Nothing Spectacular…

…but I promised that I’d let you know when I finally got an article “published” on the E-zine Suite101.  Here is my first article, nothing spectacular, but it’s there: Investing Time Makes Marriage Work. 

Also here are a few of the latest articles for goingtoseminary.com.  Again, please don’t feel obligated to read them, but I promised I’d give a heads up. 

Is Seminary Highly Competitive?

Resisting Sedentary Seminary

Happy reading!  Stay Tuned for LiveDifferent Challenge (14): Get Marginalized! (Physical Energy)

The Relieved Runner

Well, three days into my vigorous 10k training (only one of which I actually ran) :-), I found out that they found someone else to fill the Hood-to-Coast spot.  So, I am now the relieved runner.  I’d still like to do the 10k training because I think it’d be a great way to motivate myself to get in shape, but it is definitely a relief to not have the race hanging over my head.  So, it’s bittersweet–I’m a little disappointed and a lot relieved. 

Today Dutch and I had an unexpected treat. Jeff asked to go to a church kids’ sports camp at a church in West Linn in order to get ideas for a similar camp at our church next summer.  My dad was supposed to go with him, but wasn’t feeling great, so this morning about 45 minutes before departure time I got a wild idea to pack Dutch up and go with Jeff, figuring Dutch and I could explore the West Linn parks while Jeff jotted down camp notes and helped kids with their form. 

What a great time!  We first went to a huge state park right along hwy 43, with trails that led all the way down to the river.  We went down to the river, which of course looks nothing like a river compared to the rushing rapids outside our back door, and more like a giant lake with water lapping up on the sandy beaches. But Dutch had a ball: “Whoa!”  was all he could say. After that park, we found a kid’s park compete with the works: slide, swings, climbing structure.  He could have stayed all day.  Gotta love parks. I sipped my Starbucks and thought about how I wanted to kiss whoever thought to create public play structures.  It had to have been a mom. 

Now we’re home.  Dutch is sound asleep in his new room, the sewing room.  We’re so excited to have my brother and his wife and their daughter coming tomorrow to stay here at Mom and Dad’s for the next three weeks.  So Dutch moved into the sewing room!  It’s really just a big closet, just big enough to hold a crib and room for a person sucking in their stomach to stand beside the crib.  It’s perfect for a toddler!  He’s loving the change of scenery and is sleeping great in there already.  Jeff and I have been just marveling at how good God is to let us spend the past year here.  I know I’ve complained a lot, and I do regret how often I’ve griped, because the truth is we have been so blessed here.  We’ve saved oodles of money, we’ve gotten to watch Dutch explore with awe and wonder the majestic outdoors complete with river, horses, dogs, tractors, pool, grass, trees, you name it.  And we’ve gotten to see Dutch develop an amazing relationship with his grandparents, Oma and Papa.  It’s definitely an unusual circumstance, but how sweet it’s been to see Dutch on the tractor with Papa or reading a special book cuddled on the couch with Oma.  Definitely memories we will treasure always.

So, how’s that for a post that all over the road? Relieved of running duty, enjoying parks, and thankful for our home.  Just a day in the life of Kari…thanks for reading.

Calvin on Things

“All the things that make for the enriching of this present life are sacred gifts of God, but we spoil them by our misuse of them. If we want to know the reason why, it is because we are always entertaining the delusion that we will go on forever in this world. The result is that the very things which ought to be of assistance to us in our pilgrimage through life, become the chains which bind us.” -John Calvin

The Reluctant Runner

I just got done running two miles.  I know, not a lot. But it’s a lot for me.  You see, I’m a “Runnabe”…a wannabe runner.  I like to think of myself as someone who likes to run, but the bottom line is that I like to, well, walk.  So, Jeff and I have been talking about how much we need to make it a priority to get more exercise, as “sedentary seminary” has taken its toll and we just want to be healthy and have an active lifestyle. So, he’s been riding his bike to work each day, and loving it.  And as I mentioned, he is taking the 100 push-up challenge.  This week he did 181 push-ups total.

So in the middle of this new motivation, I get a random email from my dear friend Candi (from the Road to Santa Clara) saying that they had a runner drop off their Hood-to-Coast team and she wanted me to join. (Hood-to-Coast is the largest running relay race in the world, 197 mile relay from Mt. Hood to the Oregon coast).  Ok, I will admit that I once said that I wanted to do Hood-to-Coast, but that was pre-baby when I was actually running regularly…a long time ago!  And, most people train for months and months, but the race is only 2 months from now!  So immediately my response was Absolutely No Way.  No way did I want to give up my summer to train for something that would absolutely certain to hurt…a lot.  Any amount of running that causes thigh chafing and loss of toenails does NOT sound like a fun time to me.  Plus, I don’t have that competitive edge anymore.  I am completely content these days to sit and sip iced tea while the world around me competes for the athletic prize.  But I told her I’d sleep on it and pray about it.  And I did.

And it kept nagging at me. Again and again.  And again. I hate that! I hate it when you feel like maybe God wants you to do something and so you can’t quit thinking about it and no matter how many reasons you think of against it, you still feel like it’s what you’re supposed to do.  I hate that. So I came up with a million reasons not to do it. It’s the same day as my 10-year High School reunion that I was actually really excited about attending.  I don’t have a great place to run, other than just laps up and down our driveway.  I’m breastfeeding.  And, the biggest reason: I’ve never ran a 10k in my life and this relay would basically be 3 of those in one day.  Totally out of my league.

You probably think I’m blowing this way out of proportion, but I’m telling you sometimes I get this feeling like something is a big deal, like God wants me to do something and there’s something at stake, which makes me not want to do it more than ever. So I was laying in bed one night, praying about it, and I had this picture in my mind of God dragging me by my arm like a toddler off the playground, and me shaking my fists like a spoiled brat and shouting, “But I’m not a runner! I’m not a runner!” (I know, that’s probably a symptom of some disorder).  But then I began to get this sense that God has something for me in this.  I don’t care about my mile times or proving anything or getting a t-shirt. I do care about getting to do something totally bonding with my precious friend Candi, which I think will be the highlight. But most of all, I think maybe God wants to teach me some stuff, definitely challenge me, maybe bless me. I don’t know, and I actually haven’t made my official decision yet…but I can feel my resistance starting to crumble.  I know it sounds totally dorky to say I’m running for Jesus, but that’s the only way I know how to articulate it.

So this morning I started “training” with a big whopping 2 mile run.  I am the reluctant runner, but I’m trusting there’s a reason God’s dragging me onto the track. He’s so good, so trustworthy, and I guess He’s promised to run with me, right?  I don’t know.  I’m still a little scared…