Freezer Fiasco

Hi, everyone. I do apologize for my absence over the last few days. Coming out of our weekend camping, things have been crazy. On Tuesday, I realized that most of the things in our freezer had defrosted. So for the last few days, I have been cooking like a wild women and trying to salvage as much as I can. This has been “squashed” between soccer practice and church activities. Thank you for bearing with me and I plan on posting pictures of our trip and a beautiful blessing the Lord gave me in the midst of all of this. My thoughts and prayers are with you all.

 

Weekend Fun

On my way to work this morning, I saw a wonderful sight. A dear lady and her son were out walking together. They made it to the end of their road and then turned around and headed back the other way. So I have given myself a fun challenge, get out and get moving. This is a great weekend for me to do this because my family and I are headed this afternoon to a state park for an overnight camp out . We are looking forward to getting out in nature and seeing and experiencing once again the beauty of God’s creation.

You may not have the opportunity to go away from home this weekend. If not, have some fun going out in your yard or sitting on your front porch and get a glimpse of the wonders of nature. You can play a game of catch with your kids or walk around and see if you can spot any birds hanging out in your trees. One of the reasons I love fall is you can get out in cooler weather and not be overheated in 5 minutes.

In looking at all God has created, we can give glory to our creator.  I would love for you to let me know what you are up to this weekend. If you are getting out and about or just stepping out your back door, remember we can be blessed and encouraged by the beauty we behold. Blessings.

“For the Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also. The sea is his, and his hands formed the dry land. O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.”  ~Psalm 95;3-6

 

Weight Loss Calculator

For those who would like to calculate your healthy weight range, Freedieting.com has ways to do this. The one I used is the ideal body weight calculator. This site has several different calculators to choose from. You can calculate your BMI or how much exercise is required to burn an x number of calories. The calculators are found in the side bar of freedieting.com. I have found this site to be very helpful on certain issues and one you need to check out. 

I was amazed at the amount of free information and help you can receive on-line. On a personal note, I have been doing well sticking to my plan. Due to the daily fluctuations I have decided to weigh only once a week, and take whatever results as it comes.  I want to give a big thank you to all of those who are praying for me. You have blessed and encouraged me beyond measure.

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.  ~Phillippians 4:6-7

 

I’ll Think About It Tomorrow

Scarlet O’Hara from the famous book, “Gone with the Wind”, is a very intriguing individual. She has been quoted numerous times, and been embedded in our culture to such a degree that by quoting her people know immediately who you are talking about. Now I must point out that while Scarlet is one we all can relate to from time to time, most of us do not want to be like her on a daily basis. She is rather self-centered and wants her own way even at the expense of others. (Maybe I am more like her than I would like to admit ) Moving On!

One of her more famous quotes is “I’ll think about that tomorrow!” I find myself on several occasions adopting this philosophy. If I have something to do that is not exactly pleasant, I have the urge to put it off because “tomorrow is another day”.   I think that is one of the reasons Monday is a dreaded day. We begin the work week on Monday. We often put off starting that diet on Monday. (Isn’t is amazing that the first three letters of the word “diet” is ”die”.)  I think I’ll start my exercise program on Monday. Monday has gotten a bad reputation of late because of all the things that are put off till then. How much better my life would be if I would fail in the area of procrastination. By taking the unpleasant things and doing them right away instead of putting them off till tomorrow would definitely improve my life then the dreaded wouldn’t be dreaded anymore.

I am so glad that our Lord did not put off the unpleasant and painful things. In Phillippians 2:8, we read, “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”  Christ chose to do what was needed at the time. He did not wait or negotiate with the Father. He submitted humbly and immediately to the will of the Father.  How often when I put things off I am filled with pride and disobedience? Is this a pattern that I need to break in my life?  I pray that when situations come I will submit to the Father’s will like Jesus did and not put off the unpleasantness for another day. I never associated procrastination with pride and disobedience before. Yet, when I wait on what I should do by doing what I want to do instead, I am acting in pride. I am saying that what I want is more important.

