You Up For a Challenge?

I have debated for a long time about doing this post and previously determined I didn't want the world (or the 3 of you who follow this blog) to know if I gave up!

On February 15th I decided that I need to be accountable for what I put into my mouth and to make sure I am exercising on a regular basis. I also needed to lose 27lbs! So I decided to claim the power of this verse:


"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." 2 Timothy 1:7

That has been me, afraid. I'm afraid of failing, I certainly haven't loved my body. Over the years I ate poorly, lacked proper exercise and even struggled with eating disorders. In August of 2004 I had gastric bypass surgery. I topped the scales at 253lbs on my surgery day. Over the course of the following 8 months I lost a total of 105lbs putting me at 148lbs. Then I became pregnant with J and then M. With my last one I have not just "magically" lost the baby weight like I did with L and J's pregnancies.

So I feel like it is time to be good to my body. For me that is going to look different than it does for the normal person. After weight loss surgery I have strict guidelines I have to follow. I need to avoid carbohydrates, milk products (not cheeses), among other things. The reason for this is that my digestive system does not tolerate them anymore. In order to help me abide by the rules I have decided to go with the Atkins plan - and no that doesn't mean just eating bacon! I have also begun working out everyday.

Anyway - Just wanted to see if anyone else wanted to join me in accountability for taking care of our bodies?

I began on Feb 15th by changing my diet.
I am weighing in every Sunday morning and a goal of losing 2lbs a week.

Feb 22 I weighed in and was -8lbs.
This week I did 20 minutes of cardio everyday.

I have a remaining goal of losing 19lbs.

Anyone else up for a challenge? Join me this Sunday with your start weights and your goals in hand! We can do it. Let's go 12 weeks! How much could you lose in 12 weeks!? Or if you don't have any weight to lose then - What changes can you make to improve your overall health?

Look What I Have to Work With!

Yes this is typical attire most days. No the helmet is not required!

This is better than his fake smile that he flashes everytime I take out the camera.

This is my booger face baby expressing his contempt for having his picture taken.


Oh how am I ever going to learn new things with these monkeys?
Good thing I love them and will cherish their photos for ever even if they are being dorky turds!

TRUE BEAUTY: Part Two

I apologize for the delay in this post. Thank you for your grace as I am experiencing an extremely hectic schedule at the moment. All to soon calm down next week ;) I hope.

As we continue our discussion on how we view and evaluate true beauty, we are learning to shift from our conditioned perceptions to seeing things from the Lord's perspective. Let's delve into the rest of the chapter shall we?

We pick up with Colossians 3:1-5

"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry."

According to Mahaney this a natural progression from self-absorption and self-focus to that of Christ. We must focus on the Lord before we are able to change. Change can not come from us but only from the Lord.

I really like the action of looking at Christ after we look at ourselves. "Every time we are tempted to be discouraged by our own disappointing performance, we must look to our Savior whose perfect performance has been credited to us." (p.40) This is something I most certainly would benefit from. I don't know about you but for how much I focus on myself (which is quite a bit if I am being honest) I would spend a WHOLE LOT of time getting to know the Lord.

The section on practical changes (p.40-41) gives us some things to consider when it comes to our personal appearance. We are to consider first the Lord and then our husbands. There is good insight into how to find the balance. "The Bible does not condemn wearing and using these things. It is wearing them for the wrong reasons that God's word forbids," (my emphasis added).

It is important for us to be appreciative of the body that God gave us. We need to respect it and care for it. "Anything less than a heart filled with gratitude and praise to God for our physical appearance is sinful and grieves the Lord." (p.42) That is a tough truth isn't it?

A few more excerpts:

"In the same way , your body is not your own - it belongs to God. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit- you house the Holy Spirit in your body! that should make all the difference in how you treat i. This new understand of our bodies can change not only what we do,but why we do it.

...

