So, having two children that are the same sex def. has it's perks. We kept a lot of V's clothes, and I gave away a lot. Most of my friends that I gave clothes to have been able to return them, plus have given me even more that they had. So, Allison has been blessed with lots of clothes. Plus, grandma and I try to be sure she gets new stuff of her own too.
Before Allison was born I went through all the clothes we had for A & V and organized them into clear plastic tubs, based on size. Victoria has been given some nice clothes from a family that was moving. Nice stuff that will fit her for the next several years.
However, Victoria was born in the heat of August... Allison in the cold of February. Somehow we've managed to be able to use the great majority of clothes so far, but as I looked through the "6-9months" bin it became clear that whereas Victoria was in this size clothes around February-April, Allison will be there from August-October. As hot as it is now, I have a hard time believing it's going to get cold enough for A to wear some of these winter clothes. So, I'm going to take some things down to the Clothesline Children's Consignment Store, and give some to friends. Clothesline pays cash or gives credit... which will work out nicely.
Today's great deal - got a Cinderella life jacket for V for $4.00 at Clothesline. Love it!
So one of the problems with used baby clothes is what 6 months means to one brand means something totally different to another brand. Some brands include weight ranges on their clothes, but most do not. I'm planning on compiling a list of brands and what their sizes mean. I did some googling and here's a good list:
http://www.newkidsclothes.com/size_charts.htm
I love researching and finding stuff like this. Really, I like anything to do with kids/baby stuff... I think my new dream job is either to work at Babies-R-Us or some other store. I love talking to new moms/grand moms about my personal experiences as a mom with different products and baby milestones.
"...making the best use of the time..."
Sometimes when I get home from my day job, I feel like I'm so far behind in what needs to be done at home... sometimes it just takes getting one thing done to make me feel like I've accomplished something.
This mornin
g I managed to get two bags of clothes dropped off at the Goodwill drop-box at Walmart, and took our empty formula containers to grandpa (he uses them for storage containers in the garage). Speaking of Goodwill - we stopped by there the other day and I found tan tap shoes for Victoria for $3 that are practically brand new - normally they are $28! She'll be taking a dance class in the fall and and one of the required items are tan tap shoes!
Last night my butterfly (pictured to the right) and I spent some "special time" together. I'm trying to be purposeful about giving her this kind of time, since I know that a lot of times it can feel to her like the baby gets all the attention. She helped me with laundry and dishes (she loves helping mommy with these chores) and then we played some educational web games together (spelling, math, etc...)
Another good deal we found was this cute summer hat for
Allison. It fits her head perfectly - this picture doesn't do it or her justice, but it's the only one I've taken so far. We got it for $1.50 at the Clothesline Children's Consignment Store in Poquoson. It was my first time in and I LOVED it. She's worn this hat everyday this week, as grandma and I adore it on the cutie pie.
Finding time for my husband, my kids, my house, my friends and myself is such a challenge. And more importantly, and concerning, is that I consistently put off the time I should be spending with God. I am feeling more and more everyday that I must be purposeful with my time. I am reminded again of this verse...
I find that in the midst of this juggle of my time, I have little time to worry about other people hurting my feelings, petty squabbles other people are having, etc.... of course, I also realize more and more that I worry about things a lot more than I probably let on... some things will keeps me up at night, or I think about them in the car when it's quiet (ie. when the kids aren't in the car). This annoys me to no end, because once again, I feel like I have better things to do with my thoughts than to worry about why so and so treats me the way they do, or why such and such had to happen.
So how is God trying to teach me not to be a worrier? He has given me a little worry wart...
My sweet V terribly worries about things that are totally out of her control, like thunderstorms, jellyfish, and car accidents. I came to the realization that God had orchestrated perfectly this match of my daughter and I when she called me to her room the other night to tell me about her "bad dream" (actual definition: what she lays in bed worrying/imagining about)... I crawled in bed with her and asked her to tell me all about it...
My heart melted... my daughter should not be worrying about such things! And as I tried to comfort her and explain that she need not worry... I was reminded...
This mornin
g I managed to get two bags of clothes dropped off at the Goodwill drop-box at Walmart, and took our empty formula containers to grandpa (he uses them for storage containers in the garage). Speaking of Goodwill - we stopped by there the other day and I found tan tap shoes for Victoria for $3 that are practically brand new - normally they are $28! She'll be taking a dance class in the fall and and one of the required items are tan tap shoes!
Last night my butterfly (pictured to the right) and I spent some "special time" together. I'm trying to be purposeful about giving her this kind of time, since I know that a lot of times it can feel to her like the baby gets all the attention. She helped me with laundry and dishes (she loves helping mommy with these chores) and then we played some educational web games together (spelling, math, etc...) Another good deal we found was this cute summer hat for
Allison. It fits her head perfectly - this picture doesn't do it or her justice, but it's the only one I've taken so far. We got it for $1.50 at the Clothesline Children's Consignment Store in Poquoson. It was my first time in and I LOVED it. She's worn this hat everyday this week, as grandma and I adore it on the cutie pie. Finding time for my husband, my kids, my house, my friends and myself is such a challenge. And more importantly, and concerning, is that I consistently put off the time I should be spending with God. I am feeling more and more everyday that I must be purposeful with my time. I am reminded again of this verse...
"Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is." ~Ephesians 5:15-17
I find that in the midst of this juggle of my time, I have little time to worry about other people hurting my feelings, petty squabbles other people are having, etc.... of course, I also realize more and more that I worry about things a lot more than I probably let on... some things will keeps me up at night, or I think about them in the car when it's quiet (ie. when the kids aren't in the car). This annoys me to no end, because once again, I feel like I have better things to do with my thoughts than to worry about why so and so treats me the way they do, or why such and such had to happen.
So how is God trying to teach me not to be a worrier? He has given me a little worry wart...
My sweet V terribly worries about things that are totally out of her control, like thunderstorms, jellyfish, and car accidents. I came to the realization that God had orchestrated perfectly this match of my daughter and I when she called me to her room the other night to tell me about her "bad dream" (actual definition: what she lays in bed worrying/imagining about)... I crawled in bed with her and asked her to tell me all about it...
"Mommy... I dreamed that we had my birthday party and we were the only ones there... none of my friends came to my party..."
My heart melted... my daughter should not be worrying about such things! And as I tried to comfort her and explain that she need not worry... I was reminded...
"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes." (Matthew 6:34, 'The Message' translation)
Blogging Again? Who knows!
Well, here we go again. Over and over I've said I'm going to blog, and I always do for a few months and then I manage to lose interest or just lose time. But, a friend of mine (go Lauren!) has inspired me to once again try and blog.
I have lots I feel like I can talk about right now...
As you can see, our family now includes our sweet little Allison Hope... as I look back at my blog, it's obviously been ages since I wrote anything, since the pregnancy never made it into writing. Last time I was writing, I was on my journey to healthy living. I did lose some weight, but when we decided we were ready to add another little one to our family, I decided to just try and maintain where I was at. I did manage that, and when I got pregnant, I also managed not to gain any "fluff" pounds.
Life has been pretty interesting with two children in the house (and as a reminder, 1 dog and 2 cats... oh yeah, and Keith and I!). I'm still at home on my 6 week maternity leave. It's going to be tough going back to work, but necessity calls for it so I must follow. I really feel like I've embraced being at home and while right now the house doesn't look too much like it, I have been getting some more housework done that I did before.
I started out nursing Allison, something that Victoria and I didn't get the hang of together. I wonder sometimes if we could have made it work, but I can't worry about it now - she's a healthy beautiful girl! With Allison, things were going really well, and they still are, but now she's primarily bottlefed - I'm using a breastpump about 8-10 times a day so that she is still getting the benefits of breastmilk. I'm happy with that, mainly because she was going to end up having to go to a bottle anyway when I went back to work, and secondarily because I can't let myself feel guilty about it.
