Journey with Jesus Day 17

The Day is approaching!  Jesus is coming back soon!  The world is getting crazier, and deception is everywhere. .... I've been thinking about faithfulness again lately.  That's a theme in my life I think God will never stop teaching me, and I'm glad 'cause more than anything I wanna be faithful to Jesus.  When I fall into attitudes of ungratefulness and discontentment, or I'm just a downright grumpy face (ha!), God reminds me of faithfulness.  He just wants me to be faithful ... no matter where I'm at or what I'm doing ... God's ultimate calling for my life is to live for Him, grow in Him, and be more like Christ.  I think one of the biggest problems with this world today is that Christians are getting too wrapped up in tolerance and what they "think" Jesus desires for our lives here on earth, and they are forgetting about obedience.  And obedience and faithfulness go hand in hand.  I was just reading in 1 Samuel tonight where God commanded Saul to take out the Amalekites ... completely.  No survivors.  No spoil.  Kill 'em all, and take nothing.  I don't know why exactly ... I'm sure the Amalekites were evil.  And sure, to our feeble, human minds, to just wipe 'em out sounds pretty harsh.  How could a loving God do that?  But the reality is ... God is not just a God of love; He is also a JUST God.  He can't be in the presence of sin.  And God is a GOOD God (the ONLY true and good God, by the way), and He has His reasons.  I'm gonna trust in who He IS (and WAS and WILL BE ... which is all the same, by the way again). ... Anyway ... Saul killed everyone but took all the animals and plunder.  Not good.  He was DISOBEDIENT.  Oh, Saul said he wanted to sacrifice that plunder to the Lord ... but no, God didn't want that.  God is more concerned about our OBEDIENCE (our faithfulness) than He is about our "sacrifices," our fleshly desires, our tolerance for what WE "think" is right or what WE "think" HE thinks is right.  What God calls right is literally in Scripture ... in black and white.  We may not always understand it, but that doesn't mean we can change it to say what we want it to say or ignore parts of it or do our own thing with it.  No, we must OBEY.  We must be FAITHFUL to God's Word.  Deception is all around us.  We must stay on the alert.  We must choose to OBEY GOD rather than sacrifice our morels and doctrine on the alter of tolerance and, ultimately, disobedience.

"And Samuel said, 'Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord?  Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams'" (1 Samuel 15:22).

Breakfast - cheese stick, cashews & almonds, and a granola bar
Lunch - flax seed crackers & cheese & ham, broccoli & cauliflower, pickles, and trail mix
Snack - tortilla chips and sour cream
Dinner - curry chicken over brown rice and green beans with sweet tea to drink
Dessert - brownie with milk
Only got 4 glasses of water in today and no workout ... but I'm continuing to eat more veggies.  And slowly but surely, I'm learning to make better choices overall ... and that's exciting!  Gonna keep working at being obedient in the area of food and fitness.

Journey with Jesus Day 16

"Though you have not seen Him, you love Him.  Thought you do not now see Him, you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory" (1 Peter 1:8).

Wow!  For some reason, this verse is really hitting me tonight.  I think it's because I wanna have this kind of faith ... to love Jesus even though I can't see Him ... that is such a beautiful picture of faith, isn't it?  Mmm ... yeah. :)  It reminds me of a verse that has popped up in my life lately ... Sunday during Pastor's sermon and in a Ken Davis video I was watching recently ... "... that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection" (Philippians 3:10).  These two verses just go together in my mind.  To know Jesus takes faith, growing faith.  To love Jesus requires faith.  To believe in Jesus and His resurrection is just exciting!  And to love Him even though I can't see Him is exciting to me too!  We can know the POWER of Jesus in our lives NOW, not just when we get to Heaven.  Jesus is ALIVE because of His resurrection, so WE are ALIVE in Him because of His resurrection!  We can KNOW Him and LOVE Him and BELIEVE in Him and EXPERIENCE His POWER ... E V E R Y D A Y ! ! !  All we have to do is tap into His power.  All we have to do is BE IN RELATIONSHIP with Him.  All we have to do is LIVE IN HIM.  Gosh!  I just wanna keep practicing this kind of faith every single day.  The Day is getting nearer and nearer.  Jesus is coming back, folks!  Let's be ready!  Let's be IN Him!  Let's KNOW Him every single day, ok??? :)

