As I look at the title of my blog, ‘Pursuing Wholeness’, I think means so much more now…

Maybe it’s time to give blogging a change… Just maybe…

I hope I don’t get in trouble from posting this…  Did I source right? I hope you enjoy!

the prayer of juarez…

You have to read it! Really, it’ll change your prayer life, she said. Maybe it’s the rebel in me, but anytime someone says I have to do something, I want to do the opposite. I know, I know, I’m a female James Dean. But since it was a dear friend whom I trusted, I took her word and bought the newest Christian phenom of a book, The Prayer of Jabez. The book is based off an obscure prayer found in the middle of a long section of genealogies in 1 Chronicles 4: “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.”

Here’s the book in one sentence: If we truly pray for God to bless us and be used for His kingdom, good things would happen—God would bless and enlarge our territory and we would serve Him in a deeper and expanded way.

Nothing is wrong with this assertion, but many people read this book like a get-rich-quick manual. Like God is a celestial Bob Barker waiting to pull back a colorful door to reveal A new boat! A new dining room set and china cabinet! A set of jet skis! and other signs of wealth. All we need to do is spin the prayer wheel and ask for the illusive $1.00 spot.

I don’t know if this was the author’s intention, but to me, it was a palatable prosperity gospel* in mini-book form. It didn’t bode over well as I sat back and looked at my mother who was dying of cancer, I was a stellar college grad who was jobless, and my heart was broken for choosing God’s will over mine. I rested the book on my chest, placed my hand on my chemo-ridden mother and thought of Paul the Apostle. According the 2 Corinthians, Paul had frequently been in prison, flogged severely, exposed to death many times, whipped 39 lashes five times, beaten with rods three times, stoned, shipwrecked, and endured dehydration and starvation. But his territory expanded. In fact, he authored more than half the New Testament, was thee early church father, and was a legit theologian who has changed lives even today.

The Prayer of Jabez is a poetic request from God, and yes, God blesses the lives of those who serve Him. But the Prayer of Juarez would include, Thy will be done, not my will. Come cancer, death, success, and health, blessed be your name. You give and take away, but my heart will surely say, blessed be your name.

So what i have been doing lately….

• Work… My job is so good right now, having quality RAs makes my life ten times better.
• I competed and finished my first triathlon on October 4th. It was so much fun and I have plans to participate in two more in the next four months.
• Football has been consuming my Saturdays. I’m actually going to the USC game this coming weekend! Fight on!
• I got the Flu… NOT Swine. I was only sick for a couple of days. The school nurse tells me it’s because I take care of myself.  She made my day….
• Baking cookies… It’s all I do on Tuesdays. I have a hall over every Tuesday for dessert, so I’ve been making chocolate chip cookies for 6 weeks. Not to mention all the “test” recipes I made my RAs to find the perfect one. I’d like to think I make really good chocolate chip cookies.  I actually don’t know, I’ve only tried a couple of batches, but my testers (My RAs) tell me they are the best they’ve ever had.
• Working out and training.  My next tri is December 13th.  I feel like I’m packing in training this time. Today I swam 1,200 meters… Thats over a mile of swiming. Let’s just say I was ehausted afterwards.
• I now sponsor a 10 year old Ugandan boy (Ivan) through World Vision. I was going to wrap up the picture and give it to my parents for Christmas and tell them to meet their new “pseudo” Grandson. But since I wrote it here, they know…

I’m sure there has been other stuff going on in my life, but I can’t remember.

Oh, As of today (October 20, 2009) I’m no longer a part of the 200+ lbs club. I haven’t weighed myself in sometime, mostly because I’m affraid of the scale… It can be a little too truthful… I also just got a new scale… I wanted one that did everything (Body Fat, BMI, Bone Mass, etc.). Well, as of today I weigh 193! This is a pretty big deal for me, seeing that I haven’t weighed under 200 lbs since 7th or 8th grade.  I’m pretty excited…

Alright, I’m out… I’m off to wash my jeans so I can take them to buffalo exchange to sale them. Pray that they buy them. I need some new jeans. My jeans I have now fall off of me and I need to some nice jeans to wear to work.

Peace!

I will not be blogging for the next couple of weeks because I work in Residence Life and my life is crazy right now. Training is upon us and my RAs will consume my life until September. Stay tuned

Today is my Moms birthday, wish her happy birthday!

I should really make a list of these. haha.
A colleague came to my office today (yes, I’m in the office on Saturday) and gave me a postcard/brochure for a Dental Spa. The first thing out of my mouth was, “You’ve got to be kidding me”. She explained that it is a real dental office… I think I found my new dentist!

