Running on God's team.

25 year old Ryan Hall won the US Olympic Marathon Trials on November 4, running 2:09:02. (The youngest winner since Frank Shorter won in 1972)

I can't wait to watch him in Beijing! Guess what? This world class marathoner loves God!

Mr. Pipes Tea

In preparing for thanksgiving this week, I got into the spirit of baking...well, I just got plain carried away. I decided I'd make something to enjoy before Thanksgiving got here. I made these sweet rolls after I saw them over at the Common Room.
The Common Room: Filled Snail Shell Buns

We've been reading Mr. Pipes and the British Hymn Makers as our read aloud and these rolls reminded me of something Mr. Pipes, an elderly British organist, and his two young American companions would have for a tea.

If your not familiar with this series of books you should check them out they are a great way to get acquainted with the history of hymn-writers. The books "put feet" under the hymns. Regardless of your taste in music, the stories in the books really help in understanding the importance of worship that is reverent.

So we had a "Mr. Pipes tea"-- the kids thought it was awesome. The rolls were great.

Hope you have a great (and safe) Thanksgiving! Thanks for stopping by On The Way.

Marathon Training update

My training is going well, so far I have been able to stay on schedule.
I am currently on a step back week, and I believe my body is happy to have it.
(Every 4th week steps back in mileage.) I felt kind of "beat up" at the end of my last longer week and I have a slight cold this week, so fewer miles is agreeing with me right now.

One thing I have decided to to is to add 4 to 10 minute workout daily. My strength training has suffered the last month since ramping up my running minutes.

I don't want to leave strength training out of my schedule at this point and yet, I don't feel like doing 45 minute strength training sessions when I'm doing so much running. I'm just unmotivated for it. However, I think I can talk myself into shorter work outs each day, knowing that in 10 minutes I'm done!

What does a workout like that look like? Well, it depend on the day--it could be a lot of different things and I will have fun doing a variety of workouts. I will choose all exercises that can be done at my house because I will not be driving all the way to the gym for a 4-10 minute workout!

Yesterday's looked like this:
2 sets of 20 reps Oblique curls on the flex ball.
2 sets of 12 reps Rear lunges with front lateral raise (done with dumbells)
2 sets of 10 reps combination curl/front raise/squat (dumbells)
2 sets of 10 reps push ups done with dumbells and row added on
2 sets of 10 shoulder press (kettlebells)
2 sets of 20 reps reverse curl with swiss flex ball
(took 10 minutes)

These workouts have the added benefit of boosting the metabolism especially if done separately from my run.

Thanks for stopping by On The Way.

USCAP Cadet Programs Video

A shameless plug for Civil Air Patrol. It's that time of the year for renewing my son's membership so I'm inspired to share this with you.

For more info: CAP
Thanks for stopping by On The Way.

Can we be good without God?

I've been reading The Brothers Karamazov again. I can't help it. Every time I read it I think to myself, "There, I've conquered the 900 page monster. I can leave it be." But I keep returning.

I first read it in college and I confess it was a tough read for me. There is a lot of detail in it, and I wondered why it was necessary, but in subsequent readings I've grown to appreciate all that meticulous detail.

It's long,(like this post...) and there are plenty of great moments and quotes throughout the book.(maybe...not like this post)

Anyway, I don't want to give everything away if you haven't read it, but there are a couple areas of interest for me I wanted to address. (humor me or skip this post)

The first thing is atheism. There is a quote in the book that always really hits me strong "Everything is permitted..." (Book XI, Chapter 8) In short, the speaker refers to the philosophy that if there is no God, then the natural progression of that is to ascribe to amorality. If you are amoral then "everything is permitted.

I know people with strong moral but no recognition of God. I don't get that. I have always thought morals make no sense if God is non-existent, or even if God is disinterested.

When I was living in my lowest moral state I had convinced myself that although God existed, he didn't care. I believe this nation, as a whole, is convinced of the same thing; if there is a God, He isn't looking. The result is there is less and less moral consensus.

It's an old theme isn't it?

Jeremiah 23:23 “Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away? 24 Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord.

Secondly, this idea that anything you believe is just fine as long as you are sincere about it and it helps you. In fact, in our society it's taboo to say what someone else believes is right or wrong. Tolerance and relativity rule!

My gosh, our beliefs and ideas have consequences in our lives! You can be very sincere about your beliefs and be wrong! I do not want to skip along in this world just absorbing every one's values and valuing every one's values because many (most) of them are wrong.

We do live according to our beliefs, even if we don't actually spell-out for ourselves what those beliefs are. We can say we believe something but what we actually practice is what we really believe.

In the book, we see this truth in Ivan's character. Ivan is disillusioned with an imperfect world. He is the philosopher in the story. He questions the existence of God and wonders if life has any meaning --only his philosophy doesn't match up with reality. Once again, I don't want to tell you too much and spoil it for you if you decide to tackle the book.

I think about Jim Jones and all the people who died back in 1978 because they were sincerely following his teachings. They drank poison and gave it to their children too. When you read the accounts of it all, these people were not uneducated or unsophisticated and easy to command-- no-- they were deceived!

