Running the Race

I ran today. A little. (Right now my sister Holly is picking herself up off the floor) I hate to run. I don't know what it is. When I run, all I can think about is when I can stop. A couple of years ago my sister Holly and my mom decided to come to Nashville and run the Music City Half Marathon. Holly called me one night all excited with a BRILLIANT idea. "Music city marathon...blah, blah, blah...thought it would be great if we ran as a family." My response? "Hell no. Holly, I don't even want to run down to the mailbox much less a half marathon." I know that's not very christian but that is exactly what I said. I know her. She envisioned us all running side by side, wearing matching T-shirts, smiling ear to ear the whole way, and crossing the finish line with hands clasped together and held high while everyone took pictures. I envisioned getting 3/10 of a mile into it and desperately needing a port-a-potty. I envisioned the effort it would take to figure out ahead of time where all the water stands would be because heaven knows...I would be visiting all of them. I envisioned me humiliating myself and wanting to DIE. But...today was just so beautiful it made me want to run. A little.

My dad loves to exercise but he doesn't like to run either. Years ago, when he was the Georgia state director for FCA, they asked him to run in the Peachtree Road Race. Thousands of people run in the race every year. Somehow he way underestimated the whole miles/kilometers conversion and thought he could just show up and run. Well, just as I envisioned, he had to stop at every water stand along the way.

There were all kinds of people running the race. One guy ran in a tuxedo. To my dad's utter humiliation, about halfway through the race, two people in full-blown chicken costumes blew past him. But of all the people running the race, it was clear that those who were interested in running well and even winning weren't wearing tuxedos or chicken outfits. They had stripped themselves of anything that might hinder them from running their best.

I can't help but think of Hebrews 12:1

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us
throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let
us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

The word that is translated as "everything that hinders" literally means a mass or weight. It was a word used to describe how an athlete would ready himself for action by removing excess weight or even excess clothing. Notice the verse says, "everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles..." These weights may not be sins. There's nothing wrong with tuxedos and chicken suits...but they aren't made for running. What are the weights that you may be carrying that may hinder you from running the race marked out for you? Too many commitments to too many things? Preconceived ideas? A relationship? Guilt? Unforgiveness?

Greg LaMond, two time Tour de France winner was once interviewed about his training and was asked whether or not he lifted weights with his upper body. He said no because he didn't want any more weight on his body than was absolutely necessary to pump his bicycle at the level he wanted. He said that if he got on the scale in the morning and was one pound over the weight he knew he needed to be, he was horrified until he lost the pound. If only we could look at our own hearts and feel horrified over the extra weights we are carrying. If only we were so concerned about removing the things that hinder our relationship with Christ.

One last note, Greg LaMond said that he usually wouldn't notice the extra weight...until he reached the mountains.

Savory Breakfast

I recently discovered a blog called Foodmayhem. It's all things food so how could you not love it. The blog is written by a group mostly out of New York City. Each posting has a picture of the food they're blogging about. Sometimes it comes from a restaurant, sometimes a store, sometimes from their own kitchen. Anyway, I saw something I had to share. It may sound gross to some but it is my new favorite breakfast. Basically all you do is prepare one package of regular oatmeal and top it off with a fried egg and lots of salt and pepper. That's it! It's full of protein and fiber and I love it because I often crave something savory for breakfast instead of sweet. The runny yolk getting all over the oatmeal is so yummy. Anyway, if you want to see a picture (I didn't take a picture of mine this morning) go here. Enjoy! Let me know if you decide to try it.

My Other Blog

I started a separate blog for my TV commentary. Yes, my guilty pleasure. Today I wrote about Oprah's Big Give. If your interested, you can find it at tracystubetalk.blogspot.com. Any other TV addicts out there?

Let it Snow!

Well we didn’t have quite the snow I was hoping for. Strangely, others in our small town got several inches while I’d say we had less than one. I got all the basic needs for our big snow in…you know, bread, milk, frozen pizza, chili fixins, and cookie dough. But without the snow it just wasn’t quite the same. I just felt full and fat.

But whenever I see snow I am always in awe of how beautiful it makes everything. It evens things out. The suburban neighborhood, the big city, the country farm, the ghetto, they all look the same under a solid blanket of purest white snow. That must be why God says in Isaiah 1:18 Though your sins were as scarlet, they shall be white as snow. It’s easy to picture when you have seen the pure white snow cover over the ugly, broken things of the world.

But what’s even better is that our sin isn’t just covered, it will actually be removed. John 1:29 tells us that when John the Baptist saw Jesus coming he said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” Psalm 103:12 says, “as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” The Bible and the language don’t really make a distinction between our sin being covered and our sin being removed because they both accomplish the same thing…our salvation, our adoption as sons and daughters, our ability to come into the presence of a perfectly holy God. But somehow the idea of it being removed is an amazing thought to me. I can’t imagine what it’s like to actually have sin not be a part of me at all.

I remember a tract I saw as a young girl. It showed a young man standing before the throne and a movie screen showing his entire life. Of course there was much remorse over all of the things he thought no one saw, all the sin in his life. Even his thoughts were there for all to see in little bubbles over his head. I remember trembling in fear at the thought of having everything I ever did played out on the big screen. Well, I don’t know what heaven will be like, but I know it won’t be like that. Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” If there is a movie screen when we get there, the only life we will see is the life of Christ. Praise God and let it snow, let it snow, LET IT SNOW!

What I Want to Be When I Grow Up

When I think about going back to work someday, it makes my head spin. There are so many things I wish I could do. Oh, if only I could do college over again. How is anyone supposed to know what they want to be when they're only 17? I was an elementary school teacher before I stayed home with the girls. I loved my job but when I think about going back and I think about all those kids...it doesn't have the same appeal.

