Diets, Paradox's, and Breakfast Cereal

I have been very silent of late.  Let me explain.  I have some major health concerns at this time, and it seems that being on a diet and exercising is taking a big chunk of my time and my concentration.  This diet "thing" is a priority over just about everything in my life right now, and I know it's the right thing to do, so, I have decided that the spiritual lessons that I learn from the physical lessons learned will be what I need to address in my blog.  Otherwise, I think I won't write at all.

Yesterday in the news was a new study of happiness in women.  According to this study, women are less happy than anytime in the last 30 years.  Amazing, since the libs have been telling us that to be liberated from family, children and especially husbands, would give us the utopia we have been craving for.  Not so, according to this study.  The main reason, it says, is because we have more choices than ever before, and we wrestle with decisions constantly.  Should we do this, did we make the right decision, did I marry the wrong man, did I choose the right breakfast cereal, should I have had children instead of giving my life to my career, or did I choose the right color for my car, or should I trade it in?  Those kinds of things.  Sometimes it does sound like our society at present puts breakfast cereal on the same plane as husbands and children doesn't it?  Yes of course we have too many choices today.  There is really only one choice to be made in this life that ultimately matters though, are we going to die in order to live or are we going to live in order to die?  

The greatest paradox in Scripture is of life and death.  We are all trying to escape death one way or the other.  Christ says to us in order to truly live we must die with Him.  He died and was raised, we die and will be raised to life anew.  All the struggles we have in this life; whether it is making the right decisions at the right time, or whatever, depends on what we do with this paradox.  Let's take breakfast cereal.  There are a great deal of choices out there to be made.  If this is one of the thousands that you struggle with a day, then ask whose am I, is my body His temple now?  Some of us do not even think twice about what breakfast cereal we buy, then great, do not even think about it, just do it.  When it comes to husbands and children, ask whose are we?  Do we live for ourselves, have we died to ourselves, and who is sovereign anyway, huh?  God has given us freedom, let us be free in deed!  The way to be free is to know we are HIS, in all areas of life,  breakfast cereal and beyond.  What do you think?

Things I am learning along the way as I wait for His appearing...................Lynn 

Anastasia Syndrome

So often as Christians we get what I call "Anastasia Syndrome."  Remember the story of the Romanov's?  During the Russian Revolution of 1917, the Romanov's,  Czar Nicholas II and his entire family were executed about a year later by the Bolsheviks.  There were rumors in St. Petersburg that the youngest of the Czar's daughters was wisked away and was not murdered.  She was thought to have survived, but had a terrible case of amnesia (according to Disney).   For the real story you can tool the internet and find out the myths and the supposed truths.  Back to my premise, in the Disney version, Anastasia is this wonderful, beautiful Princess, but she has forgotten whom she belongs to, what family she comes from and lives like an orphan wandering around looking for her identity.  Don't we live like that sometimes too?   Ephesians Chapter 1 reminds us just whose we are and some of the few ways He has blessed us.  

"3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace 8 that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9 And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory."

Don't be an Anastasia living life as though you are an orphan not really knowing your Father.  Live today in confidence because you not only know the King, you belong to Him.  He is taking care of all things on your behalf, just like a loving Father would do for His beloved child.  

Princesses Unite till He Comes.............................Lynn

Pro-life

Thought this short Youtube video was pretty powerful concerning what is going on at Notre Dame this weekend.  When will we take a stand?

HOPE

I have been teaching a Bible study for a group of ladies at my church home in Albemarle on Wednesdays.  We are looking at The Beatitudes, one of my favorite passages.  Last Wednesday night the Beatitude was meek.  This is a difficult concept for all of us because no one uses the term anymore, and when they do use it, meek so often is defined as weak.  Not so, from Christ's divine perspective.  We had a very productive session, and then I asked the question about being meek in today's culture.  How do we live, when do we get angry, when do we fight, when do we make a stand and when do we not?  Hard questions.  Well, suffice to say, we began discussing the culture which led to politics.  Those of you who know me well, know this was probably a discussion that I, as the leader, needed to keep under control.  Oh well, blew that one!  We left there feeling rather bleak and blue over what is happening in America today.  What I have been trying to meditate on the rest of this week is captured completely in an eschatological (over all view of Redemptive History) book written by Keith Mathison.  I am trying to read through the Bible and as I read through a book I am reading the commentary from the book From Age to Age; the Unfolding of Biblical Eschatology.  On page 495 he quotes George Eldon Ladd from the book The Blessed Hope:  

