He is Risen!

And I am up at 3:20 am. I fell asleep quite early last night only to be awoken early this morning with a tummy ache. The culprit is the Butternut Squash Ravioli from Pastini's! I had a stomach ache on Friday night too as I fell asleep after eating it, and I ate the leftovers a little later (7:30 p.m.) last night, and it is the same "pit in my stomach" feeling again. It is very rich, and I have been eating so low fat for two months. So, I am pretty sure that is what got me. So, I am up drinking carbonated beverage and not feeling really well.

But I feel great because it is Easter!  Resurrection Sunday. He is alive. No doubt about that. I want to shout it out to the world!

Life is so full lately. I can't contain all the exciting things that are happening!  I'll do a run down of the Well:

Well-Watered Soul - I am abiding and edging closer to the 24/7/365 kind of life that I have always dreamed of. I look at Letters by a Modern Mystic, and I am thankful for You putting this 24/7/365 kind of life on my heart back in 1983!  :) I did miss my March day of prayer though, and I am feeling the need for a little get-away with Jesus on that front. Could a trip to Silvia Beach be in order?

Prayer has been sweet, and listening prayer has filled my soul with such good things lately. I need to listen about a few things direction-wise and not please the people around me so much. It is important for me to do what you are directing me to do rather than I feel others want me to do. So, I want your water to pour over me and fill my soul.

Well-Educated Mind - I have not bee able to get to finishing Protestant Work Ethic because of all the excitement, but I want to keep working toward that goal. So, after today, and our guests. I am settling into reading. I need to focus on doing that, and I might even skip to a more modern book on the list just to hold my attention. I am looking at the six remaining books on my hearth, and I can taste the end of an era. Lord, carve out the time for me to finish this very important journey.

Well-Adjusted Heart - It is hard to separate this from the Well-Watered Soul because my heart is healed as my soul is watered.  God has healed so much of my heart. I see that as I did Healing Prayer with my small group last Sunday and memory after memory came up, and He gave me perfect peace and calm in each one. The steadfast of mind, You will keep in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You (Isaiah 26:3). I know to whom much is given, much will be required. So, I want to steward this treasure wisely by offering Theophostic Prayer Ministry to those who want it. I have always been hesitant to do it with people, not wanting to stop them in midstream of sharing their hearts, but now that we are all on the same page, it is much easier to slip into that mode. I did it twice last week, and I want to do it more with people I meet with. George prayed with me over how I was feeling about not wanting the big group for this, and God kept saying, "That is how I made you" as I got happy memories of telling my mom and dad to hold it down outside while they laughed away with their friends, and I tried to study. This was something I loved about my mom and dad. They loved their friends, and they had such a good time with them. I did too. I just need quiet because God gave me this contemplative side. It is how I am wired, and there is no shame in wanting things quieter.

God gave me a word about my identity, and it was "Boldly Beloved."  So, I need to just be bold and not worry about it any more.

Well-Tuned Body - God has given me much balance in that too. The triathlon training was so excellent for my body. The cross-training is really what I was missing and just doing elliptical and walking was NOT  conditioning me anymore. I could not usually get my heart rate above 112 on the elliptical without being really uncomfortable in my back. So, I am glad that I am swimming, biking, and running now.

Biking is more like interval training because I have to stop and start as I ride until I get out in the open areas on the bike trails, but I usually am able to stay between 114 - 144 which his my "zone."

Running challenges me to push my heart rate to the max almost every time. So, I still have to stop and walk when it gets too high, but that is OK. My goal is to run the "Glen Eden 5K" someday without having my heart rate go too high! I had to stop and walk on all the uphills to keep it within range, but I am so excited that I can run the down hills again!  I haven't been able to do that in years because of my leg. I also look forward to trying some new compression tights to see if they help my calf not fall asleep as I run. I am talking to Paula at the club to have her help me with a safe running program. She said I should sign up for a 5K to have a goal. I have a hard time running more than two times a week though. It jars my joints, but I do love the challenge in the cardiovascular area.

Swimming is just very relaxing for me, and I wish I would have been doing it the whole time I have had access to the pool at the club. It always seemed like too much of a hassle to go and change in the locker room, but now it is easy as I dress in my suit at home and just shower afterwards. I know that my heart rate is in the perfect zone for that. My shoulder bothered me only after that chiropractor started digging in there. Never bothered me the whole time I trained for the triathlon. So, I am just waiting for what he did in there to go away.

I am still going to hike and walk too. I love my new GPS watch that helps me track my miles, pace/speed and heart rate for things too!  Very fun! I don't have to track things on running maps anymore! Just go out and ride until I have done a certain amount of miles. :) My pace is embarrassingly slow with running, but I am OK with that.

All the conditioning and watching what I have been eating since February 25 has allowed me to drop 10 lbs. So, I am at my goal weight. So, I am grateful for the triathlon for pushing me.

