"A suffering and newly born again 45-year-old man relocated his wife
& 4 year old son from up north to our beautiful city in hopes of
finding a better life....With no money for food, gas, or laundry, he
became suicidal. His wife, barely hanging on and stricken with fear
contemplated the unspeakable..."
Click Link to continue. (This is an excerpt from the blog of the nonprofit ministry I serve).
Elisa Riebeling Ministries: The Blog: God's Special People - The Poor (Part 1)
Showing posts with label All. Show all posts
Showing posts with label All. Show all posts
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Calorie Counters for Weight Loss Help
I just started using this online calorie counter for help in weight loss that Lori @ southernsweetie1978.blogspot.com shared with me - http://www.myfitnesspal.com/
Here's another one I might try - https://tracker.dailyburn.com/v .
Why was so excited to try this? It's not as restrictive as a diet where you have to completely eliminate certain foods (or food groups). You only need to keep your calories under or at your limit. It's so easy to just select what you eat each day! When you have completed the day's entry, you get a message that tells you something like, "If you continue eating this way, in 5 weeks you will lose...X number of pounds"! That's what I like to see!
Here's another one I might try - https://tracker.dailyburn.com/v .
Why was so excited to try this? It's not as restrictive as a diet where you have to completely eliminate certain foods (or food groups). You only need to keep your calories under or at your limit. It's so easy to just select what you eat each day! When you have completed the day's entry, you get a message that tells you something like, "If you continue eating this way, in 5 weeks you will lose...X number of pounds"! That's what I like to see!
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
More Than That Donut...
So, here I am, about a month into my Positive Life Change. I had my 5th workout today, and I felt great afterward, though I did wonder if maybe I should have felt "more worked out". I did the prescribed leg work (reps and weight), and I broke a sweat, even did my ab work, then stretched. I hope I did everything correctly.
I've been watching what I eat more carefully and have been intentional on eating more fruits and veggies. I added green beans to a Sunday night pasta and beef sausage dish and ate some salad; I've eaten fruit every day this week; I was quite proud of myself today as my plate from Luby's looked like the plate on this blog (half veggies, 1/4 protein, 1/4 grain! And two days ago, something came out of my mouth that shocked both my husband and myself. He had brought home a couple of donuts - one glazed and one chocolate frosted. There I stood looking them in their frosty eyes (donut holes). And then, as I mustered up the strength to resist, out came, "I want to have a baby more than I want that donut!" But before I turned away from them, I watched as my husband's mouth dropped. Not that this has been kept a secret from him, but I think he was attempting to keep my rejection of the donuts separate from himself. I reassured him and while pinching some of my stomach flab, reiterated that I desperately want to get rid of it.
Of course, after he left for work it was a little harder to stick to my guns. I ate a quarter of each one. Afterward, I felt satisfied with my half donut, and resolved to eat anything unhealthy only in moderation if the temptation was too great. I've been down that road many times where deprivation leads to binging.
Which brings me to a question - what is worse? Half of a donut or half of a buenuelo?
Anyway, I'm motivated to keep up my workouts! Though I'm not looking forward to my next weigh and measure in 8 days, after being in bed for 5 days with the flu and basically just eating, eating, eating. I will be happy if I didn't gain anything, but ecstatic if I lost just a little something. Time for sleep, goodnight!
I've been watching what I eat more carefully and have been intentional on eating more fruits and veggies. I added green beans to a Sunday night pasta and beef sausage dish and ate some salad; I've eaten fruit every day this week; I was quite proud of myself today as my plate from Luby's looked like the plate on this blog (half veggies, 1/4 protein, 1/4 grain! And two days ago, something came out of my mouth that shocked both my husband and myself. He had brought home a couple of donuts - one glazed and one chocolate frosted. There I stood looking them in their frosty eyes (donut holes). And then, as I mustered up the strength to resist, out came, "I want to have a baby more than I want that donut!" But before I turned away from them, I watched as my husband's mouth dropped. Not that this has been kept a secret from him, but I think he was attempting to keep my rejection of the donuts separate from himself. I reassured him and while pinching some of my stomach flab, reiterated that I desperately want to get rid of it.
