Trim Healthy Mama Blast and Good Intentions

The scoop is that I decided to join the members site at TrimHealthyMama.com; I chose the three month membership, because I want to see if I will visit there enough and utilize the resources there enough for me to feel like I have spent that money wisely.  As of this day, about 12 days in, I can say it has been well worth the money.

So far I have found answers to some of my recent questions, along with the Stubborn Losers Menus and some delicious recipes.  The Chocolate Milk, and the Eggs and Hash recipes are repeaters, and the FP Peanut Butter Cookie Muffin will be. I enjoyed the muffin this morning, completely surprised at how delicious it was and how much I enjoyed the texture as well.  I do so love it when I follow a recipe as written, taste it tentatively, and then blissfully inhale the end product.  Thanks so much, Pearl and Serene!

While out running this morning, I was reminded that I should start thinking about blog posts for the week.  I remember promising updates about some things, one of which I covered above.

I am still school planning, although I added in a major writing project to this month, which is requiring lots of my discretionary time.  Alongside of that I have had some wonderful, amazing ministry opportunities open up to which I have said yes and run after.  Nonetheless, albeit slowly, I have been working my way through a library book by Cathy Duffy and feeling inspired and motivated.  That in itself is worth the investment of time reading the book and doing the exercises.

On the employment front, I have not heard back a second time about an interview, at least not as of yet.  I am praying about following up somehow.  HE knows how much I would love that job, as well as all of the other details that would be affected by me working part-time.

And that's the scoop as of today.


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Driving a Stake in the Ground

Edited 06.27.15

I am saddened, but not surprised at the Supreme Court's ruling in favor of same sex "marriage."

Rudderless, the majority justices continue to sail the USA toward rocky shores.

Perhaps I am painting a target on myself, but I feel compelled to post a statement of my faith and beliefs here today.

I do not hate anyone.  Because I follow Jesus Christ, because He loves and forgives me, and because His love compels me, I love everyone, though I do so imperfectly as an imperfect human being.

"Love your neighbor.  Do good to those who do evil against you.  Overcome evil with good."

Those some are my foundational motivations and guiding commands.

Below is a more formal belief statement, the wording of which I borrowed and tweaked from an Alliance Defense Fund pdf.

"I believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female, evidenced biologically at birth. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God. (Gen 1:26-27.)  ‘Being man’ or ‘being woman’ is a reality which is good and willed by God: man and woman possess an inalienable dignity, which comes to them immediately from God their Creator. Man and woman are both with one and the same dignity ‘in the image of God.’

"I believe that the term 'marriage' has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture. (Gen 2:18-25.) I believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other. (1 Cor 6:18; 7:2-5; Heb 13:4.) I believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman.

"I believe that any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, and use of pornography) is sinful and offensive to God. (Matt 15:18-20; 1 Cor 6:9-10.)

"I believe that God freely offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. (Acts 3:19-21; Rom 10:9-10; 1 Cor 6:9-11.)

"I believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. (Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31.) Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture or with how Jesus treated people while He walked the earth."

I understand that our government has approved and legalized relationships and actions that are in opposition to my beliefs.

I do not believe that those who have made these decisions hate me.

I am not your judge.  (Matt. 7:1, John 5: 26-27, John 12: 47-48.)

These beliefs guide my relationship with God and with man.  A desire of my heart is to grow in loving relationship with God and with all of humanity every day.

If you disagree with my beliefs, I respect you and love you anyway.  I think all of you are amazing creations of Father God who carry unique and needed gifts into our world.

Can we focus on the things we agree upon and work together to build a promising and bountiful future for us and for the generations to come?

Have mercy on us, oh God!

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Tag

 Labels are extremely obnoxious, especially when applied to me.

 By "label" I mean "a classifying phrase or name applied to a person or thing, especially one that is inaccurate or restrictive."

  I felt my frustration bubbling while in conversation with the "customer service" rep.  Because of my "tag," I was being given standard, dead answers.  Needless to say, I left the conversation feeling powerless.  Not a good feeling, AT ALL.

 Upon review, after my frustration subsided, I realized that I, too, participate in this dishonoring practice.  Labeling or tagging gives me permission to dismiss and to give up on.  Is this a Kingdom practice or mindset?

 Graham Cooke challenges us to seek possibilities in these situations.  That's my dot today.  I must discover Kingdom, power-ful possibilities!

 What?  So what?  Now what?  (Thank-you, MB, for sharing that gem with me.)

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Planting a Faith Seed

  It's a small seed, but it's mine.

  Today's lesson so far is:  take time to understand; pray (listen), think deeply and talk out loud to myself about it before talking to someone else in any format, written or spoken.

  Some lessons recent:

• say "yes" to God.  All of your "yes"es add up to steps on your journey.
• listen and believe
• my negative feelings are often misguided

    What lessons, insights are blooming inside of you today?

