adrenaline into your soul

It has been a pretty rough semester. The fear of failure rolls through my head daily. I really haven't been reading the word much either, maybe 2-3 times a week. But, I want to share what I read the other night. I will bold and italicize what jumped out to me.

Strip down, start running--and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed--that exhilarating finish in and with God--he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!

Hebrews 12:1-4 (Message)

So, I will be reading through the crucifixion from each of the gospels, item by item, in search of adrenaline to my soul...I will not quit!

sunflower seeds

Thinking back to the days of my youth, as long as I can remember, I have loved me some sunflower seeds. I remember my dad and I eating meals on seeds during double headers so we could drive home without having to stop for food. I was taught at an early age how to de-seed and spit with large amounts in my my mouth. I really haven't thought about it in a long time, it's just kind of second nature (or as they call it in rehabilitation sciences, muscle memory). However, I indeed was taught this very tedious skill/art form.

Monday, I was on the opposite end of this. A high school student manager and I were at football practice on when I pulled out my fresh bag of Jim Beam B-B-Q flavored seeds (if you haven't tried these, you must before the playoffs are over). He asked if he could have some and then asked what to do with them. To the best of my ability, I walked him through the proper technique. By the end of practice, he could even place 10-20 in his mouth at a time with no problem. He even went so far as to ask if flowers were going to grow in his stomach. I assured him no flower could grow without sunlight or in the acidity level of our stomachs.

A special thanks to my new friend for making football practice go by a little faster on monday!