I was shopping for a card the other day. It was for the general purpose of encouragement, thinking of you, etc. So I moseyed over into the massive card section at a local store. I looked for the encouragement section, and started getting flustered! Birthdays here...anniversaries there...congratulations there...thank yous over there...where was encouragement? I looked and looked, and at last, spotted two cards or so in the miniscule encouragement section, that certainly both left something to be desired.

So I kept wandering, and eventually found myself in the Christian section. Whew! Encouragement cards were everywhere, and I settled upon my choice.

What is it that's so special about being part of Christ's family? "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." -1 Thessalonians 5:11

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Day 74 of My Pop-Free Existence: I'm experimenting with a mixed fruit smoothie the next couple of weeks. Peaches, pineapple, strawberry, and mango all crowded in there with the banana and other staples. It's pretty good!

Day 76 of The Bible in One Year: "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." -Proverbs 4:23

This is Mom and Dad right after the 2nd Annual Shamrock Shuffle on Saturday. It was Mom's first Shuffle. Don't they look great?

As for me, there was a relatively small field (around 75 or so), so I finished higher than I ever thought I would. I was 13th overall, with a time of 26:10. I can't help imagining what would've transpired had I been in top form on this day, running in the 20s. I might have been able to win this thing! But alas, that's for another year. I'll take today's time as a great debut to a season.

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Day 64 of My Pop-Free Existence: 2 Dr. Peppers while watching KU embarrass MU on Senior Day. I've gotten to where I'm not really depending on pop, so that I can now enjoy the occasional pop on the weekends. Perhaps splurging every now and then will be more effective than a full-stop, in the long run.

Day 66 of The Bible in One Year: I'm right in the heart of Exodus right now. It's amazing to me how forgetful the Israelites are of God's goodness. Less than 3 days after God miraculously parts the Red Sea and destroys their Egyptian pursuers in the process, they're already grumbling against the Lord again, wishing they were back in bondage! Seriously, does that seem absurd?

Well, sure it does...until I remember that I tend to sometimes forget God's goodness in much less than 3 days. Heck, sometimes only 15 minutes have passed since He's demonstrated His power to me, and I've already forgotten about it. I'm a lot like those Israelite grumblers sometimes. It's good to know that God continued to give the Israelites second chances in Scripture, and that He'll do the same for me.

Day 59 of My Pop-Free Existence: Do strawberry limeades count as pop? ... I'm gonna go with no. I cannot do without strawberry limeades with the fam after a rough day.

Saturday's workout: 5 miles, 48 minutes.

Monday's workout: 3 miles, 30 minutes.