Only 1.5 Years To Live

Right now, I am 28.5 years old and in the prime of my life...no wrinkles, no aches or pains, no need for bifocals or hearing aids, no walker or cane, no mid-life crisis, no blood pressure or cholesterol meds...you get the picture. I still have my whole life ahead of me with lots of plans (God willing, of course) for marriage, family, "career," hobbies.

My life would look a million times different if I had been born in Zimbabwe - for many obvious reasons. One of which is that I would only be expected to live to see my 30th birthday. Women in Zimbabwe have the lowest life expectancy of anyone in the world due to HIV.

My sister, Molly, just turned 30. She has 4 kids, ages 7, 5 1/2, 4, and 1 1/2. Pretty sobering, huh?

Omnivorous Attentiveness

I just learned that phrase in Pastor John's talk about C.S. Lewis at the recent DG Pastor's Conference. This is what he means by omnivorous attentiveness:

"To wake up in the morning and to be aware of the firmness of the mattress, the warmth of the sun’s rays, the sound of the clock ticking, the coldness of the wooden floor, the wetness of the water in the sink, the sheer being of things (quiddity as he called it). And not just to be aware but to wonder. To be amazed that the water is wet. It did not have to be wet. If there were no such thing as water, and one day some one showed it to you, you would simply be astonished."

When I was taking anatomy and physiology I learned so many incredible things about the human body - one of which was a chemical or neurotransmitter (I can't remember) that basically prevents people from going crazy due to over-stimulation. If we were constantly aware of all the stimuli bombarding our bodies, we would all go crazy. Think about it - consider what your eyes see right now, including in the periphery. Now feel the air enter your body and your lungs expand as you breathe. What are your fingers and toes touching? How does it feel to be sitting on whatever kind of surface you're sitting on? Did you notice the feel of your clothes against your skin?

And on and on the list could go. God gave us the ability to feel all of these things as well as the ability to not feel them all at once and go crazy. But it is good to be aware - to be omnivorously attentive to all of these things...and then to "ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name" (Ps. 29:2) for all of his good gifts.

Do You Know Your Numbers?

One of my nursing jobs is with a company doing health screening. We go into businesses and perform three "tests" to measure one's health: body composition (weight, body mass index, and body fat percentage), blood pressure, cholesterol, and bloody glucose. At the end of it all, a nurse reviews the numbers with each person and specifically addresses the abnormals.

I am not obsessive about health, but I think it is important, and I enjoy helping people live healthy lives. Over the last few weeks, as I have been working at these various health screening events, my main job has been to take people's blood pressures. Unfortunately, there are always at least a few abnormals - meaning, higher than 140/90. (It's surprising that there aren't MORE than a few abnormals, actually). Anyways, the abnormals are unfortunate for a couple reasons: it means the person is at greater risk for things like stroke and heart disease, but it also means that I get the disapproving look that says something like, "What's wrong with you?! Can't you tell that I am a healthy person, and you got THAT number? Obviously, this is all YOUR fault. I was a healthy person until I met you." And very often, they will ask for a recheck...just to make sure.

What's funny about this is that they never (or seldom) do that to the people checking body composition or weight or cholesterol. Those are all checked with machines, so they feel more of a sense of responsibility since the machine cannot lie.

So, next time you have the opportunity to know your numbers (especially blood pressure), remember that those people on the other end are just the messengers.

Sneak Peek

We are giving you the chance of a lifetime - the chance to check out our first newsletter before you get it in the mail! If you are reading this by email, you can just go right to our blog and find it on the left side under "Newsletters."

This is also our support-raising kickoff, so you also get a head start at thinking about how God might want to use you in supporting us either prayerfully or financially.

We are excited to be at this point and look forward to seeing God work! This would not be complete if we did not publicly thank God for each of you who have helped get us here - your support over the years in various ways is undeserved yet immeasurably appreciated.

Zambeezi

As I have gotten older and traveled the world and lived in a developing country, I have become more passionate about things like Fair Trade. Simply, Fair Trade is paying more for a product, so that workers in developing countries can be paid fairly.

