Being grateful...

Enough said! Good night!

Confession Time...

I drove to Charlotte today to look into something for my mom about a house there. Anyway I keep telling myself that I am going to "Go HARD" on this diet healthy eating plan and exercise thing. I went to the doctor the other day and I have lost 28 pounds since August - significant, but I really want it to be more. I have actually decided that I on average have been gaining about 20 pounds a year - so I really lost almost 48 or so pounds...OK that feels better ;)

Anyway today was not my best day, I am fessing up about what I ate, because logging it on weightwatchers.com doesn't seem to be doing it.

Breakfast:

1 slice Pound Cake - with frosting I bought separately and smothered the cake in.

(yeah that was it..oh wait nm...)

1 Everything Bagel with lots of cream cheese

Lunch:

1 Starbucks Croissant

1 Grande Cinnamon Dolce Latte (with whip!)

Dinner

1 fried chicken thigh

1 serving of homemade mac and cheese

1 serving of green beans.

(if only I could have left it at this)

Evening snack

(sigh - back to Starbucks..it was over 6 hours round trip in the car today)

1/2 tall Cinnamon Dolce Latte (with whip again!)

1 slice of starbucks iced lemon pound cake...

and another slice of cake with the dreaded chocolate frosting (once I got home)

(and now... a sigh of relief)

That was freeing...tomorrow is a better day, no question.

"God is in front of me making crooked paths straight, goodness and mercy are following me, and God's favor is all around me"

I got that from Joel Osteen a couple of weeks ago and it has become my personal mantra...Joel even said every now and again, look behind and wave and say,, "HEY Goodness.. HEY Mercy"

For whatever reason, i always feel compelled to do this in my car.. I know I look CRAZY waving to goodness and mercy in my back seat...oh well...

Hopefully I will fall asleep at a reasonable hour with all this coffee so freshly in my system..

I love my church family!

Ok this is the last post for the day:

On another note, can I just tell you how much I love my church family, I know I keep saying that, but I am just overflowing with this feeling, so I have to say. . They are amazing. I had the opportunity to spend quality time with several people this weekend, to both be blessed and to be a blessing to someone else. It was awesome. That is not to say that everything is always perfect just like with any family there are ups and downs, but what I love about the people I have encountered so far is that the focus is "righting" whatever wrong there is. So someone gets angry or offended, but we come together and show each other the love and forgiveness that Christ showed us..its marvelous..

A couple of the girls and I are reading this intresting book by eckart Tolle - called a New Earth: Awaking to your life's purpose. Now I am by no means promoting the book but it has some good and some not so good points. Oprah has really skyrocketted this guys success by endorsing his book, 150%. She even has space on her site for him and some study group information. Anyway, I used to be a person who wouldn't read this book because it seemed too "New Age-ey" But I am so much more open and I have tons less righteous indignation. Anyway, my boy Eckart is not goign to win the "Christian of the Month" award - I am not sure he even is, but his book does cause me pause to look at "the flesh" - he calls it the ego and to really understand my motivations for doing things. Also how much of life we build on thoughts, how much power we give the wrong ones. Now Eckart would say don't give power to any thought, but don't agree with that. If my thought lines up with God's Word, then it already has power, I just need to release my faith and line myself up with that and pay no heed to the negative ones.. oh it sounds so easy...lol..

Back on topic..we get together weekly to discuss this and I am really enjoying that - looking at it from a Christian perspective and collectively discussing then dismissing the stuff we don't agree with. Anyway, we are on Chapter 5 now.

God is so faithful, this year on Easter I was pretty sad and lonely..feeling sorry for myself, because i felt I had no family here. Sat night I was at the house of a member of my church family and I talked about this desire I had to have somewhere to go after church and a sense of family - not just to go home and stare at buddy and the tv. I made my request known to God and He as always really came through.I realize that I pretty much always have some type of fellowship when I leave church and its wonderful.

Anyway, I am going to walk buddy, handle some laundry and try to go to bed early to beat this little summer cold I have.

-S

Health Update..

I will update you that I am on prednisone to clear up my face rash and all is OK with my health went to my final mammogram today and I got the all clear for another 6 months! I am sooooooooo grateful to God.

It is really quite daunting going to a breast specialist. I found out I was fine, but there were woman there who at the same time who were finding they were not. I met one today, and I heard her on the phone wiht a family member and I immediately started praying for her. I felt sad and grateful all at the same time. That could have just as easily been me, but for the grace of God.

I think you can kind of tell when someone is chatty, and she was, she spoke to me, and honestly I was at a loss. I wasn't sure if she was a Christian or not, but I spoke to her about staying positive and then she asked me to prayfor her.. how did she know that I even prayed? I started to tell her I already had started praying for her and I would continue to do so, but I just told her that I certainly would. I am wondering now if she was alone there, that has got to be rough if she was.

The Lawn Hog pt. 2

** I decided my posts are way too long so I am breaking them up, even if I have to post multiple times in one day.. and this is going to be one of those times. So this weekend, I went to back to Lowes returned my electric lawn mower for a gas one. What an improvement. I have to thank one of my friends for picking up my old one taking me to Lowes to return it helping me pick out a new one, dealing with my indecisiveness, then getting me gas for my gas can, setting me up and giving me a gas lawn mower care and operation tutorial. I couldn't have done it with out him.

