Tag Archives: choice

This is the Day that the Lord has made? Really?

Psalm 118:24
This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Sometimes, this is how I feel about this verse:
(apologies to Prince William and Lady Kate!)

This is the Day(at the Royal Wedding)

I feel like I sing it slow, without meaning, without passion.
Why?
Because sometimes I wake up in pain.
Sometimes, I wake up to issues.
Sometimes, I don’t want to wake up! I want to roll over and go back to sleep.

What does it mean “This is the Day the Lord has made?”

I believe that it goes back to:

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

AND:

Genesis 1:5
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

Do I believe this?

Yes I do.
Does it make my heart jump up and down with joy for the new day?
Honestly, not always.
Why not?
Honestly, I don’t always think about it – I take it for granted!
Why do I take it for granted:
It is part of my faith being, part of who I am as a Christian, it is a core belief that cannot be shaken.
If I believe it, why don’t I choose it? And, why does it matter?
What do I say I believe?

This is what I believe – what I confess – in a nutshell.

The Apostles Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen.

As I said – this is woven into the fiber of my faith – without it, my faith foundation falls!

1 Corinthans 3:11
For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Why does it matter?
Because Jesus said it does – believing is crucial!

John 20:29
Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

John 4:24
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Faith is crucial:

Heb 11:1-3
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
For by it the elders obtained a good report.
Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

Why does it matter?

Hebrews 11:6
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

But – Why does this matter?
Because it is WHO I AM!
I am a Christian.
I am a “little Christ”
I am Christ with a little i!

When everything is stripped away from me – what is left?
I belong to Jesus.
I have been delivered from darkness into light.
I have been chosen.
I have been adopted into the Family of God.
My desire is:
In Him I live, and move and have my being!(Acts 17:28)

In one of the most honored sermons of Jesus, he says this:

Matt 5:11-12
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

James says it this way:

James 1:2
My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

And I wrote about the James 1:2-4 experience!

WHY DOES IT MATTER?
Because I have a destiny:

Jeremiah 1:5
Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

WHY DOES IT MATTER?
Because I belong to God, bought with a price:

1 Cor 6:19-20
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Why does it matter?
Because there is a reason I was created:

Eph 2:10
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Why does this matter?
Because I am all I have to give to God.

Romans 12:1
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Why does it matter?
Because I’ve been given gifts, and I should be a good steward!

Romans 11:29
For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance

1Peter 4:10
As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
(1 Cor 12:4, Romans 12:6, Eph 4:7

Why does it matter?
Because I am not to hide my light!

Matt 5:15-16
Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

WHY DOES IT MATTER?
Because My God says He has a plan for me.

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

And why does it matter?
Because I believe!

Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, whofn have been called according to his purpose.

The point is, no matter what is going on – the One I believe in – the One I believe created the world – for that matter – the one that created me says to rejoice!

Psalm 118:24
This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

And when I really, truly meditate on what that means – this is the song that I sing!

The Answer to my question – yes, really.
THIS IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD HAS MADE!
I must CHOOSE to rejoice!

Why is it a choice? Why is it a command to REJOICE or COUNT IT ALL JOY?
Because Faith is not stagnant – we have to choose.

I choose joy!

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

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Naomi’s Heart Mission

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Does God Hear me?

Sometimes, I wonder if God’ hears me.
I believe that Job felt this way….
Job 3 is full of what I consider a desire to die…life is so rough.

Don’t get me wrong…Job had it rough!!!

And, in rereading Job 5 – I realize that many of these scriptures are ones that we use to encourage one another in the midst of trials!

So, as God would have it, the other morning, I happened to get a Facebook Messenger with my new friend, Becky Mingus, who is currently serving as Principal in the School at Naomi’s Heart Mission.

Here is that chat:

ME: Thank you. Still no answers for why I was bleeding! But the pain is going away.
Becky:That’s a blessing.

ME: Trying to stable my neck without surgery. .. because surgery would be near December finance wise. And I’d rather use t that for a trip to the Philippines!
Becky: Absolutely!! This will definitely be all God if it is to happen.

ME: I know. Maybe I should stop praying for him to glorify himself in my life! Lol!
Becky: Never!! The biggest prayer and God dreams are what honor Him the most. Glorifying himself in our lives, releasing the Spirit, that is where all the fun is. Otherwise think how dull our walks would be.