So, the latest thing that I am feeling is the need to not do Theophostic Prayer Ministry with a big group of people. So, I need wisdom this morning in how to communicate this to Linda so she would understand that what we are trying to accomplish is not exclusive but so that we can invest deeply in those we have been investing in over the last 1 1/2 years. I just don't sense that I am supposed to make it bigger, but I think Elizabeth would be able to do that with all of her friends and Linda's people.

Need to go with my gut on this one. I think even adding Terri and Linda for our group would really change the dynamic. We are on the same page. They would add wonderful things, but they also would change it. Not in a bad way but change it. I am asking Claudia for wisdom tomorrow!

Happy and Hopeful Today

Kim sent me Romans 15:13 today via text message. Not sure of the version, but I love it:

"So I pray that God who give you hope, will keep you happy and full of peace as you believe in Him. May you overflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit."

I have awesome friends.

2011 Carol365

2011 Carol365, a set on Flickr.

Wondering what this will do if I blog the whole set to my blogger!

Today is the Day!

It is 6 am on the day of the race. I know that I will feel much better when it is all over in about five hours, but right now, I am so nervous!  There are pluses and minus to a later start time. One of the pluses and some time to spend with God this morning and stretch my back out. I can also run through my talk one or two times and make sure I am hydrated well.

The minus is that I have to WAIT longer for it to all be over!  I would be done by 9:30 am if I had early start times like the rest of the ladies!  I would also have more time to rehydrate, cool down, and stretch before I got in the car to go to the coast.

I think I like having this extra time.  It would be much different if I could just go home and chill the rest of the day, but I will be at the coast with 80 women!  I will giving my talk in 27 1/2 hours. I am really going to come home and RELAX on Sunday night. I'll go to the chiropractor and massage therapist on Monday and start my taxes!  I am determined to get those done next week so I can have the week prior to JIQ to really prepare for three days of intensity with people. :)

Life is about waiting.  Isn't it? I told George that I was really glad that I did this talk. It is different. When I do Personality Type and Spiritual Gifts, I am not nervous. I can do it without thinking, but this is so different. It is so much more personal for me, and I have to tailor it for this group. I can redo this talk over and over again like I do for those. It is harder to prepare for, but it has been really rewarding for me to look back and see all the promises that You have given me as I wait!

So, let the weekend begin! Praying my back cooperates today after a scary and stupid putting of a box in a freezer that tweeked my back!!!!  Silly me. I think I am OK though because I was already scheduled to see the chiropractor anyway.

Lord, please run through me. Flow through me. Swimming for You. Biking for You. Running for You!

Nervous

In 24 hours, I will be half way through my swim in Dixon Pool. I am a bit nervous about this whole thing. I love the idea of a triathlon, but the whole thing really scares me. It is so much more complicated than just a 5K run!  

In a little over 48 hours, I will be giving my talk. I was able to run through it a couple of times yesterday, and it still need some fine-tuning. I am saying too much right now. Need more personal experience flavored in there and a little less Bible teaching (I can't resist you know).  I feel like it will definitely be together by the time I stand up there. But what should I wear? :)

Well-Tuned Body - I lost five pounds in the whole "triathlon training" process. Lots of muscle gain and more fat loss than probably shows on the scale. YEAH! Next week, during my recovery (and sitting on my duff doing taxes!) I will do a high-protein, low-carb option to switch things up a bit. 

Well-Watered Soul - I have loved getting ready for this talk. I has been so good to read old journals and see how much God has taught me through the waiting process. This was well-worth the time I have invested in it. It has been time-consuming and difficult to find chunks of time to work on this talk, but the deeper time in the word, digging again on the subject of waiting has refreshed my soul. SO, thank you Vickie Z. for asking me! I pray God uses it in the lives of the 80 women who will be attending. 

Well-Educated Mind - I have been able to listen to The Blindside as I have done the moist-heat pad on my massage table. That has been great. I hope to return to The Protestant Work Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism when I am done with taxes!

Well-adjusted Heart - Much prayer about the potential conflict that I am witnessing among a few friends (I am not a part of the conflict but have been coaching in it) had unsettled me, but I am much better after prayer from Shar Giesert, Vickie Z.,  and Joyce At. Confessing my fear that things would blow up here. I am also really looking forward to having the Listening Prayer Workshop with the Winships after Jesus in the Qur'an!  I pray all the people in conflict would come. I think we could all benefit from doing the Peacemaker Study after this is all over. 

Elizabeth is coming in 40 minutes. So, I want to run through my talk one more time before she comes. Then one more time after. Then, I go to get a bathing cap, race belt, chip holder, and my packet for the race. Then, I go to the chiropractor for a one hour adjustment session. Finally, I have from 4 pm - bedtime to work on my talk. I think that will be plenty for me. :)

I have butterflies, but I am loving my life right now. Praying for safety and blessing for my friends doing the triathlon who are all running for Jesus!  Praying for blessing on the 80 women going to Wi-Ne-Ma too!