In Philippians 2:9, the next verse, we find that God exalted Jesus when He humbled himself and was obedient. I can’t help but think God will deepen our walk with Him and raise us to new heights when we follow and submit to Him as Jesus did.  I know in our life there are things that grab our attention and there are things and actions beyond our control. Our children’s and families’ needs should come first, but may we not follow our own will when we must follow the Father’s. He knows us exclusively and understands. Let us take these situations to Him for guidance.

I pray in my own life that while I may quote Miss Scarlet, I do not adapt my life to her life’s philosophy. When I think I should read God’s Word, I will take the time right then. If my child has a need, I will do all I can to take care of it immediately. I will start my diet and exercise today. I will write a new blog post and share what God has done for me today. Wait, I already did that!

I could write another one, then again “I’ll think about that tomorrow.”

 

My Weight Loss Journey Begins…

I have been on a journey in weight loss for quite some time now. I have struggled with my weight for most of my life. Most of the diets have been tried at least once or sometimes twice. Exercise has been sporadic at best. However back in January of this year, I made a commitment to myself that this would be my year to get healthy and loose the weight that has been literally “weighing me down”. The reason being I found myself the heaviest I have ever been and knew that some things in my life had to change. 

I want to share with you that this is not a whim to loose a few extra pounds. This journey is composed of a large amount of weight that needs to be lost. I applaud anyone who is trying to lose a small amount of weight to get healthy. I just want you to understand where I am in this journey. I hesitate to put the amount of weight I have to lose because that is not where I want my focus to be. So I would know where I am, I went to a website and put in my height and the weight I am now and it calculates and gives you a healthy range in which you should be. It even includes your frame: large, medium, or small bone structure. This healthy range is my goal and where I land in this range will be between me and God. Focusing on food and weight is one of the reasons I am where I am today. As God is breaking, molding and reshaping me into the person he specifically designed me to be, I will be sharing the lessons learned in the process. I do realize that the issue of a person’s weight is a sensitive issue. I want to speak plainly and honestly and most of all without offense. So, please in all of this I pray that what I share will help and not hurt those who are reading and participating in their own journey. That being said let me begin.

As anyone who has battled with losing weight knows it is something that you have to watch constantly.  You take long looks in the mirror and the scale becomes your worst enemy. The more you diet the more you focus on food and the desire grows. It is all about what you can’t have and all the tastes and “yummies” you have grown to love call to you from the pantry. Diet foods are for the most part not as tasty and you find you eat more of these because it is less calories and you are always hungry. I have found that when I begin to add some of the good, tasty things back into my diet for variety, because frankly eating the same foods day after day is a nightmare, I found that I begin to put back on the weight I struggled to get off in the first place. I needed a new way. I needed at new vision. I needed to break the hold food had over me.

Everyone needs food to live. It is God’s way to be hungry and then be filled. He has made food available for us to grow and flourish. Look at the Garden of Eden and all the variety He gave to Adam and Eve to enjoy. Through the Bible and books on nutrition, I have been learning a great deal about who I am and the person God wants me to be on the inside and on the outside. Now I know that only the inside matters that when you are right with God on the inside, you need to be happy with the outside. :) Let’s think about that for a minute, I really feel that this is a lie that Satan is trying to get us to swallow. God does want our hearts, and minds to be in tune with Him and be spiritually healthy, however I am learning that God wants our bodies to be healthy as well. God wants all of us, inside and out. God cares about every facet of us. He created me and He wants me to strive to be all I can be for him. If my body is hindering me because of what I have done to it, a change needs to be made.

I have been reading “The Weigh Down Diet” by Gwen Shamblin for about three weeks. One of the first principles she teaches is to only eat when you are hungry and stop just as soon as you begin to feel full. Wait to eat until you are really hungry and then choose something to eat. It begins by learning to recognize the the hunger/full indicators that God has so beautifully put inside every person.

This morning as I was praying, God took me to Phillippians 4:11-12. “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.”  I never really looked at these verses before in this way. God wants me to be content in Him where ever I am at this moment. He wants to fill me and be all that I need, and He wants me to know what it is like to be hungry. He is taking me to a place where I must rely on Him fully. If I trust Him enough to save my soul and give to Him my life, I must be willing to give to God my next mouthful also.