Today, I am promoting a not only Fair Trade product, but an organic one as well (ooooohhh-aaaaahhhh!). But before I tell you about this product, I have to say that I am not one of those fanatic type of Fair Trade people or even organic people, where I won't buy something unless it is Fair Trade or organic. Like the other day, Derek and I bought Rwandan Fair Trade coffee from Caribou - it was not good. Perhaps my palate was too delicate for it, but it just tasted burnt. If I am going to pay more, I want it to be good!

That's why this product I am going to tell you about is so good. It is Fair Trade, organic, amazing, and Zambian - how much better can something get???

So, what is it? Zambeezi - organic beeswax lip balm. It really is the best lip balm out there. I just ordered a few for myself, and was reminded why it is so good. The super-soft, great-smelling balm is like a luxurious spa treatment every time I put it on. (Notice in the pic how full the tube is...even after using it a bunch!)

If you want to try some for yourself, go to www.zambiansoap.com or if you want to find out more about where the proceeds go, go to www.zambeezi.com.

Some Things Should Not Be LIMITED EDITION

I know that this whole LIMITED EDITION thing is huge out there right now. You find limited edition cars, DVD's, watches, iPod (U2 Version), video games, clothes and so on. Almost every PT Cruiser that I see on the road has a LIMITED EDITION badge on the back. But there are some things that should not be "limited edition," and one of them is a phone book. That's right! We got a "Limited Hardcover Edition" yellow pages the other day for the South Metro. By making a phone book that is "limited edition," the uniqueness of "limited edition" has lost almost all meaning. Am I suppose to take my phone book to my neighbor and be like, "Yeah, look at the cool phone book I got - that's right I got the LIMITED EDITION! It's a collectors item, you know!" Only problem is they got the same phone book that I did, so it's not really "limited edition," because everyone got them and they last for a whole year, so isn't this the only edition?

Tribute to Oscar Peterson

Almost a year ago, Derek and I were perusing the iTunes store and stumbled upon what is now one of the greatest albums in our music library: Oscar Peterson's Night Train. We had never heard of Oscar Peterson before, but since then we have become a fan. He was a black Canadian jazz pianist with incredible talent. In fact, in some circles he has been known to be one of the best pianists of all time. Whether or not he was, the point is that he was GOOD...really good.

"The Maharaja of the keyboard" (as Duke Ellington called him) lived from August 15, 1925 to December 23, 2007. Peterson was trained primarily in classical piano, and he devoted at least 4-6 hours per day to practicing scales, etudes, the preludes and fugues of J.S. Bach, and traditional jazz. It comes as little surprise that he quickly became world-renowned and spent 65 out of his 82 years playing the piano as a career, even though he suffered from arthritis since his youth.

The following video is from one of his concerts in London in 1964 - enjoy!

24 Things About to Disappear in America

Rod Dreher on 24 things about to disappear in America. (Wild horses, family farms, the VCR and so on.) It's a pretty interesting list. I don't think I will miss a VCR though. :( Sorry for any fans out there.

Doug Nichols Book List 2008

Doug Nichols (ACTION) Book List 2008

Cheap, fun things to do in Minneapolis

Derek and I often have people stay at our house, and so we are often looking for cheap, fun things to do in the Twin Cities. Of course, there are lots of expensive, fun things to do, but I am convinced that the cheap, fun things take some exploring...

So, here is the list that we have come up with so far of fun things to do under $10:

-The Saint Paul Cathedral - free (just mind Mass hours)

-The Midtown Global Market - "looking is free!" Although, you'd be crazy to not get hummus and pita chips from the Holy Land market. There is often live music on the weekends.

-The Stone Arch Bridge and Locks - free

-Minneapolis Farmer's Market - free (March-November)

-St. Paul Farmer's Market - free (year 'round)

-Teddy Bear Park in Stillwater - free, great for children!

-Como Zoo and Conservatory - $2 adults, $1 children - suggested donation (year 'round)

-Nelson's Ice Cream in Stillwater - $3-something for a 2-flavor, child-size cone (about 8 scoops) (April-October)

-The 5-8 Club - Hamburger and fries for $4.95. Home of the Juicy Lucy and famous Onion Straws (when your arteries need a good clogging).

-Swing Dancing at the Wabasha Street Caves - $7 for walk-in lessons and dancing (every Thursday evening)

-The Foshay Tower Museum and Observation Deck - $8 suggested donation for adults, children under 12 are free (see the website for times)