This has been a long and demanding week. I am not complaining. I am just acknowledging the way life has been this week. Preparation for messages. Conversations with people. Planning for future projects. Communicating with others. It was just a very full week in many respects.
I was thinking today about things that I do intentionally which in someway provides me with some refreshment.
1. I read the Bible and pray about the day (as well as the rest of the week).. Right now I am reading through the Gospel of Matthew. I also journal after my reading. There is just something about journaling (even a paragraph) that makes me feel good.
2. I try to read something each day that is spiritually stimulating. Right now I am spending a lot of time in Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas.
3. I prefer each week to spend time with a person who in some way (culturally, age, background, etc.) is very different from me. More and more I watch some of the News International Channel (based in Canada) just to see stories about people in places all over the world.
4. I do something to stay connected with a few friends each week. E-mail. Telephone. Do something to just say "hello" and stay connected. For too long (I say with embarrassment) I depended on people to stay connected with me (instead of taking the initiative myself).
5. I take the initiative to have some face-to-face time with encouraging people, especially those who are friends. I know that is much more difficult when they are out of town. However, I can take advantage of those who are in my community.
6. I choose to get physical exercise four to five days a week. Right now, I am writing this in my workout clothes. I got back about an hour ago from the YMCA. You don’t have to go to the "Y". Just do something. A daily walk around the block is better than nothing. I used to say, "I don’t have time." I learned, however, that aside from the health benefit, the exercise really makes me feel so much better.. I also believe that exercise helps with stress. (Could anyone else use a little help with stress?:)
I need to stop. We have friends coming to dinner in a few hours. I look forward to them coming. It will be refreshing.