Aah February...........it's a meaningful month for me! Other than the obvious that it is my birthday month, I still love February.
When I think of February I think of "over the hump" month. We made it through January and February is a short month that leads to March, which is Spring! I'm not a person who hates winter but I can't actually say I love it either. I tolerate it. I enjoy breathing "fresh" cool air and snuggling in flannel loungers and a quilted throw. To me it is such a blessing to be able to experience four seasons. Since I am a nature/creation lover I truly enjoy God's world, even when it is cold. The snow we have on the ground right now is beautiful to me. I suppose that's easy for me to say since driving in it is an option in my case most of the time. But to look out and see God's world blanketed in white and glistening like diamond chips in the sun just takes my breath away and again I utter thanks to my Creator for His artistry. Who but God can paint scenes like that?
Yes, February brings me another year to enjoy God's world and I praise Him for that. Today, February 1st, is my birthday and although I would love to be about twenty years younger I am so thankful for the years I have had! Actually on my birthday I generally think a lot about my parents. I reminisce about my life growing up in a large family and I think of all the sacrifices my parents made to provide a happy home for us. I am so thankful to have had a father who kept a good job and provided for all of our needs and most of our wants. I especially remember the hard work and sacrifice my mother made so that her five little girls could have the happy childhood that she didn't get to have growing up in a home for girls. She worked hard as the owner of her own beauty salon and then stayed up into the wee hours of the morning sewing clothes that were fashionable for us so that we wouldn't feel bad about not having "store-bought" clothes. Birthdays were always a big deal at our house thanks to her. We were always made to feel special with gifts, cake and ice cream even though she was probably too tired for celebration! Although I never had a "real" birthday party where others outside the family were invited it was always happy! So, today, February 1, 2010, I want to honor my mother and father and publicly thank them for teaching me so many good lessons in life and for a love of family so deeply carved into the hearts of their girls that I can truly say that today my sisters are also my best friends! Thanks Mama and Daddy for having me!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Scan Postponed
Just wanted to let my friends know that Jerry's P.E.T. Scan was re-scheduled for Monday due to "technical difficulty" with the machine. Since it's the weekend anyway it probably won't make much difference as to when we get the results. Please keep praying. Have a warm and wonderful weekend!
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Faith vs. Fear
What a beautiful Thursday it has been so far! However, the way the weather forecasters talk we could be in for some more beauty in the form of snow! Oh well, at least it will be the weekend and hopefully won't interfere with school. I hope that your day has gotten off to a great start and that you are feeling God's presence in a wonderful way. He is there you know - regardless of your present situation or state of mind. I say that to encourage you as well as to reassure myself as I find myself fighting fear and feeling guilty because I know my faith is supposed to overcome my fear.
Here is what it's about for me today:
My wonderful husband of almost 43 years has just finished six months of chemotherapy for colon cancer. He has tolerated the treatments really well and has not had really bad side effects. I admire him so much for the way he has approached it. No complaints, just getting it done! This week is supposed to be his last. Tomorrow he goes for a P.E.T. scan which will tell the real story. If no cancer cells are detected in his body we will be celebrating the end of his treatments. If it goes the other way, he will be facing more. I am not a pessimistic person and I am feeling fairly confident that it is going to turn out okay, but...............
Why do there always have to be buts? As they have monitored his cancer count the last few months the numbers have been higher than his doctor thinks they should be. He had one scan and it did not show anything but it is very unnerving. The doctor did say that occasionally a person's numbers are up for no apparent reason and we are praying that is the case.
I think of myself as a person with a good amount of Faith so I get upset with myself when fear and doubt creep in. I have Faith that no matter what happens God will be with us giving us strength just like He has the past six months and I have Faith that I can face anything with His arms around me, but........... (there it is again that old but,) I can't shake the fear. I looked up some Bible verses the other day about fear and I would like to share some of them with you as I ask you to please be praying for us fervently. We have certainly seen the results of your prayers throughout all of this.
I leave you with my love and the following verses to reassure all of us.
2 TIMOTHY 1:7
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
JOSHUA 1:9
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is With you wherever you go.
ISAIAH 41:10
Fear not, for I am with you; be not desmayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.
ISAIAH 43:1-3
Fear not for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are mine.
PSALM 27:1, 3
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?
Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war may rise against me, in this I will be confident.
PSALM 56:3
Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in you.
Here is what it's about for me today:
My wonderful husband of almost 43 years has just finished six months of chemotherapy for colon cancer. He has tolerated the treatments really well and has not had really bad side effects. I admire him so much for the way he has approached it. No complaints, just getting it done! This week is supposed to be his last. Tomorrow he goes for a P.E.T. scan which will tell the real story. If no cancer cells are detected in his body we will be celebrating the end of his treatments. If it goes the other way, he will be facing more. I am not a pessimistic person and I am feeling fairly confident that it is going to turn out okay, but...............
Why do there always have to be buts? As they have monitored his cancer count the last few months the numbers have been higher than his doctor thinks they should be. He had one scan and it did not show anything but it is very unnerving. The doctor did say that occasionally a person's numbers are up for no apparent reason and we are praying that is the case.
I think of myself as a person with a good amount of Faith so I get upset with myself when fear and doubt creep in. I have Faith that no matter what happens God will be with us giving us strength just like He has the past six months and I have Faith that I can face anything with His arms around me, but........... (there it is again that old but,) I can't shake the fear. I looked up some Bible verses the other day about fear and I would like to share some of them with you as I ask you to please be praying for us fervently. We have certainly seen the results of your prayers throughout all of this.
I leave you with my love and the following verses to reassure all of us.
2 TIMOTHY 1:7
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
JOSHUA 1:9
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is With you wherever you go.
ISAIAH 41:10
Fear not, for I am with you; be not desmayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.
ISAIAH 43:1-3
Fear not for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are mine.
PSALM 27:1, 3
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?
Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war may rise against me, in this I will be confident.
PSALM 56:3
Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in you.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
The Joy of Fellowship
I've just come from a meeting of a group of really nice people from the Shakertown Baptist Church and they have truly been inspiring to be with. They have formed a group to get together weekly to try to improve their health through better nutritional habits and exercise.
One of the ladies contacted me last week and asked if I would come and meet with them to give them some ideas about how to have an exercise program at their church. Whenever I am asked to talk about exercise programs I always pray that I can be an inspirational speaker and motivate people to move their bodies. I love doing this sort of thing and tonight, as happens many times, after being with them I feel like they inspired me much more than I did them.