Of course, after he left for work it was a little harder to stick to my guns. I ate a quarter of each one. Afterward, I felt satisfied with my half donut, and resolved to eat anything unhealthy only in moderation if the temptation was too great. I've been down that road many times where deprivation leads to binging.
Which brings me to a question - what is worse? Half of a donut or half of a buenuelo?
Anyway, I'm motivated to keep up my workouts! Though I'm not looking forward to my next weigh and measure in 8 days, after being in bed for 5 days with the flu and basically just eating, eating, eating. I will be happy if I didn't gain anything, but ecstatic if I lost just a little something. Time for sleep, goodnight!
Friday, January 20, 2012
What my plate should look like...and yours, too!
I had pinned this to my Pinterest back in December and tonight someone re-pinned, reminding me that I had it! Oh Lord, help me to remember to eat this way!
Source: onemedical.com via Jennifer on Pinterest
Monday, January 16, 2012
Taking pleasure in my productivity - stuffy nose, pounding head, and all
At the end of every year, for the past few years, I've scrambled to "get my room in order". Mostly this NewYear's Eve ritual has consisted of dusting, organizing, vacuming my room from top to bottom. This year, I neglected to enter the New Year with a clean room. I hated that I had so much going on that I missed it.
Well, two weeks into the New Year, I finally began to get my room in order. I appears that I made the work harder on myself by taking up a hobby - scrapbooking. For whatever reason, this has made more of a mess of my workstation that my jewelry making. It has been my goal to document every crafting project by a post onto youtube, but I sometimes do not have the patience to make a video and wait for it to upload. I have taken pictures of various projects, but I haven't had the time to post them to my craft blog http://www.newthingdesigns2.blogspot.com/ .
I've been sick the past few days (and detoxing about a week before that), so I feel pretty terrible, but being in my room all day to rest and quarentine myself pushed me to point of frustration with the disorganization of my room enough to make me get out of bed and clean stuff up - head pounding and all. Even in the pre-organization phase (piling like-stuff together in mounds) I made time to craft a bit and cleared some stuff out of the way in the process.
My organization wisdom from God today: "productivity is getting stuff done and enjoying it".
And the "blessing" of my cooking after some chinese food: Nothing in the world can compare to perseverance.
Amen!
Well, two weeks into the New Year, I finally began to get my room in order. I appears that I made the work harder on myself by taking up a hobby - scrapbooking. For whatever reason, this has made more of a mess of my workstation that my jewelry making. It has been my goal to document every crafting project by a post onto youtube, but I sometimes do not have the patience to make a video and wait for it to upload. I have taken pictures of various projects, but I haven't had the time to post them to my craft blog http://www.newthingdesigns2.blogspot.com/ .
I've been sick the past few days (and detoxing about a week before that), so I feel pretty terrible, but being in my room all day to rest and quarentine myself pushed me to point of frustration with the disorganization of my room enough to make me get out of bed and clean stuff up - head pounding and all. Even in the pre-organization phase (piling like-stuff together in mounds) I made time to craft a bit and cleared some stuff out of the way in the process.
My organization wisdom from God today: "productivity is getting stuff done and enjoying it".
And the "blessing" of my cooking after some chinese food: Nothing in the world can compare to perseverance.
Amen!
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
My Positive Life Change: A Target Weight for Future Pregnancy
At the start of every year, I seem to have a routine: start a resolution & begin a blog. Usually 3 months later, I have another routine: drop the resolution and stop the blog.
Well, this year I have dropped the term"resolution" and have adopted the phrase, "Positive Life Change". The good part, I've put money on it, so I'm more apt to keeping up with this life change, and I technically began before Christmas, so I was psyching myself up for it for a good 10 days.
