Monthly Archives: March 2011

Last summer I posted an interview with Rachel Held Evans, blogger and author of a spiritual memoir, Evolving in Monkey Town.

Rachel is now working on a new book project called the Biblical Womanhood Project. For that, she is following many of the Biblical guidelines for women, along with researching various religious groups from Orthodox Jews to Mormons to Amish (and many groups in between) to see how different women live out being a Biblical Woman.

Rachel, modeling the latest fashions at the Amish store

Rachel describes the project as “John Piper meets Martha Stewart meets Julie & Julia meets A Year of Living Biblically. Just enough crazy to interest everyone.” (Will be published in 2012)

A few months ago, Rachel asked if anyone has connections to any of those groups. I volunteered to connect her with Amish and Mennonites, never imagining how sweet it would end up being for me. This week I am spending a few days playing tour guide for her. She keeps thanking me … but I am the one getting the better end of the deal!

So today I am thankful:

So it’s a different week for me – have you ever had a unique week/day that you are grateful for?

And what are you thankful for today?

The final Celebrate Women prompt asks what still needs to be done to raise awareness about women’s rights either locally or globally. What women’s causes really need to be addressed and how would you address these issues?

That is such an overwhelming question. There are so many women’s issues locally and around the world that I would like to see solved.

photo © 2010 Kalyan Chakravarthy | more info (via: Wylio)

I have freedom, peace and hope … and I want that for every person.

That does not mean they need to have a life like I do. They don’t need to change themselves or any part of their world that they like. And that honors them. They don’t need to believe everything I believe.

I want freedom for them to be who they were created to be. To fully realize the value they have … not for what they do, or what they believe, but simply because they are human.

I want women across the world and women across town to never be abused … body, mind or spirit.

Right now I feel overwhelmed. It’s hard to imagine how that will ever happen. But for a time, it was hard to imagine that I’d ever run again.

But step by step … I did.

Running happened after I accepted my reality … through tears, anger and prayer. While crying and cursing, I focused on the truth of the tough obstacles ahead of me. Then surrounded myself with doctors, counselors, and supportive friends that could help me move forward.

Slowly one step at a time … I ran again.

So now as I feel overwhelmed … I pause, take a deep breath and remember that same principal can be applied to helping others find hope in their lives … whether that is a woman forced in a lifestyle she doesn’t want in India or in rural Pennsylvania.

My prayer for every person is … freedom, peace and hope.

What can I do today to make that an active prayer? What can you do? What can we do together?

When something sounds too good to be true … it usually is.

The get-rich-quick deal … guaranteed to double your money in a month.
The car that is for sale for thousands below all the other cars like it.

The get-thin-quick diet … lose ten pounds in a week.

The book that promises to answer all your questions.
And the list goes on …

When we hear someone else talk about one of those scenarios, we can usually see every flaw in the plan five seconds after they begin talking.

photo © 2009 Karola Riegler | more info (via: Wylio)

Yet each of us has probably looked at a too-good-to-be-true offer and wondered if maybe this time, this one would be different. Maybe it would actually work. Maybe, just maybe. Imagine if …

At this point, we begin to hear a loud sucking noise …

That noise is us being sucked into an unrealistic promise. Hopefully, it will shock us back to reality and a voice in our head will say,

When something sounds too good to be true … it usually is.

This is a good time to stop and think.

A few minutes of honest thinking about a scenario that has enticed us should help us look at it objectively and realize that it’s one of those … those things that sound too good to be true.

Of the scenarios I mention at the beginning, the one I can most easily fall for is the last one. Too many times, I’ve found myself thinking that a certain book will hold all the answers and/or change my world. Don’t get me wrong … books can be amazing and life-changing! Some have greatly affected my life. But time has taught me that no matter how great a book is … no one book will answer/solve everything.

Have you ever fallen or hopefully caught yourself falling for something that sounds too good to be true?

Perseverance … a necessary ingredient to life.

In every area of life.

photo © 2011 John Liu | more info (via: Wylio)

I like to listen to music, but I’m not musical. My sons would be quick to tell you I can’t “carry a tune in a bucket.” I also can’t play any musical instruments, but I’ve always thought playing a guitar would be cool.

But I don’t want to go through the process of learning. I have no desire to spend hours practicing … I just want to jump to playing great music.  Because I don’t have the desire, I probably won’t have the perseverance to ever turn myself into a guitar player.