We ended up going more and more to bottles pretty early on. This was definitely an interesting pregnancy for me, as most of you know, the last several weeks of the pregnancy I was very nauseous and didn't eat much, leading to a severe lack of energy. After Allison's birth, I went through a severe hormone shift (I think the nausea there at the end may have been the result of a major increase in my hormones as my body prepared, and so, once it was over, there was a big drop to take). I was having hot flashes, -severe- cold chills, more nausea, headaches. It took a lot out of me, and while Keith was out of work that week, he helped out - ie. more bottles.
Along this time, Victoria had a major stuffy nose - and I ended up with a sore throat, went into a cold, and back into the throat. Monday of Week 3 postpartum, I was diagnosed with Strep Throat. That took a couple days to recover and I had to use a medical face mask whenever I fed baby and was close to her - that was fun (*sarcasm*).
Last week was week 4, and I ended up getting a mild version of the stomach bug that has been going around.
Thankfully, I'm pretty healthy this week! I'm taking things a day at a time, and while I know many mothers who would have gone through the past 4 weeks and nursed diligently, every person has to do what is right for them and their body. I'm still incredibly determined to try and nurse her, and even more determined to continue pumping and give her the benefits as long as my body will allow me.
---
Victoria has done really well adjusting to Allison. She has seemed more needy and occasionally whiny, wanting someone to play with her all the time, but that was expected and we're starting to work on that. She wants to be Mommy #2, and most of the time we spend asking her to not touch or back away. We allow her moments to touch and 'play' but sometimes it's not the time and she doesn't understand that. She's going to be an awesome big sister!
---
See what happens when one doesn't blog for this long! Too much to say!
I have lots I feel like I can talk about right now...
As you can see, our family now includes our sweet little Allison Hope... as I look back at my blog, it's obviously been ages since I wrote anything, since the pregnancy never made it into writing. Last time I was writing, I was on my journey to healthy living. I did lose some weight, but when we decided we were ready to add another little one to our family, I decided to just try and maintain where I was at. I did manage that, and when I got pregnant, I also managed not to gain any "fluff" pounds.Life has been pretty interesting with two children in the house (and as a reminder, 1 dog and 2 cats... oh yeah, and Keith and I!). I'm still at home on my 6 week maternity leave. It's going to be tough going back to work, but necessity calls for it so I must follow. I really feel like I've embraced being at home and while right now the house doesn't look too much like it, I have been getting some more housework done that I did before.
I started out nursing Allison, something that Victoria and I didn't get the hang of together. I wonder sometimes if we could have made it work, but I can't worry about it now - she's a healthy beautiful girl! With Allison, things were going really well, and they still are, but now she's primarily bottlefed - I'm using a breastpump about 8-10 times a day so that she is still getting the benefits of breastmilk. I'm happy with that, mainly because she was going to end up having to go to a bottle anyway when I went back to work, and secondarily because I can't let myself feel guilty about it.
We ended up going more and more to bottles pretty early on. This was definitely an interesting pregnancy for me, as most of you know, the last several weeks of the pregnancy I was very nauseous and didn't eat much, leading to a severe lack of energy. After Allison's birth, I went through a severe hormone shift (I think the nausea there at the end may have been the result of a major increase in my hormones as my body prepared, and so, once it was over, there was a big drop to take). I was having hot flashes, -severe- cold chills, more nausea, headaches. It took a lot out of me, and while Keith was out of work that week, he helped out - ie. more bottles.
Along this time, Victoria had a major stuffy nose - and I ended up with a sore throat, went into a cold, and back into the throat. Monday of Week 3 postpartum, I was diagnosed with Strep Throat. That took a couple days to recover and I had to use a medical face mask whenever I fed baby and was close to her - that was fun (*sarcasm*).
Last week was week 4, and I ended up getting a mild version of the stomach bug that has been going around.
Thankfully, I'm pretty healthy this week! I'm taking things a day at a time, and while I know many mothers who would have gone through the past 4 weeks and nursed diligently, every person has to do what is right for them and their body. I'm still incredibly determined to try and nurse her, and even more determined to continue pumping and give her the benefits as long as my body will allow me.
---
Victoria has done really well adjusting to Allison. She has seemed more needy and occasionally whiny, wanting someone to play with her all the time, but that was expected and we're starting to work on that. She wants to be Mommy #2, and most of the time we spend asking her to not touch or back away. We allow her moments to touch and 'play' but sometimes it's not the time and she doesn't understand that. She's going to be an awesome big sister!
---
See what happens when one doesn't blog for this long! Too much to say!
Changing Your Life
What does it mean to change your lifestyle? It means you never look back. I don't think it means that you never mess up - I think it means that when you do fall flat on your face (ex: way too much peanut butter fudge!) you get back up, dust yourself off, and keep moving forward!
We made it through a 12 week session of First Place. I'm so proud of the girls that were in the group, and I look forward to seeing some of them again in a second session starting in January.
In the mean time, I've continued to work out at Bally's at least once a week. I need to get more active again. I've lost a total of about 20 pounds! I'm around 190 now (I have been floating between 190-193 for a month now). The only reason I haven't broken the 190 barrier is because of my own shortcomings... not exercising enough and not being strict on my diet.
But what's great is that I see the lifestyle change - I LOVE to work out now and when I go to Bally's I'm pushing myself to try new things and do them harder. I ran on the treadmill tonight for a quarter mile. That is something I could NEVER do before.
I could go over all the reasons why it's SO worth changing your life and becoming more healthy - do it for yourself, do it for your spouse, do it for your kids, do it for God... the real question is - why not do it?
We only have one life. Live it. Now.
First Place
Once again, it's been a while since I've posted. Thanks to everyone who puts up with my inconsistency and reads when I get around to writing. :)
I have just begun leading a class called First Place and I'm really excited about what God is going to do. After this first week, I can already tell that this is going to be a big push for me to be consistent in my own physical/spiritual/mental/emotional health. I feel like I've been slack in a few areas this week, but remain strong in God's grace to cover my weaknesses. My life verse is 2 Corinthians 12:9-10...
9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
...
On another news, as it begins to get busy at work again, I find myself once again struggling with contenment in my current situation. But I pray above my own doubts, impatience, or struggles - I pray for God to use me for His will... He is faithful, and His purpose is greater than what I will ever know or understand. He has me where I'm at... in this exact time and exact place, for a purpose.
...
I love my work, you know, the actual productive work... it's the non-productive work that i think realy wears me down. Virus-infected computers, spam mail, crashing software, ringing phones... all the things that keep me from being productive... not to mention my own distractions which would be hinderance enough without all the others.... I hate not being productive, especially because I feel like it hinders me from doing God's work...
...
Victoria starts Preschool in two weeks!
And she's farely succesfully conquered potty training! We still have accidents here or there, but man this is great!
We're struggling with bedtime battles these days...
...
Keith got major brownie points... found us a Wii Fit at Wal-mart this weekend. We've had lots of fun so far, and it's great knowing your burning calories at the same time! I managed to break 300 on the hula hoop!
I have just begun leading a class called First Place and I'm really excited about what God is going to do. After this first week, I can already tell that this is going to be a big push for me to be consistent in my own physical/spiritual/mental/emotional health. I feel like I've been slack in a few areas this week, but remain strong in God's grace to cover my weaknesses. My life verse is 2 Corinthians 12:9-10...
9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
...
On another news, as it begins to get busy at work again, I find myself once again struggling with contenment in my current situation. But I pray above my own doubts, impatience, or struggles - I pray for God to use me for His will... He is faithful, and His purpose is greater than what I will ever know or understand. He has me where I'm at... in this exact time and exact place, for a purpose.
...
