Faith, Hope, and Charity

Forget What Lies Behind

2008-01-28T17:43:00.000-06:00

Are you sick of me posting these emails from Joel Osteen? Today was another one that spoke to me. A lot of them lately have been talking about God working behind the scenes on my behalf. I like that. I need His help!

Today's Scripture
“This one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind I press forward to what lies ahead” (Philippians 3:13).
Today's Word from Joel and Victoria
Are you determined to forget what lies behind? I know many people don’t fully understand what it means to forget the past. They wonder, “How can I forget something that’s happened to me?” But one definition of the word forget means to disregard intentionally, or to overlook. You have to intentionally disregard your past so that it doesn’t keep you from moving forward. That means the good and the bad. Sometimes our past victories keep us from rising higher as much as past failures. If we don’t let go of the old, we’ll never be able to embrace the new. It doesn’t matter what’s happened in your history, it’s time to forget what lies behind. Make the choice today to press forward. Trust that God has a better future in store for you. Trust that He’s working behind the scenes on your behalf. As you forget what lies behind and press forward, you will see the abundant life the Lord has in store for you!
A Prayer for Today
Father in Heaven, I choose to forget the past today. I don’t want anything to hold me back from the future You have prepared for me. I choose forgiveness and ask that You help me, by Your Spirit, to press forward in every area of my life. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

2008-01-27T16:10:00.000-06:00

I was organizing my "My Pictures" folder on the computer and ran across this comic strip. I hate the smell of cigarette smoke, but my #1 pet peeve about smokers is that they litter the world with their butts!

Put on Christ

2008-01-25T07:26:00.000-06:00

In the future life a Christian will not be tested as to whether he performed vigils, whether he prayed, whether he wept, or performed any other such good deeds in the present life; but he will be carefully tested as to whether he has some kind of likeness to Christ, as a son to his father, as the Apostle Paul also says: "My little children over whom I am again in travail until Christ be formed in you" (Gal 4:19). "For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Gal 3:27). ~ Saint Symeon the New Theologian via the Magnificat

Do All That is in Your Heart

2008-01-24T20:36:00.000-06:00

This was the Today's Word I received today. Right now, my biggest desire is for this move we are considering.

Today's Scripture
“Then Nathan said to David, Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you.” (I Chronicles 17:2). Today's Word from Joel and Victoria
What is in your heart today? What are the dreams and desires deep on the inside of you? Maybe you want to start a business, or ministry, or go back to school. Whatever is in your heart, ask the Lord to confirm it to you. God leads us by desires, but we have to first submit our desires to Him. Sometimes we have to allow Him to change our desires, but know that He is always out for your good. It says in the book of Psalms that God gives us the desires of our heart. That means He places desires within us then brings them to pass so that we can live a fulfilled life here on earth. I believe David did this very thing. He was known as a man after God’s own heart. He submitted His heart to the Lord, and then Nathan came along and said, “Yes. Do what is in your heart. God is with you.” Whatever is in your heart today, submit it to the Lord. Trust that He is out for your good and working behind the scenes on your behalf. As you put your faith and trust in Him, He will guide you in the life of victory He has in store for you!
A Prayer for Today
Heavenly Father, today I submit my dreams and desire to You. I trust that You are out for my good, and I desire only Your plan for my life. Confirm the plans You have for me so that I can walk in Your ways. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Wednesday Walk

2008-01-23T06:07:00.000-06:00

Since I am going to be giving the 4th Day talk at the walk I am working, I thought it would be a good idea for me to start reviewing the reunion sheet every week. So, Wednesday's will now be "Wednesday Walk" days.

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful and kindle in them the fire of Your love. Send forth Your Holy Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth. O, God, Who by the light of the Holy Spirit did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and every enjoy Your consolations. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.

Review your service sheet - Christ needs you. He needs you committed in faith, so that you may witness that faith in Christ with your brothers and sisters through:
Your Spiritual Life - Morning Devotion, Prayer Life, Worship Attendance, Communion, Spiritual Retreat
Your Study - Reading Holy Scriptures, Daily Spiritual Guides, Religious publications, Denominational newspapers, Religious magazines, Bible studies, Church school classes, Religious Seminars
Your Action - What have you done during this week so Christ will be better known and loved in your: Family, vocation, community, small group, Christian community

Closest to Christ - At what moment this past week did you feel closest to Christ? I found out on Monday night that a good friend, sort of mentor to me will also be working the walk. It was a confirmation that I was supposed to say yet.
Call to Discipleship - At what moment during this week did you feel you were responding to God's call to be His disciple? Saying yes to work the walk.
Discipleship Denied - When was your faith tested this week through failure? We should minister and show Christ's love to our family members first and I am not good with that. Honey was here this weekend and didn't have school Monday and I was annoyed and ready to have my house back to myself. I got angry with Sugar Pop yesterday because he needed to be up early and interrupted my quiet time. (I really hope to have a "room" in our new house that is "mine" and not a multi-purpose room like I have now.)
Your old plan - I didn't have a plan.
Your new plan - What is your plan for spirituality, study, and action for the week to come? Spirituality ~ Morning Quiet Time, Worship on Sunday - perhaps visit someplace since Sugar Pop is not playing this weekend.
Study ~ Continue reading my Magnificat daily. I need to make some time to read in Ordering Your Private World. I haven't read it in a while and would like to finish it.
Action ~ Start working on talk - at least scan the outline. Start working on February newsletter.

Prayer of Thanksgiving: Almighty God, who lives and reigns forever, we give You thanks for all the gifts You have bestowed upon us. Amen.

Anniversary of Roe vs Wade

2008-01-22T07:32:00.000-06:00

America will not reject abortion until America sees abortion.

Empty Wells

2008-01-21T07:48:00.000-06:00

From Lose it for Life Day by Day, April 28th (Day 118 Binge-Free):

Placing unrealistic expectations on others is like going to an empty well that cannot give us what we need. This may be a familiar scenario for you when you think about your parents, spouse, employer, friends or even your church. We all go back to these empty wells, demanding and pouting for them to give us what we want: attention, support, nurturing, acknowledgement, praise. When they can't deliver in the ways we expect, we may become more demanding, and even judgemental or indignant, about how they have failed us.

This feeling from being let down has been one of our invitations to fill the void with food, either by over-consuming or over-controlling it. We rationalize that because we have unmet needs, we deserve to treat ourselves with desserts, or a snack or just large quantities of food. Then, disappointed in ourselves, we fall into discontent and shame.

It is actually our expectations that are off track. We need to look at all our empty wells with forgiveness, realizing that the people we love are doing the best they can with what they know. We must let go of our demands upon them to give us what they do not possess to give. Then we must turn to Jesus for our deeper spiritual thirst to be met.

Today, Lord, forgive me for going to empty wells and demanding that all my needs be met. I want to run to You and drink from the bottomless well of Your presence, love, and mercy.

Walk to Emmaus

2008-01-20T07:44:00.000-06:00

I got a call on Friday to work a Walk to Emmaus in May. I hesitated saying yes because I have just been off work for 6 weeks for my surgery and I will be off a week in March for spring break. And of course we are condsidering moving. If we do decide to move, I am going to have lots to do and I would also feel a litle guilty about taking another 3 days off work. But, I sent an email to my boss and he said it was fine (he doesn't know about the potentional move). Then I discussed with my husband. If we do decide to move it will be this summer and he made the comment that he doesn't want to neglect the Lord's work. So, I called the lay diretor and said yes.

Sowing Seeds of Peace

2008-01-18T07:48:00.001-06:00

From Grace for the Moment, January 18th, by Max Lucado

Plant good, harvest the fruit of loyalty, plow the new ground of knowledge. ~ Hosea 10:12

Want to see a miracle? Plant a word of love heartdeep in a person's life. Nurture it with a smile and a prayer, and watch what happens.

An employee gets a complement. A wife receives a bouquet of flowers. A cake is baked and carried next door. A widow is hugged. A gas-station attendant is honored. A preacher is praised.

Sowing seeds of peace is like sowing beans. You don't know why it works; you just know it does. Seeds are planted, and topsoils of hurt are shoved away.

Don't forget the principle. Never underestimate the power of a seed.

Paranoid or Cautious?

2008-01-17T21:04:00.000-06:00

The doorbell rang tonight about 8:30. I was home by myself and I wasn't expecting anyone. I didn't get up and answer it. This is normal for me...I seldom answer the door when I am not expecting anyone. Most of the times when I have answered the door, it has ended up being someone trying to sell something door-to-door. Door-to-door sales people are probably the main reason I have stopped answering the door. But, when the door bell rings after dark and I am home alone, it does make me nervous.

Apparently it was just the UPS man because when Sugar Pop got home, he looked on the porch and there was a package.

Does anyone else not answer their door?

A Course in Miracles

2008-01-16T07:52:00.000-06:00

I give you a command in the sight of God and Christ Jesus. Christ will judge the living and the dead. Because he and his kingdom are coming, here is the command I give you. Preach the word. Be ready to serve God in good times and bad. Correct people's mistakes. Warn them. Cheer them up with words of hope. Be very patient as you do these things. Teach them carefully. The time will come when people won't put up with true teaching. Instead, they will try to satisfy their own longings. They will gather a large number of teachers around them. The teachers will say what the people want to hear. The people will turn their ears away from the truth. They will turn to stories that aren't completely true. But I want you to keep your head no matter what happens. Don't give up when times are hard. Work to spread the good news. Do everything God has given you to do. ~ 2 Timothy 4:1-5

An old boyfriend/boss of mine emailed me today and asked me about A Course in Miracles. Back in the early 90's when I was working for him, I read Marianne Williamson's book A Return to Love and he of course remembered this (he is smart like that). Anyway, apparently she is now on Oprah and Friends and going through the 365 lessons from A Course in Miracles. Anyway his question was whether I thought it was good or evil. Now, he was an atheist when we were together and when I worked for him, and as far as I know he still is. I have had him on my prayer list for a long time...and as of the first of the year, I have actually been looking at and praying through my prayer list everyday. I felt it was significant that I received this email from him and then I read the scripture above when I was searching for the scripture I would email out to my list today. I have thought on how I should respond to him all day. I want to encourage him to study Christianity because I believe if he does he will learn the Truth. I didn't want to say anything that would lead him to discount Christianity. Below is my response to him.

I guess I don't really have an opinion on A Course in Miracles itself as I never finished it. I read the book A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson and really liked it - I actually read it twice. I bought the Course in Miracles and the index cards with the 365 lessons, but I didn't get very far in either. I'm not sure if it was because I lacked the discipline at the time, or maybe it didn't hold my attention. I don't remember that it had anything offensive to me, but I remember that it led me to study Christianity further instead. I guess because I knew Christianity and the Bible came first and this came along later (like Mormonism), I decided to start at the beginning. So, I don't think that A Course in Miracles is the Truth. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life. But because I think my reading A Return to Love and hence A Course in Miracles contributed to my journey to a closer relationship to Jesus Christ, I wouldn't call it evil. Maybe if I read the whole thing, I might have a different opinion, but I didn't, so that's all the opinion I can form. Have you ever read it? I remember that you asked me about it a while back.

I wrote him the truth. I never did read the whole thing, so I can't really form an opinion on it. But like I said, it did lead me to investigate Christianity and I think it helped lead me to be the person in Christ that I am today. God writes straight with crooked lines.

Strengths Finder

2008-01-15T16:48:00.000-06:00

I am reading the book Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckinghma and Donald O. Clifton, Ph.D. I took the Strengths Finder quiz this afternoon and my top five talents are:

Discipline
People strong in the Discipline theme enjoy routine and structure. Their world is best described by the order they create.

Consistency
People strong in the Consistency theme are keenly aware of the need to treat people the same. They try to treat everyone in the world with consistency by setting up clear rules and adhering to them.

Harmony
People strong in the Harmony theme look for consensus. They don't enjoy conflict; rather, they seek areas of agreement.

Responsibility
People strong in the Responsibility theme take psychological ownership of what they say they will do. They are committed to stable values such as honesty and loyalty.

Intellection
People strong in the Intellection theme are characterized by their intellectual activity. They are introspective and appreciate intellectual discussions.

Expect Good Things

2008-01-14T17:09:00.000-06:00

Today's Scripture
“Surely goodness and loving-kindness will follow me all the days of my life…” (Psalm 23:6).
Today's Word from Joel and Victoria
What are you expecting today? Are you expecting to rise higher in life? Are you expecting good breaks? Are you expecting goodness to follow you everywhere you go? If you are expecting to get the short end of the stick, your own wrong thinking will keep you in mediocrity. Remember, God will meet you at the level of your expectations. Pay attention to what you are thinking about and make the choice to believe God for good things. Every day, imagine there are blessings, favor, increase, and promotion in your path. They already have your name on it! It’s just a matter of time before you come across them. Start confessing everyday “Something good is going to happen to me today.” Stand strong when trouble comes, knowing that your best days are ahead. Believe that God’s blessings will overtake you! Expect goodness and mercy to chase you down. If you’ll learn to raise your level of expectancy, God will pour out His blessings and favor on you. You’ll rise to new levels and live the life of victory He has in store.
A Prayer for Today
Heavenly Father, today I expect your goodness and loving-kindness to surround me. I choose to believe that my best days are right out in front of me. Help me stand strong in You so that I can see Your blessing in every area of my life. In Jesus’ Name.

Prayer

2008-01-12T16:42:00.000-06:00

I received the following in an email from my Uncle...one of those things you are supposed to forward to everyone. I really like this pray and thought I would share it here.

Dear Lord, I thank you for this day. I thank You for my being able to see and to hear this morning. I'm blessed because You are a forgiving God and an understanding God. You have done so much for me and You keep on blessing me. Forgive me this day for everything I have done, said or thought that was not pleasing to you. I ask now for Your forgiveness.

Please keep me safe from all danger and harm. Help me to start this day with a new attitude and plenty of gratitude. Let me make the best of each and every day to clear my mind so that I can hear from You.

Please broaden my mind that I can accept all things.

Let me not whine and whimper over things I have no control over. Let me continue to see sin through Your eyes and acknowledge it as evil. And when I sin, let me repent, and confess with my mouth of my wrongdoing, and receive forgiveness.

And when this world closes in on me, let me remember Jesus' example -- to slip away and find a quiet place to pray. It's the best response when I'm pushed beyond my limits. I know that when I can't pray, You listen to my heart. Continue to use me to do Your will.

