Archive | November, 2011

Training Recap: 11/7 – 11/13

14 Nov

Monday: Half mile repeats at Rec that almost made me throw up

Tuesday: Rest

Wednesday: 4 mile run at Rec where I discovered that Treadmills are the enemy.

Thursday: 6.87 mile bike ride at Rec in 30:00, strength training

Friday: Rest

Saturday: Raked leaves for several hours, 6 mile photography run (1:12:33, 11:59/mile)

Sunday: Rest

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For my run on Saturday, I followed my usual strategy – took the dogs for a 1.5 mile run around a lake and back, then dropped them at home and continued on for the rest of my miles. They’re just so much work to hang on to, especially when we see other dogs, that I can only handle them for 3-4 miles before I start to get really irritated.

I did the last 4.5 miles on my most frequented out and back route. So I thought I’d share pictures to show you what I see on my runs (and how ugly a Denver winter is without snow).

 I run south on our street.

East through a neighborhood that’s mostly apartments

I pass a nice little neighborhood park.

I connect to the Clear Creek Greenway.

I run on the trail behind houses, with Clear Creek a couple hundred feet to my right.

When I bring the dogs on this part, we always get barked at by some ferocious dogs that need new owners. Poor dogs.

Feeling good.

“Holy crap it’s windy out here.” There were actually white caps on the lake that I ran around with the dogs. Very windy.

I cross over Clear Creek.

In the fall, the creek is really low (and gross!) In the spring, though, this creek is ripping. Several people actually died several miles upstream this past spring because of the powerful runoff from the mountains (though they were trying to bodysurf or tube down the rapids). There are several underpasses upstream that end up completely underwater for at least a month or more.

Underpass #1 of 5. You can’t tell very well but this part of the trail goes up and down, then up and down – it’s an outlet for runoff (the creek is to the left). It’s fun to do on a bike, but not so much on a run.

This is the “jungle” part of my run. It feels a little sketchy so I only run this part when it’s broad daylight or Travis/pooches are with me.

I can see the creek through the trees. On the top of the ridge beyond the creek is a major highway.

Underpasses #2 and #3.

Underpass #4

Underpass #5

The beauty of the creek and trees is dampened by commercial buildings and truck yards. 😦

I turn around at the baseball fields.

The branch laying across the trail actually fell right as I was coming by. During this run, the trail was covered in branches like these – due to how windy it was that day, as well as the heavy wet snow that we got a couple of weeks ago that made our power go out.

Another branch down from the snow.

Finally, I’m on the home stretch again.

Another run in the {slow} books.

Do you have a favorite running route?

This is biggest thing I miss about living up in Boulder – they had AWESOME trails up there. This part of the Clear Creek Greenway is probably one of the less scenic but I like it because I don’t have to drive anywhere. As I do longer runs, though, I’ll probably try to switch things up, at least once or twice a week.

 

 

 

 

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The giveaway winner is…

11 Nov

Based on the order of comments and random.org’s selection, the winner of my 400th blog post giveaway is…

One Bad Mamma Jamma!

Please email your address to me at specialkkluthe [at] gmail [dot] com and I will send you your prize! Thanks to all of you for commenting!

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A few of you asked me to talk more about what gear I like for running. It’s really not that exciting but since you asked…

Shirts

I’m pretty boring and cheap because I usually wear the tech shirts that I have gotten from either races I worked last year or done myself. My favorite shirts are the ones I got from the Heart and Sole Half Marathon last year, Denver Rock ‘n’ Roll this year, and the Steamboat Springs Oly this year. The main reason I love those is that they’re a women’s size – usually races just offer unisex sizing and the smalls are still too big. But with the women’s sizing, a medium fits perfectly. So if you’re looking for tech shirts, or doing a race that offers women’s sizes, go for the women’s if you like a tighter fit.

Of the few shirts I have actually bought for running, I really like the Under Armour shirt that I bought last year when training for the Malibu half marathon:

It’s so cute that I wear it around even when I’m not exercising and the length is perfect so that it never rides up. It’s also a wicking fabric and dries really fast, which is good when you’re hiking in the Smoky Mountains and look like this at the top:

(I was dry by the time we got back to the car.)

