Biggest Loser - Week 4 -- Attitude

Last night was our 4th weigh in at church. I love getting together with this group of people! It really helps to be accountable to someone with flesh, but my main accountability comes from God and His word! This weeks devotions in the book "Spiritual Secrets to Weight Loss" have been on our attitude. Staying Focused, remembering that we are Ambassadors for Christ, remembering to not think better of ourselves, but to put always ahead of ourselves always. Verses used were:

Romans 12:3
For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly then you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgement, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

I am to be an encourager to others. Not look at my weight loss or anything I may succeed at as better then someone else. Anything I am seeming to accomplish is only because God is given me the strength, and his will power in me! I know so well that in and of myself I do not have this! I wonder "Why now", Why this time he is given me the strength and determination?" I don't know, but I am grateful! I feel so much better. I'm not as tired as often, and I am actually starting to look forward to working out more! That is a miracle!

Philippians 2:3-4
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Again, be an encourager! Pray for one another! In all aspects of my life I need to test them against verses like this! What are my motives? How do I treat others, not only my friends, but those I may meet everyday. Examples the author used are from when we are out to eat. How do we treat our waiters or waitresses? How much do I eat when I go out? Do we eat together as a family around the dinner table talking? Why do we have 24 hour restaurants? My sister works in a restaurant. She is not a Christian or at the very least has not walked with the Lord faithfully. She has said to me before that it's the Christians that come in and are the rudest people. They come in after church and treat the wait staff badly! What an awesome example of Christ's love huh!!!!!

Matthew 20:26-28
Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

We are not hear for ourselves or to fulfill our wants, but to serve. Something we all need to remember! "An Ambassador is a delegate, an agent serving the one who commissioned him. As such, he is expected to fully represent the one in Authority." ..... "Our message becomes inconsequential if we, as messengers, do not bear the appearance of Jesus Christ in our behavior. We need the world to see us as ambassadors, not hypocrites. An ambassador for Christ is not self-centered" (taken from SS of WL).

So I have had much to think about and change in my behavior! Praise God I am teachable still!

Thanks for all your support.

Weight Loss this week 3.2lbs
Total: 12.3

Who is your Fortress? - Wordfilled Wednesday!!

God has been bringing many scriptures to mind lately concerning where I put my hope! What or who is my fortress and refuge from the storm? My stronghold!

HE IS THE LORD, ALMIGHTY!

What word has the Lord given to you this week to share? Join others for a Word Filled Wednesday here.

Sound Familiar?

BUT UNDERSTAND this, that in the last days will come (set in) perilous times of great stress and trouble [hard to deal with and hard to bear].
2For people will be lovers of self and [utterly] self-centered, lovers of money and aroused by an inordinate [greedy] desire for wealth, proud and arrogant and contemptuous boasters. They will be abusive (blasphemous, scoffing), disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane.
3[They will be] without natural [human] affection (callous and inhuman), relentless (admitting of no truce or appeasement); [they will be] slanderers (false accusers, troublemakers), intemperate and loose in morals and conduct, uncontrolled and fierce, haters of good.
4[They will be] treacherous [betrayers], rash, [and] inflated with self-conceit. [They will be] lovers of sensual pleasures and vain amusements more than and rather than lovers of God.
5For [although] they hold a form of piety (true religion), they deny and reject and are strangers to the power of it [their conduct belies the genuineness of their profession]. Avoid [all] such people [turn away from them].

2 Timothy 3:1-5

Where is your HOPE?!

Lately this question has been going through my mind quite often. After watching as much of the Inauguration as I could take, and seeing how so many people have put their faith and trust in President Obama it has made me so sad for America! Unlike some out there I do not believe Obama is the devil incarnate, but I wish people would stop making him out to be the new messiah also. People hear me when I say this, President Obama cannot, CANNOT save you! If your hope and trust is not in God and His Son Jesus Christ you are without HOPE! Obama promises, PROMISES change! I often find myself wondering yes change, but is it good change or bad change (as far as abortion goes, so far I say BAD, BAD, BAD change!!!) Just like every president before him and those to come after him who make promises, HE CANNOT KEEP THEM ALL! The only promises that have been kept completely have been those made by God himself! He has not broken one of his COVENANTS!