Breakfast - bacon and eggs
Lunch - turkey and noodles and green beans
"Snack" (right ... this is my first dinner!  Haha!) - half of a turkey club, popcorn, sweet tea, and a spoonful of peanut butter
(Second) Dinner - chicken, corn, and broccoli with cauliflower
64+ ounces of water :)
And I did yard work at The Porch for 6 HOURS today!  So yes, that is my workout for today ... and tomorrow ... and the next day ... ha!  Just kidding.  Just for today ... but man, I am worn out, yo!

To the tune of Dory's "Just keep swimming" song in Finding Nemo ...
Let's keep practicing.  Let's keep practicing.  Let's keep practicing, practicing, practicing (our faith in Jesus!)! :)

Journey with Jesus Day 15

Tonight, at Vacation Bible School, the theme was based on Hebrews 12:1 ... the short version that the kids were asked to memorize says, "Let us throw off everything that hinders and run the race."  I had so much fun talking to each group of kids about what hinder means and how we need to get rid of anything that gets in the way of us following after Jesus.  I need that reminder every single day!  And tonight, in my Jesus Calling reading, the focus was on the verse that says, "No one can serve two masters."  I thought, how fitting!  That goes right along with throwing off things that hinder us from knowing Christ because, most of the time, we try to serve two masters ... we try to serve God, and we try to serve that thing or person or experience that is really just hindering us from serving God.  I just love it when lessons line up.  When what God is teaching me (staying focused on Him, not my circumstances) lines up with VBS and my Jesus Calling and thoughts that the Holy Spirit brings to my mind and whatever else.  Just wanted to share. :)

Breakfast - sausage and eggs and a granola bar
Lunch - brown rice and smoked sausage, broccoli, and green beans
Dessert - Frost Bite ... yummy! :)
Dinner - turkey avocado BLT and a pickle
Snack - cheese stick and a spoonful of peanut butter
More than 64 ounces of water :)

No real physical activity, but I do want to share a couple of decisions I'm proud of ... I wanted a sweet green tea at Panera so bad, but I didn't get one because I had ice cream with Mags and Emily earlier in the day.  I also really wanted some lasagna and garlic bread when I got home from VBS ... I had the lasagna and bread on a plate in the microwave, but I said "NO!" and put them back.  For me, these are big accomplishments!  Every little bit helps, right?

Journey with Jesus Day 14

Vacation Bible School has been so great this week!  I have to be honest and say I wasn't looking forward to it at all.  We have just been so busy, and I am overcommitted.  But I have always loved VBS.  It is so awesome to teach young kids how to grow in their faith and help them draw closer to Jesus.  That's why we're here on this planet, right?  To point people to Christ.  So VBS is just the coolest!  And it has been such a blessing to be apart of it this week.  This year, we started a youth group aspect to it ... the teenagers not only help with VBS, but we have a Bible study with them each night of the week during VBS as well.  Wow, it has been great ... even if the new 7th grade boys told me straight up that my lessons are boring.  Haha!  Ironically, they were more engaged tonight than any other night this week. ;)  Pouring into children ... and everyone, for that matter ... is a wonderfully rewarding thing! :)

Breakfast - sausage and eggs
Lunch - brown rice, smoked sausage, and broccoli and cauliflower
Dinner - chicken parmesan, spaghetti squash alfredo, corn on the cob, green beans, and sweet tea :)
Oh, and I did have a handful of chocolate chips - yum!
Snack - tortilla chips with guacamole and sour cream and salsa
I drank tons of water today ... but I also sweated a bunch of it out too.  I mulched at The Porch for about 45 minutes at the end of my work day ... and it was hardcore work!  Counting that as my workout again today 'cause it totally counts! :D

