25th Anniversary Edition

  Today is the big day!  Our 25th wedding anniversary.   I wanted to take this opportunity to wax poetic about marriage, except for the fact that I don't do poetry. 


    25 years is a long time and we are thankful to have made it this far.  We've both changed and grown, and yet somehow remained the same.  We gone through ups and downs, sickness and health, richer and poorer. My goal is to continue to improve and grow as a Christian.   I can say that if we are still together and still love each other, it is by God's grace alone.  We are all too selfish and proud to make marriage work on our own.

 I am thankful for and proud of my husband.  He has been through a lot this past year, as we all have, but he has had to shoulder huge burdens.  He has done so with grace and temperance. He has accepted this new ministry and all its challenges with determination and excitement.  And through it all, he has been thoughtful and caring of me and my needs and wants. 

 So, now that we are considered grown-ups, here's to the next 25 years!

Don't even know where to start

I haven't posted in ages and there are several good reasons for that.  I need to blog, but I really can't/don't want to blog about the major events of the past few months.  We've dealt with unimaginable tragedy and loss. Suffice it to say that we are now in a new town, new ministry and new life.  There are many folks we miss from our old home but when God has spoken, you obey.  Moving 1000 miles away is hard but nothing like the horror of being out of God's will.

  Neil now pastors a church in Edinburg, Tx, that is only a Spanish church.  They have about 90 folk, which is a great start.  They  all seem to have a sweet spirit and they are ready to work.  I am getting used to living here, and we are in the process of buying a new house.  We had a couple of false starts, but now it seems we are on track.  If all goes well, my house will be bigger and newer than my Tucson house.  The only problem is that I am thousands of miles away from the nearest Disney park, which those of you who know and love me,  understand that this is a real downer.  I can talk to my family on the phone anytime, and I do, but Disneyland is too far away.

It was Neil's birthday yesterday.  He turned 49. Cannot believe it.  Still doesn't act like he's 30 much less 49. Well, except for all the aches and pains.  But he's had those for ever. It was sweet to see everyone's Facebook birthday messages.

  I am curious to see why God chose to send us here.  It's interesting that He sent us to some place we'd never even heard of.

When Queens Ride By

I read this short story many years ago, and I have always been convicted and encouraged by each read. I especially like the forward written by the blogger who posted this version.
                                                        When Queens ride by

Day of Reckoning

  

It is true.  I have not posted anything about my diet or weight loss in a while.  I have not been on the scale for weeks.    I haven't been totally out of control, but it hasn't been good.  Even though I have kept up the exercise, the eating has not been good.  I was afraid to weigh.  Afraid to face the truth.  Today was the Day of Reckoning, and I was ready to face the music. 

It was less than I thought!  I still weigh less than what my driver's license says I do!

I have not made progress, but I am not in too too bad shape.  I have to put it on the blog, however, because I want to stay true to the process.  It's not all successes.  

The only failure though, is to give up, and I won't do that. 

No wonder it so hard to stay focused!

  Although I could do without the chocolate covered French bread pizza.  Those of us who are trying to lose weight must become oblivious to the call of food from every direction.   I categorize the recipes on Pinterest so that I know that they are for a special occasion, and not for everyday.  I have found a ton of inspirational quotes on fitness that I have found to be extremely helpful.

   What is not helpful is seeing all the tiny models that have never had to lose more that 3 pounds in their entire life!  That is not really inspirational.

  About the food, sometimes I just laugh at the recipes.  I know that they would never turn out the same for me!  I know I would be the queen of the Pinterest Fail!

This is so true!

Everyone has their own interpretation of what modesty is, and some people want to say that it doesn't even matter!  It does.  The above quote is true and honest.

May my heart and mind always be in tune with what the Lord would have me

to speak, and wear, and model. 

Setting the reset button

  December was good.  January, not so good for the diet.  Willful overeating happened, and there are consequences to deal with. I am almost back to where I was, and it has been difficult to regain focus.

  I have been following a gal on FB who lost 100 pounds, and then last year had surgery to remove all the excess skin.  She weighs in faithfully on FB every week, and even she has gained 6 pounds.  She is working on it.  You'd think that after 100 pounds and a huge surgery, she would have enough willpower to never gain an ounce.  I am not criticizing, I am empathizing.  It is never easy.  The lure of eating just to eat is always there, and opportunities are on every corner.  Will I ever get to the point of not being tempted to overeat?  Probably not. Christmases and trips, guests and family fun will always be a part of my life, and food is always present, usually front and center.

   I also believe that relapsing into bad behaviour is the same for everyone, no matter what your bad behaviour is. Pushing the "reset" button is necessary every time you feel yourself losing focus and reverting to destructive and/or sinful behaviour. The temptation is to say "Well, I have messed up this far, might as well go all the way!"   That is a lie from satan himself.

   Thanks be to God for the daily mercies I call the "reset" button.

The art of womanliness

    I have started devouring the content over at artofmanliness.com.   Weird, I know, but I really like a lot of what they have over there.   There is some stuff that is irrelevant to me as a woman, but a lot of it is relevant to anyone who wishes to improve themselves.  That phrase sounds so old-fashioned!   I have learned so much, but more importantly, I have been reminded of the importance of continuing to grow as a person, to be better than I was before.