We should be self-controlled in what we eat not merely to maintain a certain weight, but because self-control is a fruit of the Spirit." (p.43)

I also like the story of Sarah. I did not know the history of Sarah and I found it very encouraging. I would like to leave you with this quote from the book:

"It is a mystery how the beauty that we cultivate inwardly can be evident outwardly. But Scripture promises us that the more we adorn our inner self, the lovelier we will become." (p.45)

Discussion:

1. What did you think?

2. Do you know any women who are not particularly stunning, but who radiate a beauty that comes from within, making them lovely?

3. What changes can you make to seek the Lord in these matters?

Deliciousness

Is that a word? - Probably not, but I wanted to share a wonderful recipe I found for homemade pizza sauce! It is super EASY! And beats anything that could possibly come out of a can or jar! I PROMISE!

INGREDIENTS:

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
6 fluid ounces warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons honey
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt to taste (this makes or breaks this sauce)

Add ingredients together in a small pot and put on LOW heat. Allow to "warm" for about half an hour to blend flavors. Spread on your pizza and eat it up!!

Really this is soooo GOOD!

Valentine's Day

Starting last year we began our tradition of dating the kids for Valentine's day. Hubby and my birthdays are both in February so we have enough celebrating together.
The kids were invited to "fancy dinner" - we had homemade mini-pizzas, they were allowed to drink out of glass cups and use adult plates. As we ate we started with the youngest and went through the family, each of us giving a reason why we loved the person whose turn it was. It was wonderful to watch L and J just beam while they listened to what a special and valued member of the family they are.
After we loved on each person in the family we all took turns talking about the Lord, and what we loved about him.

When dinner was over we danced our hearts out in the living room. Then we changed into pajamas, put on a new movie for the kids (Madagascar 2) and gave them each a box of candy hearts. I hope my children will remember these moments that I treasure when they are grown.

***As an added bonus Hubby rented us a movie and brought home a bottle of wine. So we watched Mama Mia! (Yipes - I am so not into girl movies - although I had said I wanted to see it). It was fun alone time and very thoughtful of my sweet husband***

I'm Around

Ever feel like life is a whirlwind? I'm there right now. We have a million things going on at once. One being that I am finishing up a class that I am taking for the 4th time (Apparently World History is not my strongest subject). Anyway, for those of you who are part of the book club I won't be posting until Sunday. My apologies. I also have a fun blog about our Valentine's day in the works and a delicious recipe for homemade Pizza!

This is super old pic.. but I love him and wanted to put a picture on here! :)

I'm alive.. I promise.

Does Love Equal Obedience?

This was shared from True Woman Blog Click on the Title below to follow the link there. :)

Does Love Equal Obedience?
posted on 02.09.09 by Kimberly Wagner

Early in our marriage, my husband and I took his younger brother, Daniel, out to eat pizza. While we were ordering, I noticed that Daniel had brought a small toy car and was rolling it along the table. Gradually the car's “road trips” moved farther along the table's borders. When I noticed Daniel on all fours, driving the car across the restaurant's rather unsanitary floor, I instructed him to get up off the floor. He looked at me in wide-eyed amazement, and with total sincerity replied, “I'm not on the floor!”

My husband and I often laugh as we recall that scene of childish obstinacy. It reminds us of our own behavior many times. How often I say the words, “I love You, Lord” while my actions deny that statement. Words have meaning. When my actions contradict my words, it invalidates my speech.

Jesus gave us the prescription for demonstrating our love for God when He told us, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15).

Love for God is directly linked with obedience to Him. I’ve found that obedience, although difficult at times, comes far more easily when I focus on His love for me. When I focus on His enormous love and gracious mercy toward me, it compels me to respond in obedience. This is how Paul described it,
“For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf” (2 Corinthians 5:14-15).

Out of gratitude for His substitutionary death and His great demonstration of love toward me, I desire to return His love by walking in obedience to Him.
What do you think? Does love equal obedience? How is God asking you to obey Him out of love today?

