the 12 days of YOGA! Are you up for the challenge?

1 12 2009

Hey you, the one who ate 1/4 of a turkey by themselves on Thanksgiving. yeah, I’m talking to you, person who feels so stiff from sitting around that you pray every night for a massaging chair from sharper image for Christmas or for your friend/spouse/cute stranger on the subway to give you a shoulder massage. Let’s face it. You’re not getting the sharper image chair. And that stranger on the subway, though cute is probably creepy. Let’s do something far less creepy and  make like the meerkats in Madagascar and “move it move it?”

This month’s challenge on Sidewalk Theologian is one I’ve been looking forward to for awhile- the 12 days of yoga! I had thought about making up a little tune to the 12 days of Christmas for this challenge; something along the lines of “on the ninth day of Christmas a yogi gave to me…one downward dog, two chatarungas, three warrior poses,etc… and then I realized that not only is that song horribly annoying, that making up such song could use up precious time that I could be using to watch How I Met Your Mother on hulu.com. On a side note, wouldn’t it be awesome to see a meerkat doing yoga? I googled “meerkat doing yoga to no avail.

Here’s my rationale for why you should join me in this month’s challenge:

  1. The Christmas season can be stressful. Why not take some time to breathe, stretch and put things in perspective?
  2. Don’t wait until January 1st to make a resolution to get healthy. Start now and feel awesome that you’re already pursuing your goal when the new year rolls around.
  3. The holidays are a time to celebrate, with lots of rich delicious foods. I don’t know about you, but I like eating these foods. I don’t however like worrying that my butt is going to get big with each coconut macaroon I consume. Making space to care for yourself and exercise helps to burn some of those extra calories we all consume this time of year.
  4. You can do it anytime, anywhere. Each week I’ll post free resources for you to use to complete 12 days of yoga for 20-30 minutes. That’s all I’m asking you to commit to. 12 days of your own choosing, and 20 minutes of yoga on each of these 12 days.
  5. I’ll give you a fabulous prize if you complete the 12 days. Actually I won’t. I wish I could, other cool bloggers do things like this but I’m not to “free giveaway blog status” yet. But, cue cheesy music won’t it be a reward enough to know you’ve made your health and well being a priority? :)

So, how about it? I like using a yoga mat because it helps with some of the poses, especially if you’re new to yoga and are learning the poses. But, you really can just do it with a towel or on your rug. So, here is the first free resource to get you started. I’ve used this a couple times as a way to relax at the end of the night. It’s energizing but not too complicated & a good one to help you learn the poses if you’re new to yoga. If the new age stuff is weird to you, just pray to Jesus and thank him for giving you a body that can move, for health and strength instead of imagining that you’re opening the chakra of your third eye. God gave us everything in this world to enjoy & there is not one bit of it where he is not present. You can tell from the peaceful expression on the ladies faces below.

Yoga Downloads has free 20 minute sessions that you can download to your computer. I’ve done “yoga for strength #1 with Jacki” and thought it was good. If you don’t have a computer in a place that would be conducive to yoga, check out the dvd’s at your local library. They often have fitness dvd’s that can be checked out- that way you don’t have to commit to buying something you may not like or use in the future! Namaste, as they say on LOST!


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    Categories : exercise

    the sweet escape

    30 11 2009

    Stopping to fuel up my jetta with diesel fuel on 1-96 and grabbing a ginormous box of good n’ plenty’s for the road, I drove through the darkened farmland of Michigan to Wheaton, IL where I’ll spend the week in class learning about the history of evangelicalism and the theology of the gospel for the M.A. I’m working on. I have so been waiting for this week.

    When I arrived at my friend Annie’s apartment, I could see the glow of the Billy Graham center steeple in the background where I’ll spend all week in class. When I took my job as regional coordinator for

    The Billy Graham Center & museum

    evangelism two years ago, I negotiated that I could work on this degree (along with raising thousands of $ to do it) to help me best serve the students and staff I work with through InterVarsity and provide them with most cutting edge training and resources. Even though working on this degree has benefitted me professionally, I’ve enjoyed it for another reason. I get to escape into my brain. I get to spend a solid week just learning, and thinking and writing and reflecting without having to balance all the other aspects of my life.  And it feels like a vacation even though I’m working really hard. People have asked if it’s difficult being away from Dave and Reuben while I take these week-long intensive classes and it is. Once, I was staying in a guest home during one of my classes, I could hear a baby crying and his mother singing him to sleep. It was so gut-retching as a mom I had to put in my earbuds and turn on some Miles Davis to drown out the noise and mom guilt sprinkled with the sadness of not being at home to sing my own son to sleep.