Continue to bless me that I may be a blessing to others. Keep me strong that I may help the weak. Keep me uplifted that I may have words of encouragement for others. I pray for those who are lost and can't find their way. I pray for those who are misjudged and misunderstood. I pray for those who don't know You intimately. I pray for those who don't believe. But I thank you that I believe.

I believe that You change people and You change things for good reasons. I pray for all my sisters and brothers. For each and every one of my family members and friends and their families. I pray for peace, love and joy in their homes that they are out of debt and all their needs are met.

I pray that every eye that reads this knows there is no problem, circumstance, or situation greater than You. Every battle is in Your hands for You to fight. I pray that these words be received into the hearts of every eye that sees them and every mouth that confesses them willingly.

This is my prayer.

In Jesus' Name,

Amen.

Fear of Change

2008-01-11T05:49:00.000-06:00

We must learn how to look into our fears because we cannot let ourselves be controlled by fear. We have to look our fears right in the face and we can't always do it by ourselves. We need to be helped, because if we can't look death and failure in the face, well, then we can never live because to live means to risk, to do things, to have projects which might fail, which might go wrong. We cannot be totally secure for everything; we must discover inside ourselves this power that we have been given to receive the Holy Spirit, not alone, with with others in the community, to decide to go forward and risk things. ~ Jean Vanier via The Magnificat

This was good for me to read today. I must say that I am afraid of change and afraid of failure. It is what has kept me stuck in my current job. I have been in a rut at work. It is not a very challenging jobs and I feel like my skills have waned because of that. I need a change, but I am afraid of a change because I am afraid of failure and of the unknown. Now we are talking about moving and that is going to be a HUGE change. It scares me. But it is also exciting. I don't think I would ever make such a big move on my own, but I've got my wonderful husband to make the move with me. It is going to be an adventure.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2008-01-10T05:52:00.000-06:00

Today is my first 39th birthday. Don't worry. I am not going to be one of those people who "stays" 39. I am actually looking forward to turning 40. Yes, I know that seems strange. But, I am 16 years younger than my husband and the youngest of all my siblings. Almost all of our couple friends are closer to my husband's age than mine. So even though I am getting older they are all still older than me. And because I have always been around older people, I realize that getting older is not such a bad thing. Besides...every birthday means I am one year closer to retirement and ultimately one year closer to the day I get to go be with my Lord.

Contentment?

2008-01-09T08:09:00.000-06:00

I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ~ Philippians 4:11

I have not learned to be content. I am dreading going back to the office next week. I am so sick of where I work. I have been praying and waiting for a new job for a long time now. However, I am glad that I don't have it yet. I had plenty of sick leave accrued to take off for my surgery which I would not have had with a new job. Since we are now thinking about relocating, a new job is still several months away. But with the move, I will definitely be getting a new job. I am looking forward to it.

Angels

2008-01-07T18:58:00.001-06:00

My mother collected angels. Some were out all the time and some she just put out in a display at Christmas. I inherited some of them when she passed away and then I add to the collection every year on her birthday (she had a December birthday). This year I put them out the weekend of the time change and I will leave them up until Groundhog Day (which is also the half-way point of winter and the Feast of the Presentation).

Fear of Change

2008-01-04T06:34:00.000-06:00

We are often afraid of change because it means giving up something we want or losing something we already have. We protect even the painful way things are because familiarity seems so much more comfortable and less scary. Like the Gerasene people, we may be so afraid of change that we are limiting God's ability to work and more us forward. ~ Lose it for Life Day by Day, April 11th

The fear of change is my biggest obstacle for this move we are thinking of making (the 2nd biggest is fear of the traffic I will have to endure there).

I read this really good quote this morning:

If you think the name 'Jesus' continually, it purges your sin and kindles your heart; it clarifies your soul, it removes anger and does away with slowness. It wounds in love and fulfills charity. It chases the devil and puts out dread. It opens heaven, and makes you a contemplative. It puts all vices and phantoms from the lover. ~ Richard Rolle via the Magnificat, January 3rd

Reactions of Others

2008-01-03T13:42:00.000-06:00

This is from Lose it For Life Day by Day, April 10th.

We must be aware that some people will have doubts and may attempt to sabotage our progress in recovery, even when they are happy for us. They may say, "A little won't hurt!" or, "You can't have that ever?" This can be discouraging and throw us off track if we again focus our attention on deprivation rather than the fullness of life in God.

We must stay focused on how Jesus is restoring us to our "right mind." We have been given the opportunity to allow God to do the impossible through us. Sitting at the feet of Jesus -- a surrendered position -- we have become God-focused instead of food-focused. We begin to lose or maintain weight and grow spiritually. We are not bothered by the negative reactions of others.

I like eating a healthy diet. I feel better. It is easy to maintain my weight. I sleep better. My skin looks better. But there always seem to be food-pushers around. The holidays come and there are special holiday foods to eat and people look at you funny if you don't eat those foods. Or we go on vacation and my routine is thrown off and I don't want to bother with bringing along food to stick to my routine. However, because I know how much better I feel when I stick to my food plan, when events arise that through me off, I am much quicker about getting back to normal. And because I have finally learned what works for me, I am not tempted to try every diet plan (or "non-diet" plan) that comes out. I am in a good place. I like it. I have been working on being binge-free. Today is day 100! This is the year I am going to be binge-free. I just need to remember to "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing but the body is weak." ~ Matthew 26:41.

New Year

2008-01-02T17:44:00.000-06:00

I am reading through Streams in the Desert this year. Below is a quote from yesterday's reading.

Today we stand at the threshold of the unknown. Before us lies a new year, and we are going forward to take possession of it. Who knows what we will find? What new experiences or changes will come our way? What new needs will arise? In spite of the uncertainty before us, we have a cheerful and comforting message from our heavenly Father: "The Lord your God cares for [it]; the eyes of the Lord...are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end." Deu 11:11-12

We are seriously thinking about moving this year. There is a lot of uncertainty before us and if we do move a lot of changes. 2008 could be a year of adventure.

Each Day...

2008-01-01T08:09:00.000-06:00

From Grace for the Moment by Max Lucado:

Each Day...
It's quiet. It's early. My coffee is hot. The sky is still black. The world is still asleep. The day is coming.
In a few moments the day will arrive. It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun. The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm of solitude will be replaced by the pounding pace of the human race. The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met.
For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day's demands. It is now that I must make a choice. Because of Calvary, I'm free to choose. And so I choose.
I Choose Love...
No Occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love. Today I will love God and what God Loves.
I Choose Joy...
I will invite God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical...the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.
I Choose Peace...
I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.
I Choose Patience...
I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I'll invite him to do so. Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clinching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.
I Choose Kindness...
I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God treated me.
I Choose Goodness...
I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I boast. I will confess before I will accuse. I choose goodness.
I Choose Faithfulness...
Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My [spouse] will not question my love. And my children will never fear that their [parent] will not come home.
I Choose Gentleness...
Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.
I Choose Self-Control...
I am a spiritual being...After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal. I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ. I choose self-control.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek grace. And then when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest.

A friend gave me this devotional book about three years ago and I have never read through the whole thing. Being the first of the year, I was looking through my books to see what I might want to read through this year and saw this. It is going to go beside my makeup mirror to be read each morning. I really liked this preface to the devotional. It would be a great prayer to begin each day.

(Note: When I quoted things I used to put my comments in green, but starting today I will be putting what I quote in green.)

LESSONS FROM A BUZZARD, A BAT & A BUMBLEBEE

2007-12-28T09:02:00.000-06:00

I pray to you, LORD. So when the time is right, answer me and help me with your wonderful love. ~ Psalm 69:13 (CEV)

My sister sent me this today:

LESSONS FROM A BUZZARD, A BAT & A BUMBLEBEE
BUZZARD
If you put a buzzard in a pen that is 6' x 8' and is entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of its ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of 10-12.' Without space to run, as is its habit, it will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small jail with no top.
BAT
The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkably nimble creature in the air, cannot take off from a level place. If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and painfully until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash.
BUMBLEBEE
A bumblebee, if dropped into an open tumbler, will be there until it dies, unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom. It will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself.
PEOPLE
In many ways, we are like the buzzard, the bat and the bumblebee. We struggle about with all our problems and frustrations, never realizing that all we have to do is
look up. Sorrow looks back, worry looks around, but faith looks up.

Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly and trust in our Creator who loves us.

I need to look to God to answer my prayers and to help me with my fear of change and of the unknown.

Relocation

2007-12-27T20:50:00.000-06:00

I have lived in three different towns during my life, all within 90 miles of each other. Each time I moved to a different town it was with my parents. I have lived in this town for 20 years. I have moved several times in the last 20 years, but I have never moved to a new city on my own. Sugar Pop and I are thinking of relocating to the Dallas/Fort Worth area. I have never moved so far in my life. I have no idea how to pack things up to safely make a move like that. And how will I do with the rat race of the area. I am used to a 10 minute commute to work. I can't imagine a half hour or an hour commute like some people make. I long for a simple life. There will be more opportunities there, but will there be any opportunity for simplicity?

One More Christmas Meal

2007-12-26T11:53:00.000-06:00

Since this is an odd-numbered year, Honey will be coming over today and staying with us until January 1st. Tonight we will have our Christmas meal with her.

This is what I traditionally make for Christmas and Easter:

Ham
Broccoli Rice Casserole
Curried Fruit
Rolls

At Christmas time I make Peppermint Pie for dessert.

Recipes:

Ham
I always get a butt end ham and cook it all day in the crockpot along with a can (including the juice) of pineapple slices. Discard the juice and pineapple as they will have absorbed a lot of the salt from the ham.

Broccoli Rice Casserole
1 small onion
1 pkg frozen broccoli
1 cup Minute Rice
1 can cream of mushroom soup
½ cup water
½ cup Cheez Whiz (I use more)
½ cup milk
1 TBSP butter
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saute onion in butter. Add broccoli and rice and mix. Add remaining ingredients and stir. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Curried Fruit
29 oz cans (or equivalent) of the following fruits (or may vary as desired):
Peaches, Pears, Apricots, Pineapple slices, Mandarin Oranges
1 stick butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 TBS corn starch
1 TBS curry (We like curry, so I use more)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Drain fruit and discard juice. Place fruit in large casserole dish. Combine brown sugar, corn starch, & curry. Sprinkle over fruit. Slice butter and place on fruit. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Rolls
These are store bought. My favorite right now with this meal is Alexia Ciabatta Rolls

Peppermint Pie
1 oreo cookie pie crust
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
red food coloring (optional)
1 8 oz tub of cool whip
1 cup crushed peppermint candies (about 12 candy canes)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk. Stir in extract, food coloring, and candy. Fold in whipped topping. Pour into pie crust. Freeze 6 hours or until firm. This makes more than will fit in the pie crust, but probably not quite enough for two. This year I had some little chocolate dessert cups so I filled those with the leftovers for little individual servings.

Ordering Your Private World

2007-12-25T08:07:00.000-06:00

I went to Drug Emporium yesterday for vitamins and as I was walking past the books Ordering Your Private World by Gordon MacDonald caught my eye. I love order and organization, so I guess that is why it grabbed my attention, so I bought it.

This morning I read the preface and this section made me think of the previous pastor at our church:

Natural gifts such as personal charisma, mental brightness, emotional strength, and organizational ability can impress and motivate people for a long time. Sometimes they can be mistaken for spiritual vitality and depth. Sadly, we do not have a Christian culture today that easily discriminates between a person of spiritual depth and a person of raw talent. Like the wheat and the tares of Jesus' parable, they can be difficult to distinguish. The result is that more than a few people can be fooled into thinking they are being influenced by a spiritual giant when in fact they are being manipulated by a dwarf.

We must always be aware that there are leaders who can build great organizations (including churches) on natural gifts. Say the right words, be smart enough to do the right things, be insightful enough to connect with the right people, and one can go a long way before anyone ever discovers that the inner life is close to empty.

Our former pastor was a gifted preacher, but he struggled with a sexual addiction. Even though he had an accountability partner, he did not remain accountable to him and eventually he left our congregation because of an affair. I am sad that we lost such a talented preacher, but I suppose that he was not the "spiritual giant" that he appeared to be.

Friend to Self

2007-12-23T07:20:00.000-06:00

The following is from Lose it for Life Day by Day, March 29th. I was supposed to read this yesterday but I never got around to it. I needed it today because yesterday was a splurge because we went out to eat at our favorite Italian restaurant. I would have been tempted to beat myself up about that today, had I not read this.

A friend loves at all times. ~ Proverbs 17:17

We need the acceptance and love of dear friends who will support our mission to recover health and who will walk beside us through thick and thin (no pun intended). We need those into whom we can pour ourselves as well, and offer the same love and presence that is so important to us.

By being a friend who loves at all times, we find that we have something of value to offer. We can make a difference in the life of someone who will be blessed by our love.

Today, we have the perfect candidate to start blessing. This person desperately needs us to come through with consistent kindness. It is the person named "Myself." Just as we are friends with others, so we can be a friend to ourselves. Rather than condemn ourselves with cruelty we wouldn't give to a mangy dog, we can instead be gentle, acting from love at all times. We can support our own mission for healthy living and offer the same spirit of compassion that we so desperately need from others. We can receive and give love in friendship; we can be a friend to self.

Today, Lord, may I receive the love of my friends and offer that love to myself and to others.

Vacuuming

2007-12-21T12:00:00.000-06:00

A friend of mine came over this morning with her teenage son and she had him vacuum the house for me while we visited. If you ever know someone who has had surgery, this is a really nice thing to do for them. My floors were getting really gross looking, so even though he was not as compulsive about vacuuming in straight lines as I would be, it is so nice to that they are clean again.

Goals for 2007

2007-12-20T19:52:00.000-06:00

Since 2007 is starting to wind down, I thought I should look at the goals I set for the year and see how I am doing.

Goals for the Spiritual Journey
Read through the bible using the Max Lucado Devotional Bible ~ I'm on track to complete this.
Read A Year with C.S. Lewis ~ I am a few days behind on this, but will complete it.
Read My Utmost for His Highest ~ I'm on track to complete this.
Review "Memorize the Message" scriptures. I will at least review the current week but I won't stress out about memorizing each week. ~ I did not memorize any scriptures, but I have kept up with them. Currently, the verse of the week is in my closet so I can review it every day when I put on my jewelry.
Journalling ~ This blog has been my journal and I have done good with posting almost daily. I think I could go "deeper" with my posts and maybe as I continue blogging I will eventually do that.

