Monday, March 28, 2011
4 WEEKS LEFT!!!
Hello Everyone!! Hope this rainy Monday is just what you need! For me, it's God's way of telling me that I need to stay inside, repair my body from the 10 mile run I took yesterday, and organize my kiddos' clothes! We only have FOUR weeks left!! Four weeks to walk about 3,000 miles! It may seem daunting, but I believe we can do it! All it takes on your part is getting out the door (or on rainy days, exercising in your living room). Go to the greenway, take the kids to the park and play hard for 20 minutes, sow your garden. With Spring here, there is really no reason not to get active. Let's do this!!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Week 7 - Love that Sweats
"Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father." 1 Thessalonians 1:3
When Jesus loves, he works up a sweat; he rolls up his sleeves, gets on his knees, and washes our feet with his blood, sweat and tears.
He labors at love, though his love is never like labor. He's a giver, not a taker, loving us into being with a gifted carpenter's hands. And he's no slacker, loving us until we can take no more; no more because we're filled to overflowing, his love spilling and splashing through our pores into the cores of those we love with his love, a love's labor not lost on a world that needs to be found.
He wrestles our fears and wrangles our doubts and labors at love until he's exhausted, lying prone in a garden, drinking from God's cup the nourishment necessary for one last heroic sweaty, bloody, tearful lift of the Father's infinite love; ready to die for God's undying love.
A Jesus-love sticks to it, even when the it seems like an unstickable fury that's no longer fun or convenient or even something you want to do. Jesus keeps on laboring in you and through you, finishing what he started, loving until the last with a love that lasts forever (John 13:1).
Question to ponder: Are you sweating for Jesus??
When Jesus loves, he works up a sweat; he rolls up his sleeves, gets on his knees, and washes our feet with his blood, sweat and tears.
He labors at love, though his love is never like labor. He's a giver, not a taker, loving us into being with a gifted carpenter's hands. And he's no slacker, loving us until we can take no more; no more because we're filled to overflowing, his love spilling and splashing through our pores into the cores of those we love with his love, a love's labor not lost on a world that needs to be found.
He wrestles our fears and wrangles our doubts and labors at love until he's exhausted, lying prone in a garden, drinking from God's cup the nourishment necessary for one last heroic sweaty, bloody, tearful lift of the Father's infinite love; ready to die for God's undying love.
A Jesus-love sticks to it, even when the it seems like an unstickable fury that's no longer fun or convenient or even something you want to do. Jesus keeps on laboring in you and through you, finishing what he started, loving until the last with a love that lasts forever (John 13:1).
Question to ponder: Are you sweating for Jesus??
Monday, February 28, 2011
Week 5 - Faith is Active
"But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?" - James 2:20
Is faith simply a frame of mind? Some see it that way... a passive attribute of a Christian waiting to see what God has in store for you: a promotion, cancer, depression, betrayal, blessing, wealth or injustice. They might say, "I'll just wait to see what God is going to do for me and go with the flow." That's crazy talk. Faith is active. It's not passive. It's a commitment. Look at your lifestyle and see what kinds of actions follow as a result of it. If you've got the real stuff, faith can be demonstrated. When you were baptized, you made a statement to God and the people around you. You said, "I'm in!" But it doesn't stop at baptism - not by a long shot! What else do you do? Faith is proven by how we live. Don't misinterpret this. What you do - your walking around, everyday life - doesn't get you into heaven. It doesn't make you saved. It doesn't mean you're a Christian. It shows you are a Christian.
The next steps:
Celebrate the lavish gift of grace! You were saved because Jesus is crazy about you and wants you to be with Him in heaven. Revel in it!
Show your faith. Wedding rings don't make you married, but they say yes in a visible way. In the same way, baptism isn't the thing that will get you into heaven but it's an act of obedience.
Share your faith with the people around you. If you are excited about what God has done in your life, then why not share it? There are lots of ways to do that. Get plugged into serving God!