It was so uplifting to see their excitement and Christian camaraderie/ fellowship. They had a great turnout and the first part of their meeting was about nutrition. The head dietitian at our local hospital was the speaker and she really had some good common sense advice for all of us. You know, common sense goes a long way both in our eating habits and in our exercising. Many times when we get too gung-ho and go to the extreme in dieting or exercising we get burned out and quit. The best ways to stick with either is to have friends who can motivate and support you in your effort and I saw a beautiful example of that tonight. I told them that I would be praying for their group to have success in their new venture and I pray they will enjoy it so much that they will soon realize that all of a sudden it's not exercise but a new lifestyle!
That is my prayer for you who read this as well. I pray that you are already exercising and if not, that the story of these dear people will inspire you to get started improving your health through exercise today. So many health issues can be prevented or improved through regular exercise. Find a friend or some group of friends to exercise with and motivate each other. It is so much easier and much more fun when you have people to exercise with.
Enjoy Fellowship along with your Fitness endeavors and healthy eating habits. Maybe you can involve your Family as well. I have Faith you can do it and I bet you'll even have Fun along the way!
"Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed." Proverbs 16:3
May God bless your efforts! My love and prayers go out to you!
One of the ladies contacted me last week and asked if I would come and meet with them to give them some ideas about how to have an exercise program at their church. Whenever I am asked to talk about exercise programs I always pray that I can be an inspirational speaker and motivate people to move their bodies. I love doing this sort of thing and tonight, as happens many times, after being with them I feel like they inspired me much more than I did them.
It was so uplifting to see their excitement and Christian camaraderie/ fellowship. They had a great turnout and the first part of their meeting was about nutrition. The head dietitian at our local hospital was the speaker and she really had some good common sense advice for all of us. You know, common sense goes a long way both in our eating habits and in our exercising. Many times when we get too gung-ho and go to the extreme in dieting or exercising we get burned out and quit. The best ways to stick with either is to have friends who can motivate and support you in your effort and I saw a beautiful example of that tonight. I told them that I would be praying for their group to have success in their new venture and I pray they will enjoy it so much that they will soon realize that all of a sudden it's not exercise but a new lifestyle!
That is my prayer for you who read this as well. I pray that you are already exercising and if not, that the story of these dear people will inspire you to get started improving your health through exercise today. So many health issues can be prevented or improved through regular exercise. Find a friend or some group of friends to exercise with and motivate each other. It is so much easier and much more fun when you have people to exercise with.
Enjoy Fellowship along with your Fitness endeavors and healthy eating habits. Maybe you can involve your Family as well. I have Faith you can do it and I bet you'll even have Fun along the way!
"Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed." Proverbs 16:3
May God bless your efforts! My love and prayers go out to you!
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Favre, Forty, Football, Fan
My title consists of four more "F" words and is what's on my mind tonight. I'm not really a big football fan but because I hear it all the time from the rest of my family (both young and old) I am getting more interested. I've listened to some of the debate surrounding Brett Favre this season. There have been so many comments about his age that it is starting to get on my nerves to the point that I have become a big fan of his.
I get a little irritated when I hear people referring to a forty year old person as "old." For one thing, I will have a 40 year old son next year and I sure don't think of him as being old. Another reason it gets next to me is because when I was in my forties I felt better than I ever felt. I had lots of energy, stamina and strength and I think I enjoyed it so much because I had more wisdom to appreciate those qualities! I also have enough wisdom now to realize that I am probably not going to consistently feel that good again, which leads to the next reason I get irritated hearing the Favre "old" talk. If forty is old then I suppose 60 is decrepit and although I don't feel as frisky as I did in my forties I think I am a long way from decrepit! (I'm taking the opportunity to talk about being 60 since I only have a week left to make that claim!)
All kidding aside, I am very thankful to feel as well as I do. I still have a lot of energy and am able to continue to be active and for that I praise the good Lord! I am going to try to stay as active as I can for as long as I can because I sincerely believe that when you don't use it you lose it! I'm trying to use my 60 years of wisdom to make smart choices about my activities and not overdo it and most of the time I do pretty well. Occasionally I feel so good that I exert myself beyond what I should and I feel it at the end of the day and end up in the hot tub lecturing myself but overall I try to use common sense. I love being active and I pray every day for health, strength and energy, as well as for motivation to do all I can to help myself in those areas. We can only do the best we can at taking care of ourselves and we never know when bad health will slow us down. I am mindful that there are so many people who would love to be able just to go outside and walk and can't and I lift them up in prayer. There are also many who are depressed and can't motivate themselves to be active and I pray for them as well. While we are endeavoring to take care of ourselves, let's not forget those who are struggling and do what we can to encourage them.
Brett Favre is an example of someone who wants to keep doing what he loves for as long as he is effective. I hope he can and just in case this is really his last season, I hope he wins the Super Bowl! Go Brett!
Have a great week to come! Keep your Faith in God. Love your Family. Get Fit. Have Fun. I will be praying for you!
Verse for today: Phillipians 4:13- For I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength. NLT
I get a little irritated when I hear people referring to a forty year old person as "old." For one thing, I will have a 40 year old son next year and I sure don't think of him as being old. Another reason it gets next to me is because when I was in my forties I felt better than I ever felt. I had lots of energy, stamina and strength and I think I enjoyed it so much because I had more wisdom to appreciate those qualities! I also have enough wisdom now to realize that I am probably not going to consistently feel that good again, which leads to the next reason I get irritated hearing the Favre "old" talk. If forty is old then I suppose 60 is decrepit and although I don't feel as frisky as I did in my forties I think I am a long way from decrepit! (I'm taking the opportunity to talk about being 60 since I only have a week left to make that claim!)
All kidding aside, I am very thankful to feel as well as I do. I still have a lot of energy and am able to continue to be active and for that I praise the good Lord! I am going to try to stay as active as I can for as long as I can because I sincerely believe that when you don't use it you lose it! I'm trying to use my 60 years of wisdom to make smart choices about my activities and not overdo it and most of the time I do pretty well. Occasionally I feel so good that I exert myself beyond what I should and I feel it at the end of the day and end up in the hot tub lecturing myself but overall I try to use common sense. I love being active and I pray every day for health, strength and energy, as well as for motivation to do all I can to help myself in those areas. We can only do the best we can at taking care of ourselves and we never know when bad health will slow us down. I am mindful that there are so many people who would love to be able just to go outside and walk and can't and I lift them up in prayer. There are also many who are depressed and can't motivate themselves to be active and I pray for them as well. While we are endeavoring to take care of ourselves, let's not forget those who are struggling and do what we can to encourage them.