I also have three long-sleeve tech shirts (yes, only three) – one is Nike (and has taken a beating!), one is Alpine Design from Sports Authority (I’m wearing it in the Denver RnR picture below, along with a fleece vest that is literally falling apart), and another is from a race we put on last year (and it’s bigger, so it’s my least favorite but it still works).

Something I will be intentional about looking for on running clothes in the future is reflective detailing. My New Balance Capris (below) and Alpine Design shirt both have reflective elements and when I was wearing them on a little-too-late run with Travis the other night, it was nice knowing that I was more visible to cars.

Shorts/Pants

The bottoms that I wear most often for running are spandex shorts and pants – like the Adidas shorts I wore for the half marathon above (similar to these) or the 2XU compression tights I wore for the Denver Rock ‘n’ Roll.

There are a few things that I’m not thrilled about with the shorts and tights – the shorts don’t stay completely down (they would need to either be tighter like tri shorts or have elastic at the bottom of each leg) and the 2XU compression tights, while amazing and worth the money, are a little short. Instead of being full-length pants, they’re about 5 inches above my ankle. Not a huge deal, just a little annoying. But both options beat the feeling of shorts riding up! And there’s much less chance of chafing when you’re wearing form-fitting clothing for long workouts – always a good thing.

My latest obsession is the pair of New Balance capris I got for my birthday.

I love those capris. They’re perfect for fall runs in the 40s and 50s where you want something more than shorts but don’t quite need pants either. There is a pocket on the inside front, as well as the back outside. I stored my car key in the back pocket for a run once and it actually worked really well.

I also have a pair of Nike DriFit pants that I found on clearance when I first started running in 2006 (they’re still good!) and a pair of Puma running pants that I got out of lost and found last year (hey, no one had claimed them!).

Shoes

My mantra with shoes is “Don’t mess with a good thing.” So for the past 3 years, I’ve worn the Nike Zoom Structure Triax. These were the blue ones I had before I got pink ones:

Now the shoes are all fancy.

Sports Bras

As far as sports bras go, I am still in search of one that actually impresses me with how well it holds the girls down. I’ve heard raving reviews of Moving Comfort bras – to the order of “They don’t bounce at all!” Well, I beg to differ. The Juno bra that I bought did do more than an average bra, and I did wear it for an Olympic triathlon and do fine but still, there was bounce-age. I tried on the Fiona bra as well and it was laughable how much it didn’t do. For $52, you think they could do a little better than that. One day, I might check out the granny bras from Enell. But that day is not today.

Heart Rate Monitor

The heart rate monitor I have is the Polar F6 Green Tea.

I’ve been very pleased with it – my only regret is that I can’t record splits. If/when I get a new heart rate monitor, I will make sure to get one with that capability.

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Anyway, if you haven’t noticed, I don’t spend a ton of money on running gear… I would like to because Nike and Under Armour have some seriously cute stuff. But I only have so much money to divide between race fees, racing equipment, and athletic apparel so I have to look at my running wardrobe as something I accumulate over time. The next thing I would like to get is a jacket for running in the fall, winter and rain.

So now you’re up to date on my running gear. Did I mention Body Glide is a runner’s best friend ever? That stuff is awesome. Buy it. Use it. You’ll thank me later.

What’s your favorite piece of running gear? 

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Treadmills are the enemy.

10 Nov

So last night didn’t go quite according to plan but I did get my 4-mile run in. My plan was to get home at 4:30, feed the dogs and quickly change into my running clothes, run 4 miles, change out of my running clothes, grab salad stuff and leave for care group by 5:45.

I got home around 4:50, let the dogs out, and then fed them. While they were eating, I started to change into my running clothes. Charlie came into the bedroom after she was finished eating and jumped on the bed. Not even 30 seconds later, she jumped down and started to head out to the living room but I didn’t want her to pee on the carpet and figured she’d be able to wait the 3 minutes it would take me to finish dressing. So I called her back in and she jumped back up on the bed. Then I noticed that the bedspread was a weird color – were her paws dirty from being outside?

Charlie moved out of the way and I realized that it wasn’t dirt – it was pee. She had just peed on our bed. A lot. And as I yelled, “Charlie, no!” she got scared and jumped to another section of the bed and peed there too.

Just great.

“Charlie, I don’t have time for this!”