So i was out there mowing my heart out on Sunday morning at the crack of dawn. I was pretty impressed with myself, not my job, but the mere fact that I was out there handling my yard. I have big things planned for the front yard. That is my summer project.

I am thinking about taking Salsa lessons, but the jury is out on that one at the moment.

Oh I TOTALLY forgot to blog about the power of prayer and expectatations. See next entry for that...

Prayer..

So this is officially a new day, so I don't have 2 posts in 1 day. Last night was the leadership update. I was tempted not to go and just go home and sleep because I was emotionally exhausted, but I knew that it was going to bless me, so I went.

And it did. I was able to put my "stuff" to the side and think about my team. I kept saying to God, its so small, there are only 3 of us. Then I thought of my team at work (because every leadership update I have gone to has helped me in both areas). I am working with a college co-op, and we are a team of 2. But God showed me that it doesn't matter.

I learned to how important it is to build a relationship with your team. It is important to minister with your team to the people (kids), but also to minister to my team. So both of my team members are going through something. I don't know the details, and frankly I don't need to know, but God is showing me that he can show his love for them through me.

That reminds me how important I am to God. The creator of the universe thinks I am important..that is powerful..for me anyway.

So it totally took me out of myself and made me able to look beyond whats going on with me. I was too busy praying for others on my way home from the meeting... I got home checked email.. found out one of my closest friends mom has breast cancer..more prayer... checked some blogs, one of my leaders wife is having a baby tonight..more prayer...I look out my window there are ambulances for a neighbor...more prayer.

Pastor Steve talked about zeal this weekend (I listened to that podcast today) and I think it is important to have that for hurting people..actually all people.

So on a side note.. I debated going outside to saying something to my neighbor, i was peeking..well probably not effectively out of my curtain in my office. I saw my neighbor and his 8 or so year old daughter sitting outside on the steps. There was an ambulance and a small looking fire truck thing, a cop. So after a brief conversation with my mother about being neighborly, I decided to go outside. Mind you I made a promise that I wouldn't go outside looking crazy anymore (you never know who you will meet). My head was full of rollers wrapped in a fishnet thingy. But I still had on my work clothes. But I didn't want to wait to find the right scarf, anyway you would still know there were roller up under there. So whatever, after 10 seconds I decided just go, so I did. Turns out my neighbors father in law was unresponsive and my neighbor was sitting outside with his daughter because he didn't want her to be scared while they were working on him. So I went over there looking crazy and asked if there was anything I can do, that he and his daughter were welcome to come over to my house, he declined. I told him I would pray for him and his family and I went back inside. I peeked out the window every so often. I was really grateful to see that when the EMT brought the father-in-law into the ambulance, he was alive and somewhat alert..I saw him lift his head. So I was grateful to God for that.

So that was my night... I was supposed to working on my taxes..no they are not done...I have until October or August, I can't remember, but anyway this week is my personal deadline.


I am going to give buddy his midnight snack and go to bed..for real this time...

Victory!

Lots of emotions today. It was another Dr's visit. First the good news...I didn't gain any weight as a result of my 4th of July food fest. Ok on to the next set of news.

I am officially allergic to some antiobiotics. My face is on the mend, I am proclaiming it in Jesus' name. It hasn't manifested yet, but today was my first day off the antibiotics so I will keep you posted. The doctor said that cortizone10 lightens my face and makes my splotches more prominent.

But my doctor is concerned about me so she is sending me to a specialist to give me another mammogram and do do further testing, to figure out what my problem is. So I went through this whole thing again. But this time I was more prepared. I listened to Joel Osteen on my ipod in my car. It was his sermon #373 - "Expect Good Things", this was about the third time I listened to this message. But this was when I needed it the most. He said something like
"Our expectations are setting the limits for our life"
"If you are not expecting something good you are not releasing your faith."
"Gods favor is not for a season - it is for a lifetime"
"Goodness and mercy are behind us, God is ahead of us making crooked places straight, and favor is all around us"
"Declare daily something good is going to happen to me today"

About a week ago I started downloading some of my favorite preachers sermons on my ipod. I was pointed to listen to Joel by some of my girlfriends...divine connections..God was preparing me for this day. Can I just tell you some of the podcast that have been downloaded to my ipod:
Charles Stanley
"Confidence in Trouble Times"
"Confidence in Times of Distress"

Joel Osteen
"Expect Good Things"
"You are an Overcomer"

John Hagee
"The Anchor of Hope"
"The Winning Attitude"

One of of my sisters from church was so encouraging she talked to me and she is going with me to my appointment on Friday. Another all I had to do was ask her to pray and I felt better, because she a prayer warrior. I have other friends who aren't Christian who encouraged me. My girlfriend from work waited for me at the Cheesecake Factory way after her lunch hour. Just so I wouldn't have to eat alone after my appointment. And she was so matter of fact.. no problem, I will just stay later today at work, really its no big deal. She really meant that too. I have to say I have been blessed to meet so many people who care about me since I moved to this area. I just want to be as much of a blessing to other people as those who have been there for me.

Anyway I have decided to be positive to believe the Truth and what the Word of God says about my situation.

1. I am more than a conqueror
2. By His stripes I am healed
3. With long life, he will satisfy me
4. God is my strength and my refuge
5. I have the victory

So I am looking forward to seeing what God is going to do in my situation. He's awesome.

Goodnight!