Hello faithful readers,
Guess what???? I've lost 10 pounds since I began power walking for 40 minutes most every day in January! You heard that right, folks!
Ten. Glorious. Pounds. Lost. By me.
I'm beyond thrilled. I'm ecstatic! You know how fitness experts always say that once you begin working out hardcore, don't be surprised when your weight number on the scale stays the same, or even increases? They say not to freak out if the number on the scale doesn't decrease right away, because you're building muscle, and muscle weighs more than fat. So I suppose it makes sense if the number on the scale doesn't decrease right away. But it had been between 4 and 5 months for me.
I've been power walking most days of the week for 40 mins each time since at least January, possibly earlier, and I'm JUST NOW seeing legitimate weight loss.
I had been noticing for awhile that the muscles in my legs seemed to be getting stronger and more defined, and that's because I was building muscle by all that power walking. And strong muscles are a GREAT thing, but what can I say? Perhaps I'm a bit vain, but what I'm most thrilled about is that number on the bathroom scale going down.
I'm losing REAL fat, for the first time in almost 5 years!!!!
My goal weight: 155 pounds
My current weight: 198.5
Starting weight: 208
Pounds Lost: 9.5
I've been aiming to eat around 1,750 calories a day, limiting my sugar and increasing fruits & veggies, and power walking 40 mins at an intense pace.
I've been losing around 1.5 pounds per week, and I hope it continues! Praise The Lord for FINALLY experiencing healthy weight loss!
There is no little life, that makes a big deal of God.
Friday, May 3, 2013
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
What's Your Excuse?
On my commute home from work today, I heard a fabulous sermon on the radio. This preacher was discussing how so many people nowadays simply don't want to acknowledge to themselves that God is the Creator of the Universe and all matter was formed by His own intelligent hand.
The preacher quoted Romans 1:19-21 (NIV), which says: "since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened."
He mentioned how all of us, Christians, Muslims, Atheists, and every human on the planet WILL BE held accountable for our thoughts and behaviors someday, when we stand before God Almighty at our death. What will our excuse be then, for how we've lived our lives and for the good we have or have not done in this world? Perhaps we'll say to the Lord Almighty, "Well I just couldn't find enough evidence to believe in You." Or will we say, "I thought that no one could ever know for sure if You exist or not, so I didn't even bother trying to figure it out"?
The preacher quoted Romans 1:19-21 (NIV), which says: "since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened."
He mentioned how all of us, Christians, Muslims, Atheists, and every human on the planet WILL BE held accountable for our thoughts and behaviors someday, when we stand before God Almighty at our death. What will our excuse be then, for how we've lived our lives and for the good we have or have not done in this world? Perhaps we'll say to the Lord Almighty, "Well I just couldn't find enough evidence to believe in You." Or will we say, "I thought that no one could ever know for sure if You exist or not, so I didn't even bother trying to figure it out"?
Can you IMAGINE uttering those lame excuses whilst standing before God, whose glory shines so brightly you have to shield your eyes with your hand so as not to be blinded by His radiance? I cannot fathom telling God that I could not see enough proof of His existence by looking at the world He has created, but that's what people do everyday!
I see God's handiwork in a beautiful sunset over the seal-filled waters of Puget Sound; I hear His magnificence in a small child's belly laugh; I taste His delightfulness in a scrumptious Mocha Latte.
God has made everyone and everything, and all of His creation displays His glory and reflects it back on Him. Look at the vast beauties and mysterious of nature and the animal kingdom, and you can see God's astounding creativity, sense of humor, and frightening power. Look at human beings and get a taste of God's intelligent design, His attention to detail, the amazing fact that He created humans with the capacity for great love, selflessness, service, and kindness. These are all accurate examples of God Himself, shown to us everyday in our daily lives.
Look around you! This amazing and wonderful world screams out "There is a benevolent Creator who loves you with an everlasting, incomprehensable Love! See? He made all of this so you would live your life being astounded by His goodness and greatness!"
No more excuses! Open your mind and quiet all those cynical thoughts swirling around in your head. You think if you could just find the answers to your questions, like "why does God allow evil in the world, if He's supposedly so good?" then you'd be able to believe in God. But I've got news for all of you super "enlightened", "logical", and "scientifically-minded" folks: your questions will NEVER be answered to your satisfaction. They just won't. And even if you find adequate answers, you'll only come up with more questions that "need" to be answered before you can believe in God.
