awaken and run

There's a conference coming up - Awaken - at the Vineyard on March 5.  It's a woman's conference and typically, I wouldn't be going.  Too many other things would be happening on a Saturday; Jordan, homework, cooking breakfast, cleaning the house, etc, etc.  But, that particular weekend is pretty clear for me.  Jordan will be at her dad's house and Paul will be in Daytona for Bike Week.  Which leaves me all alone for the weekend.  So, I signed up.  I hope it won't be too fruu-fruu - I don't tend to like the over-dramatic, lovey-dovey kind of stuff.

Anyways, from the description, it sounds like it may be kind of interesting.  Plus, I don't usually do this type of thing, so it will probably be good for me.

Excerpt from article written by Valerie Martin (volunteer in the Vineyard Women's Community):  The middle is where most of us live most of our lives. It's comfortable and safe. It is predictable and stable. However, if we live too long in the middle, without realizing it, we can quit living. (underline mine) 


What happens is: comfort turns into complacency; safety makes us unwilling to take risks; the predictability can make us boring and uninterested in anything but ourselves. And if we are honest, the stability we feel is a façade. Constancy becomes an excuse not to change.

If you have been in the middle for some time, you may not notice that you are essentially sleepwalking! How do you wake up from a slumber you do not know you are in?

Then, just today, I finally had time to read a newsletter that I received about 2 weeks ago from Valorie Burton:  "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize." - 1 Corinthian 9:24
Dear Friends,
I ran across this scripture recently. It is one that always inspires me and reminds me of the importance of having a clear goal for the things that I choose to do in my life. It takes discipline, perseverance and commitment to win the races of life, but the prize of winning is so very rewarding. It's not as much about the achievement of your goal as it is about who you become in the process. Sometimes, it can be easy to get stuck in a rut - running your race half-heartedly and with so many distractions that you barely notice there is a higher purpose to what you are doing. (underline mine) This week, I invite you to consider whether you are running your race "in such a way as to get the prize."

Both Valerie and Valorie seem to be pointing to a similar kind of feeling - just drifting through life, not committing too much so that you aren't disappointed, not trying too hard, not taking chances or risks, just drifting.  And sometimes drifting seems like it is OK, the right thing to do.  I have a feeling God is sending me a message, or getting ready to wake me up.

Food for thought...