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Theme Song Thursday

These are some of my favorite people in the WORLD!!!

Generally I do not post anything else in my Theme Song Thursday posts, however I must on this one.

That human video above is from a Becky Fisher conference which our King's Kids Go-Network Team helped to staff.  By far this was one of my favorite short term mission trips.  We have traveled other places and ministered in various capacities since then, and each one of those trips is my favorite as well. 

A couple of days ago we had the privilege to combine an afternoon of "special opps" type prayer and other prophetic acts in a town in northwest Indiana, with ministry at an AGLOW meeting in the evening in a more northern town.  It was a God-filled day and night! 

Send me a message or email me to find out more.

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Gimping Like a Boss

 For all you camp people out there, I am not speaking of the wondrous rubbery plastic lacing that can be woven into multitudinous wearables. 

 No, I am speaking of the injury to my left calf, either a strain or a tear or both, which causes me to limp.  Happened on Easter Sunday.  Prayers appreciated!


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Choose Presence

Pray continually. —1 Thessalonians 5:17

Up to this time you have not asked a [single] thing in My Name [as presenting all that I am]; but now ask and keep on asking and you will receive, so that your joy (gladness, delight) may be full and complete. —John 16:24 amp

In my weakness, You are strong. You are my strength.  I realize my need for you more when things are hard, sad, scary.  No amount of me can help me in those times. Thank you for Your Presence that brings righteousness, peace and joy.  I cannot fix or change this painful situation.  Only You can make it happen.  May the meditations of my heart be pleasing to You, and therefore true.  There is always hope, always redemption and restoration available.  I trust You.  Help me to learn to trust again.  I/we need Your wisdom to guide us in how to walk, so that my joy may be full and complete.

I choose to focus on You so that my emptiness will be filled with Your Presence and not my problems.  Thank-you that You are always with me.  I will continue to ask and to hope-- continually expect good in every area of my life.  This is in Your hands, God.
       


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Theme Song Thursday

You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep
My faith will stand

And I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand
Will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You've never failed and You won't start now

So I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior
[x6]

I will call upon Your Name
Keep my eyes above the waves
My soul will rest in Your embrace
I am Yours and You are mine 


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Tumbled Tuesday

• Kitchen clean-up crew member
• Launderer
• Appliance repair woman
• High School Counselor and teacher
• Elementary School teacher
• Middle School teacher
• Personal Assistant
• Chef
• Baker
• Researcher
• Purchaser
• Appointment Scheduler

 Tee-hee, my multifaceted day so far...

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Keys (and lots of fab links!)

  I love autumn and the expectation of Thanksgiving and Christmas arriving anon.   I love the change in the temperatures and the crispness of the air, even though these signal that winter will arrive soon enough as well.  I love...

 Being famous for love, that's what life it truly about.  Nope, not famous for the "things" I love, but

Making a list and checking it twice

  Is it awkward or lame of me to reference someone else's blog as my post today?  I hope not, because this one hit me right between the eyes.  It's almost like Someone is shouting instructions to me instead of whispering them.  Wahoo!

  I know what you are thinking...Shouldn't you be doing the millions of things on your list right now, starting with the daily Pre-Calc review lesson.  Perhaps you are right, but...

  Here's the link to the blog article, which is exactly what I needed to read today:

Why I think you should set a goal by Bob Lotich

  Oh and just one other thought before I move along to that to-do list about which you were harping:  if it is true in fact that I can have it all, it is likewise true that I cannot have it all at the very same time.  Making a list and checking it twice or more should help with that, right?

  What are you focusing upon today?

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Theme Song Thursday: You Know Me

  "I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth- that God Governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid?" ~ Benjamin Franklin

Theme Song Thursday

    The song that is playing repeatedly in my head this morning is:

God I Look to You

God I look to You

I won't be overwhelmed

Give me vision to see things like You do

God I look to You

You're where my help comes from

Give me wisdom, You know just what to do

And I will love You Lord my strength

And I will love you Lord my shield

And I will love You Lord my rock

Forever all my days I will love you God

Hallelujah our God reigns

Hallelujah our God reigns

Hallelujah our God reigns

Forever all my days Hallelujah

   Before I move on to my math review, I have to provide you with a chuckle; my right forearm has been incredibly sore this past week.  I have pondered and pondered trying to come up with what repetitive and new motion I have been making that would cause this.  Can you guess?  Yesterday I realized it's from all the writing I am doing in my Pre-Calculus lessons! 
 
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Good Vibrations

Starting to "feel" like summer and like I am in a new groove -- one which is more flexible and less scheduled.  The vague sense of discombobulation is dissipating.

 Driving hither and yon is another theme of this week, alongside overnight guests.  Many steps closer to readiness for summer camp, we are as a result of some of the taxiing.
 