What is it you ask? I joined a gym, yeah, a lot of people do that around the start of the year with a resolution to "lose more weight and look great". I do confess, those were my goals in years past. In 2012, this takes on a deeper meaning and a purpose for more than vanity's sake. For my first appointment at my gym I was scheduled for a weigh and measure, where I found out that in the past 2 years I had put on 26 pounds, and that my current weight of 176 (the heaviest I've ever been in my life!) included 66 pounds of body fat! I was so distracted by those numbers that I could not process my measurements that followed as a personal trainer took the tape to my apple shape. I must have had a look of shock on my face - the trainer asked me if I was alright. I was honest and shared that my current weight was my Mt. Everest peak. She tried to console me, but I was in a daze. She had a tone of empathy as she asked what my goal weight was. I drew a blank. I truthfully stated I didn't have one. For the first time since I've been on a weight loss journey (since puberty), I did not have a number in mind, only the thoughts of "I want to be healthy. I want to be fit. I want to have a baby."
Two years ago, about 3 weeks after I married my husband, we had thoughts of starting a family once we were more settled in our marriage and I was more healthy. Back then, I was 150 pounds and I thought myself too heavy for a healthy pregnancy. Naturally, I planned to work on this. I threw myself full-fledged into my nonprofit work, which means I started spending 14 hour days sitting at a computer, sometimes eating 2 or 3 meals there. And thus began my weight gain. Terrible. Unhealthy. Never Again. It is now so painfully relevant why I've been so void of energy. Ugh. Add to this energy drain the stress of being an executive director of a new nonprofit, and I see the recipe for my disaster.
So, now I have a new recipe: eat right (more veggies, more fruit, more water, less junk food, less caffeine, and more often because I tend to eat only twice a day) better sleeping hours, less stress, a de-stress activity or two, and a whole lot more exercise. Consistency. It seems simple, especially since I actually enjoy breaking a sweat and feeling a rush of endorphins.
I have yet to mention, that the kind personal trainer gave me a goal weight - 130 pounds. I'm not quite sure I want to go that low...the thought of it is kind of scary. I haven't weighed that little since I was 15, so I kind of don't remember what it is to be that size. Or shape. I do not have a concept in my mind what I would look like. But that really isn't the point - the point is to get to a body that is healthy to bear children. And I am going to partly use this blog to keep myself motivated and on track.
So far, I am 4 workouts into the plan and consciously making healthier food choices. Here's to a healthier me!
Well, this year I have dropped the term"resolution" and have adopted the phrase, "Positive Life Change". The good part, I've put money on it, so I'm more apt to keeping up with this life change, and I technically began before Christmas, so I was psyching myself up for it for a good 10 days.
What is it you ask? I joined a gym, yeah, a lot of people do that around the start of the year with a resolution to "lose more weight and look great". I do confess, those were my goals in years past. In 2012, this takes on a deeper meaning and a purpose for more than vanity's sake. For my first appointment at my gym I was scheduled for a weigh and measure, where I found out that in the past 2 years I had put on 26 pounds, and that my current weight of 176 (the heaviest I've ever been in my life!) included 66 pounds of body fat! I was so distracted by those numbers that I could not process my measurements that followed as a personal trainer took the tape to my apple shape. I must have had a look of shock on my face - the trainer asked me if I was alright. I was honest and shared that my current weight was my Mt. Everest peak. She tried to console me, but I was in a daze. She had a tone of empathy as she asked what my goal weight was. I drew a blank. I truthfully stated I didn't have one. For the first time since I've been on a weight loss journey (since puberty), I did not have a number in mind, only the thoughts of "I want to be healthy. I want to be fit. I want to have a baby."
