Leave the Pounds to Him

So you must be wondering how the workouts are going. When I'm not working overtime at the office and going in to work at 5:00 am, I've settled into a flexible and even enjoyable workout routine. Monday-treadmill and elliptical for 45-60 minutes, Tuesday-pool for 45-60 minutes, Wednesday-dancing for 45-60 minutes, Thursday-workout time in the Word of God for 45-60 minutes, Friday-I surprise myself with one of the above. A co-worker challenged me to a water drinking contest. Whoever drinks half their body weight in ounces per day, wins. (I'm down to 7-20 ounce glasses to drink, used to be 8) So that's been an interesting event...more trips to the bathroom so there's some unexpected exercising! LOL I've not signed up for another 5K, but am strongly considering taking some basic dance classes at a local Christian Dance company called "Dance-A-Cross", just to learn some new moves. And my husband and I are painting a room downstairs that is to become our new bedroom. Yes, there's even a workout in that! The walls were painted red on the top half and black on the bottom with a silver chair railing between, so there will have to be more than one coat of paint used to cover the walls But that's okay. It's time we can spend together on a project and the shoulders and waist get quite a lot of exercising! The room we currently use for a bedroom upstairs will become my new study room. I'm converting my grandmothers old organ into a study desk and decorating the lid with the keys from the organ. Will post a picture on the blog when it's completed. How invigorating to have such a variety of exercise routines to choose from. One thing I'm learning though. I've been going in to workout by 5:00 AM each morning for almost a year now, maybe longer, and I'm finding that mentally working in the office during that 2 1/2 hours is so much more draining an exhausting that when I physically work out. Physically exercising definitely energizes me for the day. How positively revealing that news is to me. Never thought I'd ever say that about exercise. Wow. Don't give up on the workouts, even if you don't readily see a change they are helping, and your body, mind and spirit will thank you for it. God is doing an awesome work in and through you in the midst of it, so don't give up! I'm not. I've even put a new password on my work computer that reminds me every morning to keep going and to never quit. I'm also not focusing on the scale, but more on the exercising, and that's very freeing in itself. Whatever the Lord leads you to do, stay active in it and He will bless. There's more joy and pleasure in honoring Him than in thinking that you'll never get the scale to show the weight loss. Never thought I'd say this, but I've lost so much more mental and demoralizing weight than the physical, and He and I are both very okay with that. Don't get distracted by the pounds, get invigorated by the growth in your relationship with Jesus and leave the pounds to Him.

My Truest Friend

Hard to believe it's been 2 weeks since I last posted. I'v been extremely busy at work an have had no time to post any blogs or get to the library to post. But I'm back and have some exciting news to share. I was at the pool exercising this past Monday morning and enjoying my visit with Jesus. We have some of our best talks and creative explosions in the pool I am so thankful for that time. Have also begun going down to the racquet ball court and taking my CD player and dancing my heart out for Jesus He and I always close (cool down time) with slow dance. So much love there that I don't realize my body is getting such a great work out. However, a couple hours later I can surely feel it in my muscle! LOL Anyway, back to the pool. I had been thanking Him out loud for all the blessings in my life. and from out of no where He placed a song on my lips. It started out with the verse from Hebrews 13:5 which says, (partially), "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." (from Deuteronomy 31:6) and grew from there. It goes like this: "He'll never leave me, He'll not forsake me, I am not alone. He'll never leave me, He won' forsake me, I can take all my trouble to His throne. He'll walk beside me, He'll love and guide me, On His Word I can depend. He'll never leave me, He'll not forsake me, I can trust my truest Friend. I will trust my truest Friend, He'll always be my truest Friend!" I've been singing that song ever since. I wish I could sing the tune to you on this blog. Still, I wake up singing that song, I go to bed singing that song. It's His song that He's given to me and will always be in my heart. What a blessed gift from my truest Friend.

