not running the peachtree but a different kind of race.

Hey folks.  I know it's been awhile.  I'm going to use this tiny platform to tell you how excited I am about walking the peachtree road race this year.  It will be my 3rd year participating in the race. Here's a little more about why I'm walking.

While I would love to shoot for another PR this year in the race...Christopher's insight into his experience of carrying the jerry can last year (filled with 5 gallons of water at the halfway point)- how difficult it was, and how it totally changed his perspective on the need for access to clean water everywhere- was both challenging and gut-wrenching.  Challenging because, these days, I am thrilled at the idea of physically challenging my body (my sore muscles hate me for this right now).   Gut wrenching  because I think of children having to make an Xmile round-trip every day to fetch water (dirty, disease ridden water).    

I feel a little selfish about posting those two reasons, because one of them is about me...and this whole thing is so obviously not about me.  But maybe God will use this to take my eyes off myself for just a hot minute (literally HOT minute) when I am walking.

I'm joining in with Christopher and approximately 60 others (as of this past sunday) to raise funds/awareness for CharityWater by walking the race carrying a yellow jerry can.  

You can join too.  Registration for the race is by lottery, and it's open March 15-22.    If you would like to join is, you can email me at gtbrookie@gmail.com or Christopher at wewillnotstop2012@yahoo.com.

passion, emotions....

So...Jesus was about a cause- people were His cause- loving people enough to die for them. Lots of people on earth have died for lots of different causes. I remember watching a video last year in a modern US history class that showed film from the civil rights' movement. We talked about how passionate MLK was about nonviolent protesting and one image stands out to me in my head: a young black girl who was being savagely beaten, who just laid there and did nothing to defend herself or her cause. Do I believe in something that much? I'd like to be able to say that I do.

Back to Jesus. Last night at the BCM meeting I was challenged to read the sermon on the mount (Matt. 5-7), Jesus' first sermon. The fact that this was His first sermon got me thinking. It had been 400 years since the last prophet, Malachi. This was God in the flesh. It makes me think that He may have had some things to update them on- things that He was just itching to tell them. Not only this but also, the fact that He had come in the flesh to live among them (1 Kings 8:27) in order to give liberty to the captives, bind up the brokenhearted (Isaiah 61), and to give hope to the hopeless.

What about the emotions that Jesus experienced as a man? obviously He experienced them (see gospels of Matt, Mark, Luke, John) and obviously He never sinned (Hebrews 4:15). I wonder if Jesus ever felt inclined to act on His emotions- right then and there. What role are the emotions of happiness, fear, anger, or lack thereof, etc. that I experience supposed to play in my daily life? When did Jesus know when or when not to act on those emotions? As He walked down the street, looking into the eyes of those He passed, not only seeing their person but seeing into their hearts- what did He see there? what did He feel? did He try to contain those feelings? did He ever hold back? why?