Just a quick praise report!
I have been working for my mom for almost 3 weeks.  The first couple of weeks were pretty rough ... but this week has been great!  I'm not taking things off the shelves any longer, so I'm sure that helps quite a bit.  But I'm beginning to see the vision for the place ... and it's gonna be awesome!  It already is!  And I am just getting a lot done.  My attitude has been so much better, and I just feel God's presence with me each day.  I have so much to be thankful for ... and I just want to praise God for the opportunity to be apart of The Porch ... it is an awesome little bookstore and cafe', but it is also a wonderful ministry!  My Jesus Calling for tonight put it well when it said, "Tasks that you used to dread are becoming rich opportunities to enjoy My closeness."  It's so true.  When we choose to focus on Jesus in every situation, we begin to know and feel His presence and see those not so fun circumstances as chances to talk to Him and draw close to Him instead of complaining or getting discouraged.  It's a tough mindset to maintain, but I am learning a lot about it these days.  Thank you, Holy Spirit, for always being at work in my life!  What kind of circumstances do you need to turn over to Jesus today? :)

Journey with Jesus Day 13

Well, so much for posting for 40 days in a row.  I'm not sure I could follow through with a blog project if my life depended on it!  Ha!  I have started so many projects ... sheesh.  Oh well, I am determined to finish this one, even if I don't post every single day for 40 days.  That was a lofty goal ... we are just too busy!  And man, we are!  I can't keep up!  I get overwhelmed all the time and so easily.  Just gotta keep my focus on Jesus. :)
I've had some good days and some bad days with my Daniel Plan lately.  This weekend, we ate terribly.  But this week, has been much better.  I'm gonna keep working at it.  It may be the slowest process ever, but I'm gonna keep working at it!

Breakfast - sausage and eggs and a few bites of a banana
Lunch - pb&j, broccoli and cauliflower, a pickle, and some cheese
Dinner - brown rice and smoked sausage and broccoli with sweet tea to drink
Snack - crackers and cheese
More than 64 ounces of water
And I did over 2 hours of push mowing and mulching today ... it was hard work!  That is my workout for the day.

Tonight, at VBS, I talked with the teenagers and the kidos about trusting in the Lord.  I love the picture in Jeremiah 17:7-8 about the tree planted by streams of water.  When we trust in the Lord, we are like that tree ... full of life, standing strong during trials, and bearing good fruit for others to see.  God is so faithful!  Why wouldn't we trust Him?

Journey with Jesus Day 12

Wow, I've been lax with my Daniel Plan lately.  I think I've decided that when I'm overwhelmed I tend to let the important things go.  So I need to be careful!  I will say though ... I have read my Jesus Calling devotional and written in my prayer journal EVERY night of my Daniel Plan ... even the couple of days I got behind with my posts, I still did my devotions.  So I guess the MOST important thing was not let go, and that is saying something.  I don't wanna sell myself short this time!  I have done my devotions every night for the past 13 days!  I have been fighting a battle against the flesh everyday.  And I already know who wins --- JESUS!  So I just need to keep fighting and keep trying and keep finding my refuge in the Lord!  My Jesus Calling for tonight ... Psalm 34:8 ... talks about what a blessing it is to take refuge in the Lord.
I've been thinking tonight about how I wanna start over tomorrow ... how I can ... how tomorrow is Thursday, my "first" day of the week.  I've been pretty lax with my 3 teas and 2 desserts.  I'm gonna try again tomorrow.  More from my Jesus Calling tonight --- God's mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23)!!!  And so I shall ... start over again. :)

Breakfast - Greek yogurt with granola and kiwi
Lunch - bean burrito and tortilla chips with salsa and guacamole and sweet tea
Snack - cheese stick
Dinner - BBQ pork, cheesy potatoes, green beans, garlic bread, and sweet tea
Dessert - slice and a half of cake
Only 6 glasses of water.
Did yard work and hauled heavy boxes for over 2 hours, so I'm counting that as my workout for today! :)

I've been leaving out one of my favorite parts of the Daniel Plan journal ... it has me write down one thing I am thankful for each day.  Today, I am thankful for our 20somethings Bible study group.  We have amazing leaders, Rick and Patti Ehrhardt, and we always have such great food and discussion.  I'm also thankful that my husband is a godly man and so full of faith .... he prayed for me today when I was struggling at work.  And his prayers worked!  My day got better, and I was able to find some perspective in the midst of frustration and discouragement.  Praise the Lord!  Every good and perfect gift is from HIM!  What are you thankful for today?