Storms Forecasted for Today

Last night's forecast for central Iowa was wrought with foreboding. Severe thunderstorms would be rolling in during the night and possible damaging hail would accompany those storms. "If you have a garage, put your cars away," the local meteorologist advised. When I woke this morning and took my little dachshund outside I realized the deck wasn't wet. "I thought we were getting storms overnight," I said over my shoulder to my husband. "They're coming," he responded. "You'll drive into them on your way to the gym," he predicted. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a flash of lightning as I took Brady back inside to his crate and braced myself to leave for my morning workout. As I backed the car down the driveway sprinkles of water formed on my windshield. The further I drove west the more it fell, but not heavy enough to warrant a constant swish-swish of my wiper blades. I arrived at the gym and got out of the car to light sprinkles. Where's the storm? I turned on the tv when I got to the gym to see when the big one would hit and still they forecasted heavy thunderstorms for the entire day, and indeed for the next six days. After my workout and shower I walked out to the car to drop off my gym bag and towels...still light sprinkles. Where's the storm? I held out my hand palm up to the sky and wondered when it was actually coming. So often bad "weather" is forecast into our lives and we go about our day preparing for the worst. Thunder of preconcieved danger loom on the horizon and we head to the storm shelter of our inner being to protect ourselves from failure or danger before a single cloud is in our sky. Week-long predicted "rain" pelts us on all sides and we wonder if we'll ever see upper 70's sunshine in our lives again. Oh, the enemy of our souls does love to beat us down, doesn't he? Still, that's where the umbrella of the Holy Spirit comes into our lives, why our heavenly Father has given us the Sword of His Word, to shield, protect and fight against the darkening skies of bitter painful storms, if and when they come. However, today, today I choose to look up, past those storm clouds, for the sun is always shining. Oh, I may not see the Son through the clouds of doubt, fear, disappontment or frustration, but it's there. I've just got to release my faith in my heavenly Meteorologist and believe that He will burn the storms of my life away or he will give me what I need to weather those battle-storms. It may be very dark outside, the humidity of failures may hang over me, but inside, where my Lord lives, I'm dancing, I'm rejoicing in His Son as He shines His light on my soul. Whew! What a great day it's going to be!

Worship

The music begins softly and as the life of the Spirit fills the room the melody swells and the worshipers begin singing with more heartfelt fervor and begin to clap in time with whatever tune the performers on the stage share in their own worship experience. Several members of the audience walk to the front of the sanctuary. The woman in the row in front of me steps out and with arms lifted, sways back and forth, and that's worship. A bald black man in his forties sits still with his head lifted up and tears streaming down his face, and that's worship. A petite curly-haired woman in her early sixties walks to the front and with her hands shaking back and forth the bracelets on her wrist rattle in praise, and that's worship. A little girl, probably about 7, sits strapped into a reclining wheelchair with her gaze looking at nothing really but it's easy to see, she's worshiping. An elderly pastor's wife with serious health problems shuffles in a slow gate with her walker and makes her way to the front; several gather around her, laying hands on her in prayer, and that's worship. Another group of men gather in prayer around a friend who had cancer and is pleading for healing, and that's worship. A woman in her early thirties stands off to the side of the altar with arms straight out to her side praying and then lifts her voice praying in tongues, and that's worship. The music softens as the whole community of believers wait in anticipation of the interpretation of the tongues prayer, and when it comes from an elderly pastor in the middle of the room a shout of praise rises and the praise music swells again, and that's worship. As I sit in my pew, observing all these different ways to worship my eye spies two little children, probably about three or four, standing next to their mother who's eyes are closed in prayer. All around them are very serious and focused on their own worship time. The little boy grabs the hand of the little girl and I see him try to tell her to twirl under his arm. She does and they take each other's hands in a "ring around the rosie" dance, begin to hop and laugh and are finding joy within the music, totally oblivious to those around them. No one stops them or shushes them into submission. They are just free to worship in innocence and unfettered joy. As I watch a smile forms on my lips and I can feel our heavenly Father smiling down on them, looking over his shoulder and saying, "Hey, Jesus, would you look at that? Isn't that so very cool? Let's go down and dance with those two." I picture Jesus taking both their hands and with child-like laughter joining in his own boisterous laugh, and with glee they dance in the very presence and joy of their Father, and that's worship Thank you Father. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your joy, your peace, your very presence in our lives whether we're sad, sick, hurting, happy, jubilant or yes, even worshiping.

