A wonderful analogy that I learned Monday night in BSF, that is right in line with all i am learning right now...
3 things our bodies need to live well, laugh often, love much...

*a healthy diet consisting of nutrient rich foods and avoidance of toxins
*exercise...to pump life giving oxygen throughout our body
*rest!!

Our souls need the same thing!

*A HEALTHY DIET...the BIBLE...I am reading Eugene H Peterson's, Eat This Book, he says....

" Christians (SHOULD!) feed on Scripture. Holy Scripture nurures the holy community as food nurtures the human body. Chistians don't simply learn or study or use Scripture; we assismilate it, take it into our LIVES in such a way that it gets metabolized into acccts of love, cups of cold water, missions into all the world, healing and evangelism and justice in Jesus' name, hands raised in adoration to the Father, feet washed in company with the son"...

The Word is the ultimate nutrient to nourish our souls. But I must not just read ABOUT the Bible...not just read the Bible, but DEVOUR it, let it penetrate my whole being.

*EXERCISE: Our faith walk must include exercise. Sometimes I don't feeel like exercising!!! But I have never walked out of the gym and thought "I wish I hadn't done that!"...There are many other things in my life where I do think..."why did i do that?" I need to fill my time with "acts of love, missions into the world (and Fuquay Varina!), praying and caring for my family and friends with warm attention and heartfelt acts of service.

*REST: We must rest in the Holy Spirit. Medidate. Open my mind to hear His Word spoken to me. We are able to rest when we have been studying His Word, and living it.

1 Timothy 4:15-16 Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Perservere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.