Yoga - always a new age practice or when simply used for exercise simply exercise and stress relief?

Yesterday from the pulpit one of our officers denounced the use of yoga "because it is a new age practice," she said and because you empty your mind while practicing it. I'm wondering what's wrong with getting rid of the things from your day that caused you stress. I know of one incredibly strong Christian lady who has used Yoga before in a Christian context. As she was walking her students through the poses she asked them to breathe in certain scripture verses and breathe out impurities - perhaps it's mystic but our God is mysterious.

As long as I'm not adhering to another religion by doing yoga for daily exercise I think I'm in the clear. Besides that, I'm becoming quite flexible!

Tell me what you think. I probably won't stop doing yoga but I'm open to your thoughts.

Joy

Cool Quote Friday

I think I'm going to start a trend on my blog called, you guessed it, "Cool Quote Friday." I've just been going through this great devotional book called Devotional Classica and I'm amazed at some of the things I'm learning and reading and absorbing. It's too good just to keep to myself. I have to share. So, I'm beginning with something from Soren Kierkegard. Please forgive me if I've spelled his name wrong. I don't have the book directly in front of me. I copied the quote into my journel and forgot to copy his name down but I do think I got it correct. Someone help me out with this one if I messed up. This one is a prayer and it's absolutely beautiful.

So anyway, here goes!

"You have loved us first, help us never to forget that You are love so that this sure conviction might triumph in our hearts over the seduction of the world, over the iniquities of the sould, over the anxiety of the future, over the fright of the past, over the distress of the moment. But grant also that this conviction might discipline our soul so that our heart might remain faithful and sincere in the love which we bear to all those whom You have commanded us to love as we love ourselves.

You have loved us first, O God, alas! We speak of it in terms of history as if You have loved us first but a single time, rather than without ceasing You have loved us first many times and every day and our whole life through."

He goes on to say that if we were to wake and at that very moment turn to him he has already loved us first and if in the middle of the day we were to pray to him he has already loved us first. Every time we think we are waiting on him, he has already loved us first.

What a wonderful truth to rest in. God is Love. He loved me first this second.
How do you ever offer enough thanks just for that?

I've been away for a while. Sorry about that...to the two of you who check my blog regularly. I don't know that I've got much to say here lately. So many things have been happening and yet so few at the same time.

Many of my friends are losing their grandparents - Kelly, Heather, Leslie. Their hurt is so real and so deep. I saw it on Leslie's face two weeks ago at the funeral and on Kell's as we drove to church and heard it over the phone. I can read it on Heather's blog. My heart breaks for each one of them.

Two weeks ago I went to a funeral. Actually I don't really know if I had ever met the woman but the Songsters were asked to sing. I'm glad I went. Perhaps that sounds odd but hear me out. I was amazed to watch her family walk in and see the legacy that she left behind - officers, soldiers, Christians. She raised a family of believers. They told stories or her preparing for Sunday School on Saturday because just using the curriculum wasn't enough. They told stories of her calling her own children into her bedroom and teaching them about Jesus and how each one would kneel by her bedside and accept Jesus into his/her life. They talked about her loyalty and duty - her focused energy and passion for the Word. They spoke of how she longed to hear the Sunday sermon when she got to the point when she could no longer attend services. She let her sons know that when they were preaching, she was praying.
She ingrained in her children a belief that runs deeper and lasts longer than this world can hold. She touched lives that will enter heaven because of her.

I left that day wondering what kind of legacy I will leave behind. Will my children be able to say that they know the Lord because of me? Will men and women say of me that they knew that I walked with the Lord? I hope so.

I hope they say, "she was passionate about her Savior and let people know about him." I hope they say, "she lived and breathed for him." I hope they say, "she loved her family and friends, especially that husband of hers." I hope they say a lot of things when I'm gone to meet my Father but the one thing I know they'll say is that I'm with him.

I hope I leave a legacy as beautiful and as loving as the men and women my friends tell me about. They've left big shoes to fill - I know that much.

What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind?

Grace and justice,
Joy

While I'm mentioning other people's blogs, I thought I'd link you to another chapter in Jeff's So I Go story. This chapter is beautiful, check it out...today, now, you need it, I promise.

Joy

http://soigo.blogspot.com/

P.S. Don't ask me who Jeff is - he's just a fellow blogger whose site I ran across through other blogs.

Friend's Blogs

Because I'm a dumb dumb and don't know how to add links to the side of my blog like other cool kids in the neighborhood, I thought I'd list some new blogs who have recently fallen prey to this great addiction. Please check them out and if you feel lead, add them to your links.

http://www.whatspastisprologue.blogspot.com/ - Kelly's
http://papacy.blogspot.com/ - Jason's
http://liveningsalt.blogspot.com/ - Matt's (My brother)
http://laundromatt.blogspot.com/ - Matt's (My Brother-in-laws)
http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=queenofcouture05 - Heather's

I think that's all the new ones I've gotten. Have a grand time!

Peace out!
Joy

It's amazing what a little U2, an apology accepted, a good cup of espresso and a great conversation with an old friend can do to turn a day around.

As Napolean might say, "Ssswwweeeeet."

I feel like Oscar the Grouch today. Perhaps if that little worm friend he had would crawl by my desk things would start looking up.

He had a better excuse though, Oscar. He did live in a trash can.