ME: I have been used to raise the dead, heal the sick, cast out demons and of course preach the gospel. Sometimes I get discouraged that I can’t lay hands on myself and be healed. But I know that this is my spiritual fitness training. I know that Father has plans for me. .. and I just have to trust.
Becky: And trusting and waiting are always the hardest part. They are where I struggle the most. I know He can. But why doesn’t he? Ugh. James 1:2-5 has become one of my newest scriptures to read, reread, reread again. That and 2 Cor 12:9-10. Oh, so much still to learn.

ME: Oh those verses. .. perfect work? Sigh…. but to be complete. .. in Him. … what a beautiful promise! And, to recognize that there is nothing in me that is any good, except the spirit of God that lives here. .. and to rejoice in his strength manifested in spite of, or because of my weakness. .. this works true humility… humble myself under the mighty hand of God. .. and he shall lift me up. .. not to glorify ME, but to glorify his name!
We are created for good works. .. to glorify HIM! And that only comes worth letting patience have her perfect work!
Becky: But it is always a struggle for me. So wonderful but always stretching me and moving be deeper. We are being trained up – through the trials, through the struggles to be more ready for our futures – to do even more for Him, to be able to stand stronger, love deeper, walk more determinedly.

ME: Exactly. I thank God that there are those times of rejoicing in the presence of our enemies after walking through the valley of the shadow of death. The purpose for training is to prepare us for the next adventure with God. Sometimes I’d rather stay on the mountain top. .. not go back down in the valley of testing… but it is the testing that grows is into the fulness of Christ. Suffering through training is not fun. .. but I try to keep my eye on the prize. It had been my hearts cry from the day I have my life to Jesus to work with orphans, to work in missions, and then later, to work with women, and in jails! Young mothers. ..I believe these are desires given to me by Jesus. .. and it will be his glory to male or happen!
Did I just interrupt your prayer time?

Becky: No. Haven’t started that yet. But this has been wonderful discussion. I am going to email you a devotion. You would like it. It has big words in it but it is powerful. Yes, I had to use a dictionary. I have translated it into words I can understand and I read it all the time. LOL!
I’ll be praying. God is going to open amazing doors for you – maybe none you are expecting, but amazing all the same. One more verse for the evening: Isaiah 64:3-4. Oh. It is morning there. Enjoy your day!

ME: May God bless your rest! I thank God for my trials. .. because I am not who I used to be. .. and I thank God that he is not through with me!

Goodnight! Much love and hugs!

Prior to this discussion, I had been praying in the midst of my trials.
I could even be accused of praying some of the same types of prayers that Job did –

“Let me die…my life is but a vapor…I cannot do anything!”

“Why have you allowed this/these calamities to fall upon ME?”

“My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?”

That may be a little dramatic – but, honestly, I was tired of the continuous trials.
I even wrote about it…..How Many is Too Many?
And this was before several more trials were added!

The point?

James 1: 2- 4
My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

Patience.
Perfection
Entire
Wanting Nothing

Yes – but – rejoice in TRIALS?

2 Cor 12:9-10
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

This is Jesus Speaking to Paul…and Paul sharing it with us.
Paul is a pretty good role Model….once he got his head turned around. Actually, his passion as a Jew was a pretty good example as well!

His glory is shown when I am at the end of my ability.
I couldn’t heal my eye – but he could, and did!
I couldn’t conceive and carry a baby to term – but he did it, five times!
I couldn’t walk when I was paralyzed in the Navy hospital – but he could touch the swelling, and cause it to go down – and cause my leg to grow out so that I could walk.

I have not gone to school for art…but he has called me to paint.
I have not gone to school to write…but he has called me to share.

IN another chat with a dear sister, this verse was shared:

Is 40:31
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

I shared with this someone that this was my life verse….
WAIT UPON THE LORD!
renew strength
mount up with wings as eagles
run, not be weary
walk, and not faint.

And God made that real to me in the Navy Boot camp…when I fell, and was paralyzed for a week.
My Petty Officer believed in me, and let me back in the unit – unheard of!
My God’s grace, I completed the physical training, twice a day, and I was able to run for my final test!
I was chosen from the group of 80 females to paint the cinder block outside our unit door – to memorialize what this unit stood for.
I painted a mountain scene, with an eagle – with this verse.
Until Orlando RTC was closed – God’s glory spoke through on a wall in a Navy Barracks.
BECAUSE of my trial with paralysis and herniated discs from a fall, the third day in boot camp.
BECAUSE of my trial, I was chosen to paint, and God was glorified.