And I’m okay with that … because there’s other things in life I would rather develop perseverance for. One of them is writing. So I blog (blogging is a writer’s gym) One cool part of blogging is guest-posting.

I’m happy to be guest posting on Jeff Goins’ site today.

Jeff is a creative guy, who enjoys writing, sharing ideas, and helping people make a difference. If you are a writer (or want to be) check out his writing tips.

Thank you Jeff … for giving me the opportunity to post on your site.

And you, the wonderful, faithful reader, go over there to read my post … Painful but Possible: A Story of Perseverance.

It’s been awhile since I’ve reviewed a book and I have a stack to do. I’ve either finished, am in the middle of or will soon be reading each book below. Some I am enjoying, some not so much.

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1. Love Wins by Rob Bell
2. After Shock by Kent Annan
3. Poke the Box by Seth Godin
4. Razing Hell by Sharon L. Baker
5. Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo
6. One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp
7. Half the Church by Carolyn Custis James

I will review each one soon, but for today let’s play a game. I’ll post a quote from each book and you guess which book each one is from.

Sound good?

Okay … great, glad you like the idea.

Here goes …

1. “God showed me love by giving me a little miracle.”

2. “Rather than a God of occasional disaster-rescue miracles, I want a God whose miracles prevent the disasters in the first place.”

3. “The intercourse of soul with God is the very climax of joy.”

4. “Jesus talked about hell to very religious people to warn them about the consequences of straying from their God-given calling and identity to show the world God’s love.”

5. “Every human being is God’s image bearer — granted the highest possible rank of all of God’s creation.”

6. “Some scholars who work with victims of abuse have actually compared God to an abusive spouse or parent who acts with violence one minute and professes deep love the next.”

7. Sooner or later, many idealists transform themselves into disheartened realists who mistakenly believe that giving up is the same thing as being a realistic.

Gosh that was hard … only picking one sentence from each book is tough. Wish I had more time to do scan them all again, but I don’t so here it is.

Take your best shot … match up the numbers.

I look like a robot these days … let me explain.

Since January, I’ve been training to run the Garden Spot Village (GSV) half-marathon (13.1 miles) on April 9th. I’ve eaten right (most of the time). I have followed my training schedule. I’ve had some perfect running moments and I’ve had some lousy runs … but all in all, I am was feeling ready for it.

Over the past decade, I’ve had some annoying neck and shoulder tightness. This annoyance has increased over the years … either from the accident, age or both. Recently it’s become continual pain. I’ve decided to be at my best for the race, I should get it checked out.

I’m not anti-surgery … but I don’t think of surgery as my first choice. I prefer to look for non-invasive options. I’ve had standard chiropractor care over the years, which has helped the rest of my back tremendously … but it has not taken care of the neck/shoulder issue.

My massage therapist recommended a different type of chiropractic care … called atlas orthogonal. This treatment focuses on making sure one’s atlas (the first vertebrae) is level. (The TV show, The Doctors, has showcased this treatment)

My head tilts left in many pictures - now I know why.

X-rays showed that my atlas is not level, not anywhere near level … it’s off by 3.75 degrees. (the doc said the worse he’s seen is 2.5 degrees off) So for those of you that have been wondering … the truth is, my head is not screwed on straight.

I’ve been receiving treatments for a week now and my neck/shoulder feels much better. But there’s one major drawback …

During the first few weeks of treatment to ensure that the adjustment holds, I’m supposed to hold my head as still as much as possible. That’s why I look like a robot. I need to turn my whole body, not just my head. I’m not supposed to move  abruptly or do anything to jar my neck.

That means I’m not supposed to run. Yes, not supposed to run a few weeks before a half-marathon. I knew this could be the case so right before my first treatment, I did a nine-mile training run.

I’m so thankful for all the training I’ve done … but this saying is true,   . If you don’t use it, you lose it. If I don’t workout during this time, I will not be at my best for the race.

So I’m compromising … I’m going on walks, instead of runs. I’m not going to yoga class, but I’m doing modified yoga stretches at home, mostly for my legs, while trying not to move my head.

But for both my body and my mind, I need to get a few runs in. So twice a week, right before I go back to see if the adjustment held (treatments are only done if the atlas is off again) I’m going to go for a run. Then if I throw the adjustment off, it can be readjusted within the next few hours.

