Wow…I blink and nearly three months have passed by! Three months since my last post when I was finishing up my detox. OK…I’m recommitting to the blog thing. Going to give another try to being more consistent with it. For those of you following this regularly – I’m sorry that I’ve been so flaky! Here’s a quick update on what’s been going on. I’ll elaborate more on these items in the weeks to come.
The Diet Thing. I completed the 14-day detox diet and gradually went back to “normal” foods. Even though I didn’t lose any significant weight, I did learn a few things. Apparently, I am sensitive to lactose. Ever since that experience, I get queasy after eating a bowl of cereal or a cup of yogurt or anything with a lot of dairy products in it. Small quantities don’t bother me, but anything with concentrated amounts, does. That’s probably going to curb my Lucky Charms addiction. I know that I could go to soy milk or almond milk or something like that, but I’m choosing to just limit my dairy intake – and hopefully my fat intake as well. The other thing I learned is that I do have the willpower to change what I eat, at least in the short term.
Summer. As you can probably tell by my absence, summer was a whirlwind. This is the first summer that I have been back at work since my children were born. It was a blur of day camps, “grandma-camps”, swimming pools, and family trips. There was no routine to speak of, but we had a lot of fun. School just started last week and I, for one, am grateful for the return of a semi-regular schedule!
Sudan. Yes, Sudan. I went on my first missions trip in early August to Nagishot, Sudan. Four of us went to minister to the ladies there,to teach them some Bible stories and share the gospel and just love on them. Seven women came to Christ, which was absolutely amazing. The country is very poor and very beautiful, as are the people. I’d do it again in a heartbeat. More on that later, too.
Ministry life. Fall ministry is gearing up already, and I’m up to my eyeballs in new opportunities to teach and minister to the women of FEFC. I’m teaching the REAL Women’s Bible study this season, and hosting a new ministry for moms called “Moms’ Connection.” We’ve got the FEFC Women’s Conference coming up in October, too. As crazy as it all sounds, God is raising up the women to lead and to help me with all of these ministries and more. It’s a cool thing to watch. But, I’m noticing that I’m getting a bit callous to the little miracles He does every day; I’m growing more accustomed to them, I guess. I really don’t want to ever lose the wonder that I’ve had during this first year of ministry. How I hang on to it, I’m not sure. That’s something I’ll be praying about.
OK, then. I’ll be sharing more details about all of these things and more in the weeks to come. My brain and heart seem to be very full, so I’m sure it will take some time to unpack it all. I hope you’ll hang in there with me for it all.
I don’t normally sing in the shower, but yesterday morning, I was feeling particularly inspired. I had the house to myself, so there was no one to embarrass or tease me about my song choices. Plus, the shower has really nice acoustics. So, I opened the glass door, stepped into the warm water and began to sing. I had barely vocalized five notes when I was joined by a chorus of mews and trills from my youngest cat, Pixel. She sat outside the shower door, nose in the air, blinking at me and calling at the top of her voice. I have never heard her do that before, but then I don’t sing in the shower often, as I said. We crooned together for a good five minutes, a “Kat and Cat Duet” if you will. (more…)
Wow…it has been a long time since I posted. I’ve been thinking about the reasons for this, and I’ve come up with several thoughts. First of all, life has been really, REALLY crazy around here. Many changes – far too many to process even in the weeks that I’ve been away from my blog. Second, my brain has been too full to concentrate on putting words and phrases into coherent sentences. Third, what little spare time I’ve had for things like this has been spent with my family – you’ll understand why in a few paragraphs. Fourth, I’m just lazy. Didn’t have the energy. And I could go on….
So this morning, I’ve set aside several hours to myself and this is one of the things I’ve chosen to do with “my time.” Even as I’m writing, there are other things trying to creep in and steal these moments. But I’m determined to put something down in writing to honor all that has transpired in recent weeks. (more…)
Last week, I was running late. It was raining – AGAIN – and the resulting crush of inattentive drivers on the freeways meant that it took me an-hour-and-a-half to get to church. It was a Bible study morning, too, so there was a lot to do as soon as I could get there to do it. I arrived and hit the ground running, loading up a cart with all of the supplies I needed and wheeling it down to the room so I could begin setting up. I was also teaching the lesson that morning, so I was mulling over my outline, my illustrations, my Bible verses as I scurried around. And then….