  We are always talking about growing spiritually, and that is most important of all.  But I believe that our day-to-day lives are linked to our spiritual lives.  A godly woman should strive to be a good mom, a good housekeeper, a good cook and a competent home-economist.  First, because it is in Scripture in Titus 2.  Second, because  a good homemaker is such a blessing to herself and her family!  I am definitely not talking about a Pinterest-perfect mom, but I am striving to improve daily.

  I have also read at the Art of Manliness about what some men think about certain types of women.  Ouch!  I am still convinced that when women are womanly, men are encouraged to be the manly men that they long for.    Not that women should be weak, fearful or dumb.  We should find and embrace biblical womanliness.

 

Weight loss journey victory!

I had one goal for the end of the year: maintain the 30 pound weight loss.  Not an easy task when you consider what an eating and cooking frenzy Christmas is.  I stopped getting on the scale when Eileen came home.  For 3 weeks I coasted.  I still exercised faithfully, but in all honesty, we ate good and I enjoyed it all.

This morning, I felt like it was time to face the music, pay the piper, to get real.   So I did.  And I was amazed to find out that I did maintain my 30 pound loss during the holidays.  Part of me is jumping up and down like a game show contestant that just one a million dollars.  The other part of me is crumpled on the floor, amazed and grateful to have finally found success in an area where there had only been failure for years.

My take-away?  I am so encouraged to keep on!  15 pounds this year. That is .3 pounds per week.  Anybody can do that!  You might say, "I can do better than that!"  Maybe you can, but maybe you shouldn't.   Maybe if by just taking it slow and steady you can drop another 15.....forever.

This just in from Dave Ramsey

In keeping with today's previous post, I will share this nugget of wisdom from Dave Ramsey.
This is also true about food.  I do not have to put just anything into my mouth just because it is there or because it is good, or whatever.  I can develop power over anything.  I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me!

Exercise and Mary Hunt.

So, I went to the gym for the first time this year.  I also had my class with Sandra on Monday, so all is proceeding normally.  I like this quote because  real progress is slow, and there really is no instant gratification.  

I have been thinking about the new year and my goals.  The weight loss thing I have figured out.  The paying off debt and saving I understand, but have not had the same progress, which is why I want to make it a priority.  It also goes without saying that Bible reading and Scripture copying are always on the top of the list.  I am doing really well there. I am doing a chronological reading this year, for the first time.  Also, I haven't missed a day of the Scripture copying, so that is good.  It's only the 4th, but hey, I like to look on the bright side!

I have said that I really like Dave Ramsey, and I do, but I would be wrong not to let you know about Mary Hunt.  I first heard Mary Hunt on Dr. Dobson's Focus on the Family radio show.  She told her testimony about getting 100,000 dollars in debt, without her husband finding out.  Can you imagine the stress of that much debt and the fact that you were hiding it from your husband?  Long story short, she paid off her debt, they're still married, and she makes a living helping people with her website, Debt-Proof Living.  

One of the practical things that I learned from her was this: if you spend money on something "on sale" that you didn't need, you didn't save money, you spent money.   She avoids malls and at first I didn't understand that, but now I do.  Not spending the money in the first place is better than buy stuff on sale.  

The quote above is about exercise, but to me, it's also about saving money.  Every effort is making a small change that one day will become hugely significant. 

Ramsey and Flylady

A homemaker really should grow to be a terrific multi-tasker.   As you  know, I love Dave Ramsey (for money help) and Flylady (for house help)    What I can tell you is this, if you want to follow Dave, you need to follow Flylady.

Good homemaking is, at its very core, very economical. Properly caring for your laundry, planning menus, and avoiding clutter are the practical ways a homemaker saves and makes money.  Homemakers of the past knew this to be true.  They knew that waste and sloth were bad for the pocketbook.  They were hard workers with a weekly and yearly plan.  For some, this allowed for a few luxuries, for others, it meant survival.

 There are two paths toward having more money.  One, make money.  Two, making your money stretch farther that before.  A really smart person does both.  Some people are blessed with an innate desire to frugality.  I am not one of those people.  With me, like the weight loss, it has to be very intentional.  If you are not intentional with your money or your weight, you will end up in debt and overweight.

I am, by nature, very practical, and I appreciate practical real-world advice.  So here's my two cents.  Dave Ramsey and Flylady.

For your benefit, some links.     Dave Ramsey     Flylady

For His Glory

Isn't that a great thought?  What a relief!  Always for my good!  Always for His glory!  I can rest in knowing that whatever comes my way come from Him and it's for my good.  Pessimistic, negative thoughts about my circumstances have no place in my mind.  Why should they?  I am in Christ. 

I know this to be true, but where is my responsibility?  Am I doing my all for God's glory?
It's so easy to coast while in ministry.  I mean, everything you do "pleases" God.  But there is more to it than that, and that is precisely what I need to keep in mind.  It's not about what I do, but who and what I am that matters most. When I am what I need to be, then I do what I should do the right way and with the right motive.   For His glory.