This is what the Brochure says on the back:
“Amenities Include:
Enjoy individual flat screen TV’s
Unwind in our comfortable spa slippers
Relax in our ergo back-massaging dental chairs
Moisturize your hands with our warm paraffin
Nourish you lips with vitamin E oil & lip balm
Hydrate your body with pure water”

You know you live in Orange County when your dentist office could be confused for a day spa.

Last time I blogged I mentioned that I got a personal trainer and was starting the journey to health and taking care of myself. Through this process I have been pretty darn convicted about my health and my job.  I’ve relaized that if I am not taking care of myself, my relationships, my own healing, my relationship with God, then how in the world can I help others? Over the past year I have been helping people first, before helping myself (if there was any time left in the day to actually do anything for myself).  Now this may sound a little selfish, but it isn’t meant to be.   Taking care of myself is less about me, it’s about living a life with boundaries. This past academic year, I feel like I didn’t have strong boundaries (hince why I was sometimes working sixty+ hours a week).

So what have I been doing this summer?

• I went to Portland… I took the train all the way up there (such an amazing experience)… Pictures to come later.
• Work.. ‘nough said.
• I’ve been able to get away every now and then to visit friends..
• Sitting in interviews for Associate Dean candidates (Praise Jesus they are done and we hired someone)…
• Training for a triathlon… I don’t know if I ever mentioned that… I’ve been training since June.
• Had a apt. full for 4th of July weekend… Great time seeing old friends!
• Rediscovered my passion for cooking… I love cooking and I’m learning how to do it healthy…
• I signed up for a twitter account (@kylelsmith)
• I’ve been to Disneyland a number of times
• Discovered that I enjoy Raw food… A friend and I found a great raw restaurant… 118 degrees in Costa Mesa
• Tomorrow I’m participating in the Orange County Mud Run… It should be interesting.
• Last but not least… I’ve been diligently working out and I have enjoyed it so much… I’m still meeting with my personal trainer and I have lost about 21 pounds and 6% body fat in less then two months.

That’s all I have for now. I hope all three of you who read this have a great weekend. I don’t know when the next time I will update, but I will get to it. PEACE!

Quote from Desk Attendant today “I would rather be freezing in here then melting outside”… The high today in Irvine,CA 73 degrees! really? REALLY?

Summer thus far has been great. I love working with college students, but when they leave for the summer, it’s pretty nice.  I have to admit, it is kind of scary living in a 144 room (times that by 2… 288 residents!) residence hall all by your lonesome. With that said, if anyone would like to visit, you are more then welcome to!

This summer I am committing to working on myself. I am getting back on track to eatting healthy and being pretty diligent with working out. I am actually going to the gym again… It’s been 8 months since I stepped foot in a gym.  I have a personal trainer for the summer (Suprise Mom and Dad!) and we’ve met once already. We meet again on Friday. As you can imagine, I’m pretty sore, but I got up and did cardio this morning, despite my body feeling a little sore and stiff.

I have made another weightloss goal and we will see if I can meet it. I will not tell you what it is, but I have every intention of reaching it by next year.  So I hope some of you can keep me to it.

And if you don’t know Andrea Hamilton, know her! now! She is a friend of a friend and an Amazing Musician.

Let me share with you why it is funny. We have been battling (almost time for a lawsuit) a certain club and it’s promoters about posting flyers on campus.  My RA’s enjoy stuffing all of the fliers they pick up underneath my door! This Certain club has themed nights 2 thursdays a month.  A couple of my favorites are, Freaks and Geeks, Pimps and Hoes, 90′s night, and PJ night. I think of it as another way to get dressed up like a slut and go out. So, with out further ado, I would like to introduce you to my staff, dressed in there favorite themed outfits.

AND

Enjoy!

I realized how much I miss the discipleship aspect of my job. REALLY MISS IT! With that said, it’s not that I don’t do it, because I honestly try… The students here are indifferent or are not used to being asked questions in regard to spiritual growth or discipline. BUT today was different.

I was able to do a redemption (second) interview with a student today… No questions, no notes, just the student and I. I took him to the coffee shop on campus, where we sat outside and chatted. I love meeting with students who are honest, or at least as honest as they can be with a professional that is SO much older then them (They don’t believe me when I tell them I’m 25), who are real (yes justin, with ourselves, others, and God), and who can listen when people speak truth and love into their life.

Overall, GREAT day. I love my job. Peace!