Journey with Jesus Day 11

Today I was listening to a song by the Daniel Doss Band.  Check 'em out!  They have a great message in their lyrics.  It was called "Lord Reign."  And I was deeply convicted and challenged.  When I think of God reigning in my life, I think of Him being with me or being in control ... or both.  But today, I had a profound sense that the song "Lord Reign" was more about allowing God's presence to fill our lives and transform our perspective.  I was struck right to the heart because I've been struggling with my attitude quite a bit lately.  And even more than just a bad attitude, I've been struggling with my perspective.  I've been wanting a baby lately.  I've been not liking my summer job lately.  I've been discouraged with my end of school year review at the high school.  I've been way too busy.  I've been tired.  I've just not been keeping my eyes on Jesus.  So I've been fighting discontentment and restlessness and ungratefulness and some discouragement lately.  I always get down on myself when I fall into these (lack of) perspectives because I am SOOOO blessed, and God is SOOOO good!  But I guess I'm human, so it's gonna happen from time to time.  And it's ALWAYS gonna happen when I take my eyes off Jesus ... even for just a day. ... So this song really spoke to me today.  I need to allow the Lord to reign in my life ... to fill up my mind and heart and spirit ... so that I can live with HIS perspective, not my own. ... Tonight, in my Jesus Calling, I was given Isaiah 40:29-31 ... a passage I've heard many times, but it always encourages me.
"God gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might He increases strength.  Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."

Hopefully I can not faint with my eating ... 'cause it's been pretty hit and miss the past few days.  I will keep trying though.  Today wasn't so good.
Breakfast - sausage and eggs
Lunch - PB&J, cheese stick, and broccoli with cheese
Snack - popcorn and sweet tea
Dinner - Chicago's pizza and breadsticks and orange juice
64 ounces of water
And for exercise, I hauled a bunch of merchandise from The Porch into the trailer for 40 minutes.

Hope everyone is having a good week!  Keep trying to focus on Jesus, not your circumstances.  God's perspective is the best perspective! :)

Journey with Jesus Day 10

I've been so tired over the past couple of weeks.  I think we're just too busy.  I need a break, and I'm not sure when I'm gonna get one.  And I think my tiredness is leaving me discouraged.  I'm trying to keep the right perspective, but man, it's hard.  Just gotta keep practicing thankfulness and keep focusing my mind on Jesus and not on my circumstances.  That's what I'm learning this week.  And it was so cool ... last night, after I posted about how discouraged I was, my Jesus Calling was all about fixing my eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2) and not on my circumstances.  God really does bring what we need right when we need it.

Well, sadly, I'm only a couple days behind with my Journey with Jesus posts, but I don't remember the last few days enough to post about 'em.  So Day 10 will be today instead of earlier this weekend.

Breakfast - bacon and eggs and toast
Lunch - 1/2 turkey sandwich, blue tortilla chips and avocado, and raw veggies
Snack - trail mix
Dinner - chicken and noodles, broccoli, asparagas, and yogurt with granola
64 ounces of water
And I worked in the yard again for a few hours today ... I counted an hour and 15 minutes of using the push mower as my workout ... man, that was tough!

Hope y'all are staying encouraged.  God is faithful ... even when we're tired and discouraged.

SoZo Devotionals: Faithfulness

Man, I just can't seem to get these devotionals up consistently.  I'm so sorry for those of you who are wanting these each week.  I just can't seem to figure out how to slow down.  I will keep trying to be consistent.  I hope you will be consistent to read your Bibles and spend time with Jesus even when I don't get these devos up on time.

Last Sunday, we talked a lot about faithfulness.  We came up with several phrases to define faithfulness: true repentance, Truth in the inner most being, selflessness, and dependence on God.  Think about these definitions as you read passages about faithfulness this week.  I just have a few passages this week ...

