Fit2Wed

Right now our office could be called Fit2Wed instead of Fit2Race. Sayuri, Jesse and I lament about what still needs to get done all before the big day. With wedding on the brain, we each have our own distractions with this part of life. It does make for a fun/understanding work environment as we make calls to vendors on our lunch breaks or have to work on wedding details in our spare moments. But for Sayuri, the big day is here this weekend! Ready or not, the day has come. Congratulations to Dustin and Sayuri and little Bink, our office mascot. I pray for years and years of good things for the two of you.

We took on a challenge mid-February to get in better shape before our weddings and signed up for KAIA FIT (Functional Intense Training for Women) which is conveniently located just next door to work. We've had a lot of fun (and suffered a lot of good pain) with the ladies at KAIA FIT. I'm loving the set up - in Tumbleweeds Gymnastic Center. Nikki's philosophy on fitness is inspiring! After watching kids jump around and do gymnastics, she asked herself, what happens to us as adults to think we can't get in there and do that? Many women's lives have been changed by it. I love the energy and the fun of the class and the ladies who lead it. I love seeing average women get in there. You don't know what to expect each time you walk through the door except that you're going to sweat, move your body, and work it out with a bunch of other like-minded ladies of all shapes and sizes!
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On another note, interviews for my position have started, as I won't be making the commute once James and I are married. So, if you live in the Carson/Minden area and are looking for a fantastic, fast-paced, tough job, I'd say apply now. It is kind of interesting to see who comes through the doors and curiosity gets the best of me. I wonder who will carry on here at Fit2Race.

For now, I'm workin' hard to be Fit2Wed. Even though I hate all the details and the planning of a wedding, I'm enjoying the process as James and I get to know each other in different ways through this too. The hardest part is living in the moment. I have to constantly remind myself that I only have today. I'm not given tomorrow so I need to just enjoy the moments I have now with co-workers, family, friends and my handsome fiance. Tomorrow will come soon enough and I'm sure there will be plenty think about then too.

Strength

It might be the number of times I biffed it snowboarding this weekend at Northstar. It might be the fact that wedding planning has now been added to the details of every day life. It might have been the number of thoughts I've had about the exciting (but unknown) changes that are coming in the next few months. For whatever reason, this morning I was tired and felt weak.

Strength of body - Shred the mountain?! ha! My body felt like shredded meat for atleast a day.
Strength of mind - Take your thoughts captive. Remind yourself you only have today. Don't get overwhelmed. My constant struggle.
Strength of heart - Taking on the details of wedding planning requires this, even if you are a bride-zilla and/or love this kind of stuff. (not me!)

My plain and obvious need this morning was to be strengthened from above. Your own resources run out....

And guess what I opened up to this morning in la Biblia? A few passages on this very topic, something I so desperately needed to hear.

Isaiah 45
"I will go before you and will level the mountains;
I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron.
I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God.
I will strengthen you,"

To be strengthened with a strength that never runs out. Now that's real strength.
Just today I felt that strength running through my thoughts, my heart, my physical body even! Intangible but so real. His essence strengthening my human frame so I can do His will and be His girl. I'm so far from it, but I want it.

I started thinking about life a little and how I'm venturing into a new season, one that includes marriage and family, all very new stuff. And I asked God for the strength for that.

You want to know what He said?
"Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you." Isaiah 46

Later today I heard a song by Sidewalk Prophets
"The Words I Would Say" and I was encouraged and strengthened once again.


"Be strong in the Lord and,
Never give up hope,
You're going to do great things,
I already know,
God's got His hand on you so,
Don't live life in fear,
Forgive and forget,
But don't forget why you're here,
Take your time and pray,
These are the words I would say..."

So my hope for you is this kind of strength and this kind of relationship with the living God, where He speaks and you are changed.

"I have learned......." Contentment

There will always be opportunity to be discontent. It's just what you do with those moments that count. A lot like junk food, discontentment is always being dished out on a plate nearby and most likely looks good. Can you train yourself not to grab it and find a healthy replacement instead?

A discontented person is easy to spot. I know I'm a dead giveaway when I'm discontent. I'm unhappy, fretting, worried, negative, unthankful, ungrateful. No matter how many good things are going on, it's the one thing that isn't that becomes the focal point to fret about. In a state of pride, expectations of what is owed and what your life should be like becomes the central driving thought. Maybe it's the nature of being human. Most of us want something we don't have. Somehow we never seem to be satisfied. I think of all the jokes about women. Blonds want to be Brunettes. Curly haired girls want it straight. We're never satisfied.

The more a mind is allowed to find reasons to be discontent, the more spiritually unhealthy the soul becomes. Living in the moment is the most fruitful thing you can do and yet it doesn't come naturally. It must be learned.

