Journey with Jesus Day 21

I've decided that my struggle with my attitude is just as much a physical battle as a spiritual. I haven't been eating the way I should, and I think it has been affecting my mood and making me more susceptible to discouragement. So I'm trying, once again, to get healthy. I'm hope that this new vantage point will motivate me further. I so badly want to honor God with my body and my attitude. Prayers would be appreciated. :)

Breakfast - bacon and a slice of cheese
Lunch - pork roast and veggies
Snack - cheese and flaxseed crackers
Dinner - taco salad and a glass of sweet tea
64 ounces of water
45 minute workout video

SoZo Devotionals: Romans 12:1-8

Hey, everyone!

On Sunday mornings during Sunday School, the middle school and high schoolers will be studying through Romans chapter 12 ... one of my favorite chapters in the Bible.  I thought what better content for our weekly devotionals??? :D  So take a few minutes each day this week to read the assigned verses, think through the questions, and talk to the Lord about your day.  I usually use the ESV when I read my Bible, so I encourage you to find which version of the Bible works for you.  And I also encourage you to read the NLT alongside it for our study through Romans.  I just like that version to help me apply what I'm reading to my everyday life.

Devo #1 - Read Romans 12:1
What is a "living sacrifice"?
How can YOU be a living sacrifice this week?
What kinds of things in this life are "holy and acceptable" to God?
How can we make OUR LIVES holy and acceptable to God?

Devo #2 - Read Romans 12:2
This verse says, "don't copy the behavior of this world" or "do not conform to this world" ... in what ways DO WE copy the ways of this world?
How can we NOT copy or conform to this world? ... pst!  What does the next part of the verse say? ;)
How can we allow the Holy Spirit to transform, or totally change, the way we think?

Devo #3 - Read Romans 12:3
In what ways do we "think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think"?
How can YOU put the needs of others before your own this week?
What does thinking with "sober judgment" mean?
How can YOU practice sober judgment this week?

Devo #4 - Read Romans 12:4-5
What do you believe YOUR function is in the Body of Christ? ... If you aren't sure, go ask your parents or a Christian friend about it...they can probably help.
What do you think "one body in Christ means"?

Devo #5 - Read Romans 12:7-8
Do you have any of the gifts mentioned in these verses? If so, how are you using your gifts for the Lord? If not, are there any you would like to have? If so, pick one to practice this week.

Prayer Requests -
- Olivia - freshman orientation and P.E. final
- Kristy - frustrations with softball team

Journey with Jesus Day 20

I am amazed at how often I forget the Truth. I was listening to a sermon by John MacArthur tonight while I put the laundry away, and it reminded me about the importance of abiding in Christ. So often, I try to work for my salvation. In my heart of hearts, I think I believe the Bible when it says we are saved by grace, not works (Ephesians 2:8), but in my everyday heart, I don't believe it. And I constantly try to earn my salvation. And then beat myself silly when I can't do it ... Which is always, by the way. .... But I was reminded tonight that I don't bear fruit by trying; I bear fruit by abiding (John 15:4). I'm so thankful for the reminder!

Breakfast - sausage and cheese
Lunch - turkey burger (no bun), tomato, green beans, and broccoli & cauliflower
Snack - watermelon, apple with peanut butter, and almonds & cashews
Dinner - pizza and popcorn and sweet tea
Only 6 glasses of water
Zumba for 45 minutes :)

Journey with Jesus Day 19

I'm trying again, today, to get back on track. I called this a journey for a good reason....'cause I keep losing the path. I wanna be healthier, but man, bad choices are everywhere...and they are so appealing .....at the time. There are ups and downs on the journey....no matter what kind of journey you're on. Just don't give up! We can't give up. We must keep working at our goals. I must keep trying to get healthy. And really, even if I don't lose another pound in my life, I have made lifestyle changes that make me healthier today than I was a year ago. Imperfect progress is still progress. ....... And today was an up day even if I did have some ice cream. :) .... So don't give up, everyone who is trying for something better! I know I'm not going to!