Devo #1 - Read Proverbs 3:1-8
- Why does keeping God's commands bring us peace? (vs. 1-2)
- Verse 3 says, "Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you ..."  Why should we "bind love and faithfulness around our necks" and "write them on our hearts"?  What does that even mean?
- Why should we NOT trust our OWN understanding? (v. 5)
- How does fearing the Lord and turning away from evil refresh us? (vs. 7-8)

Devo #2 - Read Psalm 25:1-10
- What does trusting in the Lord have to do with being faithful to the Lord?
- Verses 4-7 are a prayer.  What about this prayer reveals faithfulness?
- What happens when we keep God's commands? (v. 10)

Devo #3 - Read Psalm 86:1-13
- Verses 1-7 are a prayer of yearning.  What about this prayer reveals faithfulness?
- Verse 8 says, "There is none like You, Lord...."  Hoe does believing this statement reveal faithfulness?
- In the NIV, verse 11 says, "Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness."  Other versions say, "Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your Truth."  What does faithfulness have to do with God's Truth?

The celebration service on Sunday night was so amazing!  God really does want to meet with us!  We just have to be willing to meet with Him, make the time, and invite Him into our lives!  I hope y'all will take some time to invite Him in this week.  I'm gonna keep practicing doing just that! :)  Love you guys!  Have a great week!

Struggling in the Journey

Well, I'm behind with my Journey with Jesus posts.  It only took 10 days ... bummer.  I'd just like to know ... how on earth do you keep up with your goals?  I feel like my goals were very attainable, but I just can't do it all.  I'm feeling incredibly overwhelmed right now ... and I'm trying not to be discouraged ... especially 'cause we just got back from an amazing worship service at church.  But I just don't know how to do it all.  Our dirty and clean laundry has been all over our bedroom floor for over a week!  I haven't been able to get the SoZo devos up consistently.  I have been reading my Jesus Calling and doing my prayer page, but it has been so rushed this past week ... and honestly only done so that I can say I did it for my Daniel Plan, not because I really wanted to do it.  It has been such a whirlwind week!  Sooo busy!  And this week isn't really gonna be any slower.  I just don't know how to do it all.  I need to get caught up with my Daniel Plan journaling and blogging, but I've gotta do my devotions and post the SoZo devos before Darrell wants to come to bed.  So even though I'm two days behind now, I will have to find time for it later. ... And ... I cheated and had my third dessert today.  Why aren't my goals sustainable?  Why can't I do this?  My goals honor God.  I've been trying to follow the Holy Spirit.  I just can't seem to do what needs to be done.

I'm sorry for the negativity.  Just struggling today ... and that's part of my journey with Jesus at times too.  Hopefully I can get back on track tomorrow.  Monday.  Whew.  Say a pray for me if you think about it.  Just need some encouragement tonight. ... Still trying ....

Good night :)

Journey with Jesus Day 9

My post is a bit late, but we didn't get in until 1:30ish last night (this morning).  I did get my Jesus Calling and prayer page done, but it was kinda a quickie. :( ... My mom and I had a great afternoon driving all over Indy to find good foods to eat.  We stopped at Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and Meijer, filling the SECOND fridge my parents own.  Haha!  We're gonna keep working to eat healthy and try some new recipes.  And then Darrell and I were out late eating ice cream with Jared and Mags.  Haha!  So much for our trip to the healthy stores today.  No, it's all good.  It was one of our two desserts this week.  Good times, huh? :)

Breakfast - blueberry Greek yogurt with granola and mixed berries
Lunch - chicken, brown rice, mixed veggies, apple, cheese stick, and trail mix
Snack - blue corn chips and salsa and a cheese stick
Dinner - burger, corn, and green beans ... and my second sweet tea of the week
Dessert - cookies and ice cream
64 ounces of water :)

Hopefully, I'll get a workout in today 'cause I haven't worked out since Tuesday!

Have a good day, everyone!  I'll be posting again tonight!

Journey with Jesus Day 8

Today was so much better at work!  I am so grateful for the Lord's working in my life!  The Holy Spirit gave me so much help and perspective today!  I was able to get so much work done at The Porch!  Wahoo!  I will keep practicing.

Breakfast - bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich on a whole wheat English muffin
Lunch - BLT on wheat bread, pickle, and baked chips ... and sweet tea
Snack - cheese stick and trail mix
Dinner - chicken, broccoli, and mixed veggies ... and fruit
Snack - chips and guacamole
64 ounces of water :)

Busy days ... short posts.  I guess that's just how it goes!  But at least I'm posting consistently!  Sleep long, and sleep well, y'all!