    But then I get over it and I get into class and start discussing theology, ideas, history and I feel like any sense of regret, sadness or guilt dissipates as I float to the cloud nine of learning. I’ve liked being able to fully immerse myself during the week without thinking about if I’ve thrown on a load of laundry since Reuben peed through all of his underpants, that I should do the dishes before Dave gets home so it’s one less thing for us to do, that I need to pick up more cat food for our two crazy cats Conan and Chester. I walk through the aisles of Trader Joe’s and pick out what I want to eat for the week (chocolate dunkers and edamame!). I sing along with Kanye, Mary J. Blige and Lady GaGa at full blast in the car as I speed along 1-94.  I talk walks alone at the end of a long day and if it’s still light out, I watch the cardinals flit through the grey leafless branches and reflect on what I’ve learned, the diverse people in my classes and how thankful I am for a husband who helps me pursue my dreams, the funds that have been generously provided for me to take classes and the space to do so.

    sometimes we even hop in the wardrobe C.S. Lewis's uncle built him and escape to a dream world of magic!

     

     

     


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    Categories : books, grad school, mom blogs, travel

    friday fluff- the dress

    28 11 2009

    In a few weeks I’m going to party like it’s 1995. Dave and I decided to throw a Christmas formal dinner for our friends in our care group from church- somehow in conversation it came up how funny it would be to wear old prom or bridesmaid dresses to the dinner since really, what else are they going to do except gather dust in our closets? We tossed the idea out jokingly, but now a few weeks later, I’m thinking about which of my old dresses I’m going to squeeze into wear.

    I gave all of my bridesmaid dresses to goodwill because I couldn’t foresee myself wearing any of these absolutely stunning dresses that I was required to purchase for my friends nuptials anytime in the future. Prom dresses on the other hand, those are nostalgic.  Do you remember the excitement of going shopping with your mom or girlfriends to find the dress for prom or the winter formals? I was talking with my two high-school age cousins a few weeks ago about the dresses they were shopping for & it brought back all kinds of memories. So, indulge me, laugh with me and try to be only slightly mortified on behalf of my friends and I as we unearth high-school history when we get together for our own little Christmas formal in a few weeks. Enjoy this trip down memory lane.

    Prom 1994- don't you just love the gloves?

    I think the theme of this prom was “heaven on earth.” I think I confused the theme with “here she comes, Miss America.” If you can’t tell from the picture, the dress is entirely blue sequins.  I went with Matt, who was later voted “Class Flirt” from his graduating class & was actually my first kiss. When I took this out of the closet Reuben said “ooooh, pretty sparkles!” Let’s just say sequins don’t age well.

    Prom 1995- I had my hair finger-waved. Apparently I thought emulating a flapper would go well with this dress.

    O.K.- who else remembers how popular Jessica McClintock dresses were back in the day? I couldn’t find the “official prom shot” in this dress, but it was full length and stretchy. A much more forgiving fabric when one has slightly more bounce to the ounce than one did 15 years ago. My friend John brought me a beautiful bouquet of irises that night- my favorite flower.

    Prom 1996- you know I got hype when the DJ played "lady in red" that night.

    I felt like Marilyn Monroe in this halter dress! You can’t see the back but it has long red chiffon scarves going down the back. I was surprised elated for three days that this dress still fit when I tried it on.  Always the clothes horse, my boyfriend at the time Marc insisted on a white tux so he could wear the shoes he had bought for such an occasion. He was metro-sexual before they even had the term for it.

    So there are my choices for this Christmas formal we’re throwing- which would you go with? We even thought it would be fun to get some balloons and a cheesy background to take some “prom shots” with our friends.