Breakfast - sausage and cheese
Lunch - turkey sausage, green beans, and broccoli & cauliflower
Snack - apple with peanut butter, cottage cheese, and trail mix
Dinner - chicken, cauliflower, and asparagus & zucchini
Dessert - Frost Bite :)
More than 64 ounces of water
45 minutes of Zumba!

SoZo Devotionals: Faith without works is DEAD

I've been INCREDIBLY inconsistent with these SoZo devos this year ... but hey, I'm trying again this week.  We talked a lot today in both Sunday School and group tonight about practicing our faith and tapping into the power of the Holy Spirit.  So I encourage you to take some time each day this week to read these Scripture passages and spend some time in prayer, thinking about OUR response to Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross.  Take some time to think about YOUR role in this relationship with Jesus.  Don't forget ... faith without works is dead.  How can you be ALIVE in your faith this week?  Just keep practicing. :)  Love you, guys!

Monday - Read Romans 12:1-2.
Think about what it means to be a living sacrifice.  How can you put that into practice this week?

Tuesday - Read Galatians 5:16-17.
What does it mean for the flesh to be opposed to the Spirit?  Look up the word "opposition" in the dictionary if you wanna think a little deeper about this question. :)  Do you ever feel your flesh (sinful nature) battling against the Holy Spirit in your life?  How so?

Wednesday - Ephesians 5:15-18.
Think about what it means to be drunk with alcohol.  Now, think about what being drunk with the Holy Spirit would look like?  If we were drunk on Jesus everyday, what would our lives look like?

Thursday - Read Philippians 2:12-13.
Read this verse in the New Living Translation if you can.  I especially like verse 13 in that translation.  How do these verses challenge you or encourage you?

Friday - Read James 2:14-26.
Write down some thoughts about these verses.  How do these verses make you stop and think about YOUR faith?

Saturday - Read James 2:14-26 again.
What kinds of "works" have you been doing in your everyday life lately?  Make a list.  Do you live your life to please God?  If not, what is holding you back?  If you've been struggling to serve God lately, how can you be more intentional in listening to the Holy Spirit's leadings and putting your faith into practice?

Prayer Requests from the group this week ...
~ Caylee takes her driver's test on Tuesday
~ Angelica's niece is sick ... may have malaria
~ Jenny starts culinary school this week
~ Kristy is struggling with her teammates on her softball team
~ Darian has three waitressing shifts at Dave's this week
~ Darrell's dad got fired from his coaching job recently
~ Dallas is looking for a new job

Denying self + relying on Jesus = Faith (which equals a thankful attitude)

I've been pretty discouraged about my attitude lately.  Don't even try to tell me that there's NOT a spiritual battle going on all around us.  My life is living proof that there IS!  Every single day, my flesh is dukin' it out with the Holy Spirit inside me.  My selfish nature wants things MY way ... easy, happy, carefree, no responsibilities, and just plain boring, really.  But the Holy Spirit wants me to be challenged, convicted, and empowered to be the woman GOD wants me to be.  My attitude has always been my main vessel for sin.  Thank you, Jesus, I have a "simple" testimony ... no drugs, no alcohol, no sex outside of marriage, no abuse, no "big-time" mistakes ... but man, if I've learned anything about myself over the past few years, it is that I am PRIDEFUL ... I am a WORRIER ... and I am UNGRATEFUL fffaaarrr too often.  I'm also a PERFECTIONIST and a SELF-CONDEMNER, which means that I beat myself to a pulp every time I mess up.  I have so much to be thankful for ... I'm the most blessed person I know (yes, I'm bragging ;)).  And so I have NO, absolutely NO, reason to have a bad attitude ... especially about frivolous things.  I know I'm human and all that jazz, but I just wanna do better.  So I've been struggling ... wanting to do the right thing, wanting to truly be a good example (not just look like one on the outside), wanting to stop messing up.  Hence, my Facebook status recently about feeling like an imposter.

