Running and Asceticism

I’ve never experience the runner’s high, endorphine-flooded, goofy-this-feels-like-walking-only-faster-I-could-run-forever state of being. I feel every foot-pouding step, every muscle contraction, every oxygen-drenched breath when I run. I run for two reasons: 1. The sense of accomplishment is addicting. 2. To tell myself, “no.” When I completed my first 5K, I was totally pumped. Not by runner’s…

Know Why You “No”

I hate saying no. I really stink at it. I detest feeling like I’ve let others down. I have to work myself up to near-frenzy to get the words out and I typically feel remorse about it afterward as if I’m single handedly crushing someone’s spirit through my negative reply. I struggle with this. It’s…

Work vs. Toil

How do you feel about work? Whether it be your job, vocation, career, chores, duties, or responsibilities, how do you feel about your work? Do you love it? Is it rewarding? Would you, as my high school guidance counselor always hoped, work even without pay? Or is it a drudgery? A necessary task to earn…

Psalm 4

I’ve been camped out in the Psalms lately. Feeling the emotions. Soaking in the goodness. Quenching my soul. In the midst of life’s trials, the Psalms are my salve. They remind me that someone else understands. That someone has been through uncertainty, discomfort, and grief. Here’s what I’ve been thinking about today: “In peace I…

Justice and God

Ever since I attended Passion last year, my ears have pricked up when I hear the word “justice.” I heard about the atrocities in the world in real and all too near ways. Passion focused on the plight of 27 million men, women, and children in the world who are currently in slavery.  There is…