Goals for the Fitness Journey
Maintain weekly average weight between 127 and 131 ~ Somewhere during the year, I decided this weight range was too low for me and I changed it to 130-134. I haven't been in my weight range every week of the year, but I am there now.
Average 30 minutes of exercise per day ~ I have done this up until my surgery and I am looking forward to getting back to my exercise routine when I am recovered.
Keep track of exercise using www.fitnessjournal.com ~ Done.
Attend Weight Watcher's Meeting at least once a month ~ Done and free lifetime every month.
Set up at least one appointment with a trainer at the gym ~ Not done and too late to do since I can't exercise right now.
Keep tracking of my "Healthy Habits," adjust them once a month, and spend the dimes I "earn." ~ The only time I did not track my habits was the last few days before my surgery and the two weeks following my surgery.
Buy a heart rate monitor ~ Done.

So, I would say that I have successfully acheived my goals for 2007. Now it is time to start planning my goals for 2008.

Chronicles of Narnia

2007-12-19T12:41:00.000-06:00

This morning I started reading the Chronicles of Narnia series along with A Family Guide to Narnia. I had already read The Magician's Nephew and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe two years ago (after having read TLTW&TW when I was in elementary school). I have been struggling whether I should start at the beginning again, or should I start with the 3rd book (The Horse and His Boy). I finally decided to start with The Magician's Nephew because I am off work for 4 more weeks and I have plenty of time to read the first two books again.

Since my surgery I have already read NINE books. I love to read and I wish I had more time to read. Having extra time on my hands during my recovery has been wonderful. I will miss all this reading when I have to go back to work.

Supporters, Not Judges

2007-12-18T13:28:00.000-06:00

From the Lose it For Life Devotional, March 23rd:

There is a fine line between helping others to follow the Lord's pat and trying to control or push them into the way we believe is right. We may be tempted to tell everyone about our food plan because it works for us, and it seems like we should share it. But it may not work for everyone. They need to consult with their own doctor or nutritionist, who can guide them for the health of their bodies.

As godly supporters and encouragers for those on a like journey, we are not to evaluate whether they are "doing it right," or look down on them for making too many mistakes, or give them unsolicited advice. We can share our experience with what works for us and the success we have found when we take certain actions. This communicates hope to others, not judgment, and allows them to find their own path and accountability with the Lord. We are each His servant, and He is the One who is able to help each of us stand.

Pursue Your Strengths

2007-12-17T13:29:00.000-06:00

Today's Scripture
“Do not neglect your gift…” (I Timothy 4:14).
Today's Word from Joel and Victoria
God has equipped each one of us with specific gifts and talents. It’s up to you to not only to identify those gifts, but to be disciplined to develop those gifts. You have to learn to stay in your strength zone. What are you naturally good at? What do you enjoy doing? Take the time to identify your strengths and weaknesses and as the scripture says, give yourself to your gifts. In other words, don’t spend all your time trying to improve your weaknesses. Don’t waste valuable days pursuing things that are outside your main gifting. Focus on your strengths. There is something that you’re good at naturally—something you can do that comes easy to you. Step out into your area of gifting. Are you good with people? Are you good with your hands? Do you have a great voice? Find ways to develop those gifts. Know that your gifts and talents are a part of your divine destiny. If you’ll be comfortable with who God made you to be, and thank Him for your unique gifting, you’ll not only enjoy your life more, but you’ll be ready to receive the abundant blessing God has in store for you!
A Prayer for Today
Heavenly Father, thank You for equipping me with everything I need to be successful in this life. I ask that You show me how to develop the gifts within me for Your glory. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

I received this a few weeks ago and I saved it because it was a reminder to order the book Now, Discover Your Strengths that I heard about at a seminar I attended a couple of months ago. I finally got around to ordering the book today, so I thought I would post this to my blog. I know that I have strengths and abilities that God has given me and I look forward to identifying them and developing them.

Recovering

2007-12-14T21:10:00.001-06:00

It has been 10 days since my surgery and my recovery is going well. I am so glad to have the surgery behind me. My surgery was Tuesday, December 4th. I got to go home on Thursday afternoon. On Monday I went to the doctor to have my staples removed. Every day it gets easier and easier to get around. Hopefully I will feel up to start posting daily again very soon.

Shape Worries into Prayers

2007-11-30T05:55:00.000-06:00

This is from my Lose it for Life Devotional. It spoke to me about my worries and anxiety about my surgery.

Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying , pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. ~ Philippians 4:6-7 (The Message)

Aware of our tendency toward anxious, emotional eating, we must instead transform our worries into prayers. By turning to God with our fears and emotions, we let Him know our heart. It is then that He brings everything together for us. Our faith in His
loving attention and protection is renewed. We are now able to settle down because we know Who is in control.

Our anxieties and worries are usually about things over which we want control but can't have it. Worries can be touched off by the fear that we will lose something we have--or that we won't get something we want. In the past, we have either eaten too much or avoided eating because it was something we felt we could control.

But fretting, worrying and over/undereating do not accomplish much more than sheer harm to our overall wellness. When prayer and praise replace these behaviors and Christ is at center stage, a wonderful sense of peace and serenity flows.

Today, Lord, I turn over my worries and concerns to You, praising You for Your love and grace for my recovery.

Lift Your Eyes

2007-11-28T20:19:00.000-06:00

Today's Scripture
I will lift up my eyes to the hills, from where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, Maker of heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:1-2).
Today's Word from Joel and Victoria
What are you looking at today? Are there challenges in your life to overcome? Don’t just look at your problems day in and day out, lift up your eyes and look toward heaven. You will naturally move in the direction that your eyes are looking. If you are always looking at your problems—meditating on them, feeling sorry for yourself, telling everybody about them—you will become consumed by them. But when you look up, your life will start to move up. When you keep your eyes on Jesus, it is also a sign of your faith and expectancy. The Bible tells us that faith is what moves the hand of God. When you have an attitude of faith and expectancy, you open the door for His power in your life. Decide today to focus on the goodness of our God. Lift your eyes and heart to Him and begin to praise Him with your words. As you lift your eyes, your help will come, and you will live the victorious life He has in store for you!
A Prayer for Today
Heavenly Father, today I choose to lift my eyes to You. I will look to You for my help. Thank You for showing me Your salvation and deliverance. I bless You today in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

I needed this today because I have become very self-absorbed in my upcoming surgery.

Planning Meeting

2007-11-27T20:29:00.001-06:00

Today was the annual planning meeting at work. I was really dreading it because I hate them and I didn't feel as prepared as I should have been because I have been busy getting ready to be off for surgery. But...it went fine. I owe it all to prayer. Not just my prayer either. One of the owners asked to start the meeting off with a prayer. That has never happened before. It made a difference.

Nervous About Surgery

2007-11-26T18:03:00.000-06:00

I am starting to get nervous about my surgery. Today was my pre-op appointment so it is starting to "get real." Sugar Pop went with me and he understands better why the doctor is recommending the surgery and why it will be an abdominal hysterectomy instead of vaginal/laproscopically (because of the way my cervix is tilted, it "hides" and she has to make sure she gets all of it).

Tomorrow is the annual planning meeting at work. I hate this things and they make me very nervous and anxious. I will feel better once I make it past that.

The Finish Line

2007-11-24T08:08:00.000-06:00

From Lose it for Life Day by Day - March 1st:

I'm running hard for the finish line. I'm giving it everything I've got. No sloppy living for me! I'm staying alert and in top condition. ~ 1 Corinthians 9:26-27A (The Message)

There is no finish line in our quest for better health. Embracing a lifelong process, performed daily with no arrival point, can be daunting. In our old life of dieting, we motivated ourselves into deprivation by focusing on the idea that it was only temporary; that when we reached our goal weight, we would be able to splurge again. We strove for that finish line -- but it backfired on us. The deprivation dam broke when we allowed ourselves that splurge. And there we were, back to old eating habits and putting on pounds again.

In this verse Paul speaks about a finish line, but it's more like a rainbow--we run hard toward it, but we never fully arrive in this life. The rainbow is still out there ahead of us, so we learn to live well one day at a time. We let go of sloppy living by surrendering daily. We run this race with everything we've got--faithfully working out spiritual keys, diligently planning our food, energetically exercising our bodies. We stay alert and in top shape so that we feel enlivened, not beaten down by deprivation.

Today, Lord I embrace this daily plan of living well, running the race with the willingness to stay in top condition.

Obedience of the Proof

2007-11-23T12:23:00.000-06:00

From Walking with Christ in the Details of Life by Patrick Morley via the Life Lessons in my Devotional Bible:

According to Gallup surveys, confirmed by other polls taken over the past fifteen years, 33 percent of all Americans over age eighteen indicate they are evangelical or "born again" Christians. That translates into 59 million Christians, or one in every three adults, who experienced a turning point in their lives as they made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ.

This information should grip us with terror. It means that the greatest revival in history has so far been impotent to change society. Is revival without reformation. It's a revival which left the country floundering in spiritual ignorance. It's a change in belief without a corresponding change in behavior...

How did the building blocks of the gospel become glued together with the cement of self-centeredness? The American gospel has evolved into a gospel of addition without subtraction. It is the belief that we can add Christ to our lives, but not subtract sin. It is a change in belief without a change in behavior. It is a spiritual experience without any cultural impact. It is revival without reformation, without repentance...

The proof of religious conversion is to demonstrate that we have both added a relationship with Christ and that we have subtracted sin (repentance). And we multiply proof to a weary world by what we do - our deeds, our obedience. What we do must confirm what we say. Our deeds are the proof of our repentance...

A changed life is one that has added Christ and subtracted sin, that attracts a world weary of worn-out words. Obedience is the proof.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-22T08:13:00.000-06:00

There are so many things I have to be thankful for, I could not list them all. What I am most thankful for is Our Awesome God who blesses me with all these things I am thankful for. He places so many wonderful and beautiful things in my life to show His love. He is the Greatest!

Blessings On Our Efforts To Change

2007-11-20T07:47:00.000-06:00

This came from the Magnificat several years ago and I have always liked it. If you are looking for a good daily devotional that follows the liturgy of the Church, I highly recommend the Magnificat. It would also make a great Christmas present. You can request a sample here.

Place before the Lord all those areas of your life in which change is necessary, and ask for the Holy Spirit’s gift of courage.

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body. ~ Philippians 3:20-21

He called a little child and had him stand among them. And He said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ~ Matthew 18:2-3

Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed – in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. ~ 1 Corinthians 15:51-52

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. ~ 2 Corinthians 3:18

He also says, "In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but You remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But You remain the same, and Your years will never end." ~ Hebrews 1:10-12

For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him. ~ Matthew 21:32

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is -- his good, pleasing and perfect will. ~ Romans 12:2

LITANY OF ABANDONMENT
From the temptation to give up,
Lord, deliver me.
From the temptation to disappointment,
Lord, deliver me.
From the temptation to fear and dread,
Lord, deliver me.
From the temptation to cynicism,
Lord, deliver me.
From the temptation to skepticism,
Lord, deliver me.
From the temptation to distrust,
Lord, deliver me.
From the temptation to apathy,
Lord, deliver me.
From the temptation to obstinacy,
Lord, deliver me.
From the temptation to rationalizing,
Lord, deliver me.
From the temptation to despondency and despair,
Lord, deliver me.
From the temptation to nay-saying,
Lord, deliver me.
From the temptation to gloominess,
Lord, deliver me.
From the temptation to doubt,
Lord, deliver me.
From the temptation to being overly-critical,
Lord, deliver me.
From the temptation to indifference,
Lord, deliver me.
From the temptation to nihilism,
Lord, deliver me.
From the temptation to impatience,
Lord, deliver me.
From the temptation to be contrary,
Lord, deliver me.
From the temptation to stubbornness,
Lord, deliver me.
From the temptation to discouragement,
Lord, deliver me.
From the temptation to pessimism,
Lord, deliver me.
From the temptation to resignation,
Lord, deliver me.
From the temptation to remain stuck in my ways,
Lord, deliver me.
From the temptation to dejection,
Lord, deliver me.
From the temptation to make excuses,
Lord, deliver me.
From the temptation to hopelessness,
Lord, deliver me.
From the temptation to defeatism,
Lord, deliver me.
From the temptation to cowardice,
Lord, deliver me.
From the temptation to antagonism,
Lord, deliver me.
From the temptation to rigidity,
Lord, deliver me.
From the temptation to willfulness,
Lord, deliver me.
From the temptation to diffidence,
Lord, deliver me.
From the temptation to anxiety,
Lord, deliver me.
From the temptation to lose heart,
Lord, deliver me.
From the temptation to have an unyielding spirit,
Lord, deliver me.
From the temptation to presumption,
Lord, deliver me.
From the temptation to rash judging,
Lord, deliver me.
From the temptation to obduracy,
Lord, deliver me.
From the temptation to negativity,
Lord, deliver me.
From the temptation to fatalism,
Lord, deliver me.

The Serenity Prayer
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardship as the pathway to peace. Taking as Jesus did this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; trusting that he will make all things right if I surrender to his will; that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with him forever in the next.

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Closing Prayer ~ For Ordering a Life Wisely
O merciful God, grant that I may desire ardently, search prudently, recognize truly, and bring to perfect completion whatever is pleasing to You for the praise and glory of Your name. Put my life in good order, O my God. Grant that I may know what You require me to do. Bestow upon me the power to accomplish Your will, as is necessary and fitting for the salvation of my soul. Grant to me, O Lord my God, that I may not falter in times of prosperity or adversity, so that I may not be exalted in the former nor dejected in the latter. May I not rejoice in anything unless it leads me to You; may I not be saddened by anything unless it turns me from You. May I desire to please no one, nor fear to displease anyone, but You. May all transitory things, O Lord, be worthless to me and may all things eternal be ever cherished by me. May any joy without You be burdensome for me and may I not desire anything else besides You. May all work, O Lord, delight me when done for Your sake and may all repose not centered in You be ever wearisome for me. Grant unto me, my God, that I may direct my heart to You and that in my failures I may ever feel remorse for my sins and never lose the resolve to change. O Lord my God, make me submissive without protest, poor without discouragement, chaste without regret, patient without complaint, humble without posturing, cheerful without frivolity, mature without gloom, and quick-witted without flippancy, O Lord my God, let me fear You without losing hope, be truthful without guile, do good works without presumption, rebuke my neighbor without haughtiness, and – without hypocrisy – strengthen him by word and example. Give to me, O Lord God, a watchful heart, which no capricious thought can lure away from You. Give to me a noble heart, which no unworthy desire can debase. Give to me a resolute heart, which no evil intention can divert. Give to me a stalwart heart, which no tribulation can overcome. Give to me a temperate heart, which no violent passion can enslave. Give to me, O Lord my God, understanding of You, diligence in seeking You, wisdom in finding You, discourse ever pleasing to You, perseverance in waiting for You, and confidence in finally embracing You. Grant that with Your hardships I may be burdened in reparation here, that Your benefits I may use in gratitude upon the way, that in Your joys I may delight by glorifying You in the kingdom of heaven. You who live and reign, God, world without end. Amen.