My friend Becky ended our Bible Study with

Is 64:3-4
When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains flowed down at thy presence.
For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.

I’m not crazy about KJV on this verse…but the gist of it is that things happen, but they happen by God’s hand(look back at Job 1-2!)
And we don’t understand it…but, God prepares things for us, who wait upon him!

They aren’t always pretty – but then,
those biology exams weren’t pretty either, but I know that they were worth something!
Learning Spanish wasn’t pretty – but it has helped me to communicate and minister to some!
Learning to ice skate had to be ugly at times…and breaking my arm having fun definitely hurt – but I remember the fun I had on ice skates!

Ps 23:4 –
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

comes before

Ps 23:5 & 6 –
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

and everyone knows:

Romans 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

My question was – Does God hear me?
My cry was WHY?
And God created a time that a friend in the Phillipines was online the same time as I was, and we were able to have a Bible discussion – on the opposite sides of the earth!

YES – God hears!
And He answered me – through one of His children.

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

Naomi’s Heart Mission

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Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!

Time keeps on slipping, slipping….

Psalms 90:10 The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
Ps 90:12 So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

Today I planned on doing my ‘stats’ – measurements – weigh in – and max reps type thing. I want to see how fast I can walk a mile…I have to walk a 5k in 4 weeks…it’s not a fast walk – but I’d like to know I can walk the whole distance!

I’ve been posting #100happydays on facebook – I suppose I should post them here as well!
today, I hope to do some art…

I am fine tuning my goals to make them SMART – even though this challenge is well underway, one of my goals is to have a plan for my days, weeks, months, years….
I am turning 54 – I need to seize the day!

Who knows how many more I’ll have, but the mathematical fact is that I probably have less left than those I have already lived.
How many things have I said “I’ll so that next time” and it never happened?
Now, when it’s decided that “we’ll do that next time” – I am realizing that, there may never be a next time.
I may never go back to Niagra Falls, or the Grand Canyon, or Sunset Cliffs.
I may never get back to Europe.

http://youtu.be/hRp3RFUIAdU

And then, there are the people that mean the most to me in my life…and, I have made choices, or forced to make choices that effects out time together:

When you lose someone in your life…it’s often not a planned leaving. Recently, I have had to make some decisions that meant I didn’t get to spend time with some very special people…but I had to be mindful of my own body. I may never pass that way again…Time keeps on slippin, slippin – into the future!

So, this makes me live my life more mindful – and it has caused me to make some difficult decisions..but decisions that I make by choice…not by just not making them.
To not decide is to decide to let ‘other forces’ decide for you.
To not choose is a choice in itself.
If I lived to 104, it’s only 50 more years…and my body is not what it was when I was 20.
Average for my family is living to 80 – 26 more years…what can I do with that time?

The Bible story about the farmer that had a huge crop and he tore down his bins to build bigger –

Luke 12:18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.

And then, he got lazy:

Luke 12:19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.

And he didn’t know the bigger plan:

Luke 12:20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?

The Moral of this story?

Luke 12:21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God

The thing is, we don’t know how long we have…and we need to make the most of every minute…and, after writing yesterday’s blog…I am well aware of the times I made decisions not to decide, I chose to not choose…but, This is the New Me!

All these plans, and actually – I want to go back to sleep – I am on the fifth day of Bactrim and it’s messing with my stomach…
One of my goals in 2014 is to listen to my body…that would help with the diabetes! HA!
I am doing a ‘new’ type of cardio for the RPG & Adventurers challenge – maybe I should just listen to my body – and rest today.
the numbers aren’t going to change much between today and tomorrow…and tomorrow – I won’t have the sulpha in my stomach!

So – I have just talked this out with those of you that read my thread…welcome to my brain!
I am making a decision,
I’m choosing to rest my body to finish it’s healing from the infection.

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

Naomi’s Heart Mission

Sponsor a Child

Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!

Oil of Joy

This is a very simple posting of an old Bible Study I did in 2003.
This is a perfect statement for my Joy Journey right now.

Oil of Joy – 2-13-2003 ©Mary Christine Wildman

Joy is a choice.

With my past experience with abuse, which plunged me into deep depression, medically declared not recoverable, as well as a mother with Bi-Polar/Manic- Depressive, and a daughter diagnosed as the same, as well as suicides running through the family spirit….Joy has been an elusive concept at times. I don’t take joy for granted. I respect the warning signs of depression.

It’s a choice? None of the above was a choice! What choice do I have?