Brett Favre is an example of someone who wants to keep doing what he loves for as long as he is effective. I hope he can and just in case this is really his last season, I hope he wins the Super Bowl! Go Brett!
Have a great week to come! Keep your Faith in God. Love your Family. Get Fit. Have Fun. I will be praying for you!
Verse for today: Phillipians 4:13- For I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength. NLT
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Praying for Friends & Family
Good Saturday morning my friends and family! This is the Saturday that the Lord has made and I urge you to join me in rejoicing and being glad in this day!
You may be wondering what has happened to change my attitude so drastically since the last time I blogged and I am very excited to answer that question. I have gotten back into my special times alone with God in the last few days. I'm ashamed to admit that since Christmas I had strayed from those precious moments alone with Him that I had so enjoyed during the Advent season. Not that I hadn't been spending any time with Him at all. It's just the quality of time I have been giving Him. I have been giving Him hurried, distracted time and I am very ashamed of that. I have neglected to spend time studying His Word instead of just reading it hurriedly. I have not been using Christian writers in my devotional time to help me understand His Word, arrogantly thinking (unconsciously) that I didn't need any help. NO WONDER I WAS IN A FUNK!!!
But now, I think I am back on track. I have been using a devotional book to guide me in my readings of scripture and trying to focus more on what God would have me to gain from my readings. I feel so encouraged and excited to be back on track.
Today's reading was Colossians 1: 9 - 12 and it got me to thinking about my prayer life as it relates to my friends and family and this is what I want to share with you:
To my precious friends and family:
I want you to know that I am praying for you everyday that GOD WILL reveal to you through his Holy Spirit His will for your life so that you will have spiritual wisdom and understanding.
I also want you to know that I am praying that YOU WILL: live the abundant life he intends for you to live; live in a way that pleases Him and be fruitful in the witness of your life; grow in your knowledge of Him; be strengthened by His power; increase your spiritual endurance; grow in patience; be full of joy; and as I give thanks for you, I pray you also will continually give thanks to Him for your salvation and His daily presence in your life.
Enjoy this weekend my wonderful Friends and Family and go to church tomorrow and worship our magnificent Creator God. Share your Faith. Do something today to improve your spiritual and physical Fitness and remember that part of the abundant life God wants for us includes Fun!
Love and prayers to you and yours!
You may be wondering what has happened to change my attitude so drastically since the last time I blogged and I am very excited to answer that question. I have gotten back into my special times alone with God in the last few days. I'm ashamed to admit that since Christmas I had strayed from those precious moments alone with Him that I had so enjoyed during the Advent season. Not that I hadn't been spending any time with Him at all. It's just the quality of time I have been giving Him. I have been giving Him hurried, distracted time and I am very ashamed of that. I have neglected to spend time studying His Word instead of just reading it hurriedly. I have not been using Christian writers in my devotional time to help me understand His Word, arrogantly thinking (unconsciously) that I didn't need any help. NO WONDER I WAS IN A FUNK!!!
But now, I think I am back on track. I have been using a devotional book to guide me in my readings of scripture and trying to focus more on what God would have me to gain from my readings. I feel so encouraged and excited to be back on track.
Today's reading was Colossians 1: 9 - 12 and it got me to thinking about my prayer life as it relates to my friends and family and this is what I want to share with you:
To my precious friends and family:
I want you to know that I am praying for you everyday that GOD WILL reveal to you through his Holy Spirit His will for your life so that you will have spiritual wisdom and understanding.
I also want you to know that I am praying that YOU WILL: live the abundant life he intends for you to live; live in a way that pleases Him and be fruitful in the witness of your life; grow in your knowledge of Him; be strengthened by His power; increase your spiritual endurance; grow in patience; be full of joy; and as I give thanks for you, I pray you also will continually give thanks to Him for your salvation and His daily presence in your life.
Enjoy this weekend my wonderful Friends and Family and go to church tomorrow and worship our magnificent Creator God. Share your Faith. Do something today to improve your spiritual and physical Fitness and remember that part of the abundant life God wants for us includes Fun!
Love and prayers to you and yours!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
IN A FUNK
I recently heard the expression "in a funk." I really don't know what it means but I think I am in one! I have sat down at this computer several times lately and just stared at the screen thinking "I really should write something on my blog." But instead of writing I just stared at the monitor. I don't know what is wrong with me! I was having so much fun writing on this spot sharing my thoughts and enjoying it so much and then......................I stare at the screen. I would say I have writer's block but, then, I don't consider myself a writer. I don't know what being "in a funk" feels like but whatever I am experiencing feels awful. It's as if something has gotten into my head telling me I must be stupid to think I have anything of interest to share and to think I have the creativity to put it in the form of a blog is ridiculous!
Whether I do or not, I would still like to try.
Today I would like to talk about another "F" word - Favorite. Let's talk favorites. Here are some of my Favorites: Feel good movies like "The Blind Side"; 1/2 sweet & 1/2 unsweet iced tea; homemade fried chicken; massage by Renee; eating at Red Lobster; swimming in the summertime; watching birds; brilliant Fall scenery; Dancing With the Stars; doing yoga outside; Italian cream cake; relaxing in my garden swing; and last, but not least, spending time with my hubby in Hilton Head!
You know what? Just thinking about those favorite things of mine have made me feel better. Maybe I will come out of my "funk" now! Hope you will think about your favorite things and feel good too. I would love to hear about some of your favorite things if you have time to comment!
Hope you noticed the picture of my favorite munchkins I added! Watch for more!
A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah (or maybe "in a funk.")
1 O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. 2 I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. 3 Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. 4 I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. 5 My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. 6 On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. 7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. 8 My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.
Fight the Funk with your Faith in God, the support of your Family, your physical and mental Fitness and find the Fun in life!
Whether I do or not, I would still like to try.
Today I would like to talk about another "F" word - Favorite. Let's talk favorites. Here are some of my Favorites: Feel good movies like "The Blind Side"; 1/2 sweet & 1/2 unsweet iced tea; homemade fried chicken; massage by Renee; eating at Red Lobster; swimming in the summertime; watching birds; brilliant Fall scenery; Dancing With the Stars; doing yoga outside; Italian cream cake; relaxing in my garden swing; and last, but not least, spending time with my hubby in Hilton Head!