Why I am FURIOUS with Wal-Mart

I am not an angry person by nature, but last night infuriated me. The family and I went to Wal-Mart to get a trash can, simple stuff. We couldn't find the price so we had to look for one of those price checkers. The first one we found happened to be in the beverage aisle. Hubby had the little two in the shopping cart, scanned the can and continued walking. L and I were a few steps behind him.

All the sudden we hear bottles clinking and pause (just L and I) for a second. Within a split second L is pummeled by 5 bottles of Mike's Hard Lemonade that had fallen off of the very top shelf. Two six packs had fallen over and off of the shelf. He was hit in the back of the neck and on the shoulders. The bottles breaking on him, bursting off of the floor and making a huge mess. L had an instant bruise and welt on his shoulder and was all red. He said it didn't hurt unless he moved or touched it.

Accidents happen right? The people who worked at Wal-Mart were polite and compassionate to L and us. We filled out an accident report. What makes me so angry is that these bottles were in their six packs on the top shelf, stacked on top of each other two and three cases high, unsecured. What if those bottles had fallen a different way or we had been standing a 1/2 inch to the side? He could have been seriously hurt, possibly killed. I know that sounds dramatic, but I am being practical - it could have been much more serious. Thankfully by the grace of God he is fine.

I called a lawyer this morning - I told him, I don't want money I just want the policy for securing their merchandise changed. No such luck if there is no serious injury, but I was encouraged to write a strongly worded letter to the Manager and the Corporate Office. I will be doing that - however having worked at Wal-Mart for four years as a teenager I know how dismissive they are of customer complaints and concerns.

Lesson: Keep an eye out for falling objects?

TRUE BEAUTY: Part One

Hello Ladies,

I am going to break chapter two of our book study into 2 weeks, because – well it is something all women need to take time and sort through in my opinion. I know I could spend an extra week refocusing the way I have viewed beauty.

The first thing that came to mind as I began reading chapter 2 was Dove's campaign for true beauty commercials. For centuries and throughout every culture women have caved to the accepted standard of beauty. Whether it was tiny feet, long necks, rounded foreheads, nose jobs or boob jobs (as pointed out by Carolyn in this chapter) we have succumb to the temptation to be perfect. Even in today's culture we can see through the willingness of Dove to shed light on this hysteria that no woman is perfect! Have you seen Dove's commercial where the beautiful woman sits in the chair, has her makeup and hair professionally done, lighting arranged and photos taken – only to have those photos digitally altered in post processing? What kind of hope does it give us as women to know that we can NEVER ATTAIN the standards set forth by society?

What should truly concern us more than living up to the unattainable is why do we feel the need to strive for this? Carolyn Mahaney asks "Why aren't we pleased with 'normal'?" Good question. The answer is something I can personally attest to and I'm sure you can too – to some degree. We have bought into the lie: "If you're beautiful, you will be happy and successful. You will be popular among the women, and you will be desirable to men. You will know lasting intimacy and true love. You will be confident and secure. You will be important and significant." (p.36)

Look at celebrities. Gorgeous women and men unfulfilled by their beauty. Beautiful women that we often compare ourselves to have their marriages and relationships fall victim to infidelities. They are not able to attain happiness, lasting intimacy or true love by being beautiful.

I found it interesting and did not know that :

"Nowhere in the Bible are women instructed to wish for, ask for, or strive for physical beauty. Instead, God's Word warns us of the futility and deceitfulness of such a pursuit. Neither does the Bible portray physical beauty as a blessing for those who have it. Instead, it can actually create greater potential for being snared by sin (Prov. 6:23-26).

However, there is a kind of beauty that we are to pursue. First Peter 3:4-5 tells us that our beauty 'should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful.'" (p.37)

It is the propaganda of our culture that what matters most is being beautiful, I'm sure it has been the same for many cultures throughout history. The truth is that this physical beauty is not comparable to the calling for inner beauty that God desires of us. If we work to cultivate a quiet spirit and a right heart we are going to be able to impact lives for the glory of God.

