Confession Time!

I have a confession to make it. My pride hit me square in the nose today and it did not feel good!! I'm just going to lay it out there, is that okay with you? Since this is a post on pride, I might as well go all or nothing.

I have been the same weight now for 5 years. It's not fluctuated since I gave birth to my last child, five years ago. I say that to make the point that I have had 5 years to get rid of the extra weight that is not healthy for me.

For months I have been reading posts by people I love telling about their trials and successes or failures and all the while my pride kicks into overdrive.

"I'm happy sitting here enjoying my coffee and snack. Why would I want to go through all that hassle. I don't feel like spending my money on diets, gyms, programs, etc. I walk, I'm active, I don't need to exercise." Whatever!

Okay, so why am I telling you all this? I'm glad you asked.

A friend of mine invited me to a cardio-kickboxing class. I laughed when I read the text. We went back and forth and while I really really wanted to say no, I didn't.

I started out okay. I watched a couple of people and tried to keep pace with them. First dumb mistake, it was clearly not their first time. After 3 minutes, (yes, 3 minutes) I thought I was going to have a heart attack. After 5 minutes I had to take a 5 minute break. I was so ashamed. Not because I couldn't keep up but that I couldn't keep up after only 5 minutes.

All the stupid thoughts came back to me and I realized that through my pride the only person that was suffering was me and my health.


Proverbs 11:1-2 "The Lord detest dishonest scales, but accurate weights find favor with Him. 2. When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom." 


The classic verse on pride...Proverbs 16:18 "Pride comes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall." 


I was most definitely humbled last night's work out. Wisdom I hope will come with that humiliation. 


I found this blog very encouraging!! The Truth About Regular Exercisers

"Baby" Sin

I love simple life illustrations that can cause us to check our spiritual selves.

Today I recorded a short thank you liner to a Business Impact Partner the station I work at, KAMB. I went into studio C and sat in front of the mic and hit record on our Sound Forge program. I read my script and went back to my desk. I asked our Production Coordinator and IT guy to come and constructively critique my liner. We laughed at the fact that it had been very rare that a woman had asked for his criticism.

He played it, then played it again. "This can't be good," I thought.

Then he asked me to say, "support."
I said, "suppordt."
"Support" he said, enunciating the "T" at the end. I was clearly leaving that "t" off my pronunciation.

I don't think people understand the difficulty of radio and speaking publicly. Trust me. It's more than talking into a mic.

We laughed about it and I went back in to re-record.

This little episode got me thinking about life and the "small" or "baby" sins in our life. Things we do over and over and probably don't even realize it's wrong until someone points it out to us. News flash! There is no "small or baby" sin, at least in the sense that all sin is disobedience.

Let us always be aware and accountable. 

Women of Faith 2011, Sacramento

I'm going to Women of Faith!!! Thanks to my blogging and BookSneeze I am taking a friend to Sacramento.
I haven't been to a Women of Faith Conference since my oldest child, now 10, was a baby. I remember what she dress she wore and what color her bow was, and I remember Chondra Pierce. That it. That's all I remember.
This time I'm all in. Nothing will get in the way of my focus on what or how God will speak to me through the various speakers and musicians.
Speaking of the line up; I'm just getting into the music of Mandisa. Scandelous, I know...in my defence I wasn't an "Idol" fan until season 7, so I'm really excited about watching her sing; Also excited about seeing Andy Andrews. I've recently read a couple of his books and anticipating the others I haven't read yet. (See my review of The Final Summit on my blog)

I attend a small church but I think even 3 or four of us together could be life changing. When I'm done here I'll head over to my Facebook and see if there's any one else who want to have an "Over the Top" weekend!!

Book Review of Final Summit by Andy Andrews

I am so grateful for my Nook and Booksneeze. I recently received a FREE E-Book download for review called Final Summit by Andy Andrews. 

It started interestingly enough and I thought I knew the direction it was going. Then it took a turn I really wasn't expecting. However, unlike a poorly written story, I wasn't turned off. I was already engaged and attached to the characters that had been introduced.

The story is about David Ponder and his Travels. His wife has just passed and he has a spiritual encounter that leads him to tell us all about his first "travels" and how they changed his life and outlook on life. The characters that share the pages with him are historical figures and their lives really took on a new reality for me.