You know what? Just thinking about those favorite things of mine have made me feel better. Maybe I will come out of my "funk" now! Hope you will think about your favorite things and feel good too. I would love to hear about some of your favorite things if you have time to comment!
Hope you noticed the picture of my favorite munchkins I added! Watch for more!
A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah (or maybe "in a funk.")
1 O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. 2 I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. 3 Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. 4 I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. 5 My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. 6 On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. 7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. 8 My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.
Fight the Funk with your Faith in God, the support of your Family, your physical and mental Fitness and find the Fun in life!
Friday, January 15, 2010
"F" is for Friday - Already?
It's been quite a few days since I sat down here and hit this keyboard for my blog. I think it was Sunday when I last wrote and now I can't believe it is already Friday! I can remember when I used to use the old phrase "T.G.I.F." but not anymore. Time is flying by so fast that I want each day to last longer. Where in the world does time go? It seems one minute I am heading out early on Monday morning and the next thing I know it's Friday.
My oldest grandchild, Alex, has a birthday next week. He will be nine years old. I can still remember the morning he was born as if it were yesterday (cliche, I know.) But it's true. He came almost a month early and we were a little worried about him when we got the call that snowy Saturday morning that they were heading to the hospital. But although he was little he was fine and has been mostly healthy his young life and has blessed our lives beyond measure.
The next birthday we celebrate after Alex's is yours truly. I use the word celebrate loosely too. On one hand I praise God for so many good years and on the other hand is............my mother's hand! Yep, I look at my hands and think, "oh, my, those are my mother's hands which I always thought looked old!" EEEEEEEEEEK! Oh, well, more on that big day later!
This has been a good week for me. I got a lot done at work and that was crucial because January is so full for me as a financial secretary who takes care of taxes as well as contribution records for the congregation. I got organized pretty well and hope to be able to distribute W-2 forms and mail those contribution reports out early this coming week.
It felt so good to get back to normal with my exercise class this week. We had good turnouts both days and everybody was ready to work hard and as always we had lots of fun doing so! On Tuesday morning we did what I called a "granny boot camp" working a little bit of everything on our body, sweating and getting our hearts pumping. Don't let the word granny fool you though, we worked hard! Those gals give it all they got and always have a smile on their face even though they may be cursing me under their breaths! Since the temperatures rose this week I also got to get out and walk which is one of my favorite ways to exercise. It felt great to breath the cool, fresh air!
Jerry finished another cycle of chemo the first part of this week and barring anything unforeseen he will have his last cycle January 25th and 26th and then have a P.E.T. scan on the 1st of February. I pray that scan is clean and he can be done with those treatments. He has been a real trooper taking them and not complaining, a real inspiration to me. But each time he has had to go I have hated it. I just can't stand the thought of those harsh medicines going through his body. But, the doctors all felt it was necessary so what else can we do? Please keep him in your prayers as I know prayer has brought us this far!
This week I will be substitute teaching in a young adult Sunday School Class and we will be talking about integrity. It made me think of a saying I once heard. It went something like this: Reputation is the result of what others see you do while character is the result of what you do when no one else is looking. That's heavy. Think about that for a few minutes. What do people see when they look at your life or my life? I surely hope it is integrity they see. Proverbs 10: 9 says, "People with integrity walk safely, but those who follow crooked paths will slip and fall." (NLT) Let's try not to fall my friends!!
Have a wonderful weekend and go to church to strengthen your Faith, spend good time with your Family, do something active to improve your Fitness and have lots and lots of Fun!!!
My oldest grandchild, Alex, has a birthday next week. He will be nine years old. I can still remember the morning he was born as if it were yesterday (cliche, I know.) But it's true. He came almost a month early and we were a little worried about him when we got the call that snowy Saturday morning that they were heading to the hospital. But although he was little he was fine and has been mostly healthy his young life and has blessed our lives beyond measure.
The next birthday we celebrate after Alex's is yours truly. I use the word celebrate loosely too. On one hand I praise God for so many good years and on the other hand is............my mother's hand! Yep, I look at my hands and think, "oh, my, those are my mother's hands which I always thought looked old!" EEEEEEEEEEK! Oh, well, more on that big day later!
This has been a good week for me. I got a lot done at work and that was crucial because January is so full for me as a financial secretary who takes care of taxes as well as contribution records for the congregation. I got organized pretty well and hope to be able to distribute W-2 forms and mail those contribution reports out early this coming week.
It felt so good to get back to normal with my exercise class this week. We had good turnouts both days and everybody was ready to work hard and as always we had lots of fun doing so! On Tuesday morning we did what I called a "granny boot camp" working a little bit of everything on our body, sweating and getting our hearts pumping. Don't let the word granny fool you though, we worked hard! Those gals give it all they got and always have a smile on their face even though they may be cursing me under their breaths! Since the temperatures rose this week I also got to get out and walk which is one of my favorite ways to exercise. It felt great to breath the cool, fresh air!
Jerry finished another cycle of chemo the first part of this week and barring anything unforeseen he will have his last cycle January 25th and 26th and then have a P.E.T. scan on the 1st of February. I pray that scan is clean and he can be done with those treatments. He has been a real trooper taking them and not complaining, a real inspiration to me. But each time he has had to go I have hated it. I just can't stand the thought of those harsh medicines going through his body. But, the doctors all felt it was necessary so what else can we do? Please keep him in your prayers as I know prayer has brought us this far!
This week I will be substitute teaching in a young adult Sunday School Class and we will be talking about integrity. It made me think of a saying I once heard. It went something like this: Reputation is the result of what others see you do while character is the result of what you do when no one else is looking. That's heavy. Think about that for a few minutes. What do people see when they look at your life or my life? I surely hope it is integrity they see. Proverbs 10: 9 says, "People with integrity walk safely, but those who follow crooked paths will slip and fall." (NLT) Let's try not to fall my friends!!
Have a wonderful weekend and go to church to strengthen your Faith, spend good time with your Family, do something active to improve your Fitness and have lots and lots of Fun!!!
Sunday, January 10, 2010
The "Fs" Just Keep Coming!
When I started blogging and decided to name my blog "Faith, Family, Fitness & Fun" it was kind of an accident that everything started with an F and I thought, "how cute, since my name starts with an F. Since then it seems "F" words (the nice kind) seem to be popping out at me screaming, "PICK ME, PICK ME!!) This time it happened during Sunday School Class. This morning the subject of Forgiveness came up and we had a nice discussion about it. Everyone agreed that while it is the right thing to do, it is so hard to actually do it!
