Today, Christians around the world are celebrating Palm Sunday. What is Palm Sunday? It marks the start of Holy Week and the remembrance of the events in Jesus’ life leading up to His crucifixion and resurrection.
On Palm Sunday we remember–and sometime reenact–Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, when people hailed Him as Lord and laid cloaks and palms on the ground before him as He passed. Continue reading
Today’s Friday Five topic takes a break from the usual running theme, but since most runners love to eat, sharing our favorite spring recipes makes a lot of sense.
Although spring is finally in the air, I am still enjoying making and eating soups. This Spring Pea Soup recipe can be served hot or cold, and would make a great side dish at Easter dinner or a spring brunch.
The recipe is based on Ina Garten’s Fresh Pea Soup recipe, but I used frozen peas and made a few other changes. Continue reading
I’ve been on my bike a few times this winter, but between the frigid temperatures and snowy bike paths, I’ve had to do most of my pedaling inside. Now that spring is here, I am ready to get back out there, and Bicycling and Rodale PR sent me the perfect book to review that has me motivated and inspired to up my cycling game.
Last year, I got to review The Bicycling Big Book of Cycling for Beginners, and I am still trying to put its lessons into practice when I ride. The Bicycling Big Book of Training is the perfect sequel, with information and guides to help you improve performance on your bike. Continue reading
What does As Good As It Gets have to do with being a Christian? A few weeks ago, my priest was able to draw an unlikely but fitting connection, based on this scene.
If you haven’t seen the movie (or haven’t seen it in a while), you need to know (or remember) that Jack Nicholson’s character (Melvin) is a miserable person–“a cranky, bigoted, obsessive-compulsive writer” according to the summary on IMDB. In this scene, you also get a glimpse of his obnoxious self-importance and overall rudeness!
You also need to know that Helen Hunt’s character (Carol) is a waitress who works where Melvin has breakfast every day. When she doesn’t show up for work, he tracks her down and helps her for largely selfish reasons (no one else puts up with him they way she does!), but her kindness and gratitude seep into a crack in his crusty outer shell.
In this scene, Carol insists that Melvin pay her one compliment–just one–or she will walk out of his life forever. After struggling to come up with something, he finally says:
You make me want to be a better person.
Do you see where this is going? 😉
Being a Christian–striving to follow Jesus’ teachings and live the life He calls us to live–can make us want to be better people. We may fall miserably short like Melvin, but hopefully we are at least a bit kinder for trying.
[Tweet “Who inspires you to be a better person?”]
After church, I found myself thinking of the people in my life who make me want to be a better person. Some people came to mind immediately, but I wondered about the influence of others.
Take my BFF at work, for instance. I had almost decided that she does not make me a better person since she is the person I turn to when I need to bitch vent, but then I realized that she is really good at taking the time to get to know people … and listen when they need to unload. 😉 I could be a better person if I followed her example and made more of an effort to get to know my colleagues at a more personal level.
Are there people in your life who make you want to be a better person?
![The Ultimate Coffee Date](http://got2run4me.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Ultimate-Coffee-Date.png" "The Ultimate Coffee Date")