Psal 16:6 (KJS) The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant [places]; yea, I have a goodly heritage.
7 I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.
8 I have set the LORD always before me: because [he is] at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.
10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence [is] fulness of joy; at thy right hand [there are] pleasures for evermore.

I can choose to trust in the Lord, look at what He has done for me, seek His counsel, hearken to His words, bless Him, set Him before me, and to stay in His presence, at His right hand.

Isai 61:3 (KJS) To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

I can choose to go to Him. He is glorified when I allow him to give me the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise of the spirit of heaviness…He wants to have the glory of being my joy! He knows that I am mourning, and has prepared a solution for it…before I was even conceived!

Hebr 12:12 (KJS) Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;

My hands hang down when I am discouraged, my knees are feeble when I am afraid…..and then Lord says:

Nehe 8:10 (KJS) Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared:for [this] day [is] holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.

He is my strength! If I let Him be my joy…then I will be strong..in Him!

2Tim 1:7 (KJS) For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

He can calm my mind…when I am depressed, I do not have a sound mind…I am fearing…and that is not of Him! If I ask, He will give me the mind of Christ…and renew my mind. (Phil 2:5, Rom 12:2) He tells me to

1Pet 1:13 (KJS) Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

Last week, I was overcome with discouragement…when all in the house were sick or not up to par, and the plan wasn’t working, and there was so much to do. I had finally, taken a walk with the Lord…and had started to pull out of the dumps…but even the work of Saturday, the hugeness of it, without really even touching what I needed to get done for school brought me to my knees in tears. I went to my prayer closet (bathroom) and cried.
Where is the joy? And He gently reminded me that joy is a choice…a choice of where I spend my time, where I place my heart, where I walk, and with whom I talk. In HIS presence is fullness of joy! I had been too busy doing what I thought He wanted me to do, that I hadn’t been with Him.

When I was marching around the house, thinking on the sins that were attacking our family, I had great joy…..from the presence of the King.

My prayer is
(Acts 17:27) That in Him I would live, and move and have my being.
That I would walk after the Spirit (Rom 8), (Gal 5:16-25) and live in the spirit-
Gala 5:25 (KJS) If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

This is part of the Big Plan that God has for my family…

Jude 1:24 (KJS) Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present [you] faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, 25 To the only wise God our Saviour, [be] glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

28 Days of Grace – day 23

Furious!!!
I’m furious!!!

I have fought for over 50 years to be free of the garbage that abuse puts into every cell of a person, and today, someone that preaches a strong Godly message promotes domestic violence…because the photo is supposedly funny…AND ADDED THE BIBLE VERSE “TO BE BLAMELESS BEFORE THE LORD”!!!

So, what did I do?
go to my closet and pray?
well, that has never really been my style….
BUT – I have not always taken ON the person head on!

well, facebook to facebook.

Anyway – I took this man, and his friends, on…to stand for the respect and safety of women and children everywhere!

Has this come out of this 28 DAY process?
YES!!! Grace seems to breed courage!

To gain health, I must deny myself things that are not good for me(like ice cream, fresh bread, apple pie, pizza).
To gain health, I must do things that may be uncomfortable(like exercise, or cook)
To gain health, I must make different choices every day….because my old choices did not land me in a healthy place!

There is a saying…”To not decide is a decision in itself.”
How about:
To choose not to choose is a choice in itself.

There is also a saying that “to not move forward is to slide backwards…because there is NO standing still.”
Of course, there is the saying: Do or do not, there is no try! (Yoda)

I haven’t done this yeast free thing perfectly…in fact, I think I’m going to go for a second 28 day run…but I have failed forward.

I FAILED FORWARD!!!

Because I have been pushing myself forward…I have failed forward. All of my failings have been further forward than if I had never tried!

What does that have to do with the man and domestic violence?
A victim often is scared into silence, and lack of action.
A Victor is able to respond from a point of victory…and take a stand.
A Victor may fall down, but they are further ahead than the victim that hides in the background.

With my health…I have been a victim of false advertising, false medical care, and false hope.
I have taken that back, I have embraced the fact that I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR MY OWN HEALTH – and though that is scary…that is also VICTORY!

No one is going to put baby in a corner again!

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

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Naomi's Heart Mission

Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!

28 DAYS OF GRACE – DAY 22! A NEW DAY!

Jim is doing a Level Up program through Nerd fitness….
and today’s post is AMAZING!