Genesis 17:7

I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.

Deuteronomy 4: 30 & 31

When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the LORD your God and obey him. For the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers, which he confirmed to them by oath.

Just as in 2 Timothy 4: 3 & 4, the American people are getting what their itching ears want to hear.

For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

We as a country have sold our souls because we believe the words of mere people, yet we do not go the the one who has Truth, and is Truth! This being said I do believe that Obama is God's man for our time. Maybe not in the way that those who voted for him think, but an instrument to be used for God's purposes and part of that purpose is to bring about his eternal plan that has been set in place since before the beginning of time. Consider other men that God has used not only to free his people, but to bring punishment for rebellious behavior:



Pharoah: Exodus 14: 8-9
The LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly. 9 The Egyptians—all Pharaoh's horses and chariots, horsemen and troops—pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon.

Nebuchadnezzar: Jeremiah 25: 8 & 9 (God even calls Nebuchadnezzar his servant in these verses)
Therefore the LORD Almighty says this: "Because you have not listened to my words, 9 I will summon all the peoples of the north and my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon," declares the LORD, "and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy them and make them an object of horror and scorn, and an everlasting ruin.
Jeremiah 27: 5-7
With my great power and outstretched arm I made the earth and its people and the animals that are on it, and I give it to anyone I please. 6 Now I will hand all your countries over to my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; I will make even the wild animals subject to him. 7 All nations will serve him and his son and his grandson until the time for his land comes; then many nations and great kings will subjugate him.



Cyrus: Isaiah 44:28
who says of Cyrus, 'He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please; he will say of Jerusalem, "Let it be rebuilt,"and of the temple, "Let its foundations be laid."
Isaiah 45:1
"This is what the LORD says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him and to strip kings of their armor, to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut:

So I ask again Where is your hope?

Psalms 33:20-21
We wait in hope for the LORD;
he is our help and our shield.
21 In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.

Hebrews 6:18-19b
18God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. 19We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.

1 Peter 1:13& 14
Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 14As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.

Psalms 20:7

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,

but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

Biggest Loser - Week 3!

Well I'm a bit late posting my Biggest Loser stats for this week. I have been in a little funk and have not felt like thinking enough to put together a post until now. Last night went really well. I love meeting with this group every Thursday. The two ladies that run the class do such a good job, and it just feels good to be around others who are so encouraging.

Last night we had a gentlemen from our church speak, who has lost 200lbs on a medically prescribed diet. He has kept it off for 3 years. One thing he said really struck me. He said the doctors he worked with told him that the way he lost weight is the way he would have to eat the rest of his life in order to maintain that weight loss. That made such since to me! That is why we should never go on some half cocked diet. He said it needs to be a lifestyle change for good. Now where have I heard that before?!!! We need to change the way we eat for good. Not go so radical that we can never keep it up. I am so thankful for that being said.

God has been showing me that food should be fuel. Yes we can enjoy the delicious things that are out there, but the main purpose for food is to give us the energy to do what we need to do. Also sacrifice is so important. In one of the devotions from "Spiritual Secrets to Weight Loss" the author says this: "If we love God, then wee must express that love toward His temple, our bodies. We do that when we make a commitment to live a healthy lifestyle, even if it requires of to "sacrifice" something we enjoy." "Permanent weight loss only happens when there is a willingness to embrace sacrifice as a vital part of Love." Our love for God needs to be stronger then our love for food (or should I say idol). It should be done out of thanksgiving and willingly, not begrudgingly.

The 2 scriptures used in this devotion spoke to me as well:

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

and

Romans 12:1

1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.

I am so thankful for these lessons!

BTW I lost another 2.5lbs too!

Hope in this fallen World! Wordfilled Wednesday!

Join others who are in love with the Word of God and desire to share that word with you today on this Wordfilled Wednesday!

We cannot let this happen, without a FIGHT!!!

