Every Body Matters by Gary Thomas

I was contemplating my current state of health when I waked up the stairs and noticed a package outside our front door. I opened the door, brought the package inside, opened it up and there was Every Body Matters. It was a book that I had off handedly put my name in to review for Zondervan and forgotten about. And here it was in my hands while I was wondering what to do about the fact that I feel like I’m getting old and falling apart. I’m so thankful that it showed up and that I took the chance to read.

The main principle in this book is that physical exercise can and should have purpose outside of losing weight or changing the look of our body. In fact, the purpose it can have is much closer to God than either of those. The purpose of activity to strengthen our body can be to strengthen our soul and increase our ability to say yes to God.

Thomas challenges the current ideas about taking care of our body and why we should do it and gives us a reason beyond vanity and health, to something that is potentially sustainable throughout our lives. This book has been extremely encouraging and challenging for me. I have been inspired to move more often and to say no to the impulses of my body in the hopes that one day soon, I’ll be able to say yes to something so much more.

Every Body Matters is not a chastising for a lack of activity, it is an invitation to a life much deeper and richer than we may currently be living. This is an eye opening, heart changing response to something that the world has made dull, boring and tedious. Taking care of ourselves is not some arduous task, but a challenge to discipline ourselves in the hopes of creating stronger souls as well as bodies.

Comments

Hospitality for the Rest of Us: Long Distance

People are moving more and more. When I was a youngster, it was a rare instance for a friend to move away. Now it's me that moves away. We've moved a lot, especially when we first got married. It was something like five addresses and three states in the first four years of our marriage. We've slowed down a bit. In the midst of all that moving, we've made some friends along the way. I try to keep an open line in case of times of grief and celebration. One of the best tools I've found for keeping in touch with loved ones far away is Facebook. As much time as I could spend doing other things instead of checking it, it's the best thing I've found. It allows me to communicate with others, without having to call. I know calling is amazing, hearing people's voices, but for introverts, there are no body language clues for us to pick up on that help make our conversations easier. It's also why we prefer to video chat :-) Back to Facebook, some etiquette.

Stories from the Kitchen: Taste and See

I celebrated my birthday last weekend. It was wonderful and the leftovers left me with a question or two. Find out what they are and how I'm currently answering them in this week's podcast. Stories from the Kitchen Season 2, Episode 2: Taste and See Notes from the episode: Taste and See by Margaret Feinberg Dad’s New York Cheesecake (from the back of a Philidelphia Cream Cheese package) 1 ⅞ cups graham cracker crumbs ¼ to ½ cup butter, melted 1 cup sugar, divided 2 lbs cream cheese (4 packs) 2 large eggs (lightly beaten) 1 tsp vanilla 2 tbsp cornstarch 1 cup sour cream Preheat oven to 450F Mix well graham crackers, 2 tbsp sugar, and enough butter that the mixture holds together. Reserve 2 tbsp for garnish. Press mixture onto bottom and sides of a greased 9-inch springform pan. Chill in the freezer while preparing the filling. Mix cream cheese and sugar until smooth and light. Beat in eggs, vanilla, and cornstarch until just blended. S

Tasty Tuesday: Roasted Broccoli

I ran across this recipe on Pinterest the other day that was labeled " The Best Broccoli Of Your Life. " I normally either steam our broccoli in the microwave or saute it with olive oil and red pepper flakes on the stove top. I decided this would be something to try. I did the salt, pepper and olive oil part of the recipe. I didn't have the majority of the other ingredients. In fact, all I had was a little bit of Parmesan It was wonderful. Not the best broccoli of my life, but honestly, it was pretty close. And if I had the lemon juice and all that jazz, it may very well be the best. What have you been eating lately?

Tina The Storyteller

Search This Blog