"The events of the eschatological consummation are not merely detached events lying in the future which Paul speculates.  They are rather redemptive events that have already begun to unfold within history.  The blessings of the Age to Come no longer lie exclusively in the future; they have become objects of present experience.  The death of Christ is an eschatological event.  Because of Christ's death, the justified person stands already on the age-to-come side of the eschatological judgment, acquitted of all guilt.  By virtue of the death of Christ, the believer has already been delivered from this present evil age (Gal. 1:4).  He or she has been transferred from the rule of darkness and now knows the life of the Kingdom of Christ (Co. 1:13).  In His cross, Christ has already defeated the powers of evil that have brought chaos into the world (Col. 2:14ff)."

This is the hope, the blessed hope.  We as Christians have only to observe actively what God is doing in the world today to bring about the Redemption of His Church.  

Waiting with renewed hope..............LYNN

Body and Soul go Hand in Glove

I have health issues.  If I do not change my eating behavior now, I not only will be miserable down the road (or dead), or I will making those around me miserable (or dead)!  I have been sticking to my new and improved diet now for a whole week!!  Only by God's Grace and some Gracious fear communicated to me by the nurse at my doctor's office.  

I had to see a nutritionist, and she recommended me make use of a website called Sparkpeople.com

It is a treasure trove of information, helps, recipes, a place for journalling ect... ect...all for free.  I came across this article about being consistent, and it went right along with what God convicted me of this morning in my spiritual life.  Something came up yesterday, that I didn't feel spiritually prepared for.  I had slacked off with my consistency in spiritual matters and was caught unawares.  Does this mean that things just didn't work out because I hadn't had my Quiet Time in several days, or that I thought God was punishing me?  Absolutely not.  God is still on His throne, yet I missed out on an added blessing.  It was a blatant reminder that the only thing that matters is to stay close to my Saviour, and that He is all I need.  When I do not avail myself of time spent in prayer and the Word, I miss out.  I rationalize that somehow, that is old news, that I can "relax" and coast.  No, the battle is fierce, and it is daily.

The reason I post the article about physical consistency is that they overlap with my spiritual consistency.  Read it and see.  

3 Simple Ways to Build Consistency

Because Consistency is the Key to Success!

-- By Dean Anderson, Fitness & Behavior Expert

You don’t have to be an expert to figure out that consistency is pretty essential to successfully change your life, your health, and your weight. But it’s also pretty clear that building a consistent routine of regular exercise and healthy eating is not an easy thing to do.

You start off the day with the best intentions—to exercise, track all your food, and make healthy choices. But then life happens. One of the kids is sick, the babysitter is late, the snowplow blocked your driveway, the boss asks you to work overtime, or any one of a hundred other surprises that can really wreck your day. Before you know it, your plan is in trouble and your prospects for "sticking to it" aren’t looking very good. In fact, things are probably going to get worse as the day goes on. By the end of the day, you have no energy left for exercise, and the task of preparing a healthy meal feels like a big burden when what you really want is a break. Something has to give.

More often than not, "what gives" is your plan to exercise and eat right. When it’s hard to do everything, the things most likely to go undone are those that don’t affect or involve anyone but you—especially if those things aren’t exactly your favorite things to do anyway.

So how do you change this pattern? With the three rules for building consistency.

These three simple rules, when followed faithfully, will make it easier for you to be consistent with your healthy lifestyle habits—even on the toughest days.

Rule #1: Never tell yourself “I’m not motivated.”
That’s not the real problem, unless you really don’t want to lose weight or live a healthy lifestyle. As long as you do want these things, you have all the motivation you need.

It may be true that sometimes you don’t want to exercise, or that you really want to stop and get fast food rather than cooking dinner. That’s understandable, but it doesn’t mean you’re not motivated. It just means that you want two different and opposing things, and you have to make a decision. Telling yourself that you lack motivation is just a way of denying that you really do have a choice. It makes the problem seem mysterious and out of your control, and it makes you feel less powerful than you really are, because you lack something (the motivation) you need. Not true!