I love my work, you know, the actual productive work... it's the non-productive work that i think realy wears me down. Virus-infected computers, spam mail, crashing software, ringing phones... all the things that keep me from being productive... not to mention my own distractions which would be hinderance enough without all the others.... I hate not being productive, especially because I feel like it hinders me from doing God's work...
...
Victoria starts Preschool in two weeks!
And she's farely succesfully conquered potty training! We still have accidents here or there, but man this is great!
We're struggling with bedtime battles these days...
...
Keith got major brownie points... found us a Wii Fit at Wal-mart this weekend. We've had lots of fun so far, and it's great knowing your burning calories at the same time! I managed to break 300 on the hula hoop!
"I Dare You To Move"
I know, I know... I am SUCH a slacker for not blogging in the past couple of months! Please forgive me! But here we are and I felt like it was time I update you on how things are going.
As you may remember (from previous 'episodes') I was doing really well with my eating, but kind of a slacker on the exercise. Well, for the past couple of weeks I've been walking at least 3 to 4 times a week, 2 miles a night. It's been great, and the past couple of times, I've actually been running parts of it! One of my dreams is to one day run in a marathon.
However, I've had a tough time staying committed to healthy eating. I blame part of it on the exercise, because i do think it has increased my appetite a little, but most of it is my fault! I've got to get back on the straight and narrow for this to work!
I've been pretty consistent with around 1 pound loss a week, although a few weeks ago I gained one - it was a little disheartening, but I had a feeling it was coming - that was the beginning of my fall back to eating not so good.
It's been tough because Keith's birthday was the end of last month, July 4th came around and yesterday was my birthday - so we've had major cookouts and get togethers.
But, I'm going to stay positive here! I WILL get back on track with my eating!
The really cool news is that in a few weeks I'll be starting a "First Place 4 Health" group at Bethel Baptist. For more information, check out http://www.firstplace.org/. I feel like God has given me such a passion now for good health (His way!) that I can't wait to encourage others in their journey.
I'd also like to start encouraging Keith more with his healthy living. We both need to lose weight and get healthy and I need to be as much of an encouragement to him as he is to me.
There's this song by Switchfoot called "I Dare You To Move" that I've always liked... here are the lyrics... I'll talk more about it aftewards...
Welcome to the planet
Welcome to existence
Everyone's here...Everyone's here
Everybody's watching you now...Everybody waits for you now
What happens next...What happens next?
I dare you to move...I dare you to move
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor
I dare you to move...I dare you to move
Like today never happened...Today never happened before
Welcome to the fallout...Welcome to resistance
The tension is here...Tension is here
Between who you are and who you could be
Between how it is and how it should be
I dare you to move...I dare you to move
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor
I dare you to move...I dare you to move
Like today never happened...Today never happened before
Maybe redemption has stories to tell
Maybe forgiveness is right where you fell
Where can you run to escape from yourself?
Where you gonna go? Where you gonna go?
Salvation is here
I dare you to move...I dare you to move
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor
I dare you to move...I dare you to move
Like today never happened...Today never happened
Today never happened...Today never happened before
----
This song has always encouraged me to move beyond my selfishness and laziness... to become who I know I can be. I've always known that I can be at a healthy weight, but it was just a matter of getting up off the floor and doing it.
So often we get caught up in our circumstances - we want pity, we want to complain, we want congratulations and a pat on the back... but whether are circumstances are good or bad, we shoudl live above them - knowing that God has all our steps laid out ahead of us... knowing that life is about more than this very moment.
There's something about that thought that motivates me in this journey. My life is more than about this moment... it's about more than the pain I feel when I'm running and just want to quit... it's about more than that extra slice of pizza or that soda. Life is about so much more than that, and when we think of it in bigger terms, it helps to put things in perspective.
The song says to "live like today never happened before"... it makes me think about when I mess up... sometimes when we mess up (spiritually or physically) we let it get us so off track that we just go into this cycle of bad decisions. Instead, I would say that we should live every day and every moment as a new moment. Put the bad decisions in the past where they belong and start making smart decisions today.
You know, just writing this has been a big encouragement to me with the eating thing. Thank you Lord!
So, today is the day for a new start... and I'd like to encourage everyone else in that. Whether it is spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally... you can start new today... get up off the floor... stop living in misery about some circumstance in your life... Let's stop being Sunday Christians and start living our lives (every part of them) like it counts. God gives us the ultimate salvation of our souls... He is the creator of our bodies... He is the creator of every other human being and thing on this earth... shouldn't we start treating ourselves, others, and Him... like this is all true?
And so I say to you...
"Maybe redemption has stories to tell
Maybe forgiveness is right where you fell
Where can you run to escape from yourself?
Where you gonna go? Where you gonna go?
Salvation is here..."
As you may remember (from previous 'episodes') I was doing really well with my eating, but kind of a slacker on the exercise. Well, for the past couple of weeks I've been walking at least 3 to 4 times a week, 2 miles a night. It's been great, and the past couple of times, I've actually been running parts of it! One of my dreams is to one day run in a marathon.
However, I've had a tough time staying committed to healthy eating. I blame part of it on the exercise, because i do think it has increased my appetite a little, but most of it is my fault! I've got to get back on the straight and narrow for this to work!
I've been pretty consistent with around 1 pound loss a week, although a few weeks ago I gained one - it was a little disheartening, but I had a feeling it was coming - that was the beginning of my fall back to eating not so good.
It's been tough because Keith's birthday was the end of last month, July 4th came around and yesterday was my birthday - so we've had major cookouts and get togethers.
But, I'm going to stay positive here! I WILL get back on track with my eating!
The really cool news is that in a few weeks I'll be starting a "First Place 4 Health" group at Bethel Baptist. For more information, check out http://www.firstplace.org/. I feel like God has given me such a passion now for good health (His way!) that I can't wait to encourage others in their journey.
I'd also like to start encouraging Keith more with his healthy living. We both need to lose weight and get healthy and I need to be as much of an encouragement to him as he is to me.
There's this song by Switchfoot called "I Dare You To Move" that I've always liked... here are the lyrics... I'll talk more about it aftewards...
Welcome to the planet
Welcome to existence
Everyone's here...Everyone's here
Everybody's watching you now...Everybody waits for you now
What happens next...What happens next?
I dare you to move...I dare you to move
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor
I dare you to move...I dare you to move
Like today never happened...Today never happened before
Welcome to the fallout...Welcome to resistance
The tension is here...Tension is here
Between who you are and who you could be
Between how it is and how it should be
I dare you to move...I dare you to move
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor
I dare you to move...I dare you to move
Like today never happened...Today never happened before
Maybe redemption has stories to tell
Maybe forgiveness is right where you fell
Where can you run to escape from yourself?
Where you gonna go? Where you gonna go?
Salvation is here
I dare you to move...I dare you to move
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor
I dare you to move...I dare you to move
Like today never happened...Today never happened
Today never happened...Today never happened before
----
This song has always encouraged me to move beyond my selfishness and laziness... to become who I know I can be. I've always known that I can be at a healthy weight, but it was just a matter of getting up off the floor and doing it.
So often we get caught up in our circumstances - we want pity, we want to complain, we want congratulations and a pat on the back... but whether are circumstances are good or bad, we shoudl live above them - knowing that God has all our steps laid out ahead of us... knowing that life is about more than this very moment.
There's something about that thought that motivates me in this journey. My life is more than about this moment... it's about more than the pain I feel when I'm running and just want to quit... it's about more than that extra slice of pizza or that soda. Life is about so much more than that, and when we think of it in bigger terms, it helps to put things in perspective.
The song says to "live like today never happened before"... it makes me think about when I mess up... sometimes when we mess up (spiritually or physically) we let it get us so off track that we just go into this cycle of bad decisions. Instead, I would say that we should live every day and every moment as a new moment. Put the bad decisions in the past where they belong and start making smart decisions today.