But it’s copy righted and for a private paid for group(I get bonus because I’m Jim’s wife).
But this is a quote that Steve quoted in this post:

Victor Frankl, author of the absolutely heartbreaking and yet incredibly positive “A Man’s Search For Meaning” once said:

“Those who have a ‘why’ can bear with almost any ‘how.”

Here’s my response:

Yes yes.yes…I’ve wanted a why for my whole life, and for our married life!

WHY?

and then, the what and how fall into place, or at least the what nots are more easily recognizable!

I’ve always had a WHY that pertains to EVERY Christian:

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Eph 2:10

walk in good works to glorify God!

WHICH GOOD WORKS?????

Obviously, the good works that ALL Christians are supposed to walk in…..
The Fruit of the Spirit – Ephesians 5, Galatians 5

The Number one Fruit – Love – John 13:34

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

The Whole Law – Matt 22:37-40

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment.
And the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

BUT WHAT DOES THAT SAY TO ME, SPECIFICALLY?
That gets into talents, hiding them, or investing them…

I wrote about that before…but the WHY for how to live, for me, is to glorify GOD!
The HOW and WHAT is all about investing the talents God has given ME to use for HIM.

And, there is another thought hidden in here for me….
“Love your neighbor AS YOURSELF.”

I HAVE SPENT MANY MANY YEARS NOT LOVING MYSELF!

Not taking care of my own health has been a self hatred behavior.

These 28 days of Grace…which was what I was begging and praying for to get through this Yeast Free program…has not just turned my body and health around…it has turned my heart and mind around.

I need to LOVE ME because HE FIRST LOVED ME!
And if GOD has decided to LOVE ME the way HE does…Who am I to argue?

Good food
Good exercise
Good prayer
Good fellowship….
Good life!

I CHOOSE LIFE!
God life!
And I pray that my life will glorify Him, as I learn my WHY, WHAT and HOW to walk in good works!

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
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Naomi's Heart Mission

Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!

28 Days of Grace – day 19 – in the flow!

This morning, I woke up before Jim, and got dressed to take Gabriel out for his walk.
Before I was ready, Jim awakened, and offered to go with me.
As we walked, we made plans for the day.

I walked further than usual, and then asked him to walk up to the exercise room with me.
We walked in, and I tried my feet at the bicycle(first time in a year or more!) and he showed me a few exercises that I could get started with.
When we walked back, with full intentions of following OUR plans for the day, we bumped into some friends we hadn’t seen for a while.

These friends told us about a new RV park over near where I go for Physical Therapy. We had wanted a place in that area for any time that I might need extended care.
We decided to drive there right then.
But we were out of eggs, so we went to a restaurant, and I was able to order just eggs and meat for breakfast! And unsweet iced tea!

We were almost to this new RV park, and our friends from Katy(the area where the new RV park is located) called us.
These are the friends that we were not able to meet up with because of the car wreck. Their morning was open, for a change, and we were able to run on over.

Their daughter and son-in-law were home from Germany, and we were able to take everyone out for a welcome home lunch!
Kaley and Omar got to meet Gabriel.
We all got to sit and visit.
We went to a restaurant that I knew, and was able to ask for my salad per my needs, with a half a lemon and olive oil for dressing! And unsweet iced tea!

If Jim and I had not gone on the long walk, and had not walked into the exercise room, we would not have just bumped into our friends.
If Jim and I had not just taken off to head towards Katy, we would not have been in the position to say, Hey, let’s just drop by!
If Jim and I had not been open to the Spirit of the Lord moving across the waters of our plans, we would have missed the beautiful time we had with the Maben family!

Then,Jim was able to put together some of my meal plans for supper…for a wonderful turkey spaghetti, with black beans and grated goat Parmesan cheese! Absolutely delicious! Ah, but all out of unsweet iced tea! LOL!

Jim’s word? Serendipitous!
My word? Divine Intervention!

The truth? being filled with the grace of God to follow where HE leads!

Ps 37:23The steps of a [good] man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.

Ps 121:8 The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
Or ‘like’ me!

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Soon, we will have a gallery for the art I have created by the hand of God.

Naomi's Heart Mission

Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!

28 Days of Grace – Day 15, Hope continued

I wait for the Lord, I expectantly wait, and in His word do I
hope.
Psalm 130:5 AMP

I have been participating in a 60 day challenge for T-Tapp. In these 60 days, a person agrees to only do T-Tapp, walking, and swimming.
They can also choose to do better eating, also supported by T-Tapp.
At the beginning and the end, you submit photos, and measurements, and an essay.

