Saturday, December 29, 2007

AN UPDATE ON MARGIE

You know it is times like this that I feel so guilty for even being concerning with "weight" and things that I bring on myself that are so unnecessary. Life is so precious, we should all be doing everything we can to preserve it rather than doing things to ourselves that brings harm to our bodies. The houses that God has given us to live in until He calls us home. It really puts things into prospective. I hope in the following days, I will remember what I have learned.

Margie has been placed in a Hospice facility. The Doctors at the Hospital said there was not anything more they could do for her and she will not get better. She is in a comma at this time. Jim and I thank you so much for your prayers for her as well as for us. May you continue to pray as we are praying that God's will , will be done in her life and ours. Thank you so much for caring enough to pray and I say again, Thank You! connie

Thursday, December 27, 2007

THANK YOU AND PLEASE PRAY!

I am here asking you to pray for my husband's sister. I told you about Margie. She had a stroke a few weeks ago. She had another one a few days ago. This one was major. We would appreciate you praying for her and especially her husband and three children. They say that there is nothing that can be done for her and there will be very little if any improvement in her condition.

Thanks to those of you who have come and left comments in my absence. I hope to be back soon. I caught a bug and it is making me feel not too good. I look forward to being back soon.

I hope all of you had a great Christmas with those that you love. Thanks so much for everything. connie

Friday, December 14, 2007

THOSE IN MY FAMILY WOULD LIKE TO WISH YOU AND YOUR FAMILY A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR

I am taking a Christmas break until the week of January 1, 2008. I will do my very best to have the Will to stay in HIS Way during this time. My prayers are that we will let the Lord guide us in each bite we put into our mouths. I wish for you a wonderful Christmas and a New Year that sees the desires of your heart met. I look forward to the day when we meet again here in this place. God be with you in all that you do. connie

Monday, December 10, 2007

A WEEK OF VICTORY FOR ME AND I HOPE FOR YOU AS WELL

I don't have much time to visit today. I will try to get back later in the week.

I did want to take the time to thank each of you that have prayed for me this week. I have had a week of victory in my battle. I found most of this week to be more easy and I am not forgetting that I am sure it was as a result of answered prayer .

I have jury duty this week. It may be over tomorrow but I want know until then. So I am finding myself in a fact pace situation. This is not my favorite place to be but I am going to try to slow down enough to appreciate all the things that God has made around me. First of all the people that I meet and remember the fact that I need to be a witness in all that I do and say. I want to notice the beauty that He has made for us to enjoy in the things of nature and places and people that I meet. I am mostly a stay at home person so I want to take advantage of this time that I am having to be out of my normal place in life and appreciate all the wonderful things around me.

I hope each of you are having good weeks, days, and even moments in your lives. I have been praying for you as well. See you later and may God bless and keep you in HIs Way. connie

Thursday, December 6, 2007

WHAT IS IT?

I have been studying in Exodus chapter 16, this week. I have seen something that I believe the Lord has showed me and I would like to share it with you.

In chapter 16 of Exodus we find the children of Israel had come into the wilderness of Sin. That got my attention right away, because I know without doubt that my over eating was sin. So that struck a cord in my heart.

We find the children of Israel complaining against Moses and Aaron, God's appointed men, which in fact meant they were complaining against God. They were complaining that it would have been better to have died in the land of Egypt where they had more than enough to eat. But no, Moses and Aaron had brought them out to this wilderness to kill their whole assembly with HUNGER.

The Lord then told Moses, "Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no." He told them that on the sixth day that they should prepare that which they bring in. And on this day they were to gather twice as much, so they would have enough for the seventh day also.

In verse 8 Moses says, "This shall be, when the Lord shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full."( JUST TO THE FULL, NOT OVER FULL)

True to God's word in verse 13 it says, "--------at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host. And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. (manna meaning, 'what is it') And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat."

Then Moses gave them instructions on how they were to gather it and how much they were to gather. They were to gather of it every man according to his eating. So we are told that some gathered more and some less.

Moses told them that they were to leave none of it till the morning. Some of the people paid no attention to the instruction that God had given to Moses to give to them. So some of them kept some of it, til the morning, and it had bred worms, and stank. Then we are told that Moses was wroth with them because they had not obeyed God.

Now remember that on the 6th day, they were to gather twice as much, so they would have enough to last for the holy sabbath unto the Lord. He told them to bake that which ye will bake today, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over, lay up for you to be kept until the morning. This time following Moses instructions from God the bread for the holy sabbath day did not stink, neither was there any worms therein. He told them to do this because there would be no bread in the field on the seventh day. Some of them did not obey and did not get enough for two days, on the sixth day, so when they went out to gather on the seventh day, there was none to be gathered.

The thing that was brought to my attention was that God gave them just enough. They didn't overeat nor were they to put any back for another time except on the sixth day.

So if we follow God's way of feeding the Israelites then we are to eat just enough to fill us up and then STOP. I realize that I very rarely do this. I love the taste of most food and I eat many times more than it takes to fill me up. THAT IS SIN. I have confessed that sin before God and have asked Him to forgive me. I know that He has. Now, it is up to me to follow HIS WAY.