PLEASE GO TO FIGHT FOCA AND SIGN THE PETITION TO STOP THIS FROM HAPPENING! OUR DAUGHTERS NEED US TO TAKE A STAND, OUR SONS NEED US TO TAKE A STAND!!!!

Jehovah-Jireh - TSMSS

Genesis 22:13 & 14

Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided."

Jehovah will provide! How comforting is that to you today? To me it brings so much comfort! I was reading in the devotions from "Spiritual Secrets to Weight Loss" this morning and the title of the devotion was Jehovah Jireh. Now I have known this name for a long time, but it just this morning rang so new to me! (Have you EVER had that happen? I'm sure you have) His word is fresh and alive isn't it! Praise God!

Anyway I began thinking of all the things that are uncertain in these days:

• Steve's Job
• My Job
• My continued victory and final freedom from the eating issues I have had all my life
• Our friends and families jobs, health, salvation!
• You name it the list goes on and on

God showed me this morning to not fear because he will provide, whatever happens! If I put my trust in him I will not fear what may happen! I am Jehovah, Jehovah Jireh he said! "I will provide".

There are so many scriptures that point to God as Provider. In this devotion the author even showed how God provided for us in the order of creation! Before he created man he had set everything up to provide for man's needs! I urge you to go to a bible program on line and type in "provide" today and see for yourself the way that God provides for all your needs! I know if has blessed me this morning, and I praise God with you all for what he has done and will continue to do for us "PROVIDE"!

One more thing before I go. I found this scripture this morning concerning Israel. God will provide peace for them! They are His and he has not forgotten his people!

2 Samuel 7: 9-15

"Now then, tell my servant David, 'This is what the LORD Almighty says: I took you from the pasture and from following the flock to be ruler over my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men of the earth. And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies. " 'The LORD declares to you that the LORD himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men. But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me ; your throne will be established forever.' "

I love this old song "He is Jehovah!" I have listened to it this morning, praising God! Not dancing physically, but dancing in my heart!

Biggest Loser - Week 2!

Well I just got home a little while ago from the Biggest Loser weigh in at church. I lost 6 pounds this week! The scale at church weighs me 3 pounds heavier then the one at home, but I have lost 6 pounds on booth, so I'm pumped! Thank you Lord for showing me so much this week: about making a covenant and keeping it, learning that when I say I'm going to take care of myself to my family I had better mean it!

It has been fun this week! I can't even believe I said that, but it really has! I haven't had a fountain pop in over a week! I have limited my coffee to brewed coffee, no lattes. I did get sugar free Cappuccino at the store the other day so I have that once in a while! My diet doesn't feel to limited, just smaller and more thoughtful. I can't believe that I feel the way I do. If you had told me even 2 weeks ago that I will feel this way I would have thought "NO WAY"! I attribute this all to the Holy Spirit and His power! Also good friends that encourage and support me in so many ways! Also a loving husband who is my biggest cheerleader!

I know not every week will go this well. There will be highs and lows, but I am in this and I am not alone!

Thanks for listening and for all of your support as well!

When you get Lemons you make Lemonade, right!!!

I just hopped over to Linda's place and saw that she gave me this award! I know she didn't know how much I needed this today, because I've been in a funk since this morning, but what a blessing!

Here is what it stands for: for someone showing great attitude and/or the spirit of gratitude.

You are supposed to pass then on to 10 bloggers, but just like Linda said, way to much pressure so here a a few ladies that I believe exhibit this in their lives no matter the circumstances!

Denise over at Shortybear's Place

Mari @ My Little Corner of the World

Lisa @ Extravagant Grace

Connie @ Little Red Hearts from God

These ladies and so many more bless me with their words of encouragement every time I visit their blog or get one of their encouraging comments on mine!

Bless you ladies and Linda you ROCK!!!!

Word Filled Wednesday

Gotta Love a GREAT deal!!!!

Jeremiah has needed a new coat for awhile. He had a growing spurt, and then just the other day he showed me a huge rip under the arm on one side. Well if you know me I have to get a GREAT deal on clothes. My kids know to ask if it's on sale, because otherwise they know I won't get it. I usually just shop the clearance racks!