I shared part one. Here is my essay, part two.

Unfortunately, I still couldn’t. I was struggling under constant chronic pain exacerbated by multiple surgeries back to back with fibromyalgia. I couldn’t walk my dog the 1/4 mile minimum it would take to let him go to the bathroom. I could no longer swim because I might not be able to get up out of the pool. My ankles were not solid enough to even try a stationary bike, much less one that required balance. If I tapped, the vibration sent horrible nerve waves of pain up my leg, and would shut me down for several days. If I couldn’t butterfly or hoedown, what could I do? For that matter, physical therapy would shut me down for several days. Everyone was trying to get my mind off of ‘training’ and on to ‘healing.’ My physical therapist was begging me to forget about a triathlon, forget about 5ks, and just focus on healing. Trisch was trying to encourage me to let my body heal from all the barrage of drugs and abuse having occurred in just 24 short months. By week two, with failed pain treatments, I was ready to give up.

In order to not give up midway into the 60 days, I joined Kirsten Tucker’s 6 week T-Tapp Tight Club(tm) almost before I even signed up for the 60 day challenge. Kirsten has known me for over a year now, and I trust her to not push me too hard, to push me where I need it, and to help me keep my head in the right direction. Her eight Tight Club(tm) Rules challenged me. When we started on May 1, the only rule I had in place was “Rule #5 – Supportive Athletic Shoes are Required.”

Based on what I thought I could do, she created a workout plan for me, and I became discouraged by how much slower and lower level it was than the one she’d created just one year previous. “Rule #6 – No self-recrimination; be kind to yourself.”
When I suffered from the repercussions of pain blocking injections three different times, both Trisch and Kirsten rallied behind me, saying that this was just a stepping stone. “Rule #4 – One step at a time. Think tortoise not hare.”

Each week, as Trisch would post insights into the various moves, I would also Skype with Kirsten to discuss what was going on. I asked questions of both of them(Rule #7), sometimes repeatedly. When something was too tiring, or hurt too much, they would not let me wallow. Rule #8 is “If you fall off the wagon, get back on and don’t look back.” It could be “Don’t wallow.”

The one thing that came up again and again is my concern that I was not doing the work (Rule # 3). I have a voice inside my head that says if I don’t get it done right the first time, it’s because I didn’t try hard enough. That seriously impacted Rule #8 and Rule #6. I had to learn to believe. I had to learn to hope that I COULD get back up, and not look back. I had to learn to believe that if I could only take one step today without compromising my energies for tomorrow, then that WAS me doing the work, and doing it well! I had to learn to see that if I took a step in the right direction, I was taking a step…and Rule #4 was “One Step at a Time!”
I have done sitting hoedowns when possible. I try to do Awesome Legs every night, and OIP several times a day. I have walked with my tail tucked and my shoulders rolled. When I am driving to my physical therapy, I hear Teresa’s voice telling me to “tuck it, lift it”…and I do so. I even try to roll back my shoulders and twist my palms up on the steering wheel!

What did I gain from this challenge?
Hope. HOPE!
Hope has grown in my heart through the T-Tapp community and ‘consciousness’.
Trisch talked about healing adrenals almost as much as she talks about T-Tapp or Jesus Christ!
Kirsten encouraged me to care for myself so that I will have health — body, mind and soul. She even encouraged me to PLAY as part of my health!
Then there is Teresa Tapp. Her various Facebook posts about health and dietary issues, articles, and her research into all aspects of women’s health were foundational in preparing me to take charge of my health.
These three women gave me the pieces to my health puzzle. My new doctor looked at my pieces and gave me a plan.
By God’s grace, I have the hope and courage to put this all together for my future.

During the past 60 days, I’ve spent the first three weeks in bed from nerve block injections that failed.
During the past 60 days, I’ve received emails and posts of support, encouragement, wisdom and healthy research from all of these ladies.
During the past 60 days, I have learned to hydrate myself in order for my body to heal.
During the past 6 weeks, I have learned self care by doing skin brushing which has rolled into other avenues of self care daily.
During the past 6 weeks, I have been able to walk my dog 1/4 to ½ mile daily, to walk up and down steps daily, and to drive myself to and from my physical therapy and appointments.
In the last 3 weeks, I have found the courage to contact a medical doctor that is also a naturopath in order to take charge of my health.
In the last 2 weeks, I have been on a yeast free, God Made, food program, designed to both cleanse my system, and heal my adrenals.
I have dropped a cholesterol drug, a diabetes drug, constipation drugs, and reducing a stomach acid drug is next. I am sleeping through the night regularly, with no medications. I don’t fall asleep during the day anymore!
By Sunday, I had lost weight, and lost 7 ½ inches. I had also lost many of the health issues that had troubled my life.

