work week recovery

I had an exhilarating, but exhausting weekend that I will be recovering from over the next few days. Where to begin...

Friday night I went to the gym (as usual), then went over to Molly and Ryan's new house to help with some renovation. I enjoy destroying things with blunt objects, so I spend the night demo'ing a ceramic tile entry way. Whoever installed the thing should work for the department of defense. The concrete board under the tile was glued, screwed, and nailed to the plywood. I left bloodied and battered, but not defeated.

Saturday I got up at 6 and headed to Pekin to run my first 5K. I've never run over 2 miles in my life, but wanted to see if I was capable of 3.1. It was brutal (especially the last hill) but I managed to finish in 22:19, which put me 25th out of 101 runners (including little girls). It was fun once the feeling of imminent hurling subsided after the race. I may just do another one sometime in the distant future.

After the race, I went back to the Hite's to work on the house again. With a HUGE team effort, the laminate floor was laid in the living room and nearly all the tile was put down in the kitchen by the end of the day. The ladies had almost all of the painting finished as well. What an awesome thing for friends to come together in community to help each other out. Charlie reiterated this in his message at Nexus saturday night. beautiful.

Sunday we celebrated Leslie's commitment to a new life, free from shadows of the past. You can read more on Charlie's blog (http://charliedean.wordpress.com/). It was a great reminder for me of why I made the same decision to follow Christ and leave the worldly life behind. Leslie, you are awesome! It takes a bold and courageous heart to step out and declare what you have.

Reality last night was uplifting as well. The room was packed with new students and new leaders. Eric called someone up on stage from each school represented. People from 14 different schools had come together (some drive nearly an hour each week together) to hear a crucial and dangerous message. THAT is awesome!

So despite the aches of the strains I put on this body this weekend, I am rejuvenated in what God is doing in Peoria and in the lives of my friends. I wish I had weekends like this all the time (minus the running)!