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    Categories : random things I like, sheer vanity

    top five thankful list

    25 11 2009

    In preparation for the inevitable “what are you thankful for this year?” question that most of us get asked on Thursday, I thought I would be a little more thoughtful than rattling off the standard, “family, friends, pumpkin pie” answers.  Since this is my last post for this month’s challenge to practice thankfulness, I thought I’d encourage all of us not just to be thankful, but to be specific in your thanksgiving. What do I mean by this?

    Example A: I am thankful for clothes so I don’t have to be naked and cold.
    Specific modification: I am thankful for this pair of jeans and this amazingly stylish sweater from Toddland that makes everyone jealous when I wear it because no one can look as cool as me, unless of course, they’re wearing this sweater too. Then we are hot and stylish together instead of naked and cold. O.K. So that was a shameless plug for my friend Todd’s clothing company. Get your boyfriend, dad, second cousin bud some fab gear from their online store for Christmas, Chanukah, or Christmukah. Back to the thankfulness.

    What I mean by being specific is letting people know and reflecting for your self what you actually are thankful for. So here is my top five list to close out this month’s Thankful challenge.

    1. My sister. In the past six months, my sister and I have grown a lot closer. I’m thankful because our relationship hasn’t always been easy. If I had to facebook status my relationship with my sister in the past it would have been “it’s complicated” now, the status would be “it’s the kind of friendship with my sister I’ve always hoped for.” awww. cue afterschool theme special music.

    The sisters Leep. Can you guess who is the oldest?

    2. Pie. With the holidays always come the traditional things I bake. Tonight I made the crust for the pecan pie & roasted the pumpkin for the pies I’ll be baking for thursday. I feel thankful for the rhythms of life that entail traditional holiday desserts! For Christmas I always make coconut macaroons and chocolate gingerbread from Nigella’s Feast Cookbook.

    3. Quality time. This is the one time of year my brother and his wife come to spend a few days with our family. They’re both in PhD programs and lead busy lives, so I’m so happy to have the chance to catch up, drink some coffee together & play Settlers of Catan!

    4. The opportunity to learn. Next week I’ll be taking a class for the M.A. I’m working on through Wheaton Graduate school. Everytime I take a class in this program I feel like I’m on cloud 9. I’ve loved interacting with peers from around the world, learning from insightful professors and having the space to learn more. Plus, the original wardrobe that was build by C.S. Lewis’ uncle is housed on Wheaton’s campus. When I get stressed out during class, I just hop in and find Mr. Tumnus the fawn to have a chat with.

    mr. tumnus, the fawn

    5. Yoga. Even though I thought this month’s pace would be slower, it really hasn’t been. I’ve started to do more Yoga, partly in preparation for next month’s 12 days of Yoga challenge! More on that in next Tuesday’s post! Even though it hasn’t been a lot, each time I do yoga I feel refreshed, energized and stronger. It has just felt so good to stretch and breathe at the end of a long day. I’m looking forward to doing more next month!

    What are some of the things you’re thankful for this Thanksgiving?


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    Categories : baking, books, friendship

    how to embarrass your husband

    23 11 2009

    For anyone who knows my husband Dave, you know that it not easy to embarrass him. Crazy story about Dave? He’ll tell you five more about himself. An embarrassing photo? Well, we have those all categorized in photo albums. An awkward situation? Dave can create those with finesse and style to the mortification of anyone in the room. When I told him what I was writing about tonight, he rolled his eyes and started laughing with embarrassment. So what did I do?

    I got up in front of 400 people this morning at church and professed my love for him. For the past three weeks, our church has been doing a series on sexuality. Married sex, single sexuality, chastity, the whole gamut of how we as humans, as Olivia Newton John once sung:

    I wonder what the guy on the treadmill looks like?

    “Let’s get physical, physical! I wanna get physical”

    Occasionally we pass the mic around our sanctuary for a “joys and concerns” time to hear how prayers are being answered and to know how to pray for and support on another in difficult times. You’ll hear anything from people talking about God giving them hope as they go through AA, to people praying that God would provide a job, to people weeping with thanksgiving for how their family has been cared for as a spouse has gone through chemo therapy.

    I normally don’t feel compelled to get up during these times, in fact usually I’m a little taken aback by how honest and vulnerable so many people are about the things they’re thankful for or what they need prayer for. But for whatever reason when I heard that the mic would be passed, I felt my heart begin to thump with the familiar sensation I have when God is urging me to do something that would be simultaneously uncomfortable, wonderful, and stretching.