You know, just writing this has been a big encouragement to me with the eating thing. Thank you Lord!
So, today is the day for a new start... and I'd like to encourage everyone else in that. Whether it is spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally... you can start new today... get up off the floor... stop living in misery about some circumstance in your life... Let's stop being Sunday Christians and start living our lives (every part of them) like it counts. God gives us the ultimate salvation of our souls... He is the creator of our bodies... He is the creator of every other human being and thing on this earth... shouldn't we start treating ourselves, others, and Him... like this is all true?
And so I say to you...
"Maybe redemption has stories to tell
Maybe forgiveness is right where you fell
Where can you run to escape from yourself?
Where you gonna go? Where you gonna go?
Salvation is here..."
The Spirit is Willing...
"Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." -Mark 14:36
What a great verse for this journey!
Jesus, Peter, James and John were in the Garden, and Jesus was preparing for his betrayal, arrest, and death. How intense it must have been to know what the near-future (and the far-future!) held for himself and his beloved disciples.
Peter had just 'assured' him earlier that he surely would not be the one to deny him. His spirit was surely willing to follow Jesus to the ends of the earth. But, as we see later on in the chapter, his flesh is weak - he does just as Jesus had said to him and denied him 3 times before the rooster crowed twice.
Later, as Jesus goes off to pray ("Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.") the three disciples fall asleep...repeatedly. Jesus has these stern, yet comforting words to say... "Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." (my emphasis added)
Here's what I think... Truly, in the journey to living a healthy life, and losing weight, there are plenty of temptations. But the key to strength in the midst of these temptations, the key to "not entering into" is to "watch and pray." We're repeatedly told throughout scripture that our bodies are to be temples of the Spirit... and other similar things. Our physical health and well being is obviously important to God... not because we look good when we're not obese... but because it shows discipline and the ability to overcome temptation, it shows that Christ is the center of our lives, not food!. However, just trying to do this on our own is obviously not God's plan (and in my opinion, not truly possible).
Through prayer we can overcome temptation and make wise choices!
What a great verse for this journey!
Jesus, Peter, James and John were in the Garden, and Jesus was preparing for his betrayal, arrest, and death. How intense it must have been to know what the near-future (and the far-future!) held for himself and his beloved disciples.
Peter had just 'assured' him earlier that he surely would not be the one to deny him. His spirit was surely willing to follow Jesus to the ends of the earth. But, as we see later on in the chapter, his flesh is weak - he does just as Jesus had said to him and denied him 3 times before the rooster crowed twice.
Later, as Jesus goes off to pray ("Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.") the three disciples fall asleep...repeatedly. Jesus has these stern, yet comforting words to say... "Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." (my emphasis added)
Here's what I think... Truly, in the journey to living a healthy life, and losing weight, there are plenty of temptations. But the key to strength in the midst of these temptations, the key to "not entering into" is to "watch and pray." We're repeatedly told throughout scripture that our bodies are to be temples of the Spirit... and other similar things. Our physical health and well being is obviously important to God... not because we look good when we're not obese... but because it shows discipline and the ability to overcome temptation, it shows that Christ is the center of our lives, not food!. However, just trying to do this on our own is obviously not God's plan (and in my opinion, not truly possible).
Through prayer we can overcome temptation and make wise choices!
Still at it!
I'm back! Sorry it's been a while since i've posted, but with traveling and the busyness of life, my good intentions haven't actually gotten me to writing.
Things are going well. At last Wednesday's weigh-in I had lost 2 pounds, which is great. I had already lost some prior to our first 'official' weigh-ins at church.
My bible study ladies and I are still walking every Wednesday, which has been a lot of fun and great to be able to fellowship.
More good news, I may start going to Bally's Total Fitness soon. Keith had a lifetime membership there from his bachelor days that he had allowed to go in-active. We're thinking of reactivating and transferring the membership to me! Yay! I really need to go hard-core on the exercise, and then be able to scale back as I get closer to my goal weight.
My wonderful husband is being 100% supportive. Up until now we hadn't totally cleansed the house of bad foods, but we're pretty much cleaned out now and on our next grocery store run are planning on getting all healthy foods and planning our dinners (breakfast & lunch are easy! Clif Bar and Lean Cuisine!). He's also committed to picking up Victoria in the afternoon's for me so that I can go to the gym.
It's been great to see how God is really working in me through this, I feel like as much of a physical change as it is, I'm also having a real heart and attitude change about my health and eating. I look forward to what lies ahead, and pray that God can use me to help other people who struggle with eating and health problems.
Things are going well. At last Wednesday's weigh-in I had lost 2 pounds, which is great. I had already lost some prior to our first 'official' weigh-ins at church.
My bible study ladies and I are still walking every Wednesday, which has been a lot of fun and great to be able to fellowship.
More good news, I may start going to Bally's Total Fitness soon. Keith had a lifetime membership there from his bachelor days that he had allowed to go in-active. We're thinking of reactivating and transferring the membership to me! Yay! I really need to go hard-core on the exercise, and then be able to scale back as I get closer to my goal weight.
My wonderful husband is being 100% supportive. Up until now we hadn't totally cleansed the house of bad foods, but we're pretty much cleaned out now and on our next grocery store run are planning on getting all healthy foods and planning our dinners (breakfast & lunch are easy! Clif Bar and Lean Cuisine!). He's also committed to picking up Victoria in the afternoon's for me so that I can go to the gym.
It's been great to see how God is really working in me through this, I feel like as much of a physical change as it is, I'm also having a real heart and attitude change about my health and eating. I look forward to what lies ahead, and pray that God can use me to help other people who struggle with eating and health problems.
The Ups and Downs
I had a couple rough days as far as calories are concerned, but I'm not feeling the least bit discouraged, because even these "rough" days compare to the way I was eating before. I've cut down my soda intake so dramatically that when I have had one (and then it was a Coke Zero) it didn't really excite me that much. I need to figure out what I want to drink that has a flavor. Maybe lemonade.
According to my home scale (which is the one I've been using all along) I've already actually lost 10 pounds. This doesn't surprise me a whole lot, because of the amount of weight I need to lose, and the dramatic change in my food intake. Here's what has become a pretty average day of eating:
Breakfast:
Clif Energy Bar (70% organic ingredients, it's high in protein and made with organic oats & soybeans - it fills me up!)
1 bottle of deer park water (equal to approx. 3 8oz glasses)
Snack:
A small handful of cashews, or fruit
Lunch:
Lean Cuisine or Smart Ones meal
Another Bottle of water
Snack:
Bag of Veggies w/ ranch dip or string cheese
Dinner:
My favorite is spinach salad w/ strawberries, cashews, blackberries, light vidalia onion vinagerette & grilled chicken on top!
Snack:
String cheese, or a scoop of icecream if I've been good!
According to my home scale (which is the one I've been using all along) I've already actually lost 10 pounds. This doesn't surprise me a whole lot, because of the amount of weight I need to lose, and the dramatic change in my food intake. Here's what has become a pretty average day of eating:
Breakfast:
Clif Energy Bar (70% organic ingredients, it's high in protein and made with organic oats & soybeans - it fills me up!)
1 bottle of deer park water (equal to approx. 3 8oz glasses)
Snack:
A small handful of cashews, or fruit
Lunch:
Lean Cuisine or Smart Ones meal
Another Bottle of water
Snack:
Bag of Veggies w/ ranch dip or string cheese
Dinner:
My favorite is spinach salad w/ strawberries, cashews, blackberries, light vidalia onion vinagerette & grilled chicken on top!
Snack:
String cheese, or a scoop of icecream if I've been good!
Now it becomes a Spiritual battle!
Well, we've been on this journey since Monday! Most of the time, five days does not seem like a lot of time, but on this journey, every day can be a victory and every day can be a challenge!
