Soakin' Up Life . . . at a 100 MPH!

I'm sitting in one of my favorite places - Starbucks on 23rd & Overton in Portland.  It's not that it's a Starbucks, there's plenty of those around here.  It's that it's roomy, comfortable, provides plenty of places to connect or just watch, and it has a fireplace!  How cool is that?! Lots of people hang out here - nursing students, employees of Good Sam Hospital, runners, older folks, walkers, commuters, readers, talkers, friends, loners, hanger-outers. . .you name them and they come here. When I bring Cindy to work, like I did this morning, I like to come here and hang out for a while.  I read, write in my journal, surf the web, people watch, and really. . .recharge my batteries.  One of the reasons I like it here is that there's no rush.  The place is so big, there's no hurry to finish my coffee and let someone else have my table.  I like that.  It's comfortable for me. I also like that there's no expectations of me here.  I know tha

Dear Jesus, Today is the day we remember YOUR crucifixion.  Today is the day YOU paid the penalty of my sin.  The day YOU became the perfect, spotless, blameless sacrifice.  It's the day YOU  took on my sin - and all the pain associated with it. I'm deeply sorry, Jesus, that you had to give up your divine rights & privileges to come to earth to endure my lack of obedience and faith, and walk through the torture and horrendous death on my behalf.  I am sorry that my sin sent you to the cross.  I'm eternally thankful, but profoundly regretful. I don't deserve it.  It wasn't fair.  It wasn't justified.  You, Jesus, are an innocent man, unjustly charged and persecuted.  Because of your actions I am made right before/with God.  I am humbled.  I am convicted.  I am broken. Thank you, Father, for loving me. . .in spite of me.  Thank you, Lord, that you took  the necessary steps to have a relationship with me.  Thank you, Jesus, for your willingness to ta

In the movie What About Bob , Bill Murray plays the highly dependent, annoying, and obsessive-compulsive Bob Wiley.  To help Bob work through his fears his doctor, Dr. Leo Marvin (played by Richard Dreyfuss) teaches him about baby steps.  I keep picturing Bob getting out of the elevator repeating over and over " baby steps, baby steps, baby steps, baby steps. . . " while he takes these very tiny baby steps to move forward. I was thinking about that this morning as I thought about running.  I used to love to run back when it was easy for me.  Now, it gets harder - I'm older, heavier, and my joints and energy just don't hold up like they used to.  To be honest, those are excuses, they aren't the real problem.  The real problem I have is that I want to start  where it was easy for me - where I'm gliding along effortlessly, experiencing the runner's high, going as far and as long as I choose. But we all know that's not going to happen, is it?  It tak