When contentment rules the heart, there is confidence, joy and peace no matter what happens in your circumstances. But this kind of ruling takes focused effort. This is not to say that we should stop praying for better circumstances. Yet, contentment allows you to have a continual feast no matter what your circumstances.

When you're discontent, you're never happy. You never have enough. You'll always find something to fret about. It's a state of mind. It's an act of the will. To be content is a character trait we should add to our faith. When we live in contentment we live contrary to culture. It's a tough one, but it reflects the heart of our creator. When we live with contentment, we train our soul to desire nothing more or different from what we currently have by limiting our will and perspective to live in the moment and be thankful for what is in our lap at the time. Contentment is a choice and it is learned behavior as Paul showed us by Christ’s strength.

The opposite of contentment is wanting more than you have at the moment, wanting something that isn't yours, even if your desires are for good things. When we are discontent, we give ourselves over to grumbling, complaining, and being bitter.

Sometimes I wonder if discontentment comes because we have complicated our lives. The simpler the lifestyle, the less opportunity for disappointment. Obligations consume spirituality, time, and energy. If we spent half that time setting our affections and our time on things that count, things that are eternal, I wonder if we'd be so discontent.

I'm writing this today not because I'm discontent. Instead, there are many things in my life right now that are in a state of uncertainty. I want to remind myself to live with a thankful heart and not focus on the uncertain elements in life. I want to constantly remember to cultivate a thankful heart.

Some good friends of mine who are now planting a church in Marsaille, France, have trained their kids to go in another room and not come out until they have a "happy heart". It sounds funny to hear a parent say "Go and get a happy heart" but really this is the crux of life. You can be happy and content even when your expectations don't measure up knowing that contentment is a choice you can make right now, because right now is all you have.

Learning To Sing!

If you've ever been awake when songbirds are singing in the morning, you may appreciate this scientific finding.

On Friday morning, I picked up a copy of Science News from April 2010 while cycling at the gym. Inside was an article about the first songbird genome. Besides the chicken, the only other bird that has a completely determined genome is the Zebra finch. And scientists have found within the bird's DNA some clues on how songbirds learn vocally.

Apparently, the male zebra finch learns to sing by memorizing his father's song and practicing the song for a month or two. Once he learns his father's song, it becomes his signature song and he sings the same tune for life. Zebra Finches are loud and boisterous singers. Although it starts as a few small beeps it leads to a rhythmic song of varying complexity. Their song begins as a few disjointed sounds, but as they experiment and match what they sing to the memory of the father's song, it rapidly matures into a full-fledged song. During these formative times, they will incorporate sounds from their surroundings into their song. Each finch has a unique sound but they will overlay their own uniqueness onto a common rhythmic framework. Sons generally learn the song of their father with little variation. Although the male finch's song may change during puberty, he later sings his father's song his entire life.

Ok, hmmmm. First, he learns His father's song.
Second, he sings the same tune for life.

I got to thinking about how this songbird provides a parallel to my life as a believer.

When my Heavenly Father made me His daughter, I began to learn a new song. I'm still learning to sing it, probably still at the peeping stage, definitely still disjointed. What may take the finch only one or two months will probably take me a lifetime but as I experiment in living out this song, hopefully I will mature! Fortunately, I'm following the one who sang the Father's song perfectly - Christ Jesus. Christ's life was perfection. Mine is not. He sings a perfect melody each morning to our Heavenly Father and although I'm still learning the tune, still learning when to hit the low notes or reach some higher places in song, Christ has already perfected it.

And oh how much do I have to learn! The Father's character is trustworthy, patient, kind, full of love, gentleness, authority, justice, peace, grace. I could go on and on as I consider the character of God. My character is shifty, impatient, unkind, full of selfish ambition, brash, weak, prone to worry and often ungracious with others. Almost daily I'm confronted with my own humanity, which sounds a lot like a song that is sung off key. How deeply I need a Savior.

Although my own variation can sometimes be heard in my life and it's probably a little off key, my Heavenly Father's song is definitely my signature song. I don't want to sing any other. I do hear the Father's melody breaking into my song on more occasions than my own selfish song plays out and for that I'm thankful! And so there you go! Some moments of reflection from an Australian song bird!

God is Power

Last night James and I watched part of the old classic movie, Chariots of Fire. Eric Liddel was supposed to follow in his family's footsteps and become a vocational minister. His sister gets so distraught that Eric focuses instead on running instead of helping her with the mission. We laughed at how uptight and sour she gets about it all.

I was inspired at how Eric uses that platform to make comparisons between faith and running a long distance race and speaks to a captivated audience that wants to hear about his running experiences.