All of us have come face to face with the need to forgive someone. To deny that would be to deny that we are human. Sometimes it is just a little offense that we need to forgive and that is easy. Other times, it is something huge and it takes a lot of time and tons of prayer to get there. The hardest thing, I think, to forgive is when the person you need to forgive refuses to admit that he or she has done anything wrong and thereby doesn't feel any need to be forgiven. That happened to me once. Some "friends" hurt someone I love very deeply and never acted remotely sorry for it let alone ask for forgiveness.
I think it is harder to forgive people when they hurt someone you love even more than when they hurt you. We hurt when our love ones hurt. When I was going through this I was often time put in situations where I was face to face with the people who hurt us. I would almost get sick to my stomach just trying to be civil and the hurt and anger was eating away at me like rust on tin. It got so hard to deal with that I turned to my pastor and he gave me some very good "scriptural" advice. He pointed out that if I let myself dwell on the hurt and anger it would only get worse. He said I needed to focus on good things when those bad thoughts took over in my mind. He pointed me to a scripture that would eventually set me free. It was Philipians 4:8:
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. (NIV)
This very wise pastor made me realize that it was much better for me to think about these good things than to dwell on the bad ones that were consuming me and making me miserable. He told me that if I could focus on good things, even something good about those who hurt me, then eventually my feelings would get better. Ha!, I thought to myself, this would never happen. But, he was right and it did.
I also read a book about that same time and it was titled, "Forgive & Forget, Healing the Hurts We Don't Deserve" written by Lewis Smedes.* It has an introductory story called "The Magic Eyes, A Little Fable" that made a huge impact on me. It tells the story of a baker named Fouke who was a righteous man. "Fouke was so upright that he seemed to spray righteousness from his thin lips over everyone who came near him: so the people of Faken preferred to stay away." Hilda, his little round wife was just the opposite from him, being warm and friendly. She loved Fouke but "her heart ached for something more from him than his worthy righteousness." The story continues when Fouke comes home one day to find Hilda lying with another man. Fouke, being so righteous, kept her as his wife, much to the surprise of the town. He was quick to say that he forgave her "as the Good Book said he should." Truth was though, he only pretended to forgive her so that he could "punish her with his righteous mercy." The fable continues by telling how every time Fouke would feel his hate an angel would come down and drop a small pebble into his heart. Eventually, as the pebbles multiplied, his heart grew so heavy that he could no long stand up straight and he was so bent he had to strain his neck up in order to look straight ahead. When he was in so much pain he could hardly stand it the angel came to him and told him that in order to be rid of his weight he would have to have "magic eyes." He would have to begin to see his wife, not as the one who betrayed him, but as a woman who needed him. The angel told the doubting Fouke that he could only get those magic eyes by asking and sincerely wanting those magic eyes. A pebble would be removed each time he was able to see her through his magic eyes and eventually "Hilda began to change in front of Fouke's eyes, wonderfully and mysteriously." He was miraculously able to love her again and they lived happily ever after! (I love those kind of endings, don't you?)
This story touched my heart and made me realize that my unforgiveness was weighing me down and stealing the joy from my heart and life. Along with the wise advice from my dear pastor and reading this book, I was able to "get rid of all those pebbles at last. Most surprising though was that I actually learned to love those people again! GOD IS SO GOOD AND SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO AMAZING!
Jesus taught us in the Lord's Prayer to ask for forgiveness based on the way we forgive others. That should motivate us to Forgive!
Until next time, grow in your Faith, have Fun with your Family, work on your spiritual and physical Fitness and Forgive someone who has offended you.
*Forgive & Forget,Healing the Hurts We Don't Deserve, by Lewis B. Smedes
Harper & Row, copyright 1984
All of us have come face to face with the need to forgive someone. To deny that would be to deny that we are human. Sometimes it is just a little offense that we need to forgive and that is easy. Other times, it is something huge and it takes a lot of time and tons of prayer to get there. The hardest thing, I think, to forgive is when the person you need to forgive refuses to admit that he or she has done anything wrong and thereby doesn't feel any need to be forgiven. That happened to me once. Some "friends" hurt someone I love very deeply and never acted remotely sorry for it let alone ask for forgiveness.
I think it is harder to forgive people when they hurt someone you love even more than when they hurt you. We hurt when our love ones hurt. When I was going through this I was often time put in situations where I was face to face with the people who hurt us. I would almost get sick to my stomach just trying to be civil and the hurt and anger was eating away at me like rust on tin. It got so hard to deal with that I turned to my pastor and he gave me some very good "scriptural" advice. He pointed out that if I let myself dwell on the hurt and anger it would only get worse. He said I needed to focus on good things when those bad thoughts took over in my mind. He pointed me to a scripture that would eventually set me free. It was Philipians 4:8:
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. (NIV)
This very wise pastor made me realize that it was much better for me to think about these good things than to dwell on the bad ones that were consuming me and making me miserable. He told me that if I could focus on good things, even something good about those who hurt me, then eventually my feelings would get better. Ha!, I thought to myself, this would never happen. But, he was right and it did.
I also read a book about that same time and it was titled, "Forgive & Forget, Healing the Hurts We Don't Deserve" written by Lewis Smedes.* It has an introductory story called "The Magic Eyes, A Little Fable" that made a huge impact on me. It tells the story of a baker named Fouke who was a righteous man. "Fouke was so upright that he seemed to spray righteousness from his thin lips over everyone who came near him: so the people of Faken preferred to stay away." Hilda, his little round wife was just the opposite from him, being warm and friendly. She loved Fouke but "her heart ached for something more from him than his worthy righteousness." The story continues when Fouke comes home one day to find Hilda lying with another man. Fouke, being so righteous, kept her as his wife, much to the surprise of the town. He was quick to say that he forgave her "as the Good Book said he should." Truth was though, he only pretended to forgive her so that he could "punish her with his righteous mercy." The fable continues by telling how every time Fouke would feel his hate an angel would come down and drop a small pebble into his heart. Eventually, as the pebbles multiplied, his heart grew so heavy that he could no long stand up straight and he was so bent he had to strain his neck up in order to look straight ahead. When he was in so much pain he could hardly stand it the angel came to him and told him that in order to be rid of his weight he would have to have "magic eyes." He would have to begin to see his wife, not as the one who betrayed him, but as a woman who needed him. The angel told the doubting Fouke that he could only get those magic eyes by asking and sincerely wanting those magic eyes. A pebble would be removed each time he was able to see her through his magic eyes and eventually "Hilda began to change in front of Fouke's eyes, wonderfully and mysteriously." He was miraculously able to love her again and they lived happily ever after! (I love those kind of endings, don't you?)
