confessions of a lapsed runner

when people ask me my hobbies, i usually include running/exercising in the list. late in college i had a mild obsession, getting really into taking care of myself, only to get injured in late spring from a race. i guess i never fully recovered mentally. i keep going in phases, but i always profess to love it.

but this is sort of untrue right now. you see, the last time i ran was before i went home to nashville in december. this was over a month ago. i haven’t even stepped into my gym since then.

this fact is unsettling because not only do i profess to enjoy something so much as to include it as “a pursuit outside one’s regular occupation engaged in especially for relaxation” but i have registered for two races here in vancouver that occur in april (a 10k) and may (a half-marathon).

i don’t enjoy running right now. in fact, the mere thought of putting on my running shoes isn’t the slightest bit relaxing. same with going to the gym. it sends me into such an anxious state that i have to sit on the couch and watch Friends to calm down. and eat terrible treats left over from a birthday party. just so everyone knows, lacey has a terrible time with discipline.

i am such a hypocrite. i profess to be about living healthily in all realms of life but right now i am in the most rebellious state ever and i am beginning to pay for it. i have no energy. i feel disgusting especially when i eat greasy foods. i have paid a bit of money to run in races that at this point i am not ready for.

i am not really sure why i am blogging about this. maybe just the fact that this struggle is posted for all to see will help me be aware of the discontentment i am experiencing right now and change will happen. health is important to me. running is [read: was] enjoyable to me. right now, i just find myself resentful of it. maybe because i don’t see the results that i want [and more so because i am not patient, am not trying hard enough, and/or have unrealistic expectations]. maybe its because of the weather here which is much more conducive for curling up with a blanket and a good book or movie. but i hate how i feel right now and even curling up to read or watch a movie doesn’t have the same satisfaction because i know its only a form of escapism.

lent is coming. i am really looking forward to that time and what God will do with me. I am not sure what needs to be given up, but i have a feeling it will have something to do with the state i find myself in right now; being entirely too undisciplined.

so, thats my confession. encouragement is not only appreciated, but entirely needed at this point.

confessions of a lapsed runner

when people ask me my hobbies, i usually include running/exercising in the list. late in college i had a mild obsession, getting really into taking care of myself, only to get injured in late spring from a race. i guess i never fully recovered mentally. i keep going in phases, but i always profess to love it.

but this is sort of untrue right now. you see, the last time i ran was before i went home to nashville in december. this was over a month ago. i haven’t even stepped into my gym since then.

this fact is unsettling because not only do i profess to enjoy something so much as to include it as “a pursuit outside one’s regular occupation engaged in especially for relaxation” but i have registered for two races here in vancouver that occur in april (a 10k) and may (a half-marathon).

i don’t enjoy running right now. in fact, the mere thought of putting on my running shoes isn’t the slightest bit relaxing. same with going to the gym. it sends me into such an anxious state that i have to sit on the couch and watch Friends to calm down. and eat terrible treats left over from a birthday party. just so everyone knows, lacey has a terrible time with discipline.

i am such a hypocrite. i profess to be about living healthily in all realms of life but right now i am in the most rebellious state ever and i am beginning to pay for it. i have no energy. i feel disgusting especially when i eat greasy foods. i have paid a bit of money to run in races that at this point i am not ready for.

i am not really sure why i am blogging about this. maybe just the fact that this struggle is posted for all to see will help me be aware of the discontentment i am experiencing right now and change will happen. health is important to me. running is [read: was] enjoyable to me. right now, i just find myself resentful of it. maybe because i don’t see the results that i want [and more so because i am not patient, am not trying hard enough, and/or have unrealistic expectations]. maybe its because of the weather here which is much more conducive for curling up with a blanket and a good book or movie. but i hate how i feel right now and even curling up to read or watch a movie doesn’t have the same satisfaction because i know its only a form of escapism.

lent is coming. i am really looking forward to that time and what God will do with me. I am not sure what needs to be given up, but i have a feeling it will have something to do with the state i find myself in right now; being entirely too undisciplined.

so, thats my confession. encouragement is not only appreciated, but entirely needed at this point.

walking in similar shoes

a fellow blogger has been documenting his spiritual biography here and as i have been reading it i’ve found myself saying “me too” to most everything he has said. his latest entry on salvation/wholeness is quite insightful and i think you all should give it a look (as well as the rest of his story). he keeps a couple other sites up as well that you can find here and here.

walking in similar shoes

a fellow blogger has been documenting his spiritual biography here and as i have been reading it i’ve found myself saying “me too” to most everything he has said. his latest entry on salvation/wholeness is quite insightful and i think you all should give it a look (as well as the rest of his story). he keeps a couple other sites up as well that you can find here and here.

collages

i find collages inspiring. here is one i made a couple months ago that continues to speak into my life.

collages

i find collages inspiring. here is one i made a couple months ago that continues to speak into my life.