Is faith simply a frame of mind? Some see it that way... a passive attribute of a Christian waiting to see what God has in store for you: a promotion, cancer, depression, betrayal, blessing, wealth or injustice. They might say, "I'll just wait to see what God is going to do for me and go with the flow." That's crazy talk. Faith is active. It's not passive. It's a commitment. Look at your lifestyle and see what kinds of actions follow as a result of it. If you've got the real stuff, faith can be demonstrated. When you were baptized, you made a statement to God and the people around you. You said, "I'm in!" But it doesn't stop at baptism - not by a long shot! What else do you do? Faith is proven by how we live. Don't misinterpret this. What you do - your walking around, everyday life - doesn't get you into heaven. It doesn't make you saved. It doesn't mean you're a Christian. It shows you are a Christian.
The next steps:
Celebrate the lavish gift of grace! You were saved because Jesus is crazy about you and wants you to be with Him in heaven. Revel in it!
Show your faith. Wedding rings don't make you married, but they say yes in a visible way. In the same way, baptism isn't the thing that will get you into heaven but it's an act of obedience.
Share your faith with the people around you. If you are excited about what God has done in your life, then why not share it? There are lots of ways to do that. Get plugged into serving God!
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Week 3 - How to Stay Motivated When You're Fatigued
"Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control." - Proverbs 25:28
It's not unusual for people to become disillusioned, discouraged and fatigued about halfway through a difficult challenge. When I start to feel the fatigue, I look to Proverbs 25 and remember that my feelings are not a reliable measure of how things are going. We're to trust wholeheartedly in God and put no faith in our own perceptions.
Our feelings come from a variety of sources - past, present and future. But feelings often lie; they're not always a reflection of reality. Plus, life is complex and we must often live with mixed feelings: "Even in laughter the heart may ache, and joy may end in grief" (Proverbs 14:13).
People often compare life to a roller coaster of hills and valleys, but actually life is more like two rails on a railroad track. One rail represents the good and positive in your life; the other represents the bad and painful experiences in your life. You'll always have both at the same time! There will always be something good and something bad happening in your life. We can't expect everything to be good for one month and then everything to be bad the next. There's always a mixture of both, a blending of both bitter and sweet.
HOWEVER, we can choose the focus! "When others are happy, be happy with them. If they are sad, share their sorrow" (Romans 12:15)
It's not unusual for people to become disillusioned, discouraged and fatigued about halfway through a difficult challenge. When I start to feel the fatigue, I look to Proverbs 25 and remember that my feelings are not a reliable measure of how things are going. We're to trust wholeheartedly in God and put no faith in our own perceptions.
Our feelings come from a variety of sources - past, present and future. But feelings often lie; they're not always a reflection of reality. Plus, life is complex and we must often live with mixed feelings: "Even in laughter the heart may ache, and joy may end in grief" (Proverbs 14:13).
People often compare life to a roller coaster of hills and valleys, but actually life is more like two rails on a railroad track. One rail represents the good and positive in your life; the other represents the bad and painful experiences in your life. You'll always have both at the same time! There will always be something good and something bad happening in your life. We can't expect everything to be good for one month and then everything to be bad the next. There's always a mixture of both, a blending of both bitter and sweet.
HOWEVER, we can choose the focus! "When others are happy, be happy with them. If they are sad, share their sorrow" (Romans 12:15)
Sunday, February 6, 2011
End of Week 1
Yay! It's the end of week 1. I pray that you've had a great week and have had time to walk, but more importantly, have intimate time with God. You can do that on your walks, you know....PRAY. It is a great time to talk to God, move your body, and enjoy this beautiful Earth that He has blessed us with!
If you want me to log your miles through the blog, please make a comment to this entry. If you need any help, don't hesitate to email me at lindsaymwright@yahoo.com!
If you want me to log your miles through the blog, please make a comment to this entry. If you need any help, don't hesitate to email me at lindsaymwright@yahoo.com!
Friday, February 4, 2011
TGIF
Thank God it's Friday!! Thank God for every day (but Friday's just have this amazing joy about them, don't they?)
How has this week gone for everyone? Have you found time in your day to engage in physical activity? I hope that as we take this "walk" together, we begin to make exercise a daily habit, and not a chore. We all KNOW that we should be exercising regularly, but in all practicality, we usually let other things take priority. Work, school, laundry, bills, TV, etc. When you think about your day and how it is broken down into minutes, how much of it is spent doing the unnecessary?