My chiropractor doesn’t necessarily like my plan, but he understands … or at least I took it as understanding when he said, “If that’s what you feel you have to do, okay.”

My hope is that on April 9th less pain in my neck/shoulders will make up for my compromised training in these final weeks before the race.

UPDATE 3 days later: I was hesitate to give the name of where I was getting treatment from until I knew if this process works for me. Today I did eight miles … and my neck and shoulder felt better than they have in a long time, so I think it’s working – yay! After the run, I went in for another treatment with Dr. Marc Calicchio at Atlas Chiropractor of  Wyomissing and I’m happy with how I’m feeling!

Have you ever balanced the advice of your doctor with your personal wishes? How did that work out for you?

This past weekend the earth saw a ‘supermoon’ … that is, if people paused long enough from their daily routine and looked upwards.

SuperMoon - March 19, 2011 ... Janet Oberholtzer

This larger, fuller view of the moon happened because it was closer to earth than it’s been for eighteen years. And this made me one happy gal. I didn’t have a telescope, I only viewed it with my naked eye and this picture was taken with my phone. But stopping to appreciate it made me realize how pausing to appreciate other things in life … could make them fuller and more beautiful also.

That’s what Thankful Thursday is all about. Today I am thankful for:

• Eyes to see
• Living in this age with phones with cameras
• Time to pause and appreciate the world around me
• A chance to try again every morning or every moment
• Meeting an 82-year young man in the park while running
• Finding a new type of chiropractic care to help my sore neck/shoulder
• Receiving three new books – Mile Markers. Love Wins. After Shocks.
• Great blogs I read. Mason. Skye. Jamie. Elaine and Gary.

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Is there things/people/events in your life that would be more beautiful if you paused and took a second to appreciate them?

The prompt for today’s post to Celebrate Women is … “sharing our thoughts on a woman writer who has influenced our writing style or whose writing we adore.”

Recently, I wrote a post about books that have influenced me, I’m reposting it today with the women authors highlighted in yellow.

photo © 2006 Richard Masoner | more info (via: Wylio)

A favorite childhood memory is being under a blanket with a book and a flashlight long after bedtime curfew. I remember the exhilarating feeling of leaving my sheltered world and entering The Bobbsey Twins world or helping Nancy Drew solve a mystery. As a teen, reading Julie by Catherine Marshall had me dreaming of someday being a writer.

In my late thirties, horrific accident injuries changed my world and challenged what I thought I knew about life. Along with the Bible, I read many books about what others believe and how they do life. We start where we are, so most of the books I read were from the circles I was in.

Between ongoing questions and two sons in college, my book selection is expanding now, but recently I took a trip down memory lane by going through my bookcase. It was good reminiscing about the books that have broaden my horizons and given me hope in the past few years.

Philip Yancey told me it was okay to be Disappointed with God or to ask Where is God When it Hurts. As I grasped for Oxygen, Keri Wyatt Kent taught me how to Breathe. Henry Nouwen gave me hope that I could learn to live with my disappointments. Beth Moore showed me how to Live Beyond Myself.

Joan Didion‘s unique Magical Year helped me process and live with grief. Books by Leonard Sweet, Brian McLaren, Donald Miller and Rob Bell were breaths of fresh air. Susan Isaac had me laughing, even if I was having Angry Conversations with God.

Some days I just needed entertainment and that was provided by authors, old and new … Dickens, Gilbert, Harper, Hosseini, Picoult, Sedaris and many more.

Book by book, my views expanded as William P. Young helped me believe in a God of love again, even with a Shack in my world. Annie Dillard helped me be an intentional Pilgrim as I went through life. I stopped dwelling on the past or the future as I learned to live in the  Now from Elkhart Tolle. Anne Morrow Lindbergh taught me to view life like Gifts From the Sea.

Jeanette Walls showed me the value of being honest about what went on in our Glass Castles. Rhonda Janzen had me laughing, while teaching me to honor my Mennonite background, little black dress and all.

Rachel Held Evans and Jason Boyett used a monkey town and a little boy with bandaged nipples to show me I wasn’t the only one asking questions or having doubts. Anne Jackson gave me  Permission to Speak Freely.

The list could go on … but that’s it for now. What authors have inspired, challenged or changed you?