I love to swim. Now that my training for the 2010 triathlon season has begun, I’ve had cause and motivation to brave those first few cold minutes in the pool in favor of swimming some laps. There’s something about being enclosed in the water, isolated even from the other swimmers for the most part, that is soothing to me. With the rhythm of my kick, my arms, and my breathing, my brain begins to get into rhythm, too. And I think about all sorts of things.
During my last swimming workout, I was thinking about penguins. Don’t ask me why these things happen – they just do. And I began to consider that I have a few things in common with them. Penguins on land are awkward and slow, waddling along with short stubby legs over a round belly. It’s comical really. That’s certainly how I feel when I’m running. I’m apparently not built in such a way that running comes naturally or gracefully to me. Neither a penguin nor I will ever break a land-speed record – we are far more likely to break our noses tripping over ourselves. (more…)
Thank goodness! I am finally home after The Grand East Coast Tour that we made for the holidays. We saw everyone in our immediate family this year – mom, dad, sisters, cousins. It’s always great to see family, but ten days away from my own bed makes me cranky. I am glad to be back!
I’m always a little anxious when I visit my family. Most of them do not believe in God the same way that I do. Note that I did not say that they don’t believe in God at all. But they are far more liberal in their understanding than I am. I believe in a personal relationship with Jesus my Savior, in the Holy Spirit who guides me day by day, and that He has a purpose and plan for my life. That personal relationship is missing where much of my family is concerned. At times, they have viewed me as a fundamentalist freak (terminology mine). At times they have been very vocal about their concerns about my “radical” faith. At times, we have argued and feelings on both sides have been hurt. And my mother has put her foot down on the issue – don’t talk about religion with her youngest daughter (me). (more…)
Wow…this summer has been a crazy, crazy time! Here we are in August, it’s almost over, and I’m not at all sure how the days were spent. They’re a kind of blur in my mind, all melding together and overlapping and getting jumbled up. But, there are a few themes that seem to stand out…let’s see if I can make some sense of them. (more…)
My favorite training gadget is my Garmin Forerunner 305 Personal Training Assistant with a heart rate monitor. It can do just about anything, like tell me how fast I’m going, what my cycling cadence is, guide me through a complicated workout, and calcuate how many calories I’ve burned, all while telling me exactly where I am on the planet. (more…)
My Grandma Jane is dying. In a sense, she’s been dying for years, suffering from a number of serious conditions including a degenerative nerve disease that’s been slowly killing every nerve cell in her body and brain. After suffering a massive stroke late last fall, her condition went from deteriorating to worse and we didn’t expect her to make it another week. But, “Calamity Jane” (as she likes to be called) rallied and has been in hospice care for more than six months now. Two days ago, the family got word that her body is finally giving up and she is “transitioning” into the next life. Now, I’m waiting for the call from my mom saying that Grandma Jane’s struggles on this earth are over. (more…)
My brain is in turbo mode right now. Big changes in my ministry and my personal life are on the horizon…but not here yet. It’s hard to wait when I think I can see what’s coming and I believe that it’s God’s best. My mind is buzzing with ideas. Exciting stuff. Patience is not coming easily.
See…the women’s director at FEFC resigned about a month ago. It was a shock to me and to pretty much everyone I know. The reasons she left aren’t important, but the vacancy is leaving a huge hole in ministry and leadership for many, including me. More surprising, perhaps, is that immediately after we heard that she was leaving, both my husband and I felt that God was calling me to fill the gap and take on the job. What?!?! Me?!?! Are you sure, Lord? I have children at home that need care, and going to church each day would be a long commute, but…I feel You in my heart telling me that this is my next step. Wow…
If God is calling, I have to answer. No matter how exciting, or how hard, or how complicated it will be. Every night, He’s dumping ideas into my head. Every day, I have more excitement and a stronger desire to get it started, put some rubber to the road, take the reins and get moving. Wow…. (more…)