In the long run you’ll do better if you acknowledge that the choice is yours to make. You can choose either option, without making excuses or inventing a theory like “lack of motivation” to justify it. Then, pay attention to how you feel about the choice you made, and decide whether that is how you want to feel most of the time.


Rule #2: Build momentum one step at a time.
It’s never easy to change old habits or start new routines. Studies show that it takes anywhere from 21 to 40 days to really turn a new behavior into a persistent habit. And during that time, you’re going to have to work at it pretty diligently—even when you don’t feel like it.

The key to long term consistency is building momentum. The hardest part is always getting things started. But once you’re moving, staying in motion and picking up speed becomes a lot easier. There are a lot of ways you can gradually build momentum during those first few weeks. Here are some examples:
Start with something that’s pretty easy to manage and build up from there. Set a goal of one 10-minute exercise session per week. Then increase it to two 10-minute sessions. Gradually add minutes to each workout (and eventually add one or more additional workouts to your week), until you're exercising as long and as frequently as you should in order to reach your goals. The simple act of setting aside some time for exercise every day, no matter how little, and sticking to it is enough to start building the habit.
Find an accountability buddy—someone who knows about your plan and is willing to give you a push when you feel like slacking off.


Rule #3: Always have a plan B.
Because life is unpredictable and complicated, you need to have plan B ready—even before you actually need it. Plan B is an alternative way to stay consistent with your goals when your regular routine (or something else) doesn’t work out as planned. Obviously, you can’t foresee every single problem that might come up. But most of the time, the things that get in your way are things that happen fairly often—like kids getting sick, extra hours at work, or days when you just don’t feel very energetic. Those surprises won't throw you off track if you plan ahead. For example, have a friend or family member lined up to stay with your kids so you can make it to the gym; stock your freezer with some healthy meals when you're short on time; stash your exercise clothes at the office for a quick workout when you can't get away.

Put a little time into identifying the most common problems that disrupt your healthy routine, and plan (in advance) what you can do to handle these problems without sacrificing your diet and exercise routine. Then all you’ll have to do is put your plan B into action.


always learning...............Lynn

Obama's Faith Moments????

"To commemorate President Barack Obama's first 100 days in office, U.S. News & World Report documented what it considers to be the "10 Most Important Obama Faith Moments.  Barack Obama has embraced faith in a more visible way than any other president in recent memory."


"1. Rick Warren's Inauguration Day Invocation." I'll grant Obama and U.S. News & World Report that this was a significant "faith moment," though maybe (as I discussed in a previous column) it wasn't significant for all the right reasons.

"2. Granting First TV Interview to Arabic Language Network." I would call this more of a "diplomatic moment" than a "faith moment" despite the fact that the majority of the Arab world is Muslim.

"3. Reversing Mexico City Policy on Family Planning Providers Abroad." Since when is subsidizing other nations with federal funds to provide more abortions a "faith moment"?

"4. Opening Rallies With Prayer." To describe six simple invocations as "a big step further in embracing religion" in comparison with George W. Bush's practice of starting Cabinet meetings with prayer and encouraging Bible study groups at the White House reveals the author's clear political bent.

"5. Launching White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships." Could the advances of this "faith moment" suffer a horrendous reversal when Obama's administration finally deals with its postponement of the issue of whether to demand these federally funded groups hire leaders from outside their faith traditions?

"6. Convening a Faith Advisory Council." While this council has external appeal, it represents little more than another bureaucratic piece of red tape and another way the long arm of government is weaving into the fabrics of our religious practices.

"7. Joe Biden's Receiving Ashes on Ash Wednesday." With all respect to Biden, to think that the vice president's participation in Lenten church services should be classified as a faith moment of Barack Obama's borders on comical.

"8. Lifting Restrictions on Federally-Funded Embryonic Stem Cell Research." Like No. 3 -- on expanding international abortions -- to include the lifting of restrictions for federally funded embryonic stem cell research in this list is ludicrous.

"9. Announcing Plans to Give Notre Dame's Commencement Address." I would agree with this if Obama had said he would speak at the baccalaureate Mass, but he's giving the commencement address.