This story touched my heart and made me realize that my unforgiveness was weighing me down and stealing the joy from my heart and life. Along with the wise advice from my dear pastor and reading this book, I was able to "get rid of all those pebbles at last. Most surprising though was that I actually learned to love those people again! GOD IS SO GOOD AND SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO AMAZING!
Jesus taught us in the Lord's Prayer to ask for forgiveness based on the way we forgive others. That should motivate us to Forgive!
Until next time, grow in your Faith, have Fun with your Family, work on your spiritual and physical Fitness and Forgive someone who has offended you.
*Forgive & Forget,Healing the Hurts We Don't Deserve, by Lewis B. Smedes
Harper & Row, copyright 1984
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Fitness - The Hard "F"
In my previous blogs I have focused on Faith, Family and Fun so I guess it's time to highlight my other "F" word, Fitness. I know, this conjures up all kind of boot camp and drill sargent images in your head and that is why I like to refer more to wellness than to fitness. Fitness is about being strong and flexible enough to enjoy moving around and doing active things that you enjoy. Trouble is, if you are not fit you can't enjoy these activities so you quit doing them.
I can't remember a time in my life when I didn't enjoy moving. From the time I was a little girl jumping rope, skating, riding bikes or hula hooping I have enjoyed moving. I marched in the band from the fourth grade until I graduated. I enjoyed playing ball and swimming with my boys when they were little and I have always loved to dance. The trouble with dance is that it works better with a partner and since my life long partner has absolutely no rhythm I haven't got to dance a lot since I married. That's where aerobics enters my life.
In the late 70's "aerobics' entered my world. The local YMCA started a class and I joined it out of curiosity and I was hooked. I think the reason I took to it so much was my love for dance and no outlet for this passion. Whatever the reason I absolutely loved it.
In the early 80's the youth pastor at my church and I begin to be aware of exercise classes being held in other churches and we talked a lot about having an aerobics class at our church. He wanted me to teach it but at that particular time I was more interested in making sure that the class stayed Christ centered and I wanted to be in charge of devotional times in the class. We recruited another member of our church to be the aerobics teacher and I focused on the devotions. I really enjoyed our classes. After a couple of years the girl who taught couldn't do it anymore because of other commitments and by that time I was ready to teach and do devotions too. Some 25 years later I am still teaching and still loving it!
I love motivating people to exercise and after they have made it a way of life I am thrilled to see them loving it too! The students in my classes motivate me as well. There are days when I think I'm too tired to go and when I get there, begin to teach and see their smiling faces I get energized and forget that I am tired.
Being tired is a huge obstacle to exercising regularly. It is easy to give in and sit in the recliner or doze on the couch. But, I have learned that if you push past this feeling and do some sort of exercise you will feel like exercising some more. Walking is a wonderful example. If you feel tired after work and you make yourself take a "little" walk you will usually find that it turns out to be a bigger walk than you had planned because your energy will increase after your first few minutes. If you are a sedentary person I would like to encourage you to find an exercise that you like (I know there are some of you who say there is NO exercise you like) and begin to do it a little at a time. Don't set your goal too high to begin with. Just try to enjoy doing it and the feeling you get afterward. I will talk more about different types of exercise in another blog, but for now I would love for you to focus on a movement you like to do and just try doing it for 10 or 15 minutes at least three times a week. You can gradually build intensity and duration, but for now start slow. You don't want to get too sore or hurt something because then you won't want to do it again. And it really helps to find a friend to exercise with. It's a lot more fun and you can motivate each other!
In many of my devotional times with my classes I have shared this:
The Bible says that God created everything but that He wasn't completely satisfied until he created humans. After creating us, He was VERY pleased, more so than with his other creations. Now, if God was so pleased with us, shouldn't that make us want to take really good care of His treasured creation? I feel that taking good care of ourselves is the best way to honor our creator God. As Christians, I feel it is wrong to neglect and abuse our bodies.
We live in a world where fitness has turned in to the "perfect 10" look. Fitness magazines seem to focus more on the perfect sculpted body and display it lewdly instead of encouraging people to accept their own bodies as God has created them and doing their very best with what they have. We don't need to look at fitness the way the world views it but rather by the way God views it.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says it well:
"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."
Until next blog, work on improving your Fitness, involve your Family if you can, have Fun doing it, and most of all keep your Faith strong!
Love in Christ!
Frances
I can't remember a time in my life when I didn't enjoy moving. From the time I was a little girl jumping rope, skating, riding bikes or hula hooping I have enjoyed moving. I marched in the band from the fourth grade until I graduated. I enjoyed playing ball and swimming with my boys when they were little and I have always loved to dance. The trouble with dance is that it works better with a partner and since my life long partner has absolutely no rhythm I haven't got to dance a lot since I married. That's where aerobics enters my life.
In the late 70's "aerobics' entered my world. The local YMCA started a class and I joined it out of curiosity and I was hooked. I think the reason I took to it so much was my love for dance and no outlet for this passion. Whatever the reason I absolutely loved it.
In the early 80's the youth pastor at my church and I begin to be aware of exercise classes being held in other churches and we talked a lot about having an aerobics class at our church. He wanted me to teach it but at that particular time I was more interested in making sure that the class stayed Christ centered and I wanted to be in charge of devotional times in the class. We recruited another member of our church to be the aerobics teacher and I focused on the devotions. I really enjoyed our classes. After a couple of years the girl who taught couldn't do it anymore because of other commitments and by that time I was ready to teach and do devotions too. Some 25 years later I am still teaching and still loving it!
I love motivating people to exercise and after they have made it a way of life I am thrilled to see them loving it too! The students in my classes motivate me as well. There are days when I think I'm too tired to go and when I get there, begin to teach and see their smiling faces I get energized and forget that I am tired.
Being tired is a huge obstacle to exercising regularly. It is easy to give in and sit in the recliner or doze on the couch. But, I have learned that if you push past this feeling and do some sort of exercise you will feel like exercising some more. Walking is a wonderful example. If you feel tired after work and you make yourself take a "little" walk you will usually find that it turns out to be a bigger walk than you had planned because your energy will increase after your first few minutes. If you are a sedentary person I would like to encourage you to find an exercise that you like (I know there are some of you who say there is NO exercise you like) and begin to do it a little at a time. Don't set your goal too high to begin with. Just try to enjoy doing it and the feeling you get afterward. I will talk more about different types of exercise in another blog, but for now I would love for you to focus on a movement you like to do and just try doing it for 10 or 15 minutes at least three times a week. You can gradually build intensity and duration, but for now start slow. You don't want to get too sore or hurt something because then you won't want to do it again. And it really helps to find a friend to exercise with. It's a lot more fun and you can motivate each other!
