Looking for something new?

Listening to the rain this morning, reading my devotional, checking out the  post on Facebook from the folks at my gym made me thankful to be a part of something in this big old world. Around 2010, I started Crossfit, hesitantly. One of my running buddies convinced me to come give it a try. The gym was offering a free trial week so I said what the heck let’s do it. By the third day I was hooked. I “drank the Kool-aid,” as they say and have never looked back. After five years, I have no regrets and I still love it. Crossfit is for everyone, regardless of what you have heard or any images you may have seen or conjured up in your head. Don’t lose out on a great health benefit, physical and mental, due to some crazy comment or image you may have heard or seen. It’s wrong.

Christmas Eve Morning… from my journal

I woke up early this morning as usual, hard to break habits, and was reading in the book of John about Jesus feeding the five thousand. Just two days later unbelief began to set in among his followers even though they had seen this miracle and many the days before. When Jesus began to speak of things they did not understand or that went against what they wanted to hear they began to doubt and walked away. I find myself struggling sometimes in the middle of all the craziness of the world, but I know faith is the true test… believing when the intellect doubts. Being too smart for Jesus seems to be the snare for so many in today’s world. Looking back over 2015, I realize more than ever how much Jesus loves me because it has been one tough year, one that will go down in the books for me. I can truly see how much God has had his hand in my situations time and time again. I took just a moment to thank him…. for “unto us a savior is born!” Today we begin our family traditions for Christmas and evidence of God’s mercy and grace will be present in each of us this year. God really is good… I got up to go get a fresh cup of coffee and picked up a piece of mail that I had forgotten to open last night. As I opened it, I realized it was the results of some testing from my doctor. For the last three years I have had to go every six months for tests. Every time the blood work and other tests have come back irregular and I had to continue on…”watching it” to see if it changed… it hasn’t for three years… always irregularities that have to be watched. But this time it was “normal and all clear.” My doctor wrote a little note on my results….
“sometimes it just takes time…. Merry Christmas… see you in a year for a regular appointment!” Sometimes you just have to trust God even when things seem “unfix able.” Doubt and unbelief have consumed me at times through those three years even though I have seen the miracles time and time again, thank God he saw me through. I don’t know what lies ahead for 2016, but I know that either way God will see me through it:) Merry Christmas and remember we celebrate the hope that Jesus gives us this season… be confident in knowing that whatever the situation, Jesus has the final say and even if it doesn’t turn out the way we want in the time we want it… his way is the best way and his timing is perfect!

It’s that time again…

2016 is fast upon me and already I am planning on things I can do differently. Just like everyone else, I have set resolutions and then by mid January I am wondering why it’s so hard to do. Over the years I have gotten better at resolving to make changes and actually following through with them. Setting goals only to be disappointed in yourself is awful. I have learned a few things about setting goals to find success. The kind of goals I set have been critical for me to make real life changes that have made a difference.

Bear Man on the Appalachian Trail!

 

It was late Friday night around 10:00 pm when we arrived at Fontana Dam Shelter in North Carolina to settle in for the night. After leaving work and driving five hours, I was exhausted and just wanted to climb in my sleeping bag, go to sleep and rest before our hike in the morning. Quietly we slipped in among the snoring hikers and already crowded shelter. There was room for two more so we did our best to set up our sleeping bags by  headlamps and not disturb the exhausted sleeping hikers. Finally, I was settled into my sleeping bag snug as a bug in a rug and I waited for sleep to come. As I lay looking out into the night, the cool brisk air of 28 degree winds whipped in and out of the shelter while the full moon glistened across the lake. I pushed down deeper into my bag, listening  to the leaves tumbling about and the lull of  hikers breathing gradually putting me into a deep sleep.