ISB ‘07: re: salvation

i’ve noticed notes all over the web but here begins my contribution. i will post notes from other talks over the next few days. this post includes the bulk of my notes from a session entitled: A few thoughts on God, Jesus, salvation, judgment, heaven, hell, who’s in, who’s out, and the end of the world as we know it.

Rob set out to show us “how to get saved” by only using the bible (over 25 passages) and asking lots and lots of questions. i left a few parts out and will probably add them to the end when i can make them more concise. so check back i can also e-mail my notes to you if anyone would like to them. [note: its 20 pages]

_Often salvation is about going somewhere [heaven]
-is this the best we can do, offering someone life in the future?
-are we telling people to just manage the despair of today?
-is the spirituality that Jesus leads us into about being led out of here?
-does it not matter, then, who you are becoming today?

_In versus Out
-Whenever someone says only a select few go heaven, aren’t they typically
the ones who consider themselves part of the “in group”?
-Do you believe in a God who would create billions of people only to watch them die?
-And what about these select few? they can’t even agree on what they believe/confess.

_Fundamentalists/Grace
-How many fundamentalists do you know that become universalists at a child’s funeral?
-”Salvation is a free gift” check. “All you have to do is _____. “
Wait? What? Isn’t doing/accepting an action?

Luke 7:1-10
A Roman soldier is told he has a faith that even Israel was without.

Luke 7:36-50
Notice that this women who received faith never asked for anything, heck, she didn’t even say anything to Jesus when he granted it to her.

John 11:25
belief is intricately linked with living

Matthew 9:1-8
the faith of a man’s friends saved him. salvation is linked to other people. [also see Mark 2, 1 Cor. 7:16]

Acts 9:1-ff
Paul is converted upon asking God who he was. Do you get saved, then, by asking the right questions? Some of our defining moments haven’t been when we have done or said anything. Its something we heard, It doesn’t fit in any category.

Luke 4:34,41
the demons believe. the religious teachers don’t.

So, how then does someone get saved/redeemed? Is it something that involves being, saying, believing, doing? As the bible shows, there are lots of answers.

_Destination versus Journey
-Scripture works from a journey perspective rather than a destination perspective.
-Arrival versus constant progression, journeying.
-It is possible to be born again/saved and indifferent. Jesus wants to save us from this.
-He wants to continue to save us.
-Moments of arrival come along the way [awakening, trust, faith, etc.]

_Salvation
-It involves considering your possessions…relationships with others…heartfelt prayers of repentance…acts of love.
-People come to Jesus/stumble into the Kingdom in all sorts of ways.
-Salvation is holistic/on-going in nature.
-Jesus wants to save all of us. From bitterness. debt. sin. fear.
crippling worry. addiction. the myth of redemptive violence. your past.
anything that hinders the full shalom God created for the entire world.

“Salvation is this ongoing way of life we enter from all sorts of different ways. God wants to save us from a heart that doesn’t care about what God cares about. Its about the inner-transformation of our hearts and in this we will start caring about the things that God cares about or something is seriously wrong with what salvation is.” _rob bell

-Jesus died for all sins and wants to put all of us back together.

_How to Live in Anticipation of the Age to Come [olam haba]
-Renewing all things [Jesus taught this_Matt. 19:28]
-Restoring all things [Peter taught this_Acts 3:21]
-Holding together all things [Paul taught this_Col. 1:15-17]

…personal salvation is not the extent of what the Cross is about. when you shrink it down to the individual, salvation become incomplete.

…being a christian is not about how to escape from this world but to live with the realization that God has taken up residence with us here. be ware of any form of spirituality that argues for escapism.

“I was not tasked the job to destroy all other religions. We invite people to trust Jesus wherever they are on their journey. I do know that Jesus has great warning for religious leaders on how they are in and everyone else is out. _rob bell

“My simple definition of salvation would be when one begins to live in conscious union with God. This of course grows and develops and Jesus makes it plain that this has to begin in our bodies, in human lives, in our experience in this world, now, and for that Jesus is surely necessary for salvation. It is not a formula or a mere affirmation but a change of identity. _richard rohr, everything belongs

ISB ‘07: re: salvation

i’ve noticed notes all over the web but here begins my contribution. i will post notes from other talks over the next few days. this post includes the bulk of my notes from a session entitled: A few thoughts on God, Jesus, salvation, judgment, heaven, hell, who’s in, who’s out, and the end of the world as we know it.