Food at Work

2007-11-19T18:03:00.000-06:00

We are having food at work tomorrow. I am so SICK of food everywhere. Bleh! Like we aren't all going to be eating too much on Thursday. But I will participate. I may not eat much, but I'll be there. Just a few more days and I get a break from work and I will not have to be there for all the food that will be pouring in during December. Another reason that this is good timing for my surgery. :)

Cooking and Cleaning

2007-11-18T17:52:00.000-06:00

I spent some time this morning cooking some meals to go in the freezer. I made chili (two meals), spaghetti sauce, and bezella (Thanks Lori!). These can all be thawed and then put in the crockpot and heated up.

I have also done some more deep cleaning. I cleaned the inside of the cabinets where my plates and bowls are stored and then inside of the refridgerator. I am now prepared for someone to unload my dishwasher or put food in the fridge for me while I am recovering.

Then I put out a few Christmas decorations. I have several things that are kept in a roll top desk that are easy to access and easy to put up.

Deep Cleaning

2007-11-17T16:22:00.000-06:00

I spent two hours deep cleaning the sunroom this afternoon. I moved the furniture and cleaned underneath. The bugs love to crawl under the loveseat and die (yuck). I cleaned the wooden blinds too. They were filthy. Apparently I had never cleaned them since we re-did the kitchen at the beginning of the summer. They had sheetrock dust on them. Aahhh....I love the feeling of walking through a room and knowing it is super clean. It makes me want to deep-clean another room tomorrow.

Open Windows

2007-11-16T20:44:00.000-06:00

Today's Scripture
“Bring all the tithes (the whole tenth of your income) into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now by it, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it” (Malachi 3:10 AMP).
Today's Word from Joel and Victoria
God wants to open the windows of heaven and pour out blessings on you today! But you have to do your part first. Your part is to be a faithful tither and to be obedient to the Lord with your finances. See, we are all stewards over the resources God has given us. When we are good and faithful stewards, the Lord entrusts us with more of His resources. He opens the windows of heaven. Have you ever thought about what kind of blessing would be so great that there would not be room enough to receive it? It may be hard to comprehend, but that’s what God’s Word promises. Be a giver today. Be a tither. Prove the Lord and get ready to watch Him move mightily on your behalf! Begin to thank Him today for His faithfulness and blessing in your life. Look for ways the Lord will pour out His abundant blessing. As you obey and believe, you’ll see the hand of God move on your behalf, and you will live the abundant life He has in store for you!
A Prayer for Today
Heavenly Father, thank You for choosing to bless me. Thank You for opening the windows of heaven in my life. I choose to be obedient to Your Word. I choose to be a giver. I choose to be a faithful steward of Your resources. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Dependent on God

2007-11-15T06:03:00.000-06:00

Most of us live only within the level of consciousness - consciously serving and consciously devoted to God. This shows immaturity and the fact that we're not yet living the real Christian life. Maturity is produced the life of a child of God on the unconscious level, until we become so totally surrendered to God that we are not even aware of being used by Him. When we are consciously aware of being used as broken bread and poured-out wine, we have yet another level to reach - a level where all awareness of ourselves and of what God is doing through us is completely eliminated. A saint is never consciously a saint - a saint is consciously dependent on God. ~ Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, November 15th

Seeing God

2007-11-14T06:02:00.000-06:00

We can all see God in exceptional things, but it requires the growth of spiritual discipline to see God in every detail. Never believe that the so-called random events of life are anything less than God's appointed order. Be ready to discover His divine designs anywhere and everywhere. ~ Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, November 14th

Deep Waters

2007-11-13T17:50:00.000-06:00

Today's Scripture
“The purposes of a man’s heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out.” (Proverbs 20:5 NIV).
Today's Word from Joel and Victoria
Did you know that you are equipped with everything you need to fulfill your passion and purpose in this life? Everything you need is on the inside of you—like deep waters. You draw those deep things out when you stay open and humble before the Lord. You draw those things out when you are submitted to His Word. That’s what makes you a person of understanding. You are a person of understanding when you draw on the strength of God inside of you. Proverbs also tells us that a person of understanding delights in wisdom. A person of understanding is even-tempered. A person of understanding is not easily led astray and maintains peace and order. (Prov. 10:23; 15:21; 17:27; 28:2) Don’t just live on the surface of life today. Draw from the resources that God has placed on the inside of you. As you keep your heart open by obeying the Word of God, His purposes will become clearer, and you will live in the abundant life God has in store for you!
A Prayer for Today
Heavenly Father, thank You for equipping me with everything I need to be a success in life. I choose to humbly submit to You and obey Your Word so that I can be a person of understanding. Thank You for revealing Your plans and purposes for me today. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

I do not feel like a person of understanding today. I do not feel even-tempered. I do not feel like myself. We went out of town for the weekend and my routine is thrown all out of kilter. Then I get back to work after being off for two days and there are piles on my desk to be dealt with. I feel all out-of-sorts. I need to go to the grocery store tonight, but it is also the last night of my bible study. Because it is the last night of bible study, "they" decided we should have food. Since I haven't been to the store, I don't have anything to bring and I don't want to eat or bring anything. I may just go late and food less. At least I will be there. Or, I can just download the last video and watch it later.

Random Things About Me

2007-11-09T08:27:00.000-06:00

I am feeling uninspired to blog today, but I want to blog anyway so I can check it off my list of things to do. So, a few random things about me:

I'm the 7th child of the 7th child.
I hate to shave my legs.
I have never owned a brand new car and probably never will.
Every time I think to myself "I want a new job" the next line I think of is "One that won't make me sick" - I'm a product of the 80s.
I still love 80s music.
I had big permed hair in the 80s - now it is straight and I use a flat iron to make it straighter.
I listened to country music in my teens and I wanted to be a redneck girl with my "name on the back of her belt" - but I never did get one of those belts.
I learned to drive a tractor and a car on the same day.
My first accident was hitting a car with the plow that I was pulling with the tractor.
I love getting up early in the morning when the world is still quiet.
If I could I would never go back to standard time during the winter.
I love planning and making lists and organizing things.
I once tried to convince my niece that it would be fun to clean her parents house for them.
I can remember keeping a notebook of how much money I had when I was in elementary school and trying to save up for some new roller skates.
I got the skates and my friend and I would make up roller skating routines in the neighbor's driveway.
We thought we were so cool. We were so lame. But it was fun.
I once dated a guy who looked like Eddie Van Halen.
I liked heavy metal music in high school.

OK...that is enough randomness for today. I've got to go pack the car up for our trip. I'll be back Tuesday.

He is the Healer

2007-11-08T21:14:00.000-06:00

Today's Scripture
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3).
Today's Word from Joel and Victoria
Aren’t you glad that God is a healer! It doesn’t matter what is “broken” in your life today, God’s nature is to bring you complete healing. Do you need healing in your body? Your mind? Heart? Finances? Relationships? God is your healer. Notice what the Psalmist says in this verse: He binds up their wounds. In the natural, if you have a broken arm, it doesn’t just heal over night. The doctor makes a cast to hold it in place and protect it. He binds up your wound. In the spiritual realm, God does the same thing. He wraps Himself around your brokenness and protects the wounded area until it is strong enough to function properly again. The Bible also says that He is a restorer. That means that when He does a work of healing in our lives, He makes us better than we were before. If you’re going through the healing process today, know this: it may take longer than you planned, but God is binding up your wound. He is protecting you and healing you. He will bring you out better and stronger than you were before. He will take you to a place of complete healing so that you can live the life of victory He has in store for you.
A Prayer for Today
Father in heaven, thank You for being my healer. Thank You for restoring every area of my life. I give You everything that I am today. Use me for Your glory. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Temple of the Holy Spirit

2007-11-08T06:19:00.000-06:00

Have we come to realize that our "body is the temple of the Holy Spirit"? If so, we must be careful to keep it undefiled for Him. We have to remember that our conscious life, even though only a small part of our total person, is to be regarded by us as a "temple of the Holy Spirit." He will be responsible for the unconscious part which we don't know, but we must pay careful attention to and guard the conscious part for which we are responsible. ~ Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, November 8th

Because I am very health and fitness conscious, I always think of my body being a temple in terms of food and exercise. This was a good reminder that not only do I need to tend to my body as a temple of the Holy Spirit through healthy food and exercise, but that I also need to watch the things I put into my mind through the things I watch and read and the thoughts I "entertain."

Surgery Approved!

2007-11-07T18:02:00.000-06:00

I talked to the nurse at the doctor's office today and the insurance company approved my surgery without difficulty. I also found out that our insurance will not be changing until January 1st. So, I am all set for surgery on December 4th. I am also pleased that my surgery will be at a surgery center instead of the regular hospital. There are sick people at the regular hospital! The center I will be is strictly surgery and has a better nurse to patient ratio.

I feel God's peace about this surgery. I see God's timing at work in this.

I called my hairdresser to reschedule an appointment and told him about my surgery. He immediately saw God's timing too.

God is so Good!

Intimate Theology

2007-11-06T07:50:00.000-06:00

From my Utmost for His Highest:

"Do you believe this?" John 11:26

Martha believed in the power available to Jesus Christ; she believed that if He had been there He could have healed her brother; she also believed that Jesus had a special intimacy with God, and that whatever He asked of God, God would do. But--she needed a closer personal intimacy with Jesus. Martha's theology had its fulfilment in the future. But Jesus continued to attract and draw her in until her belief became an intimate possession. It then slowly emerged into a personal inheritance - "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ. . . "

Is the Lord dealing with you in the same way? Is Jesus teaching you to have a personal intimacy with Himself? Allow Him to drive His question home to you - "Do you believe this?"Are you facing an area of doubt in your life? Have you come, like Martha, to a crossroads of overwhelming circumstances where your theology is about to become a very personal belief? This happens only when a personal problem brings awareness of our personal need.

To believe is to commit. In the area of intellectual learning I commit myself mentally, and reject anything not related to that belief. In the realm of personal belief I commit myself morally to my convictions and refuse to compromise. But in intimate personal belief I commit myself spiritually to Jesus Christ and make a determination to be dominated by Him alone.

Then, when I stand face to face with Jesus Christ and He says to me, "Do you believe this?" I find that faith is as natural as breathing. And I am staggered when I think how foolish I have been in not trusting Him earlier.

God is on Your Side

2007-11-05T12:44:00.000-06:00

And yet something else from Joel Osteen:

Today's Scripture
“If God is for us, who can be against us” (Romans 8:31)?
Today's Word from Joel and Victoria
As a believer in Jesus and a child of His, God is on your side today! If you haven’t thought about it yet today, remember, you are created for greatness. You have the seed of Almighty God inside of you. There is no obstacle that can stop you. There is no disadvantage that can hold you back. You’re in the palm of God’s hand, and He has equipped and empowered you for everything. When God is on your side, He sets the right people in your path. In fact, He’s already released favor into your future. He’s planning for you to come in to new seasons of increase. Have you given up on a dream? God is on your side, and He wants to resurrect it. Have you given up on a family member? God is on your side, and He wants to restore that relationship. God is on your side, and He has a plan for victory in every area of your life. Let that sink down into your heart today. Begin to expect His favor. Expect Him to work in your life. Focus on the fact that God has equipped you. He has anointed you. Your best days are still out in front of you! If God is for you, no one can rise against you! As you meditate on this promise, it will become real to you. You will walk in the favor and victory God has in store for you!
A Prayer for Today
Heavenly Father, thank You for being on my side today. Thank You for equipping and empowering me to accomplish everything You’ve called me to. Give me a deeper revelation of Your love for me today so that I can live the abundant life You have prepared for me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

I needed this today. I found out this morning that our insurance at work will be changing which could mean I will have more out-of-pocket for my surgery. It will depend on whether the change takes places effective 12/1 or they wait until 1/1 to change. Please pray for the change to wait until January 1st!

New Preaching Minister!

2007-11-04T10:05:00.001-06:00

I am so excited this morning. Our new preaching minister is here and he is starting this weekend. It has been 19 months since are last minister left. We had an associate minister who filled in until last November when he left. It has been a look search process and BUT when God went to work, He worked quickly! On September 9th, the Search Committee announced that the person they thought was the man for the job had turned it down and they would be starting the search process completely over. Two weeks later we noticed a visitor sitting with one of the elders at the front of church and so we asked it he was a prospect. He was. He was there to be interviewed. The next weekend it was announced that he would be coming to preach the following weekend. The weekend following his preaching, it was announced he was offerred the job and accepted. So, in less than two months we have gone from starting the search process over to have our new preaching minister! God is so Good!

Surgery

2007-11-03T17:34:00.000-06:00

I am tentatively scheduled for a hysterectomy on December 4th. I say tentatively, because the surgery still has to be approved by the insurance company. Hopefully, that will go smoothly.

This is actually unexpected. I am been having pap smears that go back and forth between normal and abnormal for a long time. Last December I had a LEEP procedure done and this was supposed to get rid of all the bad cells and I would have normal paps from now on. My first pap after the procedure in April was normal. Then I had another one on October 12th. I talked to my doctor this week and it is abnormal again. She is recommending a hysterectomy because of the way my cervix is titled it is hard for her to see to take a biopsy and she is afraid something might be missed and I would have the possibility of developing cancer.

I am nervous about the actual surgery and all that it entails, but I am excited about the benefit of no more periods! The timing actually works out well because as you know I have been wanting to find a new job. So far, I haven't found one which means I am still with my current employer where I have over 9 weeks of sick leave accumulated. More than enough to be out for this surgery.

So, please pray that the surgery is approved first of all and then that everything goes smoothly with surgery and my recovery afterward. I have lots to do to prepare and get ready for Christmas before then. The challenge of getting prepared is helping me feel motivated and energetic. That is just what I need right now as the days start getting shorter and that starting tomorrow it will be dark an hour earlier every day.