In many of my devotional times with my classes I have shared this:
The Bible says that God created everything but that He wasn't completely satisfied until he created humans. After creating us, He was VERY pleased, more so than with his other creations. Now, if God was so pleased with us, shouldn't that make us want to take really good care of His treasured creation? I feel that taking good care of ourselves is the best way to honor our creator God. As Christians, I feel it is wrong to neglect and abuse our bodies.
We live in a world where fitness has turned in to the "perfect 10" look. Fitness magazines seem to focus more on the perfect sculpted body and display it lewdly instead of encouraging people to accept their own bodies as God has created them and doing their very best with what they have. We don't need to look at fitness the way the world views it but rather by the way God views it.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says it well:
"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."
Until next blog, work on improving your Fitness, involve your Family if you can, have Fun doing it, and most of all keep your Faith strong!
Love in Christ!
Frances
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Now for the Fun Part
The four F's in my title are all special to me but today I am writing about FUN!
Today we had a couple of inches of snow here and although that is not a lot it was enough to take a couple of the grandkids out and play in the snow for a while. Since school was cancelled we kept Alex and Aaron while Chris and Cathy worked. At first we didn't think we were going to have enough snow to play in but by mid-afternoon we had some accumulation. It was only in the 20's so we bundled up really good and headed outside. They had fun just shoveling snow for a little while but then they wanted to try sledding. Their friends and neighbors from down the street came up and we all tried to sled down the hill in front of the house. Well, let me clarify something----They, not I, tried to sled. I got to push! The snow we had was kind of a dry snow and didn't pack down too good so the sleds didn't go very well. However, we spent an hour or so having fun trying. Then we tried to make a snowman and the snow didn't want to cooperate for that project either. Alex was able to make a "mini" frosty and we named him Frosty Jr. We then headed inside and unwrapped and then had hot chocolate with marshmallows! I think they liked this part the best!
It was a great afternoon. The only things that could have made it better were if Papa had felt like playing with us (he has a cold) and if Gracie and Seth could have been here too. I am so thankful that the Lord has given me these munchkins to play with and I hope I can stay healthy and active enough to play with them for more years ahead. Being with my munchkins makes me feel ageless!
I just love to view God's world through all the seasons and the snow is especially beautiful. I am always in awe of God's magnificent creation and can never get enough of it. I love to read the account of creation in Genesis . "In the beginning God created the Heaven and the earth..." and I want to be able to enjoy as much of it as I can for as long as I can. Praise you God for your beautiful landscape and for the FUN I have enjoying it with the munchkins!
As I close I will remind you once again to...........grow in your Faith, spend time with your Family, make Fitness a priority and have lots and lots of FUN!
Today we had a couple of inches of snow here and although that is not a lot it was enough to take a couple of the grandkids out and play in the snow for a while. Since school was cancelled we kept Alex and Aaron while Chris and Cathy worked. At first we didn't think we were going to have enough snow to play in but by mid-afternoon we had some accumulation. It was only in the 20's so we bundled up really good and headed outside. They had fun just shoveling snow for a little while but then they wanted to try sledding. Their friends and neighbors from down the street came up and we all tried to sled down the hill in front of the house. Well, let me clarify something----They, not I, tried to sled. I got to push! The snow we had was kind of a dry snow and didn't pack down too good so the sleds didn't go very well. However, we spent an hour or so having fun trying. Then we tried to make a snowman and the snow didn't want to cooperate for that project either. Alex was able to make a "mini" frosty and we named him Frosty Jr. We then headed inside and unwrapped and then had hot chocolate with marshmallows! I think they liked this part the best!
It was a great afternoon. The only things that could have made it better were if Papa had felt like playing with us (he has a cold) and if Gracie and Seth could have been here too. I am so thankful that the Lord has given me these munchkins to play with and I hope I can stay healthy and active enough to play with them for more years ahead. Being with my munchkins makes me feel ageless!
I just love to view God's world through all the seasons and the snow is especially beautiful. I am always in awe of God's magnificent creation and can never get enough of it. I love to read the account of creation in Genesis . "In the beginning God created the Heaven and the earth..." and I want to be able to enjoy as much of it as I can for as long as I can. Praise you God for your beautiful landscape and for the FUN I have enjoying it with the munchkins!
As I close I will remind you once again to...........grow in your Faith, spend time with your Family, make Fitness a priority and have lots and lots of FUN!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
A New "F" and Little Munchkins
I've already mentioned why I titled my blog Faith, Family, Fitness & Fun, but now I have a new "F" word that has been the most used word I have heard today- FREEZING! It is so cold outside that all I want to do is stay in! I'm sure it is a lot colder in other parts of the country but 15 - 20 degrees is plenty cold for me! I'm ready for Spring!!!
At the end of my previous blog I mentioned my "Munchkins." I'm sure you have heard that term. They were the little people in the land of OZ. They are also the little people in my life. In the year 2000 my husband and I were living a pretty monotonous life. We didn't know we were, but in looking back we sure were boring people! A lot of our friends had been granparents for a while and we thought they acted weird. When we found out we were going to have a grandchild I was worried that I wasn't going to feel the way these "weird" people did. I was afraid I wouldn't love them as much as they loved theirs. In January of 2001 our first, Alex, was born. A few days later I was had! If I thought my friends acted weird over their grandchildren I must be a real freak! In August of the same year little Gracie came along. In October 2003 Aaron came on the scene followed in 2005 by Seth. My life has never been the same! Praise God!!! Having these little munchkins around energizes me and brings joy that I never knew existed!
Of course raising their dads had it's joys too, but at that time of life we were so busy being parents that we couldn't stop and smell the roses. If I had it to do over again............. Oh well, we do the best we can at the time we are doing it. Being a grandparent is like someone said "getting a second chance to do it right." My husband and I are certainly enjoying the journey this time and are so afraid they will soon be too old to want to be with us that we are spending as much time with them as possible. We are not only smelling the roses, but the whole bloomin' garden!