It is a good exercise to ask ourselves what we believe. Our beliefs are our future. There is the danger of living a lie or living vague, I don't want either one. Let's challenge ourselves, and our children, to define what we believe and why...and then live it.

If you don't have time for the book, you can still get a taste of it in an easier format. I recently, for the first time, watched the 1957 MGM movie.

If the book is just too much for you, I recommend you at least watch the movie. Like any movie, it doesn't do justice to the book, nevertheless, I enjoyed the movie and I do recommend it.

Yul Brynner plays Dmitri, William Shatner plays Alexey. Shatner is so young, my husband had to tell me it was him. (He said Alexey grew up to be a space ship captain.)

By the way, if you're a Lost fan, (I lost track of Lost midway through season one because I'm not an avid tv watcher) there is a reference to this novel in the second season of the television series. Henry Gale gives Anna Lucia a map that he has drawn on the back of the title page of "The Brothers Karamazov".

Lecture done. Thanks for stopping by On The Way.

The Kettlebell

A few months ago I discovered the kettlebell, and my strength workouts drastically changed. For that matter, I would say the entire way I view fitness has probably changed. Changed for the better!

I run because I thoroughly enjoy it, but I now understand that it is not a complete measure of my fitness, and not even a necessary element. (I just choose to.) I dare say if I was going to pare down my fitness routine to just the essentials, I'd have to throw out the running and keep the kettlebells. (horrors!)

A lot of people have asked me to share resources for learning about training with the kettlebell. I feel like that I've been doing that a lot-- so I decided to make a post and list my favorite resources here.

Art of Strength this one is my favorite-Make sure you sign up for their newsletter, it is great!
DragonDoor
Girya Strength
Dr. Sears (another helpful site)

I think kettlebells are especially excellent for stay at home moms. You don't have to go to the gym to get a workout in. It can be done in a short time frame. (if desired) The results are better than what you get using traditional machines at a gym. (That's my opinion) Lastly, you can get a cardio workout using them. Check out these websites for more info.
Thanks for stopping by On The Way.

Another Vision Forum Drawing

A second drawing for materials by the folks at Vision Forum, and this time it is for $250!
Go on over to Life in a Shoe and check it out.
My children were disappointed that we didn't win last time, so they have pressured me to give it a second try. Why not? ;)
So here is my list, and this time it's longer.


#1 pick is.....Passionate Housewives Desperate For God A book hope, dignity and vision to the modern housewife.

So Much More by Anna Sofia and Elizabeth Botkin. This book offers practical, biblical solutions for young women who want more in this anti-Christian, feministic culture.

The Coral Island: A Tale of the Pacific Ocean from the R.M. Ballantyne Adventure Library (Okay, I admit I want the whole set...but I'm suppose to keep my list under $150---and I heard this one is exceptionally good.) These were written for boys -and I have boys--but hey, I love adventure too.

Because I am a history buff- Christ in the Camp by J. William Jones. This book chronicles the spiritual war that took place for mens' souls during the War between the States.

The Adventure of Missionary Heroism by John C. Lambert. I can't get enough missionary stories. They inspire and challenge me.

Gossip: The Plague of the Church An audio CD, title speaks for itself.

Outside Hollywood The Young Christian's Guide to Vocational Filmmaking by Isaac Botkin A paperback book. "In this groundbreaking book, experienced cinematographer, writer, and animator Isaac Botkin prepares Christians for successful leadership as writers, directors, and producers."

Mother. by Kathleen Norris and Jennie Chancey. I know someone who read this, she said it was excellent.

Dolley Madison Book and Doll Outfit

Medieval Princess Doll Dress

How to Evaluate a Suitor by Douglas W. Phillips

Lastly, I want to add that we own Ten P's in a Pod. I recommend it-- I couldn't put it down.

What's going on here?

It's the annual post-Halloween candy trading exposition. It resembles the floor of Wall Street. Each child lays out his hard earned loot and yells out deals, proposals and prices simultaneously.

Some candy is more valuable than others but of course, it is subjective. (Again, not unlike Wall Street.) The trading continues until each child has, as close as possible, the ideal bag of candy.

Much of the trading is indirect exchange. If someone has something you want, you may have to trade 3 Milky Ways to someone to the left of you to get the Nerds that you know will easily trade for the Skittles you really want across the table. It is complex trading, and loud, and yet strangely orderly.

The value of any particular candy is closely tied to it's scarcity-even if it isn't a favorite. If you possess what no one else has you can be sure it has some bargaining power.

Of course, chocolate is pretty much looked upon as money itself -if you're offered chocolate you pretty much have to offer something to bargain with or you may be pushed out of the trading floor entirely.

We (the parents) do not police these free trading sessions. Although the participants are aware that if diplomacy breaks down the markets will close.

Halloween is not my favorite holiday but it is a huge deal in our culture; but if the experience is worth anything, two highlights stand out. First, I refuse to spend a dime on a costume and this forces my children to be creative and resourceful. Secondly, my children learn the art of bargaining and gain a rudimentary understanding of how there is mutual benefit in a free market economy.

I secretly heard my son blurt out in the middle of the process, "Why do we trade?"

"Because we all get what we want!" said someone else, "...and it's fun!"