I <3 L. Coles.
I know he's hot and cold- sometimes has amazing catches and sometimes drops things right through his hands that should have been gaurantees.
However I will miss him.
He's one of our 'veterans' of sorts as we've been rotating through so many players these past four years- and he brings a lot of unity and solidarity to the team. Leadership in ways too.
I take comfort knowing that they left on good terms and that there is still a small chance they might resign him- it just makes me sad that they didn't offer him a long-term deal for him to accept to finish his career with the Jets originally/in the first place which made them release him to potentially be signed elsewhere.
:0(
And this is where I realize I miss gchat where I can share my sadness with other sports loving friends who would understand rather than only to those who try to comfort/support but don't have the same empathy for the situation. Gotta love the fundraising evenings where I get to catch up on my sports news and watch ESPN while doing the mindless tasks of stuffing, addressing and stamping envelopes.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Making Space for God
I have neglected my blog for some months now. It is sort of a reflection of how my life has been- no time or space for anything. That is why I've decided to create space this period of lent by giving up Gchat. I hope that I can create space for God in ways I've sometimes neglected in the recent past- however I don't want to set-up standards that I know I will fail at. Sometimes I feel Christians get too locked into following strict rules and a 'set-examplary' disciplines, and forget the heart behind those disciplines. For example: Devos.
Everyone is always talking about how they are struggling with doing regular devos. It's so hard to find time to read, I don't get anything out of reading, I fall asleep, I've read it so many times before, I have no time, no energy, no motivation....etc. While it is important to read God's Word, and meditate on what He tells us through His word, reading the Bible is not the only way to connect with God. Instead of seeking out time each day to spend in our Lord's presence, people beat themselves up over not doing the 1 thing "every good Christian" must do each day. There is no tally list in heaven where God sits there watching and checking off "Has she done her 20 min of Bible reading today? Has he? Ooops, no stars for her she's missed it 3 days in a row". God desires to spend time with us- to be in His presence, whether that is through music, art, sports, conversations, quiet meditation, journaling, prayer, reading (Bible or other things), just sitting and RESTING in His peace. There are many other ways to connect with Him too. It's been freeing for me to realize I don't need to judge myself if I connect with God while shooting hoops, tossing a disc, lifting in the gym, playing guitar, singing, or just journaling. Yes, I connect with God in prayer- but God did not create us to be only souls.
God created us as human beings with a mind, body, heart and soul. That means- if we reflect God's image- God is a part of each of those parts of who we are and therefore we can connect with God in all of those various ways. Reading is good for the mind- but how does it help the body? Maybe what we learn through reading is beneficial to put into action for our body- such as not going out and destroying our liver by getting drunk every weekend. But I believe it is more than just learning 'good rules for life' that apply to the body, heart and soul. I connect with God in prayer, worship and learn more of who He is/His promises in Scripture. But I experience His love when with my friends in conversation, I experience His joy when singing and dancing around my room, I experience His glory and a more calm/pleasant sense of who He's made me to be when working out or playing a sport, I experience His beauty when taking walks along the water or hiking New England trails. There is a way that my body needs to meet God in His presence that cannot happen by just sitting and reading the Bible quietly in my room each night. He created my body to move- so it needs to be moving to feel satisfaction and be filled with the glory that comes from the purpose He created it for. The same is true for my heart- it needs to be in relationship, open, vulnerable, pouring out praises and sharing in times of sorrow- both with God but also with the community He's placed me in. God created us for community- I need to experience that community to feel His presence in a way that is different than just reading about it or spending time alone with Him.
All these things are good things- but they all need to come with balance. That is why I am excited for this season of Lent- to create space to meet with God. I don't know how that will look each day, but I pray that I will be able to actively use the time I otherwise would have been wasting away in mostly meaningless/frivilous gchat conversations to experience His presence in a deeper way these next 40 days. I will be journaling, dancing, singing, sleeping, working, playing, talking, cooking, reading, praying, crying, writing, creating and just living with God in the space that once was eaten up by gchat.
I hope each of you also find a way to makes space for God in your lives each day during this season of lent.
Everyone is always talking about how they are struggling with doing regular devos. It's so hard to find time to read, I don't get anything out of reading, I fall asleep, I've read it so many times before, I have no time, no energy, no motivation....etc. While it is important to read God's Word, and meditate on what He tells us through His word, reading the Bible is not the only way to connect with God. Instead of seeking out time each day to spend in our Lord's presence, people beat themselves up over not doing the 1 thing "every good Christian" must do each day. There is no tally list in heaven where God sits there watching and checking off "Has she done her 20 min of Bible reading today? Has he? Ooops, no stars for her she's missed it 3 days in a row". God desires to spend time with us- to be in His presence, whether that is through music, art, sports, conversations, quiet meditation, journaling, prayer, reading (Bible or other things), just sitting and RESTING in His peace. There are many other ways to connect with Him too. It's been freeing for me to realize I don't need to judge myself if I connect with God while shooting hoops, tossing a disc, lifting in the gym, playing guitar, singing, or just journaling. Yes, I connect with God in prayer- but God did not create us to be only souls.
God created us as human beings with a mind, body, heart and soul. That means- if we reflect God's image- God is a part of each of those parts of who we are and therefore we can connect with God in all of those various ways. Reading is good for the mind- but how does it help the body? Maybe what we learn through reading is beneficial to put into action for our body- such as not going out and destroying our liver by getting drunk every weekend. But I believe it is more than just learning 'good rules for life' that apply to the body, heart and soul. I connect with God in prayer, worship and learn more of who He is/His promises in Scripture. But I experience His love when with my friends in conversation, I experience His joy when singing and dancing around my room, I experience His glory and a more calm/pleasant sense of who He's made me to be when working out or playing a sport, I experience His beauty when taking walks along the water or hiking New England trails. There is a way that my body needs to meet God in His presence that cannot happen by just sitting and reading the Bible quietly in my room each night. He created my body to move- so it needs to be moving to feel satisfaction and be filled with the glory that comes from the purpose He created it for. The same is true for my heart- it needs to be in relationship, open, vulnerable, pouring out praises and sharing in times of sorrow- both with God but also with the community He's placed me in. God created us for community- I need to experience that community to feel His presence in a way that is different than just reading about it or spending time alone with Him.
All these things are good things- but they all need to come with balance. That is why I am excited for this season of Lent- to create space to meet with God. I don't know how that will look each day, but I pray that I will be able to actively use the time I otherwise would have been wasting away in mostly meaningless/frivilous gchat conversations to experience His presence in a deeper way these next 40 days. I will be journaling, dancing, singing, sleeping, working, playing, talking, cooking, reading, praying, crying, writing, creating and just living with God in the space that once was eaten up by gchat.
I hope each of you also find a way to makes space for God in your lives each day during this season of lent.