I put the dogs outside, pulled the comforter, sheets, and mattress cover off the bed and then thought about what to do. I couldn’t wash the comforter in our washing machine. I couldn’t put a different comforter on our bed because that one was also dirty (Charlie also peed on that one and we disgustingly didn’t notice for a while). So I had to scrap my run for a trip to the laundromat.

{source}

I had been planning to go there this weekend anyway, to wash our sleeping bags and rugs from elk hunting, and the comforter and duvet cover that was already dirty. Now I just had more to wash. I still wanted to try to make it to care group, which started at 7 (we eat dinner together at 6 and I already let the leader know I wasn’t coming for that), so I hastily loaded everything into the car, put the dogs in the laundry room and headed to the gas station across from the laundromat for some cash.

I got the cash, drove across the street to the laundromat, and made 4 trips to bring in all the stuff I had. As I looked around for the quarter machine, I realized I had forgotten soap and this ghetto laundromat didn’t sell any. So I loaded the washers with the stuff I was pretty sure no one would steal (I mean, who wants bed comforters riddled with pee or extremely dirty rugs?), put the sleeping bags and linens back into the car, drove the mile back home, got laundry detergent and went back.

After all of the washers were started, I realized I would need more cash to start the dryers (is it just me or do laundromats rob you blind?), so I went back home to drop off the soap and grab dryer sheets and a laundry basket, brought the dogs with me, and went back to the gas station another time to get gas and more cash. Then I went back across the street to the laundromat, transferred what was done washing to the dryers, then brought the dogs back home. I don’t know why I brought them in the first place – I guess because I felt bad that they had been locked in the laundry room all day and they hadn’t gotten to go on their run? (Although I told Charlie that she really did it to herself.)

Travis called then so I asked him to pick up Subway on his way home while I went back to the laundromat to finish putting stuff in the dryers. So he did that while I went back, yet again. With everything in the dryers, I hung out for a bit reading my book until the comforters and rugs were dry and Travis was home with the subs. I put that stuff in the car, drove home, ate, unloaded the car, then Travis and I both went back to the laundromat to get the sleeping bags and linens.

By the time we had everything in the car, it was already 7:05. All of the linens and one sleeping bag were crammed into the laundry basket and some of them weren’t quite dry (I should never dry the duvet covers with sheets, but I always do because I’m too lazy – and in this case, cheap – to do two loads). So we just decided to not go to care group. It took us about an hour to get everything unloaded, dry, and folded or on the bed. Finally, around 8:15, I decided to go to the rec to run, since I wasn’t going to care group.

I was actually kind of looking forward to running on the treadmill, because somehow, when I read about other people running on the treadmill, it sounds nice. Just a nice little run on the treadmill. But I got on the treadmill and before I even hit .5 mile, I was bored. And staring at myself in the mirror, since I can’t handle looking at stationary things when running – my mind just can’t handle the conflicting signals. Running. means. moving. forward. Can. not. stare. at. a. wall.

I managed to make it to 2 miles, but then I just couldn’t take it anymore. Treadmills just make me hate running. I don’t understand how people run on them consistently and for so many miles. I realized that I would much rather run 100 circles around a 1/10 mile track than do 10 miles on a treadmill. And I swear that my legs/shins/knees felt achier from running on the treadmill than they do normally. AND I was running at a 10:30 pace at 1.0 incline on the treadmill and thought I was going to DIE. I got on the track and ran the same pace comfortably.

So moral of the story: Treadmills are the enemy.

But I digress…

I finished my 4 mile run in 43:21, stretched, went home and crawled into my nice, clean bed.

Do you like running on the treadmill? 

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And the marathon winner is…

9 Nov

Since work is still pretty slow, I used the majority of last Friday to compare, via detailed spreadsheet, every marathon I could find in the months of March, April, May and June of next year that fit my criteria of being either a big race (5,000+ marathoners) or well-supported by spectators, and being in a location that could double as our 5-year wedding anniversary trip. So I looked up airfare, race reviews, course information, number of participants and local attractions. The (most likely) winner?

The Eugene Marathon on April 29.

Eugene, Oregon, is about 2 hours from Portland and even though it’s a smaller marathon (about 2,000 finishers last year), the race drew 8,000 athletes with the other events and since running is so popular in this city nicknamed Track Town USA, a lot of spectators come out to support. The course is flat and beautiful from what I’ve read. And Oregon is a state that neither Travis nor I have ever been to, but always wanted to visit. I mean, how can you not get excited about the food cart craze?