Well today I hit the Mother Lode!!!! I had called Kohls to see if boys coats were on sale, and the were for 65% off, but I thought I'd better try JC Penney first.

I walked in and heard the sales lady talking on the phone saying that she only had on Columbia left. So I walked on over to see what they had. Most of the coats were the big puffy ones that Jeremiah would not like, and then I saw the Columbia! It was a size 14/16, which is what I wanted for him. That way he can grow into it. They were having final clearance today so you got 40% off the pink clearance price.

Guess how much I got it for, guess!!!! What'd you guess??? How about $11.00!!!! Yes that's right $11.00!!! YEAH for me!!!!

I also got Bekah some knit pants and shirts. The pants were $2.18 and the shirts $1.78. I got Jeremiah a pair of jeans for $4.18, and then because I was feeling so generous I got myself a couple of shirts for $5.00. Grand Total $45.00 give or take some cents!!!

Oh I was excited!!!!!

Just thought I'd share my excitement!!!!!

Am I a Covenant Breaker?

I was reading in Ezekiel 17 this morning. It began as God told Ezekiel to tell another Allegory about 2 eagles and a vine! Basically it is about the conquering of Jerusalem by Neb (first Eagle) and him making Zedekiah (vine) king of Israel. Zedekiah makes a covenant or treaty with Neb. Then Zedekiah breaks that treaty by going to Egypt (2nd eagle) and trying to get support from him to rebel against Neb. God takes covenants very seriously! He made a covenant with Abraham in Chapter 6 of Genesis and has kept it to this day, and continues to be faithful! The word Covenant is mentioned 286 times in the NIV bible.

He does not like it when his people break covenant with him, and it appears also with others (Neb) (see Ezekiel 17:18). He continually reminds his people who he is and the covenant he has made to them. He keeps repeating this is why judgement has come, so you will remember Who I AM!

Psalms 111:9

He provided redemption for his people;

he ordained his covenant forever—

holy and awesome is his name.

After reading this I went back to bed, because the dog got me up at 4:00. While I was laying in bed this thought came to mind: "Am I a covenant breaker?" How many covenants have I broken? How many times have I promised God or others that I would do something and haven't? Covenants are serious business!

Isaiah 24:5 & 6

The earth is defiled by its people;

they have disobeyed the laws,

violated the statutes

and broken the everlasting covenant.
6 Therefore a curse consumes the earth;

its people must bear their guilt.

Therefore earth's inhabitants are burned up,

and very few are left.

Even in the midst of his judgement God always brings us back to his promise (covenant). Oh how sweet these words below are to covenant breakers like me!

Isaiah 54: 9-11

To me this is like the days of Noah,

when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth.

So now I have sworn not to be angry with you,

never to rebuke you again.
10 Though the mountains be shaken

and the hills be removed,

yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken

nor my covenant of peace be removed,"

says the LORD, who has compassion on you.
11 "O afflicted city, lashed by storms and not comforted,

I will build you with stones of turquoise,

your foundations with sapphires.

I do not want to be a covenant breaker any more! Last night I signed a simple covenant (or was it) to be healthy. I signed it before God and the people that were there. I believe God brought that thought to my mind to remind me that I need to take this seriously and keep my covenant!

Thank you Lord for opening my eyes! Thank you for your mercy and kindness to me! Thank you that your mercies are new every morning!

A Trip to the Capital!

I can't get the pictures to line up, but I think you get it.

Our capital dome

Bekah and Libby (Jen's Daughter) on the Captial steps

A look at the dome from the inside.

Looking down on the glass floor, on the ground floor of the dome.

Our state Rep was there (Arlen Meekhof) so we were allowed on the House of Rep floor (very cool)

Another look at the dome.

Float copper from my favorite place (The Keewanaw Peninsula, U.P.)

Bekah & Libby on the bus ride down. The llllloooonnnggg bus ride down!

Biggest Loser - Week 1

Our church has started a Biggest Loser Program! Tonight was the first meeting. It was an awesome time of getting together with my brothers and sisters in Christ to encourage each other in changing our eating habits and growing closer to Christ by walking with him and leaning on him for strength we do not have on our own. I thought I would chronicle my progress here.