I'm reminded of the story in the Bible when Jesus was teaching a crowd of people and some were bringing their children to Him. His disciples thought the children would bother Him and were evidently trying to keep them away from Him when he told them to let the children come to Him. In both Matthew 19: 13-15 and Luke 18: 15-17 Jesus makes it clear that he wanted to see the children and used the children to make the point that children are a part of His Kingdom. We can take our cue from Jesus when we take time to be with our children and grandchildren. Nothing is so important that we should push our children aside instead of spending valuable time with them. My prayer for you today is that you may enjoy whatever children you have in your life and let them bring out the child in you!
Until the next time don't forget to increase in Faith, spend time with Family, work on your fitness and for sure - have Fun with all! And p.s. - stay warm!
At the end of my previous blog I mentioned my "Munchkins." I'm sure you have heard that term. They were the little people in the land of OZ. They are also the little people in my life. In the year 2000 my husband and I were living a pretty monotonous life. We didn't know we were, but in looking back we sure were boring people! A lot of our friends had been granparents for a while and we thought they acted weird. When we found out we were going to have a grandchild I was worried that I wasn't going to feel the way these "weird" people did. I was afraid I wouldn't love them as much as they loved theirs. In January of 2001 our first, Alex, was born. A few days later I was had! If I thought my friends acted weird over their grandchildren I must be a real freak! In August of the same year little Gracie came along. In October 2003 Aaron came on the scene followed in 2005 by Seth. My life has never been the same! Praise God!!! Having these little munchkins around energizes me and brings joy that I never knew existed!
Of course raising their dads had it's joys too, but at that time of life we were so busy being parents that we couldn't stop and smell the roses. If I had it to do over again............. Oh well, we do the best we can at the time we are doing it. Being a grandparent is like someone said "getting a second chance to do it right." My husband and I are certainly enjoying the journey this time and are so afraid they will soon be too old to want to be with us that we are spending as much time with them as possible. We are not only smelling the roses, but the whole bloomin' garden!
I'm reminded of the story in the Bible when Jesus was teaching a crowd of people and some were bringing their children to Him. His disciples thought the children would bother Him and were evidently trying to keep them away from Him when he told them to let the children come to Him. In both Matthew 19: 13-15 and Luke 18: 15-17 Jesus makes it clear that he wanted to see the children and used the children to make the point that children are a part of His Kingdom. We can take our cue from Jesus when we take time to be with our children and grandchildren. Nothing is so important that we should push our children aside instead of spending valuable time with them. My prayer for you today is that you may enjoy whatever children you have in your life and let them bring out the child in you!
Until the next time don't forget to increase in Faith, spend time with Family, work on your fitness and for sure - have Fun with all! And p.s. - stay warm!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
A New Venture for New Year!
It's not only a New Year but a new Decade. That blows my mind, especially when I think of how many decades I've seen come and go (not going there!)
I did something on the first day of this year that I said I would never do - joined FaceBook. I decided that instead of hearing about my family's public ventures second-hand from FB followers, I would find out first hand! I am amazed at the number of people who participate and equally amazed at the number of people who want to be "friends" with me! This could be a little overwhelming.
I've been thinking of trying some new and different ventures this year. It's not a bucket list, mind you! FaceBook is my first endeavor and now I want to try my hand at blogging.
At first I thought to myself "what on earth would I have to write about?" But, then I thought about the things that are most important in my life and I thought "yeah, I could certainly share my thoughts on the "F's" in my life - Faith, Family, Fitness & Fun! (To you teachers out there an "F" isn't always bad.) Odd how my name starts with an F and the important things in my life also start with an F...must be destiny!
On this blog I hope to inspire you to grow in your Faith in Christ, treasure and enjoy your Family, make Fitness a way of life and have Fun with all your F's.
My Faith in Jesus Christ is what keeps me going. I have been a Christian since I was nine years old and can not remember a time when I couldn't "feel" Jesus in my life. Sadly, I have not always responded to His presence but I have always felt it. At this point in my life though I am happy to say I let His presence guide me. I love the Lord and I praise His Holy Name!
My Family (God's most wonderful gift to me) are the shining lights of my life! My husband of 42+ years is my best friend and my two sons are everything a mother could ask for. They are first of all, Christian men seeking to live a Christ centered life and that is this mother's answer to prayer! They are good husbands and dads and hard working providers for their families. I am blessed to have two daughter-in-laws who also love the Lord. Together these two young couples are trying to bring their children up in the way of the Lord - Hallelujah! Now, about their children.............hmm, I better save that for the next blog because I could write a book on those 4 "Munchkins!"
In closing I want to share one of my favorite Bible verses with you:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight. Prov. 3: 5 & 6, (NIV)
I did something on the first day of this year that I said I would never do - joined FaceBook. I decided that instead of hearing about my family's public ventures second-hand from FB followers, I would find out first hand! I am amazed at the number of people who participate and equally amazed at the number of people who want to be "friends" with me! This could be a little overwhelming.
I've been thinking of trying some new and different ventures this year. It's not a bucket list, mind you! FaceBook is my first endeavor and now I want to try my hand at blogging.
At first I thought to myself "what on earth would I have to write about?" But, then I thought about the things that are most important in my life and I thought "yeah, I could certainly share my thoughts on the "F's" in my life - Faith, Family, Fitness & Fun! (To you teachers out there an "F" isn't always bad.) Odd how my name starts with an F and the important things in my life also start with an F...must be destiny!
On this blog I hope to inspire you to grow in your Faith in Christ, treasure and enjoy your Family, make Fitness a way of life and have Fun with all your F's.
My Faith in Jesus Christ is what keeps me going. I have been a Christian since I was nine years old and can not remember a time when I couldn't "feel" Jesus in my life. Sadly, I have not always responded to His presence but I have always felt it. At this point in my life though I am happy to say I let His presence guide me. I love the Lord and I praise His Holy Name!
My Family (God's most wonderful gift to me) are the shining lights of my life! My husband of 42+ years is my best friend and my two sons are everything a mother could ask for. They are first of all, Christian men seeking to live a Christ centered life and that is this mother's answer to prayer! They are good husbands and dads and hard working providers for their families. I am blessed to have two daughter-in-laws who also love the Lord. Together these two young couples are trying to bring their children up in the way of the Lord - Hallelujah! Now, about their children.............hmm, I better save that for the next blog because I could write a book on those 4 "Munchkins!"
In closing I want to share one of my favorite Bible verses with you:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight. Prov. 3: 5 & 6, (NIV)
I'VE LEARNED THIS THE HARD WAY! Until next blog remember to keep the Faith, love your Family, make Fitness a way of Life and by the way....have Fun!
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