Swing

"...you're not swinging your arms enough."

That's what a good friend of mine said to me during our running of the Adidas Vancouver International Marathon a couple weeks ago. Sounds kinda inconsequential- silly even, doesn't it?
It's not.
What she noticed in my stride and movement was that I was not doing what should come naturally and it would/could inevitably affect my race. Now that is profound!
Think about it.
We were put together in such a way that when we run, swinging our arms helps with the movement of walking or running, (duh- I know). But sometimes we get too distracted or used to living (running) that is beige and boring--unnatural.
How often in our lives are we forced, coerced, manipulated, and otherwise squeezed into doing/working/acting/living in a way that is foreign to the way we were made? If you're honest, often.
In fact you may be doing something right now that is forced and fake and you don't even realize it.

YOU'RE NOT SWINGING YOUR ARMS ENOUGH

Do what comes natural, what will help with the journey because it's easier to move when you're you! Be you. It is SO much easier to live when we swing our arms-- when we accept who we are and let the movement built in by the Creator move us forward. He knew what He was doing when he sculpted you so, go ahead, swing those arms, and be who you were made to be!!

SoulTalk

It is shocking and nourishing. Having someone speak words of life to your very soul is truly super-natural. It is beyond. It is the sound of God. And this happened to me a few times recently. What an extravagant gift to have close friends who truly love, deeply respect and unwaveringly enjoy your company. I don't think there is anything closer to heaven. Larry Crab talks about this in his new book SoulTalk..."We almost never speak words that are formed in the center of our soul and pour out from our very being with power and a sense of life. And we almost never hear words that stir life within us, that pour hope into those empty spaces deep inside filled only with fear and fury and frustration." There is some sort of freaky voodoo experience going on when deep-spirited friends can speak deliciously nourishing words of life to your soul...it's God. It is like two souls hugging. What a breath of fresh air to be in a spiritual community where there is intimacy and soultalk.
"Churches, by no means all but too many, have become as dangerous to the health of our soul as porn shops. People become superficially aroused and deeply numbed. Religious events can be as irrelevant to real life as cocktail parties at country clubs." Ah!!! ....this is why Jesus chose to simply live life with his friends, let it unfold without program, protocol and performance, so that they could more deeply breathe the breath of life. My friends do this for me.
In the beginning was the Word...

Promosexual...a guide

Not sure if you caught the Ed the Sock special about Promosexuals (Paris Hilton, Brittany Spears, Nick Lachey, Jessica Simpson, Lindsay Lohan, etc.), but it was interesting. Exposing the "ugly side of pop culture." These are people who will do whatever it takes to extend their time in the limelight. Ed's most aggresive expose was a "merciless deconstruction of the self-styled saviour of Africa: U2 frontman Bono!"

Come on, let's face it, who hasn't had a hankering to be just exactly like one of these celebs? Being a promosexual is a full-time job so here's a few pointers - a quick checklist from the MuchMusic.com people:


1. Make yourself available to the paparazzi.
There is nothing worse than hiding from the view of the dozens of telephoto lenses trained on your palatial compound. To ensure your constant appearance in the tabloids, every few hours make trips to the mall with barely any clothes on, acne cream still on your face, and eat approximately eight cheeseburgers. This will demonstrate to the populace that you're "just like them".

2. Ensure every feud is played out in public.
Your public loves nothing more than vicariously participating in high-profile celeb feuds. So give them a thrill - ensure your publicist sends out a press release announcing who you're not friends with this week, or simply diss everyone in sight while on Howard Stern. That *always* works.

3. Multi-tasking = multi-millions
Let's say you're a reasonably successful movie star. Don't you want to be MORE successful? Of course you do. Get busy on starting a clothing line, getting a record deal, opening nightclubs and promoting beverages in Japan. The sky's the limit!

4. Speak loudly, carry a small schtick
Talk yourself up to anyone who'll listen. Use props, like a megaphone or a Prime Minister. Develop a little soft-shoe routine. When all else fails, arrange a wardrobe malfunction. As the old saying goes, a little nipple goes a long way.

5. Get spiritual
Since time immemorial, celebs have flocked to fashionable spiritual pursuits - so you should too. It doesn't matter much whether they involve aliens, strings or secret societies - but remember to let everyone know what you're up to. You never know when it will lead to eternal salvation or just a really bitchin' collaboration on your next single.


That's it! Remember, when you get famous, forget the little people who helped you get where you are!

Users Fee

It's not a matter of being reconciled once. That God reconciled us into a club and he paid the joiners fee. This is not a health club membership. But rather, He continually reconciles us. Each moment we live, we live in a spirit and awareness of being currently--at this moment, and then this one, reconciled. It is always contemporary, always now.

Ah the protective mother bear syndrome

Let me clear something up from my last post....

(...it wasn't about Bono, but the people who worship the man...)

and I would expect you to write the same thing about me if I had a fanatically devoted and swooning mass.

there is a difference between ADMIRATION and ADORATION (see Exodus 20:3)