Meditating on the elliptical?

²⁶ "Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. ²⁷ But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified."

~1 Corinthians 9:26-27

Today I tried combining two things I want to make a daily part of my life: exercise and scripture memory & meditation. Usually when I run or work out, I want music to keep me upbeat and keep up my pace; and I did put on some KT Tunstall at about a mile and a half to pump up my energy. :) But today for the first half of my workout I kept my (bright neon!) index cards with Psalm 119:1-16 written on them in front of me.

Like mediating on a certain passage while I run, memorizing turns my heart to Jesus, who bore the greatest suffering for me and submitted His body even to death. I'm beginning to find that meditating and memorizing give me the motivation I need to keep going, to discipline my body.

"He who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin...." Not that I think a tough hill at mile three is really what Paul means, but I do really think that the more disciplined my body is and the less I listen to its desires, the more willing I will be to deny myself and listen to Jesus. If I can keep running when I feel completely out of strength, maybe someday I will keep going when it means much more than a good workout. If I can persevere through the temptation of an order of french fries or a cold coca-cola, I will be more able to deny other temptations that come my way.

Ultimately I want my dedication to fitness to be a reflection and outpouring of my love for Jesus. I want to carry around in me the death of Jesus, proclaiming it till He comes, and identify with His death. I also want to take good care of the body and life He gave me to use, and I can do that by being healthy.

"So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

All I Need Is A Sunlit Garret.

Over the past year I have turned into a writer. Almost a real writer.

(I'm not sure what that means. At least I get paid for it.)

Here I sit at my desk, the fading light of Sunday sunshine behind me, typing away; I have my notebook on one side, my coffee on the other, thinking up vibrant verbs and snappy headlines.

I think in leads, nutgraphs, and catchy endings. I file away quotes as if I were using them later. When did this happen? I mean, I've always written silly stories with crazy characters and sent them to my best friend to read. My makeshift closet is full of notebooks. But when did this turn into my job and my and future?

Not that it pays much- that's why I need a romantic little garret somewhere. I have to be able to keep it warm with a tiny wood stove and stock my mini-fridge like a college student, so I don't starve while I track down impossible-to-find sources and start writing breaking news stories thirty minutes before they're due.

But boy, do I love it.

Tea.

I have always considered myself a coffee person, but lately I have rediscovered tea (thanks, Seattle's Best, for the invitation!) and I think in many cases tea is better than coffee.

I've liked tea for years, especially PG Tips black tea. I never liked Earl Grey or any sort of fruit tea, though. Then one cold Michigan-winter afternoon I sat in a professor's living room, where she had hosted our small Tolkien class for tea and class as a treat. I drank the tea and loved it- it was so flavorful and full-bodied. It turns out, it was Earl Grey, and I was hooked.

I once had a friend who drank English Breakfast every morning. One morning the dining hall at the camp we worked at was out of English Breakfast. I suggested he try Earl Grey, since the others were all herbal teas. He did, and he almost stood up in amazement when he tried it. He looked at me wide-eyed. "It tastes like flowers!" he said. "It's amazing!" From then on he had a hard time deciding between his usual and his newfound tea love.

Now I feel the same way about Earl Grey, and tea in general. Now that I'm back at school, a strong cup of coffee just seems like the natural first step of the morning. But tea really is my new favorite. It's just the thing for pretty much any time of the day or night.

TOMS for Haiti

These are TOMS shoes. I think. They're my brother's shoes, and he wears TOMS, so those are probably TOMS. In case you didn't know, TOMS are awesome because for every pair you buy, they give away a pair to a child who needs them, across the world and in poor U.S. communities.

My brother got me a pair of TOMS for Christmas- the red ones, which, he says, are the most popular right now. But I can't wear those cool red TOMS until I get them in a different size. So they will be on order pretty soon.

That was kind of a bummer for my feet, until I realized that the timing just might be perfect. Who could use shoes more now than the kids who just lost everything in Haiti?

I've been wishing I could go to Haiti, or at least donate enough money to really restore even one person's life to them- food, clothes, housing. But maybe my TOMS will make a small difference now that they're coming a little later than intended. Maybe the sister pair of my red TOMS will end up on the feet of some little girl in Haiti.

Wouldn't that be amazing?