So I have adjusted both my base building and marathon training plans (updated on this page), since this race is a month earlier than the one I thought about doing in Minnesota. It’s a long {and boring} story about why I decided against the race in MN but it involves a wedding, a bunch of hills and a lack of both runners and spectators.

But I’ve encountered a little hiccup in my marathon goal: a lack of motivation.

It’s a bad sign when I can barely muster up enough willpower to force myself out for a 3 mile run. What is going to happen to me when I have to do 8, 9, even 10 miles on a work day? I’m serious. How am I going to manage that?

I’ve thought about running during lunch (although the max there will be probably be about 5 miles, since I’m slow and lunch can’t last forever). I’ve thought about doing 2-a-days and splitting those long runs into morning and evening runs, or lunchtime and evening runs (I think that would work fine because I’d still have my continuous long run on the weekend). I’ve even thought about breaking up the mileage between the track and the dreadmill treadmill at my gym. Because I don’t think I could stand to run a full 10 miles, either in 100 circles or in place.

I need to dip into my reserve of this:

I’m trying to not think about how much I don’t want to go on a 4 mile run after work today. I’d rather go lay on the couch and stuff my face with leftover corn bread. But that’s what I did last night so… I should probably go.

The deal I’m making with myself is that I have to at least get all my planned mileage and weight training in. If I want to skip my cute little cardio workouts, fine. But no skipping runs. And no skipping weights. Because I am not going to get injured this time. Remember?

The cupcake image reminds me of a shirt idea I had for the marathon – Will Run for Cake. Which turned out to not be such a unique idea after all… I’ll have to change mine to say something like:

That’s a million dollar idea right there.

I like this shirt too (from gypsyrunner.com):

I saw a girl at the Malibu Half last year that was wearing that shirt and I immediately thought, “That’s the shirt I need!” But until I saw them at the Denver Rock ‘n’ Roll expo, I had only been able to find the shirt in cotton. Apparently, those who run like turtles don’t sweat.

Remember that you still have time to enter my 400th blog post giveaway!

How do you stay motivated to train or exercise?

Have you ever done 2-a-days?

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Training Recap: 10/31 – 11/6

8 Nov

Last week was the first week that I actually (almost) did all the scheduled workouts in my marathon base training plan, even if they were juggled around.

Here’s the breakdown:

Monday:  45 min Burn n Firm Pilates video (this gets my heart rate up so it counts as cardio and strength training)

Tuesday: 3.5 mile recovery run with pooches (41:20, 11:48/mile)

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: 2.58 miles of sprint intervals with pooches (29:35, 11:37/mile)

It might sound difficult to do sprints with 2 dogs but they actually motivate me to run faster because they’re speedy little bullets. They’d blow me off the line any day.

Friday: Rest

Saturday: 5.05 mile easy run (56:30, 11:11/mile)

Sunday: This circuit workout from nhershoes

I actually did 30 man pushups! This was a great, quick workout and gives me hope that I might like Crossfit…

And even though yesterday technically isn’t supposed to be included in this recap, I have to say that it was quite possibly the most intense running workout I have ever done.

Travis and I went to the rec around 8:45 and since I was scheduled for 3 miles of speedwork, I decided to take advantage of the track and do half-mile repeats. I warmed up for .5 mile, then settled into a speedy but maintainable pace and ran the first repeat in 4:30. According to the McMillan Running calculator, I am supposed to be able to do them in 4:15. Well, that was not happening. I did manage negative splits for the next 2 repeats: 4:27, 4:20. And I was on course for another negative split on the last repeat – running my little heart out and ignoring the pain in my chest telling me STOP. I had less than 80 meters left and all of a sudden, I thought I was going to puke.

I wanted to push myself to finish but my manners and pride got the better of me (“Uh, I threw up on the track because I ran too fast…”) and I stopped for a few seconds. I felt better so I jogged to the water fountain (where I stopped my watch) and then finished the repeat at 4:23. So I was probably on pace for a 4:15 or faster.