Honor the Lord with Your Body

2007-11-02T05:03:00.000-06:00

Something else from Joel Osteen:

Today's Scripture
“Honor the Lord with your body” (I Corinthians 6:20).
Today's Word from Joel and Victoria
The Scripture says that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. We are commanded to honor the Lord with our bodies. How do you do that? You take care of it. You respect it. You treat it as valuable. You use your body to bring Him glory. When you stand strong against temptation, you are honoring the Lord with your body. When you take care of yourself by eating properly and getting enough sleep, you are honoring the Lord with your body. You are saying, “Lord, thank You for this gift of life. I am choosing to take care of myself so that I can serve You with my whole heart, mind, and strength.” As we enter into this holiday season, remember to honor the Lord by taking care of your body. Enjoy the treasures of the season, but don’t allow the hustle and bustle of the season to rob you from simply enjoying the blessing of your friends, family, and loved ones. As you honor the Lord with your body, you will be strengthened and empowered by His peace. You’ll be able to stand against temptation and walk in love this holiday season and all the days of your life!
A Prayer for Today
Dear Father in Heaven, today I choose to honor You with my body. Thank You for the gift of life. Thank You for empowering me against temptation. Show me Your plan for me today so that I can honor You in everything I do. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Watch What You Watch

2007-11-01T05:23:00.000-06:00

From Joel Osteen:

Today's Scripture
“I will set no base or wicked thing before my eyes” (Psalm 101:3 AMP).
Today's Word from Joel and Victoria
In this Psalm, David was determined to honor the Lord with his mind. David knew that what he watched with his eyes would affect his thinking. If he didn’t guard his mind by choosing carefully what he looked at, he would be drawn to do things that weren’t pleasing to the Lord. The same is true for us today. If we are watching things on TV or reading things in books or magazines that aren’t pleasing to the Lord, we are opening a door to the enemy. If we continue to look upon things that aren’t pleasing to the Lord, a stronghold is built in our thinking. We become enslaved to those thoughts. But thank God for the blood of Jesus that has the power to break those strongholds! If you are struggling with thoughts that you don’t want in your mind anymore, today, you can be free. First of all, receive the Lord’s forgiveness and make the choice to change what you are looking at. Let the Lord wash you clean and strengthen you by His Spirit. Focus your mind and thoughts on His Word and do not let any wicked thing before your eyes. As you determine to watch what you watch, you will be empowered by His Spirit and walk in the abundant life God has in store for you!
A Prayer for Today
Heavenly Father, today I choose to honor You with my mind. I choose to guard my eyes and not watch anything that isn’t pleasing to You. I ask that You set me free of every stronghold in my thinking so that I can live in peace and joy all the days of my life. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Blessings for Halloween Evening

2007-10-31T18:56:00.000-06:00

Compiled by Father Peter John Cameron, o.p. from the Magnificat October 2006

“It is not merely by the title of example that we cherish the memory of those in heaven; we seek, rather, that by this devotion to the exercise of fraternal charity the union of the whole Church in the Spirit may be strengthened. Exactly as Christian communion among our fellow pilgrims brings us closer to Christ, so our communion with the saints joins us to Christ, from whom as from its fountain and head issues all grace, and the life of the People of God itself.” (CCC 957)

We do not cease praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of [God’s] will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding to live in a manner worthy of the Lord, so as to be fully pleasing, in every good work bearing fruit and growing in the knowledge of God, strengthened with every power, in accord with his glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with joy giving thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to share in the inheritance of the holy ones in light. ~ Colossians 1:9-12

This litany is a meditation on what some of the saints have spoken or written. As we listen to these saints, we pray for a deeper personal participation in their sanctity. This litany represents only a small sampling of the vast communion of saints (the selection is limited due to space constraints). Feel free to add your favorites to it. One option is to sing the litany and its response.

Response: (Saint’s name), pray for us.

Holy Mary Mother of God “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word”
Saint Gabriel the Archangel “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.”
Saint Joseph [pause in reverent silence]
Saint John the Baptist “Jesus must increase; I must decrease”
Saint Peter “Lord, you know that I love you.”
Saint Paul “We had accepted within ourselves the sentence of death, that we might trust not in ourselves but in God who raises the dead?”
Saint Mary Magdalene “I have seen the Lord!”
Saint Ignatius of Antioch “There is water living and speaking in me, saying from within me, ‘Come to the Father?’”
Saint Justin Martyr “The greatest grace God can give someone is to send him a trial he cannot bear with his own powers — and then sustain him with his grace so he may endure to the end and be saved”
Saint Irenaeus of Lyons “The glory of God is man fully alive?”
Saint Agatha “Lord Jesus Christ, you created me, you have watched over me from infancy, kept my body from defilement, preserved me from love of the world, made me able to withstand torture, and granted me the virtue of patience in the midst of torments.”
Saint Cyprian “Our union with Christ unifies affections and wills.”
Saint Athanasius “It is the Father’s glory that man, made and then lost, should be found again; and, when done to death, that he should be made alive, and should become God’s temple”
Saint Ephrem of Syrian “0 Jesus, in that hour when darkness like a cloak shall be spread over all things, may your grace shine on us in place of the earthly sun.”
Saint Cecilia “To die for Christ is not to sacrifice one’s youth, but to renew it. Jesus Christ returns a hundredfold for all offered him, and adds to it eternal life.”
Saint Basil “Through the Holy Spirit paradise is restored. We can address God as our Father with confidence; we can share in the grace of Christ.”
Saint Gregory Nazianzen “Each of us can say to the tempter, ‘Unlike you, I have not yet become an outcast from heaven through my pride. By my baptism I have become one with him. It is you that should fall prostrate before me.’”
Saint Gregory of Nyssa “Ideas create idols; only wonder leads to knowing.”
Saint Ambrose “Every soul who has believed both conceives and generates the Word of God and recognizes his works. Let the soul of Mary be in each one of you to magnify the Lord.”
Saint John Chrysostom “Jesus Christ gave you all; he left nothing for himself.”
Saint Augustine “We have been promised something we do not yet possess. It is good for us to persevere in longing until we receive what was promised, and yearning is over.”
Saint Peter Chrysologus “Peace is the plenitude that fulfills our desires. As Christ left the world, he wished to leave the gift he wanted to find when he returned.”
Saint Leo the Great “Let us be raised to the one who made the dust of our lowliness into the body of his glory.”
Saint Patrick “I arise today through the strength of Christ with his baptism, through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial, through the strength of his Resurrection with his Ascension.”
Saint Benedict “What is more delightful than this voice of the Lord calling to us? See how the Lord in his love shows us the way of life.”
Saint Columba “Loving Savior, inspire in us the depth of love that is fitting for you to receive as God.”
Saint Gregory the Great “We have been truly set free from subjection to sin because we are united to him who is truly free”
Saint Maximos the Confessor “God made us so that we might become partakers of the divine nature and sharers in his eternity, and so that we might come to be like him through deification by grace.”
Saint Bede the Venerable “We should rejoice that the Lord deigns to visit our hearts, and that he deigns to illumine this Passover of our good actions by his benevolent presence.”
Saint Anselm “God who made all things made himself of Mary, and thus he refashioned everything he had made.”
Saint Bernard “In the measure that grace’s kingdom is extended, sin’s power is weakened.”
Saint Dominic “I shall be more useful to you after my death and I shall help you more effectively than during my life.”
Saint Francis of Assisi “May I feel in my heart, as far as possible, that abundance of love with which you, Son of God, were inflamed.”
Saint Anthony of Padua “Let us pray that the Lord Jesus Christ pour his grace into us by means of which we ask for and receive the fullness of true joy.”
Saint Claire “Live and hope in the Lord, and let your service be according to reason.”
Saint Thomas Aquinas “The life of man consists in the love that principally sustains him and in which he finds his greatest satisfaction.”
Saint Gertrude the Great ”Once again I give you thanks for your merciful love, kindest Lord, for having found another way of arousing me from my inertia.”
Saint Bonaventure “God created all things not to increase his glory, but to show it forth and to communicate it.”
Saint Catherine of Siena “When we love something we don’t care what sort of abuse or injury or pain we might have to endure to get it; we are concerned only with satisfying our desire for the thing we love.”
Saint Joan of Arc “About Jesus Christ and the Church, I simply know they’re just one thing, and we shouldn’t complicate the matter.”
Saint Bernardine of Siena “If we but recollect the name of Jesus, it is to fight with confidence — for this name subjects all the fury of our enemies to us.”
Saint Catherine of Genoa “God lets the soul share his goodness so that it becomes one with him. The nearer the soul comes to him, the more it partakes of what is his”
Saint Thomas More “The brothers of the patriarch Joseph could never have done him so much good with their love and favor as they did him with their malice and hatred.”
Saint Angela of Merici “Strengthen, 0 Lord, my senses and my affections that they may not stray into any betrayal of trust.”
Saint Francis Xavier “God our Lord knows the intentions which he in his mercy has wished to place in us, and the great hope and confidence which he in his goodness has wished that we should have in him.”
Saint Ignatius of Loyola “As long as obedience is flourishing, all the other virtues will be seen to flourish and to bear fruit.”
Saint Teresa of Avila “Be joyful for there is someone who loves your God as he deserves, who knows him as her only Son.”
Saint Charles Borromeo “The candle that gives light to others must itself be consumed. Thus we also have to act. We ourselves are consumed to give a good example to others.”
Saint Catherine De’ Ricci “You have been reborn with him through a holy desire to live a new life, looking at yourselves as reflected in his life.”
Saint John of the Cross “You considered that one hair fluttering at my neck; You gazed at it upon my neck And it captivated You.”
Saint Aloysius Gonzaga “As God is above all created things, honors, possessions, so should our internal esteem of his Divine Majesty surpass our esteem or idea of anything whatever.”
Saint Philip Neri “My Jesus, if you want me, cut the fetters that keep me from you.”
Saint Robert Southwell “Jesus, possess my mind with your presence and ravish it with your love, that my delight may be to be embraced in the arms of your protection.”
Saint Maria Maddalena de’ Pazzi “Who doesn’t know what God is, should apply to Mary. Who doesn’t find mercy in God, should apply to Mary. Who doesn’t have conformity of will, should apply to Mary”
Saint Francis de Sales “We must fight our battle between fear and hope in the knowledge that hope is always the stronger because he who comes to our help is almighty.”
Saint Jane Frances de Chantall “Oh, how happy is the soul that freely lets herself be molded to the liking of this divine Savior!”
Saint Isaac Jogues “My hope is in God, who needs not us to accomplish his designs. We must endeavor to be faithful to him.”
Saint Peter Claver “Man’s salvation and perfection consists in doing the will of God, which he must have in view in all things, and at every moment of his life.”
Saint Vincent de Paul “But for divine grace I would be in temper hard and repellant, rough and crabbed.”
Saint John Eudes “With his own hand God the Father has impressed on Mary’s heart a perfect semblance of the divine qualities of his love.”
Saint Claude de la Colombiere “My Jesus, let me live in your heart and pour all my bitterness into it where it will be utterly consumed.”
Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque “All my pleasure in this land of exile is that of having every kind of suffering found on the cross, deprived of every other consolation except that of the Sacred Heart.”
Saint Louis de Montfort “In Mary alone, by the grace of Jesus Christ, man is made godlike as far as human nature is capable of it.”
Saint Paul of the Cross “The soul whom God wants to draw to deepest union with him by means of holy prayer must pass through the way of suffering during prayer.”
Saint Alphonsus Liguori “We must love God in the way that pleases him, and just not in a way that suits ourselves. God wishes people to empty themselves of everything and to be filled with his divine love.”
Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton “O Jesus, sure joy of my soul, give me but a true love of you. Let me seek you as my only good.”
Saint John Vianney “The soul can feed only on God; only God can suffice it; only God can fill it; only God can satiate its hunger. Its God is absolutely necessary to it.”
Saint John Neumann “Though God hates sin more than any other thing, he loves us poor miserable sinners. He ardently desires the welfare of our souls as if his own happiness depended on it.”
Saint Peter Julian Eymard “Abide in the home of the divine and fatherly goodness of God like his child who knows nothing, does nothing, makes a mess of everything, but nevertheless lives in his goodness.”
Saint John Bosco “What tenderness there is in Jesus’ love for man! In his infinite goodness, he established, with each of us, bonds of sublime love! His love has no limits.”
Saint Therese of Lisieux “You alone, 0 Jesus, could satisfy a soul that needed to love even to the infinite.”
Saint Bernadette Soubirous “O Mary, Mother of Sorrows, I am the child of your sorrows. My tender Mother, here is your child, who can do no more. Have pity on me.”
Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini “Stretch every fiber of my being, dear Lord, that I may more easily fly towards you. May your Spirit which once breathed over the chaos of the earth give life to all the powers of my soul.”
Saint Maximilian Kolbe “Shall the urge for complete and total happiness, inherent to human nature, be the only need to remain unfulfilled and unsatisfied? No, even this longing can be fulfilled by the infinite and eternal God.”
Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross “Holy realism has a certain affinity with the realism of the child who receives and responds to impressions with unimpaired vigor and vitality, and with uninhibited simplicity.”
Saint Katharine Drexel “May your faith be increased so as to realize the fact that you are never alone, wheresoever you may be, that the great God is with you, in you.”
Saint Faustina “Jesus, I trust in you.”
Saint Pio of Pietrelcina “If the soul longs for nothing else than to love its God, then don’t worry and be quite sure that this soul possesses everything, that it possesses God himself.”

A Missed Quiet Time is Not Good

2007-10-30T06:32:00.000-06:00

I started off the weekend great. I was 100% on my habits Friday and then had most all my habits in Saturday before we met the realtor to look at a house.

I had planned on having soup at home after that, but we went to Jason's Deli instead. I had some of their toasted bread (Yum!) with my chili. Then I planned on having my nuts as a snack at church (I was running video), but I forgot about them. We went to out to eat Italian food for our anniversary. I ate SO much and was so stuffed when we got home. But it was SO good.

Sunday I didn't get up early enough to have my quiet time before church and I think that threw me off for the entire day. I didn't get hardly any of my habits all day. I think it is because I didn't have my quiet time. I realize now how important it is for me to have that time. I can't even recall the last time I didn't have it to know what kind of day that was. So, now I know and the next time I am running video at church, I will just get up at my regular workday time.

I think this is probably why I struggle when I am away from home. I don't get to have my normal quiet time then either and it causes me to try to fill myself with food because I didn't fill myself with the living Word of God. We will be going out of town at least once in November (and probably twice), so it will be important that I spend some quiet time with God while we are gone.

