10.21.2008

Strange Ingredients


They say bad company corrupts good character.... They, whoever they are... are right. Who we hang out with will have a huge part of determining who we become.

Life is full of examples of this... a little rotten fruit, makes the rest go bad... a little mold ruins a loaf, or a house... a little fire spreads... a little hole gets bigger... a small crack grows... and a single bad ingredients ruins the whole entree...


Who we hang with, we will become like... This is why we are told to “imitate Jesus”... the assumption is that if we spend time with him we will become like him as well. But imitating Jesus is a lot easier in a group...

Do the friends you hang with help you grow more like Jesus? Do you help them?

10.09.2008

Peeps: Friendship 101


You were born with an accomplishment greater than you will ever ever achieve in this life...

you might win 9 golds in the olympics,

you might dance with the grace of a ballerina,

or

bend it like becham.

You might win miss or mister Universe,

or

win the sexiest teen alive...

maybe you could even appear in blockbuster films...

Or...

maybe you could even cure cancer and aids before your 18th bday...

BUT...


even if you do all these things, none of it will compare with the most important truth about you: That nothing you will ever accomplish, or fail to accomplish in life will ever compare to the truth the GOD LOVES YOU ALREADY... he cannot love you more of less than he does....

so yes...
accomplish
dream
do!... fail and get up and keep trying, but realize that the truth about you is that you are ALREADY lovable and lovely to HIM...

10.05.2008

Running Peeps

Okay, so Peeps can't actually run. They're made of marshmallow coated with sugar, and they don't have legs. But stay with me on this....

I was running yesterday, and I started thinking about peeps. My peeps, not the overly sweet, fluffy ones. See, I was running by myself, for the first time in quite a while, and it was HARD!!!

I decided a few months ago to start running. It's never been easy for me, but I thought it'd be a good way to exercise, since Rollerblading is limited to paved trails and only possible during the warmer months. My roommate Robbie has been running for years, and she was really happy to help me get started. She gave me advice on getting good running shoes and helped me find a training schedule. Robbie also went running with me several times to encourage me along the way. My friend Jackie (you know Jackie, right?) was also very helpful. She ran with me too, and when my knee started hurting, she showed me some stretches to help.

In August, I ran my first 5K, which is a 3.1 mile race. If you run cross country, that's no big deal, but it was a big deal to me. I recruited a few of my friends to race too, including Robbie and Jackie. They both ran with me the entire race. It got difficult toward the end, but Jackie's "You're doing great!" and "You're almost there!" kept me going.

Maybe you're wondering what this has to do with anything. So I ran a race back in August with some of my friends...so what?! Well, the Bible sometimes compares living a Christian life to running a race. (Check out 1 Corinthians 9:24, Galatians 5:7, 2 Timothy 4:7, and my favorite, Hebrews 12:1.) When I'm running, I can get worn out, and it's really helpful to have my friends running with me to keep me going. (I keep them going too; just ask Robbie!) Life is kind of the same way. So, encourage your peeps. Look after each other when things get rough. Help each other up when you fall.

Go, run with your peeps! =)