I challenge you to cut some of the "fluff" out and walk a mile, maybe two. You'll be surprised at how quickly you can make this into a habit! You'll also be surprised at the example that you're setting for those around you!
How has this week gone for everyone? Have you found time in your day to engage in physical activity? I hope that as we take this "walk" together, we begin to make exercise a daily habit, and not a chore. We all KNOW that we should be exercising regularly, but in all practicality, we usually let other things take priority. Work, school, laundry, bills, TV, etc. When you think about your day and how it is broken down into minutes, how much of it is spent doing the unnecessary?
I challenge you to cut some of the "fluff" out and walk a mile, maybe two. You'll be surprised at how quickly you can make this into a habit! You'll also be surprised at the example that you're setting for those around you!
Monday, January 31, 2011
P90X
Travis and I just started P90X this morning. For those of you who don't know, this is 90 day exercise program (you may have seen infomercials on TV for it) that lasts an hour long. In order to workout together, we had to get up at 6AM and do it before the kids got up. Let me tell you, I'll be SORE tomorrow!!! The system is set up so that you workout 6 days a week, and since 20 minutes = 1 mile, T and I will "walk" 36 miles together each week!!
Comment below and tell me what activities you all have planned in order to get your miles in!!
Comment below and tell me what activities you all have planned in order to get your miles in!!
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Walk to Jerusalem!
The ultimate goal is to incorporate physical, spiritual, and mental health into our daily lives, not just for these 12 short weeks.
It is approximately 6,348 miles from Franklin to Jerusalem. Every person's miles will get the congregation a little closer to the goal. Remember, 20 minutes of physical activity counts as 1 mile. So, do whatever physical activity you like: water aerobics, biking, hiking, basketball, football, raking leaves, etc. It all counts!! If you work a physically demanding job (nursing, manual labor, etc) and are on your feet walking all day, you may count one hour of your work towards your mileage.
It is approximately 6,348 miles from Franklin to Jerusalem. Every person's miles will get the congregation a little closer to the goal. Remember, 20 minutes of physical activity counts as 1 mile. So, do whatever physical activity you like: water aerobics, biking, hiking, basketball, football, raking leaves, etc. It all counts!! If you work a physically demanding job (nursing, manual labor, etc) and are on your feet walking all day, you may count one hour of your work towards your mileage.
Week 1 - January 30th- February 5th
"I have set the Lord always before me." -Psalm 16:8
God does not desire more of our time sometimes; he desires more of our attention all the time.
Ever feel frustrated because you hear messages about getting closer to God and you definitely desire this for yourself, but you are inundated with so much to do already that this only makes you feel guilty because you are too busy for God?
I once saw a sign that read: "Your god is what you pay attention to." You see, I believe you can pay attention to God while you are doing everything else. It's all about doing everything for God and seeing God in everything we do. It's about bringing God into the boardroom, the exercise room, the living room, and the bedroom. Now of course, he's already in all these places but we're talking about being aware of His being there at all times. That's what it means to set the Lord always before us.
Worship is a frame of mind that always has God in the picture. We don't need church, or Bible study, or devotions to remind us about the Lord if we're already aware of Him all the time. These opportunities then become more precious to us because we can devote all our attention to that which we have been aware of all along!!
Question to ponder: Are your eyes ever on the Lord?
God does not desire more of our time sometimes; he desires more of our attention all the time.
Ever feel frustrated because you hear messages about getting closer to God and you definitely desire this for yourself, but you are inundated with so much to do already that this only makes you feel guilty because you are too busy for God?
I once saw a sign that read: "Your god is what you pay attention to." You see, I believe you can pay attention to God while you are doing everything else. It's all about doing everything for God and seeing God in everything we do. It's about bringing God into the boardroom, the exercise room, the living room, and the bedroom. Now of course, he's already in all these places but we're talking about being aware of His being there at all times. That's what it means to set the Lord always before us.
Worship is a frame of mind that always has God in the picture. We don't need church, or Bible study, or devotions to remind us about the Lord if we're already aware of Him all the time. These opportunities then become more precious to us because we can devote all our attention to that which we have been aware of all along!!
Question to ponder: Are your eyes ever on the Lord?
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