My friend D once said that you know you did speed work correctly when it makes you puke. I hate throwing up so I don’t think I’ll ever push myself that far. But I got close! I feel like a BA.

I really enjoy doing repeats. Yes, they’re hard. No, they’re not “enjoyable.” But I like running fast. Like I’ve said before, it’s not something I experience very often. 🙂 So here’s my new mantra:

Have you ever thrown up from a workout? 

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400th Blog Post Giveaway

7 Nov

Here I am at Blog Post #400.

My first blog post ever was on January 15, 2008. I started this blog as a way of being intentional about my writing passion – because as many will say, to become a better writer, you have to write. You have to develop the habit of writing, just like with anything else – very similar to running. Any advancement in running, whether distance or speed, requires that you actually get out there and run. You can’t just think about running. Or think about how great a runner you would be if you had time to run. Or watch runners outside, longing to be able to do what they do. Runners run. Writers write.

My blog has come a long way from what it once was. In the beginning, I never posted pictures. I never expected reader participation. I wrote for myself and didn’t care if anyone else read my blog. Now, I view my blog – and other people’s blogs – as places to connect, to share thoughts, opinions and laughter. The popularity of the blogging community is growing and I really enjoy being a part of it. My husband still thinks it’s weird that I know so much about people I may never met in real life but I think it’s weird that he enjoys hunting so much. I mean, killing an elk for the meat is understandable (I have to admit it’s delicious). Killing an elk and two antelope is a little overkill. Killing an elk, two antelope and two deer in the same year is just plain ludicrous. (Oh yes, he did.) Not even a straight-up carnivore needs that much meat. 

Anyone want to come over for dinner? And take a cooler of meat home with them?

Anyway, in honor of my 400th post, I am doing my first-ever giveaway! (I’m a little late coming to the game but hey, better late than never, eh?)

A lululemon tote bag, 2 Luna bars, 3 Hammer gels (raspberry), 2 Hammer electrolyte tablets, a Brooks bandanna, and a pair of RedStar WorldWear polarized sunglasses.

 

To show you how rad they are, here’s me modeling the sunglasses:

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment on this post and let me know if there is anything you’d like to see more of (or less of!) here on my blog.

I will randomly select a winner on Friday, 11/11/11.

Thanks readers for making being a blogger so enjoyable and rewarding!

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Learning to Rely on God – Part Three

5 Nov

Yesterday and the day before, I shared Part One and Part Two of what I’ve been learning it means to rely on God. Last but not least…

3. Relying on God means trusting Him and surrendering to His plan.

As I think back over all the different things I had struggled with over the years, things like taking a shopping hiatus, giving away more money, spending more time volunteering, sharing my faith, talking to strangers, and being intentional in getting to know people at church, I realize that in most cases, I didn’t take any action because I was scared. I was scared that if I couldn’t have more clothes, I wouldn’t be happy. I was scared that if I committed to volunteering, I wouldn’t like it and it would feel like a burden. I was scared that if I invited a girl I didn’t know out to coffee, I wouldn’t know what to say and it’d be awkward. So I did nothing – except feel guilty. And condemned. And pathetic. And overwhelmed. And that’s where my pessimism and perfectionism got the best of me and it all spiraled out of control.

Anyway, I got to thinking the other day, what if I surrendered to God’s leading and said yes, in faith, to all of His promptings? What if, like Jim Carrey in Yes Man, I acted on every thought or crazy notion I had that I thought was from God? And what if the criteria I used to determine whether or not a thought was from God was as broad as “Would God be pleased with me doing this?” That would include a lot of things I’ve avoided doing: saying hi to strangers out running, hosting a table at our church’s Christmas tea and inviting co-workers, give more of my money away to charities, sharing the gospel with the clerk at the grocery store, encouraging someone at church I don’t know very well… the list goes on.

As I pondered the implications of that, my old fear reared its head and I realized –  my quest for answers had really been my way of controlling how much I gave to God. I had wanted answers instead of God Himself because I was afraid of what He would demand. I had had a small taste of what He demands and it was hard to bear. He pushes me past my boundaries of comfort. He asks for sacrificial giving and service. He doesn’t let me retreat into the unredeemed areas of my personality and hide from convictions that are revealing and challenging. Specific answers would have allowed me to remain in control of what I would give and what I would reserve.

