The simplicity of salvation

I have been trying to have a morning devotional every morning (and at 4:30am sometimes that is hard), but I have been doing pretty good about it. Today I got half way through before I had to go before I was late for work. I am working through the book by Beth Moore: Paul-90 days on his journey of faith. I just finished day 24 and let me tell you, it's really good and convicting. I wanted to share two of the points that came out from today cuz it hit a nerve, in a good way! The scripture reading was Acts 15:1-21. Here Paul and Barnabas travel to Jerusalem seeking the answer to the question of having to be circumcised to be saved...aka Moses Law. Beth gave three mistakes that  had been made, two of which struck a nerve.

The first mistake was, they drew a universal standard from their personal experiences. While this is true for some, the bottom line was there is only one way to be saved, by grace through faith in Christ. The second is, they tried to make it harder than it is. Here Beth asked some hard questions that made me stop. "Do we make it difficult for people around us to turn to God? Do we have a list of rules and requirements that turns people away?" She continues to say, "part of the beauty of salvation is its simplicity. Any man, woman, or child can come to Christ with absolutely nothing to offer Him but simple faith--just as they are." The last is, they expected of others what they could not deliver themselves. Here is where the really tough questions came. "Do we have almost impossible expectations of other people? Do we expect things of our mates we wouldn't want to have to deliver ourselves? Do we expect near perfection in our children and tireless commitment from our coworkers? Are we yoke brothers just looking for an unsuspecting neck?" OUCH! This is where I was nailed, and thankfully Jesus was nailed to the cross to forgive me! How many times do I leave the dishes or the laundry saying, "I'm not going to do that, TJ needs to chip in, he can put his own clothes away." Or getting frustrated at work thinking I'm the only one doing things and someone needs to do something too, is it really my place to worry about them? I need to concentrate on myself making sure that I am glorifying God in all things that I do, and not judging someone else because of what they are doing/saying...ouch again. I love how she states this at the end, "Let's return to the simplicity of salvation. Not adding to. Not taking away. When we paint the picture of our salvation for others to see, we may use different colors, textures, and shapes on the edges of the parchment. But in te center can only be a cross. Anything else cheapens grace and cheats the believer."

God has definitely given Beth Moore a talent and wisdom. I am constantly being challenged through this study, which I love. If you are looking for something for quiet time, I recommend any of her 90 day studies...they are reasonably quick, but heartfelt and make you think. Let me know your thoughts!

Trying new things...

I am definitely a creature of habit, but have decided it's time to change that. In order to really make a difference and loose the weight, and keep it off for that matter, I need to make some changes and try new things. Medifast is definitely helping me on this journey. I finally broke the plateau I had with my weight and excited to set some new goals! However, I'm sure I will hit another wall soon. So it's time to do away with the Pumpkin Spice Latte's, sugar, and such so that I can get healthier! I have been introduced to two products that I am very excited about. Walden Farms is a company that sells No Sugar, No Fat, No Calories products. They range from dressings, syrups, BBQ sauce, dips, pasta sauce, ketchup, mayo, and more. Check out waldenfarms.com for more info. They sell most of their product line at Market Street. The other is Capella flavor drops. They are non-sweetened flavors so that I CAN have my pumpkin spice in a different way. They have tons of flavors too, which I'm excited to try. Many of these things have always been my weakness so if I can find a way to still get the flavor every now and then sign me up! It's also about making the right choices. I am so very proud of my husband for choosing to not have any fried food for the rest of the year. So far he has made it almost two weeks! Such an inspiration to follow! It's also about preparing yourself when you go places. So take for instance I went to trade days today in McKinney. The popcorn, cinnamon roasted nuts, and corny dogs smelled amazing, but I had my medifast meal and snacks with me and a bottle of water to Just say NO! My biggest factor was thinking about loosing the 25-30 lbs I have and wanting a cute baby belly someday when we have kids. I'm really tired of say I will do this and then giving up cuz something looks better. This is go time, this is the final time I say I'm going to do this. Thankfully I have a supportive husband that feels the same way. Soon you won't be able to recognize us both!

On another note, I'm trying out the use of magnets to help my shoulder and ankle. I have tendentious in my ankle and ever since the shoulder surgery it is always aching. At the beginning of the month at Canton I got mom a bracelet to help her arthritis in her thumbs. She said it is helping, and she even ordered more for the other wrist, so I thought I would give it a try. The same people were at McKinney Trade Days, so I got a necklace and anklet. I'll let you know how it does. If it even slightly helps my shoulder, I'd say these things are worth it!