    As the mic was passed down the row to me Dave gave me a look like “what are you going to talk about?”  I got up and shared about how thankful I was for God’s goodness to me through my husband. How this morning when our son got up early he got up with him and let me sleep in until 10:30. I don’t remember the last time I slept so long! Not only did he take care of Reuben and let me sleep in, I came downstairs to freshly made crepes. Banana chocolate crepes, savory egg and cheese crepes, and a delicious strawberry/peach/apple crepe from some leftover pie filling. I felt so loved and cared for that I couldn’t help but share how blessed I was. I debated about getting up and sharing this because I know there are many people at a tough place in their marriage & hearing things like this can potentially make people feel worse. I also debated about it because things like this don’t happen everyday in our marriage- and I didn’t want to paint our relationship like it’s always a cakewalk. The funny thing was that I didn’t debate about whether it would embarrass Dave or not- I knew it might & that he would potentially be called “crepe-man” by people in our congregation. But, I just couldn’t help myself from sharing how thankful I am for him! So, for any married ladies who read my blog- see how red in the face your husband gets the next time you sing his praises!

     

    yeah, the crepes looked this delicious.

     

     

     


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    Categories : church, cooking, food, marriage

    dinner insurance

    19 11 2009

    Ever since my mother-in-law encouraged me to think of November-February as the “cozy months” it’s helped me to think about all the things I enjoy about winter. After our CSA ended I was lamenting the end of fresh lettuce, herbs and all the other weekly goodies we recieved. However, after freezing everything we gleaned recently I am excited about ways to work in 5 fruits/veggies a day through SOUP! Check out our haul. We pretty much froze all of this stuff to throw into soups later this winter.

    Tonight I made one of my favorite healthy/cheap/quick soups that I saw on The Biggest Loser a year ago- Tiny Turkey Meatball soup. This has been one of my quick go-to soups when I need something easy to make & it freezes well too. Which brings me to the title of my post- I don’t know about you but when winter hits my motivation to eat well mostly revolves around the amount of protein I get in a piece of pecan pie. It’s dark and cold & way too easy to hunker down with some take-out instead making cheaper and healthier options.  So here is a recipe that you can make, eat, freeze half and thaw when the craving for pizza hits for the third night in a row. For single people- you can freeze this in clean, recycled yogurt containers, it’s about 2 portions.

    Here is the recipe with my less bougie mods below.

    Yield: Serves 4, 289 calories/serving

    Tiny Turkey Meatball Soup
    Ingredients:

    • 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
    • 2 cups low-fat salt-free marinara
    • One 15 ounce can low-sodium chickpeas, drained and rinsed
    • Crushed red pepper flakes to taste
    • 1-1/3 pound package ground lean turkey
    • Nu-Salt
    • ½ pound broccoli rabe, cut into bite size pieces
    • 2 tablespoons grated pecorino romano

    Instructions

    1. Heat a large pot over high heat with chicken broth, marinara sauce, beans and crushed red pepper flakes until mixture comes to a simmer
    2. While mixture comes to a simmer, season ground turkey with Nu-Salt and pepper flakes
    3. Roll turkey into about 40 meatballs
    4. Next, stir broccoli rabe into the broth and bring to a simmer
    5. Add meatballs to the broth, cover pan with lid and lightly poach the meatballs until just cooked through, stirring occasionally for about 6 minutes
    6. The broth should barely simmer
    7. Check soup for seasoning
    8. Ladle into 4 large bowls and top with pecorino
    9. Although no actual salt is called for in this recipe, please add it as you see fit

    My modifications:
    I use regular marinara sauce, and normal chicken broth. Instead of broccoli rabe, I throw in whatever greens I have- spinach or kale usually. I like the chickpeas in the soup, but tonight I used kidney beans because I didn’t have any in my cupboard. The chickpeas do add a nicer flavor but the kidney beans did in a pinch! I typically use parmesan instead of pecorino.  Enjoy cozying up with some yummy soup in the next couple weeks! What are some of your favorite/healthy recipes for winter! Post the links & share them to keep the strive for five going!


