this coming Tuesday is a time when lots of people in the church world enter into a period of subtracting something from their lives in an effort to attune themselves to what's deeper beneath the surface. it's a time of focus and intentionality that hopefully allows them to live better and less distracted lives... lives connected to something bigger... lives of meaning and purpose.
i personally like having periods of experimentation that invite change. being totally honest, my story can always use a good shake up. so here's my challenge to the MTL crowd for the month of March just around the corner: communicate better with your body. you have been given such an amazing gift of life through a miraculous and wonderFULL body and all too often we take it for granted. now, before you totally write me off, please hear me when i say that I am talking about MORE than exercise and eating "healthy." i believe that we undervalue what our body tells us. in other words, we don't listen to our bodies. a few stories to illustrate what i mean... what do you do when you get sick? i finally just kicked a cold that knocked me down pretty good. of course when i say, "knocked me down" i don't mean that i stopped my life as usual... who does that? i just mean that i took copious amounts of medicine and felt horrible all day long while i endured "normal" and couldn't believe it took so long to get better. that's my typical sick story. my body signals me and tells me something while i do my absolute best to ignore my body. so i take medicine to silence what my body says and hope it will just be quiet and stop talking... cuz i have stuff to do... places to be. of course there are the times that i truly do get knocked down, probably because several episodes of what i just mentioned accumulate and my body refuses to be ignored any longer. about two weeks ago i took Tate (my youngest boy) out on the mountain. he skied and i rode. we decided to practice hitting some jumps. i fell more that day than i care to admit. : ) in the end, i tweaked my knee and i still feel it. did i stop running three times a week? no. why? i guess routine. did it hurt to run? yes, but Advil seems to do the trick. one of my boys recently hurt one of their fingers and then repeatedly told me how it hurt when he pushed on it a certain way. and i said what my parents said, "so don't push on it like that." so true right. our bodies give us advice that we should really hear. sadly we just tell our body to stop talking because we know better. what is your body telling you? are you paying attention? how can you listen better to your body? how can you respond in a way that says, "i'm listening." up next: communication is a two way street. so when i say that we need to communicate better with our bodies, we have to do more than listen to our bodies... because our bodies are listening to us. what are you telling your body? that's what's next.
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i literally just returned home from dropping off a carload of kiddos somewhere. on the way, i stopped at a stop sign and a woman began walking across the street in front of my car. she caught my eye, and everyone else's too because she had obviously had a little too much to drink. just as she reached the curb, she fell down and could barely be seen anymore by those of us watching her from inside of my car. immediately another woman ran to her, followed by another man and they helped her up... first to her knees and then to her feet.
i imagine a world in which we rally for one another, even when we are strangers. i imagine a world in which common decency and civility are contagious. how great would it be to be surrounded by people who would help and care for you regardless of the circumstances or context? friendship: if we go down, then we go down together #definitionbyfil there is something so comforting about that phrase... how it communicates an uncompromising solidarity and commitment. i believe we need more of that mentality in our world today. let's make it happen. One story. One ending.
And I believe that we are supposed to be FOR one another. Yet so often the word we sense and feel and honestly best demonstrate is AGAINST. What if our story is not about choosing sides… or rising above… or proving anything. What if our story is about realizing we are on one side… and that common ground is where we should stand… and there is nothing to prove... EVER... only something to discover within ourselves. Adventure inward. Ready or not the New Year is coming. Time just keeps marching on... and it seems to get faster the older you become. Very strange.
It seems like Christmas was here then it left abruptly. And now New Year's Day is on the horizon and has the potential to disappear just as quickly. With that said... SOAK IT ALL IN. Take in these days. Rather than rushing through them, slow down and be present... enjoy the time you have. Today is a gift, and it is yours. To "make the most of it" doesn't mean you need to cram in as much as possible. I believe it means, that you need to try be present for as much as you can. We all know what it's like to be absent and suddenly the day or the moment is gone. It happens all too often and too easily. So be intentional with the rest of the Holiday season. Show your love for those in your life. And do your best to show up and be loved yourself. And if you need a little reminder about some other ways to navigate the Holiday Chaos check out the last MTL Podcast 008 wonderFULL you. We'll see you in 2017! The latest MTL Podcast from Nov 1st is up and ready for your ears and here is a little something to go with it... that I didn't include on the night of about the puddle story involving my niece and nephew...
I can typically tell when my heart is running low or running on empty. I find myself always rushing... like time is running out. Every second is spent catching up. My patience evaporates. I snap at my kids. Anything unplanned is an inconvenience. It's ugly... and it honestly feels that way. With a full heart, I leave behind frantic... and discover there's always enough time. Time to enjoy the moment. Time to live. Time to rest. And I end up looking for the puddles to splash in... because I know my heart needs to be filled. Create space this week and dig deep the well inside of you... And may the FILLings you choose not only fill your day and calendar, but may they also FILL YOUR HEART! See you on November 15th at the next MTL : ) Back when our oldest son was in grade school, he was tasked with creating a family crest... drawing a shield that represented our family and our values. The description he included read, "My family will do whatever it takes to get the job done. We'll stay up all night or even skip meals to finish."
From the mouths of babes, right?!?! Anne and I were more than slightly embarrassed to hear how our way of life sounded out loud. I remember thinking, "What can we do though? Life is so busy and over-scheduled. Just get 'er done. It is what it is." Or is it? WE decide where our energies go. WE say yes and no. WE choose what FILLs the hours of our days, weeks, months and years. Your heart speaks. Pay attention and listen. What FILLs your heart? MTL005: FILLings on Tuesday, November 1st 6:30-7:30pm in the Hopefull & Discovery rooms @ BGVCC Dessert, drinks & discussion : ) one of the many ways i understand interaction and experience with the divine is a flow.
we human beings seem to have a very distinct familiarity with beauty, compassion, justice, generosity, freedom, peace and so much else… it’s as if our hearts already know them and want us to chase after them in all their magnificent forms. so we dream and create and pursue those ideals. and when our best endeavors inevitably come up short, we rethink & reimagine, and ultimately re-dream, re-create and continue the pursuit. it seems as if we are caught up in a current... that all of life is being nudged and invited forward by a divine flow just beneath the surface. we sense and feel the movement and direction toward GOODness. there is MORE to life. my encouragement to you… go with the flow… move forward into MORE. see you next time at MTL : ) on Tuesday, November 1st from 6:30-7:30PM at the BGVCC in the Discovery and Hopefull rooms. |
These posts offer further reflection on topics we tackle during MTL nights.
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