Girlie stuff

Last Saturday was the annual Ladies' Tea at GBC, a fund raising event for the AWANA Varsity group's yearly trip to the SUMMIT in Chicago(I'll write more about that after we return). Mom was out of town, but Gram and I went, and had a lovely time. There were about 90 ladies of all ages there this year, and this lovely event continues to be a fantastic fundraiser to which so many ladies enjoy coming. It's so fun to see Grandmas with their daughters and granddaughters, adult sisters with their little daughters, elderly sisters and sisters in law all together, neighbors and friends from school, etc., and everyone enjoying the food and fellowship.

That same weekend I had a bit of a jumpstart to my heart when I realized that time was getting away from me, and I had only 3 weeks left to complete the cards for the ladies at IM's yearly Staff Conference. I usually make about 125 of these cards and write notes in them for all of the females who are teens and older. I also try to send them to staff who stay in the States, and take extras along for staff I might visit who won't be at the conference. But, it takes a long time to make these cards and I usually start them in January. Oops. But hey, that's what this amazing thing called the internet is for: to give you lovely ideas which will help you save time. So I googled something along the lines of, "Easy, pretty cards." :-D And came up with all kinds of great ideas!

My work station, otherwise known as the floor

Some of the pretty results

And, of course, a personal favorite. :-)

Thank God for the internet!!

4 wk. countdown

Holy moly! My triathlon is 4 weeks from tomorrow!! I've been working super hard in training, and am really looking forward to it, even though I know it's going to be stinking hard. Some people have innocently asked me if I'm trying to win this, to which I've done my best to just smile, and say a quick, "No." The people who win these things are crazy good athletes, clocking in 30 second swim laps, sub- 3 minute miles on the bike, and a 5-6 minute mile on the run. The only part of that I come close to is a 3 minute mile on my bike when I'm working super hard. Like I said, they're crazy good athletes. Oh, and that's just the women I'm talking about. So, no, I've got no plans to win, or even place. But, knowing the endurance that is required for this and the training that I've put into it, and the journey I've taken to be able to accomplish this, I'll be super happy to finish it... but the competitive part of me says, "Just not at the end of the pack."  ;-)

A little bit of motivation

A friend loaned me an indoor bike trainer to hook my bike up to, so I can ride inside when it's cold or rainy outside. Riding on a stationary bike is not my favorite thing to do, but I'm thankful for it!

The Power of Vulnerability

Vulnerability is the very core of shame and fear and our struggle for worthiness, BUT it is also the birthplace of joy, of creativity, of belonging, and love.

-Vulnerability is not weakness, but rather, our most accurate measure of courage.
-Adaptability to change is all about Vulnerability

Vulnerability
-"What makes me vulnerable makes me beautiful."
-Vulnerability is not comfortable....but it is not excruciating, either
-Taking risks when there are no guarantees
-Living a life that does not need to predict and control
-Birthplace of joy, creativity, longing, and love

BUT, our culture, and especially our Christian culture, has taught us the opposite. We shouldn't be vulnerable, because we should just have it all together, right? We can't share what's really going on deep inside of us, because a "true," or "good" Christian shouldn't be experiencing those things. What do we do? We SHAME other Christians into keeping their lies deep in the shadows because of the fear of how we will respond when we find out that they, or their kids, or their marriages aren't so perfect after all.

So, what is the cost when we numb Vulnerability??
Count the cost: We Numb Everything. We cannot selectively numb emotions, and so when we numb vulnerability, we numb joy, and happiness, and love, and care, and trust, and hope, and the list goes on and on. We are the most addicted, obese, and medicated adult population in US history.

Why & How we numb:
*We pretend that what we do doesn't have an effect on people
*We make the uncertain certain
*We blame others as a way to discharge pain and discomfort in our own lives

 Brené Brown, Ph.D., LMSW is a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work. She has spent the past decade studying vulnerability, courage, worthiness, and shame. http://brenebrown.com/about/ In her research, when she separated the people who had a strong sense of love and belonging from those who didn't, only one thing divided them: a sense of being worthy of love and belonging. Those who had a strong sense of love and belonging believed that they were worthy of love and belonging, while the other didn't. The one thing that keeps people from connecting with others is the belief that they're not worthy of connecting with others. But connection is why we're here. We're created by a relational God to connect with Him and with all those around us, and to bring others into a connection with Him. Connection is what gives purpose and meaning to our lives. Shame, on the other hand, is the fear of disconnection. In order for connection to happen, we have to open ourselves up to vulnerability.

Living Vulnerable:
1. Authenticity: Let ourselves be seen
2. Love with our whole hearts, even though there is no guarantee
3. When feeling vulnerable, practice love and joy
4. Believe we are enough- we are loved and accepted by God

To hear some great talks on Shame and Vulnerability, listen to these two links on Ted Talks: http://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_listening_to_shame.html, http://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability.html. This great stuff- you won't regret taking the time to listen!