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    Categories : cooking, food

    being thankful is a bezoar

    18 11 2009

    I so don’t want to write this post. Even though I’ve dedicated this months Sidewalk Theologian challenge to practicing thankfulness, I feel bitter & crusty today and just want to read my latest copy of Entertainment Weekly about the new Twilight movie and wallow. Bezoar is my word I use instead of swearing- I learned about in Harry Potter- anyone remember which book it was from? This summer Dave and I were hanging out with our friend Jess who is studying vet. science at Cornell & we learned that a bezoar is a real thing!  I am impressed by both J.K. Rowling and Jess’ smartness.

    O.K. back to being thankful while crusty. I don’t really want to recount the reasons of said crustyness today but the gist is encompassed in this haiku:

    funding falling through
    mess in the home overwhelms
    too much work remains

    Tonight I forced myself to spend 15 minutes doing dishes even though I have 900 pages of reading for class, a talk to prep for Thursday and the rest of my home to clean and the list goes on! So I put on Gwen Stefani on Pandora radio while I cleaned what absolutely was all of our pots and pans which somehow we’ve managed to dirty in the 2 days we’ve been home. I was thinking about this post & how I was dreading writing it because I just don’t feel thankful today even though I’m supposed to blog about thankfulness today. I was scrubbing a spatula when the Black Eyed Peas “where is the love?” came on. It brought me back to this spring when I preached the book of Phillipians to 200 college students with InterVarsity. I used the song on one of the nights as a way to help students think about how they’re showing God’s love to others in the midst of a messed up, broken world.  The last night of the conference I preached on Phillipians chapter 4 which has the verse:

    “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

    When I was studying these passages of scripture this spring, I found it so interesting that the recommendation for an anxious heart is thanksgiving. Not just prayer, but prayer with thanksgiving. Apparently, Jesus doesn’t like my crustiness either ;) So here’s my challenge to you & to me this week- be thankful in response to your crusty anxious heart. Tonight, right before I go to bed, I’m going to bust out the new green (of course green!) journal Dave bought me and write down five things I’m thankful for. If you’re a spiritual person, or a person who follows Jesus, why not write out a prayer thanking God for the ways he cares for you? It can’t hurt right?

    I know that you could probably list a whole lot of stuff you’re feeling bitter & crusty about too. But let’s fight all those anxieties that bubble to the surface of our minds by practicing thankfulness together even when it’s the last thing we want to do.

    To help you on your way to thankfulness here is a silly video I just find myself bizzarly drawn to time and time again. Reuben also really likes it. Enjoy and be thankful for crazy kids who narrate kitten books.

     

     

     


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    Categories : inner world, pets and animals, random things I like

    I guess I can’t see the harm in working and being a mama

    16 11 2009

    This is one of the lyrics I love in Brittney’s song “you want a piece of me?” partly because as a working mom, I feel like everyone wants a piece of me, yet I enjoy working and being a mom! Any other mama’s feel like this?  It’s a complex choice that is simultaneously rewarding and exhausting.

     

    WorkingMom

    Yes We Can!

    This past weekend Dave and I helped to lead a conference called Compelling for 350 college students with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. We were both directing seminars & so we had a lot of work to do before the conference and during the conference. Though the work was challenging, the more difficult piece was finding childcare for our 2.5 year old son, Reuben.  Because InterVarsity is a family-friendly organization for the most part, we’re able to bring Reuben to conferences like these provided we find care for him when we are leading sessions.  Though I was leading entirely new content in a seminar called “evangelawesome” with a staff team of mostly volunteers I had never met and staff I’ve never worked directly with it was far more stressful making phone call after phone call to find someone to watch Reuben. I can deal with a talk that bombs. I am immobilized if I have to watch a toddler and give a talk at the same time- it just doesn’t work. Thankfully, my sweet cousins agreed to watch him which was great because they live 10 minutes away from the conference center we were at! It was really fun getting to know them better too.