 To get back to sewing the "practice" Jane Austen style dress, I must.  Appointments, shopping, taxiing and Pre-Calc have robbed time from this neglected project.

 Down to only one library book, I feel lonely.  This one demands more attention than most, so it is as it should be.

 Check it out; the author has keen insight into much that is happening at present.

 Something I have discovered which is helping me to be more mindful of God throughout the day, is Praying the Divine Hours.

What good things are happening in your sphere today?


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Mary Poppins, Math and Musings

  A Mary Poppins-umbrella, not as a source of protection, but as the means of transport which will result in a safe, peaceful and successful journey to the intended destination -- pondering this picture today and looking forward to watching "Mary Poppins" again very soon.  Being the bibliophile, I will also read the book.

  Today I will begin the Pre-Calculus refresher course to which I have been looking ahead for some time.  It will be exciting to see how that works out for me.

I can't resist posting this theme song of mine again:

 Finally, something about this statement caught me:

"a single dandelion may produce 2000 seeds per year, indiscriminately firing them off into the sky at the slightest breeze."

What or who is capturing your attention these days?
  

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Step Over the Dogs of Doom and into Faith

 "In the book of First Timothy, Paul exhorts Timothy to minister in his spiritual gift beyond his comfort zone...If you do only what is comfortable for you, you will fail to grow."  ~ Kris Vallotton, p. 185, "Spiritual Java."

Credit Where Credit is Due

  Because it happens so infrequently, I MUST give credit where credit is due:

   TODAY I experienced a genuine shining moment in customer service via a tech support person with American Family On-line.  As a skoshe of context I will tell you that we purchased an internet safety filter from them about a month or so ago and installed the filter on our "school" computer.  This weekend I finally tackled removing a different filter from our daughter's laptop (took way longer than necessary) and installing the AFO Firefilter.  Unfortunately something went awry in the installation, and as instructed, I called tech support; I left my phone number and a message, without much hope of hearing back from them.  I had not had a bad experience with AFO tech support, just with tech support in general.  Overall it's been about 75% bad vs. 25% good/excellent.  Early this evening I did receive a phone call from AFO tech support and within 10 minutes, at the most, everything was working!  

  Alongside of that glowing testimony in regard to their tech support, I must say that so far I am very pleased with their Firefilter.  Our kids do not complain nearly as often as they did about our other internet filter, although sometimes they are annoyed that they cannot access a web site when they try it once, and then it's accessible the next time they try to visit the site.  It seems great to me that this filter catches things on usually appropriate web sites and blocks the site as long as the objectionable material is there.  I do not believe that a filter alone is enough to protect our kids on-line, but I do appreciate a filter that does what I want it to do.

   A second recommendation:

  I've read it and am provoked; also reckoning on resultant transformation, I am.



  What recommendations do you have to offer these days? 


Minding the Minutia  


  March is rapidly running away to April.  Pondering spring weather's arrival amidst the 8 inches or so of late spring snow has germinated new goals:  run one more day plus add at least one day of brisk walking a week to my exercise therapy.  It also produced a remembrance of  uncompleted school preparation details.  Two revised assignment sheets and a weekly "to do list" later, and I am motivated and pleased with my progress.  

  A second play and our 2nd daughter's high school graduation loom large upon our spring landscape.  These relatively quiet days of early spring will give way to a torrent of events and activities as summer nears and then rushes over us.  In the midst of this future and all other minutia, because of who I am, I cannot at present see the breakthrough that I believe is coming.  I am asking for faith like Abraham when he believed God, despite his circumstances.  Though I cannot hear or see at present what it is that I "was made to do," I will continue to believe I will one day understand and will continue to do what is in front of me.  ~ Looking to Jesus for He is my peace. 
 
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***today***

 I haven't cried or felt like crying this often since the 11-ish years of my life in which I was either pregnant or nursing a baby.   At times when I have felt like this, I have looked ahead to some event and been encouraged.  Glancing over at the next two weeks as represented by our 'fridge calendar, I know that said tactic is NOT going to help.  Why, oh why is it bothering me so much?!

 On the up side of it, it makes me run to Jesus all the more:-).  "So fly to Jesus..."  It works for me and in me, transforming me.  Perhaps the light of understanding is glimmering.

 Cracking on...

 What's up with you today?


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White Space

What do you do to keep and/or to create "white space" in your life?

You know what I mean by white space, right?  Maybe not...

Danglin' My Toes

yes, this is spilling over into the next column, but you need to see this!

 Pictured above is a screen shot of the planner I mentioned from Donna Young.  I took the plunge last week to buy the product and finally started to input data into it yesterday.  I am starting to understand how to get around inside of this monster Microsoft Excel workbook and have a growing admiration for Donna Young's creativity in designing this planner.  It does indeed seem to be what I was looking for, especially since I use Excel spreadsheets for making assignment sheets.  This planner also has made it clear to me that I only know the smallest amount about the capability of Excel.