| A few weeks ago while I was hanging around the office at my church, Peace Lutheran, I noticed this sign hanging on the wall: |  |
...And I thought to myself, This is why I love Peace. They know how to cover all the bases in a few words here.
| Anyway, also a couple weeks ago during the Sunday service we were given this hand-out presenting us with a 30-day challenge to "Start Something Old", |  |
| ...the concept being this: |  |
| ...And the challenge consisting of this: |  |
On the back of the challenge guide were a list of 20 spirituality exercises to choose from.
I looked over the exercises, felt a surge of inspiration, and picked out five that I decided I would do:
- Spend five minutes a day sitting quietly and paying attention to your breathing. Remind yourself that even your breath is a gift from God.
- Attend an activity in which you are the minority (cultural, race, age, religion, etc). Listen. Experience. Appreciate.
- Return that annoying grocery cart you almost hit as you pulled into your space. It's an act of silent service.
- Connect personally (phone call or personal note) to encourage or console someone.
- Practice the art of noticing. Spend time wondering what's happening in people's lives. Pray for them.
I figured three of the five were were challenges more of an opportunistic nature, and that only two, the breathing and the noticing, would need to be practiced on a daily basis. I left church that day feeling as I often do upon leaving church, spiritually motivated and energized.
Then I arrived home, tossed the challenge guide on the dining room table,
I looked over the exercises, felt a surge of inspiration, and picked out five that I decided I would do:
- Spend five minutes a day sitting quietly and paying attention to your breathing. Remind yourself that even your breath is a gift from God.
- Attend an activity in which you are the minority (cultural, race, age, religion, etc). Listen. Experience. Appreciate.
- Return that annoying grocery cart you almost hit as you pulled into your space. It's an act of silent service.
- Connect personally (phone call or personal note) to encourage or console someone.
- Practice the art of noticing. Spend time wondering what's happening in people's lives. Pray for them.
I figured three of the five were were challenges more of an opportunistic nature, and that only two, the breathing and the noticing, would need to be practiced on a daily basis. I left church that day feeling as I often do upon leaving church, spiritually motivated and energized.
Then I arrived home, tossed the challenge guide on the dining room table,
| ...which was already under siege by a volunteer project that Tom was working on for the Boy Scouts, |  |
...fixed lunch, did some laundry, went grocery shopping, did some bills, practiced piano, fixed dinner, worked on my blog, and forgot all about the challenge.
Then yesterday afternoon I ventured back into that no-woman's-land in the dining room where I found my abandoned challenge guide and guiltily recalled my five forgotten resolutions.
But re-reading the challenge guide was enough to re-spark my resolve, even if it meant being like the long-distance runner who ambles up to the starting line long after the gun has gone off and the others are on their way: On your mark...get set... Breathe. Notice.
Then yesterday afternoon I ventured back into that no-woman's-land in the dining room where I found my abandoned challenge guide and guiltily recalled my five forgotten resolutions.
But re-reading the challenge guide was enough to re-spark my resolve, even if it meant being like the long-distance runner who ambles up to the starting line long after the gun has gone off and the others are on their way: On your mark...get set... Breathe. Notice.
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