In my own heart, I have decided to give my food, hunger and need to the Lord. I am going to wait until I am hungry only then will I eat and stop when I am full. This will be my goal for today. I will honor God with my eating by letting Him let me know when I am hungry. When I struggle today and want to eat when I am not hungry, I will take him my heart and body and cry to Him for help. God made this body. He knows it inside and out and today I will give it to Him. I know I may struggle in the future, but at this moment I choose to draw close to Him.

As God continues to teach me, I will continue to share with you every week. I will pray for each of you in your journey. Blessings.

 

Happy Birthday, Gordon!

I just wanted to let all my friends know that my wonderful hubby, Gordon, is celebrating his birthday today. For those of you who are new to my blog, Gordon has a blog also called “Heavenly Heartburn“. He also has recently been writing a column for Baptist Press Sports. If you have a chance to drop in on him and wish him a Happy Birthday, I know he would appreciate it.

This is for you, Gordon!

I carry your heart with me
I carry it in my heart. I am never without it
Anywhere I go you go,my dear;
And whatever is done by only me is your doing,my darling.

I fear no fate for you are my fate,my sweet.
I want no world for beautiful you are my world, my true
and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you.

Here is the deepest secret nobody knows
Here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
And the sky of the sky of a tree called life;
Which grows higher than soul can hope or mind can hide
And this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart.

I carry your heart. I carry it in my heart.

By E.E Cummings

 

Say Hello!

Thanks to all of those who have visited during the last few days. My lack of posting has been due to my latest encounter with “THE CRUD”. I had chills and fever for about 5 days along with a bad cold. I think I almost wore out the carpet between the bed and my recliner. I appreciate all the prayers on my behalf and think I am on the road to recovery. In the last few days, I  have had a lot of time to think, read and pray. I hope to share with you soon some things the Lord has been teaching me. While I take some time to organize my thoughts, I would like to share with you some new friends I have made over the last few weeks. I have been visiting their blogs regularly and have been encouraged and uplifted by each one of them. So without further ado, let me introduce them to you.

One who I can certainly identify with is Kimberly, from “Planting of the Lord“.  I love to visit her blog. She is a true sister in Christ. Her humor and plain speaking on life is something I can relate to. Her love for the Lord is evident in every post and She shares her life with honesty and sincerity. Kimberly would love for you to stop by for a visit.

If you need information and encouragement on living on a budget, Toni, at “the happy housewife“, is the place you need to stop in. She has tons of great ideas, recipes, and knowledge to help you run a happy household. Lots of ideas are shared by her friends as well.  Toni will gives insight about her life as a military wife. Toni is always ready to answer any questions and give a helping hand.

I found Wendi’s blog, “Everyday Miracles“, and was immediately drawn to her. She freely shares her family with you and has the sweetest, super attitude. I am uplifted when I hang out at Everyday Miracles for a few minutes. I know you will experience the same welcome I did when you stop by for a visit with Wendi.

Sarah at “The Best Days of My Life” is a great place to stop in. I appreciate her openness about her life and journey in walking with the Lord. She also has been sharing about her weight loss journey. I have been encouraged by her and have also gotten some great tips to help me in my own journey with weight loss. Her love for the Lord shines through her posts.

I have enjoyed getting to know Annette at “Eternal Memories“. She has a sweet spirit and loves the Lord. Annette is expecting another grandchild any time now. Stop in and visit this wonderful lady.

Nicole at “On Purpose” has been a special encouragement to me lately. It tells you something about someone who will take time out to pray with you. It means so much and reveals a special heart for God. Nicole has a great blog and I have always been especially encouraged by every visit there. I hope you will take the time to check out her blog.

I hope you will all be uplifted and encouraged today. With life comes struggle, yet in the midst of the struggle God is near and reveals himself to us. Sometimes He also sends us friends to share in journey. They may come in the form of “A Planting“, “a Happy Housewife“, “Memories” or an “Everyday Miracle.” They can help you to live your life “On Purpose” so they truly will be the “Best Days” of your life.  Blessings.

Life is like a band–we may not play the same part, but we are all blessed by the harmony.