Today, it became more than just a physical battle... it became spiritual. I wasn't finding anything that appealed to me for breakfast... and so, for a brief moment, I considered what used to be my old fall back... Chick-fil-A. I was being tempted. I decided to go on sparkpeople.com and see how many calories were actually in a chicken biscuit from chick-fil-a. I was convinced NOT to go. I was not willing to sacrifice 400 calories to a chicken biscuit - not to mention the guilt that would have come later.
Before, I stopped for breakfast at Chick-Fil-A so much that it got to the point where when we pulled up, Victoria would say "1, coke, hashbrown." She had heard her mommy say "I'd like a #1 with a coke, and an extra order of hasbrowns" (the extra order was for her) that she knew exactly what I was going to say when I got there. I think that was part of my wake up call.
So, thanks to prayer and strength from God, I avoided the temptation. But it was proof that this battle has just gone spiritual!
"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." ~1 Corinthians 10:13
Today, it became more than just a physical battle... it became spiritual. I wasn't finding anything that appealed to me for breakfast... and so, for a brief moment, I considered what used to be my old fall back... Chick-fil-A. I was being tempted. I decided to go on sparkpeople.com and see how many calories were actually in a chicken biscuit from chick-fil-a. I was convinced NOT to go. I was not willing to sacrifice 400 calories to a chicken biscuit - not to mention the guilt that would have come later.
Before, I stopped for breakfast at Chick-Fil-A so much that it got to the point where when we pulled up, Victoria would say "1, coke, hashbrown." She had heard her mommy say "I'd like a #1 with a coke, and an extra order of hasbrowns" (the extra order was for her) that she knew exactly what I was going to say when I got there. I think that was part of my wake up call.
So, thanks to prayer and strength from God, I avoided the temptation. But it was proof that this battle has just gone spiritual!
"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." ~1 Corinthians 10:13
What encouragement!
Thank you to all my friends and family for your encouragement and support over the last few days. I've gotten some great feedback, especially some of you who are going to take a shot at this journey as well.
It's my second day, and things are going great. I've been drinking a TON of water, and really watching my calories. If I can keep this up, and add exercise, I think I can really drop some weight. We'll see!
Tonight was the first night of leading a small group at church for women in the workforce. I had 3 ladies join me, which is great. I hope more will join us! These ladies are great! I let them know at the end of class about trying to change my lifestyle and they were all very encouraging. In fact, starting next week, we're going to start out our time by walking around the track that is behind the church. We'll start our discussion and prayer there, and then when we're done with 4 laps (a mile!) we'll go back inside to continue.
The ladies in the office and I are also talking about walking during our lunch break.
This is going to be such valuable time for me, because getting exercise in at the end of the day is so difficult for me, that every little bit will help!
My mom challenged me to a competition to lose 10 pounds. If anyone else is interested in a little friendly competition, and maybe some teamwork/exercise partnerships, etc... let me know. If you join SparkPeople (free on www.sparkpeople.com) we can set up a SparkTeam and keep each other committed.
It's my second day, and things are going great. I've been drinking a TON of water, and really watching my calories. If I can keep this up, and add exercise, I think I can really drop some weight. We'll see!
Tonight was the first night of leading a small group at church for women in the workforce. I had 3 ladies join me, which is great. I hope more will join us! These ladies are great! I let them know at the end of class about trying to change my lifestyle and they were all very encouraging. In fact, starting next week, we're going to start out our time by walking around the track that is behind the church. We'll start our discussion and prayer there, and then when we're done with 4 laps (a mile!) we'll go back inside to continue.
The ladies in the office and I are also talking about walking during our lunch break.
This is going to be such valuable time for me, because getting exercise in at the end of the day is so difficult for me, that every little bit will help!
My mom challenged me to a competition to lose 10 pounds. If anyone else is interested in a little friendly competition, and maybe some teamwork/exercise partnerships, etc... let me know. If you join SparkPeople (free on www.sparkpeople.com) we can set up a SparkTeam and keep each other committed.
A tool for the journey...
www.sparkpeople.com is a great resource for anyone trying to live a healthier lifestyle, or anyone trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle - it's a great way to track your nutrition, fitness, and other goals.
I had previously used sparkpeople.com (a totally free resource!) but lagged... now I've started back and accomplished two goals today!
I tracked all my eating today, something very important for controlling your caloric intake. Knowing I'm going to be entering information in really seems to help me control what I actually eat in the day...
Also, I actually managed to drink my full 8 glasses of water today! Whew! I had to add some crystal light to get through those last two!
I had previously used sparkpeople.com (a totally free resource!) but lagged... now I've started back and accomplished two goals today!
I tracked all my eating today, something very important for controlling your caloric intake. Knowing I'm going to be entering information in really seems to help me control what I actually eat in the day...
Also, I actually managed to drink my full 8 glasses of water today! Whew! I had to add some crystal light to get through those last two!
"Let it be said of me..." and My new reason for blogging.
"let it be said of us that we lived to be a blessing for life...
let it be said of us by the fruit we leave behind...
let it be said of us that our hearts belonged to Jesus
let it be said of us that we spoke the words of life
let it be said of us that our heritage is blessing for life"
John Waller - "The Blessing"
let it be said of us by the fruit we leave behind...
let it be said of us that our hearts belonged to Jesus
let it be said of us that we spoke the words of life
let it be said of us that our heritage is blessing for life"
John Waller - "The Blessing"
I've heard it said "You can't be everything to everyone." That is so true.
I can't be the wife that others might want me to be, or the mother that others might want me to be. I can only be the best wife and mother that I know to be, and show my husband and my daughter the incredible love I have for them.
In the end, I cannot let other's criticism (whether outright or hidden) discourage me. I know who I answer to. Instead, I should examine my own life...
Jesus said, "Why do you look at the small piece of dust that is in your brother's eye, but you do not give attention to the large piece of wood in your eye? You are a hypocrite! Take out the large piece of wood from your eye first. Then you will see clearly to take out the small piece of dust from your brother's eye." These are good words for all of us.
Here's another worthy quote... something I aspire to do and be more and more every day... "She did not try to set others right; she only listened to and loved and understood her fellow creatures." (Eliza Keary)
I am only responsible to grow in Christ, give the glory to God, and "live to be a blessing for life..." and in the end... hopefully one day it will be said of me that my heritage was a blessing for life.
-------------------
It has been on my heart for some time now that, in the realm of health, I needed to change the way I live. Like many, this journey has been full of starts and stops. Two things, however, have not been present... I have not relied on God and his strength to keep me going, and I have not allowed others to be a part of this journey with me.
So here we are. I'm going to be taking measures over the course of the next week or so to change the way I live. Why?
Because...
~"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body."
~I want to be healthy. Not necessarily thin (just a bonus!) but healthy. And at the rate I'm going, I'll have not only weight problems, but diabetes and cholesterol problems. How do I know this? Ask my dad. He's told me to get my life straight, or have the problems he's having now. It's about time I listen to dad. :)
~When I'm thirty, forty, fifty, and so on, I still want to be able to play with my daughter. The type of play will change, from running in the yard, to walking through the mall, to who knows what - but I want to be ready for it all.
So here we go! I would love your comments and feedback. I'll be greatly reducing my computer usage, but will be checking e-mail and updating my blog frequently (maybe daily?) with updates on how things are going. If you're reading this, it's probably because I've sent out an e-mail and invited you to be a part of this journey with me. I hope you will!
I've started by including some "before" pictures. This is me at 210lbs - April 14, 2008.
You're free! Now live like it!
"All Christians believe that we are saved by grace...But we have seen...that salvation includes both deliverance from the penalty of sin and freedom from the dominion of sin. We have seen that our legal union with Christ in His death and resurrection secures our vital union with Him by which we participate in His divine nature. It is through this vital union that we receive the enabling power to live the Christian life."