Food is Not the Answer

2007-10-27T10:17:00.000-06:00

From Lose it for Life Day by Day:

Watch out for the Esau syndrome: trading away God's lifelong gift in order to satisfy a short-term appetite. You well know how Esau later regretted that impulsive act and wanted God's blessing--but by then it was too late, tears or no tears. ~ Hebrews 12:16-17 (The Message)

Esau was a short-term, concrete thinker. He was so focused on his present need and hunger that he was willing to sacrifice his future life and needs, unable to see the value of a lifelong gift because it was yet to be.

How many times have we done this with our dependence on food? We've reached for a bite in the moment, giving away our inheritance of a healthy vital body in the future. We've impulsively consumed foods and quantities in the present that have significantly diminished our quality of life to come. We've put ourselves at risk for heart attack, stroke, diabetes, and joint replacements. The short-term fixes have overshadowed our long-term health and usefulness to God.

And afterward, we have all cried bitter tears, like Esau. Yet God's grace is abundant! We can start today, this afternoon, this evening! By focusing our eyes on the Lord and reaching out for help in times of temptation, we can be filled by Him and His people--even in our hungriest moments. Our future and hope is in Him.

Today, Lord, strengthen me in the intensely hungry moments when food looks like the answer. I entrust You with my future.

Press Through

2007-10-26T06:42:00.000-06:00

Today's Scripture
“Keep on asking and it will be given to you; keep on seeking and you will find; keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7 AMP).
Today's Word from Joel and Victoria
In Mark, chapter five, there was a woman who had been sick for twelve years. The doctors gave her no hope. But she heard that Jesus was coming through her town. Something deep on the inside said to her, “This is your season. This is your time to get well.” In the natural, when she saw all the people around Him, she thought, “I’ll never get to Him. It’s so crowded and I’m weak. I just don’t think I can do this.” She almost missed her season. But instead of dwelling on those negative thoughts, she started reminding herself, “If I can just get to Jesus, I will be whole.” She made the choice to turn her thoughts in the right direction. She kept pressing her way through the crowd until she got just close enough to Jesus to reach out and touch the edge of His robe. Instantly, she was made whole. Jesus said to her, in Mark 5:34, “Daughter, your faith has made you well.” Notice it’s our faith that activates God’s power. What have you been believing God for? Don’t give up! Press through! Keep praying! Keep asking! Keep seeking! God is faithful! As you press through, He’ll meet your faith with His miraculous power, and you’ll step forward in the victory He has planned for you!
A Prayer for Today
Heavenly Father, I come to You today with an open and humble heart. I ask You to fill me with Your strength, peace, and joy so that I can press through to victory today. Show me the good plan You have for me and fill me with Your spirit of faith. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Happy Anniversary

2007-10-24T18:19:00.000-06:00

People/Spirits would love to ruin my 9 year wedding anniversary.

Today is our 9th Wedding Anniversary. It has been an awful day. Commotion at the office because the girl across the hall from me had to move stuff out of her "second" office because of a new employee. Then someone quit/got fired. Too bad that didn't happen in the morning, because then the moving wouldn't have had to occur. Sugar Pop had equally annoying things at his work today.

Of course, it is Wednesday which means Honey is coming over for supper. This does not bother me at all. As I do not expect that we HAVE to celebrate our anniverary ON our anniversary. So, the plan is too have supper with Honey and then Sugar Pop will have to go to praise team practice at 7:30. No big deal.

I get home from work and we go for a walk. Sugar Pop got to work the early shift today so he was already home. When we get home there is a message from Honey (left at 5:24) that she is NOT coming over (because her step-sister is in town). She is supposed to be here at 6:00, that is only 36 minutes before her scheduled arrival. HELLO?!?!?! We had plans. She is supposed to be here every Wednesday night. A little notice would be nice! We could have actually gone out to eat for our anniversary. I might have not made so much for dinner if I had known she wasn't going to be here. It just FLEW ALL OVER ME!

Now, if you have been reading my blog for any time, I am sure you have never seen me vent like this! It is not my nature to get so MAD about something.

However, this has been getting more and more common. Yes, this is the consequence of divorce and some of the things that have to be dealt with and suffered through. But, I am quite positive that Sugar Pop's Ex knew about this before 5:24 tonight. She has probably known all day if not for several days or even a week and didn't bother to make arrangements beforehand.

ARGH!!!!

Scriptures before Bingeing

2007-10-23T06:47:00.000-06:00

This is a list of scripture for me to review any time I feel the urge to binge. If you have any suggestions for this list, please share them.

Everything is permissible for me - but not everything is beneficial. ~ 1 Corinthians 6:12

Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing but the body is weak. ~ Matthew 26:41

Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good? Listen to me, and you will eat what is good. You will enjoy the finest food. ~ Isaiah 55:2

Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take you stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you! ~ Galatians 5:1

You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. ~ Hebrews 10:36

I discipline my body...training it to do what it should. ~ 1 Corinthians 9:27

Oh listen, dear child—become wise; point your life in the right direction. Don't drink too much wine and get drunk; don't eat too much food and get fat. Drunks and gluttons will end up on skid row, in a stupor and dressed in rags. ~ Proverbs 23:19

The New Era has Begun

2007-10-22T11:14:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we had our last sermon from our interim preacher. He told us that it was officially the end of our transition and that our New Era was beginning as soon as he finished. It was a great sermon for him to leave us with.

Our new pastor won't be here for a couple of more weeks and I'm not sure when his first sermon will be yet. But we also have a new associate pastor in place, so I suppose he will be preaching until then. I am ready for us to begin this new time in our church. I am very excited about it and looking forward to the things God will teach us through our new pastors and seeing the people who will come and join our congregation that do not yet know the Lord. God is going to do wonderful things and it will be fun to watch and to be used by Him.

I bought a new spiral on Friday because I wanted to start with a fresh one when our new preacher arrived. I will start using this coming weekend!

Impulsiveness or Discipleship?

2007-10-21T09:21:00.000-06:00

"But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith." Jude 20
There was nothing either of the nature of impulsiveness or thoughtless action about Our Lord, but only a calm strength that never got into a panic. Most of us develop our Christianity along the lines of our own nature, not along the lines of God nature. Impulsiveness is a trait of the natural life, and our Lord always ignores it, because it hinders the development of the life of a disciple. Watch how the Spirit of God gives a sense of restraint to impulsiveness, suddenly bringing us a feeling of self-conscious foolishness, which makes us instantly want to vindicate ourselves. Impulsiveness is all right in a child, but is disastrous in a man or woman -- an impulsive adult is always a spoiled person. Impulsiveness needs to be trained into intuition by discipline.
Discipleship is built entirely on the supernatural grace of God. Walking on water is easy to someone with impulsive boldness, but walking on dry land as a disciple of Jesus Christ is a something altogether different. Peter walked on the water to go to Jesus, but he "followed Him at a distance" on dry land. (Mark 14:54) We do not need the grace of God to withstand crises -- human nature and pride are sufficient for us to face the stress and strain magnificently. But it does require the supernatural grace of God to live twenty-four hours of every day as a saint, going through drudgery, and living an ordinary, unnoticed, and ignored existence as a disciple of Jesus. It is ingrained in us that we have to do exceptional things for God -- but we do not. We have to be exceptional in the ordinary things, and holy on the ordinary streets, among ordinary people -- and this is not learned in five minutes.

Appointed Favor

2007-10-20T09:07:00.000-06:00

Today's Scripture
“For we are God's handiwork, recreated in Christ Jesus, that we may do those good works which God predestined for us, taking paths which He prepared ahead of time, that we should walk in them, living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live” (Ephesians 2:10).
Today's Word from Joel and Victoria
God has already prepared paths for you to take in your future! When God laid out the plan for your life, He lined up the right people, the right circumstances, and the right breaks. In your future, He’s already released favor, supernatural opportunities, and divine connections. The breaks you need in life have already been preordained to come across your path. If you will stay in faith and go out each day and be a person of excellence, you’ll walk into these appointments of favor. It will be just as if you stumbled into God’s blessings! When you really understand this principal, you’ll begin to get excited about every single day! You’ll have a spring in your step as you think about what blessing is coming next! It could be today. It could be tomorrow. It could be next week. Keep expecting. Keep believing. Stay focused on the fact that God has already released into your future everything you need to fulfill your destiny. Start declaring seasons of increase over your life. Declare that the favor is on you and opportunities are coming. As you do, you’ll move forward into the favor and blessing God has ordered for you!
A Prayer for Today
Heavenly Father, thank You for setting up a good life for me. Thank You for ordering good things for my future. Help me to understand Your goodness more so that I can trust You and follow Your path for me all the days of my life. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Whoa!

2007-10-19T06:40:00.000-06:00

This morning in my Beth Moore bible study I read this scripture:

He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. ~ Psalm 40:2 (NIV)

That was one of scriptures in list and then she asked us "Which of the Scriptures in the activity above most nearly addresses your circumstances right now and why?"

I wrote, "Hopefully Psalm 40:2 as I wait for God to provide my new job that reflects Psalm 127:1." (Psalm 127:1 says, "Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good.")

So then I took a bathroom break, had my 5 minutes of silence, and then read the Lose it for Life Devotional for January 24th. It started with this scripture:

I waited and waited and waited for God. At last he looked; finally he listened. He lifted me out of the ditch, pulled me from deep mud. He stood me up on a solid rock to make sure I wouldn't slip. ~ Psalm 40:1-2 (The Message)

Whoa! The same verse in two different places on the same day?!? Only God could orchestrate that. To have me sign up for the bible study, have it start on the day it did, have me be one day behind in my homework while at the same time for me be struggling with binging and have me decide to start reading through the Lose it for Life devotional and to make sure I started it on the day necessary so that I would read this same scripture in both places on the same day. Whoa! That can not be an accident.

One Man’s Tale of Tribulation

2007-10-16T17:37:00.000-06:00

From C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain:

My own experience is something like this. I am progressing along the path of life in my ordinary contentedly fallen and godless condition, absorbed in a merry meeting with my friends for the morrow or a bit of work that tickles my vanity today, a holiday or a new book, when suddenly a stab of abdominal pain that threatens serious disease, or a headline in the newspapers that threatens us all with destruction, sends this whole pack of cards tumbling down. At first I am overwhelmed, and all my little happinesses look like broken toys. Then, slowly and reluctantly, bit by bit, I try to bring myself into the frame of mind that I should be in at all times. I remind myself that all these toys were never intended to possess my heart, that my true good is in another world and my only real treasure is Christ. And perhaps, by God’s grace, I succeed, and for a day or two become a creature consciously dependent on God and drawing its strength from the right sources. But the moment the threat is withdrawn, my whole nature leaps back to the toys: I am even anxious, God forgive me, to banish from my mind the only thing that supported me under the threat because it is now associated with the misery of those few days. Thus the terrible necessity of tribulation is only too clear. God has had me for but forty-eight hours and then only by dint of taking everything else away from me. Let Him but sheathe that sword for a moment and I behave like a puppy when the hated bath is over—I shake myself as dry as I can and race off to reacquire my comfortable dirtiness, if not in the nearest manure heap, at least in the nearest flower bed. And that is why tribulations cannot cease until God either sees us remade or sees that our remaking is now hopeless.

Clothe Yourself

2007-10-15T20:52:00.000-06:00

Today's Scripture
“Clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for indulging the flesh. Put a stop to thinking about the evil cravings of your physical nature” (Romans 13:14 AMP).
Today's Word from Joel and Victoria
Is there something in your life that you would like to put a stop to today? Maybe it’s a certain behavior, addiction, or bad attitude that isn’t pleasing to God? Just as Adam and Eve were exposed in their sin and needed to be clothed in the Garden, we need to clothe ourselves to protect us from sin. When you “clothe yourself” with the Lord Jesus Christ, you will be strong against temptation. How do you clothe yourself with Jesus Christ? In the same way you cover yourself in the natural with clothing. When you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are covered and cleansed by His blood. You are restored and renewed. Then, cover your mind with the Word of God. Cover your ears by listening to the Word. Cover your eyes by watching only what is pleasing to the Lord. Cover your mouth by speaking the Word and encouraging those around you. As you cover yourself with Christ, you will be strong against temptation, and you will walk in the victory the Lord has planned for you!
A Prayer for Today
Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your Son Jesus to pay the penalty for my sins. Thank You for providing a way out of temptation so that I can stand clean before You. Help me stand strong as I submit every area of my life to You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Live in Peace

2007-10-14T20:21:00.000-06:00

Today's Scripture
“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18 NIV)
Today's Word from Joel and Victoria
Did you know there is strength in living at peace? That’s why the Lord commands that we live at peace with those around us. When there’s strife and contention, then the enemy has an open door to move in your life. But when we are at peace with those around us, we are in a position of strength. Being at peace with those around you doesn’t mean you have to agree with everyone. It simply means you are walking in love. It means you are patient and kind, not envious, not boastful. It means you are considerate, kind, and gracious because of what the Lord has done in your heart. If you need peace today, ask the Lord to fill your heart so that you can extend peace to those around you. As you do, you’ll live in a position of strength and walk in the daily blessing the Lord has in store for you!
A Prayer for Today
Dear Lord, thank You for the gift of peace which is strength. Today, I choose to release any strife or contention in my heart. I ask You to fill me with Your peace so that I can be an instrument of Your glory in the earth. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Joy

2007-10-13T07:47:00.000-06:00

You have not seen Christ, but still you love him. You cannot see him now, but you believe in him. So you are filled with a joy that cannot be explained, a joy full of glory. ~ 1 Peter 1:8

Amen. Yesterday was one of those days where I felt joyous. It was a joy that comes from knowing God and feeling His presence with me. I was trying to think about how I could describe that joy to someone, but I couldn't. This morning I read this verse and it says "you are filled with a joy that cannot be explained." That is true. I can not explain it, but I love it. I pray that you know this same joy.

Fitness Friday

2007-10-12T05:08:00.000-06:00

Last Friday I mentioned how tired I was from having my period. That lasted through the weekend. I did not get ANY exercise on Saturday or Sunday. Monday I felt much more rested and back to my normal self. Nothing exciting to report on the exercise front this week. We've been busy, so I have basically just done my minimum exercise (10 minute treadmill at lunch, 10 minute treadmill after work, 5 minutes of abs, 10 minutes of strength, and 5 minutes of stretching). We did make it to the gym last night for 20 minutes. I did the Precor Elliptical (love that machine!) and used the heart rate workout. You chose what heart rate you want to work out at (I did 140) and it adjusts the resistance to keep you there. It was tough, but I needed a good workout.

