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Of things to come...

David Whyte is emerging as my favorite poet and his poem entitled "Everything is Waiting for You" from the book by the same name has conjured up images of the newness of life as we settle into northwestern Illinois. Enjoy!

Your great mistake is to act the drama
as if you were alone. As if life
were a progressive and cunning crime
with no witness to the tiny hidden
transgressions. To feel abandoned is to deny
the intimacy of your surroundings. Surely,
even you, at times, have felt the grand array;
the swelling presence, and the chorus, crowding
out your solo voice. You must note
the way the soap dish enables you,
or the window latch grants you freedom.
Alertness is the hidden discipline of familiarity.
The stairs are your mentor of things
to come, the doors have always been there
to frighten you and invite you,
and the tiny speaker in the phone
is your dream-ladder to divinity.

Put down the weight of your aloneness and ease into
the conversation. The kettle is singing
even as it pours you a drink, the cooking pots
have left their arrogant aloofness and
seen the good in you at last. All the birds
and creatures of the world are unutterably
themselves. Everything is waiting for you.

'Anyul Meetin'

I spent some time a week ago just north of North Manchester at the Eel River District of the Old German Baptist Brethren. It was nice to be back in a worship setting that in some ways I grew up in and even make some connections from my time as a pastor in the North Manchester area as well as my family ties (my mother's side of the family is OGBB). It is funny how most of the "members" warmed up to me once the family connections were made. Like I've mentioned before I grew up with one foot in the Church of the Brethren and the other in the OGBB. I think it is easy for me to romanticize about what it would be like to become a member but know that is not where my truest sense of identity lies.

I'm blogging because they are now in the middle of their Annual Meeting taking place this year in Lawrence, Kansas. The Dunker Journal has posted some links to the local paper out there with photos of the OGBB preparing for Annual Meeting you can view them by clicking here. Updates can be found here and here.

At Your Fingertips

I get daily emails from jillianmichaels.com and this week she had a simple yet great way to measure proper portions for a meal. Most of us struggle with what constitutes as an actual portion without measuring and counting calories. Here's what Jillian suggests:

The Hand Method
Size of your fist - cereal, rice, beans, veggies (approx. 1 cup)
Center of your palm (to the base of your fingers) - meat, poultry, fish (approx. 3-5 oz.)
Thumb size - cheese or condiments (approx. 1-2 oz.)
Drink 1 - 8 oz. class of water

I have been working out for almost 6 months and have noticed some changes in my muscle mass but I have continued to struggle with food. I am going to incorporate this smaller portion into my own lifestyle in order to get more in line with the lifestyle that I am longing to reach. I can probably state that I am a "fit but fat man" and now need to really work on my goals for eating right.