I suspect I may have hypochondria, to a small degree at least; my husband is inclined to agree. Fibromyalgia is a disorder that's definitely not a figment of my imagination, but the colourful spectrum of symptoms it inflicts upon me has undoubtedly messed with my mind. When I had intense pain and tingling along my spine three years ago, I was convinced I had meningitis. When my stomach was overcome with stabbing pains I just knew I had cancer. When my joints became excessively achy and more difficult to move I feared I had Multiple Sclerosis. When a birthmark's tint or definition alters, there's no doubt in my mind that it's melanoma. Fibro can cause my arms, fingers, and toes to lose their feeling, and at times I've suspected diabetes. My shoulder has been bothering me constantly for the last few days, and what's my first conclusion? Cancer. Why? Because as in most other cases my fear is based on a story I heard about someone who had the very same symptoms and did in fact fall victim to the deadly disease.

I don't enjoy fearing the worst, but with all the teasing I've gotten from my dear hubby I realized, Hey, hypochondria's not so bad! And here's why:

If you're a hypochondriac...
- you believe junk food is only going to accelerate your cancer, so you're more likely to make healthy food choices.
- you'll take very well to running, because fitness and good health will help you outrun heart disease.
- the doctor's office and health food store know you by name.
- you won't ever be like those people who stubbornly refuse to see the doctor out of pride or awkwardness; no, you're on the phone at the slightest twinge - diabetes will not get the best of you!
- you'd rather stay indoors and blog than hang out at melanoma heights the beach.
- when you die your epitaph will read: I was right.

So, is the list missing something? Let me know!

This quote is from one of the most original, entertaining, and informative blogs I've come across during the last few yeas. The topic reflects a deeply-held passion of mine - the quest to avoid becoming a modern-day Pharisee. Part of the quote is posted here; visit the author's blog, BitterSweetLife, to find the rest:

Jesus brought his glory down here and set it loose among us, knowing full well that it would force us to confront the real shape of the world, which would force us in turn to see the real nature of God—to be jarred and horrified and amazed and overjoyed, and then to do the supernatural thing, and repent.

People who had spent their lives categorizing “righteousness” and sorting people into “clean” and “dirty” baskets were suddenly faced with the thing itself. God in person. Jesus on earth. Divine Law in radiant, abrasive human form.

Many of them preferred their religious micromanagement businesses and hurried away from Jesus to write venomous articles denouncing his frequenting of sports bars, and add a few more notches to the holy sticks they used to beat on people who “didn’t measure up” in any one of about a hundred ways.

I particularly enjoyed the 'religious micromanagement businesses' addition. More importantly, though, how do Christians pursue authentic, life-changing spiritual growth, challenge and encourage each other to do the same, and avoid neo-Phariseeism in the process?

Blog Tag is a game I've just been introduced to today! Another blog I read from time to time introduced me to the concept of "literary lucky-dipping." It's similar to "a different kind of quiz" - a game we played a while back at a message board I frequent, which some of you will recognize below:

1. Grab the book closest to me.
The closest book to me at the moment is The Treasure Principle: Unlocking the secret of joyful giving by Randy Alcorn.

2. Quickly turn to page 123,
Problem: this book finishes at 120 pages. So I grab the next closest book - The Maker's Diet by Jordan S. Rubin.

3. Find the fourth sentence from the top of the page, and --
Mhmm...

4. Post the next three sentences:

While I do not consider myself a miracle worker, I do have great confidence in my Teacher, affectionately called "the Great Physician," who heals all our diseases (Ps. 103:3). Nothing matches His wisdom concerning His creation, including the ideal human diet and natural treatments for our most common ailments. Before you examine the 'nuts and bolts' of the Maker's Diet, I wanted you to consider its effect on these people who were desperate for any glimmer of hope in their health situation--including my own grandmother, who prayed for just a few more months of life!

I still haven't finished this book; instead I've been leafing back and forth through the pages, reading about nutrition history, checking out the recipes, pondering his theories, and eyeing his 40-day health plan, all in a delightfully random approach that I like to take with some things in life. I'll track down the remaining unread pages sooner or later and finish it up. ...Now, if you were to ask my husband, he'd tell you that I can be a little impatient. True, I couldn't read the rest of the book before skipping ahead to the recipes. Oh well...

5) Tag an indefinite number of people to do the same (so, it could be '0').
Judy, Tina, ellie, photogal938, cheriet, twiga92, kalipay, Jeffrey74, Julie, and anyone else who wants to join in! =)

~*~