Day 4: The Giver of Life

This month, I'm writing about {Healthy} Living.

It's also a month, ironically, where fear, death, and darkness is celebrated.

But I'm focusing on LIFE!

Oh, but who can rescue me from this life of processed, sugar-infested, nutrition-less eating?

Matt Redman "You Alone Can Rescue"

Thanks be to God!

...then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. Genesis 2:7

How does God breathe life into you? Into me? Are the foods we are eating life giving? Are my thoughts life giving? Are my words life giving?

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy. Psalm 16:11

Are you on the path of life today? Am I? Do I believe He is with me, and do I have joy to prove it?

Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways. Psalm 119:37

Are our eyes on Him today? What's worthless in my life? Could it be that candy bar and diet soda, perhaps?

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. John 1:1-4

Are we walking in the light of Jesus, who is our life?

This is {Healthy} Living.

Let's lift up our eyes to the Giver of Life today!

I'm writing for 31 days of {Healthy} Living this month.

Join me and let's LIVE! Check out the end of Day 1 for the link to all the posts.

Day 3: Living in Community

Today, God is teaching me about the value of community when it comes to living healthy.

Because, let's face it. I would not have gotten out of my pjs this morning to do circuit training at the park if it were just me.

No. It takes some positive peer pressure to get this rear into gear.

It's always more motivating and inspiring for me to work out with a friend, but I've never made that happen on a consistent basis until now.

Each week I meet several other ladies in a local park and our super-buff-wonder woman-gift from God-exercise trainer leads us in warm ups, and then we progress through a series of 12-15 one minute exercises in a circuit and finish up with one glorious cool down. It's hard work for this "I lost all my core muscles when I had kids" gal! But you know the beautiful thing? We are all in this together.

{Cue the cheesy High School Musical soundtrack...}

No one has it together. We're all out of shape. But we do it together and help one another and give a lot of grace to each other...and to ourselves more importantly.

And once again God reminds me of how he made us to live and grow in community, rather than in isolation. As a wise friend once pointed out recently, God himself lives in community too--with the Trinity. It is not good for man, or woman, and especially mommy, to be alone. So much more do I need to be in community with others. Especially when it come to lacing up my athletic shoes.

It's a good thing. And it's truly life giving.


I'm writing for 31 days of {Healthy} Living this month.
Join me and let's LIVE! Check out the end of Day 1 for the link to all the posts.

Day 2: Three Baby Steps to {Healthy} Living

Yesterday I blogged about living. Today, I'm focusing on the {healthy} part.

I've tried 101 ways to get healthy, and they are all great and merit some value. I just peter out, give up, and fall back into my old ways, unfortunately.

Sound familiar?

So today, I'm making 3 small baby step changes that I am committing to this month. {Don't hear me say this is what you need to do. These are just my steps. Ask God what are your steps. No legalism here. All is grace.}

My Baby Steps to Health
1-Drink more water.
2-Cut out refined sugar and artificial sweeteners. (gulp!)
3-Eat more fruits and vegetables.


#1 and #3 should be easier. #2 will be the kicker. How will I do this?

I will play a little game of "Eat This, Not This!"

Play with me.

When I want to eat this: MARTHA STEWART PUMPKIN SQUARES

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I will eat this: BUTTERNUT SQUASH WITH BROWNED BUTTER & THYME

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And when I want to drink this: DIET COKE

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I will sip on this: SPARKLING RASPBERRY TEA

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I can do this, right?

Say it with me....

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.....

Stay tuned.

And in the meantime...take some baby steps with me and share them in a comment below. 

What are YOUR baby steps?

Day 1: Zombie Christian

Happy October 1!

After a much needed siesta, I am returning to the bloggy world this month to do 31 days of writing, reflecting, and connecting. The Nester has inspired me to pick a topic and run with it for 31 days....so here goes!

The only rule I have for myself: Don't obsess over this. REALLY. If you know me personally, you may understand. This, perhaps, could be my biggest challenge of the month. We'll see...

While I've been reflecting on the theme of "rest" this year, one more word keeps flickering on and off in my mind. That word is "LIFE." I've dwelled on the source of life, wondered what feeds my life, and asked God to show me what is truly life giving.