 

It’s All About Connection

I hope everyone has had a great weekend and ready to dive head first into the week ahead. The weekend has been especially busy. Last week my husband and boys were plagued with fevers and a cold, but by the weekend they were all feeling a little better. My husband took my youngest to a football game for a special treat, and I had the pleasure of hanging out with my oldest. We had a great day! Clay got a guitar a while back and on Saturday we hit the store and he bought new picks, strings, and an instructional CD and book. I showed him how to tune the guitar with the keyboard, and showed him some chords to begin practicing. I took guitar lessons in high school for a few years, and Clay has wanted to learn an instrument for a while now so it seemed like a good fit. We had a lot of fun together. We are planning on practicing together in the afternoons after school. After awhile, we kicked back and watched a movie with popcorn. What a treat! It is amazing to see how much he has grown over the past year.

It’s kind of funny when I think about it. I have not picked up the guitar in quite some time. It’s been years, in fact. It has been in a place wrapped up unused. When I stop to think of why I put it to the side in the first place, I feel kind of bad about it. Basically, Life got busy. My kids were small and needed a lot of attention. New projects found their way into my life. I put it aside to make room for things that were more important at that time to me. I could have made time for it. I just didn’t. Now I am trying to reconnect with a part of me. I am in the process connecting on a new level with my son.

When life gets busy, I have the tendency to put things to the side. I know that there are certain things that have to get done. Cooking, cleaning, laundry, helping my kids with various projects, and blogging (most necessary)  are just a few of these things. However, there is one thing that I cannot afford to put to the side and that is my time with God. Spending time with God should be at the top of my priority list. Bible reading and prayer are absolutely on my must do list. If this area is lacking, I tend to have difficulty with the rest of the list. I have trouble with productivity, and irritability. When I am full of Christ and I am “bumped” with circumstances, Christ will flow out. When I am full of myself and “bumped”, a whole lot of ugly comes out. I have to have that time with God to reconnect with Him every day. I want to stay focused on Him so I will know when He is trying to speak to me.

Perhaps, you have something that you used to do that you have set aside. Maybe it is time to reconnect with that part of you. I hope more than this that spending time with God is at the top of your list of things to do today. When we put him first, everything else tends fall into place. Maybe you won’t have time to do that 5th load of laundry or other projects that you had planned, but when circumstances make their way into your life you have can have peace in your heart knowing that you started in the right place: at the feet of Jesus.

“But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. ~ Psalm 1:2-3

 

The Deadly Duo

I’ve done it again. As I was elbows deep in a project at work, I found myself stopping what I was doing to make some minor adjustments to one of the columns of the form I was typing. It was not lined up perfectly. Perfectionism strikes again!!! Just when I think I have this particular problem licked, it pops up again.  The problem I am running across is not so much a perfection problem, but a problem in another area, pride. Ouch! The Deadly Duo strikes again!

When I work and work to perform perfectly, 100% of the time I have to deal with the issue of pride.  For as far back as I can remember I have dealt with the drive to be perfect. As a girl I was not skinny, I was not large either just kind of average. I was picked on by the skinny girls in school. I often wore my feelings on my sleeve so I guess I made an easy target. In high school, I struggled with school work. It would drive me nuts to miss a problem on a test and to miss more was heart breaking. The same girls I had dealings with in grade school followed me into high school. The pokes and prods were more subtle, but we both knew what they meant. The drive to achieve and be liked were my primary focus. I had given my life to God, yet these issues were a constant struggle. The perfection I was trying to attain was my down fall. When I did something just right, I tended to gloat over that saying to myself, “Just look what you have done!” 

Please, Please do not misunderstand what I am saying. I should always strive to do my best in whatever I undertake and when something is done well it gives me a good feeling inside. On the other hand, there is also an unhealthy pride that can cause me to filled up with myself and focus only on me, me, me.  My focus should not be on what I have done, but on what God has accomplished through me. My focus should always be on doing my best for God’s glory, so He will receive the praise and others will be pointed to Him. It is all about relinquishing control. Most recovering and acting perfectionists can tell the difference and can identify when pride is an issue or not. Let me share with you what God has shown me this week.

