of the lesson while people were filing out of the classroom. (Both husbands were also at the cookout!) Thank You, Lord!

Monday: Brian went for his one hour session with the trainer at the Sports Club. We were especially looking forward to the point in their consultation when Brian would have to explain why he checked "yes" under the question on the questionnaire, "Do you wear heels or elevated shoes during the day?" Since Saturday, we had laughed SO hard over the fact that he checked "yes" and I checked "no", but Don assured him that the question referred to men's shoes as well. Thanks, Don. It was fun while it lasted. :)

Tuesday: I met with a woman in our group who is having some difficult struggles with her adult son. I walked away with a new and fresh appreciation for our boys. None of us are perfect, but I see God's faithfulness written all over their lives. I also voted!

Today: I did my walk/run routine before heading over for my one hour evaluation from the trainer. She was both encouraging and helpful. I'm pretty psyched about the fact that she's teaching the Zumba class in the morning. Maybe she'll have a little mercy on me. :) Tonight, I met with the group of ladies at our church. We have one more week in our study written by John Ortberg. It's been a great one!

Tomorrow is a study day. I'm already looking forward to it!

A Glimpse of Glory

I was especially looking forward to today's walk/run for a couple of reasons. One, I've been exercising indoors for the past few days due to the weather, and secondly, I was giddy about trying out my new Craig's List find...an Ipod Shuffle.

So, off I went! Instead of subjecting the Poinsettia neighbors to my "Couch to 5K" attempt, I decided to give them a break and head to the mega parking lot close by. It's wide, open, and spacious. I didn't realize just how wide, open, and spacious it really was until the song "Shout Unto God" began playing on the Shuffle.

Although the moment is hard to recapture, it was as if glory itself was enveloping me from every direction. The vastness of the sky almost took my breath away (and believe me, I needed every breath I could get at that point). Now, along with that visual, imagine hearing the closing chorus to "Shout Unto God" streaming through the ear buds. It was a sensory overload -- but one I wouldn't trade for the world. If you're unfamiliar with the song, check out the video above.

Eric Liddell said, "I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure. "

Well, I also believe God me for a purpose, and I'm pretty certain it was not to go fast, but rather to slow down and to raise my awareness of His constant presence.

And when I do, I feel His pleasure... like today.