Two years ago, about 3 weeks after I married my husband, we had thoughts of starting a family once we were more settled in our marriage and I was more healthy. Back then, I was 150 pounds and I thought myself too heavy for a healthy pregnancy. Naturally, I planned to work on this. I threw myself full-fledged into my nonprofit work, which means I started spending 14 hour days sitting at a computer, sometimes eating 2 or 3 meals there. And thus began my weight gain. Terrible. Unhealthy. Never Again. It is now so painfully relevant why I've been so void of energy. Ugh. Add to this energy drain the stress of being an executive director of a new nonprofit, and I see the recipe for my disaster.
So, now I have a new recipe: eat right (more veggies, more fruit, more water, less junk food, less caffeine, and more often because I tend to eat only twice a day) better sleeping hours, less stress, a de-stress activity or two, and a whole lot more exercise. Consistency. It seems simple, especially since I actually enjoy breaking a sweat and feeling a rush of endorphins.
I have yet to mention, that the kind personal trainer gave me a goal weight - 130 pounds. I'm not quite sure I want to go that low...the thought of it is kind of scary. I haven't weighed that little since I was 15, so I kind of don't remember what it is to be that size. Or shape. I do not have a concept in my mind what I would look like. But that really isn't the point - the point is to get to a body that is healthy to bear children. And I am going to partly use this blog to keep myself motivated and on track.
So far, I am 4 workouts into the plan and consciously making healthier food choices. Here's to a healthier me!
- Jen
Monday, November 7, 2011
If I Had a Million Dollars....
If I had a million dollars I would do several things:
1. Thank God!
2. Pay off the balance on my parent's house. I am tired of seeing them struggle to make ends meet.
3. I would buy my mother a car. Her vehicle has been down for over a year and she and my father haven't had the finances to fix it.
4. I would move out of my parents house. I love my family, but my husband and I have lived here since we were married almost two years ago. Collectively we have been helping one another with transportation (my car), and my husband quit his job to start working with my dad in his small business. As a result, we haven't been able to move out on our own.
5. I'd also buy a car and fix up my existing car.
6. Hire a personal trainer...or sign up for a zumba class, lol. Hire the trainer for my husband, and zumba for me =)
7. Buy Christmas gifts for my family.
8.Take a vacation with my hubby! - Part honeymoon (we had a mini-moon) / part family visit - my husband's family in (another state).
9. Pay off my debts - credit cards, school loans, medical bills.
10. I'd donate the remaining amount to my mother's nonprofit where I volunteer full time. Every volunteer, including my mother, has worked for free for the past year, giving up a more comfortable living in order to help individuals and families in desperate need. It would be great to be able to set up payroll for our 6 full-time volunteers and finally get into an office!
1. Thank God!
2. Pay off the balance on my parent's house. I am tired of seeing them struggle to make ends meet.
3. I would buy my mother a car. Her vehicle has been down for over a year and she and my father haven't had the finances to fix it.
4. I would move out of my parents house. I love my family, but my husband and I have lived here since we were married almost two years ago. Collectively we have been helping one another with transportation (my car), and my husband quit his job to start working with my dad in his small business. As a result, we haven't been able to move out on our own.
5. I'd also buy a car and fix up my existing car.
6. Hire a personal trainer...or sign up for a zumba class, lol. Hire the trainer for my husband, and zumba for me =)
7. Buy Christmas gifts for my family.
8.Take a vacation with my hubby! - Part honeymoon (we had a mini-moon) / part family visit - my husband's family in (another state).
9. Pay off my debts - credit cards, school loans, medical bills.
10. I'd donate the remaining amount to my mother's nonprofit where I volunteer full time. Every volunteer, including my mother, has worked for free for the past year, giving up a more comfortable living in order to help individuals and families in desperate need. It would be great to be able to set up payroll for our 6 full-time volunteers and finally get into an office!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
We Exalt Thee
One of my favorite songs, since I was a little girl. What an awesome God we serve. So Beautiful, so Worthy, so Wonderful, WE EXALT THEE...