"10. Speaking to Muslim World From Turkey." This should be the No. 1 non-faith, or secular, moment of Obama's first 100 days, for he skirted our religious makeup and heritage.

"If my math is correct regarding this U.S. News & World Report article, the preceding "10 Most Important Obama Faith Moments" include two instances in which Obama encouraged Muslim relations and Islam around the world, two cases in which he increased the number of terminations of human lives, one nonreligious speaking engagement he committed to making at a university, two acts of his that promoted community development, six events of his that included invocations, and one instance in which religious soot was seen on the forehead of the vice president."

"It's strange how or why the magazine left out of its list that Obama proposed to limit tax deductions for charitable contributions. And what about Obama's request for Georgetown University to cover a monogram symbolizing Jesus' name when he gave an economic speech there?"

As written by Chuck Norris on Townhall.com

Paganism is alive and well.

How long will it be till we see five or six story high pictures of Obama on buildings, schools, and malls?  Be watching.  It won't be too long.  

Anger?

Today I heard a clip from a columnist from the Cleveland Plain Dealer  as she was being interviewed on C-Span.  Her name is Connie Schulz and this is what she said, "There's so much hate there, and it -- and it fuels people who want to be angry, who just want to hate. And certainly right now, in our country there's so little product -- productive, umm, outcome from that. We could talk about this as human beings. When I'm angry, what I'm all worked up, I am not my best self. Heh! I... My vision is affected in terms of how I see things; my opinions are distorted by my rage. Um, I -- I -- I don't think it's ever a good idea to try to just fuel rage in people."  She was speaking of those of us on the "right" being angry about the changing of America right before our eyes.  She mentioned Rush Limbaugh and those that agree with him.  

I would like to say to Ms. Schulz, I am angry, and to tell you the truth, I think that my anger actually brings out my "best" self in this situation.  Anger directed at those who thwart Justice is anger that is well worth it.  I do not think that when Patrick Henry said, "Give me Liberty or Give Me Death," he was speaking in flowery tones of "let's tiptoe through the tulips."   When Ronaldo Maximus Reagan told Gorbachov to "Tear down this wall,"  he had in mind the 100 million people that lost their lives under Lenin, Stalin, and the other Communist regimes that strip their citizens of freedom, dignity, and ultimately their lives.  Do you really think that anger has no place?  In our society we have seen the total reversal of virtue.  The Miss California incident recently illustrates this.  This young woman is being reviled for her virtue, and the people that truly are speaking "hate speech" are looked at as the heros in some circles, and not called to task as a general whole.  I heard that some of the Republican leadership is trying to disavow or distance themselves from the principles of Ronald Reagan, which really means, "let's just forget about this abortion thing, it's just a 'fringe' issue."  Life is not a fringe issue!  Period.  When the most helpless and vulnerable among us are thrown out with the garbage, literally, then it will not be long when we will throw out "Grandma and Grandpa" too.  When life is not an issue it won't be long until those that stand for virtue will also be expendable.  It was not too many years ago when people that did not see eye to eye with the German leadership were herded into cattle cars, and whisked off to "re-education camps," when those that opposed collectivism in the USSR were systematically starved to death, by the millions.  When life is not a high priority, when the state becomes "god," then anything is possible.  I am angry at the new change agents in Washington that want to thumb their noses at one of the most perfect documents ever to have been written, our Constitution.  They are making a mockery of it as I write.  The Federal government does not have the right to run every aspect of our lives, from bailouts to tarp funds, from healthcare to automobiles. We are told to  tow the line.  Wall Street is being diminished, government is growing, and you and I will pay the price in more ways than just monetary.  We will become poorer as a nation, and in order for conservative principles not ever to make a comeback, because that would take the power away from the elite statists that are now running our lives, there will have to be control.  How.... I can only imagine.  Oh, how I wish that I could shout this from sea to shinning sea, but alas....  

Call me an alarmist if you want to, but DAILY it is some new regulation or control from the politicians.  Too bad there is not an new world to go to.  But, maybe that is what is happening.  Maybe those of us that know Him, will soon have our place in the ship that will only lead to an eternal utopia, the only utopia there is.  

Tearful and angry; and waiting for Him alone..............Lynn