Sunday, April 24, 2011

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!

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