I thought the questions I wanted answers to were, How much money should I give away? How much should I serve? How much should I pray? How much should I evangelize? But the questions I was really asking were: How much can I keep? How much can I relax? How much can I ignore others? How much can I not care? And the ultimate question:

How much do I have to do to stop feeling guilty? What’s the bare minimum? Just tell me what I have to do, and I’ll do it. 

But if I instead surrender and say, “Yes, Lord, you can ask anything of me,” suddenly my demand for answers doesn’t seem so urgent. I would be more content to discover the answers with God, while living life, rather than having Him hand me a set of rules to carry out in my own strength.

And I believe that is what God has been teaching me all along. It has taken me literally years to get here and I in no way think that I have everything figured out. But I have arrived back at the same place I started: the unconditional love of God revealed in Christ’s death on the cross.

May I never be moved from this place for the rest of my life.

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I hope you enjoyed my thoughts about relying on God. I’d love to hear any feedback or thoughts you have. Next up is a special surprise in honor of my blog’s 400th post (not this one, the next one)!

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Learning to Rely on God – Part Two

4 Nov

Yesterday, I shared with you the first part of what learning to rely on God means to me. Here’s the second point.

2. Relying on God means having a humble, teachable spirit.

Several years ago, I prayed and asked God to help me live radically for Him. He has slowly answered that prayer by changing the way I approach spending my time and money, and helping me to focus on other people more than myself. But the practical changes He has prompted me to make over the years involved sacrifice and inconvenience. So instead of humbling myself and following God’s leading in faith, I rejected His promptings and proceeded to look for a different answer, an answer that was more convenient and would fit neatly into my nice little life. When I didn’t find that answer, I got frustrated, cynical and resentful. Of course, I didn’t see any of this while it was happening. At the time, it just seemed like God was making me question everything and giving me no answers.

Just the other day as I was typing out my rantings, I wrote,

“Just tell me how to live and I’ll live that way.”

God replied, “I am telling you how to live and you’re rejecting it.”

“Oh, that whole living by faith thing? Yeah, I meant the specifics.”

“You mean the ones that you could accomplish without me?”

“Um… yeah, those.”

“There aren’t any. The only way to truly live is with me. Living without me is death.”

“Hmmm… Still not the answer I was looking for.”

I’m beginning to realize that living radically for Christ is like working for a non-profit ministry. It sounds exciting. I imagine it making me feel deeply satisfied, fulfilled and reassured that I’m contributing to something bigger than myself. But while all of that may be true, when you’re actually working at the non-profit (as I did for 3 years), it just feels like a job. You come in the morning, sit at a desk for 8 hours, and then go home. The same feels true when God is actually showing you how to live radically – it feels very pedestrian and trite. Almost annoying. Like I want to groan and say, “Really? Does it really matter if I spend $10 on a pair of pants? Why can’t I have this one thing?”

God has obviously been telling me, “Yes, it does matter. Obey me even in the small things and I will bless you.”

Stay tuned for Part Three…

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Learning to Rely on God – Part One

3 Nov

I’ve been thinking a lot about the idea of my post You Can’t Object to Grace. In fact, I spent all day yesterday reading sermon transcripts from John Piper’s series on Galatians (which he delivered the year I was born…1983) and typing out the questions and thoughts swirling through my head.

And I stand corrected.

{source}

While I still believe that God’s love is completely unconditional toward us in Christ, and that our obedience to God is for our own good, it’s not entirely true to say that God doesn’t have any expectations or standards. It’s a little hard for me to comprehend how God’s grace fits in with the law, and how God has expectations of me even though Christ has fulfilled the law on my behalf, but my friend Cathy explained it using the analogy of her and her kids – she loves them unconditionally, regardless of whether they obey or disobey, but she still has expectations of them. She expects them to be nice to others, to share their toys, to learn math and spelling, to go to bed without throwing a hissy fit, etc. But whether they obey or disobey in those things doesn’t affect the deep love she has for them, because her love is based on her relationship with them as their mother.