The problem? I'm sadly undisciplined and too easily fall back into old, unhealthy, and sometimes even deadly patterns of thinking and doing. I know I have been given new life in Jesus, but quite honestly too many days I feel like I am walking around half alive. You know, kind of like a zombie. Ready for a word picture? If you can't stomach zombie images, scroll down FAST! {I tried to find something that even I could handle...it was hard!}





Ready??





Really ready??






Okay, take a deep breath and then scroll down fast!

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OKAY! Scroll, scroll, scroll!! I can't even take this....


No, this is not me on Monday mornings.

No, it's not me any morning before I've had my first cup of coffee. {well, then again...}

And no, it's not me after going into my children's rooms and finding dirty clothes stuffed back into their dressers...oh and not to mention plenty of clean clothes laying in a heap in the middle of their floors amidst a plethora of candy wrappers. Ahem...

No, if I'm honest, it's how I walk around many days--living as a "Zombie Christian."

New term? {I need to thank our local pastor for coining the phrase yesterday during worship. Yes, it woke me--and probably many others--up from our sleepy morning prayers.}

I know I have been given new life in Christ, but is this the LIFE that He wants for me? Am I returning to walk down deadly paths that just leave me hurting, hurting others, and experiencing something sub-human? Am I really a Zombie Christian? Am I living the full, abundant LIFE Jesus wants for me? Really? And what has God created to be life giving for me?

So today, I'm thinking about LIFE.

God, the giver of life, challenged the people of Israel years ago. His people, whom He dearly loved and treasured. I heard His challenge to me, too, in this. Do you hear it, too?

“See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.” Deuteronomy 30:15-19

Choose LIFE. Today, I'm choosing living, not as a half-dead, half-alive zombie, but living more fully as Jesus intends for me.

Tomorrow, I'll get to the {HEALTHY} part...

Stay tuned.

{And drink a strong cup of coffee now quickly this morning to ward off all zombie-like tendencies!}

Here's how the 31 Day Challenge works. I'll post everyday and then link up here so you don't miss it all. It's your one stop shop to hearing how God is working in my life during these 31 Days of {Healthy} Living. I hope you'll join me!

Day 1...Day 2...Day 3...Day 4...Day 5...Day 6...Day 7...Day 8...Day 9...Day 10...Day 11...
Day 12...Day 13...Day 14...Day 15...Day 16...Day 17...Day 18...Day 19...Day 20...Day 21...
Day 22...Day 23...Day 24...Day 25...Day 26...Day 27...Day 28...Day 29...Day 30...Day 31

31 Days

My year's theme of "rest" has turned into resting--literally--from blogging for a while, but it's been a whirlwind of a few months. Packing, hugging, crying, driving, unpacking, crying, greeting, meeting, crying, unpacking some more, and settling into our new home and life in Colorado has been all consuming, to say the least.

Now that our kids are enrolled in school, I am still unpacking {and crying a bit, too}, and I have--for the first time in 12 years--more time and space than I ever have had to explore what God's purpose is for this next chapter of our life. One thing is clear to me--I need to do a better job of taking care of my mind, body and soul. And since I have time and space to do that, I have no excuses now, right?

So I'm returning to blogging this month because I am inspired by The Nester's challenge to pick a topic for 31 days in October and write my heart out. I'm most excited about linking up with others who will be doing the same thing. I want to grow in being more disciplined and start new, healthy habits, so I'm going to go for it. Care to join me in this journey?

Meet me Monday for Day 1!

Day 1

Big News

My days of denial are over.

Okay.

Here goes.

We're moving to Colorado this summer.

There. I said it.

Whew.

I'm scared. I'm relieved.

I'm sad. I'm thrilled.

I'm convinced. I'm confused.

Mostly, I'm surprised at how much the idea of change was exciting, but the reality of change is completely overwhelming and brings me to my knees daily.

And most days, I'm a mess.

Loosing my grip on security and control and comfort has been quite unnerving. And yet it's all really just an illusion anyway, isn't it? I've never really been in control in the first place.

And yet I know that this is where God is meeting me.

And He is good.

He is good.

He is good.

Ian & Larissa's Story

All's been quiet on the blog front lately. There's a reason for that, and I'll get back to that soon.

For now, I'm captured by a recent story of a young couple who are choosing to walk by faith and not by sight. They are resting in God's promises for them and trusting God to meet their needs. Their story will wow you. It's already challenging me.

Read more about it at Desiring God, and watch below.