Jerry Bridges
I see everyday in my workplace the struggle to live the Christian life. I also see it every day in my own life. Why is their a struggle? Not neccesarily because of any great battle with Satan, not that those aren't present and a struggle. But no, this struggle is because we tend to miss part of the equation. We forget that we receive the 'enabling power' to live the Christian life!
It is in the amazing relationship we (the branches) have with Christ (the vine), that we receive the lifeblood of our Christian life. Without His power, of course it is impossible! Yet still we try to pull up our bootstraps and do it ourselves everyday. Why? Because our underlying sinful condition...
"At root our sinful condition is the commitment to be our own god. I will be the final authority in my life. I will decide what is right and wrong for me; and what is good and bad for me; and what is true and false for me. My desires express my sovereignty, my autonomy, and--though we don't usually say it--my presumed deity."
~John Piper
This sinful condition may not neccesarily display itself in the desire to do forbidden things. Instead, it can also lead us to try and "keep the law by our own strength with a view to exalt our own moral prowess." I think it may not be obvious, even to ourselves, that this is what we are doing. But in our struggle to live the Christian life, we are fighting a battle that was already won on the cross.
If we choose to battle and struggle on our own, instead of relying on the lifeblood of Christ that we have received, we are indeed still sinning.
We must daily rely on HIS strength to overcome our struggles, no matter how overwhelming OR how tiny they seem.
Passionate
| Your Superpower Should Be Manipulating Fire |
 You are intense, internally driven, and passionate. Your emotions are unpredictable - and they often get the better of you. Both radiant and terrifying, people are drawn to you. At your most powerful, you feel like the world belongs to you. Why you would be a good superhero: You are obsessive enough to give it your all Your biggest problem as a superhero: Your moodiness would make it difficult to control your powers |
Work in Progress!
"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it
to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." Philippians 1:6
There are days when I wish I had a tshirt with a big yellow warning sign that said "work in progress."
Some days, I feel like I'm really getting it. I don't struggle with my attitude as much and I feel like my mouth isn't getting the best of me.
Then of course, there are the "work in progress" days... and while every day is really this way, some days seem worse than others! The days when I stick your foot in my mouth, or you just let my mouth get away with me... or I have a bad attitude... or I let other people's problems get me down...
Either way, it's great to know, as Paul says to the Philippians, "he who began a good work in ME will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."
I'm not perfect and God doesn't expect me to be. What I think is important is that forward motion, while the work won't be finished till the day of Jesus Christ, it's to be continully in progress. We're a part of that progress... while it is the work of Christ within us, it is our responsiblity to let him work and to take action when we're led (or to NOT take action, when we're told to chill!) by the Holy Spirit.
So, I'm happy to be a work in progress... shoot, I'm just happy that there's progress!
Can I get a witness? :)
I've updated! Sort of...
So I know that this is only a half-way update, but I've refreshed the look of my blog! Thank you katie for inspiration! Now... just to get to typing on some actual updates! I promise I'll get there soon!!
"The Ark of Testimony"
"20 And those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal. 21 And he said to the people of Israel, 'When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22 then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.’ 23 For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over, 24 so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.'"
~Joshua 4:20-24
Joshua & the Israelites set up a monument, made of stones they had taken out of the bed of the Jordan River (a task they could only do because God had stopped the waters from flowing) as a testimony to the great glory of God. As we go along the way, if we are in obedience to God, we should be finding stones to build up our own memorial to the glory of God. What will that 'monument' be? It should be our life, a monument constantly in progress, stones being added along the way. While some of those stones may have been ones we tripped over, some of them may be bright shining stones that we found in glorious days. Another words, our lives have ups and downs, but every moment of our lives should be a part of our monument to God's glory, because God has laid out our every moment in a great and mighty plan that only he knows in full.
It isn't for our glory that we should live our lives, though we are so often fooled into thinking we are what is most important.
God made a commitment to the people of Israel, a covenant. And there were priests traveling with the Israelites who carried the Ark of the covenant. But at this moment, when Joshua and his people are building the monument of stones they had found in the Jordan, the Lord speaks to Joshua and in that moment, he calls it "the Ark of Testimony." Was he making a point? I think so.
God's covenant to us (the New Covenant) came with Jesus, and while the Israelites had to carry their covenant around in a physical box, we carry ours in our lives. Jesus is in our hearts and should radiate through our lives...our lives should be an ark of testimony, "so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever."
So, I want to share with you my testimony.
I grew up in a Christian home. Some of my earliest memories are of my parents taking me to church when I was very very young, being in the preschool department. As I got a little older (still a child), I remember trying to fake sick to get out of going to church on Sunday morning. I went to children's camp every year. I remember when I was in 3rd grade, all the girls saying that they had prayed and were Christians now, and they were going to go up at church on Sunday. I don't remember praying, but I guess it could have happened. I walked up the aisle, a few weeks later I was baptized.
While the memories are fading of the time between that moment and the next big moment of my relationship with God, I have some memories of plenty of youth activities and trips. My parents were carting me off to church for everything I asked to be taken to.
When i was 13, in what I believe was November or December, our youth group went on one of many Prison Ministry trips. We would go into one of the local prisons and do drama sketches, sing, and our youth minister would get up and share the hope of Christ with the inmates.
On this night, I remember specifically the things that happened. I remember what the room looked like, and could sketch it out for you even. After Jim (our youth pastor) had gotten finished with his message, they had a time of invitation. I don't remember the song that played, but they had a slide show that played during it. It was slides of scenes from The Jesus Story mostly. The last slide of the show was a picture of Jesus, very close up of his face, as he looked out directly at you.
I remember the moment very clearly. I remember stating to myself, "All this time, and I don't really know you." That evening, on the way home, I shared my concern with a friend, and the two of us spoke with Jim. We stopped at McDonald's on the way home, but Jim, my friend, and I stayed on the bus. That night, I believe, I truly became a Christian. It was 1992.
My journey from there to the next great moment was filled with minor ups and downs. I always struggled in my quiet time. I stayed active in church throughout all of middle school and high school. My senior year I started dating my first boyfriend, and we dated the December after I graduated in 1997. It was about 6 months. Not my first heartbreak (I had gone through some crushes), but the greatest I had experienced. During that time I also worked for some time at a local church as Assistant Student Minister of Administration & Development. (A big name, for doing both secretarial work, design & publishing of documents, and administrative work of taking care of records for 500 students). I took classes at the local community college as well.
That December was a pivotal moment in my life. First, the heartbreak. The next week... I was diagnosed with Graves Disease. An almost unheard of disease that had already impacted my family, as my grandmother had been diagnosed over a year earlier.
While I can't pinpoint the moment I decided how to react to this disease, I can tell you what that reaction was. I had a decision to make. Should I be bitter at God? Should I react in anger to him that my body was fighting against itself, causing havoc upon almost every system of my body?
I decided to go another route. I found great peace in knowing that while my body was weak, there was a greater, stronger, mightier God who was in control of my life. I probably couldn't have said it that way then, but I have a much clearer picture now.
I'm going to speed through the next several years...
3 radioactive iodine treatments, 4 eye surgeries, 3 years of missed school. An interest in Star Trek peaked during this time.
This is the part I love, because I look back now and I smile at God's AWESOME plan for my life! I also laugh and God's great sense of humor as he uses things that humans mock.
Due to a common interest in Star Trek, a friend and I went to a 'convention' in Raleigh. I met a couple there who invited me to another 'convention' in Myrtle Beach, SC. I did that several years.
