Stay on track (Prayer Devotional for the week of April 29, 2012)

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I read a joke recently that went like this: “I never run with scissors. (That last part was unnecessary.)” Get it? I never run with scissors. Some people exercise for fun, but I have to make myself do it, and I’m really good at talking myself out of it. I’m too tired, too busy, too whatever to get sweaty.

There are several parallels in the Bible to exercise, specifically, running. If you are like me and running isn’t your thing, then I encourage you to think about the stories in a context that is meaningful to you. In Galatians 5:7, for example, Paul encourages the reader to not let people cut in on you and detract you from the race, but in the next verse, he references cooking—about how a little bit of yeast works its way into the whole batch of dough.

So, is Paul only addressing runners and chefs? What is he really trying to tell all of us? I think he’s saying that bad influences (of all sorts) can derail us from God’s plan. When we give in to negative persuasion a little, then it has a way of wrecking our lives entirely.

James talks in similar terms about sticking with the plan God has for us. In Chapter 1, he actually says that we should be joyful when our faith is tested. When we push through the trial and stay on track with the Lord, then we develop perseverance to help us face the next trial. (If I ever stuck with jogging long enough to develop a habit, then I’ve heard that something similar happens to us physically when we run regularly: we develop perseverance to run farther, faster.)

Maybe it isn’t a footrace that you are facing in life right now, but surely there is an area where God wants you to persevere. Stay the course and rely on him to give you your second wind.

Foodie Friday: Local Restaurant Reviews

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This week, I thought I’d tell you about one of my favorite local websites, WacoFork.com. The guys who run the site are down-to-earth and friendly, and they’ve drawn a following of dedicated foodies who write regular reviews about restaurants around town.

Seaweed salad (don't knock it till you try it!)

I recently wrote a review of a new sushi/Korean place called Wako Roll. (The grammarian in me hates the name, but the food is good enough to make me forgive the spelling.) I don’t eat much in the way of starchy foods anymore, so I’m still trying to figure out a good rice alternative. (I’ve used cauliflower for rice side dishes but haven’t tried a mock-sushi with it yet.)

Anyway, I really liked the bulgogi, and the seaweed salad was scrumptious. It reminded me of liang pi, which is a cold noodle dish that I haven’t been able to find this side of Seattle. There are no noodles, though! I inquired about the ingredients because I wanted to know what the white slivers were, and I was informed that they are a type of radish. Score!

It’s fun to have a web resource where locals give feedback on restaurants they enjoy. I’ve discovered some new places in town that I might not ever have tried if it weren’t for others’ reviews. Plus, I know that other folks out there are trying to cut back on sugar/carbs, so hopefully some people benefit from my reviews of alternative dishes.

Kubler-Ross, shmosh

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Dear Nathan,

So much for the so-called five stages of grief, because I’m right back at anger today. That’s right: I’m mad at you. I’m mad at you for dying. I’m mad at you for not being here today when I need you. I’m mad at you for being gone.

I cry angry tears, and then they turn into sad tears, and then I feel bad for being mad at you. Then, I cry some more because I think I have a right to be angry. Then, I feel embarrassed for crying off my makeup, because someone will surely notice my bleary eyes, which will make me cry even more when they ask how I’m doing.

Today is one of those days when the enemy tries to tell me that I’m a failure, and nothing I do matters. When the principal calls with her trying-to-be-nice-to-the-poor-ragged-mother voice and tells me that she knows we have a lot going on in our lives, I want to scream at her. Not because it isn’t true, but because it is true. I don’t want to be patronized because I’m raising five kids and my husband is away doing Army stuff. I don’t want pity. I want to prove them all wrong and make them take back their pity.

Is defiance a stage of grief? If not, then it should be.

I don’t want someone’s understanding of my tough circumstances. I want to raise five godly young men who are productive members of society. I want people to look at our family and see God’s hand at work. But first, we have to get to the part where they are grown up and move past the part where they throw pencil boxes and lunch bags and get sent to the principal.

Right now, though, I just want to cry. I want to sulk and be angry.

Wednesday Words: In pictures

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Since a picture is worth 1,000 words (so they say), I thought I’d share with you today about two photo sites that I’ve recently explored. The first is Flickr, which I’ve enjoyed using to browse pictures from my husb’s Army unit that they post. The second is Pinterest, which I’ve been watching for months but finally caved and joined yesterday.

I already post a lot of photos on Facebook (and some here), so I’m not sure what the advantage is of also posting them on Flickr, but I’m open to suggestions.

As for Pinterest, I can see that there are a lot of neat ideas for projects around the house, tips for kids and good ol’ humorous content. I tested a few new posts by “pinning” some of my Foodie Friday blog entries. One thing I did realize is that many of my blog posts are text-only. If I’m going to link to Pinterest, I’ll have to include more photos.

I’m still pretty new to both sites, so I’m curious about a) whether or not y’all use either of them, and b) what you think of them.