43 Days and still going....

This has been one of the very best challenges I have ever participated in.

God has taught me a lot about myself and about Him too!

I have never exercised that many days in a row in my whole life!! SERIOUSLY!:)

But, do I ever feel great! I have decided that I am going to continue to commit to this challenge for the next 30 days and the next and the next...

At the beginning of this year I felt that God was pushing me to learn how to persevere. I am

the kind of person who is full of excitement at the beginning of anything new, but then my

interest and enthusiasm begins to fade rather quickly and then I move on to something different.

With this 30 day challenge that James suggested, I thought this might be the very thing that I could do to practice persevering...with many prayers and lots of determination, it has worked well!!!

Being in His Word regularly and reading lots of worthwhile books are also a part of this challenge and doing this has filled me with many thrilling moments of worship, learning, conviction and enjoyment.

Please join me on the next leg of my journey!

Karen

Thumbs Up

Reporting in on the 30 Challenge:

I've had a decent string of successful mornings. One big miss in there, but can't linger on it!

This morning I spent half my extra 30 minutes struggling to do basic tasks without the use of my left thumb. You don't appreciate ol' Lefty until you lose the use of him.

Here's some homework: Take a large sharp knife and accidentally injure your thumb. Spend half of your 30 minutes chillin' with Jesus giving him thanks for the gift of dual-thumbs.

Seriously though, this one small injury made me think about my own fragility. At any time I could get in an accident, get a disease or be otherwise incapacitated. Every day of life is a gift!

3 Forms of Biblical Preaching ~ JK JOURNEY

3 Forms of Biblical Preaching ~ JK JOURNEY

3 Forms of Biblical Preaching ~ JK JOURNEY

3 Forms of Biblical Preaching ~ JK JOURNEY

Taking advantage of the quiet time

I remember someone saying that U.S. Marines get more done before 9am than most people do in a full day. There is some bravado in this, but there are reasons why the concept makes sense. For me, on days when I have to show up for work early, I'll look at the clock after a couple of hours and wow, I've accomplished a ton and the day is really just starting.

I think it's because:

1. Most other people aren't around to bother you (via email, phone call, drop-in)
2. In the early morning, it's very quiet. You wake in the dark, and it's silent outside. There's no traffic. No stimulation and no stress.
3. In this period of quietness you have time to think, not just react. And thinking often means you plan, and if you follow a plan for the day instead of just bouncing around multi-tasking, you can get a lot accomplished.

I think the above just lays the groundwork for prioritizing to fit in the 'big rocks' that often get missed: Prayer or reading of scripture, exercise, or talking with your spouse over breakfast.

Me, I'm starting slowly and hope to build it up. My goal is to be getting up at 6am on a consistent basis, but I'm not a natural morning person and I seem to go to bed late. Therefore I'm starting out by consistently getting up at 7am.

Pete

Salt & Light

I read Matthew 5:13-16 this morning. It says this:

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, expect to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

A few things that stood out to me:

1. The culture around Jesus at the time when he said this used salt for EVERYTHING. It preserved and helped things last longer. Jesus says we are salt. But interestingly, he says were salt of the earth. That's why global missions are so key.
2. If we are salt and our saltiness is our good deeds based on the last verse, than we CAN be made salty again...
3. "If salt looses its saltiness, it is no good for anything"...what I think Jesus is saying is: if we as the salt of the world are not doing our job, we are as good as garbage.
4. If you turned off all the lights right now and went into a dark closet with a flash light, this verse comes alive.
5. When Jesus says, "you" he isn't just talking to individuals, rather he is more talking to the community.
6. If my church, Lincoln Road Chapel, was truely a city on a hill and light to Waterloo, Ontario, I ask myself this: would the crime rate increase if we all left?
7. You can judge a person's faith by their good deeds scripture says. Jesus calls us to go out with good deeds. Are we doing our job?

Thanks for reading.

The 30 Challenge continues for me. Day 3.

For Jesus' fame,
JK

Triple 30 Lifestyle

It has been 3 days since I began my '30 Challenge'. As I spent time with God today, I had such a clear picture of what these days ahead could become for me; a lifestyle change going from good to great!

Each of these areas I try to do regularly, but the exercise component is, for me, the most challenging as this is the discipline in my life that I force myself to do because I need to do it, not because I always want to. :)

Having now the accountability of others who are joining this group will be such an encouragement and will help me to persevere.

As I considered what lies ahead of us taking on this challenge, I had this thought...

Living a life of victory alway begins with days of victory; one day after another.

Together is better:)

Love,

Karen B.

Early Morning Run

I went to bed too late last night and alas, it wasn't easy waking up at 7am. But I did.

My friend Pete and I live in the same apartment complex. We called each other at 7:10am and were off and running 5 minutes later.

We went running through some of Uptown Waterloo. I was beautiful. I loved the calmness of the morning. Awake to see and feel the dew. Awake to hear the birds starting their days. Awake with only a few cars bustling around. It was a beautiful thing.

Sure it was cold, but I put on a tuque and thin black gloves and was good to go. It was great. Feel energized and ready to start the day.

For Jesus' fame,
JK

The 30 Challenge Beginnings

Hey Team!

I have set up this blog for all those that are interested or involved in "The 30 Challenge"

What is "The 30 Challenge?"
It started with an idea that turned into a blog post and is now starting to become a movement. To get more insight into WHAT "The 30 Challenge" is, read this post.

Why this Blog?
The blog is to hold one another accountable. It is a place to share our experiences. To share what we are learning. To share our struggles and our victories! When we gain a new insight from our scripture readings, POST IT! When we experience a new place or just want to share our running story, POST IT! When we learned something new from our book, POST IT!

This blog is a place to interact with all that is happening with YOUR 30 Challenge!

Obviously, just started to blog, so very much interested in your feedback as to how to manage the blog. I think the best way to go about it is this: if you are interested in doing this and contributing to the blog, all you have to do is email/message me and I will set you up as a blogger. You can post whenever you want on whatever you want. I can give you tips as to how to blog. Look forward to some emails! Lets do it!

Share this with everyone you know and lets start learning from one another, holding one another accountable, and enjoy watching Jesus rock it out!

Love you guys,

For Jesus' fame,
JK