Archive for September, 2008

Fall and “Magic Beans”

September 30th, 2008

Today Bryan and I took a walk to the book store. The leaves crunched under our feet. I pulled my scarf a little tighter to keep out the slight chill. We walked arm in arm. Today really felt like fall. I love the fall. It makes me happy.

On another note, here’s a little scene from the show Friends that’s been running through my head a lot lately:

Rachel: They want to know if I’m ok, ok, let’s see. Well, the FICA guys took all my money, everyone I know is either getting married, or getting pregnant or getting promoted and I’m getting coffee and it’s not even for me! So, if that sounds like I’m ok, then you can tell them that I’m ok, ok!

Monica: …hum, Rachel, has left the building, can you call back?

…

Monica: You should feel great about yourself you’re doing this amazing independent thing

Rachel: Monica, what is so amazing? I gave up, like, everything. And for what?

Phoebe: You’re just like Jack?

Rachel: Jack from down stairs?

Phoebe: No, Jack and the bean stalk.

Monica: Ah, the other Jack.

Phoebe: Yeah right, see he gave up something, but then he got those magic beans and then he woke up and there was this, this big plant outside his window full with possibilities and stuff, and he lived in a village and you live in The Village.

Rachel: Ok, Phoebes, Phoebes, Jack, gave up a cow, I gave up an orthodontist, I know I didn’t love him…

Phoebe: See, Jack did love the cow.

Rachel: But see it was a plan, it was clear, everything was figured out and now everything’s just kind of like…

Phoebe: Floopy.

Rachel: Yeah.

Monica: Well, you’re not the only one, I mean half the time we don’t know where we’re going. You just got to figure that at some point it’s all gonna come together and it’s just gonna be un-floopy.

Phoebe: Yeah, like that’s a word.

Rachel: Ok, but, Monica, what if it doesn’t come together.

Monica: …Phoebes?

Phoebe: Well, cause you just… I don’t like this question.

Rachel: Ok, see you guys, what if we don’t get magic beans? What if all we got are beans?

…

Rachel: I’m so sorry you guys, I didn’t mean to bring you down.

Monica: No, you were right… I don’t have a plan! Phoebe, do you have a plan?

Phoebe: I don’t even have a pla?

I keep thinking of that scene lately. I think it’s one of my favorite episodes in general, but lately I have really felt like I don’t even have a “pla”. I know that I don’t have to have everything figured out, but sometimes it would be nice to have a plan. This episode ends with the girls having lots of good conversations out on the balcony and then the whole gang playing twister. When Rachel’s credit card company calls again at the end she tells the guy on the other end, “I have magic beans!” And I always thought that was so powerful in a strange way – I mean she still didn’t have a plan, none of them did, they still didn’t have life figured out or necessarily know what they were going to do with their lives, but they had each other and after talking and sharing life together they figured they didn’t need a plan, they could make it, they had “magic beans” in that they had each other. I like that.

Today I’m grateful for the beauty of fall and the joy of good friends – I don’t need a plan, just some friends to walk through the floopiness with me.

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany

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Yoga Teacher Certification Program

September 27th, 2008

So, I realized today that I haven’t shared something on the blog that will be a big part of my life over the next 5 months… On Friday I start a yoga teacher certification program through Prague Yoga. It meets all the requirements of the international Yoga Alliance and enables graduates to teach anywhere in the world. It’s a 5 month program and classes are Friday, Saturday and Sunday, for about 9 hours each day, one weekend a month. I will also be required to take 30 other yoga classes on top of the weekend classes and read 7 books on yoga. The class will cover a variety of different yoga styles, aspects of anatomy and physiology that relate to yoga, as well such things as ethics, nutrition and yogic history.

I am so excited about this program. I feel like it is such a perfect fit for me. I really feel like it could potentially combine a bunch of different interests I’ve had throughout the last few years (teaching, yoga, dance, nutrition, health, etc). I don’t know where exactly it will take me and if I will end up teaching yoga after this, but this program will at least give me that option and the more I think about it the more appealing that option seems.