In the Word of God, we can find the answers we need to combat the sin of perfectionism and pride. While reading last week, I found a portion of Scripture that I had read before, but God opened my eyes and gave me new understanding on this familiar passage. In Galatians 3:3, we read, “Are ye so foolish  having  begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?” Paul is addressing the problem the Galatians were having with Salvation. They were trying to add to what Christ had done on the cross, and reverting back to the law rather than having and acting in faith. Verse 3 continues with this thought, and that is how I had always viewed these verses. At once, I felt God asking me “Don’t you know you are being foolish? You have trusted me for the provision of Salvation, yet you are continually trying to perform perfectly in your flesh. It is time to give up control and trust me. You don’t have to be perfect. Let me work through you and leave the results to Me.”  His gentle voice went straight to my heart. I have been thinking and acting in the flesh (which is full of pride) and not in the Spirit. Maybe you are with me on this, and you struggle with this issue also. There is hope for you and me. The more I am filled up with Him; the less I am filled up with myself.

The question is “How do we combat these sins of perfectionism and pride?” As with any sin the first step is to recognize it for what it is and ask our Heavenly Father for forgiveness. When this first became an issue I did not want to recognize that this “drive to be perfect” was a sin. Pride again was rearing its ugly head. Recognition and acknowledgment is where we must begin. 

Secondly, Pray, Pray, Pray! When you find yourself tempted, pray for help. God has never turned away from us when we cried out to Him and He never will.  Psalm 18:6 reads, “In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.”  God is waiting to hear from you. He doesn’t want you to struggle. He wants you overcome and you can through Him.

Thirdly, Search God’s Word and find Scripture that you can run to when you need it most. The following verses in Psalm 18 helped me, “As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him… It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.”(Verse 30 & 32)  When we see what God can do through us, It is so much better than for us to try and do it for ourselves. His way is perfect, so we don’t have to try to be.  Praise Him! God is our help, our deliverer!

Combat the deadly duo with prayer and praise. You won’t be sorry.

 

Surprise, Surprise!

Have you ever thought that you knew something for a certainty only to have it be totally different than what you thought? Surely you have experienced this wonderful thing called, “Surprise”. Let me explain my latest “surprise” moment.

 

If you have read my blog for any length of time, you will know that we have quite the cat population dwelling among us. We have had a lot of success when it comes to producing a small herd only to give them away before the next herd comes along. Marshmallow, the mother of all cats in this neck of the woods, had a litter of several and we kept one of the boy cats whom we affectionately call Mocha. Then, with the last litter we kept another boy cat who we call Tom rounding out our kittys to a nice manageable number. Last week we noticed that once again Marshmallow was looking fuller than usual. Here we go again. On Saturday morning, Glen, our youngest, came running in and said he found 4 kittens on the porch. Marshmallow came running up also looking her usual thin self. Wow! We fixed up a bed for them and made them nice and cozy. I went back inside to cook breakfast. In a few minutes, Glen came back in and shouted, “Mocha is laying down with the kittens and trying to feed them! That is so weird.” Weird indeed.  Our sweet little boy cat is actually a sweet little girl cat. Mocha (pictured above) is a new mommy! When the realization set in, I realized that we have 7 cats that we know of, and probably some more that Marshmallow has had at another location. Our cat explosion has reached new heights. I couldn’t have been more surprised.

So often in our lives, we are caught by surprise when we least expect it. Our lives are turned upside down by circumstances. How we choose to react to these surprising moments show us what we are made of! Abraham had quite a few surprises in his life. First, Abraham was called by God to follow Him to a place where Abraham did not know where he was going. (Genesis 12)  Later, God told Abraham that he was to have a son in his old age with his wife who was beyond the childbearing years. (Genesis 21)  After that, God asked Abraham to take his beloved son of promise up a mountain and sacrifice him to God. (Genesis 22)   In each instance, Abraham showed us his character in following God, but Abraham also showed us a great faith in the one who had created him. Though we are often surprised by the events that take place in our lives, God is never taken by surprise. He has a divine plan for each of us. God takes us to places we never expected to go in order to teach us.  God will show to us the most amazing things when we simply follow His leading as Abraham did. In these times when God surprises us with something He does, may the strength of our character be revealed to us and may our faith in a great God be seen by those around us.

Hey, anybody want a kitten? Just pay $9.95 shipping and handling and surprise the one you love the most!!!!   (Just Kidding!)