Only God, who is infinite, omniscient, and all-knowing, will be able to answer all your questions about eternally significant things. Until you die and meet Him face-to-face, you will NEVER be satisfied with the answers you receive on these subjects, even when you receive them from Christians, or anyone who "claims to know the truth". And here's another news flash: we Christians have some answers to some of these "though questions", but we certainly don't have them all, and we never will, because we're not God. We love and follow God, and He has made His home inside our hearts, but more often than not, we just have to trust Him wholeheartedly and be patient, knowing that someday we'll know everything.
So here's what I propose to all you doubters out there: look at the empirical evidence you have before you; all of this created world. God Himself says that, in order to see Him and believe that He created everything, all you need to do is to look at His creation. And if God says it, it must be true! So ask God to give you a 'new pair of eyes' to see His world with, and I promise you that you will see Him in all His glory! No more excuses about why you won't believe! Open your eyes that God has given you, and start looking!
Image courtesy of: Getting Down With Jesus, Sermon thoughts courtesy of 820 AM Christian Radio Station
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
The Upward & Outward Trajectory of Tulips
Do y'all like the blog header? That's a photo I took myself, at the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival in Skagit, WA. The hubby and I visited there this past summer with the in-laws, and it was incredible! There are literally acres upon acres of tulips growing in tidy little rows. It reminded me of living in Ohio farm country, where you can look out over flat fields of growing corn. But these tulips were a bit more flashy and cuter than corn!
There were also displays of tulips planted in flower beds around trees, and that's where the picture was taken. There are so many colors crammed into such a small area!
It reminds me that we as humans created by God and for God, that we each bring our own distinct "color" to the world, in our own planting, in our own vibrant hue. It doesn't matter that someone next to us might have a bit taller stem, or more perfectly formed petals. If we weren't standing there in that exact plot of ground, there would be a big open hole that would disrupt the overall look and beauty of the flower bed. We are uniquely the Lord's creations, beloved by Him, created by Him to stand tall, shine our light into the world, and reach toward the Son.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
My New Tattoo: Faith, Hope, & Love
This sweet little tat was NOT my first rodeo. I have a lower back tattoo of a Christian Icthus fish with flowers and vines around it, a belly button ring, 12 various ear piercings (including the rook), and a nose stud. Needless to say, I'm not very shy around needles, and I appreciate getting small modifications to my body, HOWEVER, a tattoo shop only gets ONE chance (One!) to impress me and earn my trust. After all, tattoos are kinda PERMANENT, ya know??? Not to mention, it would be SO super easy to mess it up or get a disease.
Before I settle on a place to get some work done (making myself sound like a Buick), I do my research, I read tattoo shop reviews, I call them and chat with them on the phone, I arrive already knowing EXACTLY what I want (pictures of examples in hand) and I ask around town. One of the easiest things to do is to stop a person with a really awesome, well-done tattoo and ask them where they got it, and how they liked their experience. Easy as pie!
For example, recently I read an article describing how some tattoo ink used in a couple local tattoo shops was tainted, causing severe skin infections in patrons. Yikes! Since I was already contemplating getting a tattoo, and the shop I had in mind was in the same town as the shop using the tainted ink, I was concerned! And that's putting it mildly. But I was able to ask my tattoo artist straight-up, if his shop was where the infections occurred, and he reassured me it was not. Whew!
Anyway, I decided on this tattoo, with a cross, heart, and anchor, in an overall "anchor" shape, to symbolize the concepts of Faith, Hope, and Love. Especially hope. I know for me, having hope is something I've been struggling a lot with lately, since my husband has been out-of-work for over a year, and we're having to live with family, and we're dirt poor, and the job market doesn't seem to be picking up anytime soon. So it's too easy for me to get depressed and lose hope that the Lord will take care of us and will come through for us, in His timing. And just having hope that His timing is worthwhile and worth waiting for. I need this constant reminder to have faith and love, but especially hope.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
The Gold Wedding Band Around My Heart
The Holy Spirit is like the indentation from a wedding band on your ring finger. You may try to pretend that you aren't married, or you may even take off your ring in hopes of deceiving someone else or yourself. But that smooth white band of shiny skin on your finger is the tell-tale sign that a ring has been worn on that finger for quite some time.