Saturday I weighed in, in the morning I Saturday. That is when I prefer to weigh in, but we will be officially weighed on Thursday nights. With the being said I lost .5lbs. Which I think actually means I lost more because you usually weigh more at night, right? So that is good.



We were given the book "Spiritual Secrets to Weight Loss" which is also a 50 day devotional. I have to tell you I am so excited and feel that the Lord is going to do great things in this group! Tonight one of the ladies mentioned these two portions of scripture:

Romans 12: 1 & 2

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

1 Corinthians 6: 12-20

"Everything is permissible for me"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"—but I will not be mastered by anything. "Food for the stomach and the stomach for food"—but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, "The two will become one flesh." But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit.
Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

She couldn't find this scripture when she was looking for it, but i knew that this is the one she was looking for because it is the one that the Lord laid on my heart earlier this week!

We were all given accountability partners, but I also include all of you as my partners as well. Hold me to it for a healthier me! I want to take good care of this temple, because I want to be used by him for a long time!

A Little Fact about Coffee I just learned.....

I LOVE Coffee! Did you know that? I love it Rich, Dark and Strong! My husband says my coffee is strong enough to grow hair. Maybe so, maybe so, but a good cup of coffee needs to be strong for the flavor to be just right! Church coffee is, well church coffee! Usually of a light brown color and of the cheaper brands. Pooh to that! I drink it, only because there is nothing else there to drink and talk with. Because you know it is best to be drinking coffee when you are visiting at church! O.K. maybe not, but that is what I say. Question: Did you know that coffee is the one excepted Christian addiction? Think about it! How many of us need our coffee every day? Hummm.......

So Sunday morning I was waxing nostalgic and went to the website of a former pastor (from my youth). He had a sermon on there about the history of the Catholic church so I decided to listen. If you want to hear it or any of his other sermons you can go here he is a wonderful minister! So within the history of the church he mentioned that coffee was originally a Muslim drink and that when Pope Clement VIII took a drink, he liked it so much that he "baptised" it as a official Christian drink. I just laughed and laughed, who knew!!!! Here's a little excerpt:

It is no suprise, therefore, that such a popular institution had opponents everywhere. In Italy, around 1600, priests asked Pope Clement VIII to forbid the favourite drink of the Ottoman Empire considering it part of the Infidel threat. On taking one sip, the pope found the drink delicious and baptised it - making it an acceptable Christian beverage.

Will it make me give up coffee, NO! Should you go out and get a coffee patch for yourself (if they made one) NO! Just go here and read about the fascinating history of coffee! Read about the legend of where it was first discovered too! Or then again maybe this is a muslim plot to finally take over the western world!

Laced With Grace Giveaway

Laced with Grace is having this awesome giveway, that I would love to win for our church! Check it out!

Super Sunday - Scene, Song, Scripture

Haven't done this in a while, but I have been having fun with picnik.com, so here is another creation I made.

Join others at Amazing Grace - Mazes, Messes & Miracles

What Legacy am I leaving?

I have the pleasure of reading posts over at Marsha's Musings. She is such a blessed writer, and I am continuously encourage by her posts! I love her "Hope Chest Legacy" post, where she may write about one of her children or grandchildren. Or the people that have influenced her life for the Lord. Reading this post really convicted me.

WHAT KIND OF LEGACY AM I LEAVING, NOT ONLY MY CHILDREN, BUT FUTURE GENERATIONS?

I am so busy right now that I bearly have time to teach my children scripture; to delve into the Word of God on a profound level; to pray without ceasing for all the generations to come after me!

Thinking about this NEW year, and what the Lord desires for me and my family, I cannot help but think that KNOWING Him, and BEING with Him should top my list! Stop with all the busyness! Let go of the things of this world! Put his things first!

FORGET:
The things I cannot control
judging others and leave that to Him
doing, and doing, and doing

FOCUS ON:
My children and their eternal relationship with God
Hiding the word in my heart and theirs
Praying for them and my extended family who so desperately need a clear picture of who God really is!
My husband and our relationship
My spiritual legacy: How will they remember me?