Want to see some of our past?

http://missionary-mom.blogspot.com/2006/12/christmas-tour-of-homes.html

This is from my old blog.  I would have kept it, but I can't remember the log-in information!

Next year I am going to paint my windows like I used to.   There in Chile, we had hundreds of people walk in front of my house every day.

Thoughts on the New Year

I kept one of my New Year's resolutions this year, so I thought about making another resolution.  I lost the weight that I intended and more.  My new goal is 15 pounds less in 2017.  But you already knew that.  I have been thinking about stuff and reading articles and watching documentaries about stuff.  I would like to find a realistic resolution about getting rid of, and not acquiring more stuff.

I saw 'The Minimalists" on netflix, and it was completely secular but really pointed out how sadly desperate people are to get more stuff.  It's never enough, and it never fills the void that only Jesus can fill.  That thing that they thought would bring so much joy is now lost in a pile of junk.

On another facet of the issue, you can't organize and clean clutter.  Our homes are often messy and dirty because there is just too much stuff.   We buy stuff that we think we will enjoy, but when it is added to all the junk we already have, it's not as nice as we thought it would be.

We don't want to entertain, because we don't want to have to face the mess.  Well, some of us.  Some of you are really organized.

So, I am just thinking.....about stuff.

Don't want to exercise?

Weight loss without the gym?
  So, I read this article, and I agree with all its advice.  Except for the fact that you need exercise.  Even if you did lose weight, you won't look as good, and you are more likely to gain it back.

There is no magic bullet, but I have found that exercise and diet must go hand in hand.  Exercise also helps with your discipline.  I find that when I am tempted, it is easy to remember that I got up before 6 am to go to the gym.  I am not going to waste that effort!

  There is no shortcut, and there is no pixie dust for weight loss.  There is just hard work.  It is so very much worth it.

Truth

This also applies to spirituality and godliness.  Everyday is a new day, with choices to be made, resolutions to be kept or broken.   I wish I could just coast along and enjoy my weight loss, but I can't.  It's either lose weight or gain weight.  There is no holding point.   I am either headed forward or backward.

This is tiring.  I wish I could give up and give in.   I wish I didn't have to focus on this anymore.  I want/need this to continue to work, so I must keep on.

Keeping up the exercise has been relatively easy.  Mostly because of the fact that my husband and I workout at the same time.  We don't workout together, he does his stuff, I do mine.  But we go together.  Then, my other workout is with friends.

If it were just about the exercise, it would be easy, but it's about the food. I am not a binger.  I am a grazer.  The problem is that bingeing seems really bad and grazing is unnoticeable. Both pack in way too many calories.

I must never, never, never give up.

Why do we gain it back?

  This week in the news, Ali Vincent, one-time winner of the Biggest Loser admitted that she had gained back the weight.  This is not unusual, in fact, quite the opposite.  Many, if not most of us gain it back.  This is a tremendous source of discouragement for those of us in this struggle.

  Why do we gain it back?
1.  We revert to our "normal" behavior.   This means that our changes were temporary. We stuck with the program, any program, as long as we could. Then, as if released from some form of torture, we revert to our original way of life.  We never really made a change that could stick.  Why?

2.  The changes that we made were not realistic or sustainable.  Honestly, we didn't didn't like the diet food.  We didn't like the protein-style burger.  We really didn't want to go to the gym five times a week.  We didn't like that meal-replacement shake. We didn't like measuring our food.  We did all these things to get to a goal, but as soon as that goal was achieved, we reverted to our pre-diet lifestyle.

3.  We didn't deal with the issues that made over-eating a real thing in our lives.  Why did we ever let ourselves get this way?  Don't we have anything better to do than eat? How did food become so important to us?  Didn't we understand that overeating is sinful? Why didn't I care?   Honestly, I don't know that answers to these questions.  I do know this, if I don't figure it out, I will be doomed to regaining the weight eventually and that is a scary thought.

It's not an easy sight

There is so much to be said about perspective.   When I look at photos from a year ago, I want to die.  How awful!  I look great now.....in comparison.  But when I see how I really look now, well, let's just say I still have a long way to go!    I am truly not fishing for compliments although I have received many.  I am just encouraged  and driven to stay focused on keeping on keeping on. 

Amazingly, still losing

   I am so happy to have stumbled onto a way to lose weight without going insane!  I waited 3 days to see the same result, and now I can officially say that I have lost 31 pounds. Rhonda, are you going to post every time you lose one measly pound?  Why yes, yes I am.  This is huge.

  I have come to a place where diet and exercise are actually working. I am not deprived nor have I been miserable at all.  The only thing that I can say is different this time opposed to all the others (and there were so many) is the commitment to exercise that I have now.  The Weigh Down program, which is the basis for what I do, practically discourages exercise.  Their reasoning is more emotional than physical: they want people to desire to eat less, not exercise so they can eat more. They also want people to know that even if you can't exercise because you are in a wheelchair or something, you can still lose weight.  I understand this, however, I can now see the long-term benefits of a regular exercise routine.

  I want to say that I am proud of what I have done, but honestly, I am just thankful.  Thankful to God for helping me find the way out.