Thank you to everyone who posted on my status or sent me a separate message or text.  I was humbled to see how many people took a minute to post encouragement for me.  And as a response to all the encouraging posts, I wanted to post something special God used in my life this week.  I've been reading through the book Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, and a couple days this week, my readings have been all about facing challenges head on because God is trying to teach us and make us stronger because of them.  This one, in particular, spoke to me this week.  It says ....

"Do not resist or run from the difficulties in your life.  These problems are not random mistakes; they are hand-tailored blessings designed for your benefit and growth.  Embrace all the circumstances that I allow in your life, trusting Me to bring good out of them.  View problems as opportunities to rely more fully on Me.  When you start to feel stressed, let those feelings alert you to your need for Me.  Thus, your needs become doorways to deep dependence on Me and increasing intimacy between us.  Although self-sufficiency is acclaimed in the world, reliance on Me produces abundant living in My kingdom.  Thank Me for the difficulties in your life, since they provide protection from the idolatry of self-reliance."
- Jesus

Wow!  That just hits what I'm dealing with right on the head!  I do not rely on the Lord ... I rely on myself ... because I am prideful.  The root of my bad attitude is a lack of faith.  Faith is denying myself and relying on God.  God has been trying to teach me this for so long, and I keep forgetting the many ways He's been trying to teach me over the past few years especially.  I must remember John 15:5 when it says, "Apart from Me, you can do NOTHING!"  It's so true.  I need Jesus for the very air I breathe, so why do I think I can sustain a godly, joyful, and thankful attitude for any length of time without His help.  If only I could see my failures and difficult circumstances as opportunities to depend on Christ, just like my Jesus Calling reading says.  Wow. ......... I guess I can keep practicing. :)  Practice is one of my life words.  I will keep practicing denying myself and relying on Jesus ... I will keep practicing my faith. :)

Journey with Jesus Day 18

I've had kind of a rough day.  Just been emotional today.  Before I even left for work, I was irritable and emotional and just feeling burned out.  And I'm not sure why.  A couple different times today I was on the verge of tears over things that wouldn't usually bother me that much.  It's probably just hormones ... ladies, you hear me, right?  But man ... hormones or not, it is no fun to be down.  And then I was down on myself all evening at the church softball game ... just feeling ... to be blunt ... fat and ugly.  Again, ladies, I think you know what I'm talking about.  Overall, I feel fine about myself, but some days are fat and ugly days ... especially when I was hanging around two of the sweetest, most gorgeous women I know ... Darian Kirkpatrick and her sister, Chelsey Roberts.  I hate it, but I can't help but compare myself to them.  They are so thin and beautiful and sweet-spirited and calm and put together ... all the things I'm not ... okay, at least I don't think I can fit those descriptions ... maybe someone else will disagree with me ... let's not be a total downer.  Anyways ... I probably shouldn't post such a downer post ... but this was my day today. ... But I am reminded that tomorrow is another day in which God's mercies are new for me - yay!  And the only person I should compare myself with is Christ ... or at least Christ's perspective of me ... and He thinks I am fearfully and wonderfully made - yay!  I am me.  I'm my own person.  I'm beautiful in my own way.  I'm striving to love Jesus with all my heart and be all His.  So again, tomorrow is a new day to start all over.  Let's end on a positive note. :)

Breakfast - sausage and eggs and a granola bar
Lunch - brown rice with hamburger meat and broccoli and cauliflower
Snack - apple with peanut butter, cheese stick, and flax seed crackers
Dinner - chicken, potatoes, broccoli and cauliflower, and sweet tea :)
Snack - trail mix
64 ounces of water
No workout ... gotta get back to that more consistently

Heading off here to renew my perspective with God's Word.  Good night, all! :)

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?