Yesterday was the last Weight Watchers meeting at work. We only had 1 person make their goal weight (and she made lifetime yesterday). I'm really surprised there were not more who did because there were several people who really didn't have that much to lose. Several people made 10%. The office had prizes for the people who lost the most weight (by body fat %). It was a good thing for them to do and even though I couldn't win anything (because I'm already at my goal weight), I benefited because there has been less tempting food around. Except for those blasted WW snacks, which I binged on THREE times. They are now banned from my diet and I'm sure that once the current stock is gone, we probably won't be getting more.

Clinging to Our Own Lives

2007-10-11T05:06:00.001-06:00

If the first and lowest operation of pain shatters the illusion that all is well, the second shatters the illusion that what we have, whether good or bad in itself, is our own and enough for us. Everyone has noticed how hard it is to turn our thoughts to God when everything is going well with us. We ‘have all we want’ is a terrible saying when ‘all’ does not include God. We find God an interruption. As St Augustine says somewhere, ‘God wants to give us something, but cannot, because our hands are full—there’s nowhere for Him to put it.’ Or as a friend of mine said, ‘We regard God as an airman regards his parachute; it’s there for emergencies but he hopes he’ll never have to use it.’ Now God, who has made us, knows what we are and that our happiness lies in Him. Yet we will not seek it in Him as long as he leaves us any other resort where it can even plausibly be looked for. While what we call ‘our own life’ remains agreeable we will not surrender it to Him. What then can God do in our interests but make ‘our own life’ less agreeable to us, and take away the plausible source of false happiness? — C.S. Lewis from The Problem of Pain via A Year with C.S. Lewis

Blessings in Sleep

2007-10-10T05:13:00.000-06:00

Today's Scripture
“He gives blessing to His beloved in sleep” (Psalm 127:2 AMP).
Today's Word from Joel and Victoria
The Lord longs to pour out blessings on you constantly—even when you sleep! Many people today struggle with sleeping at night. They stay awake or get poor sleep because they are constantly focused on their problems and worrying about tomorrow. But that’s not God’s plan for you! He wants you to enjoy your sleep as a time of blessing and refreshing. Understand that God has His hand on your life even in the midnight hour. He wants to speak to your heart and restore your dreams. He is taking care of those things that concern you. When you cast your cares on Him and trust Him to work out every detail of your life, you’ll be able to enjoy that sweet sleep that He has promised. Make the decision today to enjoy the blessing of the Lord as you sleep tonight. Say a prayer before you go to bed and cast your cares on Him. As you allow the Lord to bless and refresh you in sleep, you’ll see a tremendous change in your waking hours. You’ll be more invigorated, more alert, and full of the blessing of the Lord in every area of your life!
A Prayer for Today
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your promise of blessing. I ask that You teach me to receive that blessing even while I sleep. I cast my cares on You and trust that You are working behind the scenes in my life. Thank You for watching over me and protecting me. Thank You for refreshing me as I sleep tonight. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

I seldom have problems sleeping, but I am posting this just in case you do and in case I do sometime and need to re-read these words.

"Foods" I Don't Miss

2007-10-09T04:59:00.000-06:00

There are some foods I have given up that I don't miss any more. It is now a habit to NOT have them, where as it used to be a habit to have them.

Soda
Gum
Cheezits (The break room at work used to be stocked with these and I would eat cupful after cupful. I finally had to quit eating them completely)
Extra caffeinated coffee (I have one cup of regular coffee in the morning, after that I drink decaf, if I have any more)
Donuts
Fudgesicles
Hot Chocolate packets (I put real cocoa in my coffee in the morning, so it is like have a mocha everyday. If I really wanted a Hot Chocolate I would make it with real cocoa instead of the processed packets - those contain transfats!)
Coffee Creamer (I use powdered milk)
Popcorn (Did you know those bags of microwave popcorn contain transfats?)

2007-10-08T23:30:00.000-06:00

How 'bout them Cowboys?

Fed by God

2007-10-07T10:47:00.000-06:00

From Lose it for Life Day by Day:

When struck with the kind of overwhelming hunger that grabs all our attention, we may think we'll simply die between meals. This unrealistic fear puts us in danger of making a food choice that is not in our plan or best interest. But there is a spiritual sustenance that will get us through this hunger and fear.

We can ask God to "feed" us between meals. Seeking the "bread" humans know nothing about is a spiritual task. It means resting in the knowledge that He is our true sustenance. It means resting in faith that we will not die between meals; we are merely uncomfortable. It means calming our spirit by drawing closer to Him and humbly letting go of our will when we're around food, even when others urge us to eat. Like the disciples did to Jesus, those around us may urge us to eat things that are not in our plan, but we can remain steady and committed by drawing on spiritual food.

I needed to read this today. The weekends can be difficult for me because I don't always eat like I do on the weekdays and because I am at home where there is a pantry full of food, it is easy to seek after snacks all day. What I need to do instead is seek after Him who fills me with His spirit.

Rhythm by Mercy Me

2007-10-06T11:01:00.000-06:00

Even though the world doesn't know each other, we walk in the same direction
Like those lemmings that march off a cliff into the ocean for no apparent reason and no objection
You know that direction, I call it the direction of "me"
My goals, my stuff, how do I get first place, and could somebody up there cut me a break so I can win the lottery?

Then all of a sudden somebody shows up who's totally set apart from the rest.
Well he's heading in the other direction for one and there's a peace in His eyes and a rhythm to His step.

It's as if he has found the answer to life, and come to find out the answer's not me, myself or I.
I think I'm sticking with that guy.

My heart will beat as one
To the beat of a different drum
The rhythm of Your love

My heart is dancing now
In time with what I've found
The rhythm of Your love

As if I didn't say enough in the first verse, there's something else that's bugging me
How can I have just one heart that beats for so many things at the same time continually?
It just doesn't make sense. I mean technically I've only got one heartbeat in there
But I dance with so many things, do so many jigs you'd think I was Fred Astaire

I'm no rocket scientist, but it seems that every time you give a piece of your heart away
It can not be healthy nor can it be as strong as well let's say
When the whole heart is beating as one for one thing one rhythm in unison
Now that my friend is good advice for anyone

I love this song. You may have never heard it because it was only a bonus track on their Coming Up to Breathe album if you bought it at Family Christian.

Fitness Friday

2007-10-05T06:50:00.000-06:00

I started the new month off great. I was 100% on my healthy habits on Monday, Tuesday AND Wednesday. Then that time of the month arrived. I didn't do as well on Thursday. My eating habits were fine, but I was so tired. I did make it to the gym for 20 minutes, but by the time we made supper, ran a couple errands and got home I was exhausted and ended up laying on the couch about 9:15 and going to sleep. I'm still very tired today.

I did something new today. Every week when I get gas I drive by this salon that has a sign "Foot Detox Spa $20." I've been wanting to get one for a few months now and I finally went today at lunch. You stick your feet in a tub of water that has an ionizer or something in it that helps pull toxins from your system. You don't feel anything while you sit there (30 minutes), but the water gets all gross looking - change colors and looks like it has sand floating in it. Weird! Anyway, I can't tell a big difference in how I feel although I don't feel as tired as I was this morning.

Food Rewards

2007-10-04T06:46:00.000-06:00

What do you think of food rewards? After my post yesterday about my licorice reward, I was wondering what you might think of it.

I think we need to be careful with food rewards. They should not be a daily thing, as in, "I went for a walk today so I will reward myself with a double scoop peanut butter hot fudge sundae."

However, having a food reward can be an incentive to meet goals and give you an opportunity to "earn" a treat you wouldn't normal have and prevent you from feeling deprived. For example, my Monday weight is almost always higher than my Friday weight. We usually go out to eat once or twice on the weekend or I splurge a little. Well, when my Monday weight is less than Friday, then I treat myself to a fast food lunch that week. This only happens once every few months. Because I have a reward system in place I don't feel deprived of my Taco Villa Burrito since I will eventually earn one and since I have to cut back on my normal weekend eating routine, the calories all even out in the long run.

A Treat to Look Forward To

2007-10-03T19:35:00.000-06:00

I have a goal this month to NOT eat any of the Weight Watchers snacks at my office. They are full of nasty high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oils and they are a trigger food for me. Once I start, I can't stop.

So, my reward for not having any this month will be a yummy Panda licorice bar. Only 100 calories and 0 fat. No HFCS or PHO. Only molasses, wheat flour, licorice extract, and aniseed oil. I already have my bar, now I am just waiting for Halloween to arrive.

News

2007-10-02T06:29:00.000-06:00

From 30 Happiness Tips:

Stop watching and reading depressing news. In the beginning you may worry that you’ll miss something, but think about it – when was the last time you truly needed to know the things covered in the daily news. Being selective about the information you expose yourself to can have an incredible impact on your level of personal happiness.

I gave up watching the national news over a year ago. I don't miss it. I always hear the top news stories on the radio or on our local news without having to hear the national news coverage that goes on and on and on and on.

I also don't watch those "news" shows about celebrities. The public's fascination with them is ridiculous. Well, maybe it is not the "public," but just the media. The media puts it all out there for people to consume because they are interested in making money. However, if they quit publishing it, I don't think anyone would really miss it. What do you think?

Most of what is sold as "news" is actually just gossip. A lot of what is on television is talked about here:

Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. ~ Romans 1:28-31

Well, maybe that is a little harsh. There are probably some decent things on television. But I do try to avoid most tv. However, I love watching tv shows on DVD because at least I don't have to watch all the commercials trying to sell me something.

October Habits & Goals

2007-10-01T06:34:00.000-06:00

October Healthy Habits
Journal Food & Fitness
Blog
5 Min of Quiet
Read Lose It For Life Devotional
Keep in Touch
Ready in less than 50 min
Lunchtime Treadmill
Cardio
Core
Strength
Stretch/Yoga
Produce - 5 servings
Dairy - 2 servings
Healthy Oil
Nuts
Fiber One
Whole Grain
1 Coffee+1 Tea
Alcohol~0-1
No Sugar
No Flour
No Junk Food
No Looking for Houses (except on Sunday)
No Food after 9
Organize something - a drawer, shelf, area
Enter Receipts
Tomorrow's Clothes
Photos - Work on moving photos from albums to boxes
Bedtime Routine
Bed before 11

October Goals
Be 100% on 10 habits
Miss less than 100 healthy habits total
4.5 Hours of Weight Training
Run at least 4 times for at least 10 minutes
Go to the gym at least 4 times
Do yoga at least once
Do Turbo Sculpt at least twice
Do Turbo Jam at least twice
Get the hair removed on my lip (Advice on this? I've never done it before)
Deep Pore Cleansing mask once a week
Buy a navy blue Dallas Cowboys sweatshirt (Go Cowboys!)

September Results

2007-09-30T22:35:00.000-06:00

Here were my September Goals - The items in green are my results:
Be 100% on 10 (or more) - 100% on 12 habits
Miss less than 100 healthy habits total - missed 67
4.5 Hours of Weight Training - Close, but only 4.2
Run at least 4 times - only twice
Do pilates at least once - didn't do this
Do yoga at least once
Do each of these machines at the gym - elliptical (I can't believe I missed this one, it's my favorite, we just didn't go to the gym enough) arch trainer, stair mill, expresso bike, cardio wave
Do Turbo Sculpt at least once
Do Turbo Jam at least once

Here is the amount of time I spent on various exercise (this in in hours)
Running 0.3
Cycling - Stationary Trainer 0.3
Yoga 0.3
Aerobics 0.3
Weight Training 4.2
Walking 2.4
Running - Treadmill 1.5
* Elliptical Trainer 0.5
Stair Climber 0.2
Treadmill 4.7
Core Strength 2.4
Stretching 2.6
Totals: 18.5

* This is actualy cardio wave and arch trainer. Fitness journal doesn't have a category for those so I put them on elliptical.

Olive Oil

2007-09-29T09:22:00.000-06:00

He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for man to cultivate—bringing forth food from the earth: wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread that sustains his heart. ~ Psalm 104:14-15

But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face. ~ Matthew 6:17

I've tried something new this week. I have been using olive oil as a facial moisturizer. A friend had told me she met someone with beautiful skin and that is what she used for a moisturizer. The thought of trying it has been nagging me for a while, so I finally tried it Wednesday night. So far, I am very pleased with the results. It only takes a very small amount and is so much less expensive than facial moisturizers!

Fitness Friday

2007-09-28T08:02:00.000-06:00

As I mentioned in a post earlier this week, I had another binge this week. It wasn't anything horrible - just 11 points worth of WW snacks. I have recommitted myself to remaining binge-free. My first goal is one year binge-free. I have started re-reading the Lose It for Life Day by Day Devotional. It is one year long, so I will finish it at the same time I am binge-free for one year.

Here is a list of various binge-triggers I have.

Foods
Candy
Fast food
Cookies
Popcorn
More than 1 glass of wine
Restaurant food
Sugar
Sugar Alcohols
Pastries
Carbs without Protein

Environment
Alone at home
Parties
Holidays
Change in Routine
Change in Plans
Staying at work for lunch
Out to eat for lunch
Work

Emotions
Stress
Bored
Depressed
Procrastinating
Fatigue
PMS

Days of the Week
Tuesdays
Wednesdays
Weekends - used to be a problem, but not anymore

Physical
Feel sick
Cold
Taking cold medicine
Digestive Pain
Drop in blood sugar - I don't actually check my blood sugar, but I think this is what causes that shaky, "I've got to have food NOW" feeling

Time of Day
Afternoons

Enough about binging....here is where I am at on my goals for September:

Be 100% on 10 (or more) (currently 100% on 17)
Miss less than 100 healthy habits total (have missed 54 so far)
4.5 Hours of Weight Training (4.2 hours so far)
Run at least 4 times (two times)
Do pilates at least once
Do yoga at least once
Do each of these machines at the gym - elliptical, arch trainer, stair mill, expresso bike, cardio wave
Do Turbo Sculpt at least once
Do Turbo Jam at least once

Scriptures about Worry

2007-09-27T06:41:00.000-06:00

Worry weighs us down; a cheerful word picks us up. ~ Proverbs 12:25

Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. ~ Philippians 4:6-7

If you don't know what you're doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You'll get his help, and won't be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who "worry their prayers" are like wind-whipped waves. Don't think you're going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open. ~ James 1:5-8

My dear children, let's not just talk about love; let's practice real love. This is the only way we'll know we're living truly, living in God's reality. It's also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves. ~ 1 John 3:18-20

Only Grace

2007-09-26T11:51:00.000-06:00

by Matthew West

There is no guilt here
There is no shame
No pointing fingers
There is no blame
What happened yesterday…has disappeared
The dirt has washed away
And now it's clear

There's only grace
There's only love
There's only mercy and believe me it's enough
Your sins are gone
Without a trace
And there's nothing left now
There's only grace

You're starting over now
Under the sun
You're stepping forward now
A new life has begun
Your new life has begun

An’ there's only grace
There's only love
There's only mercy and believe me…it's enough
Your sins are gone
Without a trace
And there's nothing left now
There's only grace…

And if you should fall again
Get back up, get back up
Reach out and take my hand
Get back up, get back up
Get back up again
Ohh…get…back…up…again…

There's only grace…
There's only love…
There's only mercy and believe me it's enough…it’s enough
Your sins are gone
Without a trace
And there's nothing left now
There's only…there’s only…grace…

There's only mercy and believe
me it's enough…it’s enough
Your sins are gone
Without a trace
And there's nothing left now
There’s only…grace……
So get back up…get back up again…
Get back up again.