This quick and total transformation is because of the T-Tapp community. Without the various products, discussions, posts and people, I would not have been prepared to understand the complex world of adrenals! Likewise, I would not have embraced the need for Magnesium, or bio-identical hormones, or B-12! Truthfully, I would not have kept trying, over and over and over again.

On Tuesday the 12th, I begin my third week into this new way of eating…God Made Meals! I will tell Kirsten that I have befriended the Tight Club(tm) rules now. I’m ready to get back up on that wagon(Rule #8)…even if it means a month or more of MORE Chair!.
I talk about T-Tapp and Tight Club all the time(Rule #1).
What has really changed in me this time, though, is Rule #2.
“If someone tells you “You can’t.” respond “Yes, I can!”“
Can I change my life, take charge of my health, and have hope for the future?

YES I CAN!

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
Or ‘like’ me!

If you like The WildBerry Patch, follow me with the RSS feed.

We have email subscription! Or sign up for an account, and you can manage your subscription from the dashboard!
Soon, we will have a gallery for the art I have created by the hand of God.

Naomi's Heart Mission

Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!

28 days of Grace – Day 13

What holds you back?
Why don’t you move forward?
Why do you hold back from doing your best?

I don’t have any answers for this one….since, I have just completed the 60 day challenge with T-Tapp, and I am struggling with the idea that I held back.
Could I have done more floor exercises? Sure.
Could I have eaten better the first 6 weeks? Sure.
Could I have been more consistent with what I knew to do? Of course.

The question is, did I take every moment, and make the choice to move forward? Fail forward if I needed to?
I don’t know.

Life is made up of choices…and we are the composite of all of our choices.
We are not in control of what others do to us, but we are in control of our reactions and replies.

The past 6 weeks, my husband did a challenge of his own.
Here is his blog post:

ON GOALS, CHALLENGES, AND DOING THE LITTLE THINGS,
by Jim Wildman
As I’ve said before, I frequent the Nerdfitness online community as “wildross”. Every couple of months the community runs a “6 week challenge”. Participants post 3 fitness goals and 1 life goal, then track their progress. In the most recent challenge, and video game system for scoring points was added (which I’ve ignored). The community is divided into “Guilds” depending on what your fitness focus is. Mine is weightlifting, so I’m a “Warrior”. My most recent 6 week challenge thread is here. As part of this 6 week challenge, the guild leaders proposed we try to lift the weight of a loaded space shuttle (4,000,000+ pounds) before the Enterprise was set on the deck of the USS Intrepid on June 6th. To track our progress, they published a Google spreadsheet and divided us into 2 teams.

Right off the bat I saw that keeping track of total weight lifted instead of just repetitions and sets added a different flavor to the competition. All lifts were counted at full weight, with pullups counting at 90% of bodyweight and pushups counting at 60% of bodyweight. I started out doing between 15 and 20,000 pounds of lifting during a workout.

On May 8th, I proposed a challenge to do 30,000# of weights in one session (no allowance for bodyweight exercises). That seemed like a real stretch goal to me. Two guys immediately did over 40,000#. It took about a week and I did it too. Not as hard as I thought at all. One competitor proposed a 100,000# workout. (No one has done that yet, but I believe I can with a bit more conditioning.)

As the challenge went on, I constantly had to revise my goals. 30,000# in a workout became my “standard”. I did it for 2 weeks straight, 5 days a week, with a max of 61,000# on the last day. I thought I would lift a total of 250,000# in the 6 weeks, then 300,000#, then 500,000#, then 700,000#… I ended up lifting over 970,000# of weights in the 6 weeks (including body weight exercises).

So what did I learn from all this lifting?? Maybe nothing new, but lots of basic things got solidly reinforced.