Of course, I am also really nervous about this program. I always get nervous about new things and situations and this will definitely be a very new situation for me. I have no idea what to expect from it at all. I think it’s been more than two years since I’ve taken a formal yoga class and even though I have been practicing on my own very regularly over the past year I’m a little worried that I won’t be able to keep up in a class setting like this. But, I feel like I am ready for the challenge and ready to step out of my comfort zone and stretch myself (literally and figuratively).

I feel like taking this class has really been a step of faith for me in many ways. Honestly, I feel like taking this class is actually sort of irresponsible of me right now. I mean it’s not cheap and we don’t exactly have extra funds right now – in fact I really am not sure exactly how I’m going to pay for it all. And I feel like I’m probably not really good enough or advanced enough to jump into a full teacher training like this. But, as I weighed the decision I heard a gentle voice saying, “Come, Bethany, trust me. I want to give you good things; I want to fulfill your wildest dreams and passions. I want you to do this.” And I felt my heart stir and long and get excited in a way that doesn’t often happen. And as I talked to a few other people about it I heard a resounding “Yes, you should do this, this would be good for you. Do it.” So, I took a deep breath and signed up, paid my reservation deposit and ordered my books. Now I start Friday and I still don’t know what I’m doing, I’m still scarred and nervous, and unsure how this is all going to work out, but I do believe that sometimes the paths God leads us down are uncertain and dark and require lots of trust and faith and hope and often a good bit of help to make it down them.

So, please pray for me and this program over the next 5 months. Pray that I have the stamina and ability to keep up with all the poses and physical exercise. Pray that I can soak up and learn as much as I can, sift through all the information and instruction I get and wisely keep and take hold of all that is worth keeping and taking hold of. Pray that I can build good friendships and relationships with the teachers and the other students and that I wouldn’t shut down and pull myself away from people, but would instead be open and available and really create lasting friendships during this time. And pray that God, through His infinite provision, would provide for the financial costs of this program as well as any other needs that may arise through it.

Thank you, friends! I look forward to letting you know how this goes and what God ends up doing in me and through me during it.

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany

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Yoga and Prayer: Strength

September 25th, 2008

Life has felt really overwhelming to me this week. I didn’t even realize until last night how truly overwhelmed I had become. I had felt all week a sort of off centeredness and I antsy agitation. I felt stressed and eager to do something. But, there was something else I was feeling all week that I couldn’t put my finger on… until last night. Overwhelmed. That’s what I’ve really been feeling and I’ve tried to dive into stuff and distract myself from it but in my heart I felt incredibly overwhelmed and helpless, out of control and powerless. But, I didn’t want to admit it to anyone, not even myself.

So, this morning knew that I needed to remember with my mind and my body that there is a power greater than myself. I needed to remember that God is in control even when I’m not, that God is powerful even when I am not. I needed to remember that God is not helpless and that he is with me. And I needed to remember that he had given and will give me strength for each day and the circumstances of each day. I needed to call on that truth and that strength.

So, for yoga today those are the things we focused on and drew our attention to. We did a lot of strong warrior poses, remembering that God does and will fight for us. We spent a lot of time coming back to and staying in Mountain Pose remembering that our God is a strong mountain and grounding ourselves in that truth. And we prayed together – prayed for God to be powerful over the situations of our lives that overwhelmed and scared us.

We used a few songs from the Four Tet album Rounds again today for music and each time we came into mountain pose I said Deuteronomy 31:6. So, here’s what we did:

Sun Salutations – 2 sets

Mountain Pose - “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified…for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Standing Forward bend

Lunge with right foot back

Warrior I right foot back

Downward facing dog

Lunge with left foot back

Warrior I left food back

Down dog with leg lifts (do both legs)

Plank pose

Four Limbed Staff Pose

Upward facing dog

Downward facing dog

Standing Forward bend

Mountain Pose -  “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified…for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Standing Forward bend