    The longer I am a working mom the more I think about how I (culture, we) try and compartmentalize our lives and see kids and work as mutually exclusive.  For many years I was terrified of having kids because I thought it would mean that I’d have to give up a job I loved. Finally as I was ranting to some older women on staff with kids about my fears of becoming a mom, one of them looked at me with a look of pity on her face and said “why do you think the Lord wants to harm you?” I was dumbstruck and ashamed. Because I was so wrapped up in how I thought my life should go, I didn’t even think to pray and ask God how he might want to use children to bless me, bless others and help me to trust him more. I thought of having kids as more of a speedbump in my career as opposed to a way that my life would become more rich (albeit busy!).

    This weekend I saw God do some amazing things- give students boldness to talk to their friends about Jesus without sounding like a salesman, to share vulnerably about how he’s shaped their lives- even take risks to share a story about life transformation with other students who were attending the conference to learn about Jesus. I rewarded these brave volunteers with “shades of awesomeness” for their risk taking :)

    IMG_0761

    shades of evangelawesomeness

     

    But one of the coolest things that had nothing to do with students was how I was able to reflect on the ways God has changed my attitude about being a mom & having kids since Reuben has been born.  This weekend it was so much fun to see Reuben dancing to the worship music, to wake up to his chattering in the hotel room even though we were both exhausted from long days of ministry, to realize that he doesn’t care if I do an amazing job leading my sessions or completely fail- he loves me because I’m his mama. I think this has been one of the most significant ways God has helped me to be reminded that my value doesn’t come from what I can do- it comes from who I am.  Though others struggle with finding their worth in being a mother, for me it’s been a reminder that I’m loved for who I am.

    Now that Reuben is 2.5, people have been asking us “so, when are you going to pop out a few more babies?” I don’t really know if or when, but I do know that right now I’m enjoying both working and being a mom to Reuben. I know that I can continue to trust God with both my career and with being a mama if it’s just Reuben or other kids that God may bring into our family. While I may feel like everyone wants a piece of me, God is able to provide the strength, passion and care to serve in all the ways he’s called me. And that’s about all the parenting insight from Britney that I’ll take.


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    Categories : Reuben stories, jesus, mom blogs, parenting, work, working moms

    monkey see, monkey do

    12 11 2009

    Parents- are you ever terrified when you realize that your kids are picking up your bad habits? Or conversely that you have enough good habits that they’ll learn what’s important to you and emulate these good habits? The other day I trotted down the stairs & Reuben looked at me in our foyer with a big grin on his face and yelled “SHUT UP!” This was so disturbing! Right away I told him “no, we don’t say shut up!” and gave him a time out. I didn’t know that this phrase was going to be one we encourage him not to use, but hearing him yell it sounded so wrong and awful.I should say that Dave and I don’t go around yelling “SHUT UP!” at one another, we’ll say it as in “are you serious? you must be joking” but we never yell it in anger.

    We were also grocery shopping this week at Aldi and Meijer and as I was pushing him in the cart to find some crackers, he looked at the people passing us and yelled “get out the way!”

    6a011169000929970c011572276206970b-320wi

    ah the joys of public humiliation while shopping with a toddler.....

    Of course they laughed, but I was appalled at his rudeness towards strangers! Where is this coming from? Is this just toddler stuff? I explained that when we want someone to move we say “excuse me” or “please move out of my way” which he understood and then proceeded to say that to EVERYONE we passed in the aisles of Meijer. Thankfully I don’t think they noticed what he was saying.

    It is so scary to think about how the daily choices that we make or don’t make shape how our children interact with the world. I constantly have to remind myself not to pick up my iPhone and scroll through email or facebook while Reuben is taking FOREVER to finish dinner. I don’t want him to think that dinner is a place where you finish your food and then multi-task while other people finish theirs. I want our dinner table to be a place of conversation, reflection on our days, and enjoyment of a meal together. I don’t always succeed at putting down my phone and Reuben has sometimes scolded me saying “stop, mama, stop!”

    On the positive side, he sees that exercise is a normal part of our lives and even will ask when I come back from a run, “have a good run mama?” Or if we put him in the jogger stroller on a warm day for a run, he’ll get excited and say “it’s time for exercise!” and will encourage us to keep going if we stop “run dada, run! keep going!” It is so cute, and motivating!

     

    IMG_5914

    sometimes he's more tired than me after a run. then again he isn't pushing a 30 lb. toddler in a jogger stroller.