I heard this song on the way home from my bible study last night. The words really spoke to me where I was at after an afternoon binge and a recommittment to being binge free.

Ministry

2007-09-25T05:13:00.000-06:00

My Dear Sister,
The God of Glory has called you.
You have a ministry.
In Christ, you are enough for that ministry.
Never forget that showing God off is your ministry.
No matter what, keep your heart in your ministry.
Unveil your face and serve others with authenticity.
Always remember that the power is in God's presence.
Let nothing come between you and intimacy with God.
Keep moving forward from glory to glory.
Let God thin that veil.
Remember, ministry is not about position.
It's about people.
Let name after name be written upon your heart.
Do not seek great things for yourself, seek a great God.
As you leave this place, go in a fresh anointing.
He who turns water into wine turns wimps into warriors.
You have a ministry.
Go fulfill it.

Beth Moore at Washington, D.C. Commissioning

Silence is Not an Option

2007-09-24T06:38:00.000-06:00

From TorahBytes, Silence it Not an Option post:

In our day there is increasing pressure to keep silent. Western society, which at one time prided itself in the free exchange of ideas, tolerates less and less the clear proclamation of God's Truth. Popular so-called tolerance insists that all ideas are equally valid, thus denying the validity of God's Truth as revealed in the Bible. Followers of the Messiah are increasingly embarrassed to speak up in today's relativistic culture.

Making matters worse are those who use the principle of "actions speak louder than words" to downplay the necessity to speak out. While it is essential to demonstrate the reality of our words through corresponding actions, transformation comes about as people hear God's word.

Silence, therefore, is not an option.

I must admit that I am an "actions speak louder than words" person. Not that I tell others it is not important to speak out, but because I am not confident and comfortable speaking out myself.

Quotes from Magnificat

2007-09-23T19:57:00.000-06:00

Father in heaven, our hearts desire the warmth of your love and our minds are searching for the light of your Word. Increase our longing for Christ our Savior and give us the strength to grow in love, that the dawn of his coming may find us rejoicing in his presence and welcoming the light of his truth. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. Amen. ~ Magnificat 12-3-6

O God of glory, you have sent your only Son into our midst to bear us in joy into your presence. Waken those whose faith slumbers; stir up those whose love has waned into indifference; rouse to fullness of life those who have abandoned their journey toward you amid the hardships they have met along the way. ~ Magnificat 12-10-6

God of power and mercy, open our hearts in welcome. Remove the things that hinder us from receiving Christ with joy, so that we may share his wisdom and become one with him when he comes in glory, for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. ~ Magnificat 12-10-6

Lord Jesus Christ, you are the light in which we place our hope. Break open minds clouded by confusion, hearts darkened by self-seeking, spirits dimmed by deadening habits, and set your people free to welcome your coming with joy. ~ Magnificat 12-23-6

You can subscribe to the Magnificat here.

Embrace Your Season

2007-09-22T09:33:00.000-06:00

Today's Scripture
“To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under the heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1).
Today's Word from Joel and Victoria
God has ordained seasons in your life. It’s easy to get frustrated when our dreams aren’t coming to pass on our timetable. When that happens, we have to submit our plans to Him and trust that He has a better plan. Understand that in God’s Kingdom, every season is not harvest. There are plowing seasons. There are planting seasons. There are watering seasons. And sure, we would love for every season to be a time of increase, but without the other seasons, we wouldn’t be prepared. It’s during the plowing seasons when God’s bringing issues to light that we need to deal with. He’s getting us prepared for promotion. If you’re not making as much progress as you would like, the key is to not lose any ground. Don’t go backwards. Hold your position by keeping an attitude of faith and expectancy, even when it’s hard. Keep plowing by speaking the Word daily. As you do, you’ll pass the test, and God promises your due season is coming!
A Prayer for Today
Father in Heaven, thank You for Your faithfulness in all seasons of my life. I trust that my time is coming, and I choose to remain faithful. I submit my ways to You today and trust that You have the best plan for my life. I love You and praise Your name today. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Fitness Friday

2007-09-21T04:57:00.000-06:00

I finally got a run in this week. Sunday I tried an outdoor run. It is so much harder than running on the treadmill! I went to the track at the high school and walked one lap then ran four, then walked another lap and tried running another one. I didn't finish that lap because my heart rate got to high (171). My heart rate stays around 153 when I run on the treadmill. I wasn't running faster because I was pacing myself with a Groove Electric Podcast at 147 bph. I use a 149 bph podcast on the treadmill. Next time I run outside I will use a slower podcast and see if I can run longer. Monday I did a 30 minute run on the treadmill. Do I count 2 runs toward my goal this month even though one run didn't last the normal length of time?

Sugar Pop and I went to the fair on Wednesday night and ate plenty of junk food - gorditas, tornado taters, frozen banana, funnel cake, fried smore, and fried Milky Way. That is all the junk food I need for a LONG time.

This is Sugar Pop's early week so I have been doing a 10 minute walk on the treadmill before work plus my 10 minute walk at lunch. The lunchtime treadmill has quickly become a habit. I hope it helps with the winter blues this year.

Here is how I am doing on my goals:
Be 100% on 10 (or more) (currently 100% on 21)
Miss less than 100 healthy habits total (have missed 33 so far)
4.5 Hours of Weight Training (3.3 hours so far)
Run at least 4 times (two times)
Do pilates at least once
Do yoga at least once
Do each of these machines at the gym - elliptical, arch trainer, stair mill, expresso bike, cardio wave
Do Turbo Sculpt at least once
Do Turbo Jam at least once

Quote Day!

2007-09-20T18:05:00.000-06:00

The greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child, a direct killing of the innocent child, murder by the mother herself. And if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another. ~ Mother Theresa

Just like when you take a magnifying glass and direct the sun's rays on a piece of paper you can set the paper on fire, so when one prays for someone, they become a human magnifying glass, and focus the grace of God on that person and set them on fire with the Holy Spirit. ~ Father Larry Richards

Our God, before whom the kings of the earth are less than a spark in the full blaze of the sun...this great God, nevertheless, shows himself eager to hear us at any hour of the day or night that suits us to address him. ~ St. Jan Frances de Chantal

Let us be vigilant to see Christ in whatever good is done for us and to make him manifest in the good we do for others. ~ The Magnificat, 12-3-6

Two Days Worth of Joel & Victoria

2007-09-19T12:34:00.000-06:00

Seasons of Sowing

Today's Scripture

Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy” (Psalm 126:5).

Today's Word from Joel and Victoria

The Scripture talks about seasons of sowing and reaping in your life. In Psalms, it talks about sowing in tears and reaping in joy. That verse is saying that the sowing seasons are usually the most difficult. It’s hard to keep a good attitude when all your friends are being blessed, but you’re not. You may feel like they don’t work as hard as you do. You may feel like they don’t give like you do or don’t deserve the blessing. That’s a time of testing. It’s hard to go through disappointments and stay positive and hopeful. These are seasons of sowing. If you’ll do the right thing even when it’s hard—when you sow in tears—you will always reap in joy! I’m asking you to have a new attitude toward what God has placed in your heart. It may be taking a long time, but God still has a plan to bring it to pass. Don’t give up. Your time is coming. It’s never too late! God is saying, “This is your season. Keep your faith stirred up.” Keep sowing because in due season, you will reap the bountiful harvest with a song of joy in your heart!

A Prayer for Today

Heavenly Father, thank You for another day to serve You and sow into the lives of those around me. I ask for Your strength today to do Your will and keep a good attitude. Help me recognize my season of sowing so that I can be ready in the time of harvest. I love You and bless Your holy name today. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

God-Ordained Moments

Today's Scripture

"For I know the plans I have for you,”declares the Lord”, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11).

Today's Word from Joel and Victoria

God created every one of us to be successful. Before the foundation of the world, He laid out an exact plan for our life. And in this plan, He has marked moments that are going to come across our paths. These moments are not ordinary. They are destiny-altering moments. They are designed to thrust you years ahead. It says in Ecclesiastes that “time and chance come together for every person.” That means you’ll have opportunities to meet the right people, opportunities to advance in your career, opportunities to fulfill your dreams. God has already pre-arranged times of increase and blessing. You may not be seeing a lot of good breaks right now, but let me encourage you; there are seasons of favor and seasons of increase marked for your future. There are God-ordained moments planned out for you. Don’t miss these moments! Don’t stop believing, and don’t get distracted by what’s going on in the world around you. Focus on removing the clutter from your life so that you can hear the still, small voice. Approach today with an attitude of faith and expectancy. As you do, you’ll embrace the God-ordained moments that are ordered for you!

A Prayer for Today

Father God, thank You for ordering my steps. Thank You for making a way when there seems to be no way. I choose to step out today with faith and expectancy so that You can move in my life. I trust You with my destiny and thank You for fulfilling every desire of my heart today. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

The Divine Praises

2007-09-18T06:54:00.000-06:00

I didn't watch the Emmy's and I don't watch the news, but from what I gather someone took the Lord's name in vain during their acceptance speech. This morning on EWTN Fr. Anthony suggested that we make reparation for the Lord's Name being taken in vain by praying the Divine Praises for nine days.

Blessed be God.
Blessed be His Holy Name.
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true man.
Blessed be the name of Jesus.
Blessed be His Most Sacred Heart.
Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the paraclete.
Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy.
Blessed be her holy and Immaculate Conception.
Blessed be her glorious Assumption.
Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.
Blessed be Saint Joseph, her most chaste spouse.
Blessed be God in His angels and in His Saints.
May the heart of Jesus, in the Most Blessed Sacrament, be praised, adored, and loved with grateful affection, at every moment, in all the tabernacles of the world, even to the end of time. Amen.

Not Just About Falling Down

2007-09-17T05:16:00.000-06:00

Temperance is, unfortunately, one of those words that has changed its meaning. It now usually means teetotalism. But in the days when the second Cardinal virtue was christened ‘Temperance’, it meant nothing of the sort. Temperance referred not specially to drink, but to all pleasures; and it meant not abstaining, but going the right length and no further. It is a mistake to think that Christians ought all to be teetotallers; Mohammedanism, not Christianity, is the teetotal religion. Of course it may be the duty of a particular Christian, or of any Christian, at a particular time, to abstain from strong drink, either because he is the sort of man who cannot drink at all without drinking too much, or because he is with people who are inclined to drunkenness and must not encourage them by drinking himself. But the whole point is that he is abstaining, for a good reason, from something which he does not condemn and which he likes to see other people enjoying. One of the marks of a certain type 0f bad man is that he cannot give up a thing himself without wanting every one else to give it up. That is not the Christian way... One great piece of mischief has been done by the modern restriction of the word Temperance to the question of drink. It helps people to forget that you can be just as intemperate about lots of other things. A man who makes his golf or his motor-bicycle the centre of his life, or a woman who devotes all her thoughts to clothes or bridge or her dog, is being just as ‘intemperate’ as someone who gets drunk every evening. Of course, it does not show on the outside so easily: bridge-mania or golf-mania do not make you fall down in the middle of the road. But God is not deceived by externals. —C.S. Lewis from Mere Christianity

House Obsessions

2007-09-16T10:08:00.000-06:00

About two months ago, Sugar Pop got the idea to try to find a house outside of town - some place quiet with a view. Now I have been perfectly content with our house. Yes, we are along side a pretty busy street and we can't enjoy siting in the back yard because we hear cars driving by (and the neighbor's dogs barking across the alley). Another downside of the back yard is it is on the west side of the house. We do have more trees up now to give us some shade, but it can still be pretty warm and at times the sun is shining in your face. As far as the house itself, there is not much I would change. It would be nice to have a bathtub in the master for the 2 or 3 times a year I want to take a bath. It would be nice to have a 1/2 bath close to the kitchen. The garage is a little small. Other than those things I love the floor plan and we have done lots of updates. We are very conveniently located (the upside of being next to a busy street).

Even though I really don't want to move, I have now become obsessed with looking at the MLS for houses in our price and size range. It is really a big time waster. It is a bad habit I have quickly developed during the past two months and I need to break it or seriously limit the time I spend on it.

Fitness Friday on Saturday (again)

2007-09-15T10:17:00.000-06:00

This has been a good week. I still haven't got a run in yet this month, but I am planning on one tomorrow morning. Sunday is my normal rest day, but I am taking today as my rest day instead.

I am still feeling really motivated right now and I am using that to keep myself on a roll. :) I haven't had a really good cardio workout this week. It's basically been the minimum 10 minute walks on the treadmill, although last night we went for a 20 minute walk outside in the beautiful fall weather. I have been doing the 10 minutes walks on the treadmill at lunch time. They definitely enhance my mood and this is going to be a good habit to have in place as the days get shorter.

This is how I am doing on my monthly goals (the items in green have been completed):

Be 100% on 10 (or more) (currently 100% on 22)
Miss less than 100 healthy habits total (have missed 21 so far)
4.5 Hours of Weight Training (2.9 hours so far)
Run at least 4 times
Do pilates at least once
Do yoga at least once
Do each of these machines at the gym - elliptical, arch trainer, stair mill, expresso bike, cardio wave
Do Turbo Sculpt at least once
Do Turbo Jam at least once