Fat Whining and Greetings

I couldn't go on with my day without sharing these 2 jewels. In light of my earlier post this morning I just have to share this with you. The mail man just delivered our office's mail, just this very minute, and as I opened it out-flopped The Wall Street Journal. Flipping through the sections I see the Personal Journal section and the lead story there? "Let Fat Back Into Your Life." No, really, I'm not making this up! I wish I was savy enough to take the picture and upload it from my phone for you to see, but you'll just have to trust me on this, it really does say that. What a Hoot! Secondly, and a bit more spiritual, although I'm not sure why this tickled me so. I was reading James 1 this morning and the first verse is usually read and passed over as unimportant, but then I read it again, first in the NIV version and then in The Message version. NIV: "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered amoung the nations: Greetings." Pretty non-descript. Understandable as to why one would overlook it. Greetings? Really? Who says, "Greeting" in this day and age. Whatever, I thought. and then I read The Message version: "I, James, am a slave of God and the Master Jesus, writing to the twelve tribes scattered to Kingdom Come: Hello!" Scattered to Kingdom Come? Hello? LOL. It's as if he's saying, "Hey, I have no idea where you are but, Hi ya'll!" LOL I am so glad that when my life is "scattered" my God does know where I am and sends his messengers to me to say, "Hi, I'm still with you." What great love is that?

(okay, I found a way with help from a friend, to put the picture here. Proof positive. LOL!!)

My Prayer Whine of the day: Jesus wasn't Fat!

Yesterday morning upon my arrival at the gym I first spoke to my Trainer. Worship and praise came first and then I presented Him my heart's cry. "Lord, may my life reflect your heart to each person I meet. Lord I thank you for helping me get fit and healthy for your kingdom's work. Father, I'm sick and tired of this fat around my belly. I just want to be like Jesus, and Jesus wasn't FAT!" I thought I was sincerely pouring my heart out to Him, and I was, but then He frowned, I felt it in my spirit. As I stepped on the treadmill I heard Him say, "Daughter, that thorn in your flesh is there right now for a purpose." And He led me to Paul's words in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. I love The Message version's take on this passage, "Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn’t get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan’s angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn’t think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me, My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness. Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become." Realizing that I had been prayer whining I decided to change my tune. "Lord Jesus, you're so absolutely right! Thank you for this limitation. Use it for your glory. Bring others to you through this time of struggle in my life!" And then a new exercise cheer emerged, and as if from the grave of my whining heart, His Spirit within me gave flight. "I WILL NOT QUIT,I WON'T GIVE UP, FOR HE WILL ALWAYS FILL MY CUP I WILL NOT QUIT, I WON'T GIVE IN, FOR CHRIST IS FIGHTING THE BATTLE WITHIN!" "Praise You Jesus!" I shouted into the empty room. "Thank you God! Pour your life-giving water on me and may this sweat be a testimony of your power and grace!" Whew! What a great workout it became. And to top it all off...I thought this was enough, but God abundantly blesses, don't you know...He whispered, "Turn on Spotify on your phone." WHAT??? Spotify, Lord, really?? "Yes, turn it on as you continue to work out." I remembered I had downloaded the app some time ago and had put Mandisa's Overcomer album on there. And for the rest of my workout I sang with her, listened to her testimonies and we praised our God together. 45 minutes later the sweat was pouring off me and I was exhilarated! No more whining for me, not even in my prayers, no matter how sincere I feel I'm being. I WILL NOT QUIT! God IS at work within me and I thank Him for removing the weight of negative thinking, guilt-ridden condemnation and self-centeredness and replaced it with sincere joy in His presence, abundant peace in the midst of the struggle and His strength to persevere in weakness!!