Energy Out

As many of my friends and confidants know I love to blog. I do not always take the time to sit down and write out blogs even when I have great ideas for them. Throughout the past couple years I have found that the art of blogging has been a great way to refresh my mind and in an effort to blog more I am going to try to write a weekly blog post on topics that you, my friends, suggest to me via social media. My goal is to write one blog post a week. I will be sharing my opinion on the topic suggested so if there was ever something you wanted to know about me then this would be a time to find out. 

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Being Physically Active without Running
As a nutrition educator I often teach people about the importance of physical activity. Following the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans I teach that children should partake in at least 60 minutes of physical activity a day and the average adult should participate in at least 30 minutes. These numbers are the bare minimum and one can always do more. In fact to maintain a healthy weight you want to make sure that you balance your energy in--eating and drinking-- with your energy out--physical activity.

Often times in my adult classes when I ask about physical activity I hear groans and excuses that typically add up to the phrases: I don't like to do it, I am lazy and unmotivated, I can't afford a gym membership, I don't like to run. All of these are barriers that we allow to control our lives, but if we are to live healthy lives then we need to break down the walls that prevent us from physical activity. One of those barriers is the idea that running is a great way to stay physically healthy and many people, myself included, do not like to run. A good friend of mine suggested I share some ways to get physical activity without having to run. Without further ado here's my top 5 suggestions:

1. Find physical activities you actually enjoy doing. Let's face it some exercises are more enjoyable than others. We don't need to torture ourselves to make sure we are being healthy and fit. Consider bike riding, kayaking, going on "fast walks", yoga, etc. 
2. Utilize exercise machines. If you don't want to get into running you could always use exercise equipment whether that's at a friends house, ones that you buy yourself, or at a local gym. You could use a stationary bike, take a spinning class, walk on an incline, go at a slower pace on a treadmill so you can push yourself, but control your speed, try using the rowing machine or stair climbing machine.
3. Go Swimming.Yup, it's true! Swimming is a great workout and one great way to stay fit. Not everyone has access to a year-round pool or body of water, but this is a great way to exercise at least in the summer. If you have access year round that's even better! This allows you to work on your cardio, but you don't have to support your own body weight since the water is keeping you up!
4. Find ways to turn your everyday activities into more active ones. Find ways to incorporate exercising while doing chores you already have to do. Do squats while putting the laundry in the washer/dryer, do arm lifts with canned foods before you put them away in the pantry, jog with your shopping cart as you go through the grocery store, do arm circles while watching your favorite TV show (it's also a great way to get the kids and others away from you!), and my personal favorite: do exercises during the commercial breaks of your TV shows.
5. Have a good motivator. I know this isn't an alternative to running, but it's a very important tip for exercising. We all need motivators. What motivates you is going to be different than what motivates me, but we all need to have a goal/motivation to help us when the workout gets tough! One great motivator to have is the knowledge that living a healthy lifestyle will help you to live a longer more satisfying life because of the energy you will receive from being active. As someone who used to hardly ever be active and is now on a daily basis, I can attest to the improved energy that I have acquired from getting my energy out more often. 

Hope you enjoyed these 5 suggestions and that you have gained something beneficial from them! If you have a topic you'd like me to post on next week please comment either below or on my Facebook.

Grace & Peace my friends

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Sources:
 http://straighthealth.com/pages/five/alternatives-to-running.html
https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/ 

From Conflict to Communion: The 500th Year

As many of my friends and confidants know I love to blog. I do not always take the time to sit down and write out blogs even when I have great ideas for them. Throughout the past couple years I have found that the art of blogging has been a great way to refresh my mind and in an effort to blog more I am going to try to write a weekly blog post on topics that you, my friends, suggest to me via social media. My goal is to write one blog post a week. I will be sharing my opinion on the topic suggested so if there was ever something you wanted to know about me then this would be a time to find out. 

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My first blog in this "You Suggest It" series was suggested by one of my best friends. He is currently attending seminary to become an Ordained Lutheran Minister and suggested that I write a non-Lutheran perspective on the "500th year." As it turns out this year, 2017, is the 500th year since the famous Reformation that began with Martin Luther nailing his 95 theses or the "Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences." Along with many other reformations led by John Calvin, Huldrych Zwingli, and other early Protestant Reformers in 16th-century Europe this was what led to a schism from the Roman Catholic Church. Luther's theses was meant to be a list of propositions up for debate which argued against the selling of indulgences to absolve sin and that faith alone, not deeds, leads to Salvation. (Christian Heritage II class at MVNU & http://www.history.com/topics/martin-luther-and-the-95-theses). Luther's theses was meant to be a announcement for an academic discussion which should be led with humility.Regardless of intent this move along with many others led to the rise of Protestantism and naturally much bloodshed from both sides of Christendom for years to come. 