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
Donald Miller's A Million Miles in a Thousand Years Giveaway! : )
Wow, it's been almost a whole year since I last wrote here! It's been one hectic year with adjusting to marriage, keeping things balanced, rebalancing the act when I didn't do a great job of keeping things balanced, and working in the ministry, trying to get the outreaches up and running. All in all, I praise God for the growing experience and the purging He's doing in my life, mind, and heart. Glory to God!
Okay, so here's the 411 _ Donald Miller is giving away free paperbacks and downloads of A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. Being a fan of his work and having many great memories of reading Blue Like Jazz with my younger brother Zechariah, I'm excited about the oopportunity to win a free book of his : D
Here's a message from Donald Miller and an Amazon Link to his paperback, can't wait to get a copy in my bag! http://amzn.to/ihrU9q Enjoy and God bless!
Are you living a great story with your life? from Donald Miller on Vimeo.
Okay, so here's the 411 _ Donald Miller is giving away free paperbacks and downloads of A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. Being a fan of his work and having many great memories of reading Blue Like Jazz with my younger brother Zechariah, I'm excited about the oopportunity to win a free book of his : D
Here's a message from Donald Miller and an Amazon Link to his paperback, can't wait to get a copy in my bag! http://amzn.to/ihrU9q Enjoy and God bless!
Are you living a great story with your life? from Donald Miller on Vimeo.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Proverbs 31:10Gal .....Proverbs 31:30 Gal
Dear Reader,
This week my husband has been working the morning shift, and while trying to stay awake while driving back from dropping him off, This has been my Wake-Up-And-Worship-Song.
The first time I played it on Monday, I was just blown away by the lyrics - so simple, yet so true. I wept while singing the lyrics. This morning, I played in the car with my husband (because I woke up late and was barely awake) and after repeating it, I noticed that my husband was getting teary-eyed too. I pray it blesses you as much as it did us. = )
The post below is from a journal entry on March 2, 2010, again compiled with more blogsessing (blogging & processing). In The previous post I shared about how I was praying and seeking to abide in Him, this is the continuation of that. That night (march 1st) my husband asked me what Scripture I was meditating on. Lol, I don't think He was prepared at 1 am for how much I shared (what I blogged). On March 2nd, I was still praying and pondering what it meant to Die to the flesh, and why did it seem like I was handling everything so....poorly, and was so exhausted.
Be blessed. Grace, Peace, and Love. To God be the Glory!
I started to pray and contemplate why it felt as if I was handling everything so poorly. I was exhausted. I needed more of this refreshment. I am a new wife [our 3 month anniversary is tomorrow!- the 12th!] but since getting married, adjusting to more responsibility and accountability has been somewhat more difficult (?) than I anticipated. It's not just marriage, but God is moving more in the ministry since I've gotten married and it seems like there are not enough hours in the day to accomplish all i need to.
While in prayer over what I shared with my husband, brushing my teeth before a shower, God gave me another revelation. Yes, in the bathroom again, lol.God is so Good!
A couple of years ago, I started praying to become a Proverbs 31 Woman. More so, I had taken on the handle of Proverbs3110Gal. I had a blog of that title, and email, messenger ID's, I prayed every day to become just that a proverbs 31:10 woman. I Began to Ask the Lord, "was it premature?" to desire to become that? to pray for it? I was still single, had no children, did I have the right to pray it?
Everything seemed to be going great as I endeavored to become that woman. I earnestly sought to become her. Then God showed me - I had become attacked with those doubts! Somewhere along the lines I had dropped the ball and stop praying it for myself. It wasn't God who had wanted me to stop praying it! Then He began to show me what exactly I had been praying for:
A Proverbs 31 Woman is a Good Steward - in all her ways!
Small by JJ Heller, what I'm listening to right now
This week my husband has been working the morning shift, and while trying to stay awake while driving back from dropping him off, This has been my Wake-Up-And-Worship-Song.
