Spice of Life

No, it's not curry! Perhaps you know this adage - Variety is the spice of life. It is natural in any process to have peaks and troughs but especially if you are trying out a new venture, such as a FU3Led Life, to fall into a rut or get discouraged. One great way to keep this tendency at bay is to vary your routines.

While I dread the humidity that befalls us in the summer, I love the expanded palate we are presented with from the summer harvest. A rainbow of produce is laid out at farmer's markets with new fruits and vegetables reaching their peak each week. Like interior decorating, experiment with color when assembling your dinner plate! Try combinations of sweet and savory or start simple by adding a new seasoning to an old dish. You may surprise yourself with what flavors you can create :)

The term for variety in the running world is cross-training. It essentially refers to any form of exercise that is not running. Yes, runners have a one-track mind (no pun intended). Straying from your preferred method of fitness will keep you from plateauing and ensure that all of your muscle groups are being challenged. Try a yoga DVD or go for a swim while the public pools are open!

Variety is abounding in the Christian life, from the range of worship music to styles of prayer. Stretch your faith by engaging in a novel practice, such as writing out your prayers in a letter or finding an opportunity to serve the poor in your community. In my small group, we discussed attending a Taize worship service comprised of chanting and periods of silence as this would be a digression from our contemporary praise-band led worship.

Leave a comment or send an email to tell other readers how you spice up your FU3Led Life!

Creature Comforts

Last week I wrote about the effect of Nature on aligning our perspective, but I focused more on the flora than the fauna. This week I'd like us to reflect upon our role of food justice for animals. [See earlier post about food justice for people] This is not a post to convert anyone to vegetarianism (I love a burger!) but to gain an awareness and an opinion about the source of your food.

We've all heard the expression, "there's no such thing as a free lunch." An opinion article by Nicholas Kristof contends there is no such thing as a free breakfast either. I'm referring to the true cost of producing your food, not just consuming it. Mr. Kristof writes about an investigation into the atrocious and inhumane conditions of egg-producing hens. The results speak to the larger issue of treatment of the creatures we eat and our sense of entitlement when it comes to meeting our needs. Are we willing to pay the price as perpetrators of cruelty for a few dollars saved on a grocery bill?


Here is a very short clip of a farm featured in the documentaries Fresh and Food, Inc. This farmer is FU3Led by stewardship to love his animals and farm sustainably. If you want to learn more, there are longer videos on YouTube and I highly recommend watching either movie.



When we were given dominion over the earth, it was not intended as license for thoughtless plunder but rather to impart responsibility and ownership. How do we take steps toward this end? It starts with asking questions of our food sources and re-evaluating the cost vs. worth of poor quality food. Then make minor adjustments in your shopping list that reflect your values.

Living a FU3Led life is never a one-size-fits-all model or an instant fix, but I believe commitment to the small-scale (ie your own life) has a lasting impact on the big scale.

Nature Calls

Having spent some extended time away from the city, I've been reflecting on how nature reveals to us how the world was intended. We can gain valuable perspective for FU3Ling from creation and living closer to the land. If you are interested in reading an opinion much more eloquent and knowledgeable than mine, I highly recommend reading a few of Wendell Berry's essays in the collection titled What Are People For?

What are practical ways you can FU3L closer to nature? Food is the easiest one to answer - by looking for quality ingredients where you know the source or are assured they are whole and unprocessed. A life of Fitness comes more easily when your activities of daily living are incorporated with nature. Our ancestors never stepped on a treadmill because they were working the land. By spending more time walking, biking, gardening, hiking, swimming, or other pursuits in the wilderness you will become healthier effortlessly. Finally, one can strengthen their Faith by reflecting on creation. Being surrounded by nature gives you perspective and proper humility, which is "not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less." The cycles of the seasons and the harvest demonstrates the power of incremental but consistent change to lead to transformative growth. 

Do you agree? How do you think one can maintain this while living plugged into the current century and in a city? Leave a comment to start the discussion.

Constant Craving

Many people would say they want good health but to earnestly pursuing it feels like a chore.  In order to recruit your friends and family to a FU3Led life, they need to see how  healthy food can be delicious, fitness can be fun, and faith is joyful. When put into practice correctly you will crave food, fitness, and faith in your life instead of considering something to suffer through.

This topic was inspired by a NY Times article that centers on the importance of taste in preparing healthy food with the lead doctor stating, "Flavor is a health issue." There is a joint program between Harvard School of Public Health and the Culinary Institute of America to train health professionals how to cook healthy foods in such a way that their patients won’t find their new diet a hard pill to swallow. Doctors learn about techniques and ingredients that will revolutionize their patient's palates. 

In the same way, fitness is not one-size-fits-all. One needs to find the type of exercise that they enjoy and makes them feel invigorated so the work out is its own reward. For some that's a group class because they are motivated by those around them while for others it's a solitary bike ride where they can use the time for reflection.

Faith is the easiest to crave because the Bible promises us when you "Delight yourself in the LORD,/ and he will give you the desires of your heart" (Psalm 37:4 ESV). We are commanded to seek our joy! God will transform your heart, if you let him, so that you  relish the things He already wants to give you.

So find that sweet spot where passion meets purpose and get FU3Ling! Leave a comment to let others know how you have found your bliss in following a FU3Led life.