One can argue whether or not we should have focused solely on Faith alone or if Works have something to do with it too. There are many passages of Scripture that could back up both. The first that comes to mind is in James 2 which tells us that both "Faith without Deeds is dead" and compare that with Romans 3, "

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 

and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." Today though, I am not here to discuss which one is more accurate. Today I want to focus on this celebration. 500 years of celebration.

I do not think it is wrong to celebrate the beginning of your group, your denomination, your tribe. Humans tend to want to compartmentalize ourselves and put ourselves in groups. It helps us feel organized. There is nothing inherently wrong with that, but how we respond within those tribes...now that can be an issue. As soon as it becomes an "Us vs. Them" then we have an issue. In the words of the band Gungor, it's not us or them it's "Us For Them." We, as a people, as followers of Christ, whether that be Jew, Gentile, Slave, Free, Male, Female, Catholic, Lutheran, Nazarene, Nondenominational, Methodist, United Church of Christ, Christian Church, Assemblies of God, and on and on we list; we are ALL one. We are told in Scripture that those labels do not matter and we are all one in Christ Jesus. 

So if you want to celebrate the beginning of your group that's fantastic! But, first let's make sure we are not rejecting, oppressing, or marginalizing those who are "other" to our group. Once we understand our intentions I think it is perfectly fine to celebrate the 500 years since the Reformation. I am not someone who thinks that this should be boycotted and not celebrated because some people have used this schism to create war, violence, and oppression. Yes, that was wrong. Yes, that was injustice. But no, that was not all that came out of this Reformation. Some of my dearest friends and family members belong to the Lutheran tradition and when I visit with my best friend I jokingly tell him that I am Lutheran for that week. It's not about rejecting everything from it, it's about learning and truly knowing our history, understanding the good, bad, and ugly, and celebrating the good. 

This, in fact, happened this year amidst the 500th year celebrations. There was a joint prayer service of reconciliation among Lutherans and Catholics in Chicago. When asked about the event the Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the ELCA, remarked that "For 500 years Lutherans and Catholics have been divided into two camps, each believing that the other was not only wrong but alien, yet we know that people are yearning for reconciliation. The Lutheran-Roman Catholic joint prayer service, one of the fruits of 50 years of dialogue between our two churches, was a beautiful celebration of what we hold in common. We could see each other again as brothers and sisters in Christ. I pray that our increasing unity is a witness to our culture."

So let's celebrate that we've made it this far in this dysfunctional world and that we can work together each bringing something good to the Table to help bring Renewal to THIS earth, THIS solar system, THIS galaxy, THIS universe, and beyond. 

Grace & Peace my friends.

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For informative resources to celebrate the 500th year: 

https://www.elca.org/Resources/500-Years 

Beautiful tale of reconciliation amidst the 500th year celebrations: https://www.elca.org/News-and-Events/7876 

Other Resources: 

https://www.elca500.org/

Relational Discipleship: A Review

Recently I have been embracing my call of hospitality in many different ways and I've been discovering new ways to do so via food and the table. Since starting my job of teaching nutrition almost a year ago I have developed a huge love for local, fresh food. This has only naturally given me a profound appreciation of my garden plots and the act of producing my own food. It has connected what and how I eat to hospitality. Back in my undergrad I felt an explicit call to hospitality in my home, but had no idea that it would come to fruition in such a way as it has. In the midst of devouring essays by Wendell Berry and other gardeners, I had the privilege of reading to review Brian Craig Drurey's book "Relational Discipleship: Moving back home with God." I loved this quick and easy read and don't let the fact that it's an easy read tempt you to believe it's irrelevant. It's incredibly relevant in today's postmodern world. Here are my thoughts:
"Incredible read! Very good resource for discipleship. As someone who very much believes in what is called Relational Theology, I found Relational Discipleship to be an excellent companion through life. As someone who used to work for a church and now attends a house church I found Drurey's work very applicable and needed in such a time as this when churches all over the globe need to drastically re-evaluate their models! I especially enjoyed his metaphors and illustrations to demonstrate the process of returning home with God. There is such a need for hospitality in not only our discipleship practices, but also in our lives. We, American Christians, have seemed to have lost our call to hospitality, to open up our tables to the stranger, foreigner, and orphan. Food is something that can unite us all despite differences and Drurey's book reinvites back into a mode of hospitality. I could go on and on about his use of metaphors and his description of the woods, porch, door, and house of God, but to truly appreciate this book like I have you need to read it. You need to open the door to it's pages and taste and see how good and needed it is in our current climate."