I read a similar idea in a book called The Grace of God by Andy Stanley. He pointed out that God gave Moses and the Israelites the Ten Commandments and the rest of the law after He had already established a relationship with them by miraculously leading them out of Egypt and providing for them in the desert. Because the nation of Israel had been under Egyptian rule for the previous 300+ years, they had no idea how to govern themselves. The only kind of leadership they had witnessed was the tyrannical decisions of power-hungry Pharaohs. They lived in a society where many humans had no more rights than animals. So the law was actually God’s blessing to them. Instead of shackling them with rules, He was actually showing them how they could maintain the greatest freedom and live in a theocracy instead of under a king.

I’ve been having a hard time viewing God’s rules and expectations as freedom. They’ve actually felt more like a burden of guilt and a constant reminder of how much I suck at life. But I praise God for John Piper, who never compromises God’s holy, righteous, and just character. He never sugarcoats the gospel or the radical demands of Christ. And Christ’s demands are radical. They are jaw-dropping, mind-bending, comfort-destroying, and pride-shattering.

By listening to Piper, I have realized that God has purposely designed the Christian life to be impossible for us to accomplish on our own. 

God does have expectations and standards for us, but they’re not to make us strive harder and harder and fall on our faces in defeat, only to get up and try even harder, but to force us to realize that we have to rely on God for everything, including any growth in sanctification or success in “living the Christian life.” Even the Mosaic law wasn’t meant to promote salvation by works but to make us realize that we have to rely on God.

Since that is a phrase often thrown around, I want to elaborate on what relying on God means to me (and how I’ve been wrong for the past 4 years).

1. Relying on God means having faith in Christ’s atoning work on my behalf. 

This is the biggest realization I have had. Christ is the Answer. It always goes back to Christ’s work on my behalf.

Piper said something profound in another sermon I listened to last night: “The main battles in life… are battles to believe [in the person and work of Christ on the cross]. I mean really believe it—trust it, embrace it, cherish it, treasure it, bank on it, breathe it, shape your life by it.”

What I love the most about Piper’s sermons and books is that he emphasizes over and over that the inspiration, motivation, ability, strength, and passion to live the Christian life flow out of a heart that has been transformed by the gospel. I have to stop worrying about my life and trying to control everything, and go back to the basics of the gospel – that Christ died for me while I was His enemy; that He has paid for ALL of my sins and reconciled me to God; that I am God’s beloved daughter and He delights in me; and that His love for me in Christ is unconditional. Understanding that truth is where real freedom comes from.

Stay tuned for Parts 2 and 3…

 

 

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Nifty Thrifty

1 Nov

For some reason, when we returned from our Labor Day trip to North Carolina, I had the wild hair to go to the thrift store and found some great deals. I kept forgetting to take pictures until last night. Here for your viewing pleasure:

2 pairs of pants, 2 skirts, a dress plus a couple of Christmas decorations = $40.

I wore this to my cousin’s wedding at the beginning of October with a black sequined sleeveless shirt, a 3/4 sleeve sweater that matched the blue/purple color, black tights and black boots.

This I wore to my sister-in-law’s baby shower with brown leggings, brown boots and a brown belt.

These pants are from J. Crew and are my best find of all. They fit me well, they’re comfy and they’re very fall-y.

I also really like these jeans from Banana Republic. They’re wide leg so very roomy and comfy. The only drawback is that they’re a size bigger than I would normally buy so I have to wash them often or else they’re a little too big.

I didn’t take an individual pic of the gray skirt but it’s from Old Navy and hits right above the knee. Nice and modest for work (and who am I kidding, I feel exposed with anything shorter that I wear without tights… I’m getting so old and stuffy!) The dress and other skirt were no-name brands.

Unfortunately, I don’t really have any trick or tips to finding good deals. Except maybe find a thrift or discount store that consistently has good stuff? That’s been my secret. Also, be prepared to comb the racks. Patience is golden.

And my latest find…

Skinny jeans. (worn with a top I also found at the thrift store)

I wore them to work today with my calf-high brown boots – on the outside! First time I’ve ever been able to do that. I don’t feel quite as poser-ish as I had initially thought I would. But I do feel slightly poser-ish. I think, for me, it’s because I would never have bought skinny jeans, except that they practically allow me to tuck my jeans into my boots. Not that I have anything against them – clearly. I’m just not a person who really wears trends unless I really like them. I do like these jeans though – they’re like 18% spandex so they’re very comfy. And good to have for holiday season. 🙂

Do you shop at thrift stores? What’s the best thing you’ve found?

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