Couch to .... what??

To you fitness buffs or those who are athletically inclined, running may be no big deal, just a part of your normal fitness routine.  But there's nothing normal about it for me. 

 As a kid growing up in Colorado, I loved to ski. Dad was on the Ski Patrol at Purgatory, and I grew up loving the slopes.  I also enjoyed riding my 10-speed bike, and that was the sum total of my athletic pursuits.  I never played any sports, unless you count the summertime touch football games we played on our street. So when my husband started doing Couch 2 5K with some friends, I thought "That's awesome...for him." He was getting up at 4:20 and running by 5:00am every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.  After a few weeks, he was losing some weight, gaining some stamina, and really having a great time with our friends. In fact, he was annoyingly chipper and positive.  One day, he suggested I join them.  "No thank you, I don't run.  And I definitely don't do 4:30 in the morning.  Good luck with that", I quipped.  Undaunted, he continued to invite me. "You don't have to run. You could just walk. It's fun, you'd like it!" he insisted.  Finally, I agreed. "But just walking," I told him. "None of this 5K nonsense.  And LOTS of coffee."

We met at a track near our house, and it was still dark when we got there at 5:00.  The track is near a military base, and while we were there, we heard both Reveille and some nearby roosters.  (Roosters??I'm up with the roosters??!) True to my word, I did NO running, just walking, around the track.  I did that for a couple of weeks, while my husband and our friends ran.  I guess I finally cracked under all that sweaty peer pressure, and early one Thursday morning, I gave Couch 2 5K a try.  I quit the very first time! I thought I would die during the 60-second jogging intervals!  I remember telling my friend Kelly "That was awful! I'm never doing that again!!" But I came back Saturday. And Tuesday. And pretty much three times a week from July through September, my husband dragging my sleepy self to the track with a hot cup of coffee in my hand. 

Somewhere along the way, it was decided that after we completed the nine weeks of C25K, we should all run an actual 5K race. I was pretty sure this was a bad idea, but reluctantly agreed. I started to get stronger. I lost a little weight. I stopped feeling like I would die during the running intervals. I got a water bottle, and an armband for my iphone, but I drew the line at buying any of those silly shoes with five toes on them, or the ones that weigh less than a marshmallow. We managed to talk several friends into training and running with us, until we were nine instead of four. The fellowship and accountability of the group was amazing and powerful. Day after day, we kept showing up, not because we were so dedicated, but because we knew if we dared to sleep in, we'd receive eight text messages taunting us for our lameness. So we finished our training, and on September 24, 2011, we ran our first 5K.  But that, my friends, is a story for another blog post.  Now find a running buddy, and join me here on Monday for Lessons from the Run!

I don't know how she does it, either!!

I thoroughly enjoyed going to the movies with my husband last night.  I always love our movie dates, but this time I got to pick the movie, so it was extra fun.....well...for me, anyway.  We skipped the monkeys-take-over-the-world movie, the global plague movie, and the R-rated-everyone-dies-or-blows-up movie, and went instead for "I don't know how she does it", a chick flick featuring a mom who tries to juggle a demanding career and a busy family life.  (*yawn* said my husband...)  Ok, so he was mostly bored, but I laughed a lot.  On our way home, I talked about my takeaways from the film. My husband noted that he did not have any takeaways from the film, but here's what I got:

Be truly grateful if you're able to "stay at home" with your kids.  (I use that term really loosely because every SAHM knows we don't actually get to spend that much time at home...)  My husband and I decided when our oldest child was two years old that my most valuable contribution to our family was not to earn a second income, but to make a home for us.  I've never regretted that decision.  It was hard trading my briefcase for Blue's Clues and Veggie Tales, but I wouldn't trade that time with my kids for anything!

If you're a mom who works outside the home, you're a superhero!  The mom in the movie nearly lost her family before she figured out what you already know: you can't do/be/have it all.  Not really.  You make choices.  You set priorities. You juggle.  You sacrifice. You make the most important things, the most important things.  You do an amazingly difficult job, and my hat is off to you!

Don't fall into the trap of thinking anyone else "has it together". Because the life of a Pastor's wife is very busy, and we have a large family, people ask me all the time how I "do it all".  The short answer is "I don't."  I struggle just like you do to make the right decisions, and strike a balance between all the things competing for my attention. I focus on one area, and something else falls apart. Yesterday I spent the whole day with my husband, today the house is a disaster. (Don't tell my small group, they'll be here at 6:30!)  But I do continually seek God's direction for that balance, and resist the urge to compare myself to anyone else. 

Life is better together.  In the movie, the main character had a supportive friend who cheered her on, no matter what. At Crossroads, we're starting our first-ever women's Bible study in October. Over a dozen women, many of them young moms, have signed up.  My prayer for them is that they will love growing in their faith, and in the knowledge of God's word. But I also pray they find their "cheering section", other women who can encourage them on their journey, and point them to Christ when they don't know how to do, be, or have it all.  Can't wait to get started!