Lunge with left foot back

Warrior II with left foot back

Reversed Warrior II with left foot back

Extended side angle pose

Downward facing dog

Lunge with right foot back

Warrior II with right foot back

Reversed Warrior II with left foot back

Extended side angle pose

Downward facing dog

Plank pose

Four-Limbed staff pose

Upward facing dog

Downward facing dog

Standing Forward bend

Mountain pose - “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified…for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Warrior II with right leg back

Triangle Pose with right leg back

Mountain Pose - “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified…for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Chair Pose

Mountain pose - “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified…for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Warrior II with left leg back

Triangle pose with left leg back

Mountain Pose - “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified…for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Warrior I right leg back

Warrior III right leg up

Mountain pose - “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified…for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Warrior I left leg back

Warrior III left leg up

Mountain pose - “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified…for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Standing Forward Bend

Downward facing dog

Child’s Pose

Hero Pose

Lion Pose

Child’s Pose

Bharadvaja’s Twist to the right

Staff Pose

Bharadvaja’s Twist to the left

Seated forward bend

Half Boat Pose

Bridge pose

Reclining Twists

Corpse Pose

Peace and strength yours today.

Rejoicing in the Journey -
Bethany

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Admiration Mondays: Tara Malouf

September 22nd, 2008

I haven’t done an Admiration Monday post in a while and I thought it was high time to bring it back. So, today I want to tell you about my friend, Tara Malouf.

I’ve known Tara since I was in High School. Her husband was my youth pastor and she was my discipleship leader my senior year. She has been an incredible source of comfort, encouragement and truth for me over the years. Tara has always been someone in my life who I could turn to when I needed advice and help. I always know that she will really listen without putting her own paradigm on what I share, and without judging me for the doubts and questions and struggles I raise. She will honestly listen and let me express and feel what I need to express and feel, but she also won’t let me get away with lies and half-truths. She is compassionate and empathetic, a wonderfully non-judging listener, but she is also not afraid to call things what they are and speak truth where needed and I love that about Tara.

Another thing I love about Tara is her authenticity. She has never hesitated to share her thoughts and life and struggles with me. I remember even when she was my discipleship leader in high school she didn’t put on this “I have it all together” mask and just teach us, she often brought in experiences from her own life and shared with us from where she had been and where she was at that moment. And she has continued to do that more and more as I have gotten to know her more. Tara is never fake. She never puts up a façade and pretends to be something she isn’t; she is truly and unapologetically honest before God and others. I really admire that about her.

Tara also has a very real and authentic and genuine desire to follow God in everything she does. She strives to listen to God and then obey and follow where He leads her even if the way looks dark and uncertain. God has definitely taken her and her family through dark and uncertain times and I truly admire the way she whole heartedly followed Him through everything that He brought her way. Tara’s faith is real and messy, alive and whole. There is no area of her life that God isn’t involved in and that is truly admirable in an age where we so often compartmentalize our lives and relationship with God. While others talk about and strive to make their life and relationship with God holistic, Tara’s already is.

Tara is also one of the most creative individuals I know. Her creativity pours out in all areas of her live – in her photography, in her writing, in various activities she plans, in the way she treats and interacts with her kids, in the way she encourages and mentors others, and so much more. Tara oozes creativity and I love that about her. Every time I talk to her she has some new project she is working on or some new way in which she is using her creative talents for the kingdom of God.

I was blessed to be able to live with Tara and family for a while back in college and I saw so much beauty and splendor in her. But, one thing that really sticks out to me from that time is the way she interacts with her children. I’m sure she has her bad days with her kids, just like every other mom, but Tara is an amazing mom, one of the best mom’s I know. And I got to see firsthand her being a mom to her two beautiful kids day in and day out. I loved watching Tara play with her kids and I loved watching her teach them, and I loved that so often the lines between teaching and play became blurred. I have often prayed that God would make me as good a mom as Tara.

There is so much more I could say about my friend, Tara. She is truly an amazing and beautiful woman. I wish everyone could know Tara, but I know that’s not possible, so for now I count it my blessing to be able to say I know her, and I encourage you to at least check out her blog or family web site or this amazing project that she is working on so that you can know her a little too.  