What I didn't know was that this book is a continuation of Andy Andrews book, The Traveler's Gift, which I will most definitely go buy now. Im sure that would be helpful in understanding some of the small nuances in The Final Summit.

The humor is real and the emotions are intense. It got me thinking about how my future would look like if I was deliberate in applying what I've learned through my difficulties and sharing it with others.

How would you answer this question, "What does humanity need to do, individually and collectively, to restore itself to the pathway toward successful civilization?"

The Final Summit helps you figure this out, not by outright telling you, but by  encouraging you to work out your own salvation as Phillipians 2:12 teaches.

This is a fantastically written story and easy to read and follow.




Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. 

Relationships

I guess spending time on the freeway is a recipe for blog posts. Sorry for the analogy, but it came to me so strongly I just had to share.

On my way to work the other day I was driving along, minding my own when I could see in my rearview mirror, a car anxious to be ahead of everyone else. He was weaving in and out of the lanes without regard to how fast he was going or how unsafe he was driving.

It got me to thinking not of driving but of relationships. How we weave in and out of people's lives without regard to the people we may be able to connect with while we're in that "lane." We get so caught up in what we want that we rarely give a thought that maybe we're there for the benefit of the other. Perhaps by passing them by we're missing an opportunity the Lord has for us.

I'm not suggesting we are supposed to have the same circle of people our whole lives, of course not.
We go through seasons of life weaving in and out of relationships. As single folk you have a set of friends then somehow that changes (intentionally or not) when we get married. There's the married without children and married with children. Mother's of Preschoolers (MOPS) and Mother's of school-aged children who are busy arranging play dates and running to and from sporting practices and games.

Thanks to FACEBOOK I have reconnected with a number of friends I had in those various times of my life. I hope I made the most of those relationships at the time. Mostly I am grateful for those who refuse to let relationships that matter to them, die to the seasons of life.

Elaine and Julie

I am grateful for all the people that I have passed in my various "lanes" because they all shaped me into who I am today. Words poured into me, disagreements that opened my eyes and heart. 

"Every encounter could be a divine appointment"- RZ

Book Review of Seeds of Turmoil

So in my normal choosing of books this would have ranked last. I happen to appreciate a "feel good" novel 99.9% of the time.
However, because of the state of our world I decided to step out of the norm and read this book.

I'm so glad I did. Seeds of Turmoil has exactly the right amount of information for someone who is on the starting line of learning how this whole middle east struggle got started.

The biblical background information is crucial and sheds new light to the conflicts. As someone who has heard the story of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar all her life, it was wonderful to see it in a new way.
Half way through there is a sentence that sums up the facts so perfectly. "And it all started with a sibling rivalry many years ago that originated with their father's sin, a sobering reminder of the long-term consequences of one man's sin."

 This book is fantastically written. It states the facts in a simple, easy to read and understand kind of way. I'd suggest it to every Christian who wants to understand this Middle East crisis more thoroughly.

Finding Rest in His Plan

I have a 45 minute commute to work. I'm only there three days a week so it's not daunting. However, I always feel like I'm running behind because before I head to work I drop 3 kids at school and one child to grandma. If anyone runs the least bit behind, then I'm behind. The only way to make up that time, in my mind, is to exceed the speed limit ever so slightly. *wink*wink.

Today was no exception. Driving down the freeway I saw the familiar shape of a law enforcement vehicle. I was going 67 mph in a 65 zone, so I was comfortable to pass him as he was caught behind a semi truck and going below the speed limit. As I passed him I noticed two things; first, he was off duty and second he was from a town 20 miles south of where I was.

"Great," I thought, "I'm going to be stuck going the speed limit for the next 20 miles."


I considered hiding between semi-trucks until I could get far enough away that I could make up some time and get to work. Then a question hit me...how often do we, as Christians do the same thing? We drive 80 mph until we see a police car then we slow down. Are we waiting for God to put up an "out of service" sign so we can get passed him and continue on our same path. 

Instead of speeding toward something that may or may not be part of his plan for your life, why not rest in His shadow. He will empower everything we do if we let Him.

Let's imagine we have done that. We have rested in His shadow and allowed his plan to be unveiled slowly. Can you imagine how much more energy we'll have to do His work? 


Rest in Him