The first time I played it on Monday, I was just blown away by the lyrics - so simple, yet so true. I wept while singing the lyrics. This morning, I played in the car with my husband (because I woke up late and was barely awake) and after repeating it, I noticed that my husband was getting teary-eyed too. I pray it blesses you as much as it did us. = )
The post below is from a journal entry on March 2, 2010, again compiled with more blogsessing (blogging & processing). In The previous post I shared about how I was praying and seeking to abide in Him, this is the continuation of that. That night (march 1st) my husband asked me what Scripture I was meditating on. Lol, I don't think He was prepared at 1 am for how much I shared (what I blogged). On March 2nd, I was still praying and pondering what it meant to Die to the flesh, and why did it seem like I was handling everything so....poorly, and was so exhausted.
Be blessed. Grace, Peace, and Love. To God be the Glory!
I started to pray and contemplate why it felt as if I was handling everything so poorly. I was exhausted. I needed more of this refreshment. I am a new wife [our 3 month anniversary is tomorrow!- the 12th!] but since getting married, adjusting to more responsibility and accountability has been somewhat more difficult (?) than I anticipated. It's not just marriage, but God is moving more in the ministry since I've gotten married and it seems like there are not enough hours in the day to accomplish all i need to.
While in prayer over what I shared with my husband, brushing my teeth before a shower, God gave me another revelation. Yes, in the bathroom again, lol.God is so Good!
A couple of years ago, I started praying to become a Proverbs 31 Woman. More so, I had taken on the handle of Proverbs3110Gal. I had a blog of that title, and email, messenger ID's, I prayed every day to become just that a proverbs 31:10 woman. I Began to Ask the Lord, "was it premature?" to desire to become that? to pray for it? I was still single, had no children, did I have the right to pray it?
Everything seemed to be going great as I endeavored to become that woman. I earnestly sought to become her. Then God showed me - I had become attacked with those doubts! Somewhere along the lines I had dropped the ball and stop praying it for myself. It wasn't God who had wanted me to stop praying it! Then He began to show me what exactly I had been praying for:
A Proverbs 31 Woman is a Good Steward - in all her ways!
Proverbs 31:10-31
| Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price [is] far above rubies. | |
| The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. | |
| She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. | |
| She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. | |
| She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar. | |
| She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens. | |
| She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. | |
| She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms. | |
| She perceiveth that her merchandise [is] good: her candle goeth not out by night. | |
| She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. | |
| She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy. | |
| She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household [are] clothed with scarlet. | |
| She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing [is] silk and purple. | |
| Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land. | |
| She maketh fine linen, and selleth [it]; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant. | |
| Strength and honour [are] her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. | |
| She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue [is] the law of kindness. | |
| She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. | |
| Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband [also], and he praiseth her. | |
| Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. | |
| Favour [is] deceitful, and beauty [is] vain: [but] a woman [that] feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. | |
| Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates. |
Small by JJ Heller, what I'm listening to right now
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
I must decrease, So that He may Increase....Die Flesh! Die!
Dear Reader,
the following is from a journal entry coupled with processing as I blogged...."blogsessing"
I suppose. = )
I suppose. = )
Praise the Lord, for He is Good and His Mercies endure forever!
_________________________________________________________________
March 1st, 2010
I must decrease, So that He may Increase....Die Flesh! Die!
Friday, March 5, 2010
Becoming a Proverbs 31:30 Woman - Dedication of this Blog
Hello, greetings....It's been a while since I've blogged anything, and this is going to take some getting used to again. This is my first post though, and you will find out more, in the next post, what exactly this blog is about.For now, this entry is simply a dedication to God and a prayer for you, Dear Reader: I pray that the Lord use this blog to minister to your heart, to bring growth to your spirit as I journal my own growth, and above all, it will bring Glory to God, and His Son, my Savior, Jesus Christ.
Thank you Father, for all You have done in my life, all You are doing in my life, and for all that You are going to do. I Dedicate this blog to You.
Thank you Father, for all You have done in my life, all You are doing in my life, and for all that You are going to do. I Dedicate this blog to You.
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