    While I do want him to know that exercise, eating vegetables we pick from a farm and being hospitable are things we value, it’s also scary to think about how to best help him value scripture, prayer and meeting with Jesus in the capacities he’s able. I never want faith to be something he feels like is forced upon him, yet I want it to be a value in his life. This is a hard one isn’t it! I read a great book when Reuben was first born called “Never Mind the Joneses; building core Christian values that fit your family.

    5100MRF2Y2L._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA240_SH20_OU01_

    great book by Tim Stafford!

    I liked it because it was an encouragement to figure out what fits your family rather than saying “you have to teach your kids to value faith and make it look this way.” There were a ton of great ideas about how to help kids see faith in action through service and hospitality, to reflect on God’s presence through experiencing nature, to pray for and  practice compassion for others. I highly recommend it for people who have kids and want to help them understand all the many ways that Christian faith can look! Parents, what are ways you deal with rudeness? What are ways you’re helping your kids to value faith and other things in you’re life that you want them to learn?

     

     

     

     

     


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    Categories : Reuben stories, exercise, parenting, spirituality

    the game of operation.

    11 11 2009

    Who remembers playing this game when they were little? More importantly, who thought it would be fun for kids to be mildly shocked if they weren’t dexterous enough to remove the wishbone from the dude’s chest? Weird.

    operation-game

    bzzzz!

    Sometimes I wish my inner world were more like the game of operation. Life can move so fast that I often don’t have time to reflect on why I’m feeling upset, to relish moments of peace or reflect on any other of the number of emotions and interactions that buzz through my life on any given day. Maybe there are butterflies in my stomach but it’s difficult at times to find what proverbial metal tweezers are provoking nervousness and fear.

    I spoke this morning at a mom’s group at my church, Madison Moms. It used to be a MOPS group but we seceded from the union and are doing our own theme this year on the topic “shalom in the home” using the book: The Spiritual Disciplines Handbook.

    spiritual-disciplines-handbook-adele-ahlberg-calhoun-paperback-cover-art

    one of the most formative tools in my life for shaping my spiritual life

    This month on Sidewalk Theologian we are focusing on cultivating thanksgiving in our lives- to be thankful no matter what. Last week I encouraged my mom and the two other people who read this blog to express thanks to people who serve you- UPS people, barristas, etc. I found that this was pretty easy to do because in America, or at least the midwest, people are generally friendly and thankful. It seemed too easy, especially if you are naturally chatty like myself. Trio of blog readers- I ask you; do you need a better challenge for this week? I think yes.

    My challenge for you is the same as what I gave to the Madison Moms; take time to reflect on where you have been most and least thankful during the day. This practice in the book is called examen & basically it’s being attentive to the presence of God in daily life. As the sidewalk theologian I totally dig this practice because; it’s easy- you can do it anywhere, in your car, doing dishes, walking and it can just become part of normal life. I like asking these simple yet profound questions because they help me to be thankful and to recognize the places I am thankful, and how I express thanksgiving and the places that I’m a straight-up jerk and need to pray, stop complaining and ask God to help me to be thankful. Lastly, the practice of examen is a little like a mental and spiritual version of the game of operation- picking up instances during our days and reflecting on them to become more aware of how we respond to God’s presence, to ourselves and others. And you never get mildly shocked. At least not with a buzzer and tweezers.

    So- in the next week I challenge you, three blog readers to stop once a day and ask yourself:

    “where have I been most thankful today? Where was I least thankful? What do these interactions and feelings reveal about the greater themes going on in my life?”

    This practice helps those of us who are more optimistic and tend to gloss over the difficult things in life to stop and acknowledge places that have been hard as well as the places in our days where we’ve been thankful. It helps those of us who tend to be more depressed, cynical or melancholy to cease the snarky comments about ourselves and others and cultivate gratitude. You might want to write these things in a journal to discover your patterns of life and thinking and how Jesus might be present in the midst of your days. You might want to type them on your IBM P/S 2 computer like Doogie Howser, M.D. with some catchy synthesizer music playing in the background.

    doogie

    I love NPH! From his Doogie days to his Barney ways on HIMYM

    So, however you do it- let me know if you’re down with the challenge for the week & then post what you’re thankful for in response to this blog. that includes you, blog lurkers who have never commented.

     

     

     

     


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