I am going to end the first part of chapter with the "Heart Check" checklist of priorities.

1. Do I spend more time daily caring for my personal appearance than I do in Bible study, prayer, and worship?

2. Do I spend excessive money on clothes, hair, and makeup, or is it an amount that is God-honoring?

3. So I want to lose weight to "fell better about myself," or do I desire to be self-disciplined for the glory of God?

4. Am I on a quest for thinness to impress others, or do I seek to cultivate eating habits that honor God?

5. Do I exercise to try to create or maintain a "good figure," or do I exercise to strengthen my body for God's service?

6. Is there anything about my appearance that I wish I could change, or am I fully grateful to God for the way he created me?

7. Am I jealous of the appearance of others, or am I truly glad when I observe other women who are more physically attractive than I?

8. Do I covet the wardrobe of others, or do I genuinely rejoice when other women are able to afford and purchase new clothing?

9. When I attend an event or activity, do I sinfully compare myself with others, or do I go asking god to show me whom to love and how to do it?

10. Do I ever dress immodestly or with the intent of drawing attention to myself, or do I always dress in a manner that pleases God?

Asking these questions on a consistent basis can help us weed out worldly values and cultivate a heart for God's priorities. (p. 39)

What did you think? Was there anything that particularly spoke to your heart? Please feel free to share your thoughts and commentaries below and engage in discussion.

Who am I to Judge?

I am ashamed to share, but because God is so great and this moment for me was so awesome I will lay down my pride and be honest. A few years ago a lot of ugliness happened in the lives of some of my friends, there was adultery and the dissolution of marriages and it all took place at the time I was moving away. So, while life has moved on for those involved, I am still stuck in the past.

I have a very hard time with harboring resentment towards the individuals who caused all of this and still find myself lying in bed at night angry that it happened. Silly I know - it is just my flesh. I think maybe the reason that it is so hard for me is because it is my biggest fear? One night last week I was lying in bed thinking a mess of mean spirited thoughts and was unable to sleep. I felt the Lord tell me to go read my bible. I argued with him, it was 1 in the morning, I was sure that it wasn't God, it was me just being restless. Half an hour later, still wide awake I prayed, "Alright Lord, if you are going to make me get up, you need to tell me what to read."

John 8:6 rushed my mind before I finished my prayer. Still not convinced it was God (because I am a doubter) I reluctantly picked up my Bible and sat out on the sofa. Flipped to John 8:6 and read:

"They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger."



If you know your Bible you know where this is going. I'll back up a bit:

"But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" "No one, sir," she said.
"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

WOW! The Lord humbled my heart. Who am I to sit in judgement of another? I too have sinned and to God it is no different than the sin of adultery. Some Pastor's take on this passage is that Jesus bent down and starting writing the names of the woman's accusers in the sand and their sins. What would the Lord have written about me?

Thank you Lord for reminding me that you are God and I am not. Forgive me prideful heart. In Jesus name, Amen

Nothing Short of A Miracle

The Lord is at work in my life in the small things and I am so grateful for those moments when he clearly lets me know it.

I will start with the more recent (and most miraculous - in my opinion). As part of hubby's preparation for Officer school he had to have a very extensive physical today. The only thing that we have been worried about seriously praying over was his vision. During his entrance physical, 6 plus years ago, he failed his depth perception test - and generally that type of thing doesn't improve over time.

Jeff is an over-preparer (is that a word?) so we have spent the last few months fretting about what could happen if he didn't pass, knowing it would result in him getting assigned a different position. We devoted a lot of time to the Internet looking up ways to improve depth perception and found the most common way was to use the Magic Eye illustrations (you know you remember those they were so much fun as kids). Jeff couldn't make out a single picture in 2 books and needless to say he was frustrated and we were a little concerned.

Truly aware that no matter how much he worked on his ol' eyeballs we weren't going to be able to MAKE them pass the test, he accepted that fact that God is in control. This afternoon as he took his depth perception test he said he was astonished at how easily the correct answers jumped out at him. He had to slow himself down in fear that he was guessing wrong, because it seemed to easy. In the end he didn't miss a single one! To me that is a miracle.