In late 2000, shortly before I was to go back to school, I started attending a college & career class at my church. We studied a book called "Lifetime Garauntee: How to make the Christian Life work and what to do when it doesn't" This was really the next big moment in my relationship with Christ because this was the first time I truly understood what GRACE meant. Real, true, GRACE, from God. Grace that accepts us where we are, no matter what, and loves us. The grace that Jesus gave us when he died on the cross. I recommend this book to ANYONE!
In January 2001, I went back to college. I started at Campbell University in Buies Creek, NC. I was close to my Stark Trek friends, so I was pretty active with them. I came back home and finished my degree at UNC-Asheville.
Here's where God works wonders. In November 2002, I went to the Myrtle Beach con and met the man that God had chosen for me from the beginning of the earth. It is undeniable that God chose us for each other. Just spend about 10 minutes with us and you'll see that.
So, let me summarize. Christina get's Graves Disease. Graves Disease = No School, lots of spare time, Spare Time = new Star Trek fascination, Star Trek = husband!
If you told me that I could go back in time and take away Graves Disease, that I would never have to have radioactive iodine treatments, never have a heart rate of 133, never have eye surgeries, and never have to use eye ointment in my eyes again---- I would tell you, NO.
So, where am I now in this great walk through life? I have a fantastic husband who I journey through this life with. We are best friends and will always be. We live every part of our lives as best friends, who work together. We work as teammates in chores, in parenting, and even in video games. :) Teammates aside, I respect my husband as the head of our house, as I should. We are both independent spirits, but I totally respect the role God gave to my husband to lead our household. I praise God and am so blessed that God decided to grant me what I told my friends jokingly one day, "I'll know I've met the man for me when I find a guy who will go to the Star Trek convention with me on Saturday and to church on Sunday."
While Keith and I don't spend our time in Star Trek anymore, I think we'll always keep it as a small part of our lives, after all, it is one of the stones in our memorial to the glory of God!
I can't think of anyone I would want to spend the rest of my life with... and as I've told my husband before, "It's a good thing God put us together, because no one else could put up with us!"
I have a beautiful daughter that I can't even begin to describe my love for. She's almost two, she's smart, and she's beautiful. Yes, I'm partial...but really...she is smart and beautiful!
So what's the new big moment in my walk with Christ? I am everyday amazed by God's blessings on my life. I plan to spend everyday of the rest of my life in awe and wonder of his glory. I also plan to spend everyday of the rest of my life glorifying His name, because it is HIM who deserves the glory, not me, for anything good that happens in my life.
God is doing great things in our family. Keith is going to school and pursuing his dream to become a school teacher. I'm so excited for him, and every night that he is at school, when Victoria and I say her goodnight prayers, we pray especially for daddy and his classes.
God has shown me the career in life that he has led me to through every other 'job' in my life. I am working at the church Keith and I call home, as Ministry Assistant to the Senior Pastor, and I am basically the Publications Designer for the church now. I design and maintain the church website (which I am giving a whole new makeover), will start doing the bulletin in a few weeks, and I do all the publications that go into peoples hands or that they see- (Sermon notes, brochures, flyers, poster, banners, handouts, etc.) Great things are happening at our church, and I am blessed to be a part of it.
I've always heard, "Find out where God is moving, and go there." That's where I am.
I can't begin to tell you how important our church family has become to Keith and I. As it should be. I think it's so sad that people in our culture have lost what the true meaning of church, and the true reason for going. It isn't just to hear a sermon. Physically, we require more than just one meal a week, and the same applies to our spiritual walk, we require more than just one dose of the Bible and of God a week. Hearing a sermon is not the purpose of going to church.
It is about being in a community of believers. It's about fellowship. It's about communing with other Christians, being ministered to, but also, and equally as important, it's about ministering to others. And yes, then, it is also about hearing God's word preached by one who God has called to share the Word to us. If we miss church, God does not love us any less, but if we miss church, we miss out on 10x the blessing in our life. And we're not being obedient to God's word to us.
In Acts, it talks about being a devoted "to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers"
----
So, there is my Ark of Testimony, although I could share thousands more words of God's glory, through trials and blessings, upon my life.
Let me leave you with this: "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin." ~1 John 1:7
Are you walking in the light? Do you have true fellowship with other Christians? Have you really let the blood of Jesus Christ cleanse you from sin?
No matter where we are in the journey of life, no matter how young, or how old, it's never too late to start our own 'stone' memorial...are own Ark of Testimony.
~Joshua 4:20-24
Joshua & the Israelites set up a monument, made of stones they had taken out of the bed of the Jordan River (a task they could only do because God had stopped the waters from flowing) as a testimony to the great glory of God. As we go along the way, if we are in obedience to God, we should be finding stones to build up our own memorial to the glory of God. What will that 'monument' be? It should be our life, a monument constantly in progress, stones being added along the way. While some of those stones may have been ones we tripped over, some of them may be bright shining stones that we found in glorious days. Another words, our lives have ups and downs, but every moment of our lives should be a part of our monument to God's glory, because God has laid out our every moment in a great and mighty plan that only he knows in full.
It isn't for our glory that we should live our lives, though we are so often fooled into thinking we are what is most important.
God made a commitment to the people of Israel, a covenant. And there were priests traveling with the Israelites who carried the Ark of the covenant. But at this moment, when Joshua and his people are building the monument of stones they had found in the Jordan, the Lord speaks to Joshua and in that moment, he calls it "the Ark of Testimony." Was he making a point? I think so.
God's covenant to us (the New Covenant) came with Jesus, and while the Israelites had to carry their covenant around in a physical box, we carry ours in our lives. Jesus is in our hearts and should radiate through our lives...our lives should be an ark of testimony, "so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever."
So, I want to share with you my testimony.
I grew up in a Christian home. Some of my earliest memories are of my parents taking me to church when I was very very young, being in the preschool department. As I got a little older (still a child), I remember trying to fake sick to get out of going to church on Sunday morning. I went to children's camp every year. I remember when I was in 3rd grade, all the girls saying that they had prayed and were Christians now, and they were going to go up at church on Sunday. I don't remember praying, but I guess it could have happened. I walked up the aisle, a few weeks later I was baptized.
While the memories are fading of the time between that moment and the next big moment of my relationship with God, I have some memories of plenty of youth activities and trips. My parents were carting me off to church for everything I asked to be taken to.
When i was 13, in what I believe was November or December, our youth group went on one of many Prison Ministry trips. We would go into one of the local prisons and do drama sketches, sing, and our youth minister would get up and share the hope of Christ with the inmates.
On this night, I remember specifically the things that happened. I remember what the room looked like, and could sketch it out for you even. After Jim (our youth pastor) had gotten finished with his message, they had a time of invitation. I don't remember the song that played, but they had a slide show that played during it. It was slides of scenes from The Jesus Story mostly. The last slide of the show was a picture of Jesus, very close up of his face, as he looked out directly at you.
I remember the moment very clearly. I remember stating to myself, "All this time, and I don't really know you." That evening, on the way home, I shared my concern with a friend, and the two of us spoke with Jim. We stopped at McDonald's on the way home, but Jim, my friend, and I stayed on the bus. That night, I believe, I truly became a Christian. It was 1992.
My journey from there to the next great moment was filled with minor ups and downs. I always struggled in my quiet time. I stayed active in church throughout all of middle school and high school. My senior year I started dating my first boyfriend, and we dated the December after I graduated in 1997. It was about 6 months. Not my first heartbreak (I had gone through some crushes), but the greatest I had experienced. During that time I also worked for some time at a local church as Assistant Student Minister of Administration & Development. (A big name, for doing both secretarial work, design & publishing of documents, and administrative work of taking care of records for 500 students). I took classes at the local community college as well.
That December was a pivotal moment in my life. First, the heartbreak. The next week... I was diagnosed with Graves Disease. An almost unheard of disease that had already impacted my family, as my grandmother had been diagnosed over a year earlier.