The Holy Spirit is like that smooth indentation under your wedding ring. If you truly know Christ, then a part of God Almighty lives inside you, as the Lord's signet ring, sealing you to Him for all eternity. No one can fake that confident sense of "belonging" to Christ, just like no one can fake that ring indentation. And no one can remove the indentation, not without removing the wedding band and exposing the area to lots of sunlight for an extended period of time. Just like no one can remove the Holy Spirit from you, once you have Him. He is yours; you are His.
You may not want to "feel" like you're married, just like there are surely some days when you may not "feel" like a Christian. But the Holy Spirit is always there, that smooth little band around your heart, ensuring that you belong to Him, forever.
The point of all this is as follows: even if you remove that gold wedding band, which is the outward symbol of love, devotion, and belonging to someone, that small white line still remains beneath it, encircling your finger like a scar, showing the world that a grand display of commitment used to reside on that finger. The effects and sentiment remain wrapped around your finger, even if the outward symbol is removed.
Now, I realize that this is an imperfect analogy, because after you remove a wedding band, the little white smooth band will fade over time; the proof of your prior commitment slowly fading into oblivion. But it would take awhile, and it may never truly fade completely. Would that area of skin ever truly be the same again, as it was before you placed that ring on your finger? I don't know and I don't plan on finding out.
But the point remains the same: the Holy Spirit, once accepted into your heart, remains for always, encircling your heart, even if you allow Him to fade a bit. You may remove that outward symbol and turn away from Christ, but He will never turn away from you. He is like the most faithful, committed, loving Husband who fights for you and longs for you to know Him completely.
Romans 8:9--
"You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ."
The Holy Spirit is like that smooth indentation under your wedding ring. If you truly know Christ, then a part of God Almighty lives inside you, as the Lord's signet ring, sealing you to Him for all eternity. No one can fake that confident sense of "belonging" to Christ, just like no one can fake that ring indentation. And no one can remove the indentation, not without removing the wedding band and exposing the area to lots of sunlight for an extended period of time. Just like no one can remove the Holy Spirit from you, once you have Him. He is yours; you are His.
You may not want to "feel" like you're married, just like there are surely some days when you may not "feel" like a Christian. But the Holy Spirit is always there, that smooth little band around your heart, ensuring that you belong to Him, forever.
The point of all this is as follows: even if you remove that gold wedding band, which is the outward symbol of love, devotion, and belonging to someone, that small white line still remains beneath it, encircling your finger like a scar, showing the world that a grand display of commitment used to reside on that finger. The effects and sentiment remain wrapped around your finger, even if the outward symbol is removed.
Now, I realize that this is an imperfect analogy, because after you remove a wedding band, the little white smooth band will fade over time; the proof of your prior commitment slowly fading into oblivion. But it would take awhile, and it may never truly fade completely. Would that area of skin ever truly be the same again, as it was before you placed that ring on your finger? I don't know and I don't plan on finding out.
But the point remains the same: the Holy Spirit, once accepted into your heart, remains for always, encircling your heart, even if you allow Him to fade a bit. You may remove that outward symbol and turn away from Christ, but He will never turn away from you. He is like the most faithful, committed, loving Husband who fights for you and longs for you to know Him completely.
Romans 8:9--
"You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ."
Monday, July 16, 2012
The Best Things are the Nearest
"The best things are the nearest:
Breath in your nostrils,
light in your eyes,
flowers at your feet,
duties at your hand,
the path of God just before you."
This wonderful quote, from Robert Louis Stevenson, details exactly how I feel right now. The "best" things in life are typically the "small" things, and those small things end up being the large things after all! Those "small" moments are the ones you wish you'd taken pictures of, or enjoyed more thoroughly in the moment.
I also love how this quote speaks of the path of God being "just before you." Did you catch that? Just before you. You cannot see the path as it winds its way off into the distant horizon. No. You can only see that very next stepping stone, or maybe the next two, if you're lucky. I'm starting to believe that we humans are only meant to see our very next step, so that we will not get complacent and begin trusting in our own means of saving ourselves, but continue to throw ourselves upon the Lord's trustworthiness and goodness, leaning on Him with each unsteady step ahead.
God certainly has laid out a solid path for your life, but He typically only shows you the next step to take, and, tomorrow, after you've taken that step, He'll show you the next one after that. And so it goes, day after day, step after step. He leads us, guides us, and confirms our path.