Lord Jesus, Bless my friend, Tara!
Circle her, Lord,
Be beside her, on her right and her left,
Be before her, and behind her,
Be above and below her.
Surround her, Lord,
so that all who meet her would meet you.
Lord, give her the fruits of deep friendship.
Use her creativity and talents and authentic heart for the glory of your kingdom.
May she continue to dive deeply into you
and to lead others to dive deeply into you.
Lord, give her more and more the life that you promise, full life, abundant life.
Provide for all her needs, that she may in turn provide for the needs of others.
And as you call her to new land and new areas of influence give her peace and courage to follow you through each bend in the road.
Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon her,
And establish Thou the work of her hands.
Establish Thou the work of her hands.
Amen.

I love you, Tara!

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany Stedman

Photograph of Tara, me, and Kathi in Prague taken by unknown stranger

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Hopping through the Blogosphere

September 20th, 2008

Ok, so today I have spent a lazy morning/afternoon catching up on blogs from some of my favorite bloggers. Because the rhythms of my life have changed a lot since the end of July I haven’t spent as much time reading people’s blogs and I realized today that I have missed out on a lot of great thoughts and ideas. It was fun to rediscover some blogs and to see what God is stirring in people. So, here’s a little round up of some of my favorite blogs from this week:

I was very moved by this Broken Blessing posted on Jonny Baker’s site. I have always been inspired by Jonny and his community’s creativity in engaging with God and with each other and I was especially touched by this blessing which was improvised during a gathering they had where they gave each person a broken piece of ceramic and then had them put it on a table making a table top out of all their broken pieces. They then served communion from the broken table. I just loved this imagery and loved the idea of giving tangible expression to inner truth like that.

I love anything that speaks about community and ways in which community is formed and things that contribute to authentic community, so it’s no surprise that the post “How Do We Form Community?” on Christine Sine’s blog caught my attention. Just last night Bryan and I were talking with some friends at dinner about interdependent in community and what community can look like. I don’t know exactly how community is/should be formed in this unique urban cross-cultural setting we live in, but I think that Christine points to a good starting point that works in any setting – cooking and sharing a meal together.

I recently read “On being a Neighborhood Church” on Jesus Manifesto where Mark Van Steenwyk explains their rather “narrow” ministry focus. They have chosen to focus their ministry on just one neighborhood in Minneapolis and I found his explanation for why to be really interesting. The thought of living in close physical proximity with the people of my spiritual community has always been appealing to me. The other day I was talking with a friend after yoga and she made the remark “it’s too bad that we don’t all live closer to each other” and I realized that it really is too bad. Engaging in true authentic day-to-day interdependent community becomes a lot harder when your community members are spread all over the city, even when that city is a city like Prague, which is fairly small and manageable with great public transportation.

I also discovered today that Amber at Homeschool Diva is “Calling All Artists”. She wants to start an Etsy store with a collection of creative work from different artists and then donating the proceeds to Lemonade International. So, if you like creating things and are interested in an opportunity to collaborate with other artists in creating for social good, check out her site and drop her a note.

Here are two companies that I found today that I thought were interesting. The first is an accessory and jewelry seller, called Sweet Notions. They clean up and repair old donated accessories to resell and then they donate the profits to charitable and socially responsible, sustainable enterprises. The second is an eclectic enterprise call The School of Life which I found INCREDABLY interesting. They describe their shop by saying it is “a place where you can try out a variety of cultural solutions to everyday ailments.” They “sell books, artworks, courses, holidays and therapeutic services.” They even offer something they call Bibliotherapy – where they will meet with you and recommend/”prescribe” books that they feell will be perfect for you. They also offer organized group meals with strangers, because they believe that “knowing how to have entertaining and meaningful conversations is a skill worth practicing.” During these dinners they provide a “specially-designed conversation menu, an easy to use guide that helps you get the most from talking to a stranger.” I found their site and the concept very entertaining and interesting.

 Well, that’s it for now. Enjoy blog hopping! J

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany Stedman

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