While I can't pinpoint the moment I decided how to react to this disease, I can tell you what that reaction was. I had a decision to make. Should I be bitter at God? Should I react in anger to him that my body was fighting against itself, causing havoc upon almost every system of my body?
I decided to go another route. I found great peace in knowing that while my body was weak, there was a greater, stronger, mightier God who was in control of my life. I probably couldn't have said it that way then, but I have a much clearer picture now.
I'm going to speed through the next several years...
3 radioactive iodine treatments, 4 eye surgeries, 3 years of missed school. An interest in Star Trek peaked during this time.
This is the part I love, because I look back now and I smile at God's AWESOME plan for my life! I also laugh and God's great sense of humor as he uses things that humans mock.
Due to a common interest in Star Trek, a friend and I went to a 'convention' in Raleigh. I met a couple there who invited me to another 'convention' in Myrtle Beach, SC. I did that several years.
In late 2000, shortly before I was to go back to school, I started attending a college & career class at my church. We studied a book called "Lifetime Garauntee: How to make the Christian Life work and what to do when it doesn't" This was really the next big moment in my relationship with Christ because this was the first time I truly understood what GRACE meant. Real, true, GRACE, from God. Grace that accepts us where we are, no matter what, and loves us. The grace that Jesus gave us when he died on the cross. I recommend this book to ANYONE!
In January 2001, I went back to college. I started at Campbell University in Buies Creek, NC. I was close to my Stark Trek friends, so I was pretty active with them. I came back home and finished my degree at UNC-Asheville.
Here's where God works wonders. In November 2002, I went to the Myrtle Beach con and met the man that God had chosen for me from the beginning of the earth. It is undeniable that God chose us for each other. Just spend about 10 minutes with us and you'll see that.
So, let me summarize. Christina get's Graves Disease. Graves Disease = No School, lots of spare time, Spare Time = new Star Trek fascination, Star Trek = husband!
If you told me that I could go back in time and take away Graves Disease, that I would never have to have radioactive iodine treatments, never have a heart rate of 133, never have eye surgeries, and never have to use eye ointment in my eyes again---- I would tell you, NO.
So, where am I now in this great walk through life? I have a fantastic husband who I journey through this life with. We are best friends and will always be. We live every part of our lives as best friends, who work together. We work as teammates in chores, in parenting, and even in video games. :) Teammates aside, I respect my husband as the head of our house, as I should. We are both independent spirits, but I totally respect the role God gave to my husband to lead our household. I praise God and am so blessed that God decided to grant me what I told my friends jokingly one day, "I'll know I've met the man for me when I find a guy who will go to the Star Trek convention with me on Saturday and to church on Sunday."
While Keith and I don't spend our time in Star Trek anymore, I think we'll always keep it as a small part of our lives, after all, it is one of the stones in our memorial to the glory of God!
I can't think of anyone I would want to spend the rest of my life with... and as I've told my husband before, "It's a good thing God put us together, because no one else could put up with us!"
I have a beautiful daughter that I can't even begin to describe my love for. She's almost two, she's smart, and she's beautiful. Yes, I'm partial...but really...she is smart and beautiful!
So what's the new big moment in my walk with Christ? I am everyday amazed by God's blessings on my life. I plan to spend everyday of the rest of my life in awe and wonder of his glory. I also plan to spend everyday of the rest of my life glorifying His name, because it is HIM who deserves the glory, not me, for anything good that happens in my life.
God is doing great things in our family. Keith is going to school and pursuing his dream to become a school teacher. I'm so excited for him, and every night that he is at school, when Victoria and I say her goodnight prayers, we pray especially for daddy and his classes.
God has shown me the career in life that he has led me to through every other 'job' in my life. I am working at the church Keith and I call home, as Ministry Assistant to the Senior Pastor, and I am basically the Publications Designer for the church now. I design and maintain the church website (which I am giving a whole new makeover), will start doing the bulletin in a few weeks, and I do all the publications that go into peoples hands or that they see- (Sermon notes, brochures, flyers, poster, banners, handouts, etc.) Great things are happening at our church, and I am blessed to be a part of it.
I've always heard, "Find out where God is moving, and go there." That's where I am.
I can't begin to tell you how important our church family has become to Keith and I. As it should be. I think it's so sad that people in our culture have lost what the true meaning of church, and the true reason for going. It isn't just to hear a sermon. Physically, we require more than just one meal a week, and the same applies to our spiritual walk, we require more than just one dose of the Bible and of God a week. Hearing a sermon is not the purpose of going to church.
It is about being in a community of believers. It's about fellowship. It's about communing with other Christians, being ministered to, but also, and equally as important, it's about ministering to others. And yes, then, it is also about hearing God's word preached by one who God has called to share the Word to us. If we miss church, God does not love us any less, but if we miss church, we miss out on 10x the blessing in our life. And we're not being obedient to God's word to us.
In Acts, it talks about being a devoted "to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers"
----
So, there is my Ark of Testimony, although I could share thousands more words of God's glory, through trials and blessings, upon my life.
Let me leave you with this: "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin." ~1 John 1:7
Are you walking in the light? Do you have true fellowship with other Christians? Have you really let the blood of Jesus Christ cleanse you from sin?
No matter where we are in the journey of life, no matter how young, or how old, it's never too late to start our own 'stone' memorial...are own Ark of Testimony.
Why Do I Love You?
Why do I love you, oh unnamed person?
You might be family, you might be friend
You might be the person I see everyday
Or the person I pass on the street
And the love I have for you is not of this world
Because it is a love first given to me, unearned
Even if you are cruel to me, with a smile upon your face
I cannot hate you, for the one who loved me first
Endured more with love still in His heart
If you speak about me when I am not near
I will still stand beside you with arms outstreched
Even if you treat me as less than a person
I will care for you, because when He thought of me,
He also thought of you
When you hurt my feelings, I will really know
It is because you are hurting
And I can only hope
That by loving you
You will see the one who loved me first...
who loved you first...
You might be family, you might be friend
You might be the person I see everyday
Or the person I pass on the street
And the love I have for you is not of this world
Because it is a love first given to me, unearned
Even if you are cruel to me, with a smile upon your face
I cannot hate you, for the one who loved me first
Endured more with love still in His heart
If you speak about me when I am not near
I will still stand beside you with arms outstreched
Even if you treat me as less than a person
I will care for you, because when He thought of me,
He also thought of you
When you hurt my feelings, I will really know
It is because you are hurting
And I can only hope
That by loving you
You will see the one who loved me first...
who loved you first...
"Faith" of INconvienience
So often we want to have "faith" when it is convienient.
When things are going good for us, it's really easy to have "faith"... but that isn't faith at all.
Faith is following Christ through the storms. Faith is following Christ when we can't see the path in front of us. Faith is following Christ when it means dying to ourselves...
So, Lord, give me real faith, and Lord, may I die to myself and live for you everyday of my life.
When things are going good for us, it's really easy to have "faith"... but that isn't faith at all.
Faith is following Christ through the storms. Faith is following Christ when we can't see the path in front of us. Faith is following Christ when it means dying to ourselves...
- It means keeping your mouth shut when you think you have the right to speak up.
- It means following God's path for your life, even if it isn't popular with your friends or family.
- It means being friendly to those who are unfriendly or unpopular.
- It means loving the unlovely, because we are called to love everyone.
- It means loving your husband unconditionally, unselfishly.
- It means loving your children unconditionally, unselfishly.
- It means not getting all the 'things' you want, because really, you don't have to have those things.
- It means you may not live in the best house, but if you have a home, that is what counts... and really, if you are where God means for you to be, that is truly your home and where you should be.
- It means giving to God first, because, really, it's all from him to start with.
So, Lord, give me real faith, and Lord, may I die to myself and live for you everyday of my life.
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