What's on your car?

I always find it interesting, and at times almost a game, to figure out what message people are trying to send by what they have on their car.  For those fully loaded, it's like reading an autobiography. 

I saw a  license plate today "PRAZN GD".  That one seemed easy enough.  Until they cut me off in traffic...

I find myself even more intrigued by the little "people" decals that folks stick to their rear windshield.  I wonder how they decide which persona fits them best?  How do you take your life and narrow it down to one sticker?  Does it really represent what you are, or just what you want people to think you are?  Or is it just what you want to be?  

We have very little décor on our aging mini-van.  A faded sticker from the gymnastics place, a 13.1 shamrock from my ½ marathon and an “All Saints Catholic School” magnet.  I wonder what people think when they see that combination?  I wonder if they think we are a bunch of devout lithe exercise freaks?? What would they think if they knew we no longer have anyone doing gymnastics in the house, I ran that one ½ marathon and have barely logged any miles since, and that the registered owner of the car is Presbyterian?

At the other extreme are the “bare” cars – and I know some people who specifically DON’T want to have any acknowledgement that they might be a Christian on their vehicle because they think it sets a higher expectation of driver competence.  Maybe it does.  Is that so wrong?  I am quite cognizant of the Catholic school sticker on my car, and most times it does actually make me think twice about how I drive.  Except for when it doesn’t – and then I just hope the one I offended will grant me the grace that I would hope to grant them.

What’s stuck (or NOT stuck) on the back of you car?  Does it really represent who you are?  Does it really represent who you want to be?

Running on Faith: Where do you get your energy?

Running on Faith: Where do you get your energy?: I wrote this about a year ago to encourage a group of busy ladies who were gearing up for the busy holiday season. As the stores are alr...

Where do you get your energy?

I wrote this about a year ago to encourage a group of busy ladies who were gearing up for the busy holiday season.  As the stores are already "decked" out - it appears that time has come upon us once again.

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People have said a lot of things about me – both to my face and behind my back.     I have been called “way too much”, “high-energy” and have been told I have an “infectious enthusiasm” (all well-intentioned). When I am enthusiastic about something I tend to interrupt, talk fast and talk a lot.  This I can’t deny.  But recently, while really trying to spend time practicing the fruit of “self control” (with varying degrees of success and failure), I have found myself wondering about the reason for this particular personality trait.  Have I always been this way?  Where do I get my energy anyway?

First a definition: 

Energy defined (thanks to wikipedia):  “Energy is the capacity of a physical system to perform work.  According to the law of conservation of energy, the total energy of a system remains constant, though energy may transform into another form. Two billiard balls colliding, for example, may come to rest, with the resulting energy becoming sound and perhaps a bit of heat at the point of collision.”

I found this interesting – in my totally unscientific interpretation, this means that we always have the same amount of energy available to us – the difference is what is our energy “colliding” with?  And what form is it taking?

Life happens, and though science may claim that energy is a constant, doesn’t it feel at some point we “max out”? Sometimes it seems that our energy level wanes.  We are put through trials that test the limits of our energy.  But does it really reach the limit?  Think about those times when you were certain you could not muster any more strength to carry out the day – but some how you did. 

 

Isaiah 40:31 says: 

But those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,

They shall mount up with wings like eagles

They shall run and not be weary

They shall walk and not faint.

For me, this is the answer to my energy questions.  It all has to do with trying as best as I can to be daily in the Word of God.  Regardless of how I feel when the alarm goes off, if I get at least a few minutes each day to read, listen or sing, I continue to be sustained by a constant level of energy.  Many days this energy “collides” with the washing machine, or my own two feet on the pavement, or in caring for a child home sick.  It’s the days when I don’t collide with anything that folks need to watch out!  Perhaps those are the days when I appear a bit more “enthusiastic”.

So what happens if we don’t have hours to spend reading the bible?  Are there ways to keep it up when we feel maxed out?  I think yes!

Think of it like balanced nutrition.  We should eat a healthy breakfast.  Avoid empty calories.  Consume fiber.  But, every now and then you just need something quick and easy.  Like an energy bar.

Energy bar Defined (wikipedia):  “Energy bars are supplemental bars containing cereals and other high energy foods targeted at people that require quick energy but do not have time for a meal. They are different from energy drinks, which contain caffeine, whereas bars provide food energy”

Lately, I’ve come to think of God’s Word as my personal energy bar.  While the living Word alone is not a “replacement meal” for a full and thriving spiritual life, it can be the billiard ball that you collide with to be transformed and renewed – as told to us in  Romans 12:2 -  Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Particularly as we approach the busy holiday season, we need to remember where we get our real energy and encourage one another to make sure if we are pressed for time we at last snag an “energy bar” !

The Power of Sharing

I'm no special case.  I am, mostly, just a regular person trying to make the best of a crazy world.  I understand that while I'd like to be in control, I'm not. I get cranky, like to eat large bowls of ice cream late at night, and sing Vacation Bible School songs with the windows rolled down in traffic.

About a year ago I signed up to run a half marathon.  The title of my training log was Running on Faith.  It was a great experience, and after it was over I wrote a little something that folks seemed to relate to.  Since then, for better or worse, I have tried to take some of my random thoughts of life and put them on paper in the context of my Christian faith.  I do it mostly for my own benefit.  No one is obligated to read - but I have found that sharing our faith experiences is a pathway to new opportunities.  So, maybe it will be so for you as well.

We shall see where the path goes!