In Exodus 20:3. One of the 10 commandments is: THOU SHALT HAVE NO OTHER gOD'S BEFORE ME. I believe that with eating, I have had another god before the ONE TRUE GOD, many times in my eating. I know that because when I was born, God gave me a healthy body. It has been mostly through my not taking care of this body where food is concerned that I have caused it great harm. I have not obeyed the first commandment of God often in this area of my life. I pray that I will not be guilty of that again. For now, I know the truth.

I think this WAY is going to bring a lot of things to light for me. I just pray that God gives me the strength to correct those wrongs that I find as I go this WAY.

Maybe you see the same thing in your way of eating and your attitudes toward food. I will pray that if you do, we can all tear down that god that we have clung to so tightly in times of stress, loneliness, sadness, grief, happiness even, etc. Times when we should have been going to the Lord for our comfort or need, instead we went to our god. Please pray for me as I am attempting to correct these many years of bad habits. So, now we know WHAT IT IS, IT IS SIN.

Whether you think that you can, or that you can't, you are usually right.
Henry Ford

Age wrinkles the body, quitting wrinkles the soul.
Gen. MacArthur

Have a victorious day! connie

Monday, December 3, 2007

ENTHUSIASM

ENTHUSIASM means to be inspired.

The sense of this word among the Greeks affords the noblest definition of it; enthusiasm signifies "God in us."
--Mad. de Stael.

Enthusiasm is one of the most important keys to success. It revs up our energies. Work becomes easier, more stimulating, satisfying. But, to most people, enthusiasm is like the ocean's tide. It comes and goes. It 's important to keep enthusiasm on an even keel.
Barbara Clem


Remember what Jesus said, when a woman came with an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head. Some there were filled with indignation and wanted to know WHY was this waste of the ointment made. Their concern was for the money it could have been sold for and given to the poor. But Jesus said, "Let her alone; why trouble ye her? She hath wrought a good work on me."

He did not even try to stop the woman but encouraged her. We need enthusiasm if we are to succeed at anything.

It gets very hard when you try and try and see very little change. It is then that we have to keep on and not lose our enthusiasm. As the quote says, "It's important to keep enthusiasm on an even keel."

This week let us work with enthusiasm and see what a difference it can make in our results. May God bless you as you try. connie

Saturday, December 1, 2007

THE WAY THAT SEEMS RIGHT

PROBERBS 16:25

There is a way that seemeth right unto a man; but the end thereof are the ways of death.


This verse can certainly be true with the way we eat. It seems perfectly alright to eat that extra piece of pie or cake. It seems alright to cook in greece after all who likes food broiled or baked. It seems alright to lay around and become a couch potato and NOT get up and move your body. Chips and donuts are for me you say, or maybe its lots of good old red meat.

These are the kind of things that can kill you if you have them in abundance and too often. Have you heard of clogged arteries, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, etc. and the list goes on and on.

When I was young, I thought these things would not touch me and when they did, I just told myself it was in my genes. I told myself a lot of lies back then when it could have made a difference. Today, I am much wiser and older and I have high blood pressure, clogged arteries, diabetes, and etc. To late for me to some degree. But maybe not for you, if you will take it seriously.

We always say we will start tomorrow and tomorrow never comes for us. If it does , we don't take it seriously. Days pass that turn into years and you finally arrive. You have your arteries so clogged up that your heart can't get the oxygen that it so desperately needs to pump life to your body. One day, the pain in the chest and down the arm, horrible pain with the nausea and sweating and awful weakness. Heart attack!!! You body is fighting back and is winning!!! My way seemed the right way and it was so much fun. Sin always is. Otherwise people would not sin. But death is just a heart beat away, and the end of our lust for food is bringing us closer to death each day.

IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE THIS WAY FOR YOU. Stop and think!! Eat those vegetables and fruit and good grains and a little meat. These are the things that give you more life. It gives your body what it needs to keep running smoothly. It is your choice but remember choices bring consequences.

It is up to us to study and to know what is best for us in all areas of our life. Our flesh will tell us lies and flatter us. Remember where those ways lead. We are here for such a short time let us make the most of that time. The way we are taking may seem right but it does not necessarily mean it is. We must not let our flesh win this battle if we are to win the fight. The fight means LIFE AND LIVING. connie

Monday, November 26, 2007

SOW RIGHT OR WRONG BUT WE WILL REAP!

Credit for this cartoon goes to:Woman's World.





These are my sentiments exactly.


There are so many new fangled ideas on the market and I do not know how to work many of them. The can opener is my one victory. I could at one time, roll the windows up and down on our car. I still can if the electronic windows don't quit working. To make a DVD or a stereo, microwave, and many other things work , it is beyond me. I like things simple. That way you don't have to wonder. It just works.


I think that is how it is with losing weight. You have to put less in than you put out. If you put the same amount in as you put out then things will remain the same. That is how it has been for me the last couple of weeks. I am positive that if you put more in than you take out then you will gain weight. See its simple. We just have to put less in or do more. If we both, put less in and do more then we will show a greater loss.


