Jogging in the park...

...and I use the word jogging very loosely! I used to jog/run a lot but have just needed a little push to get my feet moving from a walk to a jog. My friend has been encouraging me and met me today for a jog. It went pretty well, I guess. You've got to start somewhere. The best part, though, besides the motivation, is the conversation. Isn't great to know that other people, specifically other women, have the same struggles as you? Not that they are struggling, but that you're not alone...or crazy...

We have daughters the same age so there's a whole lotta conversations just about that. Swimsuit shopping, for instance. Our student pastor says our daughters need to have one-piece swimsuits for camp. I agree with him, in theory. However, have you been swimsuit shopping with a teen girl lately? It is practically impossible to find a suitable one-piece swimsuit for a teen girl that she will actually wear some other time besides camp that doesn't cost too much. A company could make a lot of money just making "camp appropriate" swimwear for girls that was reasonable in price and appearance -- if that's even possible.

Weight gain -- now there's another popular topic among women. A depressing one, however. I just can't go there right now...I've already talked too much about that topic for one day. Next subject...

Reading. My friend is not a big reader, but I love to read. When I'm in school I get to read lots and lots. This summer, however, I am reading Revolutionary Parenting by George Barna for an independent study I am doing for my degree. I've just read the introduction so far but I think it will be a really good book. The main theme of the book, I think, is that parents are really the #1 influencer of their children and, therefore, should be the #1 discipler of their children. Sometimes parents want to shift the responsibility of molding and teaching their children to some professional or institution. Perhaps I will give an update or book review when I actually finish the book. Look for that later... in the meantime, I need a good book to read on vacation so I am open to suggestions if you've read a fabulous book lately!

Mentoring. We talked about Titus 2 today. Older women are to mentor younger women. Older can mean in age or in spiritual maturity. I read an article recently that suggested that we, as believers, should always be looking for someone older to be mentored by, someone our age to walk beside us, and someone younger that we actually mentor. It's all about relationships. I guess that's the whole point of this blog today. Relationships are important. God never meant for us to live this Christian life on our own. In fact, sometimes it can be stinkin' hard and we really can't make it on our own. It's good to bounce ideas off one another, to talk about crazy parenting things, and what God is doing in our own lives.

So, thanks, friend, for a jog in the park...I'll see you tomorrow!

Serving the King,

Jeanette