Rob set out to show us “how to get saved” by only using the bible (over 25 passages) and asking lots and lots of questions. i left a few parts out and will probably add them to the end when i can make them more concise. so check back i can also e-mail my notes to you if anyone would like to them. [note: its 20 pages]

_Often salvation is about going somewhere [heaven]
-is this the best we can do, offering someone life in the future?
-are we telling people to just manage the despair of today?
-is the spirituality that Jesus leads us into about being led out of here?
-does it not matter, then, who you are becoming today?

_In versus Out
-Whenever someone says only a select few go heaven, aren’t they typically
the ones who consider themselves part of the “in group”?
-Do you believe in a God who would create billions of people only to watch them die?
-And what about these select few? they can’t even agree on what they believe/confess.

_Fundamentalists/Grace
-How many fundamentalists do you know that become universalists at a child’s funeral?
-”Salvation is a free gift” check. “All you have to do is _____. “
Wait? What? Isn’t doing/accepting an action?

Luke 7:1-10
A Roman soldier is told he has a faith that even Israel was without.

Luke 7:36-50
Notice that this women who received faith never asked for anything, heck, she didn’t even say anything to Jesus when he granted it to her.

John 11:25
belief is intricately linked with living

Matthew 9:1-8
the faith of a man’s friends saved him. salvation is linked to other people. [also see Mark 2, 1 Cor. 7:16]

Acts 9:1-ff
Paul is converted upon asking God who he was. Do you get saved, then, by asking the right questions? Some of our defining moments haven’t been when we have done or said anything. Its something we heard, It doesn’t fit in any category.

Luke 4:34,41
the demons believe. the religious teachers don’t.

So, how then does someone get saved/redeemed? Is it something that involves being, saying, believing, doing? As the bible shows, there are lots of answers.

_Destination versus Journey
-Scripture works from a journey perspective rather than a destination perspective.
-Arrival versus constant progression, journeying.
-It is possible to be born again/saved and indifferent. Jesus wants to save us from this.
-He wants to continue to save us.
-Moments of arrival come along the way [awakening, trust, faith, etc.]

_Salvation
-It involves considering your possessions…relationships with others…heartfelt prayers of repentance…acts of love.
-People come to Jesus/stumble into the Kingdom in all sorts of ways.
-Salvation is holistic/on-going in nature.
-Jesus wants to save all of us. From bitterness. debt. sin. fear.
crippling worry. addiction. the myth of redemptive violence. your past.
anything that hinders the full shalom God created for the entire world.

“Salvation is this ongoing way of life we enter from all sorts of different ways. God wants to save us from a heart that doesn’t care about what God cares about. Its about the inner-transformation of our hearts and in this we will start caring about the things that God cares about or something is seriously wrong with what salvation is.” _rob bell

-Jesus died for all sins and wants to put all of us back together.

_How to Live in Anticipation of the Age to Come [olam haba]
-Renewing all things [Jesus taught this_Matt. 19:28]
-Restoring all things [Peter taught this_Acts 3:21]
-Holding together all things [Paul taught this_Col. 1:15-17]

…personal salvation is not the extent of what the Cross is about. when you shrink it down to the individual, salvation become incomplete.

…being a christian is not about how to escape from this world but to live with the realization that God has taken up residence with us here. be ware of any form of spirituality that argues for escapism.

“I was not tasked the job to destroy all other religions. We invite people to trust Jesus wherever they are on their journey. I do know that Jesus has great warning for religious leaders on how they are in and everyone else is out. _rob bell

“My simple definition of salvation would be when one begins to live in conscious union with God. This of course grows and develops and Jesus makes it plain that this has to begin in our bodies, in human lives, in our experience in this world, now, and for that Jesus is surely necessary for salvation. It is not a formula or a mere affirmation but a change of identity. _richard rohr, everything belongs

God wears lipstick.

What?

I don’t know either, but I found a handy download of the first chapter of Sex God on the book tour website so I am going to find out. right. now.

And the tour is coming to Seattle. Hooray for the Northwest.

God wears lipstick.

What?

I don’t know either, but I found a handy download of the first chapter of Sex God on the book tour website so I am going to find out. right. now.

And the tour is coming to Seattle. Hooray for the Northwest.