Praise can lead to Laziness

"You'd make a great wife!"

This is a comment I've heard several times in my life. I've heard women tell my father this when he was cooking food in the kitchen. I've been told this when I was helping set up tables at a church function--at the church that I worked for. This phrase has been said as if to insinuate that because we were good at cooking or setting the table it meant we acted like a woman. Whether the one making the "joke" realizes it or not this phrase perpetuates the idea of traditional gender roles. I often get at least annoyed--at worst livid--when I hear similar jokes like this. As if I, a man, cannot be good at cooking, cleaning, setting the table, etc. without it being considered weird.

Consider the below conversation between adults Z & A.

• Z: Man, I am so exhausted! It's nice to have this break because there's always so much to do!
• A: Oh I know! There's hardly ever a break when I'm home. It's do the laundry, wash the dishes, make dinner, change the babies diaper, and on and on! I can never catch a break!
• Z: I know! And on top of all of this my spouse just sits on the couch and watches TV!
• A: Mine too! It's ridiculous! You'd think they could at least help me a little bit.
• Z: Mine did the other day! It was so nice! I was a bit overwhelmed and the food was starting to burn so they quickly ran over and finished cooking our dinner!
• A: That's so great! You are one lucky person! You married someone so thoughtful and great! I wonder what  it's like to  have someone who helps out like that sometimes. It'd be so great! What a sacrifice they made!
• Z: I am pretty lucky! 

What are your first thoughts about Z & A? Could you tell that they were both men? Often times we hear conversations similar to this between women, but if we would hear this conversation between men we might be surprised or even shocked. We might think its an anomaly. Why is that? Why do we have all these expectations of how women and men act? Why do we even have gender roles? I'm not even talking about gender roles we give "stay-at-home-moms"--although that is another topic we could discuss; especially with the trend towards some "stay-at-home-dads" that are arising...but that's for another day--I'm talking about the roles we give to working women. To homes where both the husband and the wife work, but we expect the wife to be the "Manager of the House." Why is that? Does the wife make more dishes than the husband? Does the wife dirty more laundry? Why does the responsibility fall on her?

Some thoughts for men:

1. Dudes cut the laziness! When you got married you joined a partnership. An equal partnership. You dirty dishes, you dirty laundry, and you even dirty your house! It's not your wife's job or obligation to clean up after you--nor should it be! Slavery was outlawed and considered evil YEARS ago! When I first got married--my wife & I both work full-time--I found myself easily getting caught up into the societal expectations to let my wife do most of the work. Then one day when she finally--thankfully--pointed this out to me I began to change my ways. I was preaching on and on about feminism and why women and men are equal, but not living the out in my life. So, I get it, society makes it easy to fall into that rhythm. But just  because society does something doesn't mean it's right or how things should be. So stop giving all this work to your wife--who also has a life and work to focus on too!
2. Stop misusing the Bible to justify your laziness! Don't sit here and tell me that the Bible promotes gender roles and says women are the household managers! First of all, the Bible talks about MUTUAL submission between husband and wife, not just "wives submit to your husbands", but "submit to one another out of reverence for Christ."Also there are countless examples throughout Scripture of women being prophets--Miriam--, Apostles, and even preachers! After all Mary Magdalene was the first Evangelist. She's considered the Apostle to the Apostles! There are countless examples of women in ministry all throughout the Scriptures! If you want more information on this check out: https://rachelheldevans.com/blog/mutual-submission-resources-marriage-books-egalitarian, https://rachelheldevans.com/blog/mutuality-household-codes, and http://juniaproject.com/

Some thoughts for women: 

