Monday, June 28, 2010

Fan into Flame

2 Timothy 1:6-7 
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

Now that I am past the flu, and getting ready to resume my triathlon training, this verse comes to mind. 

My mom taught me 2 Timothy 1:7 this way (not sure which version it is) 
"God has not given me a spirit of fear but of love and of power and of a sound mind." I learned it as a child. She would recite it with me every time I had a bad dream or was afraid of something. I have prayed it over my children now too and had them say it with me after they have had bad dreams. 

God's Word is our "Owner's Manual" for every area of our lives. It applies to my life every day. It is not just something I "consult" when I don't know what to do, it is what I live. I want more of God's Word in me so I live what He says in my actions and attitudes because He is the author of my life. He already knows me from the inside out, the number of days I will walk on this earth, the experiences I will face and the pain I will endure. That is why I love His Words for me. He wrote them through His people knowing me long before I was ever born. If you don't see the Bible as that relevant to you, I encourage you to ask God to show you and to read it for yourself. 

This passage has specific fresh relevance to me today.
"For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline."

God has given me many gifts. All of which are for His glory and to be used as He leads. As I pursue my relationship with Him, I am fanning into flames His gift - the Holy Spirit. I need not be afraid because God has deposited in me His power, His love, and His self-discipline. All of those things I need every day. To walk out this journey to better health, to being a better wife and mother, to take care of my home, minister to those He puts in my path, and train for this triathlon. 

SO - For today I am focusing on HIS POWER, HIS LOVE, and HIS SELF-DISCIPLINE. All of which never fail. All of which are mine. All of which can happen every day in my life. I must believe it, walk it out, breathe it, live it, think it, etc. Otherwise they are just  words on a page or in a blog that are untapped resources containing blessings I will miss out on. I certainly don't want that!! DO you?

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Triathlon Dreams... (same post on Prism Progress blog too)

I was 12 the first time I wanted to do a triathlon. My PE teacher Mr. Patrick was doing them and telling us about his big events as he was training and then when he completed them. My Dad did a design for someone for a local triathlon and I remember having the T-shirt. I kept it long past when it fit me.

Flash forward a few years... well, about 24 years...

After my miscarriage in January 2007 I began deliberately seeking God on what He wanted me to do with my time and my life. I knew I was to attend to and raise the amazing fellas He had already given me but I felt like there was more... so I asked. He reminded me of my dream to do a triathlon.

About a month later, on a walk with my friend Fay at Ross Point Camp, wandering through the spring green woods, I told her of the desire I had since I was 12 to complete a triathlon. She was quite supportive and agreed to keep my secret until I was ready to share (I didn't want to deal with people thinking I was nuts). I didn't even tell Erik until at least a few weeks after that.

I found out I was pregnant with Peter a few months later. So, dream on hold until the timing was right.

As my 40th birthday was beginning to loom in the distance I began to consider having that date be my goal to accomplish that dream. I began working out at the Kroc Center in October of 2009 after some of Erik's performance bonus at work was set aside to pay for membership and the Play Care place for the boys while I worked on my dream. Cardio has never been my favorite way to exercise so I opted for a minimal cardio (repetitious) workout in favor of a circuit training method I discovered in a book my friend Tarri sent me (she was so excited to help me drop the baby pounds and pursue fitness she hit Amazon.com the same day and fired off 2 great books - Mastering your Metabolism and The Female Body Breakthrough http://www.femalebodybreakthrough.com/ ). I dove into both of them!

Only recently have I begun sharing with those close to me about the triathlon dream. A few weeks ago my friend Leslie asked me when I was going to do one. Did I pick an event yet? Which one? When will I start my training? I was annoyed and told her (as politely as possible) I haven't even begun to think that far ahead. It's too overwhelming to think about right now. I took that attitude to the Lord. It was not in line with what He had been teaching me in His Word and certainly not in line with the challenges I had felt Him leading me to pursue regarding my physical health and fitness.

On June 1st I spent several hours looking online at the options available to me before my 40th birthday. The one closest to my birthday was in St Croix on May 1. While extremely appealing, that location did not seem terribly practical. So I kept looking. Then I found one in Lake Stevens, Washington. They bill it as a "RETRO Sprint Tri. They are actually doing a whole Tri that day too - Retro meaning no special equipment, no fancy bikes, no wetsuits, etc. Since I don't even have a bike right now, let alone a wetsuit, that really appealed to me. And it was far enough away I felt like I might just be ready by then. And hopefully I could find a great deal on a bike this summer. I talked with Erik and decided that with permission from my medical doc and chiropractor and wisdom from my friend Tarri on my training plan, that I should do it.

I found a great FREE training program online Trinewbies.com , received my Doc and Chiropractor's approval and sent my friend Tarri the training program to review. She has worked with me on my fitness from a distance for 9 months now so I was sure she would be able to evaluate if I could do it. She said yes!

So, here I am. My previous training schedule was approximately 4 hours per week. Now, it will be 6 or 7. I have been so encouraged and motivated by my friend Alicia who is training for Ironman Coeur d'Alene, who has been prompt and happy to respond to a zillion questions. My friend Leslie who lovingly pokes me (and fervently prays for me) when I am getting complacent, and many others have been so supportive in my pursuit of a more fit Jennifer, have been crucial to me getting this far.

I look forward to experiencing this dream all the way through. You see, it isn't just about race day for me. It is about the process I am in spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically. I don't ever want to go back to being complacent concerning my eating habits or my physical fitness. I have spent years enjoying spiritual health pursuits and seeing wonderful fruit result in my life... now for the "exterior" work to be done!

Thank You Lord!!

Who am I?

My photo
I have been married to my best friend for over 29 years and our children are 16, 15 and 12 years old. I have struggled with infertility, suffered the loss of a baby by miscarriage, and endured multiple career paths. I have experienced a crisis of faith that shook me to the core and lost dear friends to tragic death. I have a personal relationship with Jesus which is essential to surviving and even thriving in my circumstances. I hope you will be blessed by my heart and words. Thank you for being here..