Random Thoughts on a Sunday Night

-- Spent a good chunk of yesterday catching up on the shows I missed last week while at Moody. Of the four shows I had taped for later viewing, the most satisfying was Lost ... solely on account of the fact that they worked the Red Sox 2004 World Series victory into the plot. How awesome is that?! The Red Sox historic win is a noteworthy enough event to warrant inclusion even in alternate realities.

-- Last night I had a hard time getting to sleep because my cat's hind legs were either poking me in the chest or kicking me in the face as she attempted to sleep spread-eagled, on her back, length-wise across the bed between Naomi and me. Naomi got cat head to deal with -- I got tail, legs and butt. Sweet dreams for me.

-- On a more serious note, my time at Moody has awakened something in me. It's a sense of discontent and loss. There was so much I enjoyed about my time there. It was exhausting to be sure, and not a pace I could maintain for very long, but there was a focus, an abandonment to God and an authenticity that I feel is very lacking in my life right now. I think there are large parts of my life that are not wholly submitted to God right now. I don't have a sense of stewardship with all my time, talents or even my physical body -- all the gifts I've been given. Some are submitted to His use and Lordship, but not all. As I identify these areas, I'm trying to allow the Lord to reclaim His throne over them ... these areas include:

-- my hours between 6pm and bedtime (particularly 10pm to midnight -- my peak hours of thought, introspection and creativity are often wasted in front of the stupid box).
-- my morning between 7 and 7:30am. Every morning is a battle ... the Today show or time in the Word? Mornings are hard for me because everything is so hazy and slow. But if I don't have a quiet time at night before bed, it has to fit in here.
-- my diet. Occasional salads aren't enough. I desperately need to be more strict with myself on what I eat. I allow far too many exceptions. I've never been more out of shape than I am right now and it's really frustrating.
-- exercise. I walk about a mile most weekday morning between 6:30 and 7. It's not enough though. I've lost exactly zero pounds since adopting this practice, so something more needs to be done. I feel it is disrespectful to God not to keep better care of this temple He's loaned me.
-- gifts in discipleship. I'm not discipling anyone right now, and yet I know this is something the Lord has put on my heart and given me some ability in. I even have an idea of who it ought to be right now, but I haven't obeyed.

I'm asking God to help me not forget these things and slide back into old habits. I have seen the Lord be ruler over each of these areas in my life at one time, so I know what it looks like and I know it's possible. But the yielding of these thrones is sure to be painful and the Enemy would like to see me fail. May it not be.