I'm Human, You're Human, We are Human

OK, so I'm sure you have all heard the song from Natalie Grant, Human. I hear it alot of Sirius Radio and I absolutely LOVE it. I want it stuck in my head daily so that I sing it at work, or wherever I am to keep reminding myself that I am living for HIM! Read the lyrics below, I hope this song makes an impact in your life like it has mine....thank you Natalie Grant for your amazing messages in your music!

Natalie Grant-Human

Every life has a choice
To rise up to fill the void
Every heart has a mission
And we are called to be human

We gotta do better than this 'cause we only got
One chance to make a difference
We gotta do better than this 'cause we only got
One life that we've been given

A little love, a little kindness
A little light in this time of darkness
It'll be what makes us different
It'll be what makes us human
I'm human, you're human, we are human

We are marked with His image
And we are scarred with indifference
Maybe now we should listen
Hear the cry of God's children

We gotta do better than this 'cause we only got
One chance to make a difference
We gotta do better than this 'cause we only got
One life that we've been given

A little love, a little kindness
A little light in this time of darkness
It'll be what makes the difference
It'll be what makes us human

I'm human, you're human, we are
We are human
I'm human, you're human, we are
We are human

Time to make some changes

Well here I am, about a  year and a half after lap-band surgery and frustrated again with my weight. I have lost 70 lbs but struggling with the last 30! Urgh!! I have to say I am so much happier with myself, life, and pretty much everything with the mini-person gone, but now I'm starting to get back to that I don't like the way I look cuz I have been with this last 30 lbs for about 8 months now. I probably should go in for a fill so that it restricts me more, but yet I have issues eating at times due to the drainage from allergies. I also should just change what I put into my mouth! Insert Medifast here...I started Medifast back in April, was doing great till end of May, started again in Aug, slacked off again, so here I sit at the beginning of October. I'm making a commitment to myself, and now anyone who reads this, that I am sticking to the plan till I loose the 30 lbs left. Now the only issue is the holidays are approaching. My initial goal is 15-20 lbs by Thanksgiving. Reality is I have to make the changes, and struggle through not being tempted at the family meals, which really is just Thanksgiving dinner and a few times over Christmas. My biggest weakness right now is those dang pumpkin spice lattes....so I ordered from capella.com the pumpkin spice flavoring, we shall see soon how it tastes! The peppermint mocha will be hard come December, but I CAN DO THIS!!! I can't wait to look fantastic and get rid of this stinking gut that's left.

The beginning of a new era

So, I created this blog, oh so very long ago and never seem to use it. Now all my friends have blogs and seem to always write something inspirational, even though they aren't necessarily meaning to! SO here I am looking at my blog again, thinking I should try and use it. It's in the process of a make-over, so bear with me :). Who knows how much I'll be able to write but, then again you never know. I have begun to study for the actuarial exams. The first one is on probability. Some think I'm insane, and others think this is probably the perfect fit for me (although teaching was also a great fit). Who would've thought I would go through teacher certification for a needed position only to find that 3 years later the economy stinks and therefore there are no teaching positions out there...God knew, that's who! I love substitute teaching, yet that's not going to pay the bills for the rest of my life, especially if we want to have a family. So in came the thought once again to take the actuarial exams (I thought about doing this originally before I began the teacher's certification--thought I was taking the easier track). I spend my spare time studying, and probably that's not even enough. I hope and pray I pass this exam on November 22. From there I am hoping to be accepted into New York Life's internship program (that is paid) in Tampa, FL with my dad. After the internship comes finding a job. There's a lot up in the air right now too. I pray daily that God reveals to TJ and I where he has planned for us to live upcoming, and to reveal the right path for both of us for a job. I also pray that I am respectful towards my husband and listen to his wisdom and thoughts towards this. We are both excited for the possibility to move to Tampa, yet nervous. So do I stay in Tampa for the summer while he stays here, do we move if I get the internship on a leap of faith, or what? All of it's a little uneasy for someone who likes to have things planned out and go that way! :) All I can do is look to HIM and trust. So here's to the new beginnings. Hopefully I have more to blog as I study and as God leads me on my path of living...