I’m creative. I can be spontaneous. I like to “go with the flow.” So for a time in my life, goals was a dirty word to me. I didn’t need or want goals, I wanted life to happen on its own.

photo © 2009 lululemon athletica | more info (via: Wylio)

I dreamed. I wished. I thought about many things. I envied others. I got frustrated. But I didn’t set goals.

I wanted to do things that were healthy for my body, mind and spirit. I wanted to write a book. I wanted an organized house. But I didn’t set goals.

Guess what … many things I wanted did not happen.

I decided I’ll give goals a try. So I set some. Great goals. Super goals. Unattainable goals. Then when I couldn’t reach them, I was discouraged and upset. And decided my earlier opinion of goals was correct. Goals don’t work.

Frustration with life forced me to re-evaluate the way I approach life. Many times it was with an all or nothing approach … so what would happen if I tried a middle road?

A healthy balance.

I set a few small goals. Take a short walk three times a week. Spend ten minutes a day “being still.” Clean out one drawer a week. To my surprise, I was able to reach some previously unattainable goals. Then I looked at some long-term goals I dreamed of reaching. I made some step-by-step plans and did what I could to meet them.

Surprise … more things happened in my life.

Not magically. Not overnight. But slowly, one step at a time … I saw some of the things that I was never able to reach before come into fruition.

Your goals have to be firm. You have to hold them loosely. Yes, two sides to the same coin. Firm in that you do everything you can to stick to the realistic goals you’ve set, while at the same time realizing that you may need to make adjusts along the way. Maybe due to others, life’s circumstances, how you feel, etc. But that does not mean you quit,  it simply means you re-evaluate and make adjusts to your goals.

Also, for a time, since I was setting goals for myself, I wanted to set them for everyone around me (especially my husband). News flash … it rarely works to set goals for someone else (unless you are a coach) you only have control over yourself.

I still have unreached goals, but they don’t stress me … because I know if I set realistic goals and keep “Doing what I can, with what I have, where I am” (Roosevelt) I will reach them someday.

Are you a goal-setter? If so, what plans/projects/things have you accomplished through step-by-step goals?

While in the hospital post-accident, I sent most of my food trays back untouched. Between the pain meds and the antibiotics, my stomach was so stressed, food had no appeal. (I lost over 20 lbs in a few weeks, which gives a whole new meaning to the term crash diet)

The caring hospital dietitian frequently visited me, encouraging me to eat well and offering to make special dishes for me. She kept telling me that I need good nutrition so help my body heal. “Janet, what you eat will determine how well you heal … or not.”

photo © 2009 Heather Aitken | more info (via: Wylio)

That advice has stuck with me and if it mattered when I was injured, it matters during the rest of life also. So slowly over the past few years, I’ve eaten less sugar, white flour and processed food. It’s not that I never eat them, but I try to keep them to a minimum.

I don’t remember when I last ate fast food (unless Chipotle counts). I still have some vices to conquer … it’s been hard to break a diet coke habit and at times, I still turn to food for comfort when I’m upset.

In January 2010, after researching meat and the effects on our bodies, I decided to go without eating meat for one month, to see how I would feel. At the end of the month, I felt great and I’ve stuck to an almost  vegetarian diet ever since. (I occasionally eat fish, usually salmon) (Update: I’ve since quit eating fish also)

I am also an avid exerciser … I walk, run, hike, bike and kayak. I’ve always believed that our bodies were meant to move and if we don’t use them, we lose them. After being injured, I realize the truth of that even more.

I’m a big believer in live and let live … so I’ve never felt the need to tell others what they should eat or whether they should workout. I figure everyone can decide what works for themselves.

But recently after a few people said something about how they could never eat or work out like I do, I began thinking of the other hard things people do … without realizing it.

You can do the hard work needed to be healthy.

Or you can do the hard work of being unhealthy.

When unhealthy… Stairs are harder to climb. Finding comfortable shoes and clothes is harder. Playing games with kids is tough. It can be harder to sleep well. Travel is more exhausting. Embarrassment at wondering if a seat will hold you. Not being able to keep up with others when walking somewhere. More time off work. Time and money spent at doctors or in the hospital from avoidable health issues.

And the list goes on.

I read this post recently and love the way she (and the commenters) spelled out all the things she could never do to herself or her loved ones.

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Have you ever thought about the hard work and the cost of being unhealthy?