1. Stop praising your husbands for doing what they should have already been doing! One thing that irks me more than anything is when a guy does one household chore and their wife makes a huge deal about it! When was the last time your husband thanked and praised you for doing chores? It's part of living life with someone else: You both do your fair share of household chores! It might suck, after all not many people like doing chores (which is why they're called CHORES!), but it's something we both ought to do! When you praise your husbands its like you are saying, "You don't need to do this, it's not your responsibility, but thank you for helping out!" When what you should be saying is, "YES! I'm not alone! We're a team again! We can work together!" I mean when was the last time you got praised for cleaning or cooking? That  is something that IS in Scripture. Proverbs 31--which is often used as a legalistic list of things  for women to do--was actually a song that men would sing to praise their wives. To talk about how great they are! To share how they are women of valor--Eschet Chayil! More on this  here: https://rachelheldevans.com/blog/3-things-you-might-not-know-about-proverbs-31

To summarize:

We don't and shouldn't praise laziness. We shouldn't promote laziness. Laziness is not what we were created or intended for. So husbands and wives: work together. Take turns cooking, cleaning, etc. You are a team. The household--with or without kids--is BOTH of your responsibility. You are a team who are called to mutually submit to one another. After all, "“It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper (Ezer Kenego) as his partner" (Gen. 2:18, italicized and parenthesis added). ("Evidence indicates that the word 'ezer originally had two roots, each beginning with different guttural sounds. One meant "power" and the other "strength."https://godswordtowomen.org/ezerkenegdo.htm). So be partners. Work together. Stop praising things that should be a regular part of life!

Beauty and the Beast

Wow. Incredible. Golden.

These were the thoughts racing through my mind as I slowly exited the movie theater. I could not believe how well-done the new live-action Beauty and the Beast was. I was so blown away that I did not want to leave the theater. At one point one of the workers at the theater asked me if I was waiting for a "scene at the end of the credits" and I simply said, "nah, I know there isn't with Beauty and the Beast but I just enjoyed it so much I can't leave yet. I need to attempt to take it all in." That certainly got a strange look.

Having grown up a Disney and Beauty and the Beast fan I had high expectations for this movie. When I was in high school I took a Child Development class where I was first introduced to the original French folktale. I have seen the movie multiple times all throughout my childhood and seen different play adaptations. I was excited and ready to see how this adaptation would do. What would they change and which route would they follow? The more research you do about this original tale the more you can see how far they progressed in their retelling as this is truly a "tale as old as time."

One of the original goals of the folklore was to help young girls cope with the idea of arranged marriages. Such an interesting fact considering the new adaptation starred Emma Watson who is famous for starting a UN organization called HeforShe which is all about the empowerment of women. It is Emma Watson's role as Belle that truly transforms this movie into a beautiful feminist film, despite taking place in a context before the rise of the feminist movement. Emma shows the audience how much of a great feminist model Belle is for young girls.

Spoilers below:

This model is shown all throughout the film, but one of the most direct examples is near the beginning of the film. We learn that in this adaptation, unlike the original cartoon, Belle is the inventor. She invents a washing machine so that she can spend more time reading and teaching others how to read and less time doing what would have been considered "women's work." The movie does an excellent job portraying how little the village she lived in had. The grand library she visits in the original Disney cartoon was now portrayed to be a small church with a tiny shelf of maybe 7 books. So Belle creates this washing machine and then is seen teaching a young girl to read. Of course this wonderful scene is short-lived because as soon as the villagers notice what is going on they stop her, destroy her machine, and make comments about how they don't need "another girl learning to read." As if the only purpose for that girl is to marry and have children, not that marriage and raising a family are bad pursuits, but she should be allowed more than that provincial life. She should be given equal opportunity with the boys of the village. 

There are so many incredible themes throughout the film. There is the theme of hospitality and showing love to others. This is the main lesson that the Prince needs to learn. This is a reminder to all of us, especially in this current political climate, that we are called to be hospitable. To welcome in the stranger, the poor, the widow, the destitute. I was even reminded of the verse in Hebrews which says, "Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it" (Hebrews 13:2, NIV). If the Beast would have known this from the start then everything could have been avoided. But it is a lesson for us. Let us not be like the Prince and turn those away who are in need, but let us help all out of love. This is our calling.

Beauty and the Beast was spectacular! The music was great with both old and new songs. The acting was phenomenal. But most of all the themes were what made it more than just a nice, fun remake, but a great message for all!

The Priesthood of ALL believers

"I graduated with a degree in Youth Ministry." "Oh that's wonderful! What church do you work at?" "I don't. I teach Nutrition and the importance of being Physically Active to local elementary schools and nonprofit agencies." "Oh..." The conversation ends abruptly.

All too often this has been the conversations I partake in when I meet individuals connected to churches. When people learn I went to a Christian Liberal Arts and have an occupation that does not seem to line up with my degree they give me skeptical looks or want to let me know that "it's okay..." or "one day you'll get that job you studied for."