FEMININITY: Developing a Biblical perspective

Welcome as we dive into Biblical Womanhood in the Home. I would like to open with John Greenleaf Whittier's prayer that Nancy included at the end of the introduction:

"Dear Lord and Father of mankind,
Forgive our foolish ways!
Reclothe us in our rightful mind;
In purer lives Thy service find,
In deeper reverence, praise.

In simple trust like theirs who heard,
Beside the Syrian sea,
The gracious calling of the Lord,
Let us, like them, without a word,
Rise up and follow Thee.

Drop Thy still dews of quietness
Till all our strivings cease.
Take from our souls the strain and stress,
And let our ordered lives confess
The beauty of Thy peace."

The first section of this book introduces us to God's design for women and begins in Chapter 1 with Femininity. We were designed to be feminine by no accident. God had a beautiful purpose and design for us. Carolyn Mahaney (the author of ch.1 ) says, "The important point here [referring to Genesis 1:27, 2:21-22] is that God created us, and being the creation of God determines everything for us as women. We don't look to our culture to find our feminine identity; we don't consult our feelings to discover our purpose. Everything that we are and everything that we do must be rooted in God." (p.23) This is an important revelation in understanding God's design for women. Many things in this book are EXTREMELY counter-cultural, and even so within the church at times. I have learned that where I initially feel opposition to what I am learning about biblical womanhood, more often than not I am walking in disobedience in that area.

Part of our feminine design is to be a helper to our husbands, and if single then in other relationships in our lives. We are to come along side of our husbands in order to help them live out their God given calling. I thought that the passage by Author Douglas Wilson gave wonderful insight into this:

"The man needs the help; the woman needs to help. Marriage was created by God to provide a companionship in the labor of dominion. The cultural mandate, the requirement to fill and subdue the earth, is still in force, and a husband cannot fulfill this portion of the task in isolation. He needs a companion suitable for him in the work to which God has called him. He is called to the work and must receive help from her. She is called to the work through ministering to him. He is oriented to the task, and she is oriented to him." (p.25)

We are also designed for motherhood. I LOVED this passage:

"As women, we are created to be life-bearers. Our bodies have been designed with the ability to mother—to receive, carry, and bear young. In fact, our bodies prepare themselves repeatedly to conceive and bear young. We express our femininity by gratefully embracing every stage of child-bearing, receiving and nurturing each child as a gracious gift from God."

Sometimes mothering becomes a burden instead of a joy, which Carolyn addressed in the text, and it is true for all of us at times I am sure.

The final part of our femininity addressed in this chapter is cultivating a love for our home. "Domesticity –devotion to the quality of home life—is an essential facet of femininity." Being good and skilled keepers of our home is in fact just another way of loving our husbands and nurturing our children. It is our job to feed, clothe and care for them in an environment that allows them to feel safe and loved. Home should be their safe haven from the chaotic world.

Loving service to our husbands and children is the perfect way to emulate Christ and live out God's plan for our lives. So often as women we get carried away with ministry, friendships, and other things that call us away from our home. Our home is where we are most vital and where we are called to be. We tend to be kinder and more patient with friends and strangers than we are with the people who we share our lives with. Are we truthfully and wholeheartedly following God's commands if aren't purposefully living out our design with those closest to us? Through our servant's heart and peaceful spirit, our husbands and children should be able to see a brilliant reflection of Christ in us.

Does God command us to abandon passions for other Godly pursuits, no! - but we are wisely cautioned against allowing these things to interfere with what matters most. Our femininity is found in our God given purpose to encourage, care for, and support our husbands, to love and nurture our children, and to keep our homes (Proverbs 31, Titus 2:3-5).

What did you think? Was there anything that particularly spoke to your heart? Please feel free to share your thoughts and commentaries below and engage in discussion.