Consistency matters: going to the gym every day (or as my goal was, 5 days a week) adds up. A number or goal that seems impossible is attainable in steps.
Little things matter: the team I was not on “won” the challenge, mostly because several of the women realized that the pushups were “easy” and added up. One did 1,000 pushups in the last weekend (having never done more then a couple dozen in a day before); 10 or 20 at a time. Another did 500. Several of the men did as well.
Success breeds success: once we knocked off the 30,000# goal, we knew we could go much higher and were encouraged to do so. Once the women realized that they could do a set of 10 pushups every half hour, all day, it became possible to do it several days in a row.
To accomplish big things, you need to do a few little things well: The basis for my average of over 30,000# a day is my ability to do over head presses and bench presses. I can do 10 sets of 10 with a considerable amount of weight, every day. I would fill out the workout with other exercises, but those 2 were the base.
Lay the ground work by doing the little things every day: Early on in the challenge, I often thought about doing pushups before bedtime or before I took a shower, but I didn’t do it. 7 pushups a day would have put me over 1,000,000# for the challenge. But I didn’t know that until it was too late to make up the difference.
You have to use all your resources to do big things: I can’t lift 30,000# in a session with just my arms, or in just one exercise (at least not yet). But I have a number of exercises that use different sets of muscles that I can alternate. By varying the routine, I use the energy stored in all my muscles and get more done.
This one is old…slow and steady wins the race: Big and flashy wears you out.

So where does this leave me? Very encouraged at what I can do physically. Very humbled that I have not applied these simple principles to other areas of my life. I’ve sold myself short in many areas because I’ve swung for the fences (big splash) or thought a particular goal was beyond me. Or as the prophet Isaiah said it “Line upon line, precept upon precept”

So what big goal can you break down into little bit size pieces??

GREAT QUESTION!!!!
I’ve been held back because I could only see doing a Triathlon…not walking 1/4 mile 4 times a day.
I could only see doing the Full 15 minute Basic Workout for T-Tapp – not doing the 9 minute chair workout, twice.
I can only see the whole book written, not writing one chapter at a time.

I have been held back by seeing the hugeness of the task, and not breaking it into smaller bites.
Our daughter, Faith, memorized a poem from Shel Silverstein’s book, Where the Sidewalk Ends, and I can hear her recite it in my ear today:

Melinda Mae
Have your heard of tiny Melinda Mae,
Who ate a monstrous whale?
She thought she could,
She said she would,
So she started right in at the tail.

And everyone said, “You’re much too small,”
But that didn’t bother Melinda at all.
She took little bites and she chewed very slow,
Just like a good girl should…

…And in eighty-nine years she ate that whale
Because she said she would!

I pray that it doesn’t take me 89 years, but thanks to Jim, and several ladies I will be praising in one of my future blogs, I am making steps forward.
Here’s my favorite small steps song:

The goals Jim’s team made seemed impossible when they made them.
I do have to keep my health limitations in mind….but, I need to give myself grace, I need to look at things in smaller bites, shorter steps…one step at a time!
Thanks, Jim!

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Romans 5:1-2

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
Or ‘like’ me!

If you like The WildBerry Patch, follow me with the RSS feed.

We have email subscription! Or sign up for an account, and you can manage your subscription from the dashboard!
Soon, we will have a gallery for the art I have created by the hand of God.

Naomi's Heart Mission

Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!

28 days of Grace – day 12

Just some thoughts, looking around the world, and looking around a grocery store…
comparing worldly lusts of sin with fleshly lusts of food….

everywhere you look there are bread sellers…. sugar sellers… poison peddlers.
everywhere you look there are sin sellers
ecstasy at worship, then crash monday morning
sugar highs, then sugar crashes
too much crap for adrenals, thyroid, insulin. and ends up in insulin resistance
too much crap exposes you to itchings ears, newest music, latest teaching, and ends up in worldly resistance
Eventually, one is numb, scarred, toxic, and unable to see what is pure.

I charge [thee] therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
And they shall turn away [their] ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
2 Timothy 4:1-4

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
2 Timothy 3:1-5

And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
John 3:19-21

We have a choice….laid out from the beginning –

Death or Life
Evil or Good
Poison or Pure

I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, [that] I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, [and] that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he [is] thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.
Deuteronomy 30:19-20

The words of the LORD [are] pure words: [as] silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
Psalm 12:6

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that [were] on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
Joshua 24:15

WE have to make the choice…the natural shadows the spiritual…we are not created for this world…but for another.
By GRACE are we saved, and that not of ourselves!!! Ephesians 2:8
My prayer….I need YOUR GRACE, LORD JESUS!

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
Or ‘like’ me!

If you like The WildBerry Patch, follow me with the RSS feed.

We have email subscription! Or sign up for an account, and you can manage your subscription from the dashboard!
Soon, we will have a gallery for the art I have created by the hand of God.

Naomi's Heart Mission

Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!