I think this method of only seeing one step ahead for your life's journey requires a strange mix of utter confidence in God, and total humility and brokenness on our part. If we cannot see even two steps into our murky future, then we have to admit that we need God for EVERYTHING! We need Him to place that next stone under our feet, we need Him to shed enough light on our stony path so that our feet will plant firmly and solidly upon it, and we need Him to give us strength and courage to stare out into the outer darkness looming before us, without fear. We need God, a lot!
Additionally, we need to have utter and total confidence in God, that He keeps His promises, that He is indeed good and looking out for us, and that He has everything under control. And, after that (perhaps the most difficult part of all this), we need to REST in that confidence, and try to live our daily lives, walking this precarious path, without worry, stress, doubt, or losing faith. That is the real test of faith, is it not? Putting our actions, beliefs, decisions, and confidences into daily-life action. Give it to God, and then get over it!
If we say we trust God, and determine to let Him guide us, then we must allow Him the freedom to lead us, wherever (and however!) He sees fit. Just like you cannot give someone a gift and then immediately take it back, we cannot say with our mouths that we trust God and want to walk in His path, but then refuse to take that literal step of faith, letting Him guide us in His way.
Trust, have confidence, ask God for His guidance, and then take that step!
image credit: www.gettingdownwithjesus.com
Breath in your nostrils,
light in your eyes,
flowers at your feet,
duties at your hand,
the path of God just before you."
This wonderful quote, from Robert Louis Stevenson, details exactly how I feel right now. The "best" things in life are typically the "small" things, and those small things end up being the large things after all! Those "small" moments are the ones you wish you'd taken pictures of, or enjoyed more thoroughly in the moment.
I also love how this quote speaks of the path of God being "just before you." Did you catch that? Just before you. You cannot see the path as it winds its way off into the distant horizon. No. You can only see that very next stepping stone, or maybe the next two, if you're lucky. I'm starting to believe that we humans are only meant to see our very next step, so that we will not get complacent and begin trusting in our own means of saving ourselves, but continue to throw ourselves upon the Lord's trustworthiness and goodness, leaning on Him with each unsteady step ahead.
God certainly has laid out a solid path for your life, but He typically only shows you the next step to take, and, tomorrow, after you've taken that step, He'll show you the next one after that. And so it goes, day after day, step after step. He leads us, guides us, and confirms our path.
I think this method of only seeing one step ahead for your life's journey requires a strange mix of utter confidence in God, and total humility and brokenness on our part. If we cannot see even two steps into our murky future, then we have to admit that we need God for EVERYTHING! We need Him to place that next stone under our feet, we need Him to shed enough light on our stony path so that our feet will plant firmly and solidly upon it, and we need Him to give us strength and courage to stare out into the outer darkness looming before us, without fear. We need God, a lot!
Additionally, we need to have utter and total confidence in God, that He keeps His promises, that He is indeed good and looking out for us, and that He has everything under control. And, after that (perhaps the most difficult part of all this), we need to REST in that confidence, and try to live our daily lives, walking this precarious path, without worry, stress, doubt, or losing faith. That is the real test of faith, is it not? Putting our actions, beliefs, decisions, and confidences into daily-life action. Give it to God, and then get over it!
If we say we trust God, and determine to let Him guide us, then we must allow Him the freedom to lead us, wherever (and however!) He sees fit. Just like you cannot give someone a gift and then immediately take it back, we cannot say with our mouths that we trust God and want to walk in His path, but then refuse to take that literal step of faith, letting Him guide us in His way.
Trust, have confidence, ask God for His guidance, and then take that step!
image credit: www.gettingdownwithjesus.com
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
The View From My Front Door
This gorgeous sunset greeted my eyes a couple of nights ago, here in Seattle. It seems this oppressive heat surge has brought one good thing along with it: beautiful, other-worldly sunsets every evening! This magnificent view was just outside our front door, radiant above a long line of stately evergreens. I could get used to this sight every night! And if I have to deal with a bit of heat to get it, well then I guess I can manage! Although, even though our "heat wave" is certainly a heat wave here in Seattle, it's not nearly as hot as the temperatures the Midwest has been getting lately. Yikes!
The Lord God is so magnificent, so majestic, and so perfect, and He uses His paintbrush to spatter the evening sky with color. And not just ANY dull, old color, but hot pinks and purples, which are a couple of my favorites! God is so good!
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