28 Days Later

Four weeks. That's how long Corrie and I went without eating any meat.


I meant to blog more during that time, but with the semester getting started up last week, life got crazier by the day. But now we are on the other side of our Vegetarian Experiment, and I have some thoughts about these last four weeks.



The first 10 days were pretty hard. I caught myself several times beginning to fix myself a sandwich and realizing my choices were peanut butter or...peanut butter. I also craved chicken or burgers a lot during those first 10 days, especially when I could smell them.


Sometime around mid-month I found myself not craving anything anymore, and automatically looking at the vegetarian options in grocery stores and restaurants (which are often times very limited). My habits were changing, and with my tastes. Though I can't say that I tried a lot of new veggies in the last month, I can say that I am willing to order them and eat them a lot more than I was before.


And that is one of the primary reasons I did this: to change my habits. Habits are tricky things. They are a part of who we are, but they can also hold us back from being better than who we are. I am fortunate enough to have a metabolism that can handle grease, meat, and sugar pretty well, but just because I don't gain weight from fatty foods doesn't mean I should not eat healthy. What's really at stake is not so much my current health, but my long-term health. I would love to be as healthy at 40 as I am 30, but I won't be if I don't adjust some habits between now and then.


If you're wondering how we celebrated our four-week meat fast - we got take out from Five Guys Burger and Fries!

The Vegetarian Experiment

Remember this post?

While I'm not as far along on that list as I'd like to be, starting today Corrie and I are going to try to be vegetarians for one whole month. We have checked out some cookbooks from the library, we have bookmarked promising recipes, and we've been talking about doing this all year. So now is the time!

Maybe you are applauding our efforts to venture in to the vegetarian world. If you are, then thanks (and we'd like some recipe suggestions.)

Or maybe you have this t-shirt and you're wondering why anyone would ever not eat meat. If you are wondering why, then this post is for you.

It's no secret around my family that I've always been a picky eater. Even though I eat a lot more vegetables now than I ever have, I still have a tendency to sift through a casserole and politely set aside those items I'd rather not eat. My picky-ness is really not a big issue (Corrie might disagree), but I am growing older and need to be more mindful of what I'm eating. Not only that, but I have two boys who are watching me eat every day, and their habits will be tied directly to mine. I want to set a healthy example for them, and that means adding variety to my diet.

The other main motivation behind our vegetarian experiment is just to see if we can do it. We all like challenges of one kind or another. Some like to build things, some like to play golf, some like video games - we do these things for the challenge of bettering ourselves at them. The same is true for us. We hope we will better our lives by eating only vegetarian this month - better them by what we eat and better them by identifying with those who choose this lifestyle. Vegetarians are often ridiculed (especially in the South), when in fact, they should be celebrated for embracing a way of life that runs counter-cultural to the fast-food eating America we live in.

I'm hoping to blog throughout the month so as to chronicle the experience. If you're brave, you can join us. If not for a whole month, then maybe for a day or a weekend. OR, you can just read along and live vicariously through us. That's fine, too.

Ash Wednesday Reflection

The season of Lent is marked by the discipline of self-denial. Just this morning on the radio I heard two broadcasters discussing what one of them should give up – coffee, sweets, or meat? Some give up things in an effort to be healthier, some give up things for the challenge of it, some give up things because everyone else seems to be doing it. At its core, however, the season of Lent is a journey back to God.

When we read the words of the prophet Joel, it is easy to focus on the fasting, weeping, and mourning the Lord asks of his people. These are practices associated with repentance, attitudes that are expected of us during this time. But these practices are empty if they do not turn us back to God. The Lord's first words are, “Even now, return to me...rend your hearts, not your garments and return to the Lord, your God.” This is an invitation from the Lord God to return, to once again be recipients of his loving kindness.

The self-denial of Lent is meant to open up space in our lives and in our hearts for God to speak, work, and move. By emptying our lives of things that we regularly enjoy, we are saying no to the world, and yes to God; we are accepting the invitation to return. Unfortunately, many will wonder about the rules of Lent, concerning themselves more with perfecting the rite, than perfecting the relationship. Those same broadcasters from this morning discussed whether or not Fruit Loops were considered sweets since they are technically a breakfast cereal.

It is similar rule keepers that Christ addresses when he teaches on giving alms, praying, and fasting. The hypocrites, as he calls them, have become slaves to themselves, so guilt ridden about doing all the right things that they do them all wrong. I believe their position can be summarized by this quote from Henri Nouwen:

“There is an awareness of sin that does not lead to God but to self-preoccupation. Our temptation is to be so impressed by our sins and failings and so overwhelmed by our lack of generosity that we get stuck in a paralyzing guilt. It is the guilt that leads to introspection instead of directing our eyes to God. It is the guilt that has become an idol and therefore a form of pride. Lent is the time to break down this idol and to direct our attention to our loving Lord.”

In this season of Lent, I do encourage you to deny yourself one of life's pleasures. Coffee, sweets, facebook, or music – whatever it is that would help create space for God in your life. But let us not become preoccupied with selflessness during this time of denial, but on the loving God who invites us to return to him.

To be or not to be...

I turned 29 last week. On my birthday I was talking to my friend Omar, who is also a campus minister, and he suggested that I make a list of 29 things to do before I turn 30. I think that is a really great idea, but in the week since I turned 29 I have not been able to come up with 29 things I'd like to do before I turn 30.

What I have come up with are things I'd like to be about. What do I mean by that? Well, I want it to be more than a to-do list. Corrie and I talk a lot about being vs. doing, that is, our lives are defined by who we are, not by what we do or accomplish. We live in a world of upward mobility, where moving up and doing more is what defines our lives. But is that what life is all about? And more importantly, as a follower of Jesus and lover of God, is that what God is calling us to be about as we live our lives?

So my list is centered around things I want to be in my thirtieth year, not just things I want to do. Here they are:

1. Run a marathon
2. Be a vegetarian for one month
3. Read one classic work of fiction every month
4. Take a 5 day monastic retreat
5. Get Corrie flowers for no reason multiple times
6. Take Isaiah to Braves opening day in April
7. Read through one book of the Bible every month
8. Be more organized and productive at work
9. Write something significant every month
10. Take a weekend away with just Corrie
11. Give Corrie more time to pursue her studies

**For more on being v. doing, read anything by Henri Nouwen.