We do have to eat. It is not like stopping something completely. But that is no excuse by any means. It is what the Bible talks about to some extent when it says, "We will reap what we sow."



I know that these verses pertain to souls but I am using it to explain , I believe what we can look forward to in regards to losing weight.


Psalm 126:5

THEY THAT SOW IN TEARS SHALL REAP IN JOY.


As far as eating the things we want but do not need, I think that if we sow by only eating the amount our bodies needs to function correctly then it may at times cause us to want to shed tears because we feel we are depriving our flesh of it sensual desires. There will come a time that we will reap the rewards of good health and a smooth running body if we give it only what it needs and eat the extras only rarely. We can reap in joy if we want to, concerning this part of our lives IF WE WANT TO.
Galatians 6: 7
BE NOT DECEIVED; GOD IS NOT MOCKED; FOR WHATSOEVER A MAN SOWETH, THAT SHALL HE ALSO REAP.
We need not try to fool ourselves, God will not be mocked, he has made us and He knows what and how much we need to make this body run the right way. If we eat more than we need then it will show. We may put on bigger clothes, darker colors, let no one see us when we eat but it will be there for all to see sooner or later and the one that matters most (God) sees everything all the time. WE ARE GOING TO REAP WHATEVER WE ARE SOWING.
I write these things to be a help to myself but if in the reading you find that they might help you with your struggle for victory then I am very happy to share my way and hopefully it is becoming our will. connie

Monday, November 19, 2007

THANKSGIVING A TIME FOR THANKSGIVING

I want to make this a special post. One of thanks and thanksgiving to the Lord for to Him I owe everything.





Thanksgiving should be more of an attitude than an observance; more a way of life than a day apart; more a habit than a holiday; more a spirit of gratitude than a time of feasting.

----william arthur ward----





WHEN WE DRINK FROM THE STREAM REMEMBER THE SPRING.

chinese proberb





Our despondent moods are, for the most part, moods of ingratitude.

----earl riney----





HE WHO THANKS BUT WITH HIS LIPS

THANKS BUT IN PART;

THE FULL, THE TRUE THANKSGIVING

COMES FROM THE HEART.

--j.a. shedd



God gave you the gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one of them to say "THANK YOU"?

Monday, November 12, 2007

TO MAKE EXCUSES

" Wanting to win is common to all; working to win is the real mark of a champion."
author unknown


We are always trying to make an excuse why we are overweight.

An excuse is an excuse.

EXCUSE---To make apology for; to try to remove blame from; justify,Something offered as grounds for being excused

I know that there have been many times in my life as I was trying to lose the excess weight and something unexpected came up, like a death, a celebration, a holiday, these were times that I would make excuses to go back to an old way of eating. I know that when I do things the same way then the same things keep happening. I gain weight. I also know that if I want to lose weight then I must do things in a different way .

With God's help, I have been able to lose this week. I am very thankful that no matter what came up that I was able with His help to stick to my plan.

Like the quote at the top of this post, I also know that wishing or wanting does not make a thing happen. I have to do the work to get it accomplished. We all do. If there is something in our lives that we want to accomplish whether it is losing weight or not, we each have to have the goal and do the work necessary to accomplish the fact.

I love the cat jumping on the scales with balloons in his hands(on the right side bar) to make himself weigh less. I have tried in my own way to do this many times. Weigh with my shoes off, wear the lightest weight clothes that I have in my closet, not eat for the day before, none of these things work. They are all just a means of lying to myself. I did not do the work necessary in the last week to show a loss. Now I am having to face the judgement of the scales as they tell me the truth.

My Dad used to say, "if you have trouble sleeping at night, keep getting up early enough in the morning and stay up all day, then when you lay down at night , you will be able to sleep." I know this is true because I have tried it out and it does work. It is the same way with gaining weight. To gain you have to eat more than your body needs to operate. So to lose weight you have to eat less than it needs to operate. Then you will lose weight.

I have been doing something this past week that has helped me a lot. If I feel like I am going to die if I don't get what I want to eat, I try to eat something with less calories. I wanted a piece of pie so much, one night but instead, I settled for an orange. It worked that time.

Another time, I was very hungry , at least that is what my mind was telling me but then I remembered that I had read several times over the last month that sometimes when we feel hungry it is really that our body is wanting water. I have found this to be true many times this week. I was really quiet satisfied after drinking a glass of water.

I hope things have gone very well for each of you this week, whether you have been trying to lose weight or accomplishing another goal in your life.

REVELATION 4:11

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power
: for thou hast created ALL things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.


NOTHING BEFORE, NOTHING BEHIND,
THE STEPS OF FAITH
FALLING ON THE SEEMING VOID, AND FIND
THE ROCK BENEATH
--john greenleaf whittier

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

WHERE THERE IS A WILL, THERE IS A WAY

WHERE THERE IS A WILL, THERE IS A WAY. I belive that is the way the saying goes. I have the will, I am determined to find the way. I didn't want to do this again , after losing my other blog on losing weight, but here I am again. I guess I will keep trying until I die. connie