 Unfortunately what people do not see or understand is that I chose this route. I chose this job. I had a job at a traditional church in youth ministry and then even in Family Ministry and I decided it wasn't the path for me. I felt like God had other plans. There is nothing wrong with Family Ministry, Youth Ministry, or Children's Ministry in a traditional church. There are many individuals out there who are incredibly gifted in those areas and should not consider other occupations--many of my mentors could be some of those people.

I, however, in this point in my life, am not one of those people. I have a heart for holistically helping others. I firmly believe that Jesus cares about our whole selves and not just our spiritual selves. The idea that God would only care about our spiritual selves is very dualistic and that is not how I believe we should live. I am not saying that ministers in traditional churches are all dualistic or that they cannot serve others holistically, but what I am saying is that I felt led to minister outside of the church walls--completely. In my occupation.

I accepted this job because I wanted to meet individuals where they are at and not try to convince them to enter a church building. I accepted this job because I believe in eating, acting, and living in a healthy manner and if I can help teach others that I want to. I took this job because I believe that the government should provide benefits to those who need it and if we need to provide education in order to make sure that those benefits are being used wisely and in a health-conscious manner then I want to help provide that education.

So often when we think of ministry we think of "professional ministry." We think of paying people to do ministry while the rest of us do our "regular jobs." I would propose that everyone is called to do ministry. Everyone is called to be a Priest in their community. We all have different skills and abilities; we all have different ways to impact others around us. We all have something to bring to the Table. Let us stop relying solely on "Professional Ministry" or "Professional Pastors"--though they are very great--and remember the Priesthood of all believers and go out in our communities to make a difference with those we come in contact with.

The Familiar: An unfamiliar book series

"Fantastic read. Couldn't put it down. An incredible book that ties together 9 or so different perspectives! It definitely shows how so much can happen in one day and how it can all be interconnected in ways we don't see right away. Parts of it were confusing, but it's the first of 27 books so in many ways its just chapter 1. It's definitely a new kind of narrative than I'm used to and very postmodern, but I'd recommend it; especially if you like House of Leaves. Also it made me want to rescue a cat."-The Familiar, One Rainy Day in May

These were my thoughts when I tore through the novel One Rainy Day in May by Mark Z. Danielewski. I had previously read his most popular novel, House of Leaves, and I needed more. I loved his style of writing so much I had to read more. I then read The Fifty Year Sword which was fantastic, but short. Once I picked up this book I knew I wasn't just getting myself into another novel to read, but in fact a whole new adventure through the pages. Naturally, finishing book 1 led me immediately to adopt a cat and then read book 2...

"Whoa. Ten times better than volume 1. I felt I better understood each of the characters and could see how they are slowly becoming connected. There was so much more to the plot in this one. I liked the first one, but I loved this one. Once again Xanther and her "little thing", her cat, is my favorite part of the story. Just seeing their "tail" progress kept me paging through the book. Read in a week and two days which is fast for me. The cliffhanger at the end definitely makes me want to jump into volume 3! Once again Danielewski doesn't disappoint. Highly recommend."

These were my thoughts for volume 2. It was incredible to begin to see how the characters were all connected. To see the relationship develop between 12 year Xanther, her new cat, and all the mysterious stuff that begins happening around them. Naturally it led me to anxiously await book 3 and thankfully I got into the series once it was already out. The cages of my mind were open and they were ready for more...

"Whoa. Best one yet and I loved the first 2 volumes! It was so intense especially the ending! My heart was pounding as I flipped through the pages of the ending. So good and it's making me love cats and other animals even more. Greatly recommend." Each novel ends with a story about an animal to go along with the tale. Oria the owl, Marvin the Markhor, and Lexi the polar bear. These three animals end each chapter, if you will, accompanied by the unnamed cat partner to Xanther and the many creatures who escape their cages when Xanther is near. These novels are slowly opening up a mystery, but there are many more questions left. There is a focus on animals and humanity's relationship with them.

This may seem like a scattered, bizarre review, however, much like the books which appear to the average person scattered and bizarre, there is a point: It is a fantastic, postmodern book series that I greatly recommend. "What's it about?" you ask, still confused based on my review: The best way to describe it so far, is its a 27 book series about a 12 year old girl who rescues a cat and develops an interesting bond with it. Still confused? Pick up a copy and start reading!