I do have a secret desire to work at Walmart. Yep, Walmart. I don't understand why some people get so negative about the super store thing. I think it's SUPER! I love the idea of wearing jeans and a t-shirt to work. There's something so tempting about swiping each item across the scanner and hearing that beep that let's you know it registered. (C'mon, you know yo were just as excited as me to try out a self checkout lane for the first time) I am in awe of the cashiers who seem to know exactly where the bar code is on each item and who know the PLU's for all the produce. I love the challenge of bagging the items in the right combinations. I always try to line things up on the conveyor belt in the right groupings. I mean, how frustrating to be scanning cans and suddenly have socks come across the way? And I especially love the idea that I'd never have to stop anywhere on my way home from work to pick something up because...that's right...I'm already there.

My favorite thing about Walmart? It's the great equalizer. All kinds go there. Just the other day I stood in line behind a big guy, dressed in all black, long black hair with the sides shaved, blue contact lenses, chains and piercings everywhere. Turns out he has a four year old daughter who acts just like mine. Nice guy. It's a true melting pot, young, old, rich, poor, and every color, shape and background.

When I was in college I went on a mission trip with Campus Crusade to Santa Cruz, CA. We could choose from several different jobs and I was tempted to work the fryers in the fast food restaurants, seriously. But I was able to fulfill another lifelong dream...ride operator at the boardwalk. I got to take the tickets, check the safety bars and make sure they locked into place, turn the key, and push the button. And occasionally, just for fun, I'd give a free extra ride on a slow day. One ride I really enjoyed was the haunted house. I typically hate haunted houses but this one wasn't very scary and the most fun part was the job of walking the catwalk. It was a ride-through haunted house and from the catwalk you could look down on the whole maze of the house. Basically, you watched for people getting out of their cars, spitting, or vandalizing. It was so satisfying to shine a flashlight on the offender and holler down for them to stop what they were doing. It always scared them to death and they couldn't ever see where you were. It was so loud in there I could sing at the top of my lungs and no one could hear me. I would do calf raises, lunges, and other standing exercises on occasion.

I don't know what it is about these jobs. I wouldn't want to do them forever, just until it wasn't fun anymore. Maybe it's a curiosity about how things work behind the scenes. I'd also like to work at a movie theater, Disney World, the Opryland Hotel, a spa, a tanning salon. Can't you see the benfits? Maybe it's about what I can get on an employee discount. Don't think I'm not tempted by the new Barnes & Noble. So please share, what job do you secretly desire to do?

To Consign or Not To Consign

That was the question. After pulling everything out of the bins and checking it over I have decided it's just not worth it for me. Here's why:

1. Big Sister was VERY neat. I never had to put a bib on her. She ate her peas with pointer finger and thumb one at a time. Big Sister still cries if she gets wet or messy. As a baby, I would sit her on the grass and she would try to balance on her bottom while holding both feet in the air so as to not touch the grass. Little Sister, who wore all the clothes the second time around is the polar opposite. A bib is useless because Little Sister still manages to get food from head to toe. I should either feed her naked or just put an entire jumper on her to cover her clothes. Not to mention what that girl could do to a diaper. The work that would be required to remove each stain on the clothes that no longer fit is just not worth it. The cost of Shout! and Bleach Pens alone would probably put me in the hole.

2. I have a neighbor about to have her first child...A GIRL! The few items (and I do mean few) that are in decent shape would be perfect to pass on to her.

3. This is a big one for me. Do you know what you can list as fair market value on your clothing items donated to Good Will on your taxes? Just a sample: Children’s Clothing Dresses $1-$3, Pants $1-$5, Shirts $1-$5, Outerwear $3-$8, Sweaters $1-$5, Infant Clothing $0.50-$2, Shoes $1-$6. The value you can list on furniture and adult clothing is even more worth it. If you want to know more, click here. And get this...they don't check for near invisible stains.

4. Most of the clothing my kids wear comes from Target, Old Navy, or Walmart. So needless to say, I'd be pricing most of the stuff at the listed tax values anyway.

So you can clearly see the amount of time I would spend dealing with consigning just might not be worth it for the few dollars I might make in hand. Call it denial, call it justification of laziness, I call it being a good steward of my time. Not everyone is in the same boat, some of you actually love this consigning stuff. I've been procrasting for days and trying to find good reasons to stay out of the laundry room and am finally satisfied that I can take a nap instead. Ahhhhhh.....

Favorite Meals

I just wanted to share one of our favorite meals that is SUPER easy and delicious! I am a bit of a fish snob. I usually don't like it much unless it's fresh. However, I have found a great frozen product at SAM'S CLUB. It is Blackened, Seasoned Atlantic Salmon Fillets by C. Wirthy & Co. Each fillet is individually packaged. You just pull out what you need and thaw it in the package for about 30 minutes in a bowl of cold water. I just remove from package, drizzle a little olive oil on each side, and cook on the stovetop in my grill pan about 5 minutes on each side and WALLAH! It's that easy. It's not "fishy" like a lot of other frozen fish. With it we usually have another one of our favorite products from the local Super Walmart. Mann's Ready, Set, Steam vegetables. It comes in Stir Fry, Garden Herb, or Brocolli with Cheese Sauce. You just peel off the sauce packet, put the package in the microwave on high for 3 minutes, peel off the top of the package, add sauce, stir and WALLAH! Delicious vegetable in 3 minutes! I also usually make 10 minute brown rice to go with it. So you can put together a great, healthy meal in less than 15 minutes if you don't count the thawing time. Look out Rachel Ray! 30 minute meals HAH!