At one point in the movie, a professor or student or someone (can't remember now) makes the comment that God is a benevolent dictator. James so clearly pointed out that God is not a benevolent dictator. He IS power. He doesn't need to take power from somewhere or something else. As I've stewed over that today, I've come to recognize and embrace once again that God needs nothing from man. He is all knowing, all powerful and yet He has extended His hands to us.

Sometimes we relegate God to a place in our mind that fits in a box. But He's so much bigger. Another reason to bow down before Him.

Lunch Break

On my lunch break, I've been enjoying the rural areas of Carson Valley where the cows graze and alfalfa fields are covered in snow. It's incredibly beautiful to see the surrounding mountains that create the Carson Valley and enable Tahoe to be one of the most beautiful pearls on earth! These power walks are also helping me burn some calories for an upcoming wedding until the weather warms up and the ice melts so that outside running and biking can be added to the mix again. :)



My I-phone has a holy bible application and I love it, using it whenever I am bored or need to look up a verse! I can look up scriptures but it also has a daily reading guide. Hands down, I always choose the daily Psalm and Proverb reading. Just a few days ago Psalm 89:2 in the World English translation came up....

"I indeed declare, 'Love stands firm forever. You established the heavens. Your faithfulness is in them."

Hmmmm, God's faithfulness is seen in the heavens. Something about that last sentence caused my heart and thoughts to be jolted. What exactly is meant by this? His faithfulness is intangible and it's not quite clear how God's faithfulness is in the heavens, or is it? How does one measure faithfulness anyway? The heavens are visible so what can I get from the visible to help me understand the invisible? What do I see in the heavens?

Every morning I see the sun rise and every night I see the sun set. When the moon gives light in the winter night, reflecting off the glistening snow, I'm reminded that even then, there's a consistent stream of light. God's faithfulness is consistent. It doesn't change. Is this what is meant? Tangible evidence that the world isn't falling into the sky? Tangible evidence that there is a God and I'm not Him, that His definition of faithful is the purest essence of the word. He is crystal clear in faithfulness.

Pondering and chewing on some good stuff on my lunch break.....


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One thing I noticed while taking my lunch break are the dormant alfalfa fields. Winter is a time when all the crops lie dormant waiting for Spring. Do I heed this natural cycle in my own life? Am I allowing time for things that need to die to do so and wait in hope that Spring will bring a richer, fuller crop, or am I going through the motions? I want God's faithfulness, God's character, God's goodness to yield an even bigger crop next year. But how will that happen if my own selfish ambition continues to thrive inside? Selfish ambition has to die so that Christ can live in me.

This was a revelation I got this week on Monday night. Wow...If I have no more "righteousness" on my own, meaning "flexibility righteousness" where I pride myself in being flexible and others centered, then I am empty! Hmh! This Winter, maybe that's the point. Empty yourself so you can be filled with Him.

...........So many good thoughts pondered on the lunch break. :)

My girl :)

For Christmas, my little brother gave me a music mix of songs that we had fun listening to on our trip to Seattle for Thanksgiving. His homemade gift has been great for new music in the mix!

The song I've been playing over and over in the car is a song by "my girl", Natasha Bedingfield's "Love Like This"....At first I thought it was the catchy tune, the fun lyrics about a love that started when they were young and hasn't gone away. It's just kind of a catchy song!! Check it out if you want. :) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KqMB4hRVgk)

But then I realized that I like it because it's a song I can dedicate to my one true love, Jesus. Parts of it obviously wouldn't make sense that way but a lot of it does....I don't know if that's cheese for some people, but I find that happens in songs and movies for me.....A lyric, a line in a movie, can speak with so much weight that my heart is enraptured.

So, as the lyrics sing....


"You're the only one that knows me
love it when you hold me
I'd never find a love like this, let me hear you say
Now I'll never be lonely,
Look at what you've shown me,
I'd never find a love like this!

When this life tries to keep us apart
You keep callin' me back to your heart, let me hear you say
I'm so glad you found me, wrap you all around me,
I'd never find a love like this

All the guys tried to take me, you're the one who saved me
I feel like I owe you my life
And as strange as it may seem, I'll go if you take me
I'm willing to sacrifice...

And that's why you keep runnin' in and out of my mind
As the years they all roll by, its not hard to know why
I keep comin' back to you.....

You're the only one that knows me, love it when you hold me...
I'd never find a love like this...."

I'm so thankful for how God has brought James into my life. I guess I just resonate with this song; my first love will always be Jesus. I'll never find a love like Him. I think a lot of women forget this and once they go into marriage they expect that man to be Jesus. Last time I checked, there's only one. Keep coming back to Him. He's the only one who knows us....we'll never find a love like His!