Lauren Gaskill Inspires

Why Lance Armstrong Is Still a Hero

January 18, 2013 • Leave a Comment

Last night was Part 1 of the Oprah, Lance Armstrong “World Exclusive” Interview. I didn’t expect much going into it, but I was curious to see what Lance had to say. The interview exceeded my expectations.

Much will be written about this, and much will be said about Lance’s story and his admittance to using performance enhancing drugs, but I think we should examine what it means for all of us, and what it says about the world we live in.

Early in the interview, Lance reflected on his Tour de France triumphs.

“Looking back, you have this mythic, perfect story,” he said. “But it wasn’t true.”

Citing his perfect marriage, victory over cancer, and seven Tour de France wins, Lance acknowledged just how epic that part of his life was … and although it wasn’t all “true,” as Lance points out, I don’t think the doping takes away that epicness that many who looked up to Lance felt in regards to his story. He was a hero.

The Heroic Myth

We all have heroes in our lives that we look up to. We relish in their stories of courage, bliss and adventure.

This world needs heroes. Without them, there’s no one to look up to, no one to put on a pedestal, no one to make us feel like we are a part of something that is larger than life. That’s what heroes do — they make us feel like anything is possible, like impossible is nothing; they make us want to be better. These are all good things.

But we take things too far. We want to believe our heroes are superhuman, so we place high expectations on them, only to be angered or shocked when they fail to live up to these gold standards. Yet every hero is a human, and no human is perfect.

There is only One who is perfect, and that is our God, who never fails us (Psalm 136).Read More

Oven Roasted Turkey, Brie + Blackberry Panini

January 15, 2013 • Leave a Comment

I almost did a backflip at Meijer this morning. However, considering the gymnastic phase of my life only lasted for a short, three months, I decided to hold my excitement inside.

You know you’re a foodie when you freak out about Brie being on sale. To be exact, it was $2 off.

It’s not too often I buy gourmet cheeses. Havarti, Gouda, goat, Brie: I love them all. But I am a college student, and typically, my budget only allows Cheddar, provolone and Mozzarella purchases … the usuals. Not that there is anything wrong with those kind of cheeses. All cheese is delightful! Some cheeses are just better.

Tuning In to a Tuned Out World

January 14, 2013 • Leave a Comment

The Gathering, the church I attend in Muncie, began its first series of the year yesterday. As I walked into the sanctuary, I immediately noticed something was different about the room. Chalk boards lined the whole length and width of the left wall.

“Before I die, I want to …,” the black slates read, over and over again in rows.

One person had taken chalk to the board and wrote in “… change the world,” after the repeated phrase.

Waiting on the World to Change

Starting in Nehemiah 1, our pastor, Joshua, started to paint a picture of the character and faith of Nehemiah, cupbearer to the king. After hearing that the people of Israel have been scattered, and the walls of Jerusalem have been broken down and burned with fire, Nehemiah weeps.

But he doesn’t just stop there. He prays with devotion for those who are hurting or have turned away; he then confesses on behalf of all of Israel (v. 6-7).

Then, starting in verse 8, he prays for grace and restoration. “Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, ⁹but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name’” (NIV).

Nehemiah saw what was happening in his world and did something about it. Although he lived in a much different time, when news could take as much as 45 days to get from one city to the next, he didn’t turn away from the information. He ran toward it.

I wonder how a man like Nehemiah would feel in today’s world of infinite information. Would he pay attention, or would he, like so many of us do, turn away?

Thoughts From the Bahamas

January 2, 2013 • 1 Comment

Greetings from the Governor’s Harbor Airport in Eleuthera, Bahamas! For the last week and a half, I have been vacationing here, spending time with loved ones and relaxing in the sun. This is why there have been no blog posts. I wanted to leave a post the first day we arrived on the island, but there was no internet in our house, so I had no way of posting anything that I wrote.

One of the mornings here on the island, I stumbled across a book which inspired me to write today’s post. Aside from journal entries, this is the only thing I wrote during my time in the Bahamas. I hope you enjoy it.

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The sunrises on Eleuthera are absolutely breathtaking! Combined with the pink sand, it's more than a taste of paradise. — The sunrises on Eleuthera are absolutely breathtaking! Combined with the pink sand, it’s more than a taste of paradise.

Thin. Curvy. Book smart. Dumb. Loyal. Quiet. Strong. Weak. Short. Rich. Poor. Beautiful. Plain. Athletic. Lazy. Optimistic. Indifferent. Alone. Afraid. Angry. Loving. Kind.

When you look in the mirror, what do you see? A list of “somethings,” like those listed above, or an individual — someone who is uniquely, wonderfully and fearfully made?

Maybe your reflection has become clouded by these “somethings.” And then somehow, over time, maybe these descriptors have become the only thing you see splashed across the mirror.

Maybe there are words you want to change, or words you wish could be erased. For whatever reason, maybe you think that changing those words would uncover what’s been lost beneath the black scribbled haze of words that coat the plexiglass in front of you.

Here’s the thing about mirrors: they are one-sided.

There’s no depth. What you see is what you get, and what you see is all a matter of perspective.

When we strive to be something rather than someone, we risk becoming consumed with the superficial self. Rather than appreciating ourselves for who we really are, we sell ourselves short and settle for only a glimpse, a fragment of what lies within.

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