Today's Verse: "I am ready for anything through the strength of the one who lives within me."  Phillipians 4:13 (Phillips)

Prayer for Today: Father, help me to recognize that in my own strength, I can't hope to do, or be, or have it all.  Help me make your priorities my own and, grant me the strength I need to do all You have called me to do.  In Jesus' name, Amen. 

Manic Monday Breakfast

Ever wake up on a Monday morning with the cupboard a little bare after the weekend? This recipe is my mainstay for mornings like that!  Like today at my house, for instance!  I keep a couple of tubes of refrigerated, reduced-fat croissant dough on hand, along with mini-chocolate chips and powdered sugar so I can whip these up in a jiffy. Serve these delicious little rolls with some fruit juice, hot coffee or cocoa and a little fresh fruit, and...voila! A grab-it-and-go breakfast your family will love!

Easy Chocolate Chip Croissants

1 tube refrigerated Reduced-Fat Croissant dough (I like Great Value brand, holds its shape better than Pillsbury)

2 T Nestle Toll House Mini Morsels

1 T powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Separate the dough into 8 triangles.  Sprinkle a few mini chips down the center of each triangle, being careful to stay close to the center so they will all get rolled up. Roll the triangles from the widest part to the point and shape into a curve.  Bake for 10-11 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove immediately to serving plate and sprinkle with powdered sugar.  (I like to use a tiny strainer to sprinkle the sugar, 1 T is more than enough)

Yum!

He knows.

I wasn't going to blog again this week, but I really want to share this before the details fade.  A few days ago, in a post called "A cup of Friendship", I told you I had plans to have coffee with a sweet friend.  We got together on Tuesday, and our time together encouraged and refreshed me so much, I wanted to share it with you all.  

My friend Shayla and I arrived at our local coffee house at about the same time.  As I got out of my car, I saw that she was carrying a beautiful package, all bright and flowery and tied up with curly ribbon.  Hmmm.... We ordered our coffee (her treat!) and settled in at the shop's comfortable couches.  We chatted easily, like good friends do, even though it's been a while since we had more than a few minutes to talk.  I enjoyed my delicious coffee (you're right, Stephen, the Columbian is the best!) and we caught up on our summers, travels, kids, just life. 

I was still wondering why she would bring me a present, when she invited me to open it.  Inside the cheery wrappings was the beautiful quilt in the photo above. It's personal-sized, just right for keeping me warm on movie nights at home, and it's my favorite color...purple!  She made it just for me, and there's a hand lettered label on the inside. It says:

This quilt was made for

Leslie Oden

by

Shayla Erskine

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up."

1 Thessalonians 5:11

This was a very personal, very thoughtful gift.  But that's not the most amazing part of the story.  What Shayla could not possibly have known as she lovingly pieced the quilt together, long before that August Tuesday, was that last week was going to be one of the most difficult in recent memory for me.  She couldn't have known how much I needed the comfort of coffee and conversation with her on that morning.  She couldn't have known I needed encouragement, almost as much as I needed air. But God knew.  And He knew He could inspire my friend to create this beautiful gift, and give it to me on a day when I needed to know He was still listening.  As I left the coffee shop and started home, I felt Him whisper to my heart "I know. It's going to be okay. I'm with you." Thank You, Father, for knowing me like no one else does, and for always being more than enough. 

Prayer for Today: Dear Father, help me to be sensitive to Your leading when you prompt me to share a word of encouragement. Use me to remind someone You care.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Today's Verse: "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." 1 Thessalonians 5:11 NIV

Bloom! (Grow....part three)

Today is the third in a series of posts about growing in our faith, becoming more like Christ.  In the first message we said that making a decision to follow Christ is a great first step, and that God's word is the "food"we need to grow spiritually. Then, in part two we talked about developing the habit of daily Bible reading, and found some resources to help.  Today, let's talk about being content, about "blooming" right where we're planted. 

Often, we think we need perfect conditions to take next steps in our lives. We say to ourselves "If only we didn't move so much, I'd get more involved."  "If only there was a church like back home....If only my husband was a Christian...If only he wasn't deployed..." then I would join a small group."  But the truth is, no matter what your circumstances, you can decide to be content right where you are; to bloom where you're planted. Yes, even though you're moving in eighteen months. Yes, even while your husband is deployed.  Yes, even in a town with no Starbucks.  Yes, even at that funky church in the movie theater! 

 Listen, I've rocked babies, read stories, baked cookies, sang in choirs, stamped postcards, vacuumed floors, led VBS, and volunteered in women's, youth, college, and music ministry.  Why? To build my resume'?  No! I just decided that no matter what's going on around me, no matter where I am, I want my life to be fruitful for God. I don't have to wait until everything lines up just right, I can serve Him now.  I want to live my life in full bloom, so others see Christ in me, and want this new life for themselves!

What about you?  Are you content, right where you are?  What has kept you from taking that next step of faith? What does "full bloom" look like for you?  Leave a comment and share!

Today's Verse: This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.  John 15:8 NIV

Prayer for Today: Father, I want to